“Dirt” Flower Pots

“Dirt” cake reminds me of hot summers, barbecues, and outdoor eating. When I was a kid, I used to get so excited for dessert once I spotted the flower pot set out on checkered tablecloth with the other desserts. This “Dirt” Flower Pots dessert is really easy to make, requires no cooking, and looks just adorable. You can really dress it up with flowers, worms, or even mini Scottie dogs.

As a member of the Walkers Shortbread Ambassador program, I was sent packs of Walkers’ pure butter Scottie Dog Shortbread cookies, which help support the company’s sponsorship of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (ASPCA). Walkers has recently launched a Chocolate version of the cookie as well. In 2012 (the original Scottie Shortbread was launched in January 2012, Walkers raised over $25,000 for the ASPCA. For 2013, the company has doubled its minimum donation amount to $50,000. Ten cents from the sale of every Scottie Dog Shortbread 3.9-ounce carton and 20 cents for larger cartons will be donated to the ASPCA.


To help spread the word about these cookies and their partnership, Walkers is giving away a Scottie Dog Tin! To enter, just use the widget below. Note: This Giveaway is now closed.

Source: walkersus.com

 

Now, back to the recipe.

 

Ingredients (serves 8, or makes 4 small flower pots):

  • 1 package of Oreos
  • 2 graham crackers (optional)
  • 2 packs of instant chocolate pudding
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 3 cups milk
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 8 oz whipped topping
  • 1 box of Walkers Scottie Dog Shortbread Cookies (Chocolate or Original)
  • Gummy worms (optional)

For decoration (optional):

  • small flower pots (I used 6 inch pots)
  • organic flowers, or fake flowers
  • straws

Continue reading “Dirt” Flower Pots

Mediterranean Chickpea Burger with Ranch Tzatziki

I am so happy that it is finally grilling weather again! There is nothing better than hanging out with friends and family in the back yard, grilling up some burgers, and playing games. Last night I was able to go to my first barbecue of the season and I couldn’t be happier about it. I look forward to many more this summer!

I am an unapologetic lover of cheeseburgers. I never get sick of them. But eating a cheeseburger, oh, once a week all summer is not a good habit at all.  I’ve stayed away from veggie burgers for the most part because I was never a fan of the texture. But when MorningStar Farms contacted me about their new Veggie Mediterranean Chickpea Burger I was intrigued. There is a vegan pizza place in Philadelphia called Blackbird Pizzeria that has Chickpea Parm that I’m kind of obsessed with, so I was really looking forward to trying a chickpea burger too!

The chickpea burgers also have spinach, Roma tomatoes, and Greek herbs and spices mixed in which deliver a ton of flavor without the fat and calories. These burgers are just 110 calories per burger and have 70% less fat than ground beef.

Morningstar Farms is also giving away a prize pack valued at over $80 to one reader! I’ll have more details below!

 

To highlight the Mediterranean flavors in the burger, I decided to make a Tzatziki style topping and finish it off with some feta cheese. Tzatziki is normally made with a strained yogurt, cucumber, lemon, and mint. I decided to make a topping that is in the style of tzatziki but uses tomatoes and dill with a touch of a ranch dressing dry packet to really amp up the flavor.

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 Morningstar Farms Mediterranean Chickpea burgers
  • 4 hamburger buns
  • 2/3 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon of Ranch dressing dry packet
  • 1/2 teaspoon dill, plus more for garnish
  • feta cheese, to taste

Continue reading Mediterranean Chickpea Burger with Ranch Tzatziki

thinkThin® Wellness Box Giveaway!

As a culture of people always on the move, it can be really difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle (more power to those who can!) Finding a quick and healthy snack is particularly difficult. Most “healthy” granola bars pack in the sugar and calories, but thinkThin® delivers a tasty snack without refined sugar, GMOs, or gluten. thinkThin® Protein and thinkThin® Bites products contain 0g sugar while the thinkThin® Crunch Fruit & Nut bars have sugar in the range of 3g-8g.

In honor of Mothers Day, thinkThin® has graciously offered to give one lucky reader a Wellness Box to help busy moms (and non-moms) maintain a healthy lifestyle! The bars are great as a breakfast option, right before a workout, or as an afternoon pick-me-up.

 

The Wellness Box includes: one 10 bar box of thinkThin® high protein bars, one 10 bar box of thinkThin® Crunch (with 10g protein and 70% less sugar than leading fruit and nut bars), and three boxes of thinkThin® Bites.

The high protein bars have 20g protein and 0g sugar to help avoid sugar spikes and fatigue. The bars are also gluten free, kosher, and have a low glycemic index. Flavors include creamy peanut butter, chocolate espresso, caramel fudge, chocolate covered strawberry, white chocolate, chunky peanut butter, brownie crunch, cookies and creme, chocolate fudge, and dark chocolate.

The crunch bars are made with 100% non-GMO ingredients and contain 8g-9g protein, 4g-8g sugar, and 4g fiber. The bars are also gluten free. Flavors include white chocolate dipped mixed nuts, mixed nuts, chocolate dipped mixed nuts, coconut chocolate mixed nuts, caramel chocolate dipped mixed nuts, blueberry and mixed nuts, cherry and mixed nuts, and cranberry apple and mixed nuts.

thinkThin® bites are 100 calorie bars with 0g sugar and 5g-8g protein per bar. The bites are also gluten free. Flavors include chocolate toffee nut, cookies and cream, and dark chocolate bites.

Want to win a Wellness box of these delicious bars? Just use the widget below! Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If on a mobile device, try: https://bit.ly/11WKWlO

Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes

I like any excuse to brag about Philadelphia. I can’t help it, I’m proud of where I live. So I get even more excited when the bragging involves food. Recently, National Geographic named Teuscher Chocolates the Best Chocolate in the World. Teuscher hails from Zurich, Switzerland but we have our very own store here in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia actually has quite a chocolate history, we even used to have a Confectioner’s Row (N 3rd St in Old City in case you’re interested). Wilber Chocolate, Whittman’s, and even Hershey’s got their start in the Philadelphia confectionery scene. And many brands continue that tradition to this day, including Teuscher, located in the Bellevue.

To celebrate being the Best Chocolate in the World, Teuscher Philadelphia contacted a few of us local bloggers and offered to let us sample some of their chocolates. Honestly, who’s going to say no to that?!

You may have seen some of my Instagram photos about their chocolates. Every piece seemed to be better than the last. I was hoarding them, eating one a day, until they sadly were all gone. The house specialty is not to be missed: the Classic Champagne Truffle. Made with dark chocolate ganache coated in milk chocolate with some Dom Perginon champagne creme, these are little bites of happiness and luxury. They even have Dark Chocolate Champagne Truffles! But their other choices really hold their own. The Chocolate Citrus Peels were amazing, but my ultimate favorite was the fleur de sel caramel. I cannot even put into words how good it was!

If that wasn’t enough to make me giddy, I also walked away with a bar of Teuscher’s Chocolate 99, a 99% chocolate bar that is somehow not overly bitter, perfect for baking. The chocolate has no chemicals, additives, or preservatives either.

To show off this beautiful chocolate, I decided to make Chocolate Lava Cakes, which are super easy to make and would impress any Valentine (hint hint). And because chocolate makes me feel oh so warm and fuzzy inside, I wanted to share some of this chocolatey goodness with one lucky reader! I am giving away an assorted box of Teuscher Chocolates! (More below)

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 Chocolate 99 Baking Bars
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup flour

Continue reading Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes

Pull-Apart Party Loaf

Let’s be honest, one of the best parts of Super Bowl Sunday is the food. Although I’m excited to hang out with friends as we root for (so far) the most successful graduate in our class (Go Flacco!) and watch some amazing commercials, I’m more focused on the tasty treats that come along with the viewing.

I’ve been in the Football Food spirit for a while now. Last week, Land O’ Lakes and Rebecca of Foodie With Family hosted a webinar all about food for the big game.

 

We discussed a bunch of different group-friendly snacks, which ones travel well to other locations, and even how to keep food safe while it is sitting out during the game. Land O’ Lakes has a great round up of game day favorites, so be sure to check it out for some inspiration here. I learned a lot, but I was unfortunately kind of distracted. Why? Because the first darn photo they showed me was of a Pull-Apart Party Loaf.

 

Look at that loaf!

I loved it so much, I made a test batch of my own to share with you! I also received a nifty prize package for participating, plus one to give away, woo hoo! More on that below…

 

So this recipe is one created in the Land O’ Lakes Kitchen. Original recipe can be found here.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 (16- to 18-ounce) round loaf of sourdough bread
  • 1/4 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon dry ranch dressing mix
  • 1/2 cup (about 5 slices) cooked chopped thick-cut bacon
  • 1/4 cup jalapeño peppers, chopped
  • 10 (3/4-ounce) slices Land O Lakes® Deli American Cheese, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Continue reading Pull-Apart Party Loaf

Gift Idea: a*pour toi Boxes & Giveaway!

It should come as no surprise that my go-to gifts tend to be food related. I love gifting Philadelphia-themed gift baskets, assorted tea presents, and engagement cookies. New to my list are these beautiful gift boxes from a*pour toi.

The founder, Julie Hasson, began this company recently to provide gourmet treats that feel like they have been picked with care just for your recipient. Julie works with Dr. Tara D Seneviratne who specialized is nutrition and endocrinology to help select every item in the box.

This option is brand new, it is being launched to the public in mid-January. But I was given the opportunity to try a box beforehand. I was sent an a*pour toi box for free, but my opinions below are my own. a*pour toi, which translates to “a gift for you,” is also hosting a giveaway on my blog, with the winner receiving their very own gift box! (The box ingredients change monthly, so you may receive different treats than I did. Please see below on how to enter!)

Halibut with Coconut-Red Curry

I am very vocal about my love of Cooking Light and myrecipes.com in general. I think it is a fantastic resource to find delicious recipes of all kinds and sort them easily and helpfully. I was recently sent a copy of myrecipes’ America’s Favorite Food: 200 Top-Rated Recipes from the Country’s Best Magazines which is a collection of recipes from All You, Coastal Living, Cooking Light, Health, Real Simple, Southern Living, and Sunset magazines.

What makes this cookbook different than any I’ve ever seen, is that it incorporates a Scan-It/Cook-It technology. Once you download the free Digimarc Discover app onto your smartphone, you are able to scan photos and info boxes in the cookbook which opens up how-to videos, shopping lists, and related recipes. Brilliant!

When I scanned the photo of the recipe I was making (Halibut with Coconut-Red Curry Sauce), it opened a how-to video to see how to prepare the dish, which is a wonderful tool for beginner cooks. The recipe also includes a side bar with substitutes and even tips on how to cook fish without smelling up the whole house.

This is the perfect cookbook for all levels of home cooks and I’m happy to be able to giveaway a copy of this cookbook! Check out the widget below to enter…

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
  • 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger (or a punch of ground ginger)
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar  (or 1 teaspoon stevia)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 3/4 teaspoon red curry paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice  (about 1 lime)

Continue reading Halibut with Coconut-Red Curry

Couscous with Dried Cranberries and Pine Nuts

I need more sides in my life. Couscous is a great weekday choice because it’s so quick to make, maybe 20 minutes in total. This recipe is from the Fresh & Healthy DASH Diet Cooking Cookbook which I absolutely love. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute a encourages increasing whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean proteins and minimizing processed gains, high-fat meats and dairy, sugars and sodium… which is basically more just eating healthy versus a diet.

 

This couscous recipe is made with vegetable broth to give it some flavor with bites of pine nuts, dried cranberries, and scallions.

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup couscous (whole wheat if you can find it)
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 scallions, coarsely chopped

Continue reading Couscous with Dried Cranberries and Pine Nuts

My 2nd Blogiversary and Giveaway!

Two years ago today, I decided to begin writing a blog to help track my progress as I learned how to cook. I am in the process of updating the look of my blog (it’s still a work in progress) and was looking over some of my most recent posts. They were so much fun to read but my goodness the photos were awful! I still have a lot to learn both in cooking, blogging, and photography so I can’t wait to see what the next year brings.

Knowing others read this and actually care about what I post has been a huge motivation. I wanted to thank you for reading my posts and keeping me going on my cooking journey.  So what’s a birthday party without some presents? In celebration of my blog turning two, I put together a little giveaway.

With the holidays coming up, I figured most people are starting to think about their next baking project (or at least I am). One lucky reader will be all set to bake his or her little heart out because I am giving away a cookie baking kit!

 

The baking kit (~$125 value) includes the following:

Airbake Nonstick Insulated Cookie Sheets

OXO “Good Cookie” Spatula

OXO Silicone Whisk

OXO Angled Measuring Cup

Dry Measuring Cups

Measuring Spoons

A Mixing Bowl Set (3 bowls)

Two spatulas

Holiday Cookie Cutters

A Metal Cooling Rack

1 Copy of “Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year” Cookbook

To enter, just use the Rafflecopter widget below. Good luck to everyone!! I hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I enjoy writing them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Knotty Daughters Apron Giveaway

I am a messy (and clumsy) cook. Because I usually start cooking as soon as I come home, I rely on aprons to keep my work clothes from being completely ruined by my latest culinary creation. One can never have too many aprons, so I’m happy to say that the lovely makers of Knotty Daughters Aprons contacted me about giving away one of their aprons to one of my readers!
Knotty Daughters design and sell cute and functional aprons. They have plenty of styles and are made with extra long lies so you can knot them in the front or the back, depending on your preference. The best part: The aprons are made of kitchen towels so they can stand up to your best kitchen messes! They are also machine washable. As they say on their site, these are “knot your mom’s apron” hehe.
Maya Apron- Front
Maya Apron- Back
Be sure to check our their selection of aprons here.
The ladies at Knotty Daughters will be giving away an apron of the winner’s choice! To enter, just use the widget below. The giveaway will be open for one week. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Double Chocolate Soufflés

As I’ve mentioned before, I cannot help myself from making a million desserts in December. There is something about the last month of the year that makes me want to bake my little heart out. Oxo has decided to help my cause by asking me to check out their new and improved Egg Beater. I am a huge fan of Oxo products (bowls, containers, apple corers; you name it, I have it). So I knew that their egg beater would find a happy home in my kitchen. Oxo also sent me an extra egg beater to give away to one of lucky reader. Details will be below!

 

The egg beater has a non-slip grip handle for ease of use. The beaters are removable and  then entire base can be detached and is dishwasher-safe (a must in my kitchen. I’m way too lazy to clean dishes after cooking). The beater itself has managed to improve upon its predecessors by adding a steel bridge at the bottom that can rest on the bottom of the bowl. This allows the beaters to be slightly in the air without causing arm strain.Note: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to Jill J;you have won! Check your e-mail 🙂
Photo courtesy of oxo.com


Their website had a great video that shows all the features so I wanted to include that hereas well.

So I really wanted to test this bad boy. I decided to not only test it’s ease of use, but it’s ease of cleaning by making a recipe that uses the egg beater in more than one step of the process. How about a chocolate souffle topped with a warm fudge sauce and some freshly made whipped cream? (Not going to lie, the whipped cream was an afterthought because my souffle collapsed. Sigh. Still learning…)
Ingredients:
   Souffle:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 large egg whites
   Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  Whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon powered sugar

 

This recipe requires a bit of oven preparation. Take out the top rack of your oven. Position the other rack as low as possible. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Spray six 8-ounce souffle dishes (or ramekins) with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons (or 1 teaspoon per ramekin) of sugar and set aside.

In a large saute pan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, and the salt over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk or the Oxo egg beater. Add 1 1/4 cups milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add 3 ounces chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

 

In a medium bowl, add the egg whites (reserve one egg yolk!) and beat using your egg beater until stiff peaks form. This took a good 5 minutes for me.

Once the egg whites are beaten, the chocolate mixture should have cooled. Add the vanilla and egg yolk to the chocolate mixture and stir.Fold in 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture.

Once combined, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

 

Spoon the mixture into the ramekins. Sharply tap the dishes two or three times on counter to even out each mixture in the ramekin. You want them to be about 3/4 full so that they can puff over the top of the ramekin. If you are making these ahead of time, you can cover the ramekins at this stage and freeze until you’re ready to bake them.

 

When ready to bake, place them on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven (which is at 425) on the bottom rack. Immediately reduce the temperature to 350 degrees (keep the souffles in the oven and don’t open the door, the temperature will slowly lower over time). Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the side comes out clean.

The sauce can also be made ahead of time if you so wish. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, and 1 tablespoon flour, stirring well with a whisk.

Gradually add 1/2 cup milk stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, continuing to stir. Remove from heat, add 1/2 ounce chocolate and stir until smooth. Spoon over warm souffles.

 

To make the whipped cream, add the heavy cream to a bowl. Using the egg beater, beat the cream until peaks are just about to form. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar and beat until peaks form. Add a dollop of the fresh whipped cream to the souffle and serve.

 

So my souffle came out puffy and happy and I was so excited!

But as I started adding the chocolate sauce, it began to deflate. Sigh.

So I topped it off with the fresh whipped cream and called it even.

Souffles are notoriously difficult to make, but I wanted to at least give it a shot. Who honestly cares if it deflated though? It still tasted wonderful! I think even a collapsed souffle still looks pretty darn nice as well, no?

 

So if you’re still with me, you can win your very own Oxo egg beater to beat and whip until your heart’s content.
How to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and feel free to leave me a comment below with any questions, comments, or complaints 🙂

Note: I received both a free egg beater for myself and for the giveaway through Oxo’s Blogger outreach program. All opinions and photos with the exception of the egg beater photo are mine.

One Year Blogiversary & Giveaway

It has been one year and almost 170 posts after I quietly began my blog. I cannot believe I have been doing this for 365 days. I initially started the blog as my own personal inventory of recipes I enjoyed and to have a place to record my evolution into (hopefully) someone that could cook. I never imagined it would become such a source of enjoyment for me, or that anyone would ever look at it!
I am so lucky to have progressed this much in one year’s time, and I want to thank all of you who check in on my blog from time to time. What better way to thank you than with a giveaway? As you’ve probably noticed, Cooking Light has been a huge part of my culinary development. I have them to thank for helping me realize that I could indeed learn how to cook. The magazine makes it easy to whip up a delicious and healthy meal while staying within a budget. Each month contains so many recipes that can be made in 40 minutes or less, (perfect for week nights) and because the magazine comes out monthly, it’s easy to take advantage of seasonal produce in your cooking.
Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

 

So I am giving away not one, but two one-year subscriptions to Cooking Light, so that you can get as much joy out of the magazine as I have!
Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

The first name picked gets a little giveaway bonus: a cookbook! You will be able to choose from either Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast: Weeknight Meals or Cooking Light Cooking Through Seasons.

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light
Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

Note: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to Julie from Sugarfoot Eats who won both a subscription to Cooking Light AND the Weeknight Meals cookbook! Congratulations also go to Claire from The Realistic Nutritionist who also won a subscription to Cooking Light! I hope you two enjoy it as much as I have!!

How to enter:
  • Write a comment below letting me know which cookbook you’d like if you win the first subscription.
To receive additional entries, you can also:
  • Like my facebook page and leave comment below telling me you did so
  • Like Cooking Light’s facebook page and leave comment below telling me you did so
  • Follow me on twitter and leave a comment below telling me you did so
  • Tweet about this giveaway: “Enter to win @icancookthat’s Cooking Light Magazine subscription giveaway! https://tinyurl.com/7uud8ua #giveaway” and leave a comment below saying you did so.
Rules: This is open to U.S. residents only (sorry). Please be sure to include your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win. The giveaway will run until Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24 at 11:59pm ET. Two winners will be chosen at random using Random.org from all eligible entries. Each reader has up to five chances to win (be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry). The winners will be notified through e-mail on Friday, November 25.
Note: If you already have a subscription to Cooking Light but would like to be entered to win just one of the cookbooks, please just let me know that in your first comment.
Good luck!

Creamy Asparagus Soup with Prosciutto

It’s about time I finished my review of Pomi! This time, I am working with their Alfredo Sauce. As a reminder, Pomi products come in boxes and are BPA-free.You can find them in most supermarkets (I was even able to find it in Reading Terminal, huge plus!)
The Alfredo Sauce would be yummy just over your favorite pasta with some fresh parsley, but I once again wanted to use the sauce a little differently to show how versatile the product is. (Don’t forget, I also have a giveaway to win a box of both the Alfredo Sauce AND the Vodka Sauce on my other post! Go check it out for details — ends Friday October, 21 12:00pm EST.)
Because it’s fall, and I cannot manage to satiate my craving for soup, I am making a Creamy Asparagus Soup topped with Crispy Prosciutto.

 

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I am using Melt, a butter substitute)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3 cups chicken broth
1-2 bunches of asparagus, woody ends removed
1 box Pomi Alfredo Sauce
3 slices of prosciutto, cut into thin strips
Salt, to taste
Garlic croutons, optional
Fresh parsley, chopped, optional

Begin by preparing your asparagus. Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Take the tips (maybe about 10 of them) and reserve for a later use. Chop your shallot and garlic clove.

 

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add ice water to a bowl.
In another pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped shallots, garlic, and dried parsley. Cook for two minutes, stirring.

 

Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the asparagus (without the reserved tips) and cook for 5 minutes.

 

Pour the mixture in batches into a blender and blend until smooth.

Return to the pot. Cook for ten minutes over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.

 

At this stage, your pot of water should be boiling. Add the reserved asparagus tips to the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes and drain. Move the asparagus tips to an ice bath to cool. Once cool, remove from the ice water and set aside.

 

While waiting for the soup to cook, add the thin strips of prosciutto to a dry saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until crisp.
Transfer to paper towels and allow to cool. When cooled, roughly chop the prosciutto and set aside.
Add the Pomi Alfredo Sauce to the pot and stir to combine. Depending on your tastes, you might want to just use half a box. If you want it cheesy, go for the whole thing; if you want it more asparagus-y (is that a word?) use between 1/2 and the full box. Cook for about 5 minutes.
To serve, top with crumbled prosciutto, 2-4 asparagus spears, and a few garlic croutons.

Oh my. This was delicious! I really wish I was able to make this in the spring, when asparagus is it’s freshest, I can only imagine how tasty this soup would be!

The Alfredo sauce complements the brightness of the asparagus and adds to the smooth texture. I loved the bites of prosciutto, which added a burst of saltiness to the soup. The asparagus spears and garlic croutons added nice crunch to an otherwise silky soup.

It’s quite nice looking too isn’t it?

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway here for a chance to win a box of this alfredo sauce (plus a box of the vodka sauce) so that you can try these tasty sauces for yourself!

Tomato Seafood Chowder &Review of Pomi Vodka Sauce

We all have those nights where we are absolutely too exhausted to cook. I tend to go straight for pasta whenever these nights come up, but recently I’ve been running low on my homemade tomato sauce. Sigh. I will of course whip up a batch of my tomato sauce when I have time, but it takes a good three hours to make!
Luckily, Pomi must have sensed my tomato sauce drought, and asked if I’d be willing to try some of their new sauces, specifically the Vodka Sauce and the Alfredo Sauce. (They also have traditional Marinara and Tomato & Basil sauces.) Not only do I get to try theses sauces, but Pomi is also going to send one lucky reader one box each of the Vodka Sauce and the Alfredo Sauce! I will discuss the giveaway at the end of this post, so stick with me!
I was excited to try Pomi. Unlike most tomato sauces, Pomi products actually come in boxes and are BPA-free. BPA, or bisphenol A is a compound used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are typically used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles, and baby bottles. Epoxy resins are mainly used to coat the inside of metal products, such as food cans. The issue is there is evidence that BPA can seep into food and be absorbed into the human body, causing damage to the cardiovascular and reproductive systems, possibly leading to cancer, diabetes, asthma and obesity. Although more research needs to be completed, it has been suggested that consumers should try to limit their BPA exposure. Pomi also uses 100% natural tomatoes (no pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified seeds are used) and they do not add preservatives or artificial flavors to the end result.
Naturally, you can used these sauces just poured over freshly cooked pasta. But I decided to also test how versatile these sauces are. To save from a ridiculously long post, the Alfredo Sauce post will be coming shortly!
I decided to use the Vodka Sauce to make a Tomato Seafood Chowder. Pomi’s vodka sauce ingredients include: tomatoes, heavy cream, vodka, onion, cheeses, garlic, basil and parsley, which sounded like a wonderful base for a soup.

 

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup orzo, uncooked
1 medium sized yellow onion, finely chopped
1 pound raw bay scallops
1/2 cup clam juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 box Pomi Vodka Sauce
1/2 can diced tomatoes, optional
1 dozen clams
8 oz crab meat
2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil, for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Cook the orzo according to package instructions on the package. Drain and set aside. While the orzo is cooking, prepare your ingredients: chop the onion, garlic, basil and parsley.
In a large pot, add the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion ,garlic, dried basil and dried parsley. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the scallops and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring.

Add the clam juice and chicken broth. If you want, you can sub out the clam juice for all broth.  Add the Pomi Vodka Sauce, red pepper flakes, and diced tomatoes. If you do not want a chunky stew, you can leave out the chopped tomatoes.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the clams and cover, cooking for 3-5 minutes or until the clams open.

Stir in the orzo and the crab meat and serve with day old French bread.

 

There is plenty of salt from the clam juice, chicken broth and Pomi Vodka sauce so you really don’t need to add any. Feel free to add a bit of ground pepper if you’d like.

The Pomi Vodka sauce added plenty of flavor to the soup. It created a wonderful base and tasted awesome with the clams, crab meat and scallops.  I strongly suggest adding the red pepper flakes for a tiny bit of heat, it works so well with the tomatoes. My boyfriend, who was really wary of trying the chowder, ended up polishing off his bowl, and he doesn’t even like scallops!

 

So now, for the giveaway! As a reminder, one reader will receive one box of Pomi Alfredo Sauce and one box of Pomi Vodka Sauce, mailed to your home. Unfortunately, this is only open to U.S. residents.
To enter, please leave a comment below letting me know how you’d use one of the sauces (this one is mandatory).
For extra entries, you can do as many of the following as you please. Leave me a comment below letting me know you’ve done them, each comment counts as a separate entry!
  1. Like I Can Cook That and Pomi on Facebook (comment saying you did so or let me know if you already do)
  2. Follow I Can Cook That on twitter (comment saying you did so or let me know if you already do)
  3. Tweet the following: “I just entered @icancookthat’s Pomi Sauce Giveaway! https://tinyurl.com/3c56eep” (leave a comment saying you did so below)
The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be announced Friday, October 21. All entries must be received by 12:00pm EST on Friday, October 21. Good luck!
Note: This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for participating!
Exit mobile version