Friday, January 21, 2011

What Would You Do With $35!?

Update: Contest is closed. Click here to see the winner!


Okay, maybe $35 isn’t all that much… but CSN stores is generously giving one Beauties and the Feast reader a gift certificate to use toward anything at one of CSN’s 200 stores. It’s really an amazing site, they feature everything from modern dining room furniture to BOB strollers. And many of their items have free shipping. If it were me, I’d buy a salt pig or maybe something heart-shaped for Valentine’s Day, but really you could use it toward a Kitchen Aid mixer, new duvet cover or whatever would make you most happy!

To enter, leave a comment with your recipe idea. Maybe it’s a one dish dinner, pizza or something vegetarian. Whatever you fancy, let us know. The winner will get their recipe featured on BATF and a $35 gift code for CSN Stores! A winner will be announced on Thursday, February 3.

20 comments:

  1. This is exciting!! I'm going to be thinking about what I'm going to post all day!

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  2. I'm having NEW friends over for dinner tonight so I am going to play it safe and stick with a classic--lasagna.
    Step 1.Sauce:
    1 lb ground turkey
    1 lb italian sausage
    1 onion (diced)
    garlic (couple cloves)
    3-4 cans tomato sauce
    2-3 cans italian stewed tomatoes. (the sauce of my dreams includes home grown tomatoes but not this time)

    Cook ital. sausage first, add ground turkey and onions and garlic. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes and let simmer for at LEAST an hour. Makes a lot---3 family sized meals.

    Step 2: Lasagna
    3 cups cottage cheese
    1/2 cups parm cheese
    2 T parsley flakes
    2 beaten eggs
    salt n pepper
    1 lb thin shred mozzarella cheese
    1 pkg lasagna noodles

    Mix all ingredients except mozz. cheese. Place 1/2 cooked noodles in 9x13 baking dish. Spread filling, cover in cheese and meat sauce. Repeat layers, finishing with cheese on top. Bake @ 375 for 30 mins.

    Everyone probably has their own fabulous way to make lasagna but I figure I'm going out on a limb enough as it is to have these new people over I'm going to stick with a crowd pleaser. :)

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  3. Goat Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Pesto Torta

    White Bowl = Stir together 4oz of Goat Cheese at room temp & 8oz of cream cheese together in a bowl. Put 1/4 cup of goat cheese mixture in another bowl.

    Red Bowl = Use 1/4 cup of goat cheese mixture with 3/4 cupish (I use the whole small glass container)of drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, 3 tbsp of tomato paste and 1/2tsp of balsamic vinegar. Stir well, until evenly red.

    Green Bowl = Homemade or Store Bought Pesto.

    Take a 2 cup capacity container (I like long bowls that are about 2" high) and line the inside with plastic wrap. Spray plastic wrap with cooking spray. Spread the contents of the white bowl evenly on the bottom of the plastic wrap, next add the green bowl mixture contents and finally add the red bowl mixture contents. It should appear to have distinct layer of each color. Fold remaining plastic wrap over top and refridgerate for at least 2 hours.

    Serve inverted on a platter. It's a great spread for toasted baguettes, pita chips and on savory bagels!

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  4. Any of those Le Creuset products would be a welcome addition. CSN has some great products.

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  5. Crock Pot Tacos

    2-4 boneless chicken breasts
    Favorite jar of salsa

    Place chicken in crock pot, pour salsa on top, cover and set on low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred chicken in with a fork. Serve with favorite garnishes.

    Super easy and awesome!

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  6. This is my favorite recipe for an extremely chocolate-y dessert. It falls somewhere between brownies and a moist, fudgy cake. Cut into squares (or hearts for V-Day), sprinkle with powdered sugar, and enjoy!

    Fantastic Cocoa Brownie Cake

    1 stick unsalted butter
    126 g. (1/2 C.) unsweetened apple sauce
    4 eggs
    240 g. (2 C.) powdered sugar
    170 g. (1 C. + 2 Tbsp.) good quality cocoa powder (I use Ghiradelli)
    2 tsp. vanilla extract
    1/2 tsp. kosher salt
    70 g. (heaping 1/2 C.) all purpose flour

    1. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pyrex dish. Preheat oven to 300F.

    2. In a medium, glass mixing bowl, melt the butter in the microwave until it just melts, but is not too hot (in my microwave, this took 1 minute at power setting 7).

    3. Whisk the apple sauce, eggs, sugar, sipping chocolate, vanilla extract and kosher salt into the butter. Whisk in the flour until just combined.

    4. Pour into pyrex dish and bake for 55 minutes, or until internal temperature is 190F. Cool before slicing.

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  7. Kona Inn Banana Bread

    2 cups granulated sugar
    1 cup softened butter
    6 ripe bananas, mashed
    4 eggs, well-beaten
    2 1/2 cups cake flour (I use regular flour)
    2 tsp. baking soda
    1 tsp. salt
    Chocolate chips

    Preheat oven to 350

    With electric beater, cream together sugar and butter
    until light and fluffy. Add bananas and eggs, beating
    until well mixed.

    Blend dry ingredients with
    banana mixture but do not over mix.

    Stir in a few handfuls of chocolate chips.

    Pour into 2 lightly-greased loaf pans. Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top. Bake for 45
    minutes to one hour, until firm in the centers and the
    edges begin to separate from pans.

    Cool on rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans.

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  8. I made this one today! So yummy :)
    http://rcpmomfeeds.blogspot.com/2010/10/olive-garden-chicken-gnocchi-soup.html

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  9. My mom has been making red (or tomato) pork chops for as long as I can remember. It goes something like this: 5 thin, boneless chops; half a large onion, sliced; 1 can tomato soup; 1 small can tomato sauce; salt; pepper; italian seasons and garlic to taste. Brown the meat (in spicy garlic oil helps), add the onions and turn heat to low. Add the tomato soup, half can of the tomato sauce, half tomato sauce can of water, salt, pepper and seasonings to taste. Cook on low for 45 min-hour. Serve with mashed potatoes because the whole point of red pork chops is to spread the sauce over all the sides!

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  10. Roast Chicken ala Ina - with a few tweaks (it's so easy, that even I can do it!)

    1 (4 to 5) pound chicken
    Salt & pepper
    2 lemons
    1 whole head of garlic
    Olive oil
    2 sweet onions thickly sliced
    1/2 cup dry white wine
    1/2 cup chicken stock
    1 T all-pupose flour

    Preheat oven to 425F

    Liberally salt & pepper the inside of the chicken. Cut the lemons in quarters & place 2 quarters in the chicken along with all the garlic.

    Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle liberaly with salt & pepper.

    Tie the legs together with twine & tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the chicken in a 9x13 pyrex or roasting pan (not on a rack).

    Toss the remaining lemons & onions with 2T olive oil, 1T salt & 1/2t pepper. Pour the mixture around the chicken in the pan along with the 1/2C wine & 1/2C chicken stock.

    Roast the chicken for about 1 hour & 15 minutes. When juices run clear, remove the chicken to a platter, cover with foil & rest for 10 minutes, leaving lemons & onions in the pan.

    While chicken rests, stir in 1T flour to lemon/onion sauce to thicken.

    Carve chicken & serve sauce on the side (with our without lemon rinds...I prefer without, but they are pretty).

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  11. ~Pulled Pork ~
    Lovin' the crock pot! Great for Superbowl parties!

    - Chop yellow onion and place on the bottom of the pot - if available, use Walla Walla sweets!
    - Add 6 ozs of your favorite BBQ sauce (we used Sweet Baby Rays, but it was sweet! Might try to make our own next time.)
    - 4 slices of pork loin (we got a great deal on pork loin, pre sliced at Coscto!) rubbed with brown sugar, salt and pepper. (since the sauce was so sweet, I'm not sure the brown sugar is necessary, but we used it.) Place on top of onions and sauce.
    - Add another 6 ozs of sauce and make sure the pork is coated on all sides.
    - Turn crock pot to high for one hour, then low for 6-7 hours. Pull pork apart with two forks and give it a good stir!
    - Serve over rolls and side of your choice. Our suggestion: Costco dinner rolls and your favorite slaw! :)


    ~Michelle

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  12. Easiest appetizer ever! Baked Goat Cheese and Marinara Sauce
    Slice goat cheese and arrange in baking dish. Pour jarred marinara sauce around the cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly. Serve with crostini. Voila! So incredibly good!

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  13. I'm not eligible for this giveaway as I live outside the US, but I think this is great idea for people to leave their recipes here! It's my first time over here, and I already love your site. In time I hope to learn more about the six of you. Will be back!

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  14. Thats awesome :) I need a kitchen aid mixer! Any money towards that always helps!

    Vegan (Healthy) Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
    Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

    Ingredients

    2 Tablespoons Ground Flax
    ½ cups Warm Water
    ¼ cups Sucanat
    ¼ cups Stevia
    2 Tablespoons Agave
    3 Tablespoons Applesauce
    ½ teaspoons Vanilla
    ¾ cups Pumpkin Puree (heaping Cup)
    4 Tablespoons Unsweetened Almond Milk
    1-½ cup Whole Wheat Flour
    ¾ teaspoons Baking Powder
    ¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
    ¼ teaspoons Salt
    ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
    ¾ teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
    ¾ cups Vegan Chocolate Chips

    First mix the ground flax with the warm water in a large mixing bowl and let this sit for a minute or so. Next, add the sucanat, stevia, applesauce, agave, vanilla, pumpkin, and almond milk to the same mixing bowl and stir to combine.

    Then mix all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add these to the wet mixture in the mixing bowl and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, and feel free to add a little extra :)! Mix everything together until combined.

    Spray one large 9×5 bread pan. Pour in batter evenly. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean of batter.

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  15. Simple Stir Fry

    Sauce:
    2 tbs. OJ
    2 tbs. Honey
    2 tbs Rice wine vinegar
    4 tbs low sodium soy sauce
    1-2 tsp cornstarch or flour

    2 cups of mixed veggies
    (onions, pepper, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, etc)
    To make it even easier buy Trader Joe's bowl of pre chopped veggies and add whatever else you would like

    About 1 lb of chicken breast meat cut into roughly one inch pieces

    Put veggies in wok or large frying pan, medium heat for 5-7 minutes
    Remove veggies from pan

    Place chicken in the pan and sear on each side

    Move chicken aside and pour in sauce
    When sauce starts to bubble stir in veggies and mix with chicken
    Cook until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, but crisp

    Serve with brown rice (trader Joe's microwave brown rice to save time)

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  16. Crock Pot Italian Pot Roast- So easy and great!
    Ingredients
    3-4 lb boneless round roast
    1 medium sized onion, sliced
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp pepper
    1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
    .7 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix
    Directions
    Slice roast in quarters for even cooking and to distribute the flavors better. Place in slow cooker.
    Cover with sliced onions.
    In small bowl, stir together remaining ingredients and pour over meat and onions.
    Cook on low for 4 hours, and then on high for another 1-2, or until meat is tender.
    Shred meat and serve in sauce over rice or mashed potatoes.

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  17. Pampered Chef's Garlic and Herb Beef Tenderloin
    (Serve with Cheesy or Garlic Mashed Potatoes)
    Perfect for that special Valentine Dinner

    For the Beef
    1 tsp (5 mL) vegetable oil
    4 beef tenderloin filets (4-5 oz/125-175 g each), cut 1 in. (2.5 cm) thick
    1 tbsp (15 mL) Crushed Peppercorn & Garlic Rub

    Sauce
    1 shallot
    1/4 cup (50 mL) dry white wine such as Chardonnay
    1 pkg (5.2 oz/150 g) garlic and herb-flavored cheese spread such as Boursin
    1/3 cup (75 mL) chicken broth
    Directions:
    1. Add oil to (10-in./24-cm) Skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Season filets with rub. Cook undisturbed 3-5 minutes or until browned. Turn filets over; cook 3-5 minutes or until Pocket Thermometer registers 140ºF (60ºC) for medium-rare doneness. Remove Skillet from heat; transfer filets to plate. Tent with foil and let stand 5 minutes (temperature will rise to 145ºF/63ºC).
    2. Finely chop shallot. Return Skillet to heat and cook shallot 30-45 seconds or until softened; add wine. Whisk to loosen browned bits from bottom of Skillet using Silicone Flat Whisk. Add cheese spread; cook and stir 20-30 seconds or until cheese spread is melted and smooth. Add broth and cook an additional 30-45 seconds or until heated through. Reserve ½ cup (125 mL) of the sauce for potatoes, if desired. Serve filets with remaining sauce.
    Yield: 4 servings

    Nutrients per serving: Calories 400, Total Fat 32 g, Saturated Fat 14 g, Cholesterol 95 mg, Carbohydrate 2 g, Protein 24 g, Sodium 620 mg, Fiber 0 g

    U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving (1 beef filet and 2 tbsp/30 mL sauce): 3½ medium-fat meat, 3 fat (0 carb)

    Cook’s Tips: A pan sauce is made by dissolving the browned bits or fond with a liquid. To create a pan sauce for this dish, the fond from the pan is deglazed with wine.

    If desired, 2/3 cup (150 mL) onion and chive-flavored cream cheese can be substituted for the cheese spread.

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  18. Using the same recipe I always do - partly because I already have it electronic format, partly because it's delicious!

    Greek shrimp & pasta from Colorado Colors:

    serves 4-6

    4 tbs Olive Oil (divided)
    1 lb medium shrimp peeled deveined
    1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
    1/2 tsp minced garlic
    1/2 Cup dry white wine
    4 cups fresh tomatoes seeded and coarsely chopped
    1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
    1 tsp dried oregano
    salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
    6 oz feta cheese crumbled
    12 oz fettuccine

    Pre-heat over 400 degrees.

    In large skillet heat 3 tbs olive oil over medium high heat. Add shrimp and cook until just pink, about 2 min. Stir in crushed red pepper and transfer to large baking pan (I use corning ware). In large skillet remaining 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds. Add wine and simmer 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, basil, oregano, and S&P to taste. simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

    Sprinkle feta over shrimp mixture and cover with tomato mixture. Cover and bake 10-15 minutes. Add fettuccine, toss well, and serve immediately!

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  19. I have seen a recipe for au gratin potatoes that uses yams instead of the typical white potatoes. It seems divine!

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  20. There's so much to consider from CSN. And, here's a simple recipe perfect for winter:
    Ruby red grapefruit segments (and any other citrus can be added too)
    top with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and pomegranate seeds
    Easy, seasonal, delicious!

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