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Recipes Category

Easy Delicious Cranberry Salad Recipe

Samantha December 14, 2012 1 Comment

When my husband and I first started dating and got to share our first family holidays together, he made this cranberry salad for everyone. I never really ate cranberries, but when I tried his dish, I was going back for second and thirds. This easy recipe takes no more that 15 minutes to make and creates a perfect side dish for the holidays.

Heinz57 Pulled Pork Recipe + Tailgate Prize Pack Giveaway

Samantha November 17, 2012 88 Comments

It’s the middle of football season and around here, that means entertaining, tailgating and Sunday gatherings. Tailgating and football games aren’t complete without the perfect foods. Some of our favorite tailgating foods include meatballs, burgers, brats and pulled pork sandwiches. I am always looking for new recipes to try and I have found some tasty ones on Heinz 57‘s website. Heinz 57 is sure to add flavor to any meal with their three products: Heinz 57 Sauce, Heinz 57 Steak Sauce, and Heinz 57 Sauce with Honey.

PULLED PORK RECIPE

One of my favorite recipes is the Heinz 57 Pulled Pork. It serves approx. 8 people and only takes 10 minutes to prep.

Photo Courtesy of Heinz57.com

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Heinz 57® Sauce
1/4 cup Lea & Perrins® Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
3.5 lb. boneless pork shoulder blade roast, trimmed and cut into 4 pieces

Mix together 57 Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, mustard, sugar, tomato paste, and onion in a 5-6qt slow cooker. Season with salt & pepper. Add pork and make sure it gets coated with the mixture. Cover and cook on low heat setting for about 8 hours, or until pork is cooked through (no longer pink or an internal temperature of 165°F) and tender, turning occasionally.
To serve, remove pork from slow cooker. Pull pork into shreds using two forks. Return pork to slow cooker and stir until well mixed with sauce. Serve onto your favorite sandwich buns and serve immediately.

PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAY

Heinz57 is giving one lucky Nifty Mom reader a Tailgating Prize Pack which includes:

Heinz 57 Sauce, Heinz 57 Steak Sauce and Heinz 57 Sauce with Honey
Grilling tools
Heinz blanket
Can cooler
Heinz tailgating book

To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below. No purchase necessary to enter. The giveaway is open to contiguous US residents only, 18+ and giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST November 25th, 2012. Winner will be selected via random.org and contacted by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply to confirm their prize or a new winner will be picked. Sponsor is responsible for shipping the prize to the winner, not Nifty Mom. If you have any issues entering or have any questions, please email me at contact (at) niftymom(dot)com.

GOOD LUCK!

Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner – Summer Grilliance BBQ Party + Beef Kabob Recipe

Samantha September 4, 2012 7 Comments

Just about every weekend we love to fire up the grill, invite some friends and family over, and enjoy some barbecue. My husband (and Dad) just finished building an awesome two-tiered pave-stone patio in our backyard and we have been anxious to have our first party on it. This past weekend we hosted a barbeque party to celebrate Labor Day, my son’s second birthday, and just have some fun.

We had about about 20 adults and 10 kids over for the day. Aside for eating and socializing, we played washers, took some of the kids on four-wheeler rides, and played games with the kids. I love all the laughter and chatter of a great get-together. It was a great time for everyone and of course the food was delish!

When it came to the food, we had a ton! When we grill, 90% of the time it is always beef. We knew we were going to grill beef franks and burgers, and for the third meat, I visited Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner and browsed their recipes. I love their website because not only does it provide great recipes, it is also very informative. Learn how to be a smart beef shopper, how to properly cook beef as well as healthy eating tips. After looking around, we decided to make beef kabobs adapted from their Beef Steak & Potato Kabobs recipe.

Ingredients: (we doubled everything for our recipe)

1lb boneless beef top sirloin steak
1lb petite potatoes
3 medium yellow or zucchini squash
marinade of your choice (we used Lawry’s Steak & Chop)
Olive Oil
Veggie Seasoning

Instructions:

1. Cut beef into 1 inch cubes
2. Cover steak with a marinade in a container. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
3. Microwave potatoes in a covered (vented) bowl for 8 minutes to until they are tender. This is important because they need to cook longer than the beef.
4. Slice squash into one inch slices. Toss with a coat of olive oil and veggie seasoning.
5. Alternate beef, squash, and potatoes in skewer
6. Grill kabobs on over medium, ash-covered coals covered for 8-10 minutes. On a gas grill, cover and cook for 9-11 minutes. Turn once and brush some marinade on during the last five minutes.
7. Enjoy

Grilling beef properly is very important to ensure maximum flavor and optimal tenderness. Follow the steps below next time you grill beef.

*Click here for PDF file of this infographic

“I wrote this review while participating in a In Home Party campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and received product samples to facilitate my party and review, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.”

Fab Five Friday – Top 5 Banana Snack Recipes

Samantha August 24, 2012 No Comments

Bananas are one of my little guys’ favorite snack foods and I am always looking for ways to jazz it up. These are some of my favorite banana snack recipes I have came across.

1. Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites: These add a great twist to banana snacks with their crispiness. View the recipe here.

Recipe & Photo courtesy of FormulaMom.com

2. Frozen Banana Bites: The kids love these! Dip frozen banana pieces in a mixture of melted chocolate and peanut butter. Ashley adds coconut flakes, but I leave them off. She has lots of great tips and variations included with her recipe. View them here.

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of NeverHomeMaker.com

3. Chocolate Banana Crepes: These are also good using Nutella instead of chocolate chips as well. View the recipes here along with 21 other healthy kids snacks.

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Parenting.com

4. Banana & Nutella Graham Cracker Sandwiches: Banana slices and Nutella is also good on toast. There is no recipe on the site, but you can also view some other healthy snack ideas.

Photo Courtesy of TasteofHome.com

5. Banana Split Bites: I haven’t tried these yet, but just look at how yummy they look! Scoop out the inside of the banana bites and put ice cream in them. Naomi has a lot of great recipes! View this one here.

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of BakersRoyale.com

Do you have a favorite banana snack?

How to Make a Heart Shaped Cake: It’s Quick & Easy

Samantha February 7, 2012 4 Comments

I love to make cakes and desserts and since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I thought I would share how easy it is to make a heart shaped cake.

Need:

Box of Cake Mix
Can of Frosting
8-9″ Circle Cake Pan
8-9″ Square Cake Pan

Make the cake mix as directed on the box. Pour half into the circle pan and half into the square pan. Bake as directed. Let cool completely and remove from the pans. If your pans are not easy to get the cake out, line the the pan with foil before you add the cake mix.

Cut the circle cake in half and place the three pieces together as shown:

Now all you have to do is ice the cake. The first time I made this, one can of frosting barely covered the cake. It helps to beat the frosting with a mixer for a few minutes to fluff it up a little. This also warms it up slightly, making it easier to spread.