Banana Milkshake with Vanilla Flavour

With the weather warming up, I am excited to make refreshing smoothies and flavouring them with delicious Nielsen-Massey Vanillas. I enjoy using the Tahitian Vanilla Beans in many of my desserts. I enjoy using the alcohol free Madagascar bourbon pure vanilla powder to my desserts and smoothies, it makes it special and flavourful. To make this banana milkshake, I used...

Delicious Salad with Tomatoes

The Florida Tomato Committee has launched an awareness campaign to let consumers know how the Florida tomato family of growers carefully and thoughtfully grow tomatoes on family run farms. Florida family of tomato growers are committed to healthful and sustainable farming practices that result in the most red, ripe, nutritious and delicious tomatoes available. Here is a simple and delicious salad recipe we enjoy that is made using fresh tomatoes...

Black Pepper Tofu

black pepper tofu
1 3/4 lbs firm tofu
cornstarch to dust the tofu
vegetable oil for frying

Cut the tofu into 1x1" cubes then toss the tofu in the cornstarch and shake off the excess. Fry in hot oil. When it is golden all over and has a thin crush remove it from the hot oil and leave it aside on a paper towel.

Vaccines can prevent infectious diseases

As we all know infectious diseases are scary because they are contagious, dangerous, and some can even be deadly. Measles, whooping cough, chickenpox and invasive pneumococcal disease can threaten the health of our children and us. Babies under two years old are at the highest risk because their immune systems are still developing. This is the reason that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that we vaccine our children to help protect them from these diseases. I believe as a parent that getting our children vaccinated, with all the recommended doses and on time, is one of the most important steps we can take to help protect them from serious illness that can be prevented.

A Visual Guide to Sushi-Making at Home

sushi
I really enjoyed learning from the Visual Guide to Sushi-Making at Home book that teaches how to make sashimi and sushi style dishes in our own kitchen using a non-traditional approach. There are over 50 recipes from sushi chef Hiro Sone with step-by-step photography and dozens of ingredients and equipment identifications. The books explains everything we need to know from choosing the right fish, the type of rice and how we can prep different types of seafood, and other sushi related ingredients such as dashi, wasabi and more. It also has a section on sushi etiquette.

Nominate Your Community Causes and Win

Helping our neighborhood is important for many reasons so we can keep our neighborhood safe, and connected. State Farm Neighborhood Assist® recognizes the importance of this, and have created an exciting opportunity for nieghbors across the US to help change their communities for the better. This program awards 40 causes a $25,000 grant. Anyone in the United States can submit a cause beginning March 9 through March 30. Ultimately, voters will decide which community improvement projects win big.

How To Be Prepared In Case of a Tornado

Being prepared for natural disasters are very important because these disasters dramatically disrupt communities by destroying schools, homes, and businesses. Tornado and high winds are some of the most destructive forces of nature, and there is no state in the USA that isn't at risk. Knowing what to do to prepare our family and property for severe weather can be the difference between life and death. As the nation’s largest property insurer, State Farm wants to make sure we are prepared for the destructive and potentially deadly force of a tornado with the tips below.

Chocolate Coconut Banana Cream Pie and Giveaway

March 2nd is national Banana Cream Pie Day and to celebrate this day Gay Lea has developed a new twist on an old classic using their new Coconut Whipped Cream. Bananas have been popular in North America since the late 1880. The first recipe for Banana Cream Pie appeared in 1901 out of Chicago, IL and published in the Women’s Exchange Cook Book. This recipe for Chocolate Coconut Banana Cream Pie from Gay Lea has flaked coconut in the base and a dollop of their deliciously creamy Coconut Whipped Cream to top off the pie!

Sprouted Grain Wraps from Angelic Bakehouse

Sprouted Grain foods are quickly transforming from the health food offerings into mainstream consumer products. To keep up with this growing demand, Angelic Bakehouse is adding a premium, sprouted seven-grain wrap to its line of flatbreads. We love the versatility of these artisan wrap that has fewer calories, more fiber and protein. The sprouted grain wrap is made from pure, all natural non-GMO ingredients such as red wheat berries, oat grouts, rye berries, barley, millet, quinoa, and amaranth. The company uses the mash method to lessen the processing of the ingredients and preserve the taste and texture of the real fermented grains.

Gluten Free Rotini and Nutrition Tips

I haven't had Gluten free pasta before, and for the first time enjoyed making and tasting the Barilla Gluten free Rotini pasta. This pasta is made with corn and rice without any wheat ingredients in a dedicated Gluten Free facility. I made spiced and flavoured the Barilla's Rotini pasta with minced meat and spicy sauce.