Archive for April, 2009
By the Numbers – Controlling Interest – a Semi-Rant
62.28% 13.76% 4.35%
Each of us strives to understand where we are in relation to everyone else. How do we match up… there are IQ test, Q-factors, SAT’s and ACT’s, boxes to check off, list to top. It’s how we are made up, good isn’t good enough, we should be better; and then one day we wake up and it’s not so important anymore. Just being is enough; such is life.
Okay, enough of the real world; it’s time for me to evaluate the performance of this blog. Bloggers are all the same, how can I increase my audience size? What’s working and what’s not? We are obsessed with the numbers, the stats, the number of times you guys, the all-important readers, come to see what we write. This is the controlling power driving our lives.
So how are we doing? In the first quarter of this year we had more hits (visits) to our blog then all of last year. As the purpose of this blog is to persuade you to plan your meals, to aid you in that quest and selflessly to get you over to our website; we are on a good run.
We spend a great deal of time and money to get you here. Our tools include tags, catch words, Google Adwords and what we hope are useful and entertaining posts. We thought we would share with you some of the top searches. Our most frequent hits came from searches for “emeals” which is heartening for us because that is what we are all about. 14% of the readers who found us were looking for posts on chicken. We had a large contingent of readers seeking our tulips photo from the Keukenhof, nothing to do with food and meal planning but a quick respite from the winter blues. Our ciabatta bread seemed to be a hit as was our French Lunch post and let’s not overlook the Vodka sauce.
So the bottom line is that if you like what you read here, tell a friend. If you don’t see it here but want to, send us an email. We appreciate your interest and look forward to continuing to post on topics that are useful.
Add comment April 30, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Caution!!! Mint Julip
(From The Misc Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Mint Julip
It don’t know anything about horse racing, seriously nothing. Once a year horse racing brings me to a point I look forward to… the Kentucky Derby and that brings me to the Mint Julip. This decadent drink is served at the Kentucky Derby. It is sooooo good and sooooo dangerous that we only drink it the first weekend in May; and maybe into that first week finishing off the leftovers.
My own attachment to the Mint Julip started in my twenties when the over exuberance for life led myself and others down the path of “it’s Derby Day let’s have a party.” We started with normal gatherings and then each year was spent “out-doing” the previous years. The one that finally put an end to the “destruction” was a costume party: each guest was required to dress up for the derby. There were Civil War Generals, southern ladies in big hats and a horse and jockey. I especially remember that one as I was part of the horse, and I am pleased to announce I manged to get the front part in the duet and not forced to be the horse’s a.. anyway the costumes are gone but the Mint Julips live on.
Before my Kentucky friends write in to complain that only bourbon made in Kentucky is truly bourbon I apologize in advance for my Jack Daniels thing. Really any good bourbon, or “sour mash” as the others are called will work. Just make sure that you serve these very, very cold, lots of ice and more importantly sip. Drinking these down with an open mouth will result in severe state of remorse and lots of aspirin.
Mint Julip
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | Derby Day (Theme Meal Plans) |
| 1 | cup | sugar, white |
| 1 | cup | water |
| 2 | oz | mint, fresh |
| 16 | oz | bourbon, Jack Daniels |
Make a simple mint syrup* by boiling sugar and water together for 5 minutes; cool. Place in a covered container with 6 or 8 bruised (crushed against the side of glass with a spoon) mint sprigs. Refrigerate overnight.
Make a julep by filling a glass with crushed ice, then adding 1 tablespoon of mint syrup and 2 ounces of bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost outside of glass. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig
We paired the Mint Julips with finger foods and light desserts in our Derby Day theme meal at emealsforyou.com.
Add comment April 27, 2009
Feel the Power – Emeals now iPhone enabled
Now, for those emealsforyou.com members, you can send your recipes, meal plans and shopping lists to your Internet enabled cell phone or blackberry. This means you can prepare your week’s meal plan and send the shopping list to yourself. Once in the grocery market you can view the shopping list and ensure that you get all the ingredients you need and save money by not buying things you don’t need.
To see how easy this is to accomplish, download the User Manual
Add comment April 23, 2009
Pre-plan Special Events and Save $$$ – A Semi-Rant
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
It makes no sense to me that the very same people who begin shopping for their kids’ school needs in July don’t think about pre-planning a special event or meal much before the middle of that week. You know that birthday is coming; it’s really no surprise, yet when buying the food you wait until the very last minute. Even our grandmother’s did a better job of planning, course they faced limited availability of product and had to purchase with forethought.
Let’s take your typical summer picnic / birthday. It is 3 weeks away and you are not even thinking about what you want to prepare. The way to save money and a little bit of your sanity is to sit down now and write out your menu. Really, this doesn’t require anymore brain power now then 21/2 weeks from now. Okay, so now we have a menu; start to watch for those ingredients you will need for the party NOW! This gives you a couple of weeks to get the best price on the non-time sensitive items. Buy the burgers and hot dogs when they are on sale not at the last minute. How many times have you said to yourself, “I should have bought that meat last week when it was on sale”… opportunity lost. That’s okay the grocery store chain needs the money more than you, right?
Let me give you an example of how you can save money and “steal” time each day leading up to an event to allow you to better enjoy the party yourself. My regular readers know that we go back to NJ about once a quarter to see family. These trips always involve huge family meals; meals that I gladly prepare and still manage to have a great time. It all begins about 6 weeks out with planning the menu; myself and my mother-in-law go over the guest list for the meals and what we are thinking about preparing. We develop the menu and agree to who does what. Let me get a plug in here: I use my www.emealsforyou.com website to pick the recipes and build the shopping list. I decide what I will buy here and transport to NJ and what my mother-in-law will purchase in NJ. For example: one night is steaks on the grill night, I purchased the steaks last week and saved $4 per lb (times 6 lb =$24). My mother-in-law will take the shopping list to her favorite store and get everything on the list. Another way to save time is to start preparing some of the recipes in advance. I am taking about 7 different desserts to last the whole week. I started baking one each day, taking a very little amount of time off my day and having great desserts like Hazelnut Cheesecake frozen and ready for the trip.
Nobody said planning was going to be easy at first but you already do it in other phases of your life. Take the time to plan; whether for that special event or more importantly, for your weekly meals. You will be surprised at how much you save and maybe smile at the reduction in your stress level.
Add comment April 23, 2009
Mother’s Day Gift Certificates
Mother’s Day is May 9th. We have Mother’s Day Gift Certificates just click on this link Gift Certificates
Add comment April 20, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Chicken Breasts with Garlic Butter
(From The Chicken Entrée Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Chicken Breasts with Garlic Butter
Last week I posted about moving on from Mac and Cheese and trying something a little more (adult); so why not go the same route with plain old grilled chicken. Taking your normal grilled dinner and adding a simple and easy touch will have your family smiling. This recipe requires about 5 extra minutes of prep time and is well worth it.
Also let’s take a minute to discuss the finer details. This recipe calls for boneless chicken breasts, so if you have bone-on chicken breasts no big deal. The garlic butter recipe calls for cilantro, many don’t like the taste of cilantro, so don’t put it in or substitute parsley or rosemary of just go without the “green stuff”. As I have stated in the past, make these recipes your recipes, change or don’t change them to adjust for your taste. The important thing is to try different methods and ingredients; get out of the same old grind and live a little.
Chicken Breasts with Garlic Butter
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Chicken Entrée |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 4 | Tb | butter, salted |
| 1 | tsp | cilantro |
| 1 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 4 | medium | chicken , breast, boned with skin on |
| 1 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
Allow butter to soften; mince garlic and cilantro and blend into the softened butter. Place the butter in plastic wrap, roll into a log and set in the refrigerator to firm up. Cut a pouch into the chicken breast on a diagonal about 11/2 inches wide and 11/ inches ‘deep. Stuff a Tb of the butter into each pouch. Pour a little of the olive oil over the breasts and salt and pepper them to taste. Heat grill to high temperature then cook the breast 10 -15 minutes, until juices run clear.
Note: garlic butter is also great on steaks and burgers.
Add comment April 20, 2009
Extra Recipe of the Week – Pasta – Beyond Mac and Cheese
(From The Fish Entrée Collection at emealsforyou.com)
When we don’t know what to prepare for dinner we usually fall back on the usual suspects. For many of us this means Mac and cheese, from the blue box, maybe with chicken or a hot dog or something and maybe just by itself. While this makes sense for the kids, the kids would eat this 7 days a week, it may not be what your significant other expects after a hard day at work. Even foregoing this guilt trip don’t you deserve more?
This recipe is very easy, and with the exception of the shrimp requires ingredients you should have on hand. The shrimp, while it seems to be an extravagance, is pretty inexpensive if you buy it on sale. You only need about 6 medium shrimp per person to make this a special meal. Seriously, by the time the pasta cooks you will have everything else done… add a salad and you have a meal that is equal to any you would get at a good Italian restaurant.
So, dim the lights, light a candle on the table and dream of Rome.
Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic Shrimp
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Fish Entrée |
| Meal: | Happy Birthday (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 2 | Tb | lemon zest, finely chopped |
| 4 | medium | scallions, sliced |
| 3 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 | lb | shrimp, deveined, shelled |
| 1 | medium | lemon, juice of |
| 0.75 | cup | tomatoes, diced |
| 0.25 | cup | milk, 2 % |
| 1 | lb | pasta, angel hair |
| 4 | Tb | cheese, Romano, grated |
| 1 | Tb | parsley, flakes |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh ground |
| 1 | pinch | salt to taste |
Heat oil in pan; add 1/2 the zest, all the scallions, garlic, and shrimp. Reduce heat and simmer until shrimp are done,( about 3-4 minutes) add lemon juice, tomato, and milk. Simmer 3 more minutes. Cook pasta in boiling water with 2 Tb salt. Add pasta to pan, mix well, plate. Sprinkle top with parsley flakes, black pepper, remaining lemon zest and romano.
Serve with garlic bread.
Note : If your pasta is too dry add a little of the pasta water.
1 comment April 16, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Carrot Cake
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
It’s been one of those weeks around here. Our son, the Broadway sound designer, called and asked if I could send some sticky buns and carrot cake for an Easter dinner he was having with friends in New York. This meant not only baking the stuff but figuring out how to get it to New York and have it still eatable. While this seems to be a no-brainer the logistics proved to be a bit difficult.
First there is getting the right size box, not too big, not too small, just right. Then I had to line the box in foam to keep some of the cold in. I thought I did a pretty good job of this but maybe I didn’t count on the US Postal Service giving the box the toss test. So here I am unfrosted carrot cake (three layers), two tins of sticky buns ready for the oven, cream cheese icing and of course a few small Cadbury eggs all packaged nicely. I threw in a couple of frozen shipping bags, sealed it up and off to the post office.
$70 later; the box is on its way, next day delivery. Fine, mission accomplished right? Almost! The first problem was that the frozen bags broke. The Postal authorities called to say that the package was leaking and what was in it. Then an hour later a Postal Inspector called to say they would need to open the package, for safety sake. I have to say they were very professional and I had no problem with them opening the box. Finally at around noon the box made it to Lower Manhattan and was delivered.
My son said that despite the sticky buns needing a little rearranging and one of the cake layers being crushed it all worked out fine… extra icing on the cake and the sticky buns disappeared so fast no one noticed any problem. Oh yeah! the Cadbury eggs were pretty good too.
Carrot Cake
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | You’re Something Special (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 1.5 | cup | oil, vegetable |
| 2 | cup | sugar, white |
| 4 | large | egg |
| 2 | cup | flour, all-purpose |
| 1.5 | tsp | baking soda |
| 1.5 | tsp | baking powder |
| 2 | tsp | cinnamon. ground |
| 1 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 3 | whole | carrots, fresh, whole |
| 1 | cup | walnuts, chopped |
| 0.5 | cup | raisins, golden |
Cream sugar, eggs and oil.
Mix in flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt. Add grated carrots, nuts and raisins.
Bake in greased tube pan or (2) 9 cake pans for 40- 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cover with cream cheese icing. *
* The icing recipe can be found at emealsforyou.com)
Add comment April 13, 2009
When I Am King – A Rant
Local Folders
In Box (41)
This rant won’t be about food; although Spam is a popular meat product in Hawaii. There is a daytime AM radio host in Chicago who uses the name: John Williams. One of his favorite topics is, “When I am King”. This supposes that he can do all the things he wants to make the world more to his liking. So it is with a nod to John Williams that I write this rant because things will be different when I am King.
When I am King I will have the brainyacks of my empire develop an electronic torpedo that I will be able to fire back at all those SPAMMERS who insist on filling my comments section here on the blog and my in box on my email addresses. I understand that from a marketing stance if you send out enough spams you may get a hit or two; but typically my readers on this blog are not interested in the “cheap drugs”, enhancement products ( both sexes) and porn sites that these SPAMMERS offer.
The Spam filters work well but I still have to go through the trash box to insure that an important message doesn’t accidentally get filtered by mistake. I have the ultimate weapon, I have the delete key, but somehow that doesn’t seem to be enough. I want revenge, I want to “hurt” them. Here is where the electronic torpedo comes in. When someone uses my in box and comments section I can fire that sucker right at them… completely destroying their sites and emails. Sweet!!! That’s what I would do if I were King!
Add comment April 9, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Comfort Food
hoagie
They go by different names, depending on what part of the country you are from. They are the foods you turn to when you just want something good; something familiar. It may be a hoagie (northeast); po’boy (New Orleans) or sub sandwich (west coast) and let’s not forget grinder, hero and Italian sandwich. You may choose to go with mayo, oil and vinegar or just plain; hot banana peppers or not… With the advent of the national chains they all blend together, taking with them some of what I think makes the sandwich special in my mind. Maybe I am different but I can’t wait to get back to Jersey and pick up a hoagie from the Varsity deli shop, no Subway for me.
pencil points
So now that we have taken care of lunch let’s look at dinner. For me it’s “pencil points”; the penne pasta that has a pointed shape at the ends, covered with some thick and rich tomato sauce. Where I grew up; in the east, the small independent restaurants always had a side of pencil points on the menu. We showed you our spaghetti sauce recipe back in June of 2008, Meal Planning – Winning the Trifecta. I like to serve mine with the chicken cacciatore found on emealsforyou.com.
So, go make yourself something “comfortable”; make enough for the whole family.
Add comment April 7, 2009
