FOR ALL THE FOODIES

The acquisition of Weston Foods by Grupo Bimbo of Mexico was finalized with a price of $2.5 billion dollars. "This transaction is the largest in the history of Grupo Bimbo, and one of the largest in the baking industry. However, the size of the company is not our main goal. Our vision is to become the best baking company demonstrating commitment and dedication to serve our customers and consumers in the most effective way possible, " said Saniel Servitje, CEO of Grupo Bimbo.

Which means that English muffins will be available soon in Mexico!

Read the whole article by clicking this link

THIRSTY PARROT DAILY SPECIALS

Monday - chili rellenos
Tuesday - pasta with garlic toast
Thursday - wings, hot/med/mild or lemon pepper
Friday - fish tacos
Saturday and Sunday - Mexican shrimp cocktail

FREE DR PEPPER!

Whether you love it or not (is it just a Texas thing or what?) Dr. Pepper is giving away free DP! Sign up to get yours at Dr Pepper's website

MYN COOKING

Today, I had to find something to do with the pumpkins I had here sitting around the house, so what did I do? I dismantled them...

-I cut the peel off, scraped out the seeds and chopped the meat of the pumpkin up and pureed it with water and lemon juice - yum! From one small pumpkin, I got the approximately 4 cans of pumpkin puree.

-I rinsed the pumpkin seeds in a collander, laid them out on a kitchen towel to dry, and roasted them on 275 for about 45 minutes for yummy salad topping!

SOMTHING ELSE TO DO WITH PUMPKIN

Check out this recipe from Life Script!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onions
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 medium size pumpkin (about 3 lbs.)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
About 1 quart vegetable stock, or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds (see recipe), optional

Cooking Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Pierce the pumpkin several times and cook in the microwave on high power for 3 to 5 minutes until the shell softens. Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and reserve them for making the Toasted Pumpkin Seeds. Place the pumpkin halves cut-side down on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes. Let cool. Reserve the juice on the baking sheet.
3. Scoop the pulp out of the pumpkin skin with a spoon and set aside.
4. Heat the peanut oil in a deep saucepan over low heat. Add the onions, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. 5. Add the pumpkin pulp and the stock and bring to a boil over high heat.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer until the onion and celery are completely tender, about 15 minutes.
7. After removing the bay leaf, puree the mixture in a blender, in batches, being careful not to overfill the blender.
8. Reheat the bisque. Add stock if it is too thick.
9. Serve hot, sprinkled with the toasted pumpkin seeds.

THE TASTE OF PENASCO CULINARY EVENT 2008

The event this year will be Saturday, November 29th 12 – 6 PM at Bella Sirena Condominiums.

We have lots of things planned for the day, including tastings from our wonderful local restaurants, exhibitors from our community, live music and libation stations for you to have nice drinks. We will also have a children’s play area for a fun family event. Other ways we are raising money for this event is through our bachelor and bachelorette auctions, along with raffles.

We need your help…we are looking for two things

1) we want to promote the local art businesses and need help finding those people who would like to have a booth and participate in the event

2) we need bachelorettes - single ladies who would like to have fun and have people bid on them for a date. The participating restaurants will be offering a gift certificate for the dinner, so all proceeds from the bachelor and bachelorette auction will go to the Lions Club.

Stay tuned for more info on this event! Write me if you have any questions, or want to be auctioned off!

BECAUSE I AM CRAVING THIS RIGHT NOW

Got a fever that only your favorite chocolate/peanut butter combo can cure? Step away from the peanut butter cups! Christy Maskeroni, a nutritionist at Clay Spa, has a better, smarter, just-as-decadent solution.

Top 1 slice of whole wheat toast with 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter and 1/2 tablespoon of dark chocolate chips. Warm in toaster oven until the chocolate and peanut butter melt together. "This mouthwatering snack has the right mix of fiber, fat and protein to keep you smiling and satisfied," says Maskeroni.

Compare the two craving killers for yourself:Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip Toast: 195 calories, 5 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbohydrates (5 grams from sugar), 3 grams of fiber, 12.2 grams of fat. 2 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: 235 calories, 5 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbohydrates (20 grams from sugar), 2 grams of fiber, 14 grams of fat.

SMART SNACKING

With the holidays coming up, it's a good time to start thinking about being careful with the calorie intake...www.iVillage.com has some great snack swaps:

Smart eating is all about making better choices—not about going hungry. So, what do you do when you're on a Sunday afternoon shopping excursion and your boyfriend suddenly gets an ice cream craving? Know your options! Chains everywhere are offering low-fat ice cream, yogurt and smoothies. Keep nutrition in mind by swapping your standard candy mixer with fresh berries and enjoy a cool, calorie-responsible cup of:
Ben & Jerry's smoothies
Dairy Queen Arctic Rush
Haagen-Dazs Sorbet Sipper

A BURGER KING DON'T:

Worst Side Dish
Burger King Hash Browns (large)
620 calories
40 g fat (11 g saturated; 13 g trans)
1,200 mg sodium
60 g carbs 
Yes, you’re ingesting more than a meal’s worth of calories from a side dish, but the real cause for concern here is that these little potato cakes pack seven times more trans fats than you’re supposed to eat all day! Until BK learns to cut out the partially hydrogenated oils, avoid encounters with potatoes of any kind at that fatty food joint. 
Eat This Instead! 
Burger King Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich
300 calories
17 g fat (6 g saturated; 2 g trans)
740 mg sodium
26 g carbs

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!

Fall means one thing in our kitchen—warm, tasty, filling soups! We're just waiting for a cool snap to bring out this amazing Fusion Spiced Sweet Potato Soup. Delish!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
3 stalks celery, finely chopped, about 1 cup
1 large onion, finely chopped, about 2 cups
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 small bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup milk

Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add ginger, celery and onion; cook 5 to 7 minutes until soft. Add curry powder, cinnamon, cayenne and nutmeg. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sweet potatoes, broth, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft and cooked through.

Transfer soup in batches to a blender or food processor and puree. Thin soup with milk. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and chopped peanuts (optional).
Serves 12

***The name in Spanish for sweet potato (yam) is camote if you are asking for them form the grocer!***

20 SUPERFOODS TO PROMOTE WEIGHT LOSS

Check em out at Yahoo! Shine

SAVE THOSE CALORIES!

Here are two great calorie saving switches, brought to us by www.iVillage.com:

You've already nixed the mayo and piled on the veggies. But if you're looking for more ways to make your favorite sandwich a little more diet friendly, try one of these tasty and practical sandwich switches fromTrismarter sports nutritionist Mary Ellen Bingham.

Swap your cheese for some avocado. Smearing an ounce of avocado (about 1/8 of the whole fruit) on your sandwich has about 45 calories and 4 grams of healthy, unsaturated fat. "One ounce of American cheese on your sandwich has about 105 calories and 9 grams of not-so-healthy, saturated fat. Have the avocado and save about 60 calories and 5 grams of fat!" 
Sink the sub and go for grain. "A 5-inch hero or sub roll can have as many as 400 calories, while two slices of whole wheat bread totals about 170 calories. Choose two slices of 100 percent whole wheat bread instead of the roll and save up to 230 calories."

CUSTOMIZE YOUR ENERGY BAR

Confession: We like to do things our way. So, when Health Gal nutritionist Amy Hendel turned us on to YouBar—nutrition bars done our way—we knew it was meant to be. YouBar lets you customize your workout fuel with ingredients like almond butter, organic oat bran, gogi berries and organic clover honey. Choose what kinds of ingredients you want and how much (if you aren't sure about something, YouBar offers suggestions). Engineer your perfect snack—and calculate the nutritional information as you go. The only drawback might be the price: A case of 12 will cost you $40. We say it's a small price to pay for getting your way.

From www.iVillage.com

KFC'S LETTING THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG!

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Pssst. The secret's out at KFC. Well, sort of. Colonel Harland Sanders' handwritten recipe of 11 herbs and spices was to be removed Tuesday from safekeeping at KFC's corporate offices for the first time in decades. The temporary relocation is allowing KFC to revamp security around a yellowing sheet of paper that contains one of the country's most famous corporate secrets...

Read the rest here!

COMMON HEALTH MYTHS - SCIENTIFICLY SOLVED!

Myth: It's safe to follow the 5-second rule
Verdict: Fiction. It's probably not safe to eat anything that's been on the floor for even 1 second. In a recent experiment, food scientists contaminated several surfaces with Salmonella. They then dropped pieces of bologna and slices of bread on the floor for as little as 5 seconds (and as long as 60). In 5 seconds, both the bread and the bologna picked up an alarming 1,800 types of bacteria. So unless you sterilize your floors on an hourly basis, don't eat anything your shoes have touched, too. (Here are some speed tips on cleaning.)

Myth: Double-dipping spreads germs from one chip to another
Verdict: Fact. Although this social faux pas may feel dated -- Seinfeld's George Costanza is the most famous double-dipper -- swiping a chip into dip, taking a bite, and then dipping the same chip again, is, in fact, a very effective way to spread germs. Having settled the 5-second rule debate, those same intrepid food scientists, using Wheat Thins and various dips, found that a double-dip deposited thousands of saliva bacteria into the dip. Of those, 50 to 100 were later transferred through the dip to a clean cracker, presumably destined for another guest's mouth. In short: Eating from a dip after someone has dipped twice is basically the same as kissing that person. (Here are some easy, delicious dips that are won't hurt your waistline -- just make sure your guests only dip once!)

DANGEROUS 5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE CAKE

I always try to post healthy alternatives to fodds and such...I know this sounds crazy but it is really good and so easy. (I'm putting this statement to the test tonight)

Feel free to add any toppings, such as some jam, and I drizzle

it over the top-yumm!

 

I would suggest that you put a paper towel under the mug

 

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

 

4 tablespoons flour (not self-raising)

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips

2-3 tablespoons chopped nuts (optional)

a small splash of vanilla

1 coffee mug

 

Put dry ingredients in mug mix well.  Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips & nuts (if using) and vanilla, and mix again. 

 

You can also do all the above in a bowl and then pour it in your mug.

 

Microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

 

EAT!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Here's a versitile recipe that you can use for beef, chicken, OR pork!

Mexicali Porkchops from www.iVillage.com

Serving: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

4 or loin chops (1-1/2" thick) boneless pork chop
1 1/2 cup salsa (try fire roasted - yum!)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
to taste salt and pepper
1/2 shredded cup Monterey Jack cheese
vegetable cooking spray

1. Spray vegetable cooking spray in skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Brown the chops for 2 minutes on each side.
2. Add the salsa, oregano, salt and pepper to the skillet.
3. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 8 minutes at low simmer
4. Top each chop with cheese. Cover and cook 1 minute or till the cheese is melted.

Makes 4 servings.

Based on individual serving.-->
Calories: 500Total Fat: 33 gCarbohydrates: 1 gProtein: 50 g

FROZEN FRUITS 2 SWEETEN YOUR FRIDAY

When it comes to creating fantastic summer snacks, it's time to think inside the box—the ice box! Some of your favorite fresh fruits make surprisingly tasty frozen treats. Try a few!

Bananas: These are always loved frozen because they take on an ice cream-like texture. Just peel, slice and freeze!
Strawberries: To make them easier to pop in your mouth, clean and hull the strawberries before freezing. 
Kiwifruit: Peel and slice before freezing. 
Oranges: Cut into quarters before freezing. If you wish, wrap in plastic wrap to make them easier to handle. 
Grapes: Just wash and freeze. For a cool and low-cal movie treat, hide a baggie of frozen grapes in your purse. Don't worry, I won't tell.

HEARTY SUMMER SALAD

Cilantro, Tomato and Feta Salad

Fresh, filling and savory, this hearty summer salad takes advantage of the season's tastiest offerings.

Ingredients:

8 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced 3 bunches green onion, sliced 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese 4 avocados, peeled, pitted and diced 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 bunches cilantro, chopped Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine the tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, green onion, and feta cheese in a large bowl; toss together. Add the diced avocado; drizzle the lemon juice over the avocado to keep it from turning brown. Stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and serve. Yields 10 servings.

Per serving: 197 calories, 15 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 7.3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein.

PICKING TRICKS

Here's 4 tips on picking summer fruits, from www.iVillage.com:

"If you feel inclined to thump your watermelon, make sure to listen for a hollow sound. Better yet, choose a melon that is heavy for its size and has a mild yellow underside. A red blush on a peach doesn't always mean it's ripe. Peaches that give with soft pressure, have a strong aroma and have no dark or mushy spots taste the best. If your peaches need a bit more ripening, place them in a brown paper bag for a day or two to soften. Firm-textured, deep-red cherries stay tasty in the refrigerator for several days and in the freezer for up to one year. Avoid cherries that are too dark or too soft.Cantaloupe should have a yellowish tinge to the rind and should yield to soft pressure, applied most effectively by your thumb. Melons with the stem still attached are immature and will not yield the best flavor."