Hard Boiled Eggs

For the longest time I wondered why the eggs I purchased from Costco never peeled correctly when boiled.

I finally learned they are too fresh.

Eggs should sit in the refrigerator a week or so for easiest peeling when boiling them.

After boiling the eggs, allow them to cool down in cold water for at least 10 minutes.

By following these two tips you should have eggs that peel easily each and every time.

Audrey :)

Calories

I saw an article today about the high amount of calories in Starbucks drinks. I decided to run some numbers and was amazed at what I came up with.

McDonalds
Big Mac 540 calories
Quarter Pounder with Cheese 460 calories

Burger King
Whopper 670 calories
Large French Fries 450 calories

Wendy's
Big Bacon Classic 580 calories
Chicken BLT Salad 690 calories

Starbucks
Blueberries & Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème - whip 470 calories
Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino® Blended Coffee - whip 430 calories
Iced White Chocolate Mocha - whip 470 calories

When you look at the numbers, the fast food burger and the Starbucks drink often have very close calorie counts.

Audrey :)

Football Fun

Football season has started. This means many t.v. sets are on a good portion of the weekend with touchdowns and field goals being scored throughout.

Have some fun when it comes to serving up snacks and foods for the games.

Make is a point to serve appetizers first quarter, then salads the second quarter, serve your mail meal during half time, dessert during the 3rd quarter and an after dinner drink during the last quarter of the game.

Check out which teams are playing and find some recipes famous for that region and whip up some team spirit food to serve as you're rooting for the teams to win. Choose desserts that you can use a bit of food coloring with, or use colored jello with and serve up those team colors.

Football time can be a time to have fun with recipes and invite some friends over to share in the games.

Audrey :)

Quick Lasagna

Have you ever wanted to make lasagna, but just didn't have the time? I found a wonderful recipe for lasagna that can be made in half the time.

1 package of refrigerated cheese ravioli, should be about 20 ounces
1 jar of spaghetti sauce, 24 ounce size
1 package of frozen spinach (chopped), thawed and drained (do not cook)
1 - 8 ounce package shredded mozarrela cheese
2 ounces of shredded parmesan (freshly grated is the most flavorful)

In a casserole dish spread a little bit of the sauce. Next, lay out a single layer of ravioli. Add half the spinach, half the mozarrela and then half of the sauce. Repeat these layers once more. End with the paremsan cheese on top. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Cheese should be lightly browned.

Audrey :)