We have a #TASTEOFF!!!!

yogurt

Consumers across America participated in a national yogurt taste test and results showed that 4 out of 5 people thought that Yoplait Greek 100 Strawberry tastes better than Chobani Simply 100 Strawberry.

I decided to host my own taste-off & see what my family preferred.

ab

On the first day of the taste-off, I had my mom & nephew join me. I set out 2 different bowls labeled A & B so they wouldn’t know which brand they were trying. [ A ] was Chobani & [ B ] was Yoplait. As you can see from the picture above – when the Chobani was mixed with the fruit, the color stayed the same. When I mixed the Yoplait Greek 100 Strawberry, it became a beautiful pink color.

2

3

Hmm… looks like someone didn’t enjoy the first taste.

4

I then had my fiancé try them.

ryan

ryan2ryan3

AND THE WINNER OF THE TASTE-OFF IS…..

5

ryan4

Yoplait Greek 100 Strawberry Yogurt!

yogurt

All 3 of them felt like the Chobani Simply 100 Strawberry was pretty bland and bitter.

The Yoplait Greek 100 calorie yogurts have just that – 100 calories for the whole cup and are available in 12 delicious flavors! Strawberry, Blueberry, Black Cherry, Strawberry Banana, Vanilla, Peach, Key Lime, Lemon, Mixed Fruit, Tropical, Apple Pie, & Strawberry Cheesecake.

To find Yoplait Greek 100 nearest you – click HERE.

I’ve taken the Yoplait Taste-Off, now it’s your turn! Let me know who won your taste off!

I want to thank Yoplait for sponsoring today’s #Tasteoff, and giving me the opportunity to openly express my honest opinion.

When I first heard of Spaghetti Squash – I just didn’t get it! I didn’t even know if I liked Squash but the thought of using a vegetable (some would argue that it’s technically a fruit) as a pasta substitute baffled me. Could anything be as delicious as regular, carb filled pasta??

I decided to give it a try & this is how it turned out:

ssquash

Not only does it look amazing but it taste DELICIOUS! I was really surprised by the texture and I plan to start incorporating Spaghetti Squash into my weekly dinners more often. Anytime I work with recipes I find online, I always substitute ingredients & put my own spin on it so here is the recipe I used to make my Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp.

What You Need:

sharp knife

cutting board

baking sheet or roasting pan

1 fork & spoon

small bowl

pastry brush (optional)

Ingredients:

Spaghetti Squash – I used a 2lb squash, but adjust size to the amount of servings you want.

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Butter

Garlic

Herb of your choice (rosemary, basil, thyme etc.) – I used a little ground Italian seasoning

Shrimp

Instructions:

1. Cut your squash in half lengthwise. Be very careful and go slow as it is not easy to slice.

2. Scoop out & discard the seeds. (If you would like to keep the seeds to roast them click HERE)

3. Preheat your oven to 375 °F. Take your olive oil, sea salt, black pepper & herbs and mix them together in a bowl. Using a pastry brush or spoon, brush both sides (top & bottom) of your squash generously and place them on your baking sheet with the opening facing down.

4. Bake for 40 minutes – if you have a larger squash, you might want to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. When I removed the squash, my top was browned.

5. Remove squash from the oven and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes. Take your fork & go around your squash separating the skin, you will instantly start to see your string noodles. Then just scrape the center the same way and place in a small bowl. Use your fork or your fingers to separate any pieces that do not appear “stringy.”

*Taste the noodles. Feel free to skip the remaining steps if you are satisfied with the taste & do not want to add extra calories with the butter or add shrimp. The taste of the spaghetti with the mixture of the olive oil with salt, pepper & herbs is delicious as is.

6. Heat a pan with garlic and butter – use as much or as little as you would like. Toss in the spaghetti squash and mix for about 2 minutes so it soaks up the butter and garlic then plate.

7. These particular shrimp were already cooked so I just let them sit in room temp water and after I removed the spaghetti squash from the pan, I threw the shrimp in to catch some of the butter & garlic flavor and topped them on to the spaghetti.

Here are the steps with pictures I took while cooking:

1

2

I was surprised at what an easy meal this turned out to be. Next week I will be trying it with a meat sauce but there are endless amounts of possibilities when cooking with Spaghetti Squash. Here are a few other recipes that caught my eye.

Spicy Roasted Tomato Marinara with Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

Spaghetti Squash Tostados

The whole state of New Jersey is EXTRA amp’d this year for Super Bowl? Why? …well, in case you have been living under a rock – it is taking place in our neck of the woods this year. That is right — Super Bowl is taking place in New Jersey NOT New York! 🙂

The best part of Super Bowl Sunday, besides the game, is the FOOD at the parties so I wanted to share some tasty treats you could serve your guest and that you can whip up and bring them to whatever party you will be attending.

Taco Bake

Taco Bake! Ground Beef & Doritos… need I say more?? Click HERE for the recipe.

bacon

Bacon Wrapped Smokies (or hot dogs) – you had me at bacon. Click HERE for the recipe.

Gaucamole

Guacamole – Click HERE for the recipe.

meatball

Meatball Sliders – Click HERE for the recipe.

wings

Wings – Click HERE for the recipe.

potatoe

Potatoe Skins – Click HERE for the recipe.

Most of all – don’t forget Subs! Tasty & Effortless!

& for all you Over-Achievers 😉 try these…

The Snackadium

snack

Food Stadium

food

One of the major pluses of Social Media to me is the power of sharing. I have come across some of the BEST recipes on pinterest and facebook and when I saw this one I knew I had to share.

Seriously… who doesn’t love Nutella???

nutella

You Will Need:

-3/4 Cup Nutella

-2 Bananas, finely diced  (Pea size)

-20 Wonton Wrappers

-Vegetable Oil for frying

Directions:

1. Dice the Bananas, set aside

2. Put Nutella in a small bowl and stir till softened

3. Take 1/2 tsp of Nutella and 2 pieces of Banana and place in the middle of the Wonton Wrapper

4. Before folding Wonton into a triangle, use a Pastry Brush with water on 2 sides to help with seal

5. Use a fork on the 2 sides to ensure a tight seal

6. Heat oil in a small saucepan so when you put a bundle in, they’ll only take 10 seconds to come to the top

7. They’ll brown on each side within another minute when you turn them

8. Drain on a paper towel, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and eat immediately!!

I cannot wait to try these! For more great recipes check out Cooking with Nonna

I wanted to share with you guys my FAVORITE meal to cook during the week. Not only is it a quick & easy meal to whip up… it’s also DELICIOUS!!!

You have to start off with a package of sausage and a box of pasta. My sausage of choice is usually Premio and while I normally get the mixed (Hot & Sweet) package – today we are working with only hot. My favorite pasta is the Ronzoni Garden Delights! I couldn’t even tell you the last time I cooked with regular pasta.

food1

I put a large pot of water to boil and then place all the sausage links in a pan with a little water and cover it with aluminum foil.

food2

I love to really brown my sausage because it brings out a lot of flavor into the pan. I flip the sausage and add a little more water and re cover.

food3

 By this time, the water is boiling so I toss in my pasta. I then remove the sausage from the pan and slice them and throw them back in for some more browning at a very low temperature.

food4

Now for the sauce…

A lot of people cringe at store-bought sauce but guess what? I don’t care… my family doesn’t make it homemade and so I’ve had to perfect my favorite one from the grocery store.

food5

Here she is – The Ragu Robusto! seasoned with chopped tomato, olive oil and garlic. This is by far the best tasting Ragu and with a little help from these:

food6

 Your family will be begging you to make this dish again soon. I personally am not a big fan of chunks of tomatoes or onions (already in the jar) so I throw the sauce in the blender to chop those pieces up. I then pour the sauce over the sliced sausage (fill up the empty jar 1/2 way with water, shake and pour that in as well) and throw in these seasons on top to taste and stir. I think quick meals should be about convenience so if you do not have some of these — skip them or substitute.

food7

Cover pan and let it simmer for a few minutes. Remove pasta from the stove and drain.

food8

I always add a touch of olive oil or butter to keep pasta from sticking together.

That’s it… now dinner is served!

food9

Quick tip: when storing left overs, keep the sauce with sausage and pasta in 2 separate containers.

Enjoy!!! xo