‘People Magazine’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Drunken Onions

August 18, 2015 · Narrative

Tender slices of onions that lend themselves perfectly to a million dishes … this is something you need in your kitchen.

When I asked Nick what he wanted me to cook for our family meal to celebrate his birthday, he quickly decided on carnitas (pulled pork). An idea I totally love. It’s a crowd pleaser, easy to make, and because we set it up with lots of different fixins’, it’s a great way for everyone to put together their own plate exactly how they want it.

I usually use this recipe for the carnitas, and then set out dishes with homemade guacamole, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, rice, and black beans. It means a relatively easy day in the kitchen for me, and you can please a crowd of people without breaking a sweat.

Which is kind of my favorite way to entertain.

A few days before, I spied a recipe for Brick Chicken with Drunken Onions in People magazine from Michael Symon (love him!). While the chicken pictured in the recipe looks divine, I immediately thought the drunken onions would be perfect as another toppings option for our carnitas fest.

And I was right.

Although the original recipe is meant to be cooked on the grill, since I don’t have one, I just did it in the oven, and it worked out just fine.

You certainly don’t have to make carnitas to enjoy these onions … they would taste heavenly on top of a burger or grilled chicken. However you decide to use them, just be sure to make them.

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People Magazine + Hershey’s

October 21, 2013 · Ad-Free, Narrative

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®, PEOPLE Magazine & Hershey’s, but all my opinions are my own. #HersheysPeople #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

This past weekend was one of those that struck the magic balance between productivity and relaxation. Something that happens once in a while, and that I’m working on creating more often. If we have a crazybusy weekend, I keep the next one as free and loose as possible. We all need that time to recharge, rest, and honestly, do nothing.

And even though my “do nothing” day still had a few loads of laundry getting done, homemade stuffed shells, a DIY Halloween decoration, cleaning the house, making chocolate covered Oreos, and other odds and ends, it just had this ease about it that made it downright perfect.

And those are exactly the moments when I steal some quiet time and catch up on People magazine. Years ago, I subscribed to over 70 magazines. Over the past few years, I’ve let most of my subscriptions run out, and I pared my list down to five. FIVE. My favorite read at the end of every week? People magazine, which shows up in my mailbox on Fridays like clockwork. It’s the perfect little bit of escapism. Catching up on celebrity gossip, an easy recipe or two, the latest fashion trends, and stories on real life heroes.

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Recipe: Orecchiette with Brown Butter, Broccoli, Pine Nuts, and Basil

April 2, 2013 · Narrative

The week before we left for vacation, I was quite practical and made sure to use up as much food as I could from our refrigerator.

Waste drives me crazy, and I didn’t want anything going bad in our absence.

Although it made for a few boring, ok and weird, meals, it was a good plan.

Until we came home.

Because said refrigerator was, of course, pretty bare. And since it was Easter Sunday and a busy day, there was no time for a grocery store run.

And this is where a well-stocked pantry and freezer can save your hide.

Along with a recipe like this one.

Although I didn’t have every single ingredient, I did have the lion’s share. Broccoli from the freezer. Pasta in the pantry. Olive oil, butter, lemon juice, and pine nuts all on hand already.

It came together in nothing flat, which means it’s the perfect meal for when your weeknights are a little hectic.

And if you’re like us, that means currently juggling homework, track practice, Scout meetings, and soccer.

Sometimes all on the same night.

While the inclination might be to find the nearest drive-thru, this recipe will save you from that.

So thank you, Curtis Stone and broccoli from the freezer. I think I love you.

PS If you’re looking for more easy recipes from Curtis Stone, he has a new cookbook coming out next week, What’s for Dinner? Delicious Recipes for a Busy Life.

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Recipe: Eli Manning’s Favorite Childhood Cookie

February 7, 2012 · Narrative

This year’s Super Bowl was the first time that Nick took a serious interest in the game. Asking tons of questions. Rooting the Giants on. Hanging on with the rest of us for that last touchdown in the final seconds of the game. Madeline, seriously partied out from the weekend, made it to just before the halftime show before she fell asleep. She tried to hang on as long as she could, but the poor thing was spent.

The next morning, when we were getting ready to leave the house, she asked, “Mommy, I forget. Did the Giants win or the Papers?” She is too cute for words.

So when I was catching up on my celebrity gossip the other day, and spied this recipe for Eli Manning’s favorite childhood cookie on People magazine’s web site, it was pretty much a given that we should make it. How better to support our local team?

When I saw the cookies in the oven as the timer dinged, I might have been slightly cursing Eli and his favorite childhood cookie. The batter spreads a ridiculous amount. The cookies wouldn’t come up from the foil. As Madeline would say, “Darn it.”

But with the remaining batter, I added a bit more flour, used cooking spray on the foil before dropping the batter onto it, and kept the cookies smaller. Much smaller. The subsequent trays were a better success. They still spread tons, but I was able to get some 30 cookies out of it, and all (especially the ingredients I just used) was not lost.

The recipe originally comes from Loukoumi’s Celebrity Cookbook, and the proceeds of the cookbook benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Chefs for Humanity.

The kids had a few of the cookies after their dinner last night and proclaimed them delicious, so all was right with the world. And Eli Manning’s favorite childhood cookie.

February 7, 2012 – Bonus Photos

I don’t know how she got so grown-up all the sudden, looking every bit the just-days-away-from-being-four that she is. After dinner, we broke out paper and pencils and worked on practicing her letters and spelling. Madeline is going to be a tough cookie once she officially starts school because she is a major perfectionist. Her brother is very much about the “good enough,” whereas she will erase and rewrite a letter three or six times just to get it perfect.

This is what she was working so hard on. Can you see it?

So proud. So very proud. I gently convinced her school to teach her how to spell Madeline, as opposed to going the Maddie route, which is what they had started doing. You know, because Maddie isn’t her name. It’s a nickname. I have no problem with people calling her Maddie, nor does she, but firmly believe that when it comes to learning how to spell and write your name, it should be the proper given name. Basics, you know. Now she calls Maddie her “other name.”

Eli Manning’s Lace Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 tbsp. flour (I used a bit more)
2 cups white sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

1. Put the oats, flour, sugar & salt in to large bowl & mix well.
2. Pour very hot melted butter over mixture & stir until the sugar has melted.
3. Add eggs & vanilla. Stir well.
4. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
5. Cover cookie sheets with ungreased aluminum foil. (I sprayed the foil with non-stick cooking spray)
6. Drop ½ level teaspoons of the mixture on foil – 2 inches apart.
7. Cook about 10-12 minutes.
8. Watch carefully. When cookies are completely cooled, foil will peel off.
9. Store in airtight containers.
10. Makes about 6 dozen.

Recipe: Healthy Cobb Salad

December 16, 2010 · Clean Eating, Narrative

I think after sharing the Pumpkin Bread recipewith you yesterday, I should probably follow it up with something uber-healthy. I’m sure it’s in some Food Blogger Code of Conduct Manual somewhere, even though I’ve never been a rule follower. Just ask my parents.

I’m a big fan of Jillian Michaels, she of Biggest Loser fame. Oh yeah, and all her books and DVDs. Not so much a fan of her barking boot camp onscreen personality, but more so the results that she exacts from her ardent followers. So it seems only reasonable that when I saw her recipe for a Healthy Cobb Salad, I should tear it out of the magazine and make it. After catching up on celebrity gossip and the latest divorce, wedding and baby news. It was, after all, in People magazine. Priorities, people, priorities.

One of the things I love about these types of salads is that it’s a great way to please everyone at your table. Jamie doesn’t like hard-boiled eggs, so she gave her share to Nick. He happily took the eggs in turn for being able to give up his cherry tomatoes to her and Madeline. And avocado slices? Sign me up. The crispy turkey bacon? More for all, please.

Clean eating, for sure. Delicious salad, no doubt. And guilt-free all the way, baby. Now, who wants more pumpkin bread?

Project 365
December 16, 2010, Photos #280-284
This morning while I was waiting for Nick to get picked up for school, I sat down to shoot off a quick e-mail. Madeline happened to be up early for once, and just as I clicked “send,” she came over and shoved half a cupcake in the garbage can. I followed her back to the living room, namely the cupcake crumbs too. If the trail of crumbs, her green-frosting’d face or the crumbs on the couch weren’t clues, the cupcake wrapper on the floor in the living room would have done her in. Little weasel. Pushed a chair to the counter, and stole a cupcake from the plate that I was taking to the office.

Some mornings, my breakfast just doesn’t make it into the nice insulated bag.

A couple of our front steps are crumbling, and in the crumbling pieces, I spotted a little love. I know Sarah will appreciate this one.

Love this bracelet. The picture makes it look like it has tiny silver studs, but they’re sparkly stones instead. Picked it up at Joyce Leslie on Black Friday for under five bucks. A little bit of sparkle. A little bit of badass. A whole lot of me.

Folks, I’m outta here until Sunday. Have an awesome, belly laughter-filled weekend!

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