Featured Favorite

You know those days?  The ones where you have good intentions but get derailed by either how busy you are, how good your book and the couch are working for you, or the lack of what you need at the store?  Here's one of my favorites for those situations...

Dorots.  Frozen chopped herbs (and there is also garlic and ginger which I haven't used) in 1 tsp. servings. Lifesavers when you don't have the fresh stuff available for whatever reason (and no judgement from me if the reason is the book and the couch!).  

They're not perfect-won't work for caprese salad for example (but I have something that works there which I'll share another time).  And I wish the ingredient list didn't include dextrose and corn starch, but I'm guessing the small amounts are needed for longevity and freezability?  

Anyway, they work SOOOO very well for things like stirring in to soups, casseroles, or in this instance, spaghetti sauce I had made a few weeks ago and put up in the freezer.  I had good intentions of going to the store for some fresh basil and a bunch of other stuff we needed after getting home from our Thanksgiving trip.  Didn't make it.  However, a last minute stir in of two little Dorot cubes of basil took the sauce from good to great.

Look in the freezer section at your grocery store...fresh is (almost) always best, but these are a great tool to have on hand.  (This post in not sponsored by Dorot).

Favorite Sandwich Wraps

We all have our "go to" products.  Here is one of my new favorites:  La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Soft Wraps in the Multi Grain variety.  They are also available in whole grain, white whole grain, and various other varieties (read more here).  

I've only seen the multi grain and white whole grain here on Maui and of the two, I preferred the multi grain (although both were good).  These are made in California so I'm not sure if they are available where you are.  If they are, they are definitely worth a purchase.  As you can see by the wrapper, they have a good dose of fiber, only 100 calories per wrap, low in fat, and not mentioned on the front-only 1 gram of sugar.  Oh, and they taste great room temperature or, my favorite, pan toasted a couple of minutes per side in a dry skillet.  La Tortilla has no idea I'm featuring their products by the way, I just like them so much I wanted to share!

Here is the wrap out of the package-you can see the flecks of grains and flax seeds.

And here is only one of the ways I enjoy them:  wrapped around some spinach, left over Greek Chicken, some tzatziki sauce, and slightly melted feta cheese.  Mmmm, mouth is watering as I type!

So what are some of your pantry favorites?

Recipe for Godiva Chocolatier French Vanilla Coffee Adult Milkshake

How about a frosty, creamy adult beverage to cool you down?  Thanks to the kind folks at Godiva Coffee and the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, we were treated to two bags of Godiva Chocolatier Coffee.  These coffees are inspired by Godiva's most popular truffles and make a lovely cup of coffee.  In our care package was a bag of French Vanilla Coffee and one of Chocolate Truffle Coffee-the kitchen smelled amazing when making morning coffee!  This recipe is for a poolside creamy iced drink or an after dinner drink in lieu of dessert.  It's decadent!

Yield: 1 drink
Time: 5 minutes plus time for coffee to cool

Ingredients:

·    8 oz strong brewed Godiva Chocolatier Coffee, French Vanilla, cooled to room temperature

·    Ice

·    ½ cup vanilla gelato

·    Drizzle of coffee hazelnut liqueur (more or less depending on your preference)

·    Dollop of whipped cream

Method:

·    Pour coffee over ice and drain once coffee has chilled.

·    Add chilled coffee and gelato to blender and blend until smooth.

·    Pour into a glass and top with drizzle of liqueur and dollop of whipped cream.

·    Alternatively, include the ice for a more slushy drink.

Printable recipe

I received the two bags of coffee and coupons from Godiva as part of the Tastemaker program.  The opinions and recipe are my own.