Strange Daze Indeed

Isn't life strange? And wonderful!

BBQ Chicken Burritos with #KCMasterpiece

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kcmasterpiece

The weather has been getting warm; the flowers are in bloom; and, for me, this brings to mind one thing: BBQ!

I love that hickory-smoked tangy delicious tantalizing flavor on anything within reason.

I came up with this recipe on a day when I wanted to make a quick meal for the family that was both healthy and delicious.

This recipe uses only five ingredients, takes about 20 minutes and has just the right tang to spice up your day.

I buy 10″ tortillas and heat them in an ungreased skillet on med-high for about 10-15 seconds per side.

You can either roast your chicken beforehand or go the quick route and buy a rotisserie chicken.

 

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Grab your black beans, cooked corn and KC Masterpiece Original. They go in a pan with the shredded roast chicken.

 

In summer, we have wonderful fresh corn in New England so I like to use fresh cooked whenever I have it since it’s so easy to just skim off the cob with a knife.

 

My recipe for 4 follows. Hope you enjoy it!

Print
BBQ Chicken Burritos with #KCMasterpiece

Ingredients

  • 1 roasted chicken - about 4 cups shredded
  • 1/2 cup KC Masterpiece Original Barbecue Sauce
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn that you've steamed or fresh cooked corn niblets skimmed off the cob
  • 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
  • 4 10" tortillas

Instructions

  1. Take your chicken and shred it. I don't like to shred it too small. Place in a bowl.
  2. Place your skillet on medium - medium high and add the chicken, barbecue sauce, corn, and black beans. Stir well as you cook for about 5 minutes.
  3. Warm your tortillas and place them on a plate. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture into each and roll up.
  4. Serve whole or cut in half.
  5. Garnish as desired.
https://www.strangedazeindeed.com/2014/06/bbq-chicken-tortillas-with-kcmasterpiece.html

myburritos

 

For garnishes I use whatever I have handy. I like to add a dollop of sour cream. You can use reduced-fat or Greek yogurt if you like! I like to garnish with fresh lime wedges avocado and cilantro.  I also add salsa and guacamole if I have them!

Don’t get too stressed out though! Summer is for good times not sweating over a hot stove!

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This recipe is so easy because it features KC Masterpiece which is my all-time favorite. For me, it has just the right balance of heartiness, flavor and spice and takes a simple dish from ordinary to extraordinary.

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with DataRank and #KCMasterpiece; however, the recipe and opinions are expressly my own.

Labor Day and a wonderful recipe for Peach Pie

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laborday
Have you seen Labor Day yet?

If you have, or even if you haven’t, you may have heard that a peach pie has a major role in this film!

Last weekend, I invited a good friend over to have coffee and my own Peach Pie and watch the movie on DVD.Though my pie did not turn out as perfect as the one in Labor Day, we had a great time! My friend loved the movie, especially the chemistry between the two main characters and the romance.

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I  found Labor Day to be a movie that illustrates how life can change in just a second. Each one of us has to decide for ourselves what chances to take, and oftentimes following your gut and your heart will take you places you never imagined or dreamed possible. Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin are excellent in this drama that is about life and love, and about coming of age for Henry, brilliantly played by Gattlin Griffith.

Each of the main characters in the movie undergoes a transformation. When it opens, Adele (Winslet) has been paralyzed with grief and depression over events in her life. Frank (Brolin), the stranger who enters Adele and Henry’s lives unexpectedly as he jumps out a hospital window to escape from prison has been leading an empty existence and Henry is struggling to understand adolescence and having to become an adult way too early.

I don’t want to spoil it for you as it’s now on DVD and you can check it out! I found it fascinating how just five days can change a life forever and a peach pie can be so much more than just dessert.

Speaking of peach pie, one of my favorite scenes is the “peach pie baking scene”.  It’s a very sensual scene somewhat reminiscent of the pottery scene in Ghost, yet it has its own special “flavor”.

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The recipe for the pie comes from author (of the book, Labor Day) Joyce Maynard’s mom, and Maynard taught Brolin and Winslet how to make that very same pie for Labor Day. The above photo shows Maynard (in the red sweater) sharing her recipe with Kate and Josh and the dialogue in the scene comes from her own special tips. To become confident for the scene, Brolin’s character, Frank, baked a pie every day on the set so it would be authentic. And it is!

Labor-Day

For those who want to learn how to make the peach pie Josh Brolin made in Labor Day, the recipe follows:

Print
Labor Day Peach Pie

Labor Day Peach Pie

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds peaches
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
  • 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon chilled butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water
  • 2 tablespoons Minute tapioca (plus 2 additional tbsp to stir into peaches)
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Stir in 2 tbsp Minute Tapioca to help absorb juices. Let stand, stirring occasionally.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, work in the shortening and 1 stick of butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the ice water over the flour mixture, stirring gently with a fork. Continue adding the water just until the dough holds together. Shape the dough into a ball and divide it into two discs, one slightly larger than the other.
  3. Place the smaller disc on a sheet of waxed paper, and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, dust it lightly with more flour. Lay a 9- to 10-inch pie pan face down on top of the circle; flip the pan over and remove the paper. For the crust, on a sheet of waxed paper, roll out the other disc to form a 14-inch circle. Do not roll the dough more than necessary.
  4. Sprinkle the tapioca on the bottom crust. Add the filling, mounding it in the center, and dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Lift the waxed paper with the remaining crust and flip it over the filling. Peel back waxed paper. Trim the edges of the crusts and pinch together the top and bottom crusts. Optional: Roll out the trimmings and cut into decorative shapes. Brush the pie with the egg, and arrange the shapes on the crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Poke fork holes or cut vents in the top crust. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
https://www.strangedazeindeed.com/2014/05/oflabordayandpeachpie.html

 

 Enjoy!

 

Getting Lucky in Kentucky – The Great Finish Sweepstakes

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I may be a Northerner by birth, but, having spent over a year in Alabama, I’ve found that I’m a Southerner at heart. I love the people, their incredible caring and hospitality, the way they slow down and enjoy life. While there, I developed a great affection for hush puppies, buttermilk biscuits, banana pudding, sweet tea and mint juleps.

My friend Mary and I were talking about this today and about how we wish we could take a trip to the Kentucky Derby, wear big floppy extravagant hats which we’d flounce around in, and drink our mint juleps while watching the races!

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At this point, her daughter Cassidy and her friend ran to get their hats and pose for a picture. This is derby stylin’!

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After taking some pics of the girls, I decided to make Mary one of my famous Mint Juleps, the offical Derby drink,  so that we could sit back and relax for a spell.

This is how I make my Mint Juleps:

First of all, you need some fresh mint – the fresher, the better.

mints mint

I take about 8 mint leaves and place them in a bowl. On top of that you can add 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, depending on taste. Now, comes my favorite, and perhaps, the most important part. Muddle the mint and the sugar. Don’t pulverize it, just crush it. If you don’t have a muddler, you can use the handle of a wooden spoon. The reason to muddle the mint is to release the concentrated essential oils in the leaves so they can infuse the bourbon (or iced tea).  You can do this in a glass, but I like using a bowl to really get in there.

muddling mint

Now, add 4 oz. of good bourbon. At this point, I transfer the mixture into a tumbler with some crushed ice if you have it.  Shake well.

As I didn’t have a tumbler today, I filled the glass with ice cubes instead.

 

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Pour the mixture into your favorite glass  and garnish with a mint sprig or two! And, there you have it – amazingly cool and refreshing.

If you want a non-alcoholic version, replace the bourbon with iced tea and add your muddled mint mixture.

 

Staying Fresh and Clean in any situation

Relaxing with a good friend and chatting over a cold drink is one of the pleasures of life, and another pleasure is feeling clean and refreshed, especially if you’re out in the hot sun at a sporting event or a concert. In those cases, I’ve often wished for a better restroom experience.

With more than 165,000 people attending the Kentucky Derby each year, the bathrooms are nearly as busy as the betting windows. This year, Cottonelle is upgrading the bathroom experience onsite, providing Cottonelle TP and flushable cleansing cloths across the bathrooms giving attendees the opportunity to get clean and fresh while at the race. How cool is that?

More coolness

The Cottonelle Great Finish Sweepstakes:

Cottonelle is upping the ante at this year’s Kentucky Derby and launching “The Cottonelle Great Finish”. This is an awesome giveaway that will reward Americans with a year supply of Cottonelle products if the No. 1 and No. 2 positioned racehorses place in that order during the race. The odds are with you! If you want to get in on the fun, you can sign up at the Cottonelle landing page.

The first 15,000 entrants to sign up will be awarded a year’s supply of Cottonelle toilet paper and flushable cleansing cloths if the outcome aligns!    

So, hurry and get on it! Win a year’s supply of Cottonelle!


How to Enter! 

1. Visit the Cottonelle landing page

2. Click on the Cottonelle Great Finish Giveaway

3. Click on “Sign up now”

4. Register for the Cottonelle Updates website

 

cottonellegreatfinish

 

Cottonelle Toilet Paper and Cleansing Cloths are big winners here at my home. They’re always in my bathrooms for family and guests and I carry the portable packs in my purse.

How do you keep clean and fresh in any situation?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cottonelle, but my love for their flushable wipes is all my own!

Jonathan Chin – Co-founder of GothamBox – In His Own Words

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Jonathan

 

The GothamBox story is the combination of two fond memories.

East to West

Shawn, a Midwest boy, spent close to 5 years in the majestic and exhilarating city of New York.  It was not the big lights and electrifying scene that intrigued him most.  It was the unique local brands that were the extraordinary fabric to the city.  Shawn grew so attached to the intimate coffee shops, the decadently rich chocolate, as well as enticing sweets that he never knew existed prior to coming to NYC.       
He started a new life on the West Coast and was so heartbroken when he found that it was impossible for him to stay connected to the local brands that he had grown so fond of while living in NYC.
He vowed to find a solution to this major problem.

West to East

In almost a symmetrical move, I left my hometown of San Francisco to start college on the East Coast.  My mother sent me care packages every single month to say that she loved me.  Setting off to start a new life on the opposite coast was exciting but definitely nerve-wracking.  Receiving these boxes was exactly the dose of home I needed to stay strong.
I wasn’t the only one who loved these monthly treats.  The care packages became such a hit in my dorm that she started including special items for my friends.  For instance at Christmas time, every single one of my friends received a miniature red stocking packed with candy.  When Easter rolled around, my friends were rewarded with chocolate eggs.  My friend’s mother even copied the idea and started sending treats to him too.  I was sure to tax him heavily for copying by eating a significant portion of his box.  I couldn’t help myself – his mother sent him some of the most delicious Japanese candies and treats.              

Born out of a parking lot

Fast forward to Christmastime 2011.  The concept of GothamBox was born in a parking lot in Palo Alto, just outside of San Francisco.  Shawn and I started conceptualizing.  After the fifth “wouldn’t it be cool if” and “yeah!” we pull out a pen and paper and started drawing up mockups of what the site would look like on top of Shawn’s trunk.               
Shawn wanted to help people stay in touch with their hometown favorites.  I wanted to reproduce the fond experience of my mother sending me care packages.
GothamBox took the best of both of these passions.  We offer the most delicious taste of your favorite city delivered right to you, your family and your friends.  Every month, you’re reminded that home misses you or isn’t as far away as you think.  
-Jonathan

You can find my blog review of GothamBox here and, also, please return to enter the exciting Mother’s Day Event May 1st, to win a 2-month subscription of your own.

GothamBox: Nirvana Delivered

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“I have an affection for a great city. I feel safe in the neighborhood of man, and enjoy the sweet security of the streets.”  – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I’ve always loved traveling and exploring cities both in the US and around the world. I was born on the East Coast, but traveled and lived on the West Coast for many years only to return to the East Coast again.

There is a sense of joy in loving wherever you are, however, there are certain qualities each city has that one may become nostalgic for, whether it’s the transcendent skyline with the Golden Gate Bridge in SF or the excitement of New York’s Times Square. So often, it’s the food that you miss, the smells and unique flavors – the New York poppyseed bagels, the SF sourdough bread. Sometimes, like Proust’s madeleine, just one bite and sweet memories come flooding back like a waterfall.

And sometimes, by opening a package, you can get a taste of a city you’ve never been to that gives you the sense of being there. I found all this and more with GothamBox.

I got to sample the San Francisco Box and I loved it! It came in a big brown box and unwrapping it was like a mini-Christmas. I have really missed SF!

Here is my SF box! I was super-excited to open it. It was full of goodies.

Here is a picture close-up:

Inside?

Nana Joes Granola: Nana Joes Granola was created by Michelle Pusateri from locally sourced ingredients to evoke the taste of granola that was made in your own kitchen. Nana Joes combines the perfect balance of ingredients with natural flavors to create a truly delicious granola.
I’ve eaten granola for years and this is really a special blend with just the right combination of flavors – All granola blends are made using the finest organic ingredients. Mine was the Sunset Blend with Pecan, Mulberry and Coconut – unbelievably good!
Coco Tutti:  CocoTutti creates wonderful award-winning small-batch chocolates using the finest ingredients and masterful artistry.
These were beautifully packaged, melt-in-your-mouth creamy with a great mix of flavors. Very unique and meant to savor. Delightful decadence.
 The Chai Cart: The Chai Cart has its roots in San Francisco’s street-food culture. The Chai Cart’s mission is to provide the same wholesome goodness of chai that’s enjoyed across India everyday by using high quality, pure ingredients in small batches.
 I got two lovely packages. One with Masala Chai and one with Mint Chai. The Masala Chai is their signature blend with cardamom and ginger and it transported me back to days at the ashram waking at 3 am and being greeted with a hot mug of Chai. It was so genuine and delicious. It was wonderful with milk and a bit of sugar.
The Mint is a delicious herbal blend with mint, ginger and lemongrass. Very fresh and intoxicating.
 La Palma: La Palma has been serving tortillas for over 50 years. Located in the heart of the Mission, La Palma uses the freshest ingredients to produce the finest machine and handmade Mexican tortillas, tamales, pupusas and sopes.
An ex-boyfriend of mine taught me how to make wonderful tortilla creations, and these were so delicious, you could even eat them plain, but browned up and with veggies, cilantro and guacamole they were heavenly.
Oh, and there were Peeps inside! How fun! And also, a wonderful hand-written postcard of SF and the Golden Gate Bridge.
At $20 a month, this is a whole lot cheaper than a plane ride to SF and an incredible treat.
Today, I received my NYC box! 
I opened it and immediately this incredible scent filled my room. The most fragrant coffee smell! Heartbreaker Espresso with Cherry Blossom, Marzipan and Tangerine roasted fresh at Cafe Grumpy! I ground the beans and then my kitchen smelled amazing. The taste is really fresh, rich and wonderful and it kept me going throughout a hectic day.
Cafe Grumpy roasts premium coffee daily and manages to stay in front of the quality curve by sourcing their coffee directly from farmers in Central and South America and roasting the beans themselves in their Greenpoint, Brooklyn roastery. The coffee is packaged in sealed valve bags.
 Next, Roni-Sue’s Beercorn. This is beer & pretzel caramel corn with candied mustard seeds and I can honestly say I’ve never tasted better. What an amazing combination of savory and sweet, with locally grown popcorn, Martins Pretzels, cultured butter, pure cane sugar, agave, Brooklyn Brewery beer syrup, malt syrup, sea salt ad mustard seeds. 

Warning: Extremely addictive! Hide this or it will be gone asap!
Rhonda Kave has been making chocolate and snacks for over 25 years. She’s applied that experience in crafting this BeerCorn: The perfect snack for brew lovers and a favorite treat at Good Beer NYC!  
And… Rescue Chocolates. From each chocolate purchased, 100% of the net profits are donated to animal rescue organizations around the country. How sweet is that? My bar was the Peanut Butter Pit Bull flavor. It was very tasty with crispy peanut butter and dark 64% chocolate. 
 All Rescue Chocolate is 100% vegan and every flavor highlights a different rescue issue on the packaging. 
I also got a hand-written postcard of a gorgeous skyline in Downtown New York.
So, you’re probably wondering how you can get your own Gotham Box, a monthly carefully-selected box from local businesses in the “Gotham” (or city) you choose. Right now, the cities available are New York and San Francisco, and they are expanding to include others. You can switch up your cities or stick to one if you subscribe for only $20/month. And, you get full-sizes, not samples, with shipping included. 
Here’s one of the coolest parts: For every box sent, they donate a meal to feed someone in the community, so, yes, paying it forward which creates more abundance and joy overall.
It’s really quite fascinating as to how GothamBox came about so my next blog piece will be a guest post from Jonathan Chin, the co-founder and “Mayor of Gotham City”. You can find that here.
But, you may be wondering how you can get in on all these goodies. And, yes, every month will be new delights! You can sign up at GothamBox.
You can also connect with GothamBox and follow the latest news and fun on Facebook and Twitter.
And, a bit more good news! Just come back here on May 1st for the amazing Mother’s Day event we’re having since GothamBox is one of my sponsors and has generously offered a prize package containing a 2 month subscription to GothamBox including a box from SF and a box from NYC.
Lots of surprises in store! Don’t miss it!
 PS: I’ll be signing up for sure! Beauty boxes are fun and all, but this is truly nirvana.


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