Eating snow with a spoon.

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

Have you been graced with some wintry mixes yet? Now, unless you don”t have to work, or you”re going to the mountain, or you don”t have to clean off your car, or you have a pair of snow shoes — snowstorms can be kind of a pain. But next time it snows, don”t be upset — just grab a few items out of your cupboard and take advantage of that snow to make

Yes. Ice cream. Made out of snow. Have I got your attention yet?

Now there are a bunch of recipes online for snow ice cream (what .. people actually know about this already?), however, because I am obsessed with Paula Deen, we”re going to follow her recipe. And it”s so simple! You”re going to be kicking yourself for just finding out about this awesome treat now. Here”s what you need:

8 cups of SNOW (or shaved ice if you can”t wait till the next storm)

1 14-oz can of SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

1 teaspoon VANILLA EXTRACT

TO MAKE (the basic recipe): Place the snow into a large bowl, then pour in the condensed milk, followed by vanilla. Mix and voila, snow magic! However, if plain vanilla ice cream just isn”t thrilling enough for you, grab these as well:

FOOD COLORING

SPRINKLES

Add a few drops at a time of the food coloring until you get the color vibrancy you want, depending on how much snow ice cream you”re working with. Scoop into bowls and top with sprinkles before serving! After a bite of this, you”ll be begging for it to snow each night!

What are your favorite snowstorm treats?

Social Grocery // Facebook // Twitter

It's time for gingerbread!

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

It”s December, and that means it”s time to take those gingerbread recipes out of the holiday cookbooks .. you know, the ones shoved in the far back corner of your bookshelf. I love gingerbread, so when wintertime is finally showing its shining face, I like to embrace the season as much as possible. Gingerbread everything, please!

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

As much as I love gingerbread, making houses can be a huge pain. While they”re a warp back to childhood, it can be frustrating all the same. However, instead of buying one of those kits this year, you should try making one from scratch. With so many templates and recipes online, you”ll be a gingerbread house making pro in no time!

GINGERBREAD MONKEY BREAD

Okay, I know what you”re thinking. “Gingerbread and monkey bread are amazing on their own, what a genius idea to add them together!” I know. I feel the same. Plus, the gingerbread men marshmallows are too cute for words. (Tablespoon.com)

CLASSIC GINGERBREAD CAKE

This cake is delicious on it”s own, or even with a nice, hearty frosting. I”m thinking cream cheese. YUM. A perfect snack to go along with some warm cider — morning, afternoon or night. (browneyedbaker.com)

What are your favorite gingerbread recipes? Have any pictures? Share with us!

Social Grocery // Facebook // Twitter

'Tis the season for Crock-Pot-ery

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

I hope you”re lucky enough to have one of these bad boys lying around your kitchen. Crock-Pots are one of the greatest creations known to man — why? You can cook your dinner ALL DAY without having to do anything but put in your ingredients, smell amazing aromas and wait for it to finish. Pretty sweet deal, right? I used to love coming home from school after my mom had put a pot roast in the Crock-Pot. It makes the house smell FANTASTIC and adds a huge cozy/homey feel. Because Crock-Pots are perfect for cold-weather meals, I figured it was appropriate to throw out a couple recipes. All of these recipes came from the Crock-Pot Recipes section of Food.com. There are so many great ones to try!

TO DIE FOR CROCK-POT ROAST

A classic Crock-Pot keeper. You can”t go wrong with pot roast.

CROCK-POT TACO SOUP

All the taco essence you want in a bowl. Sign me up!

PULLED PORK (CROCK-POT)

Make amazing slow-cooked pulled pork at home! Just another reason to love your Crock-Pot.

CROCK-POT CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Chicken cacciatore is a delicious way to get myself to eat vegetables like mushrooms — so yummy and easy!

CROCK-POT CANDY

That”s right — you can even make candy and desserts in your Crock-Pot, like these peanut candies!

What do you love to make in your Crock-Pot?

Social Grocery // Facebook // Twitter

Sweet as pie, cute (& small) as a button.

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

Well, alright. A little bigger than a button.

I am a huge freak for all things miniature. Those mini ice cream cups at the store, mini candy, mini bags, mini cupcakes, mini jars, Polly Pocket (when she was actually the size of a fingernail, you know .. back in the day) — if it”s mini, I”m pretty much obsessed. So you can only imagine my reaction when I stumbled upon mini PIE. I basically died with joy and cuteness overload taking control of my brain. It was magical. I”m hoping you feel the same and spread the magic to your friend and family this holiday season! Oh and don”t worry — to top it off, these mini pies are in MINI JARS. That my friends, is what I call perfection (not to mention an amazing gift-giving idea).

CRANBERRY COBBLERS (IN A JAR)

To kick off my mini-pie-in-a-jar-magical-idea-since-when?! obsession, we have Cranberry Cobblers from Tablespoon.com. They really know how to get me over there — passion for food meets creativity. ALWAYS. And these cobblers are no exception! Perfect for Turkey day, wouldn”t you agree?

SPICED PUMPKIN PIE (IN A JAR)

ADORABLE! These mini spiced pumpkin pies are so cute. I love the jars that The Scootabaker used for this particular post — and the heart cutouts add the perfect loving touch, don”t you think? Wish I had one right now! Not to mention I love anything pumpkin.

LATTICE-TOP BLUEBERRY PIE (IN A JAR)

You had me at lattice-top, Family Kitchen. I”ve always loved lattice-top pies — not only does it take some serious skill to come out with a great looking pie, but they”re just so pretty! Shrink it down to mini and in a jar? I”m awestruck. LOVE these blueberry pies! It”s almost unfair that I don”t have one in front of me at this very moment.

FRUIT CRISP (IN A JAR)

I love fruit crisp — so clearly, I would love this particular post from Wendolonia. I think the best part about these fruit crisps is that you can literally use any type of fruit you wish and still come out with a delicious treat! Also you can put these babies in the freezer for whenever you feel a need for some freshly baked mini crisp. Love it!

GRASSHOPPER PIES (IN A JAR)

Okay, so we all love a good pie with a traditional crust. But then what about those other pies we love with non-traditional crusts? These grasshopper pies have a crumbled Oreo crust and look DELICIOUS. Not to mention, this post from A Southern Fairytale inspires me to get creative with this mini pie idea — crumbled graham cracker crust is another option I haven”t seen (yet) in mini pies. Time to get the foodie juices flowing!

What type of pie would you love to see served in a mini jar?

+ Social Grocery
+ Social Grocery on Facebook
+ Social Grocery on Twitter

Chilly day soups

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

What”s up with the chilly weather? AND THE SNOW? I think I”m all set. But with this cold season looming ahead, we”re starting to get a preview of what the Winter will bring. Needless to say, I”m not looking forward to it. However, I do love a good soup to keep warm during the cold days. Here are a few to add to your recipe box!

LEMON CHICKEN AND ORZO SOUP

It may be my Greek roots but I love lemon chicken soup. Orzo is a great pasta to use in soups, or even by itself. If you”ve never had lemon chicken soup, do yourself a favor and try it ASAP! I don”t usually eat it with spinach, but if you love spinach by all means GO FOR IT. (Recipe from Good Life Eats)

BAKED POTATO SOUP

Baked potato soup is a classic. And trust me, it”s so much better when you make it at home! This recipe from Rachael Ray will have you cooking up a storm in no time. Extra bacon, please!

CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP

Cream of anything soup to me is delicious, but add wild rice and I am in HEAVEN. This creamy chicken and wild rice soup has gotten 5 stars and 1100+ reviews on AllRecipes.com — it MUST be delicious. Can”t wait to try this one out!

What”s your favorite chilly day meal?

+ Social Grocery
+ Social Grocery on Facebook
+ Social Grocery on Twitter

You can find me in turkey dreamland.

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

Heads up everyone! There is only a month until Thanksgiving. That”s it. A month. Not sure about you, but Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. In fact, lately I”ve been finding myself honestly dreaming about turkey dinner and hallucinating the scent of turkey and gravy. A problem? No — I just call it anticipation.

And because November 24th will be here sooner than you realize, now is the time to start figuring out your dinner plans. Who”s house this year? What to bring? Meanwhile, I”ll be listing off the usual dishes present at my favorite feast of the year:

TURKEY (obviously.)
gravy
stuffing
mashed potatoes
cranberry sauce
creamed corn
steamed veggies
butternut squash
sweet potatoes (with marshmallows!)
brussel sprouts (not my personal favorite, but nevertheless they”re usually present.)
creamed onions and peas
dinner rolls
banana bread (homemade and with walnuts, please.)
zucchini bread
corn muffins
apple cider
wine
pecan pie
pumpkin pie
apple pie

… Have I made my case yet? Thought so!

For some fantastic recipes to wow the crowd this year, check out Food Network”s Thanksgiving section. There are so many goodies on there, you could be browsing for hours.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes?

+ Social Grocery
+ Social Grocery on Facebook
+ Social Grocery on Twitter

T-shirts to Sweaters, Salads to Soups

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Nichole Magoon

As the temperatures slowly drop, the pant legs and sleeves grow longer. The tank tops and shorts we’ve enjoyed during the warm summer months are replaced with pants, long sleeves, sweatshirts and sweaters. While I try to hold on to my shorts and tees as long as possible, soon it’ll be time to change over my closet to fall and winter clothing.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moreoh/

But, just as important as changing over your wardrobe for the changing weather is changing over your pantry. During the summer, when the weather is hot and humid, I try to eat light and fresh—fruits, salads, and grilled meat.

When the weather turns colder, however, I turn to more flavorful, savory and fulfilling foods.

Soups

I’m a big soup fan during the colder months. I usually stock up creamy, hearty soups such as:

Tomato Soup

New England Clam Chowder

Beef Stew

Cream of Mushroom

Squash Soup

Warm, Fulfilling foods:

Spices

I’m a big spice packer, too. My favorite part of fall is apple picking and of course, making lots of apple treats! I keep a few fall spice staples on hand, including:

Apple pie spice

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

With my pantry fully stocked, I’m ready to hunker down for a wonderful, crisp fall and winter!

Do you stock up your pantry for the season? What are some of your favorites to include? Share with us here as a comment or on our Facebook or Twitter!

Fridge Notes

Tag Archives: winter