My Review of Pumpkin and Banana Baby Food - 6 pack

Originally submitted at Diapers.com

Plum Baby - Pumpkin and Banana - 6 pack

Our pouches enable us to naturally preserve the flavors and freshness of our foods without additives or preservatives. Using only organic fruits and vegetables, our unique recipes are gently cooked to preserve nutrients.

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Pumpkin and Banana Baby Food - 6 pack

Pumpkin+Banana=YUM!

By cactusmango from AZ on 6/30/2010

 

5out of 5

Pros: Tasty, Easy to Use

Best Uses: Meals, Snacks, Infants, Toddlers

Describe Yourself: First Time Parent

Pumpkin+Banana=YUM! Its like smoothy...i had too stop myself from eating it all. my baby loved it all up.

(legalese)

Potluck Potato Salad

Summer time is here! What better way to welcome the hot arizona temps, than with Pool Party Potlucks? Our little family of three will be attending our first one today, carrying with us a nice big vat of potato salad. {Never mind the diet, besides I invested in a new tankini that I can wear comfortably while pounding all the yummy food!}

This potato salad has bright flavor yet is quite filling, so it'd be an insult to call this a side dish. One sad thing about this, is I forgot to grab a bag of pistachios! Ay-yay-yay! I hang my head low and pout. But, I'm hoping the pound of fried chopped bacon {thanks dar} might distract the pool party peeps from what's missing. Maybe they won't even know. But I know.

MarMar's Potluck Potato Salad

2 c Olive Oil Mayo
1 c Dijon Mustard
3 t roasted organic garlic
2 red organic apples
3 calamansi
2 c chopped celery
2 c chopped red onions
6 hard boiled organic eggs
1 package bacon
10 regular sized red potatoes {I deliberated long and hard about getting the organic bag...but, it was $3 more, so I caved I got regular instead}
4 sprigs fresh organic dill
ground dill weed, salt + pepper to taste

1. Wash and quarter potatoes. Boil in lightly salted water & garlic until fork-tender. Remove from water and let cool in fridge.
2. Using same the same boiling water for your eggs. Cook until hard-boiled. Let cool then peel and chop.
3. Fry bacon and chop when cool. Reserve bacon grease. Set aside.
4. Chop onions and celery and saute in bacon grease. Set aside.
5. Rinse and chop dill.
6. Rinse and chop the apples and squeeze calamansi {or lemon} on it to keep it from browning.
7. Mix the mayo, ground dill, salt, pepper, chopped fresh dill and roasted garlic.
8. In a large bowl, hand toss all the ingredients. {If you have pistachios, go for it! You'll love 'em.}
8. Put back in fridge to chill before the party. When transporting it, put it in a cooler.
9. Oh, and don't forget, to compost your veggie scraps and eggs shells ;)

Happy Memorial Weekend!

Humble Mungo Guisado

I've been craving this for a long while and finally whipped up a batch yesterday. There is something so comforting and wholly satisfying about sitting down to a humble steaming bowl of mungo guisado.

I usually call my mom, for cooking instructions, but since she's is in the Philippines right now, I had to suffice with following recipes I found online. You can easily make this a vegetarian dish and it will still fill your tummy with goodness.





This is what I gathered online: Pre-boil the mung beans for about 30 min. Stir occasionaly to make sure the bottom doesn't burn. Sautee slices of pork in onions, garlic and tomatoes and patis (fish sauce) to taste. Stir in the cooked mung beans, along with as much broth as you want. I prefer my mungo to have lots of liquid. (Add shrimp and spinach) I would prefer to add kangkong leaves, but can't find them here in the desert. I'll have to see if LeeLee's or Mekong Plaza sells anything like it. But, a good alternative is spinach. Serve over steamed rice or eat without rice.

Here's a great video that I followed.  If you understand Tagalog, then the video will be easy to follow.  But, if not, here's the recipe that I followed from Panglasang Pinoy

Enjoy!

Gingerroot - 1st Impression

"Will go back for more." by CACTUSmango (1 review) February 17, 2009 - Likes it - I can say that I have stopped over for just a quick bite. I was running errands along Chandler Blvd. and my curiousity brought me to their hidden spot.

I loved loved loved their Kalamansi juice. It was spot on authentic, refreshing citrus drink that I enjoyed while living in the Philippines...It didn't taste watered down nor sugared up. This alone is cause for me to go out of my way to come back to Gingerroot.

I also ordered the Lumpia or Crispy Spring Roll appetizer to go and ate it while driving around doing my errands. They were piping hot, perfectly crispy on the outside, and the ground pork filling was tender with finely chopped chestnuts adding a nice delicate texture. Since, I was eating this in my car, I only occassionaly got to dip my Lumpia in their sauce, but, I must say...very nice, sweet 7 sour sauce. Also, the price of $7 for the Lumpia is well warranted, because they do not just give you three small rolls. There were roughly 8 pieces. I didn't get an exact count, because I ate them so quickly. Nor did I take any pictures, again, because I gobbled these up.

The gentleman serving me was friendly & informative. The food came out quickly. My hubby & I are planning on going there to try their dinner menu this Thursday. One thing I didn't tell my hubby, is that I saw they have a Magic Mic set up in one corner...If you know me, then you know how excited I was too see that.

And I'll be back to give an update with photos.

Quick Bite Recipe: Bread Salad

I never had bread salad before, until I ate at Wildflower Bread Company on McClintock and Guadalupe. I really loved it. Wildflower's bread salad is called Tomato Bread Salad ($5.29) and has bread, tomato, garlic, basil, parsley, red wine vinegar, red peppers, marinated mushrooms and olive oil, served atop field greens with grated Parmesan and Balsamic Vinaigrette. They also put a scoop with the sandwiches. That's where I first sampled it.

I inquired about what particular Wildflower bread variety is used, bought their Nine Grain loaf and set out to make my own batch at home. I've made it several times now for myself, Wednesday Night Dinners and other gatherings. The first time I made it, I added fresh mozzarella balls and dumped a container of marinated artichoke hearts/mushrooms all from the olive bar inside Safeway, which was recently listed as #2 Healthiest Grocery Store in the nation. I'm lucky to have one within walking distance from our house. As I don't get to Wildflower that often, I switch up the bread with whatever's on sale at either Safeway or the Marketside (also just a hop skip away). Tonight, I made a batch (with mainly organic or natural ingredients) for hubby & I.

Tools

Washed Hands

Peeler

Kitchen Sheers

Med-Large Salad Bowl

Ingredients (Just toss whatever you like right into your salad!)

1 slice of Organic Provolone Cheese (hand torn into bite sized pieces)

2 slices of Oven Roasted Deli Turkey (I use Hormel Natural Choice.)

1 slice of Light Whole Wheat Bread (hand torn into bite sized pieces)

1 handful of True North Pistachio Chips (crumbled up)

1/4 peeled red apple (sliced into 1/4 in. sticks with kitchen sheers)

4 Organic Whole Dried Montmorency Cherries (cut up with kitchen sheers)

5 capfuls of Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 handfuls of Organic Herb Pre-washed Salad

Steps

1. Hand tear cheese/bread/ham and crumble pistachio chips into bite sized pieces, directly into salad bowl.

2. Peel apple. Slice apples, tomatoes & cranberries into bite sizes. (It doesn't have to be precise. I use kitchen sheers so that I can slice the tomatoes, apples & cranberries right into the bowl. )

3. Drizzle 2-3 capfuls of balsamic vinaigrette into the bowl. Mix 'til bread is thoroughly coated & has absorbed the vinaigrette.

4. Toss in the greens and mix well with the remaining vinaigrette.

I know this seems like a recipe soley for the spring and summer...but, I love the nuttiness, sweet & tart fresh taste of all the ingredients, which definitely gives that warm happy feeling on this cold Decemeber day.

Cozy Spot. Good Eats.

We go to Yuma every holiday to visit our parents and this Thanksgiving weekend, I was so happy that we tried a local restaurant instead of a big chain. To me, River City Grill was a pleasant change in routine.

While our mom was quite hesitant to give this place a chance, because of it's location, brother-in-law & I were able to convice her. Parking is street side, just like many of the "houses turned restaurants" in Tempe and Phoenix. I liked the terra cotta painted exterior, the stained glass windows in the front, the tchotchke wall decor and large colorful mural inside. (Note: The front desk is situated within an arms reach from the front door. It's a tight squeeze. Perhaps if they had the doors left open and against the walls, this set up wouldn't be cramped.)

All the "Black Friday" bargain shoppers surely flocked to the new shopping center, so we had the place to ourselves. That was perfect, since we wanted to avoid a long wait & a crowd. We arrived a little after 1pm and they end their lunch hours at 2pm.

Everything on the Lunch and Dinner menu was open for us to order from. Mind you, the waitress explained they are planning on changing the menu soon...So, the food we ate today, might not be on the menu tomorrow.

We ordered for appetizers crab&salmon cakes with spicy Thai peanut sauce and Hummus with grilled pita triangles. The cakes were nicely cooked, not overcooked, lightly crispy on the outside. if you like things uber crispy, then you might not like these. Mom & I enjoyed the little side veggies & peanut sauce. if you come just by yourself. You could make the Crab & Salmon Cakes as a little meal. The texture & taste of the Hummus was just right and fresh and plenty to share with our family of 5.

We also were served slices of warm crusty bread with EVOO/balsamic, that the waitress refilled for us later too. Hubby had a tomato bisque arrive that went with his Bacon Bleu Cheese Kobe burger. The bisque had a nice balsamic drizzle for presentation & great texture and was not overly salted. Hubby liked dredging his bread in it as well.

Our food arrived shortly after we finished off the appetizers. Hubby sliced the burger in half & saved the other for take-home. (We were all starting to feel full before the entrees arrived.) He liked the meat - said it was good, but that he realized he's not a fan of the strong taste of Bleu Cheese. They do offer the Kobe burger with grilled onions instead.

Brother Ray loves pesto pasta, so he ordered the Chicken Dijon with penna pasta & cilantro pesto. He was disappointed with it, because he was invisioning more pesto. In hind sight, I suppose we could have asked for a side of pesto sauce.

BIL tasted a bite of my Indian Curried Chicken and instantly wished he'd ordered that instead. I love all kinds of curry dishes and am not snooty or picky about it. I rather enjoyed my dish, and loved alternating bites with the variety of sides offered with the plate. I read some people's reviews about the veggies being "mushy", but, I found that in this curry dish, I enjoyed the soft yellow squash, onions and zucini slices. I think if they were crunchy or more firm, that it'd be wierd in a curry dish. They did have one piece of brocolli for garnish that was appropriately firm.

Dad on the other hand was turned off by the idea of fruit with the curry, so he ordered the Coconut Curry Shrimp served in a coconut shell instead. This dish gets high points for presentation and for the size & quantity of shrimp. Dad counted 7 large shrimp. Dad tasted the Indian Curry and decided he liked coconut with his curry better.

Mom, the one who was the least excited to eat here, enjoyed her choice of Mustard Crusted Salmon (with the same pesto pasta). She didn't care for the vinegary & salty taste of the olive tepanad, but I happily ate it for her. Mom said the salmon preperation was nice/cooked just right. She's not a fan of heavy dishes, not really a big pasta eater, and would have loved veggies, so for those reasons she still likes the grilled salmon at Red Lobster. There are several other Salmon entrees to choose from here, including a Wild Grilled Salmon, which perhaps she would have been a closer comparison for mom to try.

Overall, our experience was above average for local small (non-chain) Yuma restaurants and give this place a thumbs up from each of us. I'm already eyeing the spicy cajun Seafood Gumbo, the Pistachio Crusted Salmon with goat cheese ravioli, black beans & chipotle sauce. On our next holiday in Yuma, we'd eat here again for sure!

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River City Grill

600 W. 3rd St.

Yuma, Arizona

928.782.7988

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Our family started off this morning watching CNN's coverage as we stood around the counter and ate humble pandesal sandwhiches.

For this simple meal, mom made over-easy eggs, sliced & toasted pandesal (from San Diego), and placed cold slices of Honey Baked Ham (that my BIL Ray brought from Mesa).

This Thanksgiving morning, I'm happy to be with family, but am feeling somber and in prayer for those who're being terrorized in Mumbai since yesterday. Please keep the families there in your hearts in the coming days and pray for peace.