Food Archives - Nuggetlands

Food

Meat and Cheese Tray From Trader Joe’s

November 21, 2018November 21, 2018by alicefaggiLeave a Comment

A meat and cheese tray is my go to for any size gathering. They are so versatile and can be scaled up or down for any size budget or amount of people. I did one at our Christmas party last year and do them often, even if we just have another family over for a BBQ.

Trader Joe’s

I have a love hate relationship with Trader Joe’s. I love their prices. I love their selection and I love all the fun, seasonal things that they bring in. My girls love their tiny shopping carts and the people who work there are always lovely.

I don’t like how they wrap a lot of their produce in plastic. They always seem to be out of one thing that I need and if you hit that parking lot at just the wrong time, it will suck every kind ounce of blood you have in your body.

That being said, they have some of the best pricing and selection of cheese and charcuterie meats. I grabbed some of my favorites and pulled together a quick board when we had some friends over recently.

Meat and Cheese Tray Layout

Over time, I’ve accumulated a few different platters that I like to use for my meat and cheese tray layouts. I base that on the amount of people I’m expecting and the amount of items I have to fill the board. This particular board is from Crate and Barrel, I love the color and the versatility – you could write on it with chalk to label your meat and cheeses. So fun.

Then I lay out my cheeses. I always try to have at least one hard and one soft cheese. For this meat and cheese tray I used a brie, manchego and smoked gouda. I also used my favorite fig jam and some homemade apple butter.

The next step is to layer in your meats. I like to peel the meat apart and fold them so they are a bit fluffy and easy to grab. If I am using prosciutto, I will cut the strips in half so they are a little more bite sized.

There is so much flexibility with meat and cheese trays. Once I have my main meat and cheese on the board, I will play around with the rest of the food to fill the tray. This particular time, I used blackberries, strawberries and pita crackers. I also grabbed some tiny pumpkins from the floral section of Trader Joe’s and added them in. What’s more fall and festive than tiny pumpkins!?!

Leaving room around the cheeses will give people space to cut in and get a good piece off without making a mess all around the meat and cheese tray. I also like to make cuts of the cheese before guests even arrive. People are more likely to dig in if they don’t feel like they are the first to do so.

As the party goes on, and things start to disappear off the tray, refill bare spots with extra crackers or berries.

These are the Trader Joe’s Pita Bites that I used on this tray. I had intended to use the pretzel sticks and spinach/kale dip on this tray but it didn’t fit right so I served that in a separate bowl. They are staples in my shopping cart when we make a Trader Joe’s run.

Meat and Cheese Tray Trade Joe's Favorites

Back to the meat and cheese tray, the finished product is so fun, festive and an easy way to wow your guests with the presentation.

Have you done a meat and cheese tray? I’d love to hear some of your favorite things to include, comment below.

Food

Halloween Rice Krispie Treats Everyone Will Love

October 11, 2018May 1, 2019by alicefaggi2 Comments

We love going to The Yard House. My husband and I love the food and beer selection, the girls love the special treats that come with the kids meal. I decided to recreate their recipe but make them into easy Halloween Rice Krispie Treats, perfect for all of the Halloween activities we have coming up this month.

To make these Halloween Rice Krispie Treats you need the not so secret ingredient, Halloween Oreos. They taste just like regular Oreo’s but have an orange creme center that takes these Rice Krispie Treats from really good to really festive. I had to go to Target to find them but if you can’t find them locally, I linked them in my Amazon Shop here.

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you!

There are two things that I do a little different than some other recipes. First, I melt the butter and the marshmallows in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. The key here is to keep stirring and don’t rush it. You could easily melt this in the microwave but for some reason, I think it tastes better this way. Second, I butter my 9×13 pan instead of spraying it with non stick spray. I like having the butter taste match up to the butter flavor of the Rice Krispie Treats.

These Halloween Rice Krispie Treats are super easy and quick to make. Butter you pan and put your Oreos in a gallon zip lock bag. Using a mallet, or rolling pin, or wine bottle, mash the Oreos. I left mine a little bigger because I wanted to see the black and orange pieces clearly in the treats.

Combine the Oreos with the Rice Krispies, melt the butter and marshmallows, then combine. It’s really that simple.

I cut these into square but you could use festive cookie cutters or put them on sticks like they do at The Yard House. This will be the perfect dessert to go with our traditional Halloween dinner of Vollmer Chili.

I love when you combine the marshmallow mixture into the Rice Krispies – they literally snap, crackle and pop and I immediately become an 8 year old girl. Something so nostalgic about that sound for me.

Halloween Rice Krispie Treats

Festive Halloween Rice Krispie Treats that use Oreos for that special pop of color.

Course Dessert

Keyword Halloween, Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients

4 tbsp butter
6 cups small marshmallows
4 cups Rice Krispies
20 Halloween Oreos

Instructions

Mash the Oreos in a Ziploc bag
Melt the butter and marshmallows in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring often
Combine Oreos with Rice Krispies. Mix in melted butter/marshmallow mixture until combined.
Spread into a buttered 9×13 pan. Butter your fingers to press the mixture down evenly into the pan. Let cool completely before you cut and serve.

Food

Cookbook Review – The Whole Smiths Good Food

August 31, 2018September 1, 2018by alicefaggiLeave a Comment

I have a bit of a cookbook addition. So when my girlfriends were raving about The Whole Smiths Good Food cookbook, I had high expectations. I spent a week cooking lots of different recipes from it, I wanted to be sure that I could give my authentic opinion on it based on all the content, not just the pretty pictures.

I related to a lot of things in this book. I feel like the author Michelle and I could be best friends (except for the Dave Matthews thing). We share the same food philosophies and I love her approach to social media. Girl keeps it real but still produces great content. (See, it can be done!)

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you! `

Full Cookbook Review

Check out my full review of the cookbook here and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

I tried to vary all of the dishes that I tried, I even branched out and made pork loin. I’m really not a fan of pork loin but this one was pretty good. I smothered mine in the caramelized onion. I’ll eat basically anything with caramelized onion on it. The sweet potato hash, ranch chicken potatoes and sweet potato hash were all winners in our house.

This is a great cookbook if you are interested or doing or have done a Whole 30 round. I loved my experience with Whole 30 and have a lot of resources on this site if you need motivation, meal plans or a list of all the must have gadgets to be successful with the program. That’s not to say that this is a Whole 30 only cookbook because there are a lot of non-compliant recipes in here and ones that you can adapt either way.

Bottom line – this cookbook is worth every penny. It’s beautiful and has great content. What more can you ask for?

Food

9 Whole30 Gadgets Essential for Success

June 21, 2018August 21, 2018by alicefaggi5 Comments

Another week done of the Whole30 challenge. I have mixed emotions about it. A lot of the changes that we’ve made have gotten easier. Pulling together a full breakfast, adjusting my coffee to a non-sweetened creamer (don’t get me wrong, I still miss my Ripple Vanilla creamer), not having mac and cheese as an easy side dish. There were parts of this week though that were infinitely harder than the first 7 days. Pizza night this week was torture. I miss having a bowl of popcorn while the girls are napping and I get some work done. I MISS WINE.

One thing that helped me get through it was to take it minute by minute and treat myself like I treat my toddler on the verge of a meltdown. I have mastered the art of distraction. I walked away from what I wanted or was craving and did something else. I made myself a bowl of cucumbers for nap time so I still had the crunch I was craving. I treated myself to a glass of sugar free kombucha in a stemless wine glass.

Another thing that helped me, is thinking of the end game. It’s only 30 days. I’m halfway through. I already did the hard part…starting. What’s another two weeks? Plus, in those first 14 days I’ve uncovered something completely unexpected. Something I haven’t since since, well, I can’t even remember….my abs. So something about this lifestyle is agreeing with my body, it’s motivation enough to keep going.

If I can do it, you can too.

Instead of giving you a daily play by play of what I was feeling, it think it would be more helpful to put together a list of essential Whole30 gadgets. Things that have made this month free of wine and popcorn a little easier.

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you! I never link to anything that I haven’t actually used.

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Whole30 Gadgets

Immersion blender – I’ve used this daily. I’ve been making my own mayo – SO easy and SO tasty – and this gadget is essential. It’s also been great for other sauces, dips, ranch and butternut squash soup.

Mason Jars – These have been essential for my husband when he packs his lunch. It’s so easy to layer salads. I’ve also been making mayo in them. So easy to store anything and everything.

Water Bottle – I’ve been drinking a LOT of water. In an effort to reduce my LaCroix intake, I’ve kept a water bottle full and handy so I don’t reach for a can of delicious bubbly. This one has been great, I also love their kids size one. Read my full review of our kids water bottles here if you need ideas.

Spiralizer – When you are only eating fruit, veggies and protein, it helps to get a little creative. This spiralizer has been a favorite even before we started Whole30 but it’s been put into overdrive. I will spiralize anything -potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and even butternut squash. Even if I can’t have real noodles, I can at least trick my brain into thinking I’m eating it.

Glass Storage Containers – I’ve been trying to prep veggies and make a lot of leftovers, they are surprisingly perfect for breakfast. But that entails a lot of food storage and these glass storage containers are perfect. Why glass? I highly suggest you read my friend Leah’s book, Green Enough, and educate yourself on plastic and decide what you are comfortable with.

Salad dressing container – Ok, I know I just said no plastic but this is my exception. It the perfect container to pour oil slowly into the mason jar when you are mixing up mayo. Here’s the deal though, I don’t store food in it and I hand wash it.

Label maker – I’ve been using this label maker to mark up what is in each container and the date it was made. Although it’s not sticking well in the cold. Thankfully Mabel’s Labels has Date Mates, great reusable food storage labels that are going to come in VERY handy. I can’t see myself ever going back to store bought mayo – seriously, it’s that good – so even after this Whole30 is done, these will be put to good use.

Cookbooks – My go to books for meal planning: The Whole30 Guide, Whole30 Cookbook and SkinnyTaste Fast and Slow. I am also LOVING The Whole Smith’s Good Food cookbook.

Silpat mats – These are my secret for great chocolate chip cookies (one of my random cravings during this round, I even dream about them) but they are also great for roasting veggies on. And trust me, you are going to roast a LOT of veggies.

Food

Whole30 Week 1 Recap With Meal Plan

June 11, 2018June 11, 2018by alicefaggi3 Comments

Whole30 week 1 is done and I’m pretty proud of ourselves. It was hard but it’s worth it so far. If you missed it, you can read why we decided to do the Whole30 Challenge here.

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you! I never link to anything that I haven’t actually used.

Whole30 Week 1 Recap

Prep – I laid our a very detailed plan for this week. I have spread sheets and shopping lists. We went to Costco and our local Sprouts, the fridge is stocked. I made homemade mayo and ranch. I reread the book.

Day 1 – I woke up ready. Ready for the challenge. Ready for the change. I am ready to make this happen. Breakfast was great, a veggie frittata, even the girls liked it. Lunch was Big Nugget’s request, her favorite tuna salad that just happens to be Whole30 compliant. I was so hungry and scarfed it down so fast that it made me feel sick.

Day 2 – One thing that I noticed right away was that I did a lot of mindless eating. Filling up the kids snack bowls with veggie chips or Pirate Booty, I’d take a few for myself. I really had to stop myself, and deal with my mouth watering every time. Also, I already hate vegetables. I did my first HIIT workout and felt a little weak but nothing too bad.

Day 3 – I was super tired and had the worst headache of my life. I felt like I had the flu combined with a major wine hangover. Only it was just my body withdrawing from the sugar dependancy. Scary. Can we talk about the farts? Cause they are brutal at this point. Big Nugget told me that I was gross and I should just eat some bread.

Day 4 – I woke up with no headache. Horray. I felt really good during my workout and throughout the day, didn’t feel as ravenous as I had earlier in the week. How is it possible that I’ve already eaten half a Costco size tub of almond butter?????? Also, we’ve had to call audibles a few times on my meal plan for the week. Since the fridge was stocked, I have options for plan b.

Day 5 – Feeling pretty accomplished but the big challenge is today. Pizza Night. The girls still wanted their usual pizza. It was SO HARD to not take a bite or eat a leftover crust. It was so nice to have someone else commiserate with me and I’m so thankful that my husband decided to do this challenge with me. Misery loves company.

Day 6 – Breaking old habits again today. Usually Saturday mornings are spent at the ice rink for my daughter’s hockey. I hit up the concession stand for a latte and pretzel. Not today. Americano and Larabar get me through practice. We also skipped our usual Panera order and made a salad at home.

Day 7 – So many dishes. So much cooking. But one week down and it was totally worth it.

Whole30 Week 1 Meal Plan

This was my edited plan. Most of the recipes I pulled from the Whole30 book. Some I improvised. The fried rice is from the Skinny Taste cookbook – another great reference for some great Whole30 meals. I would make more than the two servings for most things so that we had ample leftovers for the next day. It made it a lot easier to have veggies and things prepped when I went to reach into the fridge for food and something was ready for me.

Food

Patriotic 4th of July Dessert

May 31, 2018June 23, 2020by alicefaggiLeave a Comment

This 4th of July Dessert was a staple in our house growing up. It’s quick and easy and somewhat on the healthy side – unlike our family favorite Pistachio Delight. The Jello, fruit, and Angel Food Cake makes this a light, refreshing summer dessert. Patriotic, festive, and perfect for any holiday BBQ.

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you! I never link to anything that I haven’t actually used.

4th of July Dessert

What I love about this dessert is that it uses fruit that is in season. Strawberries and blueberries layered into the cake and jello are so good.

Slice the Angel Food Cake in half and use a knife or fork to poke holes into both parts. Layer fruit on top of the bottom piece. Prepare the jello according to the package directions and slowly pour half onto the cake. Don’t rush this part, give it time to soak in.

Place the top back in and slowly pour the rest of the jello on the top of the cake. Secure the lid back on and put it in the fridge to set.

Once the jello is set,layer the cake/jello/fruit into a trifle bowl with the whipped cream and top with fresh berries. Or you can just scoop it out onto plates and top with whipped cream and fresh berries. Either way, it’s going to taste fantastic.

I use homemade whipped cream. It’s super easy to make and tastes way better than any store-bought version. I follow Alton’s lead on this one, see his recipe here.

This tablescape was so easy to pull together. White dinner plates with patriotic bandana’s, glass cups, and coozies from Target’s Dollar Spot.

This 4th of July dessert is Big Nugget approved.

4th of July Dessert

Easy and Patriotic 4th of July Dessert.

Course Dessert

Keyword 4th of July, angel food cake, fruit, jello, No bake

Ingredients

1 Angel Food Cake
1 package Strawberry Jello
1 container Strawberries
1 container blueberries
2 cups whipped cream

Instructions

Remove cake from container and cut in half horizontally. Replace bottom half in the container and poke holes with a fork or knife (or cut cake into pieces).
Prepare Jello according to package instructions. While Jello is liquid, layer berries on top of the cake and slowly pour over half the Jello.
Replace the top of the cake and poke some holes into it. Slowly pour the remaining Jello on top of the cake. Replace the lid and put in the fridge to set.
Layer cake/jello/berries in a trifle bowl with whipped cream. Top with berries. Keep cold until ready to serve.

Category: Food

Meat and Cheese Tray From Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s

Meat and Cheese Tray Layout

Halloween Rice Krispie Treats Everyone Will Love

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you!

Halloween Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients

Instructions

Cookbook Review – The Whole Smiths Good Food

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you! `

Full Cookbook Review

9 Whole30 Gadgets Essential for Success

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you! I never link to anything that I haven’t actually used.

Whole30 Gadgets

Whole30 Week 1 Recap With Meal Plan

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you! I never link to anything that I haven’t actually used.

Whole30 Week 1 Recap

Whole30 Week 1 Meal Plan

Patriotic 4th of July Dessert

This post contains some affiliate links – meaning if you click through the links and buy anything, the retailer will pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you! I never link to anything that I haven’t actually used.

4th of July Dessert

4th of July Dessert

Ingredients

Instructions

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