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Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes from Williams-Sonoma

In honor of IHOP’s National Pancake Day, I decided to review one of my favorite pancake mixes. Yup, that’s right folks, Mrs. Dish Dash Dime isn’t always making things from scratch, I’m just always trying to make things yummy and easy. And this recipe couldn’t be an easier or tastier way to celebrate such a carbo-laden day.

Sometimes, I like a little help in the kitchen. That’s where Williams-Sonoma’s Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Waffle & Pancake mix make my life a bit easier. This flavorful blend of spices has become a favorite in this household.

The directions are straight forward and simple. Combine the mix with butter, eggs, and milk to make pancakes or waffles.

For me, I wanted to make a small batch of pancakes for my hungry hubby. To make the smaller batch, I combined 1 cup of mix with 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 cup of skim milk, and 1 egg, separated. I separate the egg because I fold in the egg white at the end.

The recommended portion on the mix makes 9 5-inch pancakes, using 2 1/4 cup of mix.

I used a whisk to add some air to my egg white to give the batter a light and fluffy texture.

Then combine them with a batter blender, being very careful to not over-beat. The egg white should be gently added in as a last step. The smell of the batter should be heavenly at this point.

Heat a skillet to medium high and spray with vegetable oil. Carefully pour out whatever size pancakes you desire. I like smaller ones because they are easier to flip. But if you have a griddle, make those giant ones and flips away.

The pancakes are ready to be flipped when bubbles form and stay. Be sure to watch the heat on the pan. Too high and they’ll cook too fast to cook all the way through. Too low heat, and the texture will turn out funny.

Enjoy them plain, with warm maple syrup. For non-maple syrup connoisseurs, my hubby prefers blueberry syrup or plain. Apple preserves would also make a great topping. Or for a desert, make Belgian waffles with the mix and top with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce.

Related articles

• National Pancake Day: 5 Calorie-Saving Toppings! (self.com)
• Celebrate National Pancake Day with These Recipes (faithfulprovisions.com)
• STAR WARS Pancake Molds! (geektyrant.com)

Shredded Chicken Nachos Supreme

Who doesn’t like a good order of nachos at your favorite Mexican restaurant? All that hot, melty, cheesy goodness covering crisp and salty tortilla chips sounds like a great way to enjoy your favorite game on TV. For a hearty, yet healthier than your usual restaurant version, here are the ingredients that you will need:

1 lb chicken breasts, preferably sliced fajita chicken for quick and easy cooking
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 Packet of Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup of sliced onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp Frank’s Red Hot, or your preferred hot sauce
2 cups Shredded Mexican blend cheese, or similar
1 can Black Beans, strained and rinsed
Baked Tostitos Scoops (in my opinion, the best healthy/healthier full flavor tortilla chip you can buy!)
Optional:
Sliced Black Olives
2 Chopped Roma Tomatoes
Green Onions, for garnish
Sour Cream
Salsa

First, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. If you are using stoneware, it should be in the oven while it is heating up.

Begin by added extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet and set to medium-high heat. In the mean time, slice up 1/2 cup of onions. If you have picky eaters, finely chop your onions to disguise the flavor and/or use less onions. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, and your clove of garlic and saute for about 2 minutes.

Next, season your chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle about 1/2 packet of your preferred taco/fajita seasoning blend. I don’t like the chicken fajita blend, so I use the one that is actually intended for beef. To each, his (or her!) own. Add the seasoned chicken to your pan.

While the chicken is cooking, gather the rest of your ingredients. Open any cans, slice any remaining veggies you want to use, and rinse the black beans.

Once the chicken is no longer pink, turn off the heat and add cumin and garlic salt. Then drizzle the hot sauce across the top of the pan to incorporate with both the chicken and onions. Your kitchen should smell amazing right now!

One thing I’ve learned about my husband is that he always prefers shredded chicken when eating Mexican flavors. Fortunately, I have learned a wonderful trick to shred chicken in almost 10 seconds with no effort. Since then, I’ve made many more chicken Mexican dishes! So here’s the simple trick. Your stand mixer will shred your chicken to a restaurant quality consistency!

Simply add your chicken, of any cut, as long as it is boneless, to your bowl. Using your flat beater blade, slowly turn the mixer on low, then increase the speed to high. In about 10 seconds you’ll have excellent shredded chicken. See, that was easy!

If you prefer, you can always slice up your chicken, or keep it fajita style.

Assemble all your ingredients so you are able to make your nachos without too much fuss.

Star by creating a later of chips.

Then add about 1/2 cup of cheese to that layer.

Next add another layer of chips and then add another 1 cup of cheese and your black beans.

Next add your chicken and onion mixture.

Then add your remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. If you like things extra spicy, you can drizzle some more red hot sauce on top.

Then place the stone, or cookie sheet, in the oven until beans are cooked and cheese is bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.

Top your nachos with tomatoes, green onions, and olives for a fantastic flavorful Mexican dish.

Then carefully move your nachos to a large plate or platter for serving.

Serve with a side of salsa and sour cream. Yum!

Related articles

• Mexican Chicken Lasagna (smokinchick.wordpress.com)
• Mexican Tortilla Soup (ilovesoup.net)
• Chicken Fajita Pasta with Hass Avocado Recipe (avocadocentral.com)

Bodum Coffee Press and Grinder Set: $28 shipped!

So last night I stumbled upon this great website, GiftingGrace, that is currently offering a promo code for 50% off the entire site, ‘FebFamily.’

Here is one of the many deals that I found: An 8-cup coffee press plus small grinder gift set in a sleek-looking white design from a well-known manufacturer, Bodum. If you are unfamiliar with a coffee press, it is considered one of the most pure ways to brew coffee. It’s pure because there are no paper filters that will discard the natural oils and flavors of the beans, or automatic machines that build up residue over time. Once you make the switch and learn the technique, you’ll wonder why you ever used that machine in the first place!

Why you’ll love it:

• It’s an elegant gift set that offers everything they need to make a fresh cup of coffee at home with simplicity and ease
• The grinder’s transparent lid allows the fineness of the grind to be controlled
• Lets them make fresh coffee in just four minutes
• It’s stylish and made of heat-resistant borosilicate glass and plastic frame
• It has a 3-part stainless steel filter to help extract coffee’s aromatic oils and flavors
• Perfect for the café connoisseur who appreciates brewing their own cup of coffee with freshly ground beans

Use the code ‘FebFamily’ for 50% off your purchase. Shipping should come out to $7 bringing your grand total to $28. Enjoy your new coffee experience!

Waffle House: FREE slice of pie

Who doesn’t love pie?! Take this coupon into your local participating Waffle House for a free small slice of pie. No purchase required!

Related articles

• Take me to Waffle House (cassiehoffman.wordpress.com)
• Waffle House Hosts Special Menu for Valentine’s Day (newsy.com)
• Hot, Steamy, and Slightly Sinful Waffles Being Offered At Waffle House (thefranchiseking.com)

Turkey Bacon Sliders

So originally, this post was supposed to make it in time for the Superbowl. But I had a crazy busy week at work this past week. Its been great that my job is going well enough that I’m working every day, but it also leaves me less time to blog! So onto what you are here for, a recipe!

Sliders are one of my favorite things to order with a crowd at bars/restaurants. They offer a mini bite without committing to a giant burger sure to create a mess. So I thought, how hard can these be to make at home? For this recipe, I used ground turkey and turkey bacon (a Dish Dash Dime staple) to make them a little healthier than the ground beef restaurant alternative. And did I mention how EASY this dish is? I bet you could use what you already have in your pantry and put your own spin on it too!

First, for two people, and eight sliders, shape ground turkey into two patties.

And since all meat needs seasoning, add a dash of pepper, salt, and garlic salt, to your personal preference.

Be sure to season both sides evenly. And then, sear them on a hot frying pan. I also love a fresh burger off the grill, so take it outside if you like too!

While waiting for your pan to heat up, or while your significant other is grilling, throw some bacon on the stove for some added flavor, texture, and crunch on the sliders.

Turkey bacon comes fully cooked, so it just needs to be heated up. I still prefer using the stove top, although I guess you could try the microwave too. If you’ve never had turkey bacon before, know that it despite the obvious flavor difference, the texture and the overall crispiness is much different. Even if you were to char your turkey bacon, it will still have some flexibility to it. Its more chewy than regular bacon, but it also has good flavor, and over 50% less fat (look at nutritional labels to see the exact difference as it varies by brand). I’ve been using the Jenne-O turkey bacon as a substitute for so long, I don’t even see a difference! But if you have picky eaters, better save the healthy bacon for your own personal BLT.

Next, let’s get our rolls ready. When making sliders, nothing beats a sweet Hawaiian roll. I bought the sub rolls as opposed to the actual Hawaiian rolls since they were much less expensive. Not sure why, but I happily grabbed this deal.

If you haven’t yet, place your patties into a frying pan. If you are using extra lean turkey meat, spray a tiny bit of oil into the pan first.

In my fridge, I only had shredded cheddar. And since I’m a big fan of using what you have instead of making a trip to the store, shredded cheddar is what I used. For a yummy treat, slice up 8 pieces of Tillamook extra sharp cheese.

Then slice each patty into fourths. Try to make each cut as even as possible so you end up with eight similar mini patties. Then place them on the bottom parts of each bun.

And then add bacon!

Then add the top bun and assemble on a plate. For an appetizer, serve them with toppings on the side so guests can add their favorites. Slice up Roma tomatoes for the perfect size. To keep the burgers together, secure each of them with a toothpick.

 

For a meal, serve these with Seasoned Potato Wedges for a meal that any family will devour.

For recipe lovers:

For eight sliders:

1 package Kings Hawaiian Rolls or Mini Sub Rolls
1/2 lb extra lean ground turkey
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
6 slices turkey bacon
1/4 cup shredded cheese OR 8 small slices of cheddar cheese
Tomato, Lettuce, Onion, Pickles, optional

Related articles

• Chili’s Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas {Healthified} Recipe and Our Big Game Spread (crazyadventuresinparenting.com)
• Some Tunes, Pancakes, and Turkey Bacon (beatcancer2010.wordpress.com)
• Superbowl Food Extravaganza! (dishdashdime.wordpress.com)

Cuisinart Elite 4-Cup Food Processor

I really like Cusinart.

Being a deal seeker, I try hard not to be a brand snob. But there are times when I can’t help myself! This silver 4-cup processor is usually $110. But today on Amazon, it’s only $32! I have a mini chopper and have been meaning to upgrade for bigger and tougher tasks. I think this one will do the trick.

Shipping is FREE. And, if you’re looking for color, you can also pick one up in pink, red, white, or black for $44.

Einstein’s Brothers: 20% off, Free Drinks, & More

Einstein’s has a new promo and three new coupons out right now. First, the promo is for a free new skinny sip (skinny vanilla latte and fat free chai latte). Purchase a bagel and schmear for $1.25, and get a skinny sip for free. YUM! No coupon is required for this deal as it should be available in all stores. But like always, it does state, “participating locations only.” Here’s the webpage with all the info about this deal.

Next, we have three coupon to print off that don’t expire until 4/3/12! So enjoy two months of 20% off any purchase, $2 off an egg sandwich, and a free espresso drink with any food purchase. You can download the pdf of these printable coupons here.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: B1G1 Free – Valentine’s Day Only

Take your honey out for a drink on Valentine’s Day. A coffee or tea drink, that is. At Coffee Bean and Teat Leaf, they are offering a B1G1 free offer, all day. No physical coupon is required. I know where I’m headed next Tuesday!

***Offer only valid on Valentine’s Day 2.14.12 at participating The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® retail locations. Not valid at Ralphs, Airport or Hawaii locations. Free drink must be of equal or lesser value. Cannot be combined with any other offers.

Pei Wei: B1G1 Free Entree

Its time again for another Pei Wei B1G1 promotion. With the launch of their newest entrée, “Thai Basil Chicken,” Pei Wei is offering a coupon that will get you a free entrée when you buy a Thai Basil Chicken entrée.

Follow these instructions to get your coupon:

1. Go to this website and log in if you are returning. If its your first time, click “create passport.
2. Next, click on the map (top button on the left hand side) and click on Thailand.
3. Click on the featured content icon, on the lower right hand side. This should pull up a video.
4. After you watch the video, a yellow flag will appear telling you that you earned a stamp.
5. Click on the flag to “stamp” your passport.

Once you’ve stamped your passport, you’re all done. The coupon will arrive in your inbox in less than 24 hours. So sorry, you won’t be able to go today for lunch. Maybe tomorrow though!

Coupon is valid through February 17th.