Straight From the Fridge

Staying Home For Valentine's Dinner

2012-02-05T19:20:00.001-08:00

Why You SHOULD NOT Go to a Restaurant for Valentine’s Dinner

It’s the busiest night of the year for restaurants. You’ll be seated in a full house that can be noisy and crowded. Plus, restaurants are more expensive on Valentine’s Day. Many restaurants offer a fixed menu to make it easier to efficiently prepare dishes. These fixed menus are often overpriced for a holiday meal. Not only do you spend more money, but you have less selection.

Why you SHOULD Cook at Home for Valentine’s Dinner

Cooking at home is much more personal than eating a restaurant. And, it’s fun – couples spend quality time cooking together and then enjoy a romantic, delicious meal!

The Stocked Fridge offers a great way to cook at home . . . we assemble and package the food, and all you have to do is follow the simple cooking instructions for that perfect, romantic dinner!

Check out our menu and order today! 881-9635

Super Bowl Food Facts

2012-01-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

The Super Bowl is the top at-home party event of the year, ahead of New Year’s Eve. There are 7.5 million parties on Super Bowl Sunday with an average number of 17 attendees!

Planning a special menu for the Super Bowl? Here are some interesting Super Bowl food facts:

Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest day of food consumption behind Thanksgiving.

The average Super Bowl watcher will consume 1,200 calories while snacking.

Super Bowl fans spend more than $50 million on food during the 4 days prior to the Super Bowl.

The week of Super Bowl, consumers will spend $9.2 million in light beer and $8.7 million in regular beer.

It is estimated that Americans will eat 90 million pounds of chicken wings, which breaks down to 450 million individual wings!

There is a 20% increase in the sale of antacids on the day after Super Bowl.

Having a party for the big football game? Don’t miss a single touchdown while you’re in the kitchen! Enjoy the game . . . let us prepare food for your party and score big with your friends!

Click here for our Super Bowl Menu!

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions for 2012? As the most common resolutions are about health, and especially about diet, we’re providing some top food tips to keep you and your family healthy in the upcoming year. They are obvious suggestions – but worth repeating to keep you on track:

· Provide foods from several food groups at each meal

· Eat more wholegrains

· Eat more produce (the more colorful, the better!)

· Add more protein and fiber to your meals

· Decrease the amount of processed foods in your diet (especially processed sugar)

· Include more fish in your diet

· Eat more leafy greens

· Raid your food panty and remove foods that don’t fit in a healthy eating plan and replace them with healthy options

· Significantly decrease fast food and junk food

These small steps can make BIG changes for your health!

p.s. Got leftover champagne?

While champagne cocktails are always an option on New Year’s Day, a more healthful choice is to use leftover champagne in cooking. Enhance the flavor of savory meals, seafood, salads and fruity desserts – use it in your recipes as you would when cooking with wine.

So raise a glass of champagne to toast your health and then get cooking!

15 Ways to Use Pomegranate Seeds this Holiday Season

2011-12-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

Pomegranate seeds are not only high in antioxidants and vitamins, they are also high in flavor! Their bright ruby-red color make any dish festive for the holidays!

Here are our favorite ways to use pomegranate seeds this holiday season:

Add to your cheese plate appetizer

Use as a garnish with mint leaves for turkey or chicken

Add to stuffing

Stir in your favorite muffin recipe

Add to rice pilaf

Serve over vanilla ice cream

Sprinkle over your favorite cereal, oatmeal or yogurt

Add to couscous

Make a syrup to drizzle over desserts (blend 2 cups seeds, strain, bring juice and ½ cup sugar to a boil; boil for 1 minute.)

Make Chocolate Pomegranate Melts (melt chocolate; fold in seeds; spoon onto waxed or muffin cups. Cool and serve.)

Add crushed seeds to marinades

Add to salads

Make Christmas bruschetta (spread goat cheese on toasted baguette slices and top with minced red onion, minced parsley, and pomegranate seeds.)

Make Pomegranate Salsa (mix 1¾ cups pomegranate seeds, ¼ cup pomegranate juice, juice of 1 lime, ¼ c minced red onion, ¼ c chopped cilantro, 1 cored/diced pear, and 1 tablespoon sugar). Serve with tortilla chips, fish or chicken.

Add to cocktails – cheers!

Top 20 Uses for Leftover Candy Canes

2011-12-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Use them whole

Stir in hot chocolate

Stir in hot tea

Stir in coffee

Stir in cocktails

Stir in milkshakes

Dip in melted chocolate, set on waxed paper to harden

Edible Fondue Stick for Chocolate Fondue

Use them crushed

Melt chocolate, add lightly crushed candy canes. Pour onto waxed paper for candy cane bark.

Add to sugar cookie mix

Create glaze by mixing 5 tbs. water with 1 cup powdered sugar. Add 6 crushed candy canes. Roll marshmallows in glaze. Use in hot chocolate.

Mix 6 crushed candy canes with 4 oz. of melted chocolate and drizzle over popcorn. Let cool, then break apart into bite-size pieces.

Dip Oreos in melted white chocolate and roll in crushed candy canes.

Dip pretzels in melted white chocolate and roll in crush candy canes.

Sprinkle on frosted cookies, cakes or cupcakes

Sprinkle on ice cream

Sprinkle on hot chocolate

Use in Rice Krispie Treats recipe

Add to brownie mix

Add to fudge recipe

Use to rim martini glasses for chocolate martinis

Gingerbread Cocktails

2011-12-11T16:41:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread . . . this classic holiday flavor is good for more than just gingerbread cookies and houses!

Gingerbread Hot Chocolate

1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Blend the mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container with a lid until ready to use. Makes 3/4 cup mix.

To make hot chocolate, add 3/4 cup mix to 2 cups water and simmer for about 4 minutes. Stir in 6 cups milk and reheat. Add 1 tsp vanilla and serve.

For single serving:
Add 1 1/2 Tbsp mix to 1/4 cup water. Boil until thickened. Add 3/4 to 1 cup milk and reheat. Add a bit of vanilla and enjoy.

Gingerbread Cookie Cocktail

Gingerbread Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons light molasses
1 inch piece fresh gingerroot , peeled, sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves

orange wedge
brown sugar
1 ounce Gingerbread Simple Syrup (2 tablespoons)
1 ounce vanilla vodka (2 tablespoons)
1 ounce half-and-half (2 tablespoons)
1/2 ounce coffee liqueur (1 tablespoon)

Directions:

To make Gingerbread Simple Syrup:

Mix sugar, water, molasses, gingerroot, cinnamon sticks and cloves in 1-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; set aside 1 hour to cool. Strain into glass jar; discard spices. Cover jar, and refrigerate until needed. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

To garnish glass, moisten rim of chilled martini glass with orange wedge. Sprinkle brown sugar onto small plate, and dip moistened rim into the sugar to coat lightly.

To prepare cocktail, fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add gingerbread simple syrup, vodka, half-and-half and coffee liqueur; cover and shake. Pour into martini glass.

Gingerbread Martini

1 ounce vanilla vodka
1 ounce hazelnut-flavored liqueur
1/2 ounce butterscotch schnapps
Ice cubes
4 ounces ginger beer
Dark rum
Gingerbread man cookie for garnish

Directions

Pour the vanilla vodka, hazelnut liqueur, and butterscotch schnapps into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into any 8-ounce glass filled with ice. Top with ginger beer. Pour a little dark rum over the back of a spoon and float on top of the ginger beer. Garnish with a gingerbread man cookie.

Kahlua Gingerbread Cocktail

1 ½ oz. Kahlua
1 ½ oz. milk
1/2 cup ice
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 drops vanilla
nutmeg

Directions

Blend all ingredients except nutmeg for approx 30 seconds. Pour into a glass & dust with nutmeg to serve.

Festive Holiday Centerpieces

2011-12-07T04:53:00.000-08:00

Your holiday table sets the mood for a truly special occasion. Here are some simple ideas for creating a centerpiece and some photos to inspire you!

Set a group of different-sized wine glasses in the center of the table and fill with small ornaments, miniature Christmas gifts or bits of greenery with berries.

Fill a clear bowl or different sized bowls with multicolored ornaments.

Create candlelight at different levels and surround with bittersweet and greens.

Place evergreen boughs on a table runner and top with ornaments.

Fill a basket with a variety of sizes of jingles bells; add greenery and ribbon for a rustic look.

Think out of the box. If you have a collection of Santas, snowmen or nutcrackers, add them to your centerpiece display.

Add cranberries to a glass vase with flowers.

In a silver bowl, add silver Christmas balls and a pillar candle for a simple, but elegant centerpiece.

Cut off individual stems from a poinsettia plant. Fill small vases halfway with water and place a single poinsettia bloom in each one. Line up each vase in a row down the center of the table.

Add a personal touch . . . put favorite family photos in small gold frames and display among greenery and small pinecones.

Simple details like these can make your table memorable and full of holiday spirit -- and the possibilities are endless . . .

Cranberries and Christmas

2011-12-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

We love fresh cranberries at Christmas! They add a delicious tang to sauces, beverages and desserts and their bright burst of color is perfect for decorating.

Here are some of our favorite ways to use cranberries this season:

In the kitchen

Sugared Cranberries

3 cups white granulated sugar
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup superfine sugar

Bring white granulated sugar and 3 cups water to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
Remove from heat and add cranberries.
Steep cranberries in sugar water in fridge overnight.
Strain cranberries well and gently toss in a shallow bowl with superfine sugar.
Allow to dry at least one hour in a single layer on a parchment lined pan.

Gifts

Cranberry Infused Vodka:
12 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
750 ml bottle vodka
Decorative 750 ml empty bottle

Directions:
Simmer cranberries with sugar until all sugar has dissolved and a syrup has formed but cranberries are mostly still intact. Pour mixture into the bottom of your decorative bottle, pour vodka over the top. Let sit for a minimum of 24 hours - preferably a week or so.

Celebrating

Merry Christmas Margarita

1 1/4 cups cranberry juice cocktail, divided

1/2 cup sugar, dividedClick to see savings

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
3/4 cup fresh lime juice Click to see savings
3/4 cup tequila
1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau
3 cups coarsely crushed ice

Pour 1/4 cup cranberry juice into a shallow bowl. Pour 3 tbsp. sugar onto a plate. Dip rims of glasses into juice, then sugar. Set glasses aside.

Reserve 12 cranberries. In a blender, whirl the remaining cranberries, cranberry juice, and sugar, the lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and ice until smooth and slushy. Pour and garnish with reserved berries, skewered on toothpicks.

Decorating

Welcome to Straight From the Fridge!

2011-11-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Straight From the Fridge, a blog from The Stocked Fridge! Be sure to check in for cooking hints, great recipes, event planning tips and more!