Food Archives - MomStart

SONIC’s new Custard Cookie Dough Concrete & Dunked Ultimate Chicken Sandwich

August 15, 2017 by Momstart 2 Comments

We received a gift card to try the Custard Cookie Dough Concrete at Sonic.

We have a brand new reason that you need to get yourself on over to Sonic. Sonic has a new sweet sensation that I can’t wait to try. And if you live next to a Sonic I suggest you get there ASAP to try the new Custard Cookie Dough Concrete while the weather’s hot.

SONIC’s new Custard Cookie Dough Concrete is going to be a crowd pleaser. In addition to the new Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Custard Concrete, SONIC also offers Dark Chocolate with Oreo® Cookie Pieces, Strawberry with M&M’S® Minis, Peanut Butter with Butterfinger®, Banana with Reese’s®, Caramel with Snickers® and Vanilla with Heath® Bar, and a large variety of custom blends.

Also new this summer at SONIC Drive-In is the all-new Dunked Ultimate Chicken Sandwich, a flavor-loaded, quality chicken sandwich “dunked” in rich, bold sauce over a premium all-white meat chicken fillet on a warm brioche bun. Guests can choose from three premium sauces: Bourbon BBQ, a rich bourbon BBQ sauce with a smoky & sweet linger; Buffalo made with hot and spicy cayenne, red chili peppers and a touch of chipotle; and Garlic Parmesan with Parmesan cheese, roasted garlic and Italian herbs. It sounds like a great addition to an already amazing menu.

I miss being so close to SONIC that I would eat there three times a week. It was like THE place to go in college and we had one close enough to work that I could walk there on my lunch break. Oh and in high school it was right across the street. I practically grew up on Sonic so I love eating there. I hope another one opens up even closer because currently we have to drive over an hour to get to one. But yes, it’s worth it when we do and we’ll be going to one this Saturday to try these new menu items.

Culinary Delights in Kissimmee #MyKissimmee #iFlyAlaska

August 2, 2017 by Beeb 5 Comments

Travel consideration provided.

Exploring new foods and restaurants is one of my favorite things to do while traveling. The first time I visited Florida in 2014, I had all kinds of memorable gastronomical experiences like tasting gator meat for the first time and eating the best steak of my life at Meliá Orlando Suite Hotel. So when I returned to Kissimmee this year, I was excited to see what yummy delights would be in store during this adventure – and my friends, I was not disappointed.

Elaine Alves Catering, Inc.

When we arrived at our vacation home the first night, Chef Eliane Alves was there to welcome us by catering an amazing dinner. Having a catering service prepare a meal right in your vacation home’s kitchen is such an awesome way to kick off a trip in the most relaxing manner. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy while an amazing meal is prepared for you, with leftovers packed up and put into your fridge for you afterwards so that you have easy meals to grab during the rest of your stay. It’s especially perfect for the first night of a trip, when you might be too tired to go out to dinner and can just relax on the couch instead!

Elaine and her team were so friendly and made the perfect hosts to welcome us on our first night in Kissimmee, pouring us a Peach Bellini Coquetel to start off our evening while we enjoyed fresh bruschetta appetizers.

They set out a beautiful table for us!

The main course was a Lobster bisque served with an amazing homemade Quiche Lorraine (Soooo good!!) and Romaine salad with fresh mozzarella, caramelized walnuts, figs, strawberry, a selection of Truffle Glazed balsamic & Lemon Olive Oils and grilled chicken and prosciutto on the side.

We were spoiled with not one, but two desserts! First up was a lovely Tiramisu.

And when Elaine read the itinerary and saw that her dinner guests would be three ladies, she said that her first thought was: These ladies need cupcakes! Elaine knows an amazing baker and enlisted her to create dainty cupcakes with edible glitter (!!) that would be perfect for a group of ladies. Her intuition was totally correct – Carol, Jana and I loved the cupcakes, especially the NUTELLA cupcakes! Elaine didn’t just show up with a pre-set menu – she created something special just for us, and it was amazing.

For More Information:

Elaine Alves Catering, Inc.
ElianeAlvesCatering.com
Phone: (954) 292-3921

El Tenampa

During the second day of our trip, we stopped at El Tenampa Mexican Restaurant for lunch. The recommended dish was grilled arrachera (flank steak) and nopales (cactus), which I was excited to try – I always seek out the specialty dish when I visit a new restaurant, and I’d never tried cactus before! I also loaded up on chips because it was national chips and dip day, so I had to observe the holiday, naturally! Yum!!

For More Information:

El Tenampa Mexican Restaurant
4565 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy
Kissimmee, Florida 34746
Phone: (407) 390-1959
Facebook

Homecomin’ Kitchen

For dinner on our second night, we were treated to Walt Disney World’s new restaurant, Homecomin’ Kitchen. My friends, this is comfort food at its finest! Using local ingredients to create “Upscale down South” cuisine, this restaurant features can’t-miss fried chicken and moonshine cocktails. We started our meal with The Mood Changer cocktail and a selection of tasty appetizers, then dug into my main course: Chicken and doughnuts!

When you see a dish like this on a menu, you have to order it. I never understood the concept of chicken and waffles until I visited Memphis, and then it all became clear to me. I thought that chicken and doughnuts was an intriguing take on this concept, and oh my goodness, it was amazing! The crispy doughnuts and syrup perfectly complimented the flavors in the chicken – in fact, the doughnuts reminded me of homemade doughnuts that my mom made for me when I was a child. The fried texture of her doughnuts is a memory that has stayed with me since I first ate them, and I haven’t had anything like it since she made them all those years ago, so I thoroughly enjoyed these. The creamy potatoes were an absolutely delicious side and I ate and ate and ate this amazing meal!

For More Information:

Homecomin’ Kitchen
1602 East Buena Vista Drive
Orlando, FL 32830
Phone: (407) 560-0100
HomecominKitchen.com
Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

Market Street Café

We started off our final morning in Florida with breakfast at Market Street Café, a fun diner in Celebration. Since I had been enjoying a lot of decadent food during my trip, I opted for a lighter breakfast with a whole wheat egg white & spinach burrito – with a side of tots, because hey, life is all about balance. 😉 My burrito was super delicious – it’s so nice to easily find a healthy option on a menu that isn’t just a salad!

For More Information:

Market Street Café
701 Front Street
Celebration, FL 34747
Phone: (407) 566-1144
Market-Street-Cafe.com
Facebook – Twitter

Columbia Restaurant

I visited Columbia Restaurant last time I was in Kissimmee, so I was looking forward to tasting their famous 1905 Salad again! This time, I opted for a half order of the salad with a Cuban Sandwich. It was a big lunch, so I took my sandwich in a to-go box and ate the other half of it on my Alaska Airlines direct flight home to Oregon that afternoon – yum!!

For More Information:

Columbia Restaurant
649 Front Street
Celebration, Florida 34747
Phone: (407) 566-1505
ColumbiaRestaurant.com
Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

Enjoying good food helps create wonderful memories, and I certainly did that during my latest Florida adventure!

Which of these restaurants (Or Chefs!) would you visit first?

Kids Cooking Items

July 12, 2017 by Momstart 3 Comments

We received samples.

With all the excitement of Kids Cooking Shows on TV, children everywhere are in the kitchen earlier and earlier. Their hands are smaller and some kitchen items aren’t really meant for kids. Well, we’re happy to share with you that Curious Chef has full line of kids cooking items.

Zoe even created this video to show you what we received.

Curious Chef is a full cooking line inspiring love of cooking in kids by providing fun, safe, easy-to-use and appropriately sized kitchen tools for children. With everyone right in the middle of summer it’s a great time to get kids excited about fruits and veggies! That’s why Curious Chef sent us the Curious Chef’s Cookbook and Fruit & Veggie Prep Kit. Kids can take the produce they grew and create their own colorful fruit salads and other fun recipes.

Kids Cooking Items

Zoe found the items in the Curious Chef’s Cookbook and Fruit & Veggie Prep Kit to be adorable and she didn’t even realize that I had most of those items in adult size. She can’t wait to get in the kitchen and cooking. Now we just need to go to a farmers market and get a few fruits and veggies to make some things. The recipes in the book are well written, have great photos and easily followed.

Empower your kids to eat heathier their whole lives using the 6-Piece Fruit & Veggie Prep Kit & cook up some healthy snacks and meals with Cooking with Curious Chef!

Curious Chef recipe book

Kids Cooking Items Include

Apple Slicer
Lemon Zester
Knife
Spatula
Veggie Washer
Fruit Baller
Veggie Peeler

The handles are ergonomically designed for children.

Silicone heat safe to 450 Degrees F

Dishwasher safe and BPA free

The kit is available for 39.99 Curious Chef has many different kids cooking items for sale. I know Zoe is quickly making a Christmas Wish List.

Taste Testing Video & Review: Chia Coconut Bites

June 5, 2017 by Momstart 3 Comments

We received samples from Bare snacks to create this video taste test and review.

I hope that recently you saw our gluten free road trip round up that included Bare Snacks.

Today we are trying a new product, bare Chia Coconut Bites. We received three different flavors.

Chia + Vanilla – Thin slices of coconut slow-baked with authentic Madagascar vanilla and a coating of chia seeds for an exotically satisfying and crunchy bite.
Chia + Pineapple – Tropical pineapple complements the naturally sweet flavor of coconut, all finished with a dusting of chia seeds before being baked to perfection.
Chia + Flax – A nutrient-dense combination of two powerful seeds, these delicious bites are baked crunchy with chia and flax, resulting in a super healthy flavor duo.

My adorable daughter did the taste test on video and she surprisingly enjoyed them.

She found them to be the perfect crunch, just sweet enough and that the Chia wasn’t bad. She was really worried that chia wasn’t a good thing to eat. You know healthy stuff or things we think are healthy “can’t taste good” but these do. I think they would be great in salads or as a pre- or post- workout.

The new bites combine the superfood power of chia and coconut and are great for fueling people’s spring wellness routines and giving everyone sustainable energy on-the-go or between meals. A good source of fiber, bare Chia Coconut Bites are baked and made with real, whole food ingredients, all with no GMOs, gluten, trans fats, added oils or preservatives. Flavors include Chia + Pineapple, Chia + Vanilla and Chia + Flax.

French Baked Goods from Bakerly

May 10, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

We received samples.

Bakerly is a new US brand of the happy creators of the #1 bakery snack in France.

They sent us samples of the authentic, fresh-baked goodness. We received a box of goodies and made this video of what they sent.

We received chocolate crepes and strawberry crepes. Also in the box of French baked goods was brioche. Zoe has been obsessed with brioche since her play opened 13 months ago. Now that I tried some, I see why.

I love letting the kids have the crepes because they are low in sugar. They are a better-for-you and fun snack that makes everyone full and happy throughout the day.

Bakerly’s mission is to make their awesome French-inspired bakery snacks an everyday American favorite! And with this great taste it should happen soon for them.

Their philosophy is simple ingredients, and honest origins.

Their products are made by an all-star team of true certified “artisan bakers”.

Fore more information visit www.bakerly.com

Crowd Cow Pacific Northwest Beef Farm to Table

April 30, 2017 by Momstart 1 Comment

We received samples from Crowd Cow and are using an affiliate link in this post.

Crowd Cow uses small, sustainable cattle ranches to ship some of the best beef direct to consumers and they sent some to us and it was really good. I was also surprised at the amount they sent us so we are very happy with what we received.

Crowd Cow specializes in finding fantastic grass-fed, grass-finished beef, perfect for anyone that loves great food and wants to feed their family only the healthiest ingredients. And, they’re in the Pacific Northwest! I know I have plenty of friends that love getting locally sourced meat. So I’m really happy to share all about this company.

Watch this video to learn more…

What’s great is that you can pick the cuts of meat. I know a lot of people save money by buying an entire cow, this is better to me.

It arrives packed in dry ice so it’s frozen. We defrosted what we wanted to eat and cooked it. I made tacos out of it and it tasted so good. It tasted fresh, like it wasn’t even frozen.

We only added

salt
pepper
cumin
chili

Kids had tacos, we had salads.

The pricing seems about right for getting beef straight from the farm.

We’re going to have hamburgers next and eventually try the steak and make some home made bone broth. I’ll continue to keep you apprised as we keep trying our samples and possibly order more steak. WE LOVE STEAK!

5 Uses for Salsa & 100 Years of Salsa

April 29, 2017 by Momstart 2 Comments

We received samples.

I love eating Mexican food, one reason is because it’s an excuse to use salsa. We have plenty of salsa in our house and love many different brands. LA VICTORIA Salsa is one of the brands currently in my fridge. Salsa is low in calories and tastes great as a salad dressing, in addition to so many other uses!

Here are some vintage jars of LA VICTORIA from a vintage LA VICTORIA ad.

And here is what LA VICTORIA looks like now

We came up with five different uses for salsa other than as a dip..

1. Salad Dressing

2. Pizza Sauce

3. Spaghetti Sauce

4. Enchilada Sauce

5. Chili Sauce

What do you like to do with Salsa other than using it as a dipping sauce?

The iconic, first-ever jarred salsa brand LA VICTORIA, is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year.

Known for its exciting flavor innovations that complement the modern, West Coast lifestyle, the LA VICTORIA^® brand has been a household name in the western United States for 100 years. The LA VICTORIA^® brand was founded in 1917 by the La Baca family, who emigrated from Mexico to Los Angeles with the mouth-watering recipe for the now famous SALSA BRAVA^® jarred salsa that gave them their start in America.

The La Bacas created and marketed SALSA BRAVA^® products as the first jarred Mexican sauces in the U.S. because they wanted to share their family tradition and taste of home with their newfound neighbors in California. The LA VICTORIA^® brand was eventually sold to Henry Tanklage, who, along with his son Bob and grandson Jon, kept the salsa-making tradition alive, while operating the company for decades.

Home Chef is a Home Run! #RealHomeChef

April 7, 2017 by Beeb 1 Comment

Sample provided.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that, although I love to cook for special occasions, I don’t love the time that meal planning and grocery shopping requires. But what if the menu and shopping were done for you – and you learned a thing or two from experienced chefs along the way? That’s the concept behind Home Chef, a meal delivery service who sent me one of their boxes including all of the ingredients I’d need to make two fabulous meals – without leaving the house!

The first meal that I prepared from my Home Chef box was Crispy Garlic and Lemon Crusted Salmon with creamed kale and charred grape tomatoes. All of the ingredients needed for the recipe are included in your box – all you need to provide is incidental kitchen staples, such as salt and pepper, and the pans to prepare it in. I was struck by the freshness and quality of the ingredients included in the box; the produce was fresher than some that I see in our local stores.

The kit comes with a ring binder marked “My Cookbook”, which includes some basic cooking tips and recipe cards for the meals which you ordered. As you place future orders, you can build your cookbook with new recipe cards. Home Chef isn’t just a meal delivery kit – it’s a cooking lesson, teaching you new favorite meals and tricks.

Jai and I cracked open a bottle of wine and started cooking this meal together as an impromptu date night activity. He was in charge of the salmon, since he’s the seafood expert, and I got to work on the kale and tomatoes.

Holy cow, this was so delicious! The salmon was amazing, and the flavors in the kale were genius. I loved the simple method of charring the grape tomatoes – I buy them a lot, but hadn’t thought to do this before. I replicated both the kale and tomato side dishes with my own ingredients a week later when we had company staying with us, so it really did teach me a new recipe that I’ve incorporated into my repertoire.

The second Home Chef meal I prepared was Glazed Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Sesame Ginger Dressing. Once again, I learned a new cooking trick when the recipe advised me to press the tofu between two plates and a layer of paper towels before cooking. I’ve seen this advice repeated since on other recipes, and since adopting this practice, my tofu dishes have gotten crisper – which is a great thing to know, since I cook tofu frequently!

This dish had a great combination of flavors, making a delectable, yet low-calorie lunch.

Jai commented that this is the best food you could get outside of a top restaurant. I think that says a lot about the care that the chefs put into developing these recipes, as well as the freshness of the ingredients. Great food comes from the thoughtful pairing of flavors and good technique; by preparing these Home Chef meals, I not only had food delivered straight to me, but learned a few new tricks that will serve me well in the kitchen long after my delivery has been unpacked.

If you’d like to start cooking restaurant-worthy dishes in your home, visit HomeChef.com today to order your first box! And don’t forget to share your #RealHomeChef moments with them on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

A Peek Into a Teacher’s Bento Box

October 10, 2016 by Beeb 2 Comments

Samples provided.

We’ve shown you lots of back-to-school Bento boxes for kids, but today we’re going to show you a healthy lunch packed by a teacher! This Bentology Bento features tasty treats like edamame and walnuts and is the perfect lunch to take to school – whether you’re there to teach, or learn!

Southpark Seafood: Portland Dining at its Finest

October 6, 2016 by Beeb 8 Comments

Dining consideration provided.

There’s nothing like an evening of enjoying great food and wine. It’s the perfect way to spend a date, which is exactly what Jai and I did when we attended the Grand Reopening of Southpark Seafood. This restaurant is conveniently located in downtown Portland and offers a plethora of culinary delights for seafood lovers.

Here’s a fun fact: When I first met Jai, I told him that I didn’t like seafood. In reality, I just hadn’t eaten it – my dad doesn’t care for seafood, so my experience growing up had been limited to fish sticks and perhaps the occasional piece of shrimp, and so I just assumed at 19 that I didn’t like it either. Jai’s family, on the other hand, are huge fans of everything seafood and once I started going to their family dinners, I realized that I actually love seafood too!

So now that we’re both firmly in the “Seafood lover” category, our dinner at Southpark Seafood was a treat. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted by friendly staff and a nice ambiance with the layout of the restaurant, which is filled with windows to allow in natural light. During the evening, we sampled a plethora of small plates paired with delicious local wines, which gave us a great picture of the menu’s variety.

With so much to taste and enjoy, it’s hard to choose a favorite dish, but the two that stood out to us the most were the Ofelle with salt cod, fennel barigoule, caper berries, brown butter, Calabrian chili and breadcrumbs, as well as the Freekeh with spring beans, mushrooms, hazelnuts, and brown butter. Both these dishes were so rich and sumptuous, cooked to perfection with amazing flavor.

With delicious food, great atmosphere and sustainable practices, Southpark Seafood provides a wonderful dining experience for those who want to explore fine seafood in Portland!

For More Information:

Southpark Seafood
901 Salmon Street
Portland, OR 97205
Phone: (503) 326-1300

Website: SouthparkSeafood.com
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