Empty Nesters Here Are Some Ideas For You

Empty Nesters When The Kids Are Gone

For the first time in years you can cook because you want to, not because you must. You have fewer people and palates to please, so cook in ways you've never dared."

1. Try new recipes. A majority of empty nesters say they enjoy exploring foods that their children would not eat.

2. Think smaller. With just the two of you at home, there's little need for family-size packages.

3. Buy perishables with care. To reduce spoilage, buy only a few pieces of fruit and small amounts of vegetables at a time. Choose dairy products and fresh meats with the latest expiration date.

4. Maximize nutrition. Pick foods that deliver the most nutrition for the bite. For example, broccoli (vitamins A and C), legumes (fiber) and fortified whole grain cereals like Whole Grain Total®. As you get older, you need fewer calories but the same, or sometimes greater, amounts of key nutrients.

5. Stock up on plastic containers. Prepare recipes that serve four or six and divide up the extra into two-serving portions. Label, date and refrigerate or freeze.

6. Swap homemade dishes with a friend. It's a great way to add variety to your menu.

7. Get a new gadget. A vacuum sealer seals out air and preserves the moisture and flavor of the original dish. "I seal and freeze leftovers in one-meal portions for fresh-tasting dinners anytime," suggests Smith. "Reheat in the microwave or boil in the bag on the stovetop."

This recipe makes four servings, two for now and two for tomorrow.

Crunchy Garlic Chicken Breasts

11/3 cups Whole Grain Total® cereal

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup skim milk

2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 11/4 lb)

Cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. Crush cereal. In shallow dish, stir together cereal, parsley and paprika. In another shallow dish, stir together milk, chives, salt and garlic powder. Dip chicken into milk mixture, then coat lightly and evenly with cereal mixture. Place in pan. Spray top of chicken with cooking spray.

3. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut.

Prince Edward Island This Is A Recipe For A Great Vacation

A Prince Edward Island vacation is not a vacation at all without succumbing to the succulence offered up by a maritime lobster feed unlike any you’re likely to find anywhere else.

Lobster is not so much a part of Prince Edward Island life as it is a fact of Prince Edward Island life and a visit to the gentle island without a lobster feast would be like a visit to the island without giving in to a round of golf.  Or visiting the island and not walking along the miles and miles and miles of endless sandy beaches in shades of white, champagne, pink and of red.  Or of visiting the island without taking in the many festivals that imbue it with its unique character, charm and of course, it’s culture.

There are two lobster fishing seasons on Prince Edward Island; one in the spring and the other occurring in the fall.  Lobsters from the island are available year round, however, because they are kept in holding pens or pounds, (traditionally large, fenced areas of the ocean) or in more recent years, thanks to rapid the advancements made by technology, lobsters can be penned in huge dry-land holding facilities, in fact pioneered in Atlantic Canada.  In the end, it means the lobster served to you is always as fresh as it is refreshing to the palate.

The American lobster or as it’s known by its scientific name,  Homarus Americanus,  can most often be found on the Atlantic coast where it is also known as the northern, Atlantic or Maine lobster.  The colder waters of Canada are the more common lobster areas although they can be found as far south as North Carolina.

While a much vaunted delicacy today, in decades past, that hasn’t always been the case.  In fact, the lobster was once considered very common and farmers of Prince Edward Island would often spread lobsters on their fields for fertilizer.  Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Prince Edward Island potatoes have come to have the storied reputation and taste they do.

A live lobster is usually greenish-brown in appearance and color, although occasionally they have been known turn up in blue, partly white, yellow or bright red.  These color variations are the result of a genetic defect in the lobster shell pigments and are very rare.  In fact, for a blue lobster, the chances are one in a million.  For a yellow lobster; one in 30 million.

The sight of a red lobster is considerably more common and can be found all over the island.  This is, of course, due to the fact that it’s been cooked and served with butter.  It is here, on the gentle island that the potato and lobster together are once again a familiar sight, preferably served piping hot in your newfound and favorite Prince Edward Island restaurant at the water’s edge or along the boardwalk.

This summer, savor the succulence of a Prince Edward Island lobster, and all the tradition that comes with it. Bon appetit!

Hearty Foods To Chase Away Winter Chills

There's nothing better than hearty foods to chase away winter chills, which will soon be here.

Chefs around the globe have long turned to spirits to add levels of complexity and flavor to their favorite recipes, so it should come as no surprise that Irish whiskey has a place in modern recipes that will delight the palate long after St. Patrick's Day.

But for those seeking tradition, here is a recipe for Irish coffee. Pour 1 1/2 ounces of Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey into a warm glass. Fill with strong black coffee and top with whipped cream.

Bushmills Wild Mushroom Soup

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms (soaked in warm water and finely chopped)

1 cup warm water

olive oil

butter

2 leeks-finely sliced

2 shallots-chopped

1 clove garlic-chopped

8 ozs. fresh wild mushrooms -chopped

4 cups beef stock

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 cup double cream

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Sprigs of fresh thyme to garnish

3 capfuls Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey

Serves four

In large saucepan, sauté leeks, shallots and garlic in butter and oil until soft, stirring frequently (about 5 minutes).

Add wild mushrooms and stir over a medium heat until they begin to soften. Then add beef stock and bring to a boil. Add the porcini, soaking liquid, thyme and salt and pepper. Lower the heat, half cover the pan and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour about 3/4 of the soup into a food processor and blend until smooth. Combine with remaining soup, add heavy cream and heat through. Check the consistency, adding more stock or water if the soup is too thick. Add 3 caps of Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey. Season to taste. Serve hot, garnished with sprigs of fresh thyme.

Peppered River Bush Salmon With Bushmills Whiskey Cream Sauce

1 Tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed

1/2 Tablespoon white peppercorns, crushed

2 6-oz. salmon steaks

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

freshly ground sea salt

butter

1 Tablespoon Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus extra to garnish

Serves two

Combine crushed peppercorns. Cover salmon steaks with mustard and press peppercorns into the cut sides of the salmon to form thin coating. Season with salt.

Melt butter in a hot pan. Add salmon steaks. Reduce the heat to medium and cook on one side, until browned, about 3 minutes.

Increase heat to medium high, turn over salmon. Add whiskey. Cook rapidly until the whiskey has been reduced. Add the cream and stir quickly, scraping up any bits that are sticking to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil.

Cook until the sauce starts to thicken (1-2 minutes), then season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped chives and serve immediately, garnished with the extra chives.

Beignets Wonderful, Soft, Pillow-Like Pastries

When many people think of beignets, they think of those wonderful, soft, pillow-like pastries sprinkled with confectioners sugar, served at Cafe Du Monde in the Old French Quarter.

As New Orleans gets back on its feet following Hurricane Katrina, it is highly recommend a visit to the Crescent City to taste the real thing.

In the meantime, here's a different twist on a New Orleans favorite that you can try at home. It'll have your family and friends saying, "Laissez les bons temps rouler."

Ingredients:

4 cups LouAna Peanut Oil, for that nutty taste with no cholesterol

3 cups flour

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

1 tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce

1 lb. lump crabmeat

2 cups fresh corn, cooked

1/4 cup parsley, minced

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

Directions:

1. Heat peanut oil in frying pot until oil reaches 350°.

2. In a large bowl, blend together flour, milk, baking powder, seasoned salt, garlic, thyme, and hot sauce and stir until batter is formed.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients until all are incorporated. Be careful not to break up lumps of crabmeat during the process.

4. Drop batter by the spoonful into hot grease, being careful not to splash yourself.

5. Cook beignets for 2 to 3 minutes after they float to the top of pot, flipping occasionally.

6. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen beignets.