If we made brackets for what foods would be served the most during any Final Four viewing party, what would we find in your winner’s circle? I always want to serve something festive, but some of the time-honored traditional offerings aren’t all that exciting anymore. Not only are many of the standards looking and tasting a little tired, but after eating many of the deep-fried, fatty, carb-laden classics like hot wings, loaded potato skins, and cheese dip, you will quite likely look and feel a little sluggish and tired yourself!

This year invite the gang over for a reimagined March Madness viewing party by serving these recipes inspired by classic hors d’ oeuvres with a Bellisari’s twist:

This recipe for Barista Chicken Skewers is super easy but will satisfy anyone who was hoping to find wings on the menu. Marinating and grilling chicken tenders gives big flavor without the big fat and calorie count that come along with those deep-fried wings. This simple recipe only has three ingredients -- chicken, our Barista Sauce, and skewers! 

Deviled eggs are always a favorite, and these are unexpected and deliciously different. These high-protein finger foods are still creamy and decadent but are lighter than most deviled egg recipes as these do not include mayonnaise as an ingredient. Our Saigon Street Sauce is a mustard-based pepper sauce that blends wonderfully and gives a flavor boost to this old-fashioned appetizer.         

Finally, what’s a party spread without a fabulous dip?! (It’s not as tasty as our party, for one thing!) Balsamic Garlic Bacon Dip has bacon and cheese – two of America’s favorite party foods! This dip has cream cheese, half-and-half, and bacon, so I can’t claim it’s a light version of anything. I can claim, however, that this dip and a slice of crusty French bread are perfect for celebrating your team’s great victory or for helping soothe the defeated feeling a busted bracket can bring on. This dip is whatever you need it to be. 😉 

Enjoy March Madness!

The first of April, aka April Fool's Day, is coming up in a few weeks, so I thought I should get this blog post published with enough time for you to plan and gather the ingredients for the fun, food-based Fool’s Day pranks I’m about to share. These pranks will have your family laughing AND licking their lips. 

There are two philosophies when it comes to food pranks – one is more mean-spirited than the other in my opinion. For instance, we all know that prankster who would get a huge kick out of watching someone bite into a mayonnaise-filled donut or an onion masquerading as a candy apple. I am more inclined to go with a funny take on foods that look like something they aren’t but still taste good. 

I thought I’d make it easy for you this year and give you a whole meal plan that is sure to get all ages giggling and saying, “yum!” at the same time. 

Here’s the plan: Start by telling your family that because it’s April Fool’s Day, you’ll be eating dessert as the first course. The “dessert” in this scenario is actually a meat loaf made to look like a cake.  

- Simply make your favorite meatloaf recipe, using about 2 lbs. of ground meat. Divide the raw mixture between two 8-inch round cake pans, patting to cover pans evenly and make level.

- Bake meat loaves until juices run clear when meat is pierced with a fork, or meat loaves register 170F on a meat thermometer. This should take about 20–25 minutes. Remove pans from the oven; cover loosely with foil and let stand for 10 minutes. 

Decorating the Meat Loaf 

You’ll need 3 1⁄2 cups hot mashed potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and a jar of Bellisari’s Calabrian Pepper & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread. 

- Pour off juices from pans. Invert 1 meat loaf onto a flat serving plate.

- Spread Bellisari’s Calabrian Pepper & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread over the meat loaf just as you would put a layer of jam or icing between layers of a cake. 

- Invert second meat loaf onto the spread layer.

- Spread 2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes over top and sides of meat loaf just as you would frost a cake. Spoon remaining potatoes into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe swirls around top edges of cake. Pipe stars around bottom of cake.

- Place cherry tomatoes, stem-ends down, in a ring around top of meat loaf "cake" to resemble cherries. Cut meat loaf into wedges; serve immediately.

Now that you’ve had "dessert," it’s time for the main course!

Everyone loves spaghetti and meatballs, right? But when is spaghetti not really spaghetti? When it’s frosting pushed through a pastry bag to form strands (you could also use a zip-top plastic bag with a corner snipped off), then covered with fresh strawberry sauce subbing for marinara. And the meatballs? They’re chocolate no-bake cookies rolled into mounds. Mangia!

Use your creativity! Fill glasses with Jello and stick a straw in to make it look like a drink, make “bread” out of pound cake, make vegetables out of taffy and Starburst candies – you get the idea.

This April Fool’s Day make it fun for you and whoever you’re feeding with these whimsical surprises. They’re simple to make, delicious to eat, and the perfect pranks for the 1st of April.

 

 

 

When you look out the window and still see vestiges of our last snowfall in the shady parts of your yard, it doesn’t exactly scream “SPRING!” Nevertheless, the days are getting longer, the spring plants are poking their leaves above the surface, and while you might not feel it yet, spring is just around the corner. Do you have any “spring cleaning” routines or traditions in your home? For me, my favorite thing to clean out and refresh in the spring is my pantry. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to get rid of all your junk food and replace it with kelp and rice cakes. (Well, not in this post anyway. 😉) The kind of pantry cleaning I’m writing about today involves those spices, mixes, sauces, and other ingredients which lose quality and flavor over time.

We all have that tin of cream of tartar or other rarely-used spice that we’ve moved from every apartment and house we’ve ever lived in, right? It’s probably time to toss a lot of those; although there are a few things that when stored properly really can last almost forever. Salt, sugar, rice, dried beans, corn starch, honey, and canned goods are among the pantry items with extremely long shelf lives. Moisture is the enemy of these things, so if they’re kept dry, they’re perfectly good for almost ever.

Unfortunately, other pantry items can not only lose their best quality, but they can also actually spoil. A good rule of thumb is to toss items past the expiration dates. You’ve probably already noticed there are two different types of date stamps: use by and best before. These mean:

Use by -- The use by date is placed on foods that must be eaten within a certain time for health and safety reasons.

Best before -- Best before dates are used to refer to the quality of a food item. That means they may lose some quality after the best before date has passed, such as nutritional content, color, or texture loss.  

Pay special attention to spices, oils, nuts, seeds, and grains—items that go rancid over time, but typically do not have expiration dates. The best way to determine if these items are still good is to perform a good old-fashion sniff test.

Most dry spices stay fresh for six months to a year. The easiest way to know if your spices are past their prime is to smell them. If they have lost their strength or they don't let off a strong odor, it is safe to toss them. When replacing your spices, purchase the smallest container or bag of dry spices available at the market to reduce waste.

Unsaturated oils like olive, canola, grapeseed, vegetable and peanut are perishable and turn rancid over time. When oil is bad your nose will know. It will smell a bit like crayons. Just smell, and if you question it, toss it.

The oils in nuts, seeds, and grains can also go rancid. Take time to taste and smell your supply. Heat, light, and oxygen are the enemies of these foods. If you want a longer shelf life for expensive nuts and seeds, store them in your fridge or freezer.

Products like sauces, jams, nut butters, or even mustard can be prone to mold growth, whether you keep them in the pantry or the fridge. If there is any mold or type of growth sitting on the top of the product (or in the top of the lid), throw it away. Even if the growth seems to be only on the top, the mold may have spread throughout the rest of the product.

Once you have sorted out the products you no longer need and thrown away any out-of-date goods, it’s time to clean. Because your pantry stores food, regular cleaning is important. Wipe down the shelves to remove any dust and dirt, as well as any food crumbs that might attract creepy crawlies! You can use a natural cleaner to get rid of smells and to remove anything sticky on the shelves.

Now that the pantry shelves are clean and dry, it’s time to add everything back in. As you add items back into the pantry, rotate them so that the oldest products (those with the shortest best before dates) are at the front. That way you’ll use them first and reduce the amount of waste. Don’t forget to restock with Bellisari’s spreads and sauces so you’ll have convenient gourmet flavors readily available.

Keep your pantry looking clean and organized by grouping like items. If you organize the foods by food group, it makes it easy to find ingredients, and it makes it easier to keep track of what you have on hand. This can save you money, because you’ll be less likely to buy duplicates of things you already have, and saving money is good in every season. Happy spring cleaning!

Do you ever find yourself in the bakery wondering what’s the difference between an Italian loaf and a French baguette? Or which one is ciabatta, and which is focaccia? And for goodness sake, which one should I serve with my lasagna/beef bourguignon/tuna noodle casserole?! My goal today is to try to give you some guidelines and rules-of-thumb so that you can confidently choose the bread you want to complement your meal or recipe.

Unfortunately, between low-carb dieting and gluten sensitivities, it seems like bread is a bad word these days. Even so, Americans still eat a lot of it. This is in part because it's inexpensive, extremely versatile, and you can make so many amazing recipes with it.

Bread is a fairly basic element of any meal, but some varieties definitely go better with certain foods or flavor profiles. And while almost anything can be included in a healthy diet if it’s eaten in moderation, for our day-to-day needs, health considerations must be taken into account. How do you know what to buy for daily bread use like breakfast toast, lunch sandwiches, etc.?

The healthiest bread to buy is one that's marked whole grain, whole wheat, or whole oats. Don’t make the mistake of thinking wheat bread is the same as whole wheat bread. Look for the words "whole wheat" or "whole grain" as the first ingredient on the label to be sure that the grains found in that bread are not processed and contain all the original parts of the grain — the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Those three layers are where the most important nutrients are found, like fiber, healthy fats, B vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, which help to fight chronic disease.

Making healthy choices is important, but so is enjoying delicious food. The wider world of breads made with white or other types of processed flours leads us to more than I could possibly cover in one blog post, but we’ll examine some of the more common varieties found in the bakery section of our super markets.

French bread and Italian bread are two types that are always popular, but is there really a difference? French baguettes are crusty on the outside and light and airy inside. Compare that to the commonly found Sicilian loaf, this sesame seed topped bread has a softer crust and a fluffier, denser, chewier crumb or texture inside. An easy way to think of it is French bread traditionally comes with the starters because of its lightness and slight sweetness in taste and texture. Italian bread, on the other hand, is more likely to go with the main to help you mop up all the sauces and leftovers.

Focaccia and ciabatta may look similar, but the two Italian breads are drastically different. Focaccia’s texture is very similar to pizza dough and ciabatta is denser and less soft, in comparison. Focaccia is made as a flatbread while ciabatta is baked as loaves. Fans of focaccia use the bread as the base for a pizza, sandwich bread, or as a flatbread when topped with cheeses, vegetables, or meats. Ciabatta is almost always used as sandwich bread.

Sourdough is a yeasted bread made from a starter — a fermented mixture of flour and water that makes many batches of bread. The resulting loaf has a substantial crust with a soft, chewy center and large air bubbles.

Rye bread is made with a combination of bread flour and rye flour, giving it an assertive rye flavor and a tight crumb. Caraway or dill seeds are often added for an earthy flavor.

Originating in the Middle East, pita is a leavened flatbread made of wheat flour. They are cooked at high temperatures, causing the liquid in the dough to escape. This forms a large air bubble in the center, which becomes a pocket when cut in half — great for a hand-held sandwich. They're also perfect for dipping when cut into wedges and toasted.

Brioche is a French bread made with eggs and butter. It's super light, with a tight crumb and subtle sweetness. It has a completely soft crust that gets its golden hue from an egg wash applied just before baking.

Dinner rolls vary from soft and fluffy to hard and crusty. It really depends on what you like. I love soft yeast rolls fresh from the oven, but I also adore a crusty Kaiser roll! In the roll category, it really is up to personal taste.

These recipes call for specific breads like baguette or Italian loaf because these breads are perfectly suited to accompany or hold up to the other ingredients in the dishes. The delicate yet important flavors of the Blue Cheese Sauce, Pancetta and Pear Baguette work in harmony with the light taste and texture of the bread delivering the ingredients. https://bit.ly/2Tpx7B0 While in our Jalapeno Fig Stuffed French Toast recipe, thick slices of rustic Italian bread stand up to the richness and flavors of the other ingredients. https://bit.ly/2T9RZNh Enjoy experimenting with different breads and let us know about your favorites in the comments.

Finding the Right Oil for Your Recipe

When it comes to everyday cooking for my family, I try to balance flavor, health benefits, and price. One ingredient seems to stump me sometimes, though, and it is oil. When considering which oil to use for cooking, there’s a lot of misinformation out there. Healthwise, you need some fat in your diet; according to the American Heart Association, fat helps boost energy, support cell growth, protect your organs, keep your body warm, and aid in nutrient absorption and the manufacturing of hormones. Fortunately, oils can be a great source of these healthy fats but choosing the right one is key.

Cooking temperature is an important factor to consider when selecting your oils. Different oils have different smoke points. A smoke point refers to the amount of heat an oil can withstand before it begins to break down and burn. An oil’s smoke point is identifiable by smoke, a very unpleasant smell, and a burnt, bitter taste. Surpassing the smoke point of an oil will alter the taste and appearance of your dish, as well as compromise the nutritional value of the oil.

Low heat -- Any oil can be used at a low heat. Butter is the oil/fat with the lowest smoke point (approx. 300-350F), so if you intend to use it, sauté over low to moderate heat.

Moderate heat -- Most oils can withstand moderate heat. Olive oil is often recommended for its health benefits, but you have to remember that it has a relatively low smoke point compared to other oils (approx. 375F). Highly refined olive oils that are lighter in color, such as extra-light olive oil, can withstand more heat (up to 450F). As a rule, most light-colored oils are more refined and have higher smoke points. The refining process removes many of the particles and impurities that tend to burn, allowing the oil to withstand higher heat.

High heat -- In terms of pan-, stir- or deep-frying, a variety of oils are available to use at medium-high to high heats. Refined oils such as vegetable, canola, corn, grapeseed, safflower, and sunflower are all designated as high-heat oils, meaning they can withstand approximately 450F. Peanut oil is being used more these days because it has a slightly earthy and more interesting flavor than plain vegetable oil.

As far as flavor goes, think about what this oil/fat does in your recipe. If you're using oil to keep food from sticking during the cooking process, you should probably choose an oil that is light in flavor, such as vegetable, corn, canola, or grapeseed. If the flavor of the oil plays a role in the dish, you should opt for one with a distinguishable flavor, such as olive or peanut oil. There are also many oils available that are known only for their flavors and are not intended to be exposed to heat. These oils are often referred to as finishing oils. Examples are unrefined sesame oil, walnut, hazelnut, and truffle oil.

For a healthy diet, any fat should be consumed in moderation, but most oils are derivatives of plants (butter excluded) and are nutrient-rich. Olive oil has been the superstar oil touted for its health benefits and monounsaturated fats, known to lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol. Other monounsaturated oils include canola, peanut, and flaxseed. Flaxseed, walnut, canola, and hemp oil are also considered heart-friendly because they’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Even though you may like the idea of cooking your French fries in sunflower or safflower oil, unfortunately many of these oils carry quite a price tag. You don’t want to use a bottle of expensive oil when a less-expensive one would have worked just as well or even better.

This Spicy Fig Spread and Shrimp Stir Fry recipe (https://bit.ly/2twfCAD) calls for “cooking oil,” so that means any of the lighter refined oils would be perfect for a quick stir fry on high heat. Whereas, this recipe for Manchego & Tomato Fennel Bruschetta (https://bit.ly/2IFiNAh) specifically calls for olive oil because the oil adds flavor to the dish. Whether it’s for frying or flavor, experiment with different oils and fats to see what works best in your recipes.