Aroma 20-cup Rice Cooker/Steamer/Slow Cooker

For Christmas I got this wonderful rice cooker/steamer/slow cooker combo I wanted from Costco. This is by far the best kitchen appliance I have and 3-4 nights out of the week I am using it. What makes it even more awesome is the simplicity of cleaning it up. I don't need to use a bunch of pots and pans for dinner, I can just take out the inner lining and steam tray and clean-up is done and I am on to watching the Bachelor.

It is extremely easy to use with the following functions:
1) White Rice
2) Brown Rice
3) Quick Rice
4) Slow Cook
5) Smart Steam
6) Keep Warm
7) Delay Timer

You can make brown rice then put chicken and vegetables on the steaming tray about 20 min before the rice is ready and cook at the same time. It comes with a few recipes and any slow cooker recipe can be used in this slow cooker. The other function I truly love is that when the cooking time is over it automatically switches to keep warm and stops the cooking even if you are not ready to eat.

Healthy Turkey Chili

I am finally back. It has been a while, life I guess just caught up with me! Well I am kind of on a cooking kick this month so here goes.

I made this turkey chill for Aaron's work Christmas party. He told me all they had on the sign up sheet was meatballs, cupcakes and soda. There was no way I was gonna let that happen so I made a hearty, healthy turkey chili that could be kept warm in the slow cooker, so that they could munch on it all day. Since it was the night before the bash I had to use what I had in the house.

1 lb ground turkey
Extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion
1 cup of frozen mixed bell peppers (lightly thawed)
1 cup of frozen corn (lightly thawed)
1 can black beans
1 28 oz can of tomatoes
1 can of chili beans
3 cups of chicken broth
3 tablespoons of chili powder
1 tbs of cayenne pepper
1 tbs of cumin
1 tbs of dried oregano
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
3 cloves of minced garlic

Saute ground turkey in a bit of olive oil. Add some salt and pepper. Once browned add to large pot/dutch oven. Next saute onion over low heat in the same pan you browned the turkey, for a bit more flavor. If needed add some olive oil until lightly translucent, add a bit of salt & pepper. Add minced garlic for a few minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the slow cooker or a large pot/dutch oven on low heat. Add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once to a boil reduce to simmer and cover. Relax and let the simmer do all the work. At this time you can add to the slow cooker on low or keep on the stove for as long as you want, at least one hour. The longer it goes the thicker it is. It is even better re-heated the next day. When re-heating it you can add more chicken broth to thin it out a bit. Hope you enjoy it!

Lash Blast

The one item I could not live without if I was on a deserted island is MASCARA! That is a must for anyone with blonde eyelashes like me. So...ever since I can remember I have been addicted to mascara and I have tried department stores (Dior, Clinque, MAC, etc.) and none of them gave me the thick & long lashes I wanted to achieve until I found Volume express by Maybelline. I began using this mascara as a freshman in high school until my first year of grad school. Then one day while checking out the new CVS in Chino Hills I stumbled across Lash Blast. This is the most amazing mascara and it is so cheap! For about $5.00 you get a mascara that lengthens every lash without clumping or smudging and yet still washes off easily with soap and water. I recently saw it being sold at Costco now in a 2 pack. I am now a faithful user and highly recommend it.

Jillian's 30 Day Shred

I absolutely love this new work-out DVD simply for the fact that I get a really good sweat in 20 minutes. Jillian makes you sweat and wishing it is over the whole time. It incorporates resistance training, cardio and abs in 3 different circuits. The gimmick is that you will lose 30 pounds in 30 days but I just don't buy that. When I first got the dvd I tried to do it daily but I was way too sore, so now I alternate it between days that I run. It also has 3 different levels all of which are challenging. I am currently on level 2 although I did try level 3 but it was too difficult. Once you get sick of listening to her talk or have basically memorized the routine put it on mute and turn up your music, that is what I do.I highly recommend this workout dvd for a busy schedule. All you need is some light hand weights and a little bit of room. Be Prepared to Sweat!

Etsy

www.etsy.com This is by far my favorite website for unique gifts and cute jewelry. Everything is hand made. I recently had a quilt made using the Alchemy option on the website and had a really sweet woman make me a quilt using all my old sorority t-shirts. There is also a lot of personalized items on there too!

Aaron's Chicken Stew

So Aaron & I wanted a hearty healthy stew and created one ourselves. It turned out pretty well and the left over portions would be good frozen to thaw out later in the week to spice up the boring sandwich rut for lunches. I don't really measure but I'll try to explain it.

Shopping List:
1) 1 onion
2) a few small potatoes ( I got the mixed bag at TJs)
3) 3 large carrots
4) Low Sodium Chicken stock
5) 2 skinless boneless chicken breast
6) 2 cloves of garlic
7) Olive oil
8) Frozen Mixed Veggies
9) Tomato Paste
10) Flour
11) Yummy red wine
12) 21 Salute Seasoning (from TJs)

Saute 2 cloves of crushed garlic in hot olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot. Be sure to turn down the heat a bit as to not burn the garlic. Then throw in 1 diced onion and cook on low, stirring it every once in a while add a pinch of salt. Meanwhile boil 2 chicken breasts in water until cooked. ( I put in some dried rosemary to the water, only because I had that lying around). Once onions are cooked add a bit more olive oil then add in 3 peeled & diced carrots, about 8 quartered red/yellow/purple potatoes(whatever you have)and 1.5-2 cup frozen mixed veggies (I used green bean, corn, pea mixture) and add a bit of salt & pepper. Saute till slightly cooked then add in the boiled chicken shredded or cubed.
At this point add 1 cup of low sodium chicken stock, 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of 21 Salute seasoning, 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and 2 table spoons of flour. Stir it all together. At this point I was drinking a glass of Cabernet so I added a table spoon or so ;) Cook to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 1-2 hours. Taste before serving and see if you need more salt or pepper. I added a pinch of red pepper flakes at the end cause I like things spicy. I found the longer you leave it on the thicker it gets.

Cheap Pinot Grigio Face Off

So right now BevMo is having the 5 cent wine sale and I decided to try a few new Pinot Grigios. I am always happy with any Clos Du Bois wine but their Pinot Grigio was a big disappointment. The label says it has a floral and lemon taste, both of which were absent in my opinion. I give it a 4/10 and it wasn't very easy to drink with a chemical taste. But, being the wine connoisseur that I am I chose the next bottle based off the label :) The Mezzacorona from Italy proved to be a complete delight. It has a melon taste and is mildly sweet and crisp which I really enjoyed. It is very easy to drink and I imagine it as the perfect compliment to a warm summer day with friends.

Groupon

Groupon is the best new website I have seen in a long time. Everyday they feature something cool to do at a really cheap price (usually half off) you can only get the deal if enough people sign up, which is what makes it worth it for business'. This is the one email I like to wake up early for and check out.

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1137492

Vegetable & Turkey Sausage Soup

I found a recipe in March's Cooking Light that looked promising but I switched it up a bit with ingredients that I liked and it turned out great.

Ingredients:

* 1 package of sweet or hot turkey sausage
* 2 cups finely chopped onion
* 2 cups finely chopped zucchini
* 1 cup finely chopped carrot
* 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 tbsp tomato paste
* 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
* 2 (15.5-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
* 1/3 cup half and half
* 1 tbsp chopped dried rosemary
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Directions

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Take turkey sausage out of the casing and add sausage to pan, and cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from pan; keep warm.Return pan to medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and garlic; cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste and red pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Place 1 cup vegetable mixture, 1/2 cup of broth, and 1 can of beans in a food processor or a blender, and process until smooth.

Return pureed bean mixture to pan. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups of broth and 1 can of beams; bring to a boil. Add turkey sausage back to the pot and reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, half-and-half, rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Seche Vite

A MUST for any girl's nail polish collection. This fast dry top coat is amazing. Put it on immediately after your colored nail polish (while its still wet) and your nails will be dry and extremely shiny within 1-2 minutes. No more smudges! I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner- Thanks Kelly!!