A Premium Soup Tasting and A Give Away!

I was recently invited to attend a special new frozen soup product-tasting event held at Cooking By The Book, a professional culinary event space in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan. The elegant rooms were beautifully decorated with black draping, multiple candles, and beautiful fresh flower arrangements.

The serving tables were readied with carafes of wine, white bowls, and dishes.

As a first course, a delicious array of Italian-style appetizers were offered...

...and enjoyed by a varied group of New York City bloggers who were in attendance.

Two very handsome and talented chefs were also in attendance -- Chef Michael Christiansen from Unilever, on the left, and Chef Fabio Viviani, a successful Los Angeles restaurateur and a popular Bravo "Top Chef" finalist, was on the right.

They were here to introduce a new, hearty, restaurant-quality line of frozen Meal Soups for Two, made by Bertolli!

There are four hearty meal soups in the line:

Chicken and Rotini Pasta

Tomato Florentine

Chicken Minestrone

Tuscan Beef and Vegetables

We watched a short video overview of the soups that were shot in Italy, as the soup recipes are based on soups offered in the finest restaurants in Rome.

We were then led to the event's beautiful state-of-the-art kitchen, where we watched a soup "cook-off" between Chef Mike and Chef Fabio.

Fabio began to prepare his soup by hand, doing lots of vegetable preparation and chopping.

Meanwhile, all Chef Mike had to do was open the package of frozen Bertolli's Hearty Meal Soup For Two, place it in a pot, add a cup of water, and let it simmer.  Chef Christiansen explained to us that each of the soup's fresh ingredients are cooked individually, and then flash frozen, so when the soup is reheated at home it stays firm and flavorful. Great care is made to balance the herbs and spices to bring out the delicious natural flavors.

No surprise that Chef Mike won the cook-off, as his soup was ready to serve in ten minutes! I love to make my own soups but I'd also enjoy this type of convenience on a busy day.

You can watch a minute of the fun banter between the chefs in the video below:





We were then treated to a sample bowl of each of the four flavors of soup, accompanied by a different selection of crusty Italian bread or focaccia, and a selection of red or white wine.

The soups were all delicious in their own unique way! I really liked the rich and creamy Tomato Florentine soup. It was a flavorful tomato bisque, full of chunks of roasted chicken and cheese-filled tortellini, with a hint of basil. I actually went back for a second serving of this soup!

My next favorite soup was the Tuscan Beef and Vegetables. It had many pieces of tender braised beef in its richly flavored broth, along with mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, celery, and bow-tie pasta.

The next two soups were a tie in my taste test: the Chicken Minestrone, which was full of roasted white meat chicken, beans, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots tomatoes, and pasta, which all combined to make a hearty vegetable broth was a deliciously robust minestrone.  The Chicken and Rotini Pasta soup which had a simple old-fashioned homemade chicken soup flavor, was full of roasted white meat chicken, pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, and celery. It would be the soup I'd reach for to offer my grandsons, as they would enjoy its more simple chicken soup taste without too many added spices.
Although I was invited to this event by Bertolli Foods, my opinions are all my own.

As we dined on our soups we were treated to beautifully sung opera!.  A ten-second video:

The evening ended with an array of Italian desserts -- cannoli, cookies, and Tiramisu!  As we departed we were treated to a gift bag by Bertolli, containing a bag of our favorite flavor soup to enjoy again in the future.

And now for the giveaway! 

Bertolli is kind enough to offer coupons for you to try the new frozen meal soup, and also the chance to win this soup ladle and ceramic bread dish so that you can serve your soup in style!   Sorry, but due to shipping costs, this set can only be mailed to USA residents. Please leave a comment on this post, and if you don't have a blog please leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. If you are a follower of my blog please let me know in a second comment for an extra chance to win. The giveaway winner will be picked by Random.org and will be announced on my blog on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011.  Good luck!

Please visit all the blog events and join in all the fun!


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Vegetable, Red Lentil and Mini Turkey Meatballs Stew

My Mother is in the last year of her 80's and, thankfully, is still healthy and active.  She isn't cooking very much for herself from scratch any longer, however, and basically opens cans and has trouble eating anything that requires a lot of chewing.  I often make a large eight quart stockpot full of soup or stew for her, so that I can make multiple one quart servings for her to freeze and then later re-heat as she needs them. I always try to make the recipes as full of vegetables and protein as I can to make it nutritious, and if I add meat I make sure it is lean and easy to chew.

When Knorr's offered, through BlogHer, to send a package of their new condensed Chicken Homestyle Stock product for us to try, and enter in their "Four Recipe Contest" I was excited to have the opportunity and knew I would make good use of it.  The package contained four tubs that were slightly larger than an ounce each of chicken flavor with other natural flavor low fat cholesterol free, stock, each with no added MSG.

As you can see from the directions on the box, each tub can be reconstituted with 3 1/2 cups of boiling water to make that measurement of stock.  It can also be reconstituted with any liquid, such as fruit juices or ciders. It can also be used undiluted as a poultry rub, stirred into 3 cups cooking liquid of pasta or rice to add flavor to those dishes, or stirred into pan drippings to make a gravy.  Its small size makes storage easy, and there is no waste.

When I received my package of Knorr's Homestyle chicken Stock I decided to make a vegetable rich stew that contained lentils, mini turkey meatballs and whole wheat pasta so that it would be a complete "meal in a bowl" for my Mom.

Vegetable, Red Lentil, Pasta and Mini Turkey Meatball Stew

Prep time: one hour

Cooking Time: one hour

Serves: 14, two cup servings

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Three stalks celery, chopped small

Four large carrots, chopped small
One large onion, chopped small
One large red pepper, chopped small
Two garlic cloves, crushed and minced

Two pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

One pound package of dried red lentils, sorted over and rinsed.

Two tubs of Knorr's condensed Chicken Homestyle Stock

Seven cups of water.

Two teaspoons ground ginger

Two teaspoons cumin
Two teaspoons turmeric
Two teaspoons red chili paste
One teaspoon garam masala

Turkey Meatball additions:

One pound ground turkey meat

Two eggs, beaten slightly

1/4 grated Pecorino Romano cheese
One half cup seasoned bread crumbs
Two tablespoons dried parsley

One teaspoon of ground black pepper

Cooked separately and added as final ingredients:

Two pounds of spinach, rinsed and boiled in 1/2 cup water

Thirteen and a quarter ounces whole wheat rotini (or any small bite size pasta of choice) boiled separately in water according to package directions, minus two minutes, two cups of pasta water reserved in case it is needed.

Procedure:

Saute the chopped celery, carrots, onion and red pepper in the three tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat, stirring well frequently.

When the vegetables are translucent, after around ten minutes, add the minced garlic and turn heat down to low.

Add the cubed sweet potatoes, and seven cups of water. Bring heat higher and bring to a boil.  Add the two tubs of Knorr's Chicken Stock and stir well.

Turn the heat to medium/low and add the red lentils to the pot and add all spices. Allow to come to a low boil/simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook ten minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the turkey meatball ingredients together and form into small 3/4 inch meatballs.

Begin to boil the water to cook the pasta. 

Quickly add the turkey meatballs to the pot one by one, gently stirring now and then to submerge them in the stock. Cover the pot and keep the stew cooking on a low boil, adjusting the heat as needed. Allow to simmer 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Boil the spinach in a another pot with the half cup of water and drain well. Add cooked spinach to the stew. Boil the pasta in the separate pot of boiling water for two minutes less than package directions, then drain, reserving two cups of the pasta water to add to the stew as needed to keep a liquid consistency. Stir well, and cover. Cook on a low simmer another five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle about two cups of the stew into a bowl and serve.  I like to grate extra Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

The vegetables and lentils really incorporate well into the delicious Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock and become a creamy consistency. The spices add the perfect extra punch of flavor without making the stew too spicy and they enhance the sweet potato flavor.  The lentils, meatballs and whole wheat pasta make this a filling, nutritious and delicious meal!

This is a photo I took the last time I made soup for my Mom to take home. to freeze.  I allow the soup to cool and place it in one quart containers so she has enough for a few meals in each one. You can do this with your favorite soups or stews for yourself, a new mother, someone who is recuperating from an illness or surgery or a new neighbor.  It's a wonderful way to share some love!

Thanks to Knorr and BlogHer for allowing me to take part in the Knorr Four Recipe Contest with this entry!  I am looking forward to seeing what all the other participants have done with their sample of the Knorr Concentrated Homestyle Chicken stock over on the special Blogher Four Recipe Contest, and I'm sure you'll want to check in too! Anyone can enter this contest up until July 15, 2011--read the rules at this link.

I am also adding this link on Michael Lee's blog Designs By Gollum for her wonderful "Foodie Friday" event! Besides Michael's always creative food entry, there are always wonderful recipes and food events linked up on her event every week--be sure to check it out!

 

Win "Nothing To Wear?" from Blogher!

During the winter I dress very casually and, for the most part, I live in my jeans, sweaters, fleece, sweats and boots.  When spring weather finally arrives, and I am no longer hiding under a winter coat, I am more aware of the need to wear attractive clothes when I go out.  I usually purchase a few new things to reflect the season's updated colors and styles. Its always a dilemma, however, as I change wardrobes, as to what to keep from what I own and what to discard to the goodwill donation pile.  Of course it's always nice to save money and use items I already own and update their look by adding a gauzy scarf or an attractive necklace, or some other accessory, but sometimes I feel like I have nothing to wear for special occasions.

That's why I jumped to the chance to receive this fantastic book called Nothing to Wear? by style experts Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo of Visual Therapy from Blogher.com! 

Here is the books publisher's review on Amazon.com:

"Getting Things Done meets What Not to Wear in this stylish cure for the common closet, based on the five-step process that has made Visual Therapy™ a hit for over ten years with fashion editors and clients alike. In the book, Visual Therapy founders Garza and Lupo walk readers through the process of identifying their natural style (how their fashion “personality” aligns with the image they want to portray), then helps them perform a “love it or leave it” examination of their wardrobe, eliminating the out-of-date, too-tight, too-loose clutter, and reestablishing an authentic sense of style—getting them into their clothes and out of the house looking and feeling like a million bucks."


You can win a copy of "Nothing to Wear?"  too, as Blogher has 50 copies to give away and also a signature piece from Visual Therapy's new VT Luxe collection!

Here is what to do for a chance to win:

On Monday, April 4 at 1 AM EST, Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo will debut their collection VT Luxe on QVC. Tune in or set your VCR's or Tivo's to record the show.  You can also watch a preview of the QVC show on the Blogher website on this link or you can see some previews on their store on QVC by clicking on this link.

As you know, I like to travel, and I've already seen a few lightweight VT Luxe pieces over on the preview on their QVC store that would be perfect to pack for a trip and pair with other pieces I already own to extend my wardrobe. The Feather Print Scarf Jacket would be nice to wear over a tank top to dress it up for dinner out. The Paillette Shimmer Scarf Vest could be worn alone or worn over a three quarter sleeve shirt to add sparkle and make it suitable for a more formal night out. I'm excited to see more pieces of the collection on QVC when the show airs on Monday!

After you've seen the show or the previews, go to Blogher on this link, and tell them in a comment which item of the VT Luxe collection would fit best with your signature style. You could win one of two prizes from Blogher:

(1) ONE lucky winner from the comments will receive her favorite item from the collection free of charge.
(2) Blogher will  also randomly pick 50 commenters who will receive a free copy of Jesse and Joe's book "Nothing To Wear?"

You can enter the contest until April 8, 2011. Good luck and happy shopping!

John Lennon Tributes in NYC

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon. His death was a shock and a sad occasion for those who were fans of The Beatles and those still following Lennon's career after the group broke up.

I was not even a teenager when The Beatles popularity grew in the USA with their hit single "She Loves You," in 1963. I remember looking at the cover to the record and trying to decide which Beatle would be my favorite. Ringo won that honor, but John was a close second. The Beatles phenomena then became so much a part of my developmental years. When Lennon chose to live in New York City in the seventies I felt excited, as if he was indirectly part of my world.

When Lennon and Yoko Ono first moved to New York City from the UK in 1971, they lived briefly at the St. Regis Hotel and then moved to 105 Bank Street in Greenwich Village, (the white building in the photo above), which they rented from Joe Butler, from the Lovin’ Spoonful band.

They lived here for one year between 1971 - 1972, and Lennon enjoyed meeting the social and political activists of the time that shared this Greenwich Village neighborhood. His personal life was chaotic and controversial at times but the eventual birth of his son Sean in 1975 seemed to give him a peace and meaning that he lacked before.

The couple moved to the Dakota building located at 1 West 72nd Street on Central Park West in 1973.

Lennon was killed in front of the Dakota building by the very troubled Texas native, Mark David Chapman on the evening of December 8th, 1980.

Strawberry Fields in Central Park is located almost directly across the street from the Dakota building, between 71 Street and 74th Street.  It was a favorite area for John and his family to visit. Named after a song written by John Lennon, it is a 2.5 acre area in the park that pays tribute to John as a singer, songwriter, and musician.

The iconic black and white "Imagine" mosaic in Strawberry Fields was a gift from Italy and designed by a team of artists from Naples.  Named after another famous song by John Lennon, "Imagine" is another lasting tribute to Lennon and his vision for the world.

Visitors and fans from all over the world still come to this spot to remember John Lennon on his birthday on October 9th and today, the anniversary of his death, to remember and imagine what might have been if his life was not ended in such a tragic way.

You can watch a PBS American Masters full two hour documentary exploring Lennon’s life in New York City during the 1970s as a father, husband, activist and artist on this link.






Don't forget you still have time to enter my Jacques Torres Chocolate give away --leave a comment on this link, and also the Chronicle Books $500 book give away on this link!

HomeGoods for the Holidays

*For the following post I was provided a $25 gift card to Home Goods provided by a BlogHer and HomeGoods promotion.

I love HomeGoods, the store that has a large variety of household goods with savings up to 60% off and new shipments every week so the variety is always changing. So, when BlogHer asked some bloggers if we wanted to participate in a HomeGoods "Holiday Gifts Under $25" program, I jumped to the opportunity!

As soon as my $25 gift card arrived I drove over to my closest HomeGoods store, located in the Rockville Center Shopping Center,150 N Village Ave, Rockville Center, New York.

It was the Friday after Thanksgiving, so even though I arrived bright and early, shoppers had already taken up most of the parking places in the shopping center!

I just love this store! As soon as I entered the interior lobby with my shopping cart I was greeted with this view of some large novel items for sale, and I could already feel my adrenaline pumping in shopping anticipation.  I have found some wonderful items at HomeGoods in the past -- from picture frames, a mirror, cookbooks, children's books, dishes and kitchen gadgets, sheets, a tablecloth and a bedspread, packaged holiday food specialties, and toys.  All were from top companies and at very affordable prices. There are always tempting bargains available in HomeGoods that I can't resist, and I never leave the store empty handed.

I also love how the goods for sale are beautifully coordinated and displayed!  Just look at this delightful grouping of red holiday items available in my HomeGoods store this past weekend in the photo above and the green items in the photo below. There are thousands of wonderful gift items available in HomeGoods for the holidays for under $25. Just look at all the ideas they show on their web page, or you can order gift card at this link.  Not sure if there is a HomeGoods located in your area? Check the store locate link on their homepage.

As you can see the store was filled with a wonderful assortment of holiday dishes, decorative items and gift foods.  There are many beautiful and  thoughtful gift Items you can buy a friend, neighbor or teacher for the holidays or other occasions.

There are also isles and isles of year round goods and decorative accessories in HomeGoods, such as this wonderful collection of unique folk pottery made in Poland.

Just look how well stocked the children's toy section was!

This was the section of the store where I knew I'd find the gifts I wanted to buy with my gift card.

There were so many wonderful choices of quality toys, puzzles, games and children's room decorative items in HomeGoods just in time for Christmas shopping!

My son and  daughter-in-law like durable toys for my young grandson that challenge him to use his imagination and that are educational, age appropriate and made from safe materials. With my $25 HomeGoods gift card I was able to purchase the following two wonderful toys for Christmas for my grandson:

I bought the Melissa and Doug "Cutting Food Set"  for $14.99  Which contains eight pieces of wooden food, a cutting board and a wooden knife. The food makes a fun "CRUNCH" sound when sliced. My grandson can learn the concepts of whole, halves and quarters when cutting the food, plus pretend he is cooking along side his Mommy in the kitchen, as he like to do.

I was also able to purchase this Melissa and Doug "Take Along Tool Kit" for $9.99 that contains twenty-four, wooden pieces including tools, nails, screws, nuts and bolts. All little boys love to build and this will help my grandson develop manual dexterity as he hammers pegs into the holes and  twists on bolts to screws. 

I have to admit I found so many wonderful toy bargains in HomeGoods that I bought a few more to have on hand for future gift occasions, or for my grandson to play with at our house when he visits us.Thank you Blogher and HomeGoods for helping me with my Christmas shopping this year!

Do you have children, grandchildren, or nieces and nephews, that you would like to buy holiday toys for or perhaps you need a gift for the "MarineToys for Tots Foundation" program? Try shopping HomeGoods for a wonderful selection of affordable quality toys and gift selections for your entire family!


Would you like a chance to win a $100 HomeGoods gift card or one of 20 $25 HomeGoods gift cards?  See the Bloghers Exclusive Offers page for details, and to see what other bloggers were able to purchase with their $25 gift card!  Good luck!