Dream Dinners Truly ARE a Dream! {Local Tasting, May 15}
One MUST in preparing for a new baby’s arrival is have your freezer stocked – as much as you can, I recommend! At least five to ten meals to get you through those first days!
A few weeks ago, I visited Dream Dinners to try their Introductory Offer – 18 servings for $74.95. Depending on whether you order 3-serving or 6-serving meals, you could end up with 3-6 dinners. It’s a great way to see if their service is right for you. I’m pretty sure, if you’re like me, you’ll be in love within the first ten minutes!
What is Dream Dinners? A fantastic place where you show up, assemble dinners (3 or 6 serving sizes) and take them home to freeze for later (or use right away!). It’s NOT a take-out place – but a true meal solution for so many lifestyles, and saves you time and a big mess in your home! Dream Dinners was created by two “Soccer Moms” over a decade ago as a solution for so many situations:
- busy parents (have dinner at home with your family, saves money on eating out, healthier than take out/fast food!)
- post-pregnancy (saves an exhausted new mama time and energy!)
- creative gift idea (for the person who has everything, for someone with an extended illness or post-surgery, even for a bereaved family who could use a break from meal prep for awhile).
- dinner parties (make multiples of the same dish to serve a crowd and not dirty up your own kitchen, portion meals into smaller servings to create appetizers for a party!)
- portion-control (each dinner is three filling portions, but not over-sized like you might get in restaurants)
To walk you through my experience: I went online to pre-order my meals from the Dream Dinners menu, and pick an appointment time that worked for me. Dream Dinners changes their menu monthly so you always have a variety of dishes to select; some favorites cycle through but there’s always a ton of new choices! I picked Market Salmon, Mediterranean Steak, Layered Ravioli, Sweet & Spicy Pork Roast, and Caliente Pork Chops!
On a Saturday morning, I drove to my local Dream Dinners’ storefront, and they had a cooler marked just for me! As you complete assembling each meal, you store it in the cooler. Each guest wears an apron and gloves, and uses their own containers/bags to create their meal, so the process is quite hygienic.
Each station holds chilled ingredients for two different meals. You follow the steps on the appropriate meal card to compile your ingredients. Some things are pre measured – like side dishes of corn or mashed potatoes, and the meat is already frozen solid. But all the seasonings, spices, etc, you add in yourself, so you can always add a little less onion, or more cheese sprinkles to suit your family’s tastes!
Ingredients already have measuring spoons/cups so you scoop what you need, then seal up your bag! You put all your meal items into a larger bag along with the instruction card for that meal – and voila! Meal is done!
I moved slowly because I was a newbie, and still each meal only took about fifteen minutes to assemble. There are staff members circulating to help you find things, clean spills, or clarify directions. I even had time to sample a few of their dishes! (Oh yes, free samples while you create your dinners – amazing!).
If you want extras like more sides and desserts, Dream Dinners has several coolers of yummy baked goods, appetizers and other sides already prepped! (Only available to customers with a Dream Dinners appointment).
Each dinner entree usually comes with a starch side like mashed potatoes or rice, and you add salads and other sides at home to complete the meal. Meals can last in your freezer about three or more months. The few weeks following my trip to Dream Dinners were delightful, because I had five delicious meals ready to go! It was such a treat to thaw, cook, and serve, and saved me prep and clean up time. (Each one was delicious!).
Here’s a few of our dishes cooked at home (salad and carrots were my own additions) – these are the Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy Pork Roast and the Market Salmon with Corn Medley:
I definitely plan to return to Dream Dinners as soon as I can! The Introductory Offer of $75 for five dinners (3 servings each) is only about $15 per meal and $5 per serving. While that is more than I’d spend if I made my own meals at home, it’s definitely LESS than if we decided to go out to dinner five times. So considering, you could actually save money if you regularly go out because you had no time to make a meal.
Check out Dream Dinners’ delicious menu choices online, see photos of their stores, and read more about how the Dream Dinners service works! I guarantee you’ll want to go!! (Put it on your birthday wish lists, mamas!).
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Local Connecticut Readers… YOU are INVITED!!
Taste of Dream Dinners Event!!
WHO: YOU are invited! Yes, you (as long as you can get to the location)! And it’s totally free!
WHEN: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
TIME: 6 pm and 7pm (2 time slots, 8 guests per slot! )
WHERE: Manchester, CT Dream Dinners on Tolland Turnpike
WHAT: You’ll create one Dream Dinner to take home (FREE!), and also sample several of their dishes while you are there!
You MUST fill out this RSVP form by Friday, May 11 to attend. I need to know your time slot AND dinner choice (four yummy choices). I can only take the first 8 people to RSVP for each slot (total of 16 guests), but I’ll keep a wait list in case someone drops out. I will confirm attendees, and free slots will be offered to the wait list on Saturday. I must give the RSVP list to Dream Dinners on Sunday, May 13th so after that point the list will be closed.
I can’t wait to meet some of my local readers at this event!!!
Thanks to Dream Dinners for letting me try their Introductory Offer and offering this great event for my readers free of charge! All opinions are my own and 100% honest!
Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Lavazza Espresso Point 850 at CoffeeCow.com ~ Giveaway
Mamas need coffee!!! We are always running on less sleep than we probably need. We could all use a little coffee break!
At CoffeeCow.com, you can find a large selection of coffee makers and pods/capsules for brewing machines. Any of these machines would make a great Mother’s Day gift!
As a huge coffee lover, I’ve been enjoying learning how to use my new Lavazza Espresso Point 850 machine. Lavazza is a leading name in coffee, and this machine is designed to make creating a cafe experience fun and easy for your family.
This Lavazza brewer takes special capsules that are pre-measured with the right amount of espresso grind. Drop in a capsule, lock in the handle and brew your espresso with the push of a button. You have to push the button again to stop brewing, which allows you to adjust the strength of the brew. Cleanup is a breeze because you just throw out the capsule and don’t have coffee grounds to wipe up.
Cappuccino is much trickier and even after making many cups of steamed milk, I will admit disappointment with the results. Press and hold the steam button until it lights up, then put the steam wand into the milk and open the steam valve. You have to hold the wand at JUST the right angle to get the froth to build up – the instructions say to immerse the wand halfway but this does nothing, what you need to do is tilt the mug sideways a bit, and let the bottom of the wand bubble the milk at the top of the milk.
Still, you are not going to get that stiff foam that holds like at a coffee shop… I found the froth fizzled within a couple minutes. And if you use too much milk,the steam won’t adequately heat the milk, so you end up with lukewarm coffee. I am hoping I will keep learning how to perfect the steamed milk aspect of this machine!!
One other thing to remember is you MUST let the brewer heat up for fifteen minutes otherwise your espresso will not be hot and you will not have enough steam.
I liked how the water reservoir in the back is generous enough to make several cups of espresso, so that is good for if you make after dinner coffees for guests.
My hubby refinished an old dresser for me so I could create a coffee bar to include my new machine!! Doesn’t it look lovely? Please stop by for coffee soon!!
WIN IT: Get your own Lavazza Espresso Point 850 to enjoy!! ARV $149.99. Enter in the Rafflecopter form below!
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Spiced Meringue Cookies Celebrate Springtime!
I decided to make some sweet treats that were yellow/blue colored to match the theme!
Perfect timing because McCormick just sent a big package of spices and colorings to try! There’s a great McCormick Look Book online that I used to get ideas! I found several items that worked for my color scheme:
I decided on the Festive Meringue Cookies because they looked easy and fast (with all I had going on to prepare, that’s what I needed!). BUT… I took it a step further by flavoring and spicing my meringue cookies as well as coloring them!
Here’s the easy recipe I adapted from the McCormick site!
| Festive Meringue Cookies |
|
- 4 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Cream of Tartar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract OR McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Cinnamon OR McCormick® Ground Ginger
- 25 to 30 drops McCormick® Assorted NEON! Food Colors and Egg Dye
- Preheat oven to 225°F.
- Beat egg whites in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. (If using a freestanding mixer, use wire whisk attachment.) Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Beat in extract and food color until well blended. Gently stir in chips, if desired.
- Drop by rounded measuring teaspoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto 2 large foil-lined baking sheets sprayed with no stick cooking spray.
- Bake both sheets of meringues at the same time 45 minutes. Turn oven off. Let meringues stand in oven 1 hour or until completely cooled.
I halved the recipe to make a half batch EACH of Vanilla-Cinnamon Meringues and Lemon-Ginger Meringues. The prep time doubled because you have to beat each batch separately, but the cook time was the same because I had the same quantity.
Both are very yummy! What other flavoring-spice combo would you come up with?
This one batch filled two cookie sheets, and made almost 60 cookies!
As my very first batch of meringue cookies goes, I was happy with how they turned out – light, and with a delicate flavor from the spices and extracts!
I can’t wait to see what else I can make with my new spices – I already know I’ll be making some of those cupcakes featured above for a church dinner this weekend!!
McCormick has a great Spring Pin-spiration Contest going on right now ! Pin five (5) recipes from McCormick.com that you would like to bake for a spring gathering, bake one, take a photo and then pin that original photo too! For more details, visit the official rules page linked above!
What’s your favorite springtime baking recipe?
I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for McCormick. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for participating.
Local personal chef saves moms time! TLC Home Cooking ~ Giveaway *CLOSED*
Although I like to cook and bake, there are times I wish the HouseKeeping Fairy would drop dinner down on the table (oh and clean up after too?). In my doctor’s office a few weeks ago, I thumbed through a CT Mom guidebook to see services in my area. I spotted an ad for a personal chef – TLC Home Cooking – and thought “What a great idea!” After a few emails, Judy Buonocore and I met to discuss how her services benefit moms and families!
First, a personal chef is not a caterer, but someone who provides meal preparation services in your home on a scheduled basis. Judy left 25 years in corporate America to follow her passion for cooking into her new business, TLC Home Cooking, launched in March 2011. She loves to cater to families, knowing a selection of ready-made home-cooked meals can be a lifesaver for parents on the go!
Clients fill out a food questionnaire so she understands their likes, dislikes, health concerns and dietary needs. Then she customizes a 2-week menu plan. Two weeks of meals includes 5 entrees and 2 sides enough for 10 dinners. She uses a database of hundreds of recipes tested by the US Personal Chef Association to be great for freezer storage. Because she grocery shops the same morning she cooks, the food is made with the freshest ingredients!
Then, Judy arrives at your home once every two weeks and spends about 3-4 hours prepping and cooking the meals. She stores each meal in containers you keep as long as you work with her (there is a container fee). When she leaves, three meals are in your fridge, and seven are in your freezer for later! Her cooking style is comfort food / healthy family fare, but she’s able to work with your favorite cuisines too!
Judy came to our house last week with boxes of chefs tools, pots and pans, and prepared a delicious Slow-Cooked Short Rib dinner with garlic mashed potatoes and green salad! How lovely it was to sit down to a home-cooked meal I didn’t have to plan and prep! When she left, she cleaned up the kitchen so well, I would never have known she’d been there except for the delicious smell of short ribs in the air!
Even our 2-year-old had some mashed potatoes, short ribs, and the olives out of the salad (he likes to stick them on his fingers!). So this dish (Judy’s signature favorite!) was a hit in my family for sure! 
I can imagine how helpful it is to have someone create 10 nights of dinner, especially as we add a new baby to the mix! Hiring a personal chef is perfect for expectant or new moms, moms who work or have kids with lots of activities, or for people who don’t enjoy cooking. Or, people with special dietary considerations would benefit from a personal chef service, because you can fully customize your meals and discuss with Judy your restrictions and preferences!
If you’re looking for a personal chef in Connecticut, you should check out Judy Buonocore – she’s easy to work with, her food was delicious, and her service was professional and top-notch! She also can do dinner parties and cooking classes! She’s currently offering Mother’s Day and New Mom packages, and I think giving a gift of personal chef services is a great idea!! (Pretty please, hubby?)!
WIN IT: If you’ve been wondering how a personal chef might fit your life, why not enter to win a dinner from Judy at TLC Home Cooking? Winner receives: One meal for up to 6 people cooked at their home at a date and time agreed upon by TLC and the recipient. It does not include serving the meal. TLC will supply several menu choices to select from based on answers to a food questionnaire. The service includes 1 entrée and your choice of 2 sides or 1 side and a dessert. Entrants must live in Central or South East Connecticut, my service territory. ARV $200.
Enter in the Rafflecopter form below:
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