Snowman's Balls

When I was younger, I remember helping my mom and dad roll the balls every year around the holidays. My father's co-workers and friends looked forward to the holidays because it meant that my dad would bring in his famous rum balls. As a kid I just thought that everyone liked them because they were cookies rolled in powdered sugar... now I know better. This recipe packs a wallop of a punch because of the rum you use. This year I decided to rename the rum balls to something a little bit more festive and bring them into work for my co-workers and boss (aka Boss Lady) to take home and enjoy. Since we live in the desert and don't get too much snow here (although we do see some), I decided to go with a funny name and package them in individual sacks for each person to take.

As far as cookie recipes go, this is by far the easiest thing you will whip together. You literally just mix everything together, roll into balls and roll into the powdered sugar. Now of course if you want a more mild rum flavor, go with a different rum but if you want something that will put a little hair on your chest and will make your friends take notice, than stick with the 151. Trust me, they won't be forgetting these rum balls any time soon.

• 1/2 c. Bacardi 151 rum
• 1 box of vanilla wafers (about 2 1/2 cups crushed)
• 1/4- 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 Tbsp light corn syrup
• powdered sugar for coating

1. Grind the wafers into a crumb like consistency. 
2. Mix all the ingredients together.
3. Roll into balls. 
4. Fill a shallow dish with powdered sugar for coating. Roll balls into powdered sugar.

Review: VidaCup

I was given the opportunity to try VidaCup thanks to Ashley over at MommyGuru. VidaCup makes instant coffee, tea and energy drinks that are great for those of us on the go. Below are my personal thoughts on the products.

Ageless Brew

"Imagine a coffee that helps you look and feel rejuvenated.

Ageless Brew is a creamy, slightly sweet, low calorie latte that can do just that. Our gourmet coffee is infused with age-defying ingredients including our organic H1X1 Super Concentrate Agaricus Blazei. This latte will please your senses and your body inside and out. Ageless Brew is truly a Cup of Life.
We start with all-natural arabica coffee grown deep in Brazil providing a deep, dark, rich tasting coffee that smells as good as it looks. We then infuse our premium nutritional and herbal blend including grape seed extract, Extramel, red wine extract, resveratrol, and our exclusive H1X1 Super Concentrate Agaricus Blazei. You’ll feel great both inside and out. Lightly sweet and creamy, it’s conveniently packaged in single serving instant sticks so you can take your Ageless Brew anyplace...anytime."

My thoughts: It smelled like a delicious cup of cappuccino and I was really excited to try this one. It's supposed be light and smooth tasting while being low calorie, but I did not like the flavor at all. It had a very chemically enhanced taste. Picture Pepsi and diet Pepsi, for the non diet drinkers, you always taste a difference. I really wanted to like this because it smelled so good but I had to stop myself from spitting it back out into my cup. I quickly dumped it out and rinsed my pallet with something a little bit more appetizing.

Mo-Joe

"We start with all-natural Arabica coffee grown deep in Brazil – providing a deep, dark, rich tasting coffee that smells as good as it looks. We infused our coffee with our proprietary and unique herbal and nutritional blend. Conveniently packaged in single serving instant sticks so you can get your mo-joe with Mo-Joe anyplace… anytime. Our infusion begins with Green Tea, Bacopa, Ginkgo and Gotu Kola. We didn’t stop there. Like all our coffees, Mo-Joe has been infused with our H1X1 Super Concentrate Agaricus Blazei. Many other enhanced coffee companies infuse their coffee with less powerful medicinal mushrooms, but we believe, and studies will validate, that the H1X1 is by far the most potent medicinal mushroom in existence and we strive to bring you the best.
The result? Mo-Joe is a product designed to give you more of what you want in a morning coffee. The unique coffee blend is deep and dark, smooth and rich. It isn’t about just giving an extra jolt of caffeine, but also providing additional nutrients and herbs to increase energy, mental clarity, and an overall feeling of well-being."

My thoughts: Smelled more like coffee than Ageless Brew. It has good flavor and is a bit sweet, like the beans were roasted differently from what I'm used to. I would say that this is a pretty good representation of a freshly brewed cup of coffee and taste wise is better than those that I've tried from my grocery store. The only down side is that strange sweet taste to it. I like to be able to add a little bit of sugar to my coffee but this makes it nearly impossible.

XTREME

"Who needs ineffective, sugary energy drinks? What use is an energy drink that makes you burn out?
We developed an energy drink that is loaded with effective herbs and vitamins that will give you healthy, sustained energy – effectively, without the crash. Xtreme gives you more than just energy, you’ll get great nutrition. This refreshing, fruity flavored drink is unique, effective and convenient.
What’s in it? Only the most incredible proprietary blend of fruit and berries that give you an ORAC value of 5,000 per serving. Imagine combining grape, wild blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, prune, strawberry, acai berry, maqui berry, wild bilberry, goji berry, pineapple, apple, orange, grapefruit, plum, raspberry, watermelon, lemon, lime, cantaloupe, cherry, papaya, peach and pear. We could have stopped there, but didn’t.
Like all our products, Xtreme has been infused with our exclusive H1X1 Super Concentrate Agaricus Blazei.
This jam-packed formula means only three words…. HEALTHY HIGH ENERGY; all natural, low calorie, and tons and tons of sustained energy. Oh and did we mention it tastes great with only 30 calories?! Just rip, pour into your water bottle and off you go!"

My thoughts: This is a fruit punch flavored energy drink and it's actually... not bad. I'm not a huge fan of energy drinks but this one didn't taste bad at all. It didn't have a funky after taste to it and it would be a great thing to pack in your bag for work or when you know that you are going to be out and about all day long.



Conclusion: I'm not sure if because VidaCup uses something called H1X1 in their products and that is what I was tasting in their coffee but whatever it was definitely gave them a funky taste. However, I did find that the Mo-Joe had more of a coffee flavor than other instant coffees that I've tried previously. However in the end, VidaCup was unable to get me to bat for the instant team.

Soba Noodles & Seared Salmon in Ginger-Green Onion Broth

Okay I know that I've been on a soup kick lately but I have been cruising through Soup of the Day (Williams-Sonoma): 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year by Kate McMillan and so far I've loved every recipe. Plus it's finally feeling like winter here in the desert. It's been in the 50's and it's pretty gloomy out, so I've been in a soup mood. This recipe was a surprise for both the Mr. and myself. I don't know why but I've always been on the fence with fish. Some days I like, and other days I can't stomach it. So I was nervous for that reason plus the fact that the Mr. does not like ginger. However, the Mr. commented how great the flavors were and I practically licked the bowl. So, I think it's safe to say that we both really enjoyed it. :)

 I love super easy recipes. Everything gets thrown in the pot and at the end you fry your fish and BAM you're done. There is no crazy prep work or cleanup needed for this. I suppose you could always slice the onions and mince the ginger ahead of time if you wanted to but as I was bring the liquids up to a boil I was chopping and dropping the ginger and onion in the pot. There isn't anything that I would change from this recipe because the soup was delicious.

 Serves 4

• 4 green onions 
• 4 c. chicken broth 
• 2 in. piece of ginger, peeled and minced 
• 1 star anise 
• 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce 
• 1 tsp. mirin 
• a few drops of sesame oil 
• 6 oz soba noodles, broken in half 
• 3/4 lb center cut salmon, cut into 4 equal pieces, skin and bones removed 
• 2 Tbsp. oil salt and pepper 

1. Thinly slice the green onions, reserving the white and pale green parts in one bowl and the dark green parts in a separate bowl. 
2. In a large, heavy pot, combine the broth, ginger, the white and pale green slices of onion, star anise, soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil over med-high heat. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover the pan, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the soup, discard the solids and return the broth to the pot. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring once or twice, for 4 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place a small frying pat over high heat until it is very hot. Brush the salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon to med-rare, 4-5 minutes per side. 
4. To serve, use tongs to divide the soba noodles among 4 shallow bowls. Ladle the hot broth into each bowl and top with a piece of salmon. Garnish with the sliced dark green onions and serve

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Real Food Wednesday

Spinach & Vermicelli Soup with Fried Egg

Another great recipe from Soup of the Day (Williams-Sonoma): 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year by Kate McMillan. This recipe peaked my interest with just the name alone. I've never had a fried egg in my soup. It sounded so strange to me that I just had to give it a try. Both the Mr. and I were pleasantly surprised when we took a bite and found that it was actually a good combination of flavors. With the basic flavors of the soup, the flavors of the Sriracha and the creaminess from the egg yolk,the end result is a delicious soup.

This is an extremely easy recipe. You cook the soup all in one pot and then as it's sitting, you fry your egg, serve and you're done. I didn't find any problems making this soup and found it to be quick enough to make on a weeknight. I highly recommend adding a bit of the Sriracha, even if you are not a hot sauce eater, because it adds a lot of flavor to the soup. For those of you who don't eat meat, just substitute out the chicken broth with vegetable broth.

• 1 Tbps. olive oil 
• 1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 5 c. chicken or vegetable broth  (vegetarian version)
• 1/2 lb vermicelli, broken into 2 inch pieces 
• 1 bunch spinach, stemmed 
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter/margarine 
• 4 eggs 
• hot sauce, such as Sriracha (optional) 

1. In a large saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add vermicelli, return to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add the spinach and stir through just until it is wilted about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low to keep soup warm while you prepare the eggs. 
2.  In a nonstick frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Fry each egg until it is set but the yolk is still runny, 5-6 minutes. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls and top each with a fried egg. Add in desired amount of hot sauce (optional) and serve.

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