This Week for Dinner – Weekly Meal Plans, Dinner Ideas, Recipes and More!: the goods

Category: the goods

Saturday, February 4

Silk Milk Challenge Wasn’t a Challenge At All

The week is almost over and I am happy to report that the Silk milk challenge was a success! I was able to use Pure Almond Vanilla and Soy Vanilla Light in place of regular milk with no problem. In fact, the challenge has opened up the world of “alternative milk” possibilities to me and I am looking forward to trying other flavors, especially more nut milks and rice milk!

I knew during the challenge I needed to try baking something that I normally use milk in. I make waffles and pancakes all the time, so I definitely wanted to see how one of those recipes would work subbing out the milk. I decided to try the Pure Almond Vanilla in waffles.

The waffles were delish! My friend Wendy sampled them with me and we both agreed they were great. I used the Pure Almond Vanilla because I thought the almond would make for a nice flavor in the waffles. The waffles cooked a little differently than normal and never got very brown, which surprised me. But the texture was great and Wendy and I both liked the subtle, not overpowering almond flavor of the waffles. I will definitely make them this way again…and of course I’ll share the recipe with you below!

While I’m sure I’ll use cow’s milk again, especially when Owen is less sensitive to it, I am really happy to have discovered some alternatives. I really liked the Soy Vanilla Light and Pure Almond Vanilla that I used this week. Obviously these two milks are both sweetened and have a vanilla flavor. They worked well with my current needs, but I can see that they may not work with everything. As I mentioned before, after having tried these milks and really enjoying them, I’m excited to try other flavors and varieties based on different recipes and uses. And all of your suggestions over the week have been super helpful – thank you! I definitely count the week as a success and look forward to further expanding my milk horizons…

Almond Waffles
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups Silk Pure Almond Vanilla milk
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter and Pure Almond Vanilla milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix. Cook as you normally would in a waffle iron. Enjoy with lots of butter and syrup!

This post is sponsored by Silk through Martha’s Circle. All opinions are my own.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 8:00 am No Comments
Categories: Martha Stewart, the goods
Wednesday, February 1

Silk Milk Challenge is on its way!
I’m a few days into the Silk milk challenge and so far so good!

At the start of the week I held a milk tasting with my 4-year-old Anna. She is the primary milk drinker in our family. She’s actually kind of obsessed with the stuff. I figured if anyone should test these new milks out with me it should be her!

I poured us each a glass of the Pure Almond Vanilla and the Soy Vanilla Light milks and we dove right in.
- Jane’s analysis: Both milks are yummy! I don’t know what I was expecting. Strange Textures? Weird aftertaste? Well, we had none of that. The flavors of both milks were subtle and the sweetness was just right. Thumbs up!
- Anna’s analysis: “Mmm…chocolate milk.” Yes, the milk is actually vanilla and not chocolate, but that reaction means it’s a definite thumbs up from Anna!
Here are a few other ways I’ve been using the milk:
- I can finally eat my bowl of granola and flakes each morning! I’ve really missed my granola, which isn’t too sweet to begin with, so the sweetness of the Soy Vanilla Light is a perfect combo with the cereal. There are definitely some cereals that would not go well with this milk, but for my granola it works great!
- Have you ever had almond hot chocolate? Yeah, me neither. Until now. I heated up the Pure Almond Vanilla milk, added some of my best shaved chocolate and it was delicious. The texture was good and I liked the subtle almond flavor paired with the chocolate.
Like I said, so far so good! The new milks are serving me well!

This post is sponsored by Silk through Martha’s Circle. All opinions are my own.
Posted by Jane Maynard at 1:30 pm 5 Comments
Categories: Martha Stewart, the goods
Tuesday, January 31

Happy 5th Birthday, This Week for Dinner! {KitchenAid Blender Giveaway to Celebrate!}

Happy 5th Birthday, This Week for Dinner!

It’s kind of surreal. I really, truly can’t believe I’ve been plugging away at this blog for five years. When I started the blog, I only posted once a week and, quite honestly, I only ever expected my friends Adrianne and Emily to bop on here to tell me what they were cooking for dinner (they were always better planners than me). Little did I know what I was getting myself into! It’s been such a fun ride and has opened up so many amazing opportunities for me. But what I’m most grateful for is all of YOU…for reading, for sharing, and for connecting, with me and with each other. This blog would not be what it is without you. So, happy birthday!

Today I made Julia Child’s Best Ever Brownies to celebrate. And, in true Jane fashion, I undercooked them. I’m always undercooking things when I bake, it’s ridiculous! This morning’s experience reminded me of a comment my sweet husband Nate made when I started the blog: “Jane starting a food blog is like me starting a painting blog.” In case you’re wondering {despite his claims of a Renaissance year in fifth grade} Nate is not artistic, so yes, that made it a sarcastic, snarky comment. And yes, he thinks he’s funny {so do I, actually}. Well, the joke’s on him. I’ve still got a food blog! Neener neener. Although, apparently five years of food blogging has not helped fix my under-baking mental hiccup! But I digress…

To celebrate 5 years, how about a giveaway from KitchenAid? Sounds good to me!

I love KitchenAid. I love my stand mixer. I use it all the time. I love my measuring spoons. I use them all the time. And now…I love my hand blender! I use it…well, I’ve used it twice because I just got it! But it rocked. I’ve always wanted a hand blender and finally I have one! (Thanks, KitchenAid!) My hand blender’s maiden voyage was with cream of mushroom soup. It worked beautifully and the soup had a wonderful texture. And then, this morning as I was whipping up the brownies, I had a hand blender epiphany! The recipe uses a lot of bowls. It’s kind of annoying, actually. There’s a part where I normally beat the eggs in my stand mixer, but I just didn’t feel like getting it out and washing yet another bowl. And I didn’t feel like digging around my utensils for the hand mixer beaters, so I started to whisk by hand. After about 10 seconds, my arm was tired. And then it hit me…the hand blender has a whisk attachment! It was easy to grab from its special storage case, easy to use, and easy to clean. It was quite serendipitous since I was making the brownies for this very post!

And now you have a chance to get your own hand blender and have your own blending epiphanies! To celebrate TWFD’s big day, we are giving away one KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Blender (retail $129.99)! It’s fancy dancy, complete with chopper attachment, blender attachment, removable pan guard (so you can use it in any pan without damaging the pan), whisk, blade covers, and a storage case. It’s super easy to attach and detach the blades and to clean the various pieces. It’s pretty much just plain old awesome. That’s all.

To enter, just do what you always do! Leave a comment on this post before Midnight PT on Tuesday, February 7. One randomly-selected winner will be announced on February 8.

Good luck! And make sure to eat some chocolate today. The blog wants you to. It is the blog’s birthday after all, you should probably just do it.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:46 pm 582 Comments
Categories: Fun Stuff, Giveaways, the goods
Monday, January 30

Silk Milk Challenge Begins!

Shortly after Owen was born, I had to pretty much cut cow’s milk from my diet. If I had milk, then that meant he indirectly was having it as well, which did not make his little belly happy. It hasn’t been too bad, but I have missed milk a lot in a few cases, especially when it comes to a mug of good hot chocolate or a quick bowl of cereal in the morning.

When my friends at Martha’s Circle contacted me about participating in a challenge with Silk, I was all over it. For whatever reason, I haven’t tried other kinds of milk on my own yet, so this was just the kick I needed to see what else I could be using in place of cow’s milk, especially at this time in my life when I need to do so.

So this week I’m doing the challenge. No cow’s milk for one week. Instead, I will be using Silk Pure Almond Vanilla and Silk Soy Vanilla Light wherever I would normally use regular milk. Stay tuned to see how it goes!

This post is sponsored by Silk through Martha’s Circle. All opinions are my own.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:00 am 26 Comments
Categories: Martha Stewart, the goods
Wednesday, January 25

My New Favorite Rice: Calrose Brown

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I mentioned how much I love Calrose rice, the delicious sticky white rice that goes so well with Chinese food. Whenever we have Asian food at home, I lament the fact that my Calrose rice is white because I really like to use brown rice whenever I can. WELLLLL…I don’t know why I didn’t look sooner, but my grocery store carries brown Calrose rice. Woo-hoo!

I love it. There is a bit of a “brown” flavor to the rice, but I like that flavor and the rice is still nice and sticky. I don’t think I’ll ever cook white Calrose rice again. The brown stuff is healthier and tastes fabulous.

That’s all for today. Just a small ode to my new favorite rice.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:19 am 17 Comments
Categories: fab faves, Healthy Eats, the goods
Friday, January 20

Gearing Up for Baby: Rockin’ Baby Sling {and Giveaway!}

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks! BUT…keep reading because this is a cool baby sling!

It’s been a while since I have done a Gearing Up for Baby post…but I still have a baby and I’m still trying out lots of cool gear! Today I wanted to share a nifty sling that I discovered…and of course host a giveaway!

I wanted some sort of pouch or sling for when Owen was born. I did a quick search on Cool Mom Picks (which is also where I first discovered the Orbit travel system), and both Liz and Kristen had only glowing things to say about the Rockin’ Baby pouch. So, I got on the horn (okay, I sent an email, but how long has it been since you said “got on the horn”…I couldn’t resist) to Rockin’ Baby to see if I could try out their pouch and do a giveaway…and they happily obliged!

This pouch is very cool. There are zippers in the back that make it easy to adjust to the right size and it’s easy to get on and off. I don’t know about you, but other slings are intimidating to me, with yards of fabric to contend with. This pouch is simple and to the point. If you do like a more traditional sling, however, Rockin’ Baby has those, too!

I think my favorite part of Rockin’ Baby is their ONE FOR ONE business model, similar to Tom’s shoes. Every time someone buys a sling, Rockin’ Baby gives one to a mother in Haiti and educates those mothers on the impact a sling can have in their lives. Kathryn Wiley, who purchased the Rockin’ Baby business last year, bought the company because she loved the product and she had the lovely vision to evolve the business into a Mother to Mother model in order to help mothers in need. It’s a cool story and I love supporting Kathryn and her vision!

Giveaway time! If you would like one of these cool pouches, just leave a comment by Midnight PT on Wednesday, January 25. If you have are expecting or have a baby, you’ll love it! If you don’t, this would make for a pretty sweet baby gift! So, get commenting! One randomly-selected winner will be announced on Thursday, January 26. Good luck!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:22 am 97 Comments
Categories: Gearing Up for Baby, Pregnancy and Babies, the goods
Friday, January 6

Homemade Tiaras

Warning: there is no food to be found in this post. Sorry. But I do promise to deliver absolute and total cuteness. Hope that makes up for it!

I am not a crafty person. I rarely have any “projects” going on, despite the fact that I am a creative, artsy type. But once in a while something catches my eye that I simply must do.

A tiara for the more courtly princesses.

As you know, Anna recently hosted a “Hello Kitty Glamour Party” for her birthday. As we prepared for the party, she said to me, “Make sure everyone wears glamour stuff to my party, mama.” I decided I could help Anna’s guests out by providing them with some lovely tiaras. But lovely tiaras are surprisingly hard to come by.

One of the benefits of editing DailyBuzz Moms is I get to read oodles of fabulous blog posts about oodles of fabulous topics. One of these such posts came from Joy’s Misadventures. Joy described how she put together her daughter’s Halloween costume, complete with a homemade tiara that was the prettiest little tiara I ever did see.

A tiara for the more whimsical, pixie-like princesses.

I emailed Joy, found out where she got the stuff, and ordered the supplies straight away! With my Hobby Lobby floral wedding beads and headbands from Target at the ready, my friend Amy and I sat down and got creative. (Please note: I made two tiaras. Amy made seven. That is friendship.)

Every tiara was unique, whimsical, adorable. I couldn’t have been happier with the result. And they were EASY to put together. Just wrap the wire around the headband. Done! Thank you, Joy, for the inspiration!

Party tiaras all in a row.

You’re welcome for making all of your tiara dreams come true.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:00 am 10 Comments
Categories: fab faves, Fun Stuff, kids, the goods
Tuesday, December 27

The Cranberry Cutie Mocktail…and a $50 Giveaway!
This giveaway is now closed. But if you’re looking for a yummy mocktail, keep reading!

Time for my second Sierra Mist Natural mocktail post, just in time for New Year’s Eve!

As you know, my first post featured the Frost Bite Mocktail, a recipe I received from Sierra Mist Natural. This time around I was asked to come up with my own recipe using Sierra Mist Natural. So, I thought, and I thought, and I thought some more…and all of that thinking actually worked. I’m happy to introduce you to the Cranberry Cutie! Or, if you live on the East Coast, The Cranberry Clementine! But ‘Cutie’ is, well, cuter.

Nothing quite says the holidays like cranberries and cuties, and I thought both of those flavors would be mighty delicious combined with a little lemon-lime. And I was right. Yum yum!

I’ll share my recipe for the Cranberry Cutie, but first a giveaway! One of you lucky people will win a Sierra Mist Natural holiday gift pack (shaker set, sugar garnishes, party glasses) and a $50 AMEX Gift Card! That’s right, $50 just for you to spend how you like…and a cute set to get you mixing up drinks to your heart’s content!

To enter the giveaway:
- Share your favorite mocktail or cocktail drink in the comments…and the drink’s recipe if you have it!
- For an additional entry, get those creative juices (and drinks!) flowing! Share your most creative Sierra Mist Natural mocktail or cocktail recipe on the Sierra Mist Facebook page.
- Be sure to leave TWO separate comments on this post if you do both of the above to get your extra entry!
Comments must be posted by Midnight PT on Monday, January 2. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 3.

Good luck with the giveaway and I can’t wait to see all your creative cocktail and mocktail ideas!

Cranberry Cutie
From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner
- 3 ounces Sierra Mist Natural
- 3 ounces Cranberry Juice
- Juice from 1 cutie/clementine orange
- 1 ounce lime juice
- Cutie slice and cranberry sugar for garnish

In a shaker filled with ice, mix cranberry juice, cutie juice and lime juice. Add Sierra Mist Natural and stir. Strain into two martini glasses with edges that have been dipped in cranberry sugar (sugar optional). Garnish with a cutie slice.

Note: This post is part of a sponsored campaign that I am participating in. My opinions are my own and the drink I created is DARN GOOD.
Posted by Jane Maynard at 4:59 pm 78 Comments
Categories: featured recipes, Giveaways, Recipes, sweet things, the goods
Friday, December 23

My New Fave Peppermint Bark and How the Grinch Kicked Off Christmas!

If you’re still looking for a Christmas present for me , Ghirardelli peppermint bark should cover it. Seriously, it’s my new favorite peppermint bark. I tried it for the first time last weekend when we rode the cable cars around San Francisco and stopped at Ghirardelli Square for hot chocolate. They were passing out samples and I immediately fell in love. It’s nice and creamy, with the peppermint bits buried in the chocolate. YUM.

In other Christmas-y news, SHN recently invited our family to see the Broadway production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in San Francisco. We took the kids up yesterday afternoon for the play and it was…AWESOME! If you get the chance to see this production, do it! It was such a fun way to kick off our Christmas weekend. The play is short enough that it doesn’t need an intermission, which is great for kids, the costumes and the sets were amazing, and the Grinch was really funny. Anna was scared for the first half but eventually warmed up (and she even admits that despite her reservations, she still really liked it!). Owen was mesmerized! Cate just loved it and giggled her way through the show.

We were lucky enough to meet the Grinch afterwards and he was actually quite delightful, despite his grinchy exterior. The first child he approached was Owen, who maintained a poker face throughout the entire meeting. The Grinch tried and tried, but Owen was too cool for school. Anna wouldn’t take a picture with him (surprise…you can see her far right sucking her thumb, next to my friend Gina), but Cate jumped right in for the camera. It was such a fun day!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:49 am 7 Comments
Categories: fab faves, holidays, the goods
Thursday, December 15

Frost Bite Mocktail

Today I made my first cocktail. Okay, it was a mocktail. But I still got to use a shaker. Which feels cool, people. Even if you’re just mixing up a mocktail for your kids.

Sierra Mist contacted me recently about doing two sponsored posts involving cocktails and mocktails made with Sierra Mist Natural, a new drink that contains only real sugar, no artificial ingredients and 100% natural flavorings. I thought it would be fun so I decided to give it a go! I’ve honestly always liked Sierra Mist, so I’m happy they now have a natural version. And it’s a great ingredient for mixing up some fun mocktails and cocktails! {Shake, shake, shake! Shake, shake! That’s me with my new shaker. I can’t get enough of that thing.}

For my first post I tried out one of Sierra Mist Natural’s mocktail recipes, the Frost Bite (see below). The girls and I had a little mocktail party and we all loved the drink! I like the subtle taste of lime and pineapple, which pairs nicely with the hint of mint. AND, I think I almost got frost bite shaking the cold stainless steel shaker, so the drink is appropriately named.

Without further ado, the recipe! I am going to share a few recipes with you, actually. The one I made was the Frost Bite Mocktail. Like I said, it was YUM. But there is a cocktail version, as well as a mighty delicious-looking martini, too! If you’re looking for even more mixing inspiration, you can “Like” Sierra Mist on Facebook and gain access to a bunch of other great drink recipes.

Frost Bite (Cocktail)
Ingredients:
• 3 oz. Sierra Mist Natural
• 1 oz. Blue Curacao
• 1 oz. Coconut Vodka
• Fresh mint
• 1 oz. Pineapple juice
• Fresh blueberries (optional)

Directions:
1. In a shaker filled with ice, mix coconut vodka and pineapple juice
2. Add blue curacao, fresh mint and blueberries (optional)
3. Shake all ingredients well and strain into a large glass filled with ice
4 . Top with Sierra Mist Natural
5. Garnish with fresh blueberries for a holiday twist (optional)

Frost Bite (Mocktail)
Ingredients:
• 3 oz. Sierra Mist Natural
• 2 oz. of White grape juice
• Fresh blueberries
• Fresh mint
• 1 oz. Pineapple juice
• 1 oz. Lime juice
Directions:
1. In a shaker filled with ice, mix fresh lime juice and pineapple juice
2. Add white grape juice, mint and blueberries
3. Shake all ingredients well and strain into a large glass filled with ice
4. Top with Sierra Mist Natural
5. Garnish with fresh blueberries for a holiday twist (optional)

Meet Me At The Mist-letoe…Martini (Cocktail)
Ingredients:
• 2 oz. Sierra Mist Natural
• 1 ½ oz. Raspberry Vodka
• 3 Leaves fresh basil
• ½ oz. Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. Blueberry juice

Directions:
1. In a glass, muddle two basil leaves and lime juice, then add to shaker filled with ice
2. Add raspberry vodka and blueberry juice to the shaker; shake well and strain into a martini glass
3. Top with Sierra Mist Natural
4. Garnish with a basil leaf for decoration (optional)

Meet Me At The Mist-letoe…Martini (Mocktail)
Ingredients:
• 2 oz. Sierra Mist Natural
• 1 ½ oz. Raspberry juice
• 3 Leaves fresh basil
• ½ oz. Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. Blueberry juice

Directions:
1. In a glass, muddle two basil leaves and lime juice, then add to a shaker filled with ice
2. Add raspberry and blueberry juice to the shaker; shake well and strain into a martini glass
3. Top with Sierra Mist Natural
4. Garnish with a basil leaf for decoration (optional)

Next week I’ll share an original mocktail recipe created by yours truly (now that I have a shaker, I am a mixologist after all) and a giveaway you won’t want to miss!

Tell me, did I make the right choice going with the Frost Bite Mocktail? I think so…but the Meet Me at the Mist-letoe Martini is starting to call my name…might have to get that shaker out again!

Merry Mixing!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 5:33 pm 10 Comments
Categories: holidays, Recipes, sweet things, the goods