Author Archives: Lisa Hardiman

Here are all the posts written by this author. Click each title below to access the entire post.

May 13, 2008 – 12:01 am

Don’t miss the Bon AppĂ©tit Top 100

from Bon Appetit magazine
On May 13th, Bon AppĂ©tit launches their new website, and the most interesting feature for those of you who are “foodies” is that it focuses on the Top 100 recipes from over 50 years of the magazine. Yes, these “100 Dishes you need to know right now” are their favorite, Test Kitchen-approved (and reader-rated) seasonal recipes of all time.

So, check out bonappetit.com on Tuesday, May 31th. The recipes, according to the Editor-in-Chief, will vary with season and keep you up to date on what is hot and what is not in the food world. You will know first hand what will wow your guests at your next party!

Of course, we at Let’s Dish! will be watching this new website as well as other foodie favorites on the web closely to incorporate fresh new culinary ideas along with the “tried and true” into our monthly menus, so you can say, “bon appĂ©tit!” at your very own dinner table.

Click to continue reading “Don’t miss the Bon AppĂ©tit Top 100″

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May 4, 2008 – 4:00 am

Make Your Mom’s Day Even Brighter

The Dish On…Top 5 Ways Let’s Dish! can make your Mom’s Day even brighter:
Buy a Let’s Dish! Gift Card(small space)

5. Cook Mom dinner! With help from Let’s Dish!, anyone can be an expert chef (yes, even your husband)!

4. Get Mom a Gift Card from Let’s Dish!. Guaranteed she’ll eat it up (so to speak).

3. Make your Mother’s Day brunch special (and especially easy). Pick up our popular and delicious French Toast Peach Cobbler (featured on WBAL-TV’s Sunday Brunch) from our Ready Made case. Or, dish up a Florentine Egg BFree Meals for New Moms Iconake, currently on the Let’s Dish! menu.

2. Send your Mom some meals with our new DishDelivery service.

1. If you’re a new mom, stop by our store and get a FREE Ready Made meal! No purchase and no obligation. Offer applies to anyone who became a mom (or became a mom again) in 2008. Click here for more details and be sure to pass it on!

Lisa’s Signature

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Recommended Links:

> FREE Dinner for New Moms: Click to find out more!
> Buy Mom a Let’s Dish! Card
> View the Let’s Dish! menu
> See how you can always save time and money with Let’s Dish!
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Click to become a Let’s Dish! “fan” on Facebook!
Show the world you’re a fan of Let’s Dish! and enjoy exclusive offers through Facebook, the Internet’s most popular social networking site.

Posted in Family Matters, The Dish On | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
April 12, 2008 – 5:00 am

We Recommend: Fruits and Veggies

Here’s a different take on “Fresh Ideas” - a great article on that issue of which type of fruits and veggies you should choose. We’ve discussed this before on Food for Thought but it never hurts to get a fresh reminder (sorry - couldn’t help the pun)!

link-post-icon.gifFruits and Veggies: Fresh, Canned, or Frozen?
By Christine McKinney, M.S., R.D., C.D.E

Lisa’s Signature

RELATED POSTS:
> Fruit juice vs. whole fruit: which should I choose?
> Pop Quiz: Test your knowledge of nutrients?

Posted in Healthy Living, We Recommend | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
March 23, 2008 – 6:00 am

A trip to the moon(pie) - yum!

Moonpie cookiesIf you’re still wondering about moonpies after my last post on starting a Family Book Club, here’s the answer!  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, a favorite site to try new things.

Chef’<p><p>s hat icon Southern Moon Pies

SUBMITTED BY: Jody Crout

“Now you can make this Southern favorite at home. Full of chocolate and marshmallow goodness! Vanilla extract may be substituted with coconut or mint extract.”


Original recipe yield: 2 dozen pies About scaling and conversions

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup marshmallow creme

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Click to continue reading “A trip to the moon(pie) - yum!”

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March 21, 2008 – 6:00 am

Family Book Club: A Literary & Culinary Adventure

Ever thought of creating a Family Book Club? It’s a great activity for the whole family - and you would be amazed at how you can bring food into it!

As I embarked on this culinary adventure with Let’s Dish!, I had no idea where it would take me. I have spent many hours thinking about food in all different ways, not just in new and exciting flavors but also in how food touches us in our lives and how we can make it a lifetime adventure for ourselves and our children.

One thing you should know about me is that I love to read.

Click to continue reading “Family Book Club: A Literary & Culinary Adventure”

Posted in Culinary Inspiration, Family Matters, Most Popular Posts, We Recommend | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
March 18, 2008 – 6:00 am

Go Global with Epicurious…

Culinary Adventures aren’t limited to Let’s Dish!

As I sit at my computer contemplating all the many places I would like to visit in the next few years (naturally inspired by our culinary adventure menu this month at Let’s Dish!), I happened onto Epicurious’s website. I was delighted to see that they too have embarked on a global journey via food.

Check out Chef Paul Flynn’s Modern Irish Recipes for some “St. Patrick’s Day” inspirations, learn about the secrets of Indonesian cooking, find several mole recipes, travel to Middle East for Persian and Moroccan food.

Click to continue reading “Go Global with Epicurious…”

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March 14, 2008 – 6:00 am

Plan a weekly “geography” dinner!

Risk-free culinary adventures with Let’s Dish!Are your seatbelts still fastened? Are you still with us? Have you learned anything new so far on your culinary adventures with Let’s Dish!? Speaking of learning something new, here is a great way to get the whole family on board and involved on this little adventure we are taking…

Pick one night each week (”say Tuesdays”) for “Geography” Dinner. This will be a great way to teach your family - and maybe even yourself - a few new things.

To prepare for your dinner, pick a country or a culture for the week (take turns letting different family members pick the country or put a bunch of names in a hat, and draw one out each week).

Click to continue reading “Plan a weekly “geography” dinner!”

Posted in Culinary Inspiration, Family Matters, Just for Fun, Most Popular Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
March 10, 2008 – 11:00 am

Around the world in 17 dishes!

Risk-free culinary adventures with Let’s Dish!When talking through menu “themes” for Let’s Dish! in 2008, the idea of a culinary adventure was exciting to us.

I am curious…it’s my nature…What do you think? Is it too different for your family or do you see this as fun and exciting? A change from the everyday?We will return to our regular menu selections in the future months - June and July’s menu will focus on meals to take on vacation. May will have meals that are easy to make and take on the “go” as I know most of us are running around with sporting events, graduation parties, end of school activities, weddings.

Click to continue reading “Around the world in 17 dishes!”

Posted in Culinary Inspiration | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (5)
March 5, 2008 – 6:00 am

How to introduce new foods to children

So, you want to take your family on a risk-free culinary adventure - how do you begin?

Well, it’s no different than taking an actual trip … you don’t just find yourself at the destination. Before you go, you determine where you want to go, what sights you want to see, how you’re going to spend your time and money there, and more. Introducing new foods to your family - whether it is chimichurri or cauliflower - should be planned as well.

First, let’s review the tips from yesterday’s post:

Culinary Inspiration from Let’s Dish!How to introduce new foods to children
(and maybe that picky adult too):

  • Introduce a new food in a neutral manner.

Click to continue reading “How to introduce new foods to children”

Posted in Culinary Inspiration | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (4)
March 4, 2008 – 4:00 am

Itinerary for Your Culinary Adventures

Risk-free culinary adventures with Let’s Dish!This month at Let’s Dish! we decided to go on a “culinary adventure.”

Even at our mid-Atlantic headquarters this meant something different to each and every one of us. To me, it meant trying the latest thing from Timbuktu. To Alexa, it meant introducing a new flavor to her kids that they might not have yet tried. And to some it meant, “Oh, dear, will my family eat this month?”.

After talking to many, I feel like March’s menu really does accomplish everything… it explores new places, new tastes - and yes, still helps you get dinner on the table.

Click to continue reading “Itinerary for Your Culinary Adventures”

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February 24, 2008 – 12:30 pm

Fruit juice vs. whole fruit: which should I choose?

When Alexa and I went on WBAL for Sunday Brunch, one of the topics we discussed was fruit vs. fruit juice.  In today’s post, Lisa follows up on the issue with some quick guidance on the difference in healthfulness between fruit and fruit juice:

QuestionsLisa, does fruit juice count as one of your dialy servings of fruit?
And, is drinking fruit juice just as hearth healthy as eating fruit?

AnswersFruit juice is only a serving of fruit IF it is 100% fruit juice.
So, be sure to read the label to make sure the juice is 100% fruit juice, not a fruit “cocktail” or juice “drink” as some of those only contain as little as 2% fruit juice.

Click to continue reading “Fruit juice vs. whole fruit: which should I choose?”

Posted in Healthy Living, Heart Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
February 16, 2008 – 5:00 am

Pop Quiz: Test your knowledge of nutrients!

QuestionsHere’s a little pop quiz that will help you make the grade when it comes to good nutrition!  We’ve tried to be sneaky, so you’ll first see the three questions.  Then, you can scr…o…ll… down for the answers!
    

POP QUIZ:

1)  Which of the following foods contains the most fiber?

A) ½ cup baked beans
B) A turkey sandwich made with whole grain bread
C) 1 prepared package of instant oatmeal
D) 1 cup of fresh, whole strawberries

2)  Which nutrient do Americans obtain the least of in their daily diet?

3)  What mineral found in servings of fruits and vegetables can help mitigate the effects of sodium in your diet?

OK, pencils down…

Click to continue reading “Pop Quiz: Test your knowledge of nutrients!”

Posted in Healthy Living, Heart Health | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)
January 25, 2008 – 7:00 am

What to do with really ripe fruits? Don’t throw them away!

Did you make a resolution to eat better this year? I know I make it every year but here is my own quick tip to help you and a recipe to make it really work!

I often will find that we don’t get to our bananas fast enough (actually my kids like them at only a certain stage and too many brown spots won’t do.) I throw them in the freezer (they turn really brown but are great for banana bread) and when I have 3 or more, I bake up this banana bread (the kids love to help).

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January 19, 2008 – 9:30 am

Enjoy more time with family and friends (and this recipe for an easy treat)!

I love Let’s Dish!, we have used you in the past when going on vacation with friends so instead of having to plan for meals we pre-pack them and enjoy time together instead of time in the kitchen.
- Kristin Long of Organizational Specialists Inc.,
www.organizationalspecialists.com

As we head into MLK weekend, you may have a little extra free time.  We thought this tip was a good one to post today - you might get some ideas for the long weekend!

Even as an co-owner of Let’s Dish!, it wasn’t until 3 summers ago I brought Let’s Dish! on vacation with me.

Click to continue reading “Enjoy more time with family and friends (and this recipe for an easy treat)!”

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January 8, 2008 – 6:00 am

Focus on your favorite recipes. (And here’s a new one from Let’s Dish!.)

Do you find yourself looking through note cards, torn-out newspaper or magazine recipes to find your favorite one to make? Here is a tip about organizing in the kitchen. Most people have a container to hold their recipes whether it be a file card holder or accordion file as I have. But the problem comes when I try to find one particular recipe out of all the ones I save. I have my recipes divided into categories that the accordion file made up, so that is a help. But I have too many!

So, here’s the idea: keep only the ones you use most often in the kitchen and bundle the rest into an envelope and store them elsewhere.

Click to continue reading “Focus on your favorite recipes. (And here’s a new one from Let’s Dish!.)”

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