No trick: Free Black Jack Taco from Taco Bell on Halloween

Hey Mommas, you know the craziness that abounds when trying to get the kids fed on Halloween night. Well, as you're making your way out the door, head over to Taco Bell and get your little ghosts and goblins a free Black Jack Taco from 6 p.m. to midnight on Halloween.

Baby food recalled by Plum Organics

Plum Organics, a California-based baby and toddler food company, announced a voluntary recall of its Apple & Carrot Baby Food in Portable Pouches. The company is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the recall. No illnesses have been reported.

According to Plum, the food was sold nationally at Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores and has a best by date of May 21, 2010. The UPC number is 890180001221. Even if the product looks fine, parents are urged not to give it to babies. If you purchased the Apple & Carrot baby food,  you can return it for a full refund at any Toys-R-Us or Babies-R-Us store.

-- Sherry Robinson

[Photo: Plum Organics]

Cat Cora cooks for family at Disney's new restaurant

Celebrity chef Cat Cora shifts her son to her opposite hip as she introduces one of her dishes at the grand opening of  “Kouzzina by Cat Cora” at Disney’s Boardwalk. Her other three sons are at the large table in front of her, sleeping soundly in a stroller or being played with by the many family members gathered together for her big day. The toddler tries to reach for his mommy’s microphone as she laughs that this is how we Moms all cook -- surrounded by and for our families with babies on our hips.

Over a steaming plate of Cinnamon Stewed Chicken, Cat explains that this dish was a family favorite when she was growing up, and that it was the special meal request for birthdays and holidays. Cat’s mother nods in agreement as she stops by each table to greet the guests. She steals a piece of cheese from a diner’s plate, “That’s real Mizithra cheese! That’s great!” I want her to adopt me.

The Mediterranean-inspired menu was designed by Cora and incorporates some of the dishes her close-knit Greek family of restaurateurs cooked in her childhood home of Mississippi. On it you’ll find some Greek staples but presented in Cora’s clean and simple style. The Greek salad is a familiar flavor, but instead of iceberg lettuce -- which climate-ly defies the Mediterranean region -- it is served over arugula which lifts the salad up to the peppery place it belongs. When you plunge your fork through the fluffy and crispy top of the Pastitsio -- a Greek lasagna -- the unmistakable scent of cinnamon wafts cheerfully from the soufflé cup. There are mini lamb burgers, oven-baked Gigantes beans, Spanakopita and of course, Baklava. She even has sautéed Brussels sprouts which she promises won’t be the disasters we ate growing up, (I thought my mother ruined my palate for sprouts from Brussels, Brazil or Belize) and indeed she even makes those tasty.

While it may not be Cat herself in the Kouzzina’s kitchen every night  -- after all, she is quite busy back in California with her own wine label (Coronation), serving as the executive chef at Bon Appétit, and that whole being the only female on Iron Chef -- you can certainly taste her talented and delicious presence in every single dish on the menu. Kouzzina, which means kitchen in Greek, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers a child’s menu as well.

But that’s not what makes the restaurant kid-friendly.

It’s the restaurant’s dedication to encouraging people to sit down for long, loud meals together over delicious food and drink that makes it so family friendly. 

-- Tracey Henry, the Suburban Diva

[Associated Press of celebrity cher Cat Cora and her new best friend Mickey Mouse]

Gawd, I hate packing lunches

Am I the only person that despises the school lunch box? I'm not sure where this aversion comes from, but I think it comes from my own school days when I had to pack a lunch while all the cool kids got to buy theirs in the cafeteria. Back then it was much cheaper to pack the lunch. Seeing all the prepackaged drinks, chips and Lunchables coming out of boxes in our cafeteria, I think that price difference has flipped. It's only a couple bucks to buy the school lunch.

But alas, my kids hate the cafeteria food, so I'm back on lunchbox duty until the younger one is big enough to hand this duty off to. I have no creativity when it comes to this. It's pretty much PB&J or turkey sandwiches, some pretzels or Wheat Thins, some fruit, a drink and something sweet, usually a granola bar. I think that's a pretty good lunch. But not every. single. day. I'm in need of some better ideas.

I will offer this tip to make your lunch packing go fast by investing in some extra time at the beginning of the week. Get a big bag of pretzels and bag up 4-5 of them for the week. Get a big bag of grapes and cube up some melon and make 5 bags of fruit to tote along in the lunchbox. Take a tip from the Uncrustables people and freeze peanut butter sandwiches. I will make 3-4 of them at once and freeze the rest. They freeze beautifully and thaw out by lunch time. 

--Sharon Kennedy Wynne

[Jupiterimages]

Your cell phone can do more than call for reservations

Jane Jetson’s push button dinners have nothing on your cell phone. While it may not beat Rosie the Robot pulling out a Chateaubriand from her metal apron, your mobile phone can now help you get a healthy and delicious meal on the table.

The folks at BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com have a streamlined version of the site made for your mobile phone. Available for all carriers, simply type in “beef for dinner” into your mobile web browser, and then you can search for a specific beef cut or recipe. Right from the grocery store you can get direct access to the recipes and shopping lists.

For dessert, try downloading the new app from Epicurious.com available for the iPhone. It gives you instant access to over 30,000 food and drink recipes, shopping lists and step by step instructions to follow in the kitchen.

So next time you’re in the grocery store at 5 p.m wondering what to cook tonight, check your cell phone. Dinner’s calling.

(Here’s a time-saver favorite courtesy of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com)

Asian Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1-1/4 pounds boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick
4 cups assorted fresh vegetables, such as sugar snap peas, broccoli florets, bell pepper strips and shredded carrot
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup prepared stir-fry sauce, preferably sesame-ginger flavor
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 cups hot cooked rice
2 tablespoons unsalted dry-roasted peanuts (optional)

Instructions

Cut beef steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4-inch thick strips.
Combine vegetables and 3 tablespoons water in large nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove and drain.
Heat same pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef and 1/2 of garlic; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Remove. Repeat with remaining beef and garlic.
Return all beef and vegetables to pan. Add stir-fry sauce and red pepper; heat through. Spoon over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts, if desired. 

-- Tracey Henry, the Suburban Diva

[Jupiterimages]

Kids eat free at Ikea this weekend through Labor Day

Now here's some stimulus we can all get behind: Go to Ikea, drop the kids in the playroom and get your shop on. And when it's time for lunch, stop in the restaurant and kids ages 12 and younger eat free Saturday through Labor Day (Sept. 5-7). They can select any three kid-sized items to create a meal valued at $2.49. Choices include meatballs, mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, yogurt, cookies, drink and more. There is no adult purchase necessary but it is dine-in only, so obviously, you gotta have a kid with you. Ikea is located at 1103 N 22nd St. in Tampa. Hours are The store is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.Monday.

Mommas, get your free pastry with drink purchase at Starbucks on Tuesday

You know you love the coffee or your skinny latte or whatever drink makes you tick. But this Tuesday from opening until 10:30 a.m., you can also get a free pastry with your tall, grande or venti drink. And it looks like just about every pastry they serve is fair game -- muffins, scones, bagels, croissants, danish, fritters and coffeecakes. Just print out the invitation and you're good to go. So after you drop off the kids at camp, you can relax and enjoy your treat.

-- Sherry Robinson

Do you put your money where your mouth is?

We say we want healthy snack options, but do we support the food companies that are providing them?                                                  

Healthy snacks are like the Mamma Mia! of the food industry, said Ian Kelleher, who heads sales and marketing for the Peeled Snacks, a line of organic dried fruit and nut mixes meant to stave off hunger in a healthy way. The box office smash operated very much like Peeled Snacks in that it went for a neglected demographic in spite of an industry that typically ignores women who say they want quality movies. "On the heels of Mamma Mia's success, I keep expecting to see a bunch of new movies aimed at that same audience being made.  But no, nothing like it seems to be in development," Kelleher said on the company's foodie blog Peeled Skinny.  The people trying to sell healthy snacks know this frustration well when trying to get vendors and groceries to set aside space for them next to the Funyons.                                                                                                   
We tested a batch of the company's snack packets and overall they got good reviews from a variety of women, men and finicky kids. One 10 year old  surprised us by liking the dried plums but the pluot (a cross between a  plum and an apricot) was not a hit. The dried mango, apples and apricots  all had a nice soft, non-leathery quality that surprised us. And the nut and chocolate combos were a hit.                                          

But don't look for your local vending machine to stock this or or another line that caught our attention, Crispy Fruit, which have Crispy Apples,  Crispy Bananas, Crispy Pears and Crispy Pineapples.                      

The Peeled Snacks ($2.49 and $3.49 for the mixes) are in airport shops in Florida, on Jet Blue flights, at Nordstrom stores and this summer its "GoFigure" mix will be in Costco  throughout Florida. Crispy Fruit is available at The Fresh Market, Carmines and Chamberlin’s Market for $1.49 for the single serving size and $7.99 for the six-pack.                  

Maybe like Mamma Mia fans, moms who say they care about healthy snacking  will go out of their way to seek out and support a product they say they want to see more of. My my, how can we resist you?

---Sharon Kennedy Wynne                                                     

                                

Camp recipes needed!

Gory details to follow, but in preparation for an upcoming family vacation, I was hoping to collect some of your tried-and-true camping recipes.

I’ve Googled and gathered some interesting recipes online, but the first test-batch of camp biscuits were only suitable for putting behind the camper’s tires when parked, so I’d be appreciative of any of those great camp-centric meals that your family just loves under a blanket of stars or mosquitoes.

 Leave a comment here or if you’re really shy, you can email me at divamail@suburbandiva.com.

Tracey Henry, Suburban Diva

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Before July 4 grilling, grab a bargain in the meat department

One of the unintended bonuses of this recession can be found in the meat department. Prime cuts of beef that would normally be headed toward restaurants are instead ending up in grocery store cases at discounted prices.

The Fourth of July is the perfect time to grill up some of those deals. According to a recent consumer survey conducted by IPSOS Public Affairs, 74 percent of families plan to spend more time grilling outdoors this summer than in years past.

Chef Dave Zino, executive director of the Culinary Center for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association has some more tips to make your meat dollar go farther.

Double-Duty Meals: Plan ahead and grill enough for a couple of extra meals such as sliced leftovers for salads or sandwiches.This is a tip that my friend Sharon recommends.

‘Tis the Season: “Use rubs made with fresh herbs and garlic to enhance the flavor of naturally tender steaks such as T-bone, top loin (strip) and tenderloin. For less tender steaks such as top round, flank or skirt, a basic marinade incorporating acidic ingredients – wine, vinegar or citrus juices – tenderizes and adds flavor. Marinate the steaks at least six hours – up to 24 hours – to achieve perfect results. When adding seasoning to ground beef, don’t over mix and use a light touch when forming patties.”

Bulk Up: It’s cheaper to buy in bulk. Freeze what you don’t use right away.

Everything in Moderation: Always grill over medium heat to ensure the outside doesn’t burn before the inside is cooked thoroughly. Use a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion, and use tongs to turn the meat, not a fork which can causes juices to escape. Charring isn’t recommended on beef, chicken or fish. For more grilling tips and summertime recipes, check out this helpful site. And if prices should start heading up, and you know they will, check out these tips.

-- Tracey Henry, Suburban Diva