Photo Credit: Mariah Lucrecia Chapman
Tag: recipe
Guest Post – Yogurt Parfait
This is really more of a presentation/serving idea than a recipe, but it is easy!
When I have dinner guests, I always like to serve dessert. Last summer, I was looking for something a little healthier to serve my guests than the usual cake or pie. So, I decided to set up a Yogurt Parfait buffet.
If you want to go very basic, simply spoon a large container of plain yogurt into a serving dish, cut up some strawberries, and place strawberries and blueberries into separate dishes. Do the same with some granola and nuts. I used these large water glasses, and my guests made their own parfaits. In this case, the color combination is great for an Independence Day gathering if you’re in the United States.
One thing I learned – make sure you serve both regular and Greek yogurt (or know your guest’s preference). I served only Greek yogurt and, because it’s not as sweet as regular yogurt, I learned it was not the preference of some of my guests.
In the photo shown, I used organic strawberries and blueberries, because I have been reading how full of pesticides regular strawberries are in the U.S. You can add any kind of fruit or nut you like. You can make it as healthy or decadent as you like (part of the beauty of offering a buffet).
An easy, yummy, and healthy summer dessert!
About the Author: Karla Pitzen’s blog is Hands On Working Mom. She is a Mommy of two, sometimes adorable, sometimes naughty, always loved, little ones. She works full-time outside of the home, and her husband, Bill, stays home with the kiddos. Her blog is about anything and everything related to being a woman in the good old U.S.A.
Guest Post – Southwest Egg Rolls
I invite you all to check out my latest Guest Post on Recipe Chatter!

Game Day Goodies
Its Superbowl Sunday! Time for the big game and big food. Along with the snacks for the pre-game munchies, I made a 7 pound pork roast. Nothing fancy. Just hearty and delicious, fork tender pork ready for game day finger food…tacos.
I dont typically measure when I season large cuts of meat. I usually eyeball it and this time was no different. I took salt, pepper, dried rosemary, and minced dried onion and added it to a large cup. I mixed it well and used it as a dry rub. I took 2 cartons of low sodium Swanson’s chicken broth and poured it into the bottom of my roasting pan. Bright & early at 7 am, this bad boy was popped into a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes before the temp was dropped to 300 degrees.

As it roasted, I brought out the lighter snacks than I normally put out. Its usually sandwiches, wings & lil smokies but this time I kept it small since its just the two of us. Chips, pretzels, dip, salsa, potato salad & veggies. Still a lot to munch on but not nearly as heavy.

After 7 hours and a house filled with the aroma of mouth watering deliciousness, it was time to tear into this juicy beast. I probably should have taken more pics of the tacos and toppings…but its time to grub so use your imagination.

Hope you are all enjoying food, family & fun today.
Happy Superbowl Sunday from Cappuccino Connected!
Test Kitchen – Chef Merito Meat Marinade
Not sure why, but I have always favored dry seasoning over marinades. That’s not to say I have never used a marinade, but the recipes that float around in my head tend to require dry rubs. I wanted to try new flavors and my first venture was a success!
For dinner, I marinated two top sirloin medallions in the meat marinade by Chef Merito. No salt, no pepper. Just the marinade. Frankly, that is all that was needed.
I placed the frozen steaks in a one gallon freezer bag and added enough of the marinade to cover both. I folded the bag over to get as much air out as possible and placed it in my refrigerator to thaw and marinate for a few hours.
I poured the marinade into my pan and added the two steaks. I didn’t add any salt or pepper when I began cooking the steaks because the aroma was already amazing! You can see for yourself, there is plenty of seasoning in the pan. I seared them on both sides, reduced my heat to medium and let them cook til the liquid reduced about half way. It was done in 10 minutes. Depending on the size of your steaks, it could take longer. These were about the size of a deck of cards so it was pretty quick.
I served it over white rice that was pan fried with grapeseed oil and salt before adding water to cook down. The oil allows a nutty flavor to come out that you miss when eating steamed rice.
The marinade is going to be a staple in my pantry for sure. I also have the chicken and fajita marinades now so stay tuned!