Friday, September 14, 2012

A Peek at Tempurpedic + My Favorite Egg Recipe

This week I was invited to check out the new Tempurpedic store at the Natick Mall along with my friend Renee from Eat Live Blog. The timing worked out great - an 8:00 am breakfast event is probably the best time I could think of these days. As a work outside the house-graduate student mom, free time is pretty non-existent. When I'm home, I like to be totally focused on enjoying time with my little guy before he is no longer little. So squeezing in a fun event before work was a great opportunity!

In celebration of opening their first retail store, Tempurpedic organized an event entitled "Breakfast in Bed with Barbara Lynch!" We couldn't technically eat in the beds, but we did get a chance to relax and sink into the beds before we enjoyed a fresh and delicious spread.


I remember mattress shopping when I graduated from college and moved into my first apartment. I had been sleeping on a twin extra-long with an egg crate topper for the past four years, so any mattress was a treat after that! But the shopping experience was stressful - being followed around by a salesperson trying to upsell me.

The feeling in the Tempurpedic was the opposite - soft lighting, inviting bed set-ups, and teddy bears. They explained to us that if you didn't want to interact with a sales person you didn't have to. Each bed set-up included a short video discussing the benefits and features of the product. You could also test out the features of the Ergo Base - think lifting your head to watch TV and a massage feature.



The store is a way for consumers to test the feel of the different Tempurpedic mattresses and pillow styles and to educate consumers about the difference between Tempurpedic and other mattresses. The Touch & Feel wall was a fun way to see the difference between the different Tempurpedic styles.


The store also stocks a number of complementary products like teddy bears, pillows, slippers, and dog beds. In addition they are testing out some home products like scented candles and lotions called Nest. 





At this point a new mattress isn't in the budget for us, but having another option to test out mattresses will be great when the time comes. Tempurpedic plans to open another store outside of Cinncinnati soon, with more on the way. From meeting the head of sales, the digital marketing manager, to the in-store salespeople you could tell that they were passionate about their products. A quick look at the Tempurpedic website will give you a look at their history and mission.

Thanks to Renee for inviting me along, and thank you to Tempurpedic for a delicious "breakfast next to bed" before work!

For those times when you have to make your own breakfast here's one of my favorites - baked eggs! This dish was a staple in our breakfasts growing up. It's easy enough to make anytime and can be dressed up for company. Pair it with bagels and lox, fresh fruit and a steaming cup of coffee and you have the perfect morning treat!



Baked Eggs
Note: This is for a 9x12 baking dish. There is a little bit of 'eyeballing' measurements here

1-1/2 dozen eggs
4-8 oz cream cheese - softened for easier blending
Milk proportionate to eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Put these ingredients in a blender or mixer and blend on medium until frothy

At this point you could fold in shredded cheese and then gently hand mix

If you want other ingredients in your baked eggs, such as sauteed spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, bacon, salami,lox etc...Optional seasonings can be sauteed with additional ingredients (dill, oregano, basil, chives). Prepare those separately and then put into the greased baking dish.

Pour egg mixture on top.  You can top off with additional cheese

Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes or until puffy and golden brown and all liquid in the center is cooked.



I was invited to attend this event and enjoyed a complimentary breakfast while browsing the store. I was not obligated to write a post, but was given a free Tempurpedic pillow for writing a post. As always, my opinions are my own. 

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Summer Evenings: Chilled Asparagus Soup from Mom

My mom is the the master of the "take whatever is in the fridge and make a fantastic meal". Her creations are always creative, unique, and of course delicious. She sent me this recipe last week for a flavorful summer soup that can be served hot or cold, depending on your mood. Enjoy!

Last night I made asparagus soup.  It was delicious hot and very refreshing as a chilled soup garnished with a ring of sweet red pepper, a dollop of sour cream and garnished with lemon zest!



Ingredients
6 cups of water
1 dozen asparagus stalks
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 tsp of chicken flavored "Better than Bouillon" soup base (Or, substitute chicken broth for the water if you don't have this)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut asparagus in 1-1/2 inch pieces. Chop onion and garlic
Put water Into a 4 quart pot
Add all ingredients
Cook on a medium heat setting for an hour until asparagus is tender.

At this point the soup can be served hot. It will have the asparagus pieces.

To prepare for a chilled soup, reserve some of the cooked asparagus tips to use for a garnish. Use a hand blender to puree the warm soup.  Chill soup for several hours or overnight.

For garnish
Sweet red bell pepper
1 lemon
Sour cream
Asparagus tips 

To serve, ladle soup into a bowl. Top with red pepper sliced in rings or chopped pieces, a teaspoon/ dollop of sour cream. Add lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice onto the soup. 


The chilled soup could also benefit from some chopped fresh basil as a garnish. 

Served hot you could add baked croutons  and top with shredded carrots for a colorful garnish. 

Thanks for dinner Mom!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Like an Old Friend in the Kitchen: The Mom 100 Cookbook


I am embarrassed that it has taken so long to write this review. As part of a Boston Brunchers event I received a complimentary copy of The Mom 100 Cookbook by Katie Workman. When I first got the book I thought it was not the book for me – it was for someone who didn’t know their way in the kitchen, couldn’t cook without a recipe or make an easy dinner. I set it aside and left it for a little while.

Then, one night at dinner I started reading it and was impressed with the tips, tricks, and ideas in the introduction section. I decided to pick a few recipes and give them a try. The hubby called out a few page numbers and with a few adjustments for title pages and pictures we were on our way.

After trying a few recipes, I can now say that I feel like this book is a well-loved old standby in the kitchen. Sure, I can whip up a dinner creation on my own, but sometimes you just want someone else to do all the thinking for you. The great thing about these recipes is that they are fantastic as they are but also lend themselves to variation.  In the few months that I have had the book I find myself going back to it often to try out something new.

Honey Hoisin Tofu


Some of the recipes did have me wanting to deviate from the instructions. Instead of splattering oil with pan-fried chicken tenders I put them in the oven to bake. The enchiladas were amazing but I might make them into a casserole next time to eliminate the filling and rolling. However some of the extra steps were well worth the effort – like the homemade enchilada sauce that topped the individually rolled enchiladas.

I love that there are pictures of every dish in the book.


Here are a few photos of dishes that we’ve tried and loved so far. For recipes and other great information visit the website for the book at http://www.themom100.com/,


Broiled Miso Cod Fingers (left)
Lemon Chicken (right)

The sauce on the lemon chicken was so good I wished that I had made three times the sauce to pour over rice, noodles, vegetables or almost anything like Katie mentions in the intro to this recipe.

This book will be great as the little guy starts asking for more than pureed peas, carrots, and bananas!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Workman Publishing in conjunction with a Boston Brunchers event. We had a delightful brunch with the author Katie Workman at Scollay Square. Brunch was on the house (except for the tip we left the servers).

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