Shelf Reliance Giveaway!

Some of you might already be familiar with Shelf Reliance.  I've already told you how much I LOVE their freeze dried fruits.  My kids think this pineapple is candy!  First of all, if the whole concept of storing food is unfamiliar to you, read this to find out why it's a good idea.  The great thing about Shelf Reliance products, and their Thrive food brand specifically, is that it tastes really good.  It's not just for storing, it's for eating!  They have tons of different foods that are dehydrated or freeze dried.  One of my favorite things to give my little babies when they first start eating solid foods is freeze dried fruits and vegetables.  The process retains the original color, form, size, and taste and makes it so they just melt in your mouth.  My kids love to snack on the strawberries and they're awesome in cereals.  They also have these fun gift baskets that come with everything you need to make something yummy.  I tried out these Raspberry Cake Bars.

I just added water to these freeze dried raspberries and they perked right up.

And where have I been??  I had absolutely no idea that there was such a thing as powdered butter.  I know all about powdered eggs, and I've mentioned before how handy it is to keep them in your kitchen.  I have on many occasions needed eggs and realized at that I was out and powdered eggs save the day.  I love them.  Okay back to butter.  I honestly had never heard of powdered butter and I have to say I was totally impressed.  It tasted like real butter, because it is real butter. I never thought to store powdered butter, but man if I ever had to live off of my stored food, I sure as heck would want butter to be a part of it.  I'm definitely buying some of that.

So for these raspberry bars I used the Thrive butter, flour, sugar, and eggs for a yummy cake layer and then added the reconstituted berries on top.

The final touch is a crumb topping. 

Kind of amazing these were made almost entirely from food storage ingredients!  These gift baskets are also a fun way to sample some Thrive products so check them out.

Now, on to the giveaway!  Shelf Reliance also has some amazing food rotation systems, including a product called the Cansolidator.  I seriously have wanted these for so long!  I am constantly organizing the cans in my pantry- and I have lots of cans.  There are things I always stay stocked up on: chicken and beef broths, black beans, white beans, canned tomatoes, canned pineapple, and sweetened condensed milk just to name a few.  So check this out:

The Cansolidator comes in a variety of sizes and can be adjusted to fit lots of can sizes.  You just pop cans in the top slot and they automatically come out the bottom.  Besides keeping things organized, it creates a system that allows you to always use older cans first.  They're stackable and expandable so you can totally customize your storage system.  Shelf Reliance says, "These food rotation systems were designed to easily store and rotate a large amount of cans. Every food rotation system features patented front-loading technology and fits easily into most storage spaces. Shelf Reliance Food Rotations Systems are customizable and offer a variety of convenient, versatile food organization options."

Cool, right? Well one could be yours!

Giveaway Details

To enter: leave one comment here on this post.  First go check out the Shelf Reliance Site and come back and tell me the thing you'd be most interested in trying.  Or if you've already tried Thrive products, tell us what you love the most!  Entries on Facebook, Twitter, and Email will not be counted.  Click here if you're not sure if you're in the right place!

Make sure you leave an email address if your email is not enabled in your profile.  After being contacted winner has 7 days to respond or another winner will be chosen.  All winners chosen with random.org. 

Winner will be announced on Friday Sept. 10th.

AND if you'd like to go shopping right now, click here for a discount code just for OBB readers!

Garlic Artichoke Dip

So do any of you remember the Thanksgiving episode of Friends where Monica is cooking dinner and Chandler is feigning an interest in football, but all he really wants to do is eat and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Welcome to my life. In high school, I loved going to football games, but once I got to college, I just lost interest.

However.

I get it. I also get the party aspect of things. And since I am all for hanging out with friends and eating yummy food, I happily go along with the football game watching.

This recipe has quickly become a favorite among my friends here in Louisiana, so much so that I've been asked to make it twice within the last week (and asked for the recipe more times than I can count). Since college football season is here, I figured there couldn't be a better to share this dip!

This dip is actually a variation of the Jalapeno Popper Dip that I posted back in January for the Super Bowl. Same bones--mayonnaise, cream cheese, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese--but then I swapped the peppers out for artichoke hearts and added a whole bunch of garlic. Like to the point where someone asked me the other day if I was making garlic bread. And THAT is what makes it so awesome.



Putting it together is super easy--just chop up the garlic and drain and chop those artichokes...



And then mix them up with the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and Parmesan cheese, bake it at 350 for 25 minutes or so, and voila--cheesy, garlicky awesomeness.

Now...I've kicked this healthy eating thing into high gear, so I did NOT need a ton of this stuff lying around my house because it was a disaster waiting to happen. But my artichoke-hating husband loves this stuff, so I wanted to keep a little around for him. Agonizing about how to handle this situation, I discovered these in the section of Walmart with the canning jars and food storage containers:

They were only $1.50 for three small tins and a great way to share the goodness with friends! One recipe will fill about 4 of these bad boys (or 6 if you fill them a little less full) and can actually be baked for pretty much the same amount of time. I wrote the instructions on the plastic lid


and wrapped it in a cute bow. Can you honestly tell me that if someone brought this and a bag of chips over it wouldn't brighten your day?



Which brings up an interesting point of debate: what do you serve this with?

I love, love, love it with slices of bread (sourdough baguette, if you want to get particular), but others swear by tortilla chips. I've even spread it on a mini bagel for a little snack before. This time around, I served it with chunks of French bread as well as tortilla chips so people could pick what they preferred.

So what college teams are you cheering for? Or are you like me and just along for the snacks?

Garlic Artichoke Dip

Recipe by Our Best Bites

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese (light works great), softened

1 c. mayonnaise (no Miracle Whip or fat free mayonnaise, although low-fat mayo also works great)

1 c. (packed) shredded Parmesan cheese (try to get a wedge and grate it yourself; the pre-shredded stuff in a bag doesn't melt well)

1 12-oz. jar MARINATED artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

6-7 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix the softened cream cheese with the mayonnaise and shredded Parmesan cheese. Gently add in the chopped artichoke hearts and minced garlic. Place the mixture into a 9" pie plate (or divided evenly among smaller dishes) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until it's lightly browned and bubbly on top. Serve hot with slices of bread and/or tortilla chips.

Lime Coconut Cheesecake

I like making cakes, but it's not something I do very often.  Pretty much when someone's birthday rolls around.  And since I don't do it very often, I take a long time planning them when I do.  My husband had a birthday last week and I had a rich, dark, highly caloric (naturally) chocolate number all planned out in my head.  When it came time to run to the store last minute for ingredients he admitted he had something else in mind.  Hmm...maybe I should have asked the birthday boy for his opinion??  He was right though, it was the middle of August and insanely hot out and he said something cold and citrus-y sounded better.  I thought of cheesecake (cold) and my most favorite citrus (if you don't know that, you need to read this blog more often!) and this beauty was born.  It wasn't until I was actually whipping the cream for the top that I thought to take a cue from my Strawberry-Lime Shortcakes and go with a coconut cream.  We served this for birthday guests with rave reviews.  It's a definite new favorite at our house and I promise you will freak with happiness and joy if you make it.  Seriously. Love.

The crust starts off like any other cheesecake crust with crushed graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter, only this one has a little secret- coconut.

The batter is an easy mix of cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and eggs,

and then it gets a tangy tropical twist with lime zest, 

 and fresh lime juice.  Remember to always zest first and then juice!

Also, below is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, the oxo juicer.  One of my friends told me I should tell you guys about things I love, so here you go!  (I shared another one in this post).  For quick juices, I just use this method, but if you've got a few limes, lemons, or oranges to juice, this is really handy.  The bottom part is a measuring cup so you can measure as you go, and the top flips over with a large side for oranges and grapefruit and bottom is small for limes and lemons.  I use it all the time- love it!

Anyway... spike that cheesecake batter with both lime juice and zest.  I love the little specks of green floating around in there.  Then pour it in the prepared crust.

Now don't be scared of the water bath- it's easy!  Just make sure the bottom of your cheesecake pan is  covered in foil- a few layers.  And then put it in a larger pan.  All you need to do is pour some hot water in the larger pan and you have a water bath.  Now, that being said, if you don't have a large pan to use, or you have deep fears of the water bath, then it's honestly not the end of the world if you don't use one.  It helps the cheesecake to cook evenly and keeps the texture soft, and the top crack free.  But the cheesecake won't be ruined if you don't use it.  It will just get a little more cooked around the edge of the pan and the top may not be as pretty.  But it will still taste amazing.  Just know if you decide to skip it, the baking time will change, so set the timer for about 60 minutes and keep an eye on it.

When the cheesecake comes out it needs to cool completely and then chill overnight.  This cheesecake is super creamy so a thorough chill is key!

When it's ready for the finishing touches, whip up your coconut whipped cream. You'll notice in the pictures my whipped cream looks pretty stiff.  I beat it past the normal soft peak stage so it's firm enough to pipe.  If you don't want to pipe a decorative edge, then you can whip it however you like and just plop it on there if you want.

If you want to do yours like I have pictured, then just spread out about 2/3 of the whipped cream on top and smooth it out with a spoon.

Put the remaining whipped cream in a piping bag (or a ziplock bag or whatever).  I'm using a Wilton 2D tip (the same one I use for my cupcakes, like seen here) and I just went around the edge. 

The sprinkle some toasted coconut on top (click here for a how-to.  On toasting coconut that is, not on sprinkling coconut.  I would hope the latter comes naturally to most of you :)

Garnish with a lime slice or two, or three...

and slice up and enjoy.

I was so happy with the blend of flavors.  The coconut is really subtle; it's more of a lime cheesecake with hits of coconut and it all comes together perfectly.  And the inside is SO creamy.  Ahhh...it's perfection.

Make it.  Eat it.  Love it.

Lime Coconut Cheesecake
Recipe by Our Best Bites

Crust:
2 C graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C sweetened flaked coconut
2 Tbs sugar
6 Tbs butter, melted

Cheesecake:
3 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 C sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
2 Tbs lime zest
1/2 C fresh lime juice (about 4-5 medium limes)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1 C heavy whipping cream
1/2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2-2 tsp coconut extract

1/3 C sweetened flaked coconut, toasted (click here for directions)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover the bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan with a double layer of foil.  Set aside.

Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 C coconut, and melted butter and mix well.  Press evenly into the bottom of the pan and about 1" up the sides.  Place pan in oven and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove and set aside until ready to use.

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice and beat to combine.  Pour batter into prepared crust.  Place spring-form pan into a larger pan, such as a roasting pan and place in center rack in the oven.  Carefully pour hot water into the larger pan until it reaches about half way up the spring form pan.  Bake cheesecake for 75-85 minutes or until center is set and the edges just barely begin to brown.  Leave cheesecake in oven, but turn heat off and crack oven door.  Let sit for 30 minutes and then remove and cool completely on a rack.  When cool to room temp, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

When ready to serve, place cheesecake on serving dish.  Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form and then add powdered sugars and extracts.  Beat until medium peaks form.  Spread whipping cream evenly over cheesecake and sprinkle with toasted coconut.  Garnish with sliced limes if desired.  Slice and serve.