Chicken with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

www.cobornsblog.com - Family, Friends & Food with Jayne

Jayne

Welcome back! I’ve said it time and time again, I’m a busy woman. When I get home from work I don’t always have time to spend hours in the kitchen, and I have a feeling there are those of you out there who feel the same. So, I came across this quick 30 minute meal that I just had to share. It’s not only quick, but it is delicious and a nice healthy meal I can feed my family in under a half an hour. Try it and comment to my blog, I would love to hear what you think!

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Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Chicken with Asparagus

Jayne

One of my favorite things when looking through recipes or cookbooks are entrees that take less than 30 minutes to make and serve. When I found one I’m all over it. Well I found one the other day that peaked my interest and when I made it the recipe was not only a WOW but is now on my list for top favorites especially if you love sundried tomatoes and basil pesto which I personally love to devour. So here is a great 30-minute meal that you and your family can enjoy and it’s great for those weeknight meals when you don’t have a lot of time.

Pesto Chicken with Veggies

Just to add more excitement to this dish I added some flavored rice along with it and it pushed it over the edge! I know not only will I be saving myself some time with it being such an easy quick recipe but I am going to enjoy it several times because I love it!!

See you in a couple weeks, Enjoy!

Jayne
Coborn’s, Inc. Merchandising Specialist Team Manager – Bakery & DeliSave

Simply Delicious Citrus Glazed Salmon

Simply Delicious Citrus Glazed Salmon - cobornsblog.com

www.cobornsblog.com - Family, Friends & Food with Jayne

Jayne

It’s the first of the year where we set our new resolutions and start those dreaded diets. I actually look forward to starting a diet because I know the results always make me feel so much better and I have so much more energy. Continue reading

A quick look at the Coborn’s Full Service Meat Case

A Quick Look at the Coborn's Full Service Meat Case - cobornsblog.com

Kevin C.Hi, I’m Kevin. I have been part of the Coborn’s team for over 30 years. I am lucky to hold the current role as Merchandising Specialist Team Manager for Meat and Seafood. I truly do have a passion is Meat and Seafood. I am fortunate enough to be able to assist our guests with selecting their meal solutions and have the privilege of leading our outstanding meat teams to do the same in our many locations.

When I am not at work I enjoy time spent with my family, cooking, watching the many sports that our children play, and the great outdoors. I am excited to now be blogging for Coborn’s so I can help educate you on the products and services we offer in our meat department, share recipes, ideas, tips and more every month. So I hope you come back and check out “The Meat Block” the first Thursday of each month.

Our Full Service Meat & Seafood Counters

For my first blog I would like to talk to you a little about our full-service meat cases that we offer.  Whether serving two or twenty, our service meat and seafood counters are your one-stop-shop, that offers meal solutions for all occasions. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Wide Variety of Meats

Coborn's Local Butcher Favorites - cobornsblog.com

Our great teams of meat experts put together one of the best displays of meat and seafood for you to choose from every day. Did you know that if you prefer a special cut of meat, our team will cut it for you right then and there. Don’t be afraid to ask, that is what they are there for. However we always have a complete line of steaks, chops, bratwurst, and Four Brothers gourmet beef patties available for a quick stop.

Ready Cook Entrées

Coborn's Dinner Solutions - cobornsblog.com

We understand that many of our guests have very busy lives so we strive to have fresh, never frozen options for you with out ready-to-cook entrées. From the gourmet encrusted chicken, stuffed chops and roasts, to the bacon wrapped top sirloin, the options are endless. All of these entrées are prepared fresh in our meat department every morning, now that’s what I call fresh!

Come talk to us, we don’t bite!

Our local meat teams take pride in what they do and are always anxious to help you plan your next meal. Please take the time to introduce yourself and don’t be afraid to ask any one of our meat specialists for that quick suggestion on how to make that next steak or roast to perfection. Always, feel free to ask our butchers to cut that extra thick steak to your liking. We do the little things to make sure your life a bit easier.

Kevin
Merchandising Specialist Team Manager for Meat and Seafood

 

Slow Cooker Quinoa

Slow Cooker Quinoa - cobornsblog.com/cheryl

A Natural Approach with Cheryl - www.cobornsblog.com

Cheryl

I’ve thought a lot about this blog. Slow Cooker Quinoa has kind of had me stumped.

Quinoa was the subject of my first blog over two years ago. I didn’t want to go down that same research based path again. I’ve already told you about its origins and stellar nutritious powers. Also, I don’t do a whole lot of crock pot cooking anymore. Crock pots and slow cookers are a great appliance when preparing food for families and pot lucks. Cooking for one and crock pots don’t really go together.

I have a small 1.5 quart crock pot that is a pretty, bright yellow, so I pulled it out and set it on my kitchen counter hoping its cheery look would inspire me. It didn’t. So I left. It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday in October with temperatures hitting the low seventies, not a day to be inside making up recipes. Also it was a perfect day to work on my biggest project.

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Quiche’n It Real

Quiche'n It Real!

Brandon

Brandon

Let me start out by saying, this is NOT an egg bake. Granted, there are eggs in it, and you do bake it – but it won’t be tasting anything like an omelet. This French inspired dish screams brunch and tastes amazing with a smooth velvety texture. It’s pretty awesome, and won’t cost much to make. In fact, I saved a ton using all Food Club products and the taste still surpasses any quiche I’ve ever had.

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How to Ice a Cake with Roll Fondant

How to Ice a Cake with Roll Fondant

www.cobornsblog.com The art of Cakes with Amanda

Amanda

Time to get fancy! Let’s talk fondant. Get out your rolling pin and nonstick mat and prepare those arm muscles for a little work out. I’ve included a little video to see the process but let’s also discuss the process from supplies to cake.

First thing you’ll need, a few special supplies. A cake, lightly iced. When you put the fondant on top it can get a bit too squishy and create a mess if your frosting is too thick. I’m going to be covering an 8” round, double layered, cake. I used 1 lb. of fondant to cover my cake but you could use a little more to give yourself a little wiggle room when covering. You should also have a fondant smoothing tool, a paddle like looking device, and a nonstick silpat mat for rolling on. Most important you need a rolling pin. I like a big heavy rolling pin for the job. You’ll also need to sprinkle powdered sugar, I like to use a shaker for this, but you could do it by hand too. I also like to use a pizza cutter for trimming my cake. It will roll smoothly around the cake. I don’t use a knife, those I keep far away from the silpat mat. Any knicks or cuts you leave behind when using a blade will show up forever after when you roll out fondant.

Ok, now to get rolling. If you want to color your fondant go ahead and do that first, then cover it up to keep it from getting crusty. Next I base ice my cake and then keep it close as I go back to start on the fondant again.

Knead your fondant, a lot. Keep kneading until it feels silky and smooth. Your hands should warm it up and make it pliable. The more you knead it the better your fondant covering experience will go. If your fondant feels dry and stiff, keep kneading. There should be a little stretch. Once it’s warmed up you can start rolling it out.

SuppliesDust your mat with powdered sugar and place your flattened ball of fondant in the center of the mat. I usually squish it out a little into the shape I want, a circle or a square. Dust the top a little with powdered sugar then start rolling. Keep rolling and rolling. Work the fondant into the shape you want. Rotate your pin, rotate the fondant. If it gets too oval or rectangular don’t be afraid to stretch back into the shape you want with your hands. Covering your cake will be easier if you can keep your fondant in a shape relatively similar to your cake. Keep checking the thickness. Give a little more muscle to the parts that are thicker. It can be tempting to use a thick a slab of fondant on your cake in the excitement of covering your cake, but be patient. A thick slab isn’t going to taste good and can squish your cake down creating slouching and puckering after an hour or so. Go thin. Shoot for about ¼” or less for a typical cake, but a little on the thicker side of that for a shaped cake to allow for stretching.

Now that you are at your desired thickness and size you are ready to cover. How big should it be? The height of your cake x 2, plus the width of the top. Then add a couple inches to allow for fidgeting and fussing.

You want to do the next steps in one, uninterrupted step. Don’t answer the phone, don’t stop for a snack. The fondant is already drying and getting a skin and if you walk away it will wrinkle and tear when you try to do anything with it, then you get to start all over.

Move your iced cake over next to your fondant slab. There are many way and tricks to picking up fondant. I don’t use them. I just pick it up like a pizzeria guy. Do it quick, yet gentle, and keep the fondant moving and you shouldn’t get any tears. If you stand around thinking with it draped over your fingers, yes, it will get deformed, but why are you just standing there? Place your fondant over the cake. There should be a little moisture left in the frosting to make it stick. If you think you are going to take more than 15 minutes to roll out your fondant covering your cake wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Lay your fondant across the top, let the sides drape down. Use your hand to smooth out the fondant from the middle to the outside. Then use your smoothing tool to briskly rub the surface. Apply pressure, just enough to work out any air bubbles. Try to work from the middle to the outside to move out any bubbles. Work quickly; your sides are starting to firm up.

Now for the tricky part, the sides. You need to start smoothing the fondant to the frosting. Work in small areas, going in a circle around your cake. You Using Fondant Icingdon’t need to stick it all at once. Imagine there are horizontal lines on your cake, about an 1 or so apart, just work from the top imaginary ring down to the next. By the time you get to the bottom half you’ll need to gently tug and stretch at the fondant to avoid the folds and pleats. Keep moving, keep working at it, and keep being patient. Smooth as you go to avoid air bubbles.

Once you have your cake covered you can trim the excess off from around the bottom with your pizza cutter. Now pick up your smoother again and start rubbing all over. At this point you are trying to polish the fondant up. Rub out any ripples, move any air bubbles down and out. If you have any stubborn bubbles you can poke a small hole with a thin pin and let the air out. This will leave a hole, but sometimes it’s worth the trade off on stubborn bubbles.

Congratulations! You did it! You have a smooth fondant cake. Have fun dressing it up from this point. You can paint it, stick fondant to it, and quilt it. And don’t forget the important part, you can eat it.

Amanda
Coborn’s Cake Decorator
Sartell, MN – Pine Cone Road

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www.cobornsblog.com - The Art of Cakes with Amanda