Last week The Motherhood hosted one of the most informational live video chats featuring celebrity chef George Duran. I was honored enough to be invited alongside nine other fabulous bloggers to facilitate the discussion centered around one of my favorite topics, GRILLING.  Not only did we get to drool over George’s fabulous Santa Fe Chicken Packets from Ready, Set, Eat that he made live, but we also got to watch him make his favorite recipe submitted by Jennifer from Mom Spotted (link below).  By the end we were drooling all over ourselves.  I realize now why the chat took place at 1pm, just in time for lunch!

George offered us so many tips that it was nearly impossible to remember them all.  Lucky for us the video is embedded above to refresh our memories because I cannot possibly cover them all here.  One of my favorite tips offered involved spraying non-stick spray directly on your burger before putting it on the grill to prevent flare ups and keep your meat from sticking.  How clever is that?  Here are some of my other favorites…

Grillin’ Tips & Tricks

•  Keep a spray bottle handy to spray on flare ups and to create steam for easy clean up.
• Use a large, metal/wired brush for cleaning grates before and after use.
• Use non-stick spray directly on burgers and other meats prior to adding to grill to prevent sticking.  Also on tongs or other grilling tools.
• When grilling corn leave husks on, pre-soaking is not necessary, and cook until husks are well charred.  Let cool 5 minutes.
• Other than hamburgers/hot dogs beginners should try thick veggies (zucchini/summer squash) & thin sliced chicken for quick grilling.
• A cooking mat (Cookina) is recommended when grilling veggies.
• Be creative – stuff the burger with cheese instead of placing on top.

The Bloggers’ Recipes

Amy, Cajun Joie de Vivre: Man Dogs
Caryn, Rockin’ Mama: Greek Style Burgers stuffed with Feta Cheese
Faith, An Edible Mosaic: Pizza Burgers (pictured above)
Jennifer, Mom Spotted: Cheddar Jalapeno Bacon Burgers
Kate, Stolen Moments Cooking: Fiesta Burgers 
Kelly, Kansas City Mamas: KC BBQ Hot Dogs
Lisa, Life with Lisa: Italian Style Hamburgers
Monet, Anecdotes and Apple Cores: Pear and Goat Cheese Frank
Vanessa, The Sew*er, The Caker the Copycat Maker: Surprise Burgers and Grilled Pineapple
Victoria, Veep Veep, Harrison’s Champion Chili Cheese Dogs

On Pinterest

Here’s the board with Ready Set Eat recipes.
Here’s the board with bloggers’ recipes.

Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by ConAgra Foods through The Motherhood.  I was compensated for my participation in this discussion.  Opinions are my own.

With Halloween right around the corner I thought I would ask for some help from my readers.  Every year we throw a Halloween Party and this year I want to add some new things to the agenda.  It’s important for us to enjoy this fun holiday together with family and friends.  It’s the one time of the year where we all can be whoever we want to be.  We already changed our decor and went with a more ghoulish spooky theme instead of the usual whimsical theme, but now we need ideas for activities for the teenagers.   Fanta is supply us with an awesome Halloween Prize Package that should be really easy to utilize, especially the pumpkin carving tools and and lite.  Every year we host a pumpkin carving competition, but what other things can we add?

Another Halloween staple is our Halloween Punch.

Halloween Punch:

Ingredients

• (2) 2-liter Fanta Orange 
• (1) 1/2 gallon of orange sherbet

Directions

• Pour Fanta into a punch bowl and add orange sherbet.

This is quick, easy and a family favorite.  You can be as creative as you wish by freezing FANTA in rubber gloves over night to add to the punch (remove rubber glove next day for a “hand” in the punch bowl effect).  You can also add gummy worms on the outside of the bowl and decorate it.  There are tons of different things you can do to make it personal to your party.

So, what are your favorite Halloween party tips, tricks, and memories?

By answering you will be entered to win one of 15 Halloween Prize Packages (each a $100 value) from Fanta!  Just leave a comment and share…

What to know what you could win?

• $25 Amex Card
• Glow in the Dark Spider Webs
• Inflatable Cooler
• Purple and Orange Lights
• Color Changing Pumpkin Light
• Purple Spider Pint Glass
• Pumpkin Carving Kit
• Blacklight Bulb
• Door Mat Talker

SheSpeaks has teamed up with the Aetna Healthy Food Fight to help spread the message of healthy living and eating in America.

#SSFoodFight Twitter Party Recipe Swap (RSVP)

When: September 15 @ 8pm EST
TweetGrid Dashboard: http://bit.ly/oy4lU9
Follow: #SSFoodFight and @shespeaksup

Will you be joining us tonight for the #SSFoodFight Twitter Party/Recipe Swap tonight?  If you know me you know I love to cook and featuring/sharing recipes is always fun.  Aetna is sponsoring tonight’s party featuring healthy foods in conjunction with their Healthy Food Fight Contest.

HERE’S HOW THE CONTEST WORKS

Submit your Healthy Entree Recipe.

1. Start with one of your own great healthy recipes.
2. Select the region in which you want to compete.
3. Register for the contest, and enter your recipe into our Healthy Recipe Analyzer to determine if it meets the nutritional requirements to be included in the voting for the semi-final cook-off. If your recipe receives a score of C+ or higher, it will be officially entered.
4. Then spread the word to get your friends and fans to come vote
   for your recipe when voting begins. Up to 48 people with the
   highest-rated recipes will qualify to compete in person.

By the way, the three top qualifiers from each region will travel to their Semi-Final recipe cook-offs, via Travel Certificates donated by American Airlines®* and accommodations donated by Hotels & Resorts.

Twitter Party

Party Sponsors: @AetnaFoodFight and @Circulon

SheStars: @lifewithoutpink, @LisaSamples, @centsiblelife,@zipporahs, @savorthethyme

Prizes: We’re giving away over $1,000 in prizes!

• Multiple Contempo 5-Qt Dutch Ovens from Circulon® gourmet cookware donated by Meyer Corporation, U.S.
• Secret door prize – valued at over $200!
• Plus, we’ll be talking about how you can enter the Healthy Food Fight Contest for a chance to win $10,000, flights and a chance to cook for Bobby Flay!

Party Topics:
We’ll be talking about healthy foods and recipes and sharing tips on living well. Get ready to learn more about The Aetna Healthy Food Fight and the chance to win prizes like cookware sets from Circulon®!

Do you have a personal recipe that’s delicious and health-conscious? Submit it on HealthyFoodFight.com! The top 3 qualifiers in each region win an all-expense paid trip to the semi-final cook-offs…. to cook for celebrity chef, Bobby Flay.

RSVP & Win:
Enter to win our door prize by commenting on this post with your Twitter ID (Ex. @shespeaksup)

Optional Entries
Tweet one of the following phrases and leave a comment on this blog with each completed optional entry.

Click to tweet this:
I’ll be @ the #SSFoodFight Twitter Party w/ @shespeaksup – 9/15 @ 8PM ET! Let’s talk healthy cooking & prizes! RSVP: http://bit.ly/PMTWT

Click to tweet this:
Join @shespeaksup on 9/15 @ 8PM ET 4 #SSFoodFight Twitter Party! We’re talking healthy cooking & prizes via Circulon! http://bit.ly/PMTWT

We’re giving away over $1,000 in prizes – don’t miss out! Remember, you have to RSVP for a chance at our amazing door prize!

Door prize winner must have RSVP-ed via comment and be participating in the discussion to win. Open to all United States and Canada residents. One prize per winner. No purchase necessary.

About Aetna:

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability insurance and employee benefits. At Aetna, we believe we can help create a better health care system. This belief drives our daily decisions as one of the nation’s leading health care benefits companies. We work hard to provide our members with information and resources to help them make informed decisions about their health. For more information on Aetna and the Healthy Food Fight please head to http://bit.ly/mVbfOe.

Disclosure:  This potst is sponsored by Aetna and SheSpeaks.  I will be at the party tonight as a co-host and hope to see you there!

When preparing different cuts of meat it is sometimes hard to remember what temperature it should be to be considered done or fully cooked.  It is so confusing that companies will put pop-up timers in their meat so you know it’s done (check out the turkeys).  Did you know that the temperature of the meat depends on the cut?  For instance, an uncooked hamburger should have the internal temperature of 160 degrees whereas a roast should be 145 degrees.  Hormel Foods offers innovative mobile technology called Hormel’s EZCook that will help you be less confused when preparing your favorite cut of meat.

Meat Cooking Tips

The test kitchen at Hormel have really informative cooking tips for meat preparation.  Here are a few of them:

• For better browning, pat dry beef steaks, pork chops, cubes, and roasts with a paper towel.
• When roasting or broiling, place beef or pork on the rack in the broiler or roasting pan to allow fat to drip off during cooking.
•  Salt beef or pork after cooking or browning. Salt draws out moisture and inhibits browning.
• Turn steaks, roasts, or chops with tongs. Do not use a fork. This pierces the meat and allows juices to escape.
• Turn ground beef and pork with a spatula. Do not flatten patties when cooking. This allows juices to escape.
• Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, not resting in fat or touching bone.
• The secret to moist meatloaf and meatballs is to mix lightly. Over-mixing will result in a firm, compact texture.
• Roasts become firmer and easier to carve when they are allowed to stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Want To Win Some Awesome Hormel Products?

Bonus: Enter to win a grill from Hormel in their Summer Grilling giveaway!

Cooking with Coca-Cola

What is the brand that comes to mind when you think of family or family get-together? For me it is Coca-Cola (aka Coke).  When I heard they launched a site,  Cooking with Coke, a site dedicated to Coke-loving moms and families that share recipes, family stories and mealtime traditions it came as no surprise to me.  The fact that you can build an entire personal experience using the site – simply classic.

The site features recipes filed under the following categories: Chef’s Selects, Appetizers, Main Dishes, Desserts, Sides, Soups & Salads, and Drinks.  A couple of my favorite are the Blackened Filet Mignon with Whole Garlic and the Choco Chocolate Chip Deluxe Cake.  I am an avid foodie – as you know – and this site is going to be so incredibly cool.  I noticed some of the recipes submitted were from bloggers too so I might even send in a couple myself.

Another great feature of the site is the Cookbook Builder where you are able to create your own cookbook.  Once you design your family cookbook and pick out the recipes to feature you can send it on it’s way for your friends and family to enjoy.  How cool is that?

What can you win?

In the spirit of the new launch of Cooking with Coke, Coca-Cola has offered one of Life with Lisa’s readers a T-fal steamer valued at nearly $50.

How can you win it?

Simply visit Cooking with Coke and share your favorite recipe in the comments below (this is mandatory for all other entries to be eligible.)

What additional entry options do you have?

• Follow my blog or if you are already following – tell me who you are. (1 entry)
• Blog about this, or post to your FaceBook linking back to me or email 5 friends about this giveaway copying me on the email. (10 entries)
• Follow me on twitter @lisasamples and tweet this contest leaving me a link. (1 entry per tweet/2 tweets per day) Please leave time between tweets. (You can use the RT button above.)
• Subscribe to my email feed. (2 entries)
• Favorite me on technorati, digg, or stumble leaving link. (2 entries per fav – see easy social bookmarking icons below this post)
• Leave a comment on another NON-GIVEAWAY post on my personal blog Life with Lisa. (1 entry per comment)
• Add my button to your site and give me the link where you installed it – see sidebar for code. (2 entries)
• Enter this giveaway on a giveaway LINKY or site. (1 entry per)
• Become a Life with Lisa Facebook fan and tell me who you are! (2 entries)
• Submit a recipe to Cooking with Coke and paste proof in the comments. (10 entries)

My oldest son has a dream of being a chef.  He currently is taking a culinary class and surprised me with this….

a decorative bird carved out of a Granny Smith apple.

Isn’t it cute?

I cook a lot. Over the years I have really spoiled my family and being creative gets tougher and tougher. Hormel Always Tender EZCook has been a blast to use these past two weeks and it has made my life a lot easier.  Whether you are at home or in the store their EZCook application is a cinch.  Not only does the application provide you recipes for various cuts of meat, but it gives you printable shopping lists, nutritional information, servicing size, and a bunch of other helpful things such as ease of preparation.

The Menu

If you are at the store or at home you can pull a code off whatever Hormel product you are interested in cooking and enter it or just choose your product.  There are a bunch of different Hormel products to choose from including bone-in and boneless cuts of meat.

The Recipe

Say you are at the store and you find a Hormel Always Tender Boneless Chef’s Prime Roast on sale, but have no idea how to make it.  Simply pull up this cut in the drop down menu and you will find this mouth watering recipe.  Notice how you have the option to chose how many servings you want to make?  It automatically updates your shopping list with quantities necessary for your serving size.  At the bottom of the screen you have the option to print your shopping list.

The Shopping List

You can either print or email your shopping list.  My favorite thing about the list is it is already broken down for you as to the location in the grocery store.  How much easier could it be?

Nutritional Information

Your health is important.  When designing the new Hormel EZCook application they remembered to include a bunch of information on nutritional value of the dish.  Each recipe comes complete with product and recipe nutritional information so you can decide if it meets your families needs.

My personal favorite part of the site is that the recipe has step-by-step instructions complete with photos and it is totally adjustable (serving size) to your particular needs.  I know when I first started cooking I wasn’t sure what all the various cuts of meat were and what they were used for, but EZCook takes all the guess work out of the meal.

Sometime in the near future I’m going to share a recipe with you – Chicken in a Can.  Yep, the infamous recipe on how to cook the moistest, delicious chicken on the grill for this summer featuring a beer can!  This rub is the secret to that must-have chicken skin you will have when you make the Chicken-In-A-Can.   This is really easy to make and use, but it can get a little messy when applying it to the chicken, however the end result is well worth it.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup paprika
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 1 T. white sugar
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 1 t. onion salt
• 1 t. mustard powder
• 1 t. garlic powder

Also, have the following tools on hand:

• Small mixing bowl with lid or jar.
• Fork (optional if mixing, rather than shaking)
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Large bowl or plate, to put chicken in

Step 1: Get Your Ingredients Together

Add all the ingredients to a small mixing bowl (with a lid) or a jar.

Step 2: Mix or Shake

You mix the ingredients, with a fork or simply shake them if you have a bowl or jar with a lid.