Upside-Down Deliciousness

Are you still searching for the perfect summer dessert? Try this recipe for Upside-Down Plum Cake and satisfy your hunger today!

Ingredients:

Plum Topping

• 2 tablespoon(s) butter, substitute margarine
• 1/2 cup(s) packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/4 pound(s) plums, cut into thin wedges

Almond Cake

• 1 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 3/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup(s) (about 4 ounces) packed almond paste, crumbled
• 6 tablespoon(s) butter, softened, substitute margarine
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup(s) whole milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap outside of 10-inch by 3-inch springform pan with foil to prevent leaking.
2. Prepare Plum Topping: Melt butter in springform pan in oven, about 4 minutes; remove from oven. With fork, stir brown sugar into butter until blended, spreading to coat bottom of pan. Arrange plum wedges in concentric circles on top of brown-sugar mixture, overlapping wedges slightly; set aside.
3. Prepare Almond Cake: On waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar, almond paste, and butter 2 minutes or until blended, scraping side of bowl often with rubber spatula.
5. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes longer or until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping bowl. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla, beating just until blended. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until mixed, occasionally scraping bowl.
6. Pour batter over plums in pan, carefully spreading with rubber spatula. Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, covering pan loosely with foil after 50 minutes if top is browning too quickly.
7. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edge of cake from side of pan. Invert cake onto serving plate; remove side and bottom of pan. Cool cake 15 minutes to serve warm or cool completely.

Let us know what your favorite dessert is by commenting below or tweeting us @elizabethsquare!

Let The Internet Do The Cooking

Hungry? Let the internet feed you.

As the internet continues to expand and conquer the World, several web services have been created to make you even more lazy than you already you. Now, instead of actually dialing a phone number and speaking to have a three-course meal or snack delivered to your door step, all you have to do is point and click. Our friends at Mashable have put together a list of internet resources that allow you to order everything from your weeks’ worth of groceries to a pack of gum all from the comforts of your couch. So, start searching and let the internet feed you today!

Let us know what food you’re ordering from the internet by commenting below or tweeting us @elizabethsquare!

No Need to Avoid Guacamole!

If you have avoided the avocado in the past because of its reputed fat content, it may be time to reconsider.

The fat contained in an avocado has been shown to increase your HDL cholesterol levels (the good kind). It also has a huge load of other nutrients.

And its mild taste goes well with a variety of other flavors. Everyone uses it in guacamole, but slice it up for use on sandwiches and in salads, eat it with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or even add it to fruit salad or a smoothie for richness. Bake with it, even!

Even the story of how the avocado got its name is an entertaining one, one you can share the next time you’re at a party. And if you have kids resistant to trying it, tell them its “real” name is “alligator pear” and see if that piques their interest.

What’s your favorite recipe featuring the avocado?

Photo credit: michaelkmak

Eat Out Tonight!

If you’re looking for a great place to eat near you, then check out some of these restaurants in the Charlotte area!

Mama Ricotta’s (Italian) 601 S Kings Dr Charlotte, NC 28204

M5 Modern Mediterranean 4310 Sharon Road Charlotte, NC 28211

Las Ramblas (Tapas Bar) 2400 Park Rd Charlotte, NC 28203

Let us know what your favorite local eatery is by commenting below or tweeting us @elizabethsquare!

Healthy Living: Gas Station Foods

Do you consider lunch to be a bag of chips and a granola bar from the gas station?

If you’re in the habit of eating on the go you may be sacrificing your health for a quick meal. Here are a few foods that you should avoid while you’re filling up:

1. Lay’s Classic Potato Chips (1 oz)

• 150 calories
• 10 g fat (1 g saturated)
• 2 g protein
• 180 mg sodium

Suggested Alternative:

Fried Pork Skins (1 oz)

• 160 calories
• 9 g fat (3 g saturated)
• 18 g protein
• 520 mg sodium

2. Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bar Peanut Butter

• 190 calories
• 7 g fat (1 g saturated)
• 180 mg sodium
• 5 g protein

Suggested Alternative:

Applegate Farms Joy Stick Pepperoni (1 oz)

• 100 calories
• 7 g fat (3 g saturated)
• 700 mg sodium
• 9 g protein

For more unhealthy snacks check out this article from MSN health, and let us know what you’re eating at the gas station by commenting below or tweeting us @elizabethsquare!

You Have The Right To Remain Silent

Are you finding your obsession with the Cheesecake Factory to be more than just an eating affair?

If you’ve ever blacked out at the Cheesecake Factory only to regain consciousness stuffing your face like a primal beast with types of cheesecake that you had no idea even existed THEN you might be interested in this recipe.  On more than one occasion I’ve had to be escorted from that heavenly place due to my uncontrollable desire to devour every piece of delicious cheesecake, so if you want to avoid a criminal record for your eating habits it would be wise to check this out!

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil spray
• 24  plain chocolate wafer cookies, preferably Nabisco
• 3 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, melted
• 8 ounce(s) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup(s) sugar
• 2/3 cup(s) fromage blanc (6 ounces), at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup(s) seedless raspberry preserves, warmed

Here are the directions on how to make this crazy combination of chocolate and cheese, and let us know what your favorite dessert is by commenting below or tweeting us @elizabethsquare!

Essence Of Health

Mmmmm… Do you smell that?

Is that the aroma of delicious beets crackling on an open skillet? Or perhaps it’s pumpkin seeds baking at 450º in a stainless steel oven?

No wait… I’ve found it. It is none other than the enchanting scent of sardines fresh from the Atlantic resting in a steel can ~ Truly amazing.

OK, so that’s a lie. But even though these foods may not please your senses, they will improve your health!

• Beets – Rich in antioxidants.
• Pumpkin Seeds – Provide Magnesium.
• Sardines – Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

For more foods that can improve your health check out this slide show, and let us know what you’re eating by commenting below or tweeting us @elizabethsquare!

Excuse My French

Bonjour Monsieurs et Mademoiselles!

êtes-Vous tres soif?

Oh, I apologize. I was confused for a moment; my FRENCH cosmopolitan must have startled me. If you’re trying to speak some French tonight then check out this “très bonne” recipe for an instant party starter.

Ingredients:

• 1 part citrus-flavored vodka
• 1/2 part Grand Marnier®
• 1/2 part sour mix
• 1/2 part cranberry juice cocktail
• 1/4 part lime juice
• 1 splash grenadine
• Cocktail glass

Directions:

1. Shake all but grenadine with ice and strain into the glass.
2. Place a few drops of grenadine in the center of the drink.

Let us know what you’re doing this weekend by commenting below or tweeting us @elizabethsquare!

Wait.. Does The Chili Like The Saints Or The Colts?

Are you preparing for your Super Bowl party?

If you plan on conquering the hunger of the testosterone filled carnivores that are soon to destroy your house then you NEED this recipe. Serving these beasts a bowl of Super Bowl Chili will not only curb their hunger, it will provide the power packed meal they need to watch Saints take on the Colts!

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
- 2 pound(s) boneless beef for stew, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 4 clove(s) garlic, crushed with garlic press
- 2 red peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced
- large onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup(s) chili powder
- 2 can(s) (28-ounce) whole tomatoes in puree
- 1 can(s) (6-ounce) tomato paste
- 1/4 cup(s) sugar
- 2 teaspoon(s) salt
- 2 teaspoon(s) dried oregano
- 2 can(s) (15- to 19-ounce) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

You can find the directions for this recipe here, and let us know what your Super Bowl plans are by leaving a comment or tweeting us @elizabthsquare!

Chocolate + Alcohol = Warmth

Will you be wrapping up by the fire this weekend?  If you’re looking to avoid the chilling effects of hypothermia during these winter storms, I may have a solution.

With the tag-team effort of Chocolate and Alcohol you’ll not only stay warm this weekend, you’ll become a legend by combining two of the most beneficial food groups known to man.  This tasty concoction created by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito (as well as the help of a gentleman by the name of Jack Daniels) will kick off the winter storm festivities, and provide the vital warmth your body needs to make it through these arctic conditions.

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