Jen + Whole Foods = Next Food Network Star!

Last week, Jeff's cousin Marcy and her husband Joey came over for our 4th of July party and they brought the MOST amazing fruit tarte from Whole Foods. I never go there 1) because it's not convenient - the closest is about 15 miles away and 2) it's a little pricey. Marcy and Joey are all about eating organic foods, so they definitely spend a lot of their time there. On top of that, a while back (pre-gallbladder surgery) I was asked to review French Meadow - a Gluten Free Bakery and give me opinion on their products. Well the combo of that amazing tarte and me needing to go get bread, I headed out to Whole Foods today.

I went to the new location in Town & Country and when I walked in it was fantastic. I love seeing produce all stacked up all beautiful. They had a great price of blueberries, so I got some of those. Some veggies were more expensive like the Flat Leaf Parsley which was $1.49 -opposed $.79 at Schnucks.

Then I wandered down the canned items - I did find a few items that I had not seen at Schnucks but I had been on the look out for them. I'm well on my way to be a Food Network Superstar!

• Agave Nectar - this is a healthier alternative to simple sugar. It's perfect for mixed drinks and I'm going to try it with iced tea.
• Tomato Paste in a Tube - They use this on Food Network ALL the time. I've never found it at a regular store, so I was so excited to see that for only $1.49. It will definitely deepen the flavor of my sauces.
• Whole Roasted Red Peppers in Olive Oil & Garlic - Wow. This was a deal! At Schnucks we are talking like $4.99 for a jar. These are $2.50!  I love that there is charred goodness at the bottom of the glass jar. I'm thinking a little goat cheese, toasted bread and thinly sliced red peppers and a glass of wine. Yum!
• Broccoli Rabe - This was my most exciting find! They always cook this on the Food Network and I've never ever seen it anywhere! I'm so excited to see how this tastes - it looks like a cross between greens and broccoli....sooooooooo excited.

Did I just get excited for produce?

As for my loaf of bread, I got a fantastic Country Loaf that has no yeast. I'm very interested to try it out. It actually came frozen, so I have it defrosting in the fridge. I'll be back with a full report. I'm thinking I may add Whole Foods into my store rotation.

Review - Casa di Bertacchi Meatballs

The Casa De Cowan LOVES Meatballs! And we're pretty lazy so I buy them frozen. It's fantastic because you just defrost, heat and enjoy! I had the opportunity from Casa di Bertacchi to try out the "101 Thing to do with Meatballs” cookbook, by Stephanie Ashcraft. Easy enough. You can get Casa di Bertacchi at Sam's Club and get the 101 Things to Do with Meatballs Cookbook on Amazon.

 

After going through the cookbook, I found the ultimate awesomeness Meatball Stroganoff in the Crock Pot.

Here's the low down:

 

• 
  
  1 1/2 lb frozen meatballs
• 
  
  2 cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup ( I used reduced fat)
• 
  
  1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 
  
  1/4 cup water
• 
  
  1 dash Tobasco Sauce
• 
  
  1 cup Sour Cream (I used Light Sour Cream)
• 
  
  1 can Mushrooms
• 
  
  8-10 Cups Cooked Egg Noodles

Mix soup, water, Worcestershire, water and Tobasco and coat Meatballs in a Crock Pot. Let it cook for about 4 hours on low. Then stir in mushrooms and sour cream and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve over egg noodles and makes about 8 servings - or 6 at the Casa De Cowan.

For Quick and easy entertaining, I love to make a big Crock Pot of meatballs for when the guys come over for Poker League or just to watch a baseball game. We also tried the Blue Cheese Buffalo Balls..

• 30 Frozen Meatballs
• 1 Jar Buffalo Sauce
• 1 Bottle Chunky Blue Cheese

Bake the Meatballs and Buffalo Sauce for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. You could also substitute Ranch Dressing as well.

You can't go wrong with a frozen bag of meatballs, they are so versatile, affordable and you can have an instant party! Just heat and go.

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Do you Groupon?

Do you Groupon?

If not, you should be! Get awesome deals on local places.  Each day, you'll get a new Groupon deal.

Today, they have $35 gift cards for Kota Wood Fire Grill for $15!

Or get an St. Louis A-List Magazine Party ticket for $22 - usually $35!

I'll be at the A-List Party - so you'll know it will be a blast!

I'll start sharing my favorite Groupon deals each week so you're hip and with it with fantastic deals!

$20 off of $50 Meal at Bristol Seafood

One of our favorite places to eat is Bristol Seafood in St. Louis. If you're in the St. Louis area and looking for something to do, they have extended their fantastic $20 off of $50 coupon until 7/11!  This is only good for the O'Fallon, MO location (but I think it's much nicer than the one of Olive).

Print your coupon and try the Crab Cakes - they are amazing!

PF Changs - Free Lettuce Wraps!

Purchase any Entree at PF Changs and get a free appetizer of Lettuce Wraps for Free! Coupon expires July 31st. Print your coupon - One time use only - they will ask you for your email addy.

Facebook Coupon - Bear Naked BOGO Coupon!

Become a fan of of Bear Naked on Facebook, and get a Buy One Get One Free Coupon!

Don't forget to become a fan of Cash Cowan too!

Restaurant.com - It's Back!- $25 for $2!

Hurray, $2 Gift Certificates are back! I got a $50 gift card for $4 today. Sounds like a fantastic dinner date to me! Be sure to use Code FUN to get the deal!

Welcome Our New Addition!

So, I mentioned last week that Jeff and I had began looking at cars to get an idea of what we wanted to get in probably the next 3-6 months. Friday we test drove about 6 different cars from multiple companies. I fell in love with the Acura RDX. On the way home, Jeff spots a Nissan Murano and he thought it was pretty snazzy. So on Monday, we took a look out to check it out.

He had looked at the inventory for all the Nissan dealerships and found the one closest to our house had the most in stock - but none in the color I wanted. So we get there and we are greeted by a guy named Adam and he quickly tells us it's his first day. Great. Luckily, being married to an engineer, he knew more about the car than Adam did. So Adam takes us to the back to look at the new black Murano's when another sales guy says "This is the car she wants" and points to a tan Murano in the front. I didn't tell him anything about color or anything.

So, I look at it, and turns out it's a 2010 used Murano with 8,000 miles on it. Apparently the person bought the car in April, then couldn't afford the payments and turned it in. So we took it for a drive, and I fell in love. It had was more bells and whistles than the RDX for less. Jeff could tell this smelled like a car purchase today. But the pricing came out right, they threw in Bluetooth for free and I got a great trade in on my car. So all in all - it turned out pretty great!  I would have taken a whoo hoo photo of myself, but Jeff is in Switzerland and I don't have a photo buddy.

A Photo Blog - Our 4th of July

Here are some of my favorite photos from the crew from the 4th of July!

The whole group getting ready for Fireworks!

Jeff and I after all the fun.

Melissa, Elena & Chelsea

Jeff & Bryan doing their usual "light & run" No injuries this year!

Ryan with the "Freebie" you know it's bad that you get the big freebies - and they boys won't say how much they spent.

Marcy & Joey

Happy 4th of July!

 

The Casa De Cowan wishes everyone, especially our men and women who protect and serve our country, a very Happy Birthday to America!

Jeff and I started out our celebration yesterday at the Cardinals game. After the Cards bombed, we headed down to the Arch to watch the fireworks. Let's just say one too many people down there and after standing in line for lemonade for over an hour, we decided to watch the fireworks from the top of the parking garage at Kiener Plaza. It was fantastic! How awesome is that the Arch shadow? Love! Only in St. Louis!

On tap today is our annual 4th of July BBQ starting at 4:30. The burgers are marinating and the veggie tray is done. Now it's time for a shower and picking up last minute junk.

I'm sure I'll have tons of photos from the BBQ to share - stay tuned!