We have an exciting Giveaway just in time for the Holidays. Over the past month (when the power was on) I have been testing out the new Ninja 3 in 1 Cooking System. This multi-functioning kitchen gadget claims to provide Stove Top searing, Slow Cooking, Steam Roasting and Steam Baking, Oven Roasting and Oven Baking all in what looks like your typical crockpot. Cooking pot is dishwasher safe, the lid and roasting rack are not.
My Ninja came in very handy over Thanksgiving when my oven was busy entertaining the bird. So far I’ve made sausage corn-bread stuffing, oven roasted loaded potatoes, soup and chili. I love that you can brown your meat for Chili and then dump in the rest of the ingredients put it on slow cook and walk away. This used to take two pots to accomplish pre-Ninja.
One of the coolest features of the Ninja is the roasting rack which allows you to roast meat while cooking veggies at the bottom of the pan. I’ll be trying that tonight with a pork tenderloin and potatoes and carrots. I am also excited to try the Steam Infused Baking function. One of the reasons I don’t bake much, is I don’t want to gorge on the end result (which I will). The makers of Ninja claim that not only does it cook 30% faster but the Steam Infused Baking function requires the use of up to half the fat in your favorite baked goods! Hmmm, I like the idea of that.
Here’s a yummy recipe for Butternut Squash and Apple Soup. To read more about the Ninja Cooking System and get more recipes, check out their Facebook page. But First Enter the Contest Below!!
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 package (20 ounces) fresh butternut squash, peeled, cubed (about 4 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, chopped
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups chicken broth at room temperature
2 bay leaves
¼ cup half and half
1. Set to STOVETOP HIGH. Place butter in pot and melt. Add squash, onion and apple into pot. Cook uncovered 10 minutes or until squash is lightly browned. Stir in pumpkin pie spice, salt, and black pepper.
2. Add broth and bay leaves. Set to SLOW COOK HIGH for 1-2 hours. Cover and cook until squash is tender.
3. Remove and discard bay leaves. Make sure soup is cooled, and pour soup in batches to NINJA Kitchen System blender, making sure the jar is 2/3 full at a time. Puree soup mixture using a blender until smooth. Pour soup back in pot. Stir in half and half. Set to STOVETOP MED. Cook uncovered 5 minutes or until soup is hot.
The Ninja Cooking System retails for $159, but you get the chance to win one for Free!!!
To Enter Log in Using the box below and follow the instructions.
This Giveaway will end on December 15th at 11:59pm.
Disclosure: I received a free Ninja system to review for this post, no payment of any kind was received.
RESCHEDULED JERSEY SHORE RESTAURANT WEEK STARTS FRIDAY Come Support Your Favorite Restaurants. If ever your favorite restaurants needed you…..it’s now. 49 of the original 65 restaurants who were participating in Restaurant Week are back and ready for a great week. 
Sunday, December 2nd: The Jersey Relief Experiment, an amateur cook-off to benefit the 
December 5th: What’s love got to do with it? Plenty, according to matchmaker and dating coach Julianne Cantarella, 
An Evening With Paula Deen, Saturday, December 8th at 6pm. Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City welcomes Paula Deen. This is your chance to witness first hand, some delicious southern home cooking demonstrations. For tickets and more information, 
December 13th, Holiday Toy Drive & Cheer and Beer Night at Morris Tap and Grill. A night of fun while collecting toys for the St. Peter’s orphanage and families who have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy. What more could you ask for? Make sure you RSVP today! https://www.facebook.com/events/441095882620469/
NEW DATE!! Michael’s Feat Annual Wine & Chef’s Tasting Tuesday, January 15th 6:00 pm till 9:00 pm Hosted at The Mill, Spring Lake Heights, NJ.Tickets for the event will still have the old date on them. They are valid tickets and will still be needed to gain entrance to the event.$40 per person in advance, $50 per person at the door (Minimum age 21) Visit 
Looking for a delicious gift for your hard to please food-obsessed friends? How about preserves with unique flavors, made by hand with local produce, in beautiful packaging? Let me introduce you to 
How about the Smoked Italian Plum on a burger or with pork tenderloin? The Donut Peach would be heavenly mixed into Greek yogurt. If you’re more of the savory type, try the chunky Spiced Tomato (with a hint of cayenne, cloves, and cinnamon) on a thick slice of hearty toast.
Sophie and Bobby do everything themselves, from macerating the fruit and jarring it, to packaging, and finally to writing each note that goes into every box. Nothing is outsourced to maintain the quality.
Back in the day used to take a beer with me when I hopped in the shower before a night on the town. Here’s another way to take your beer to the shower: Beer soap. 
Finally, here’s a more practical idea: Glasses. Every beer lover needs them because they are essential to enjoying your favorite brew to the fullest. I have a large collection of logo shaker pint glasses myself. Most of the states breweries and brew pubs offer them for sale along with other logo products like growlers and swag. Beer lovers also like to pair the right beer with the correctly shaped glass. The work horses of my glass collection are the 
The Academy of Culinary Arts at the Atlantic Cape Community College in Mays Landing hosted a Slow Food Sustainable Dinner which featured locally harvested food to celebrate World Food Day. The dinner was held in the schools award winning Careme’s Restaurant on the campus and prepared by the talented culinary students. The meal was served in a four course “farm to table” setting and included ingredients planted and harvested in Atlantic Cape’s organic greenhouse, responsibly harvested seafood and poultry, scallops from SeaSalt Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program at B & B Farms in Pomona. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit Atlantic Cape’s organic greenhouse on the campus grounds.
Our student server Maria Nicastro (culinary students work front and back of the house to learn all aspects of the restaurant business in a hands-on style in the college’s program) treated us to warm, fresh out of the oven dinner rolls, light and flaky with picture perfect egg wash brown and glossy tops (It would have made the Pillsbury Dough Boy jealous). Then, came the first course of Braised Escarole and Navy Bean Soup which had a silky and flavorful broth with a hearty amount of greens and beans. Next up, was a second course of Seared Cape May County Scallops with local pear and carrot puree, spiced port reduction and topped with young greens. The scallops were seared to perfection with just the right caramelization and so fresh and sweet you would have thought the boat was out back! Scrumptious!
Third course consisted of Half Roasted Organic Chicken atop Potato and Pepper Hash in a natural reduction. The chicken was tender, juicy, and nicely seasoned with a nice crispy skin and the hash was to die for! I made my husband give me most of his! I took home a silver swan with my leftover chicken for later. The dessert an Apple and Fig Cobbler with Vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce was just the right ending to an outstanding example of local bounty cooked to perfection by the culinary students of ACA. It is always a pleasure to be invited to Careme’s for any event as well as their regular lunch and dinner menu offered throughout the school year. Do not miss the chance to dine at the restaurant, as well as the Cafe series of eating events which features guest chef’s working in conjunction with the students. It is the most affordable luxury in fine dining you would expect to receive from only the best of restaurants! You can reach Careme’s for more information and reservations at 609-343-4940.
Following the dinner, the guest speaker was Marguerite Chandler, Co-founder of Slow Food South Jersey Shore. SFSJS is a chapter of Slow Food USA, an international movement which started in Italy in response to a McDonald’s opening across from the Colosseum in Rome. The movement supports a sustainable food supply which highlights the importance of food that’s primarily local (100 to 150 miles), seasonal, and fresh. They believe food should taste good with fresh ingredients, carefully prepared with respect for recipes and traditions that have lasted for generations. The group holds Slow Food Dinners throughout South Jersey at various restaurant locations. I have attended past dinners which are usually held in January and have immensely enjoyed the delicious local fare. You can get more information by visiting 
Stuffing
Megan Anderle is a web journalist by day, food blogger by night. On her blog budget-bon-viveur.com, she teaches beginner cooks the basics and proves that you can eat well without breaking the bank. Megan thinks everything tastes better with Nutella and hopes to attend culinary school one day.
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