Planning That Need Garden

 With March cones ideas and dreams of the perfect garden. This year, though ,will be  a little different. Due to rising prices, it;s not going to be what do we want to plant, but what do we need to plant.

Everything will be sky high in price in a few months. It's time to assess what produce you eat the most and use in recipes. Plan your gardens, if you can, around these veggie . That also includes herbs too.if there;s a lot of  shade both in your front and back yards then plant those all important greens. Spinach does well in cool, shady areas.It's also a versatile leaf that can add color to stratichella soup and omelets.Also nothing beats a fresh spinach salad. Carrots are another root veggie that can grow in shade. Again  like,spinach these are good cooked or raw, especially as a snack or hors d'ouevre with a good dipping sauce. Potatoes are also good in this type of situation. depending upon the variety they can ripen anywhere from a month to three months. These are incredibly versatile and can be turned into everything from soup to salads. They make great sides as well as being the star of the meal as well. New gardeners will appreciated the shade loving radish. They are the easiest veggie to grow. The tops are perfect for giving zing to salads while the top can be cooked like spinach.

What about sunny gardens? One plant that absolutely thrives is the tomato.Tomatoes  are  definite must grows . Talk about a fruit(and yes it is a fruit) that can sustain a kitchen through all four seasons. Yes, they amazing fresh , whether in  all kinds of salads and delicious white bread sandwiches , rich with mayo, but also in sauces. These can be made during the height of the summer harvest and then used for pasta dises in the fall, winter and spring. All they need is six hours of solid sunshine and warmth to thrive. Another plus is that you can plant different kids and have a whole slew of flavors and recipes.Peppers also thrive in  wam ,light filled gardens. Like tomatoes, they yield a good harvest and like tomatoes they are versatile. peppers may a colorful and sweet addition to any salad but they're also good as part of a kebab or stuffed with rice and ground turkey. Eggplants and onions are also sun lovers. Eggplants can get very big and one can easily be stretched to two meals. If you grow them and the onions with tomatoes you have fresh ingredients for ratatouille, the perfect summer dish.Corn can grow in direct sun but the stalks do need a lot of land. Plant them if you have a big sunny garden. The ears are perfect grilled but you can also use them in corn chowder too.

This year plant the garden you need. Prices are only go up and up. Combat them with your own home grown stash of veggies.

LIdl Spring Rolls Dinner ,Snack Hors Douevres

 Holiday season means two things - quick meals that are satisfying and tasty and party food that's also satisfying and tasty. If you're looking for them, look for something can can be those two along with a hot snack. LIdl has just the answer in their Preferred Selection Spring Rolls. This is a quick air fryer crisp up that's done in minutes.

I couldn't;t resist getting them after a friend raved about their flavor. These are hand made and they have that look that you could have filled and rolled them in your kitchen.

There are twenty-four in  package so it makes for a substantial dinner for two and enough for a small party. 

They're an easy set up/ I used Lidl's olive oil spray to coat them a

nd the inside of the air fryer basket. it was a quick fry up. It just takes four minutes at 400 degrees Farenheit , with a break to flip after two minutes.

The package comes with it's own packet of sweet chili dipping sauce which works well with the filling of jicama, guava and spring onion. The wrappers have the perfect crunch after frying

I love both the spring roll and the sauce. The blend of the potato tasting jicama with the guava and spring onion was perfect. I may make these again on Christmas Eve along with other Lidl appetizers for a fancy but light supper.I also want to make them again on either New Year's Even or New Year's Day. They're the perfect party food  because of their small size and the fact they cook up so quickly. Two to three batches can be made in almost under fifteen minutes.

If you're looking for a good dinner, snack or hors d'ouevre then look no further than Lidl's hand rolled spring rolls. These are done in just minutes, perfect for parties and meals. Try them this holiday season.

Piggybacking Restaurants

There's a trend that's happening around big box stores such as Target. It's cutting up the store's parking lot to allow  space for fast food restaurants. Is it a good idea? Will it bring in more shoppers? Or diners?

Most big box stores such Target and Wal-Mart have huge parking lots that take up a lot of acreage. This is fine during the Christmas shopping season.It's really the only time when the area is used. In Bergen County, New Jersey any land, even if it's a parking lot is valuable. The land can be built on with some kind of business that will bring in not only diners but shoppers as well. This is the case with the Hackensack Target . A Taco Bell has been built in one of the parking lot's corners and has just opened. This is great for the area. Fairleigh Dickinson University is across the street and a charter high school is just down the road. Instead of being stuck with cafeteria food or the nearby Boston Market fare, kids can get cheap tasty burritos and tacos with beef or chicken fillings.Unlike Boston Market, and even the FDU Starbucks, Taco Bell offers cold  slushie like drinks that are going to be perfect when the Spring and summer  seasons arrive. There's a lovely outdoor area that's perfect for students as well. Imagine sipping frosted drinks and sharing snacks at the end of this Spring's semester.There's only one problem  with this Taco Bell - it will cut into Target's snack bar. The snack bar has had several blows in the last few years. Its' space was decreased to make way for a Starbucks. It cut back on its' variety. Forget getting their brand of a Slushie and chicken fingers. Hopefully their hot dogs and pizza will still be around.

The Hackensack Target isn't the only one. The Target in Clark, right off Parkway South in central eastern New Jersey  has to compete with not only an Italian restaurant but also a Duck Doughnuts built in their overly large parking lot.. These food hang outs are fun if you want to make a day or night of your visit, yet you can more or less get the same fare in the store's snack bar and Starbucks. A bigger version of parking lot piggybacking is over at the Teterboro , New Jersey's Wal-Mart where there is also a restaurant row plus two chain restaurants, Texas Roadhouse and BJ's Brewhouse. Again, the many diverse eateries, from Blaze Pizza to Panera's bring in not only diners but also those want a quick meal before shopping. Wal-Mart only has a Subway and some others don't even have these. The Garfield Wal-mart doesn't have any place to order a lunch or a quick snack. Their parking lot has an Applebee's and a McDonald's which helps. Most people who go to that shopping center, however, either head for Wal-Mart, Pet-Smart for their animal companions or even My Doc to handle colds and minor ailments. Food isn't necessarily on their minds. Should these eateries be there then? Would more stores be better instead. Or does this save that particular Wal-Mart from the pressure of adding some kind of fast food joint in their store?

Will piggybacking restaurants be the start of a trend? Will shoppers and diners like this combo? It's hard to say.  It all depends on the price and availability of  local real estate .

Snacks For Dinner

Let's face it, sometimes you need a fun dinner to end a lousy day . what better than some snack food Nothing is more fun than pizza or nachos and chicken wings certainly can add excitement to a late fall night.Best of all you can make it as healthy -recommended - as you want .It is supposed to be fun, and snacky after all.

One of the easiest snack dinners to make is pizza.You could cheat and order from your favorite pizzeria or pop a frozen one into the oven. Try an English muffin or pita bread based one instead. The sauce could be a jarred premade pizza one or take some fresh sliced plum tomatoes for a kind of margherita. Choose a low salt mozzarella or try a sprinkle of Parmesan. Toppings can be decadent  such as traditional pepperoni or load it up with bacon and ham. Veggies such as broccoli and onions are great scattered on top but you can also have a good dollop of anchovies for a real salty treat. Nachos, that late night go to can be made dinner ready by adding pulled chicken or chili beef. Whip up an easy guacamole along having sour cream  or if you want it a tad healthier , use plain Greek yogurt. Tacos or taquitos are another fun snacky dinner. You can make them with a variety of different meats, from pork to cod. Also the kids can stuff them silly with guacamole and sour cream.

Kids love sliders as do their folks. Instead of making boring hamburgers, shrink them down and make mini ones. Use ground beef and add chopped onion or even chili powder for some added zing. Use the smaller and squarer Hawaiian rolls  because they make for the perfect slider. Pile them up with tomatoes, pickles , gherkins and different kinds of lettuce. Pile on bacon and cheese for a tiny cheeseburger or add some ham and pepperoni for a meat lover's burger. You can also use the Hawaiian rolls for pulled chicken or pulled pork sliders too,Baked mac is always a treat but you can also used the leftovers for fried mac bites. Divide the back mac into bite size pieces and then first dip in flour. The second bath will be in bated egg and the third and final will be bread crumbs or even you want more crunch, Japanese  panko crumbs . You can use  deep fryer or a skillet to fry them up. Serve plain or with a spicy  mustard for added zest.

The days are long and hectic. Put some fun into your evening meals by serving snack food for dinner. It'll bring a smile to everyone's face when they sit down to enjoy supper.