Yum, yum Bumble Bee! I received so many awesome recipes, it was hard to choose! In the end, Michael Schiaparelli’s Gourmet Italian-Style Tuna Melt won the $250 cash prize. Check out the recipes from the other finalists, too! Thanks for entering!

Gourmet, Italian-Style Tuna Melt
by Michael Schiaparelli

Ingredients
2 (5-ounce) cans Bumble Bee ‘Prime Fillet’ Solid Light Tuna packed in Olive Oil
1 small shallot, finely minced [Read more →]

When you’re looking for inspiration for week night family meals, grab a pound of Certified Angus Beef Brand ground chuck. Ground chuck is economical, family-friendly and the basis for all kinds of simple, satisfying meals. I like to brown ground chuck  and freeze it in meal size packages  for  tacos, casseroles and pasta sauces.    I have a great recipe for you: Manicotti Beef Florentine. Start by browning Certified Angus Beef Brand ground chuck. Add frozen choppped spinach that’s been thawed and well drained, plus some Italian seasoning and ricotta cheese. Use this mixture to fill manicotti shells. Top with your favorite spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese and bake until bubbly and heated through. Save yourself time by making a double batch of Manicotti Beef Florentine. Toss one in the freezer for another night. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. You can find more family friendly recipes plus lots of cooking tips at Certified Angus Beef.com

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My grandmother made all of her grand daughters a Raggedy Ann. Each one had a little heart sewn on her chest that said “I love you” I love, love, love that doll and still have it. Some day I’ll pass it on to my grandchildren. There’s something about a handmade toy that is so special. I was inspired by  Susan Anderson,  author of Itty Bitty Toys , which shows you how to make adorable hand-knit toys for the kids in your life.

Susan is also the author of Itty-Bitty Hats and Itty-Bitty Nursery. Her knitting blog, susanbanderson.blogspot.com, gets more than 50,000 hits a month. Her series of 10 knitting tutorials, posted on You Tube, has been watched by more than 130,000 people in just the past 6 months. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and four children.

I recently had the chance to stop into an old time diner for lunch. They had a case filled with cream pies. I give up- I can’t resist a gorgeous slice of banana cream pie. You don’t have to find a diner to have a slice of pie. If you’ve never made piecrust, all it takes is a little practice and following some simple steps to turn out a tender, flaky crust every time.
Cold ingredients are key. If you want a flaky crust, use ice water and and cold (even frozen) Crisco® Shortening . And then chill the dough before rolling to help prevent sticking. Here’s the science- when the pie crust goes in the oven, the cold shortening will stay solid long enough for the crust to set, creating small “pockets” in between the layers of dough as it melts. There you have it – a flaky pie crust.
Don’t over handle the dough, either. Think of a nice, crusty, chewy piece of bread… it got that way by lots of kneading to develop the gluten in the flour. This is exactly what you are trying not to do when making a piecrust. Handle the dough just enough to mix it and roll it—no more.
Here’s a tip for rolling the dough. Roll the dough from the center out, lifting the pin after each roll. In addition to keeping the dough tender, this method will help you get a nice, round shape.
For wonderful pie recipes,  visit Crisco.com. You’ll find lots more pie baking tips, there, too.

Coconut Almond Cream Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie

Maple Walnut Cream Pie

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Did you know that 4 million cats and dogs—about one every 8 seconds—are put down in U.S. shelters each year? Megan Blake is a pet expert, animal advocate and host of the PBS show Animal Attractions and she joined us on Amy’s Table today to talk about pet adoption from rescues and shelters.

Here’s why Megan says we  should adopt from an animal shelter instead of buying a pet from a store:

o You’ll get a healthy pet! Your new pet is more likely to be vaccinated, de-wormed, and spayed or neutered if obtained from a shelter rather than a pet store.
o You’ll save money! Fees from a shelter are usually much less than the purchase price of an animal from a pet store or breeder.
o You’ll find a better selection! Shelters have a great selection of adult animals, kittens, puppies and purebred animals available for adoption.
o You won’t be supporting puppy mills and pet stores. Did you know that purebreds account for about 25 to 30 percent of a shelter’s dog population?
o You’ll save a life!

Check our Megan’s new social network for pets, MeganHeartsPets

Taco night is a popular night at my house. Since I know we’ll have taco night a couple times each month, I prep extra meat and freeze it for a future meal. I try to keep things interesting with different taco fillings and toppings. Instead of the usual ground beef sometimes I’ll do ground turkey, shredded chicken or pork or slices of grilled beef.  Tossing the tortillas on the grill for just a second makes them taste great, too. I  like to round out the meal with spicy beans, lime scented rice and a nice big salad. Here’s a perfect salad for taco night. Start with Dole Just Lettuce and toss it with Chipotle Ranch Dressing , fresh diced tomato, tortilla strips, and shredded Mexican cheese. Sounds great, doesn’t it? That idea came right from the package, thanks to the pairs well with guide. I’m just loving all this new salad inspiration. It makes eating healthy a whole lot of fun. You can find more salad recipes, ideas and inspiration at Dole.com

The new Amy’s Table Book Club selection is Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax

At forty-one, Vivian Armstrong Gray’s life as an investigative journalist is crumbling. Leaving her tiny apartment in New York, she reluctantly heads south to Georgia to experience the suburban soccer-mom experience through her widowed sister’s eyes. As she digs up her long-buried roots, and begins to secretly investigate her brother-in-law’s death, she starts to wonder if life inside the picket fence isn’t so bad after all.

Want to be in our next book club discussion? The first person to contact me will get a $20 Joseph Beth gift card and the first 4 will get a copy of this months book and the chance to chat about the book with Wendy on the air in April.

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The Amy’s Table Book Club book for February was The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. I loved it. It’s a novel about life, love, and the magic of food and follows the lives of eight students who gather in Lillian’s Restaurant each week for cooking class. One by one they’re transformed and united by food.

Erica has always wanted to be a writer. She got her PhD from the University of Washington and, frustrated by the lack of women authors in the curriculum she co- authored “ 500 Great Books by Women” and “Let’s Hear It For the Girls” In the process of writing these books Erica read thousands of books, both good and bad, which is clearly a great education for an author. But Erica says having children probably had the biggest impact on how she writes. She has a second novel in the works, tentatively entitled Leap.

This month’s book club panel is Mychelle Armstrong , Tonya Kappes , Eisha Armstrong   and Amy Decker. They asked wonderful questions. Thanks ladies!

Susan Anderson is a wildly popular knitting blogger and author. She’ll be on Amy’s Table this weekend but you can see her today in Dayton. Here’s the info:

March 4th:

BOOKS & CO. (The original location)
11:00 AM
350 E. Stroop Road
Dayton, OH 45429

BOOKS & CO. (The new store)
7:00 PM
4453 Walnut Street
Dayton, OH 45440

To learn more, click here