Winter Vegetable Ratatouille

A classic French dish gets a hearty wintertime makeover with the addition of beets & turnips in this easy to make Winter Vegetable Ratatouille...

A big thank you to Hamilton Beach for partnering with me today to bring you all this recipe & for sponsoring the giveaway.

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

Have you ever watched a movie and came away from it just craving a dish you have never tried before? Like you literally wanted to run out to the store the minute the credits hit and go get everything you needed to make it. For me, that movie was Ratatouille. ;) Yes, the Disney movie about a rat who became a critically acclaimed chef.

There was just something about the way that those thinly sliced & roasted vegetables evoked childhood memories for Anton Ego that had me entranced. But one thing stopped me in my tracks- those perfectly sliced veggies. I mean, I know that ratatouille can be made a little more rustic, but I wanted to make the ratatouille from the movie. The ratatouille with the beautiful layers of evenly sliced vegetables. But seeing as how I didn't want to spend an hour thinly slicing eggplant and zucchini by hand, I put this little culinary fantasy of mine on the back burner. That is, until now... ;)

Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding

I am partnering with Hamilton Beach today to bring you all this recipe for a creamy & low fat Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding. As always, all opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

I have no shame in admitting that I am a total coffee addict... and a coffee snob. You will rarely see me sipping on fast food coffee. Believe me when I say this, you all- I have tried most of them, but they are just not my cup of java. That being said, I am also all about saving money and being frugal. And yes, I know that being a coffee snob and being frugal do not exactly mesh. I know most "coffee snobs" in the traditional sense of the term have no problem dropping $5 on a cup of coffee goodness, but that is just not something that is in my everyday budget. Nor do I feel like wrangling a toddler & hopping into the car every morning to go pick up said snob-worthy coffee. 

My solution? Making good coffee at home every morning. :)

And while the quality of the coffee you choose to brew at home has a lot to do with how good it will taste in your favorite coffee mug, owning a good coffee maker is also essential. Up until about a month ago, I had been using the same coffee maker for the past 6 years.  It wasn't anything fancy, but it did the job... or at least I thought that it had been.  That was until I was offered the opportunity to try Hamilton Beach's new FlexBrew 2-Way Coffee Maker.  Seriously, you all. I had no idea what I had been missing! The Flex Brew gives you the option of brewing either a 12 cup pot of coffee the traditional way, or you can use the single brew side to brew one cup of coffee using either your favorite K-CUPS* or fresh grounds. And the best part? It really doesn't take up that much more space on my counter than my old coffee maker did. ;)

Being the self-proclaimed coffee addict that I am, I am always looking for ways to incorporate coffee into some of my recipes. Given my recently acquired fondness for creamy & healthy chia pudding, it only made sense that I would try and make a coffee flavored one. This delicious Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding combines fresh brewed chilled coffee with coconut milk, chia seeds, & cocoa for a delicious treat with a little bonus pick-me-up...

Hoppin' John Dip

A big thank you to Hamilton Beach for providing me with their Stack and Snap™ 10 Cup Food Processor and helping me bring you all this delicious recipe for a Hoppin' John Dip perfect for serving at your New Year's Eve get-together...

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

Anyone else just a little superstitious when it comes to what you eat on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day? Growing up, I remember my mother making pork chops and sauerkraut every New Year's Day (and she still does). 

I am not sure really when or why my mama started this tradition of pork and sauerkraut for New Year's dinner, but it originally started as a German & Pennsylvania Dutch custom. Eating both together brings good luck for the New Year. 

And even though I was not a fan of sauerkraut at all, I sucked it up and took ONE bite with my pork chops each year. I mean, I wasn't going to risk an entire year of bad luck over some silly sauerkraut. ;)

Looking for a more tasty and just as good fortune inducing dish to replace my mother's traditional pork chops and sauerkraut, I came across the classic southern dish of Hoppin' John. Hoppin' John is basically pork, greens, onions, and black-eyed peas all cooked together and then served over rice. 

The peas represent coins and wealth, & the greens represent paper money. It was thought that to eat "poor" on New Year's would be bring wealth the rest of the year. 

Hoppin' John is a dish that is usually served on New Year's Eve, not on New Year's Day. Since I typically only serve appetizers and nibbles for my New Year's Eve get-togethers, I decided to transform this delicious southern dish into a dip perfect for serving at a party or small gathering.

This Hoppin' John Dip starts out the same way as the traditional southern main dish, but then everything is put into a food processor and pureed together to make a tasty hummus-like dip...

Pin It To Win It Hamilton Beach Giveaway!

I am thrilled to be involved in another fabulous giveaway with All She Cooks! I am kind of jealous that you all can win all this culinary awesomeness from Hamilton Beach, and I can't. ;) Good luck, everyone!! 

Pin It To Win It Hamilton Beach Giveaway- (US)

Want to win? All She Cooks and Wonderful Food Wednesday Co-Hosts have partnered up with some AMAZING bloggers to spread the news about this superb giveaway. Scroll down and enter to WIN a fabulous prize package courtesy of Hamilton Beach. We're giving away: 3 Hamilton Beach small kitchen appliances: a single drink mixer, panini grill, and a 14 cup food processor.

Step 1: Follow all the bloggers listed below on Pinterest:

   All She Cooks                     Family, Food and Travel

Frugal Foodie Mama              Call Me PMc   

Nibbles by Nic                       Frugal Freebies and Deals

Life of a Wife                        Call Her Happy

A New York Foodie            Sew Creative

Hi! It's Jilly                        . Mom's Test Kitchen

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(Disclaimer: GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO US RESIDENTS ONLY. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 1. Promotion Description: The 'Hamilton Beach Prize Package' ("Sweepstakes") begins on 09/10/2013 at 08:00 PM (Eastern Time (US )) and ends on 09/23/2013 at 12:15 AM (Eastern Time (US)) (the "Promotion Period"). By participating in the Sweepstakes, each entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of All She Cooks ("Sponsor"), which shall be final and binding in all respects. Sponsor is responsible for the collection, submission or processing of Entries and the overall administration of the giveaway. Entrants should look solely to Sponsor with any questions, comments or problems related to the Sweepstakes. 2. Eligibility: Open to legal residents of the United States who are Minimum age requirement of 18 years old. Hosts, co-hosts and their immediate family living within the same household are excluded from entry. or older. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Sponsor and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, distributors, retailers, sales representatives, advertising and promotion agencies and each of their respective officers, directors and employees (collectively, the "Promotion Entities"), and members of their immediate families and/or persons living in the same household as such persons, are ineligible to enter the Sweepstakes or win a prize. 3. Winner Selection: The winner of the Sweepstakes will be selected in a random drawing from among all eligible Entries received throughout the Promotion Period. The random drawing will be conducted by 48 hours by Sponsor or its designated representatives, whose decisions are final. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible Entries received. Winner will be notified by email at the email address provided in the Entry Information on or about 48 hours after the random drawing. Potential winner must accept a prize by email as directed by Sponsor within 48 hours of notification. Any winner notification not responded to or returned as undeliverable may result in prize forfeiture. The potential prize winner may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and release of liability, and a Publicity Release (collectively "the Prize Claim Documents"). No substitution or transfer of a prize is permitted except by Sponsor.