Happy Monday to you!  Let me first off say that I love Costco!  That was kind of random but I just needed to get that off my chest.  We were there yesterday and I was leaving I just said, the title of today’s post should be I LOVE COSTCO“.  It is such a great store and I had a great round of samples yesterday.

OK, the moment you have all been waiting for over the past couple of weeks.  I am about to announce the makeover winner but before I do  – I just wanted to go over some stats about the makeover.

Giveaway Stats

• Comments – 267
• Tweets – 99
• Trackbacks/Links – 41
• Blake Make Entries – 33

For a Grand Total of 440 Entries

And The Winner Is….

Kristen from IowaGirlEats.  Comment 177 and she wrote:

Here is a look at what her current blog looks like.

Kristin, contact me anytime and we can get started on your blog makeover.  I look forward to working with you.  For all of you that entered I want to thank you – it was a lot of fun.  If you still want a makeover feel free to check out Zesty Blog Consulting for more details.

Slice It Up

Ever spend a lot of time making a gorgeous dessert and then when you go to cut it… it looks like poo.  It has happened to me and if it happened to you, your not alone.  The key to rectifying this problem is using the proper style knife for the job.  Below I will go ahead and try to explain a few tips so that your desserts slice as good as they taste.

Slice cakes, tarts and pies like a pro.

1. For cheesecake and squares, keep a glass of hot water and a clean dish towel handy.  Before cutting each slice, dip the knife into the water and wipe clean.  The hot knife will slide right through the cake.
2. For pound or sponge cakes, use a serrated knife and a sawing motion to cut through without squishing or tearing the cake.
3. Use un-waxed dental floss to slice through the cake (great for the gooey or sticky cakes)
4. Lining your baking dish or spring form pan with parchment paper before baking squares and cheesecakes will help you pick up each slice cleanly.

So there you have it, a few cake slicing techniques and a fun makeover winner.  I hope you have a fabulous Monday where ever you may be today and I will talk to you on Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

PHEW what a week!  Happy Friday to you and thanks for stopping in again for another food filled post.  I was unsure as to what to have for dinner on Wednesday night as I was getting ready for work in the morning – when I remembered that I had some lean ground beef in the freezer.  Every time I would open the freezer it would make a little chirp to me that it was too cold and wanted to be cooked.  I could only take that for so long so finally I took it out to thaw and here we are today.

I was kind of in the mood for a cheeseburger but was unsure because we had no whole wheat buns to go with it and really any toppings outside of mustard and ketchup but I convinced myself…. GO FOR IT!

What a reward…. take a look at this.  I topped a few with cheese and left a few without for a leftover treat that you will see next week.  I may have even impressed Mrs. Zesty to a whole new level.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs Lean ground beef
• 2 Cloves garlic ( chopped)
• 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp. Dried/frozen basil
• Cheddar/marble cheese
• 1 Tsp. Chili powder
• 1 Tsp. Dried Thyme
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, add ground beef and all the dry ingredients and mix well together.











Have you ever tried this frozen basil before. It is amazing. So fresh and so convenient especially in the off season.



3. Form patties and place on roasting rack.





4. Bake for 35-40 minutes until no longer pink inside the meat ( you can peek if you need to)





5. Remove from oven and top with cheese; place back in the oven until melted.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When baking ground beef, I like to use the roasting pan with slats in it to allow the grease to follow away from the meat.  This ensures you are getting the leanest most healthy form of that particular meat.

This little treat goes well with a side of salad or just on it’s own between your favorite whole grain bun.  Heck I just eat them by itself.  Sometimes you can’t just beat a homemade cheeseburger.  What is your little trick you put in your ground beef/turkey/chicken before cooking it to add that flavor you love?

Around the Blogsphere

Well as I have been wandering around the blogsphere this week…. I have bumped into a couple of wicked recipes that are must try’s in my books.  Take a look over here and let me know what you think.

• A recipe for stove-top granola by the Hungry Yogini.  This will knock your socks off for sure and I cannot wait to try it.
• A somewhat genius idea for salad dressings can be found over at Choosing Raw.  This I have to sink my gums into.
• And last but not least… I found two things I love wrapped into one over at Joy’s site – Can you believe an Avocado Pound Cake?  YUM!

That is all I have for this week.  I hope everyone has a decent fun filled friday and a great weekend.  Today is the last day you can tell all your friends about the Blog Makeover giveaway so “Let it out” and I will be announcing the poor soul that has to work with me for a makeover on MONDAY!

Take care

zesty