A Healthy Kind of Grilled Cheese Kids Will Love Because They Can Make It Themselves

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Good Food

A Plain Sheet of Matzoh Awaits Some Kitchen Creativity

 iPhone Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Passover ended last week.  Yet there are still more than a few boxes of matzah left over at our house.  What's a good Jewish mother to do?

Don't worry, I'm not going to save it for next year -- yes, people I know really do that (not me), LOL.  Instead, I decided to rise to the challenge of somehow combining this matzoh surplus with the cheese that Tillamook sent me for tasting and review on this blog.

Tillamook Kosher Medium Cheddar Cheese
iPhone Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

The Tillamook variety I received was the Kosher Medium Cheddar Cheese.  Though they produce a range of dairy products, this is the only one that the Oregon company makes that is certified kosher.   

This particular cheese is made with a vegetable-based rennet which also makes it acceptable to vegetarians but it is not considered vegan because it contains milk.  An added product plus, health wise, is that this cheddar is made with milk from cows that were not treated with the artificial growth hormone rBST.

A Scene from the Tillamook Loaf Love Tour

Photo Courtesy of Tillamook Cheese

Inspired by the grilled cheese competition Tillamook sponsored during their recent Loaf Love Tour, I cooked up my own version of the classic sandwich in my own kitchen at home.  For sure,  you don't have to be kosher or even Jewish to enjoy this new twist on an old family favorite.  Good thing, too, that matzoh is widely available in many supermarkets nationwide and usually can be found in the kosher or ethnic section year-round.
Grated Tillamook Kosher Cheese
iPhone Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

The beauty of the rendition I came up with is four-fold.  First, it only requires two ingredients: a loaf of Tillamook's Kosher Medium Chedar Cheese (which you will need to grate) and a box of matzah.  Even better, this is so easy and quick to cook in just 30 seconds that even a child can make his own sandwich as long as he knows how to use the microwave safely.  It's also really good tasting and crunchy which really seems to appeal to kids.  Best of all, this Mommy Blog Expert concoction is healthier than traditional grilled cheese because no fat or grease is used in the preparation.

MommyBlogExpert's Matzoh Grilled Cheese
Serve open face (as pictured) or top with a second piece of plain Matzoh
iPhone Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

All my kids love this fun way to eat grilled cheese which I made plain for them. But this would also be good with raw sliced tomatoes or sauteed vegetables of your choice on top when you pop it into the micro.  With four teens at my house, I've found that this is an ideal quick and healthy snack that they can whip up for themselves any time of the day or night whenever they get the munchies.

My oldest triplet -- who also made an off the charts macaroni and cheese with some of the cheese we received, sums up our family's experience well.  "Tillamook is the best cheddar cheese I've ever tasted.  I also love it because there are so many ways kids can use it to make a snack or meal for ourselves that is both delicious and healthy."
My Daughter's Delectable Tillamook Mac & Cheese
iPhone by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Now that your mouth is watering from this all this blog talk about fun ways for kids to cook with cheese, please leave a comment and share your own favorite way to use cheddar in a meal or snack.

FTC Disclosure: Tillamook sent us their scrumptious cheese to facilitate our family's taste and review project.  I did not receive any payment or other compensation related to this post.   See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Electronics Expected to be Among Top Gift Choices This Mother's Day

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Mother's Day

Pink Rose Closeup
Photo by Mini MommyBlogExpert (age 13)

This Sunday, according to the annual Brand Keys Mother's Day survey, nine out of 10 consumers (91%) will celebrate Mother's Day, with spending estimated to reach $15.7 billion, based on the Brand Keys market research findings.

That's an average of $148 in 2011 per buyer, up almost five percent from last year, with men each spending about $176 while women plan to spend quite a bit less, about $120.  Most notable, is that electronic gift buying for Mom has increased by 10% this year.

“Gifts for Mom are going high-tech this year for certain” says Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and president.  “Along with the traditional 3Cs – cards (greeting and gift), candy, and clothing – consumers this year will be focusing on electronics to honor mothers."

Consumers may still be shopping smarter due to the economy, but this year high-tech products are the clear stand-out with shoppers indicating that they're buying Moms electronic book readers (25%), tablets (19%), smartphones (15%), computers (9%), and cameras (6%).

What gifts will you be giving for Mother's Day this year? Or, if you're a mom, what one thing would you like to receive most on Sunday?  Leave a comment and share your ideas.

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive any payment or other compensation related to this post.   See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Los Angeles Times Book Festival This Weekend Sat/Sun April 30 - May 1

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Family Weekend Event

The Los Angeles Times annual two day book festival is this Saturday and Sunday.  With so many exhibitors and family friendly events going on simultaneously on various stages on the USC campus in L.A., it's good to know that The Times just launched its first mobile interactive guide to explore this weekend's Festival of Books. 

The Free download for iPhone, iPod Touch and Android features:

• Customizable schedule of events
• Detailed search by activity, author, book title or genres as well as scheduled performances and appearances
• Maps of the Festival venue, plus parking and public transportation information
• Integration with users' Facebook and Twitter accounts for posting photos, status updates and tweets
• Simple access to the latest news from the Festival via Facebook and Twitter feeds. Plus, a real bonus when it comes to parking in L.A.,  USC traffic updates

The entire festival, including eight outdoor stages, hundreds of panels, exhibitors, book sellers and entertainment, will be located around the USC campus.  The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is presented in association with USC.  Also, presenting sponsor Target, major sponsors Buick and GMC and the official ticketing provider is Eventbrite.

Watch for more posts on MommyBlogExpert about the goings on at the event this weekend as I'll be attending again this year.

FTC Disclosure:  I did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.