Vietnamese Tacos and an OXO Good Grips Giveaway

This recipe has all the necessary qualities for a fun family meal:  it's easy to make, it tastes great, everyone can customize his own meal, it's super-healthy, and what's more fun than dinner rolled up in a nice warm tortilla?  My whole family (and two dinner guests) loved these Vietnamese Tacos!  I found the original recipe in the April 2012 issue of Southern Living and modified it slightly.

VIETNAMESE TACOS

2 1/2 pounds sirloin steak (London Broil)
6-inch flour tortillas
1 bag Cole Slaw mix or 3 cups shredded cabbage and carrots
2 scallions, sliced
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced thin

Marinade:

Get this recipe (with nutrition facts) at Cook and Count!

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 TBL sugar
juice of one lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp freshly-ground pepper

Marinate steak for 8 to 24 hours.  Mix dipping sauce and chill until ready to serve.  Grill steak until done, discarding remaining marinade.  Allow meat to rest 10 minutes before slicing.  Slice into thin strips and serve in warmed tortillas with dipping sauce and vegetables.

This made a great and easy meal with a side of salad, steamed rice and a raw vegetable platter.  Everyone used the extra dipping sauce on the raw vegetables (it was particularly delicious with cucumbers.)

Slicing those cucumbers was really easy thanks to a cool kitchen tool from OXO Good Grips!  I used the Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer to make short work of that job.  This slicer was easy to hook over the top of a bowl, and the cucumbers were sliced in no time at all.  With a carefully-designed finger guard, I never had to worry that I'd slice off a fingertip or knuckle on the mandoline blade.

It was easy to adjust the thickness of the slices with a nonslip knob located on the side.  The thinnest slices were practically transparent--there's no way I could have done that with a knife.

I've also tried this slicer with onions and it made that chore quick and easy.  There's no better way to get paper-thin onion slices to top burgers or sandwiches.

This mandoline is dishwasher-safe (top rack) and the finger guard fits over the blade for safe storage of this handy kitchen tool.  It's going to be well-used in my kitchen this summer!

Thanks to OXO, I have a Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer to give away to one reader!  It's easy to enter this giveaway.  Simply leave a comment on this post, making sure there's an email address where you can be reached.  For one extra entry, "like" Mom's Fridge on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know you did that.  The contest will close at 11:59 PM EDT on Thursday, May 24 and the winner will be chosen and notified on Friday, May 25.  Because of the holiday, the winner will have until 11:59 PM EDT on Tuesday, May 29 to respond.

I received a Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer to try out for the purposes of this review and giveaway. The winner of the giveaway will receive an identical product. I did not receive any other compensation from OXO or any other source. All opinions are mine. UPDATE: And the winner is...comment #5, Jamie! The winner will be contacted via email as described above. Congratulations and thanks to everyone for participating!

Book Review and Giveaway: Sweet Eats

Not every family has to worry about a loved one who has food allergies or sensitivities.  For those who do, cooking, dining and shopping can be a huge challenge.

Marcia Slawson has experienced firsthand what it's like to try to tempt a young child on a wheat-free diet.  Her extensive trial and error with recipes and ingredients led her to write two versions of her dessert cookbook, Sweet Eats.

Sweet Eats is full of recipes with familiar names--but with a "healthy twist."   If you, a family member, or friend must eat gluten-free or if you wish to incorporate more whole grains into your diet without sacrificing delicious and familiar desserts, Slawson's cookbooks will show you how.  Each and every recipe has been modified to include gluten-free flours or whole grains (depending on the edition), natural low-glycemic-index sweeteners and healthy fats.

Whole-grain and gluten-free ingredients can be pricey and sometimes hard to find.  The last thing you want to do is experiment on your own with expensive ingredients--or waste your time and gas running to several stores in search of a single item.  Slawson has done the legwork here as well.  Sweet Eats lists brand names and sources for many of these ingredients, even recommending certain brands that work best in particular recipes.  You'll also find cooking, preparation and storage tips for these foods and ingredients.

For more information on this book or to order your own copy of either the Spelt & Whole Grain or Gluten-Free edition of Sweet Eats, visit Mom's Healthy Eats.  These cookbooks are available as e-books only.  You can even preview 3 free recipes from the book!  And don't miss the blog, where you can learn about healthy habits and ingredients.

I've been offered a copy of Sweet Eats to give away to a lucky reader!  To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post answering the question:

What do you think is the biggest challenge in dealing with a food allergy or sensitivity?

You can get a second entry by tweeting about this contest!  Make sure to leave a link to your tweet and your Twitter username in the comments.

One entry set per person, please.

This contest will run through midnight EDT on Tuesday, May 15.  A winner will be chosen and announced by Friday, May 18 and will have 72 hours to respond to an email announcement.  The winner will get to choose either the Spelt & Whole Grain OR Gluten-Free edition of this handy cookbook!

I was provided with an e-book copy of Sweet Eats for the purposes of this review. I received no other compensation. All opinions are mine. UPDATE: This contest is now closed and we have our winner! It is commenter #1, Mary Ellen! She has been contacted via email and has chosen the Gluten Free edition of Sweet Eats.

Giveaway: My Favorite Church Cookbook

My name is Barb and I'm a cookbook addict.  My kitchen cookbook shelf is more than full, and the collection has spilled over into the dining room as well.

When it comes to cookbooks, there's nothing like a church or community cookbook to give you an idea of the flavor of a neighborhood.  So when our parish decided to reprint our wildly popular "Casey Collection" cookbook, I purchased an extra copy to give away to one lucky Mom's Fridge reader.

In this cookbook you'll find several of my recipes--all of which are also on the blog.  There are also some Polish specialties like Golabki (yum), Pierogi (yum), and Babka (yum)!  You'd expect nothing less from a cookbook originally published in St. Casimir Church.  Not into Polish food?  No problem; there are also recipes for Anise Toast, Cuban bread, and all sorts of other delicious favorites.

Would you like to WIN this cookbook?  Here's how to enter:

1.  Mandatory entry:  Leave a comment on this post with the title of YOUR favorite cookbook!
2.  "Like" Mom's Fridge on Facebook, and leave a separate comment here telling me you did so.
3.  Subscribe to the Mom's Fridge RSS feed (or "follow" the blog), and leave a separate comment here telling me you did so.

This contest closes at 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, November 17.  One set of entries per person; USA readers only.

UPDATE:  Contest closed.  And the winner is....

Peg at Just Plain Insane!  Congratulations!

Giveaway: HomeRoutines App for iPhone/iPod touch

I'm thrilled that I've received an extra code to give all the iPhone/iPod touch users a chance to win a free app! I've been using the HomeRoutines app for iPhone/iPod touch since the beginning of the year, and when I got an iPad I bought the app for that as well.  HomeRoutines is designed to help you manage those repetitive tasks that must be done on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

It's easy to use, with a nice-looking interface.  It's easy to customize, which I love.  And now that it's got a web component, it's easy to keep track of everything no matter what device you're using at the moment.

When you check off a task, you give yourself a gold star!  And you can decide when the app resets the stars, so you don't have to go around every Monday morning and un-check everything you did last week.

I don't spend money on apps lightly; I bought the iPod app on sale.  But when I got my iPad, I paid full price for that version of the app, and I've recommended it plenty of times.   I even helped beta-test the web app and sync functionality.  As a beta tester, I received a FREE code for the iPhone/iPod touch app to give away.

Want to win this app?  Leave a comment on this post answering the question:

What's your least favorite household chore?

Remember, this code is only good for the iPhone/iPod touch version of HomeRoutines.  The code will not work on the iPad version.  Unfortunately, I don't have an iPhone or iPod to give away along with it.

This giveaway will close at midnight EDT on Saturday, September 10.  Comments posted after that time will not be counted.  A winner will be chosen at random from all comments on Sunday, September 11.  One entry per person, please.  Winners must supply a valid email address and must reply to notification of their win within 48 hours, or another winner will be chosen.

Giveaway: Home Routines App for iPad

I love it when I get to give away something that I use myself! I've been using the HomeRoutines app for iPhone/iPod touch since the beginning of the year, and when I got an iPad I bought the app for that as well.  HomeRoutines is designed to help you manage those repetitive tasks that must be done on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

It's easy to use, with a nice-looking interface.  It's easy to customize, which I love.  And now that it's got a web component, it's easy to keep track of everything no matter what device you're using at the moment.

When you check off a task, you give yourself a gold star!  And you can decide when the app resets the stars, so you don't have to go around every Monday morning and un-check everything you did last week.

I don't spend money on apps lightly; I bought the iPod app on sale.  But when I got my iPad, I paid full price for that version of the app, and I've recommended it plenty of times.   I even helped beta-test the web app and sync functionality.  As a beta tester, I received a FREE code for the iPad app to give away.

Want to win this app?  Leave a comment on this post answering the question:

What's your least favorite household chore?

Remember, this code is only good for the iPad version of HomeRoutines.  The code will not work on the iPhone/iPod version.  Unfortunately, I don't have an iPad to give away along with it.

This giveaway will close at midnight EDT on Thursday, September 8.  Comments posted after that time will not be counted.  A winner will be chosen at random from all comments on Friday, September 9.  One entry per person, please.  Winners must supply a valid email address and must reply to notification of their win within 48 hours, or another winner will be chosen.


UPDATE:  CLOSED!