Soar On the Wings of DinnerSmith!

Celebrate July 4th (or any other day this summer, come to think about it) with wings!

Here's a tangy… and just a touch sweet recipe for you to enjoy.

These wings are easy, easy, easy... and great for those nights when you just are not looking forward to a big meal prep and an even bigger cleanup mess afterward.

We like to serve them with two sides: Sticky and DELICIOUS Jasmine Rice and Corn on the Cob.

This can also be a EASY and FUN addition to your July 4th BBQ.

Tequila-Lime Chicken Wings

Serves 4

16 chicken wings (if you have hungry appetites, there is enough marinade to add a few more wings)

½ cup tequila (rum works well too)

1 lime, juiced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger (bottled OK)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ cup cilantro, chopped (use fresh mint or basil as an alternative

- Remove the wing tips and discard them or save to make chicken broth.

- Separate the other two wing pieces. Place all ingredients in a re-sealable plastic bag and allow to sit for at least 2 hours but overnight is OK.

- Prepare grill.

- Remove wings from marinade (discard marinade).

- Grill over medium heat until wings are cooked through and nicely browned.

- Serve immediately.

Tip: If you separate the wing pieces rather leaving the wing whole, they will grill more evenly. Buying a package of chicken wings will be cheaper, but you can buy wings that have already been separated at the joint and tips discarded. Warehouse stores have large bags of wing pieces that will last for months in the freezer and make a quick meal with little fuss.

(yes we are thinking of adding them to the menu!!!!)

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Have Dinnersmith BBQs this summer:

Your choice of three main courses, salad and fresh corn on the cob for $99.00.

Feed 8-12 people and have no stress. Just enjoy your guests.

Choose your MAIN Courses from the following:

Steak Merlot / Turkey Burgers / Stuffed Cheeseburgers

Chicken Shwarma / BBQ Pork (cooked) / DinnerSmith Favorite Pork Chops

Give us a Call: 973-763-2333

Francine Valle

Dinnersmith

Brought to you by:

DinnerSmith Meal Prep Studio

Maplewood, NJ

www.DinnerSmith.com

weight loss...a few thoughts

People think I dont' know what it is like to struggle extra pounds because I stay so thin. Actually I am heavier than I would like to be because I eat lot! At one point in my life when I was over 40, I did drop 30 extra pounds in sx months. I notice a lot of people in my life are really struggling with their diets. Because DinnerSmith is founded on the same principles that guide my diet/lifestyle, I though I would share some of that here.

I believe that protein, fruits and vegetables and water are the bedrock of the diet. Everything else is extra: extra calories, extra filler. Protein is meat, fish, chicken, beans, eggs and milk products. Fruits and vegetables are well known to everyone but not every one is careful about how they are eaten. For example, the apples in an apple turnover or danish should not be counted as a serving of fruit.

We focus on protein as the foundation of the meal. Breakfast, lunch and dinner should have protien: yogurt, eggs beans and peanut butter all count as protein. We need all kinds of protein: beef, diary, beans and pork, chicken and fish. At Dinnersmith, every meal and every menu starts with protein. The menu is balanced in terms of how many dishes of beef and fish are offered each month. We include beef although many people avoid beef. It has important nutrients and satisfies an emotional need for many people. All things in moderation: portion control can be a the biggest part of a lifestyle diet. Here at DinnerSmith we offer 24 oz of beef or chicken or fish to feed 4-6 people. That is six to eight ounces of meat per person. Along with some carrots and some rice, there is room for some dessert (like a piece of pie, an eighth of a pie).

Start in the morning with an egg, and then for lunch, sliced chicken or baked fish on a bed of greens and a dinner of baked pork chop. Because we have access to the gold standard in yogurt, Wake Robin, many of the DinnerSmith staff start the day with my moms granola, Wake Robin yogurt and fruit. Super simple and totally healthly start so that if and when lunch does not happen, it is less tempting to eat junk. Without breakfast a person gets so hungry, it does not matter who made the pizza, it matters how fast you can eat a whole one.

Lunch is for many Americans something in bread or with bread. Forget the bread. Also nothing fried. Stuff yourself with fruits and vegatables and protein. Make a salad and put sliced chicken on it. Dont worry about the dressing: fat free dressing has a ton of sugars and chemicals in it to make up for the removed fat. Look for a dressing you really like. You want a dressing that makes you find something to put it on. Can you build a salad that is more than you can finish even though you want to. That is the lunch challenge.

About the bread, I said to Fran this morning that a person should forget the rolls for the turkey burgers and lose the extra calories. Fran said one roll does not matter: then together we agreed it is the every meal bread and bagel and roll that fattens folks up. Give up bread: there is a reason it is called stuffing. Every now and then I treat myself to a really great artisanal bread made by craftmen. There are some really wonderful bakers out there. I go to Serrano's in Orange or Breadsmith in Cranford. Make it a great treat to have certain foods.

Enjoy dinner! Eat well! Have a grilled pork chop or a nice steak. Surround it with steamed or sauted vegatables. If you don't like vegatables, make a choice. Have an unhealthy body and get used to popping pills or find a way to enjoy vegetables. There are lots of great spices to flavor them with: we make an herb butter here at DinnerSmith for steamed veg that is outstanding. Ready for the big secret. Let a pound of unsalted european butter get soft. Put it in a bowl. Add minced garlic or garlic powder or other spices and herbs that you can find in the kitchen. Be careful and taste as you go. Mix together with your hands and form into a roll. Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap. Let harden in the frig. Cut into slices for easier storage and use. Too much work...ask for herb butter whenever you come to Dinnersmith!

DinnerSmith goes to Cranford

In a new and exciting development, ready to cook meals are now going to be available in Cranford at the Vanilla Bean Creamery thru a great program called Cranford Disount Dining.

The brain child of Dawn Salerno, Cranford Discount Dining, is a program where local restaurants offer a special dinner at a great price to the membership. The members have simpler choices to make and get great food at a reduced price. The restaurants get business on off peak nights and get a chance to woo new customers. Dawn says "I see restaurants with a full staff and open kitchen and families who need great take out. We provide a matching service which will keep our local businesses alive and provide families with great value. I love my town and did not want to see businesses close for lack of local support."

Every week CDD sends their list of members a discount menu page featuring one or two area restaurants each week and members can log in and order their meals. On the chosen day, customers arrive at the restaurant, pay for and pick up their food. Restaurants get the benefit of a large order and employees get work.

I love this concept and am thrilled to be able to offer DinnerSmith to Cranford and Westfield. Our good friends at Vanilla Bean Creamery are allowing us frig space and pick up service. This is a great ice cream store where they make all the ice cream and cakes themselves. More on those cakes later. Dawn is bringing this concept to the Malpewood South Orange area and we all are looking forward to it! A great way to support our local business. Please sign up on her web site and be a part of this great new program!

Thanks Mary





Vanilla Bean Creamery (908) 497-9448

22 North Ave W Cranford, NJ 07016

CHOLESTEROL

Cholesterol... we hear so much about it and at DinnerSmith we hear from customers that are avoiding dietary cholesterol for health reasons. I wanted to know ...how much is too much... what is the target range for cholesterol consumption.

The answer is 300 milligrams per day for people without sensitivies. Some people eat anything with cholesterol and they have problems: those people are considered cholesterol sensitive.

But how much cholesterol is in the food we eat every day. So I found this chart which is very helpful.

FOOD	CHOLESTEROL (milligrams)
Human milk	32 (varies)
Meats (3 ounces) Liver Lean ground beef, lamb, chicken breast, pork	400-500 78
Egg, whole or egg yolk (1 large)	213
Fish (3 ounces): Shrimp Lobster Mackerel Salmon Catfish Tuna Crab Snapper Cod Halibut Clams Orange roughy	130-166 81 62 47-60 49 42-50 36-50 40 37 35 29 17
Dairy products: Milk (1 cup) nonfat 1 percent 2 percent whole (3.3-3.7 percent) Yogurt (1 cup): nonfat lowfat whole Cheese (1 ounce): cheddar cheddar, lowfat Cottage cheese (1/2 cup) nonfat 1 percent fat 2 percent fat Butter (1 tbs.)	<5 >

I think the most important question for each person is what is their correct level. And make good choices.

Another super DinnerSmith discovery-Vanilla Bean Creamery

Here at DinnerSmith, we get to see a lot of great food because we spend our day immersed in bringing the best to our customers. Sharon Grey, our partner, has been managing an ice cream store in Cranford, the Vanilla Bean Creamery. They make their own ice cream on premise and also at their sister store in Springfield, Scoops and Scripts (246 Mountain Ave. near Bagel Chateau). There is a whole list of sundues which I am working my way thru. I say just start at the top. The strawberry and chocolate sundae was fabulous. Just the right size and a great price. They have a ton of special flavors: Death by Chocolate has bits and pieces of crunchies and chips in deep chocolate ice cream. Devil Dog has real Devil Dogs mixed in the ice cream. This is a full service store: they have sherbert and ices and suger free and forzen yogurt. So what else can I tell you.................

The really big deal is the ice cream cake, the Vanilla Bean Creamery Signature Cake. Layer of cake and homemade ice cream surrounded by frosting. I took two to my sisters Wild Game Dinner because this special occassion deserved a special ending. I had one midnight madness Choclate and one Praline. Now this is not the official description, but comes from delicious memory. The cholcolate cake had layers of chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream and some fillings iced with white frosting topped with a hard chocolate piece decorated with chocolate iceing. The praline cake had similiar layers of cake with praline ice cream. There was pieces of praline all over this cake. The flavors were so sweet and light. The crowd at the party went crazy. They got past the 'I will have a little taste' stage very quickly. I could not cut slices fast enough. From small children to my own parents, these cakes were a huge hit. If you are having a dinner or event where there will be dessert, this is the cake that will impress, both in its presentation and its taste.

Call them , Have them reserve one for you.

(908) 497-9448

22 North Ave W Cranford, NJ 07016