POM Kiwi & POM Nectarine

Lately, I have been craving fruit. Not my usual assortment of bananas & apples, but richer, juicier fruits like kiwi. So I was very excited when I got to try POM Kiwi & POM Nectarine!

Normally I don't care for kiwi or nectarine drinks. Kiwi beverages I tasted in the past had strawberry-watermelon aftertastes. Prior nectarine drinks reminded me of orange hard candy : P The POM juices were a refreshing change from my past negative experiences. POM Kiwi definitely tasted like fresh kiwis, with a slightly tart pomegranate twist. POM Kiwi goes well with simple yet decadent meals, such as a dinner of steak salad & a small slice of cheesecake. POM nectarine had a natural, light flavor that reminded me of fresh squeezed juice from home. I would suggest the POM Kiwi for a Sunday brunch or a bridal shower. It would be delicious by itself or as part of a custom punch.

Try my POM Kiwi & POM Nectarine recipes. They're delicious & easy to make : )

POM Nectarine Cupcakes
1 - 18 oz white box cake mix
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 Tbsp honey
2 cups chopped peaches
1/2 cup POM Nectarine
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Mix in pecans, honey, peaches & POM Nectarine to batter. Spoon cake mix into cupcake tins. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. After cupcakes have cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

POM Kiwi Chicken Salad
For the crust, I used rice flour, sweet potato flakes, butter & POM Nectarine. You'll need to eyeball the amount of POM added to the crust, just as you'd do when using water. I baked the crust for a few minutes at 375 degrees, then allowed it to cool completely. For the filling, I added 1/4 cup POM Kiwi to chilled chicken salad.

Seafood Desserts

I'm in a brainstorming mood. I am trying to think of dessert recipes that involve seafood. Throw ideas at me, please.

How to Eat Sushi

If you're new to sushi like me, a little help is always welcome. Head over to Snippets to read What Is The Right Way To Eat Sushi. Thank you to AMW reader Jerry for the link!

Blockbuster Monster Contest

Halloween is my favorite time of the year. Who can resist popcorn balls, cider and delicious, spooky desserts ? If you're a candy freak like me, you've probably made creative candy set-ups for Halloween parties (and then sampled them for "quality control") Now you can put that creativity to use and win an awesome prize, too! Allison Meets World is having a Blockbuster Monster contest. Create an edible Blockbuster monster out of candy and popcorn available in Blockbuster stores. Then share a photo of it on Allison Meets World. The winner will receive a $25 Blockbuster gift card. Now get to the kitchen and work some magic, my culinary goblins : )

Here are the rules:
- One entry per person, per household, per email address
- One prize per person, per household, per email address
- The prize must be accepted as awarded. No substitutions will be made.
- Entries will be accepted from Monday, October 26, 2009 at 3:30 PM, Eastern Standard Time to Monday, November 2, 2009 at 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time. Three winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.
- The winner will be the most creative Blockbuster Monster, as determined by Allison Meets World.
- How do you enter the contest ? Post a photo of your Blockbuster Monster in this thread. Partial, incomplete, obscene or offensive entries will be disqualified.
- The winner will receive their Blockbuster $25 gift card via US mail. So I must be able to contact you. Make sure to leave your blog address on your contest entry. Or email me at AllisonMeetsWorld(at)yahoo.com after you post your photo entry and let me know which entry was your's.
- If Allison Meets World determines there is any suspected or actual tampering with the photo contest, AMW reserves the right to void the tampered entries.
- "What kind of monster should I make ?"
The sky is the limit. You could make a trick-or-treating monster, a pumpkin
monster -- let your imagination and your sweet tooth be your guide : )

Here are some Blockbuster available candies to inspire you:

ORVILLE KETTLE KORN POPCORN
ORVILLE SMART POP POPCORN
ORVILLE BUTTER POPCORN
ORVILLE MT BUTTER POPCORN
NESTLE RAISINETS
BUNCHA CRUNCH
REESE'S PIECES
TWIZZLERS STRAWBERRY
GOOBERS
SNOW CAPS
MILKDUDS
SOUR PATCH KIDS
SKITTLES ORIGINAL
STARBURST ORIGINAL
MIKE&IKE ORIGINAL
COOKIE DOUGH BITES
SKITTLES SOUR
WHOPPERS
NESTLE RAISINETS DARK CHOC
CHOCOLATE COVERED ALMONDS
HOT TAMALES
M&M'S PEANUT
SKITTLES CRAZY CORE
WHOPPERS PEANUT BUTTER
M&M'S PLAIN MILK
MIKE&IKE BERRY BLAST
STARBURST SOUR GUMMIBURST
RED VINES THEATER
MIKE AND IKE ITALIAN ICE
SOUR JACKS WATERMELON
MIKE&IKE TROPICAL TYPHOON
SOUR JACKS
COOKIE DOUGH BITES DARK CHOC.
MIKE&IKE LEMONADE BLENDS

*Update: The entry deadline has been extended to November 4th.
**Update #2: Congrats to Jan, our winner. Please email me your address so I can mail your prize. Leslie, email me your address, too, for a special AMW runner up prize.
**Update #3: Runner up prize mailed at post office this afternoon

Random Note of the Day: Bread Crumbs

A great substitution when you're out of bread crumbs = dry cream of wheat roasted in the oven. Keep an eye on it, though, as cream of wheat apparently roasts very quickly!