Contest closed: Winners have been contacted and all emails with personal information have been deleted to protect your privacy. No information is ever saved, sold, or used! Rest assured, I treat your privacy in the same way I’d like mine respected. Thanks so much for reading and for entering!

Gourmand Karen Rysavy is a long-time low carber with incredible hotness in the kitchen. Penning hundreds of recipes, and with multiple books to her name, Rysavy also runs the forums on Cooking TLC.net and has very graciously offered a couple of her amazing books for Low Carb Lolitas readers! (See review here)

Additionally, Karen has offered a starter package of 2-4 ounce bottles of Fiberfit to one lucky reader who is interested in trying a  sucralose-based liquid sweetener. (See review here)

Simply email cleochatra at gmail.com with the header “Rysavy Righteousness” by Wednesday, June 23 at noon EST, and if your name is drawn, I’ll send your package right away! You must include a home address or you will not be eligible. Your information is deleted immediately after drawing and is not sold, saved or shared. This is to save me time so that I don’t have to hit you up for an address.

So enter to win and you could receive the Cooking TLC Volume I, the More Cooking TLC Volume II or the Fiberfit package!

Embrace the hotness,

Some might know Karen Rysavy as a motorcyclin’ mama, a rebel who rides down the Colorado turnpikes on her two-wheeled machine. Others know her as a successful low carbohydrate cook and owner of the site Cooking TLC. net.

No matter the correlation, one thing’s for sure: the girl can cook, and her books prove it. Amazing recipes and tips fill pages throughout the tomes, and sections include: Appetizers and Snacks, Condiments and Sauces, Soups and Main Dishes, Vegetables and Side Dishes, and Fabulous Fakes: Breads and Sweets.

Laminated covers help protect from spills in the kitchen, while the spiral binding allows the books to lay flat for ease of use. Thicker paper stock, color picture inserts for sections, and added tips show that no space was wasted and every caring attribute was added to aid cooks in preparing healthy, low carb meals. It’s wonderful seeing nutritional values for each meal, and she breaks down recipes into milliliter and gram measurements as well.

Want to witness the magic for yourself? Just check out some sample recipes from volume 1 here and from volume 2 here!

While the price per book is admittedly steep for 132 pages, think of the low carb leading lady who’s put forth a lot of effort over the years to help low carbers achieve their goals and whose book will withstand years of use, thanks to the efforts of the author who refused to settle for lesser components to assemble these cookbooks.

Cooking TLC
Karen Rysavy
132 pages
Spiral binding
6X8″ laminated softcover
Cost: $28

More Cooking TLC Volume II
Karen Rysavy
132 pages
Spiral binding
6X8″ laminated softcover
Cost: $28

To order: Visit this site

Disclaimer in hot lip gloss: The cookbooks were sent free of charge by the author for the purpose of review. This does not taint the review since the owners of this blog are too cranky to be bought. All opinions are stated without pressure or duress and most items donated are given away to readers to pay it forward, with no benefit to the blog owners. Items held have either been damaged, used or consumed for the purpose of review and are not resold.

Keepin’ it kick-rear,

Fiberfit is one of the wonderful options available to low carbers who are looking for a way to make life just a little bit sweeter. Using Fiberfit increases daily fiber while adding a little zhoozh to beverages, desserts, breakfasts and even those sweet and spicy sauces.

Just check out a few ways Fiberfit can be used here. Recipes.

Sweetened with sucralose (Splenda), each tsp delivers 0 net carbs and a gram of fiber. I am not generally a sweets fan, so instead of making a dessert, I used the product in my iced tea. The taste is sweet but not sickeningly so, which is nice since sucralose tends to gack me out.

Conversion: Fiberfit is 8-10x stronger than sugar, so 1 tsp = about 3 TBSP sugar, and just 2 TBSP = 1 cup sugar.

My thoughts: I like the stuff. I am not generally a fan of liquid sweeteners or sucralose, but this one performs, is flavorless (save for the sweet), and is concentrated, so a little goes a long way. It reminds me of the concentrated liquid sweeteners we used in the 80’s for our coffee. I also love the flip top which allows one drop at a time out of the bottle for portion control.

I haven’t used this in any cooking at this time, but a few drops in my tea has me liking it for its ease of use on a daily basis even if it never sees a mixing bowl.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥
Fiberfit Cost: $6.50 for 4 ounces (roughly 24- 1 tsp servings)
Carb/Calorie Count: 0 net carbs/4 calories
Ingredients: sucralose, water, irish moss, guar gum, gluconic acid
Flavor: Nice, sweet flavor
Texture: Clear liquid
Usefulness: Frostings, glazes, beverages, cookies, cheesecakes
Negative: Doesn’t translate well in some baking or in candy making
Found at: http://www.trulylowcarb.com/shop/index.html (Karen Rysavy’s is a distributor)
Website: www.fiberfit.net/

Affidavit of truthiness: This product was provided to me free of charge for review but has not affected my opinion of the product. I’m a hard ho to crack. All opinions are stated without pressure or duress and most items donated are given away to readers to pay it forward, with no benefit to the blog owners. Items held have either been damaged, used or consumed for the purpose of review and are not resold.

A while ago I developed this fascination with making every conceivable thing I could from scratch.  This sick hobby began when I was on an extended trip outside the U.S. and could not find an acceptable mayo at the local store.  Some were too sweet, some had a funny aftertaste, and some had a texture that was somewhat “unnatural” – and we’ll just leave it at that. Being a creature of habit, I wanted a mayo remotely resembling the stuff I could get at home, so I decided to try making my own, and have been hooked ever since. While the homemade wasn’t exactly like the store bought, it was darn close and I actually preferred the simpler, cleaner flavor, and of course I had the pride of knowing it was made by lil’ old me. I don’t think I’ve bought a commercial mayo since.

Homemade mayo is great for many reasons:

1. You can whip it up in small batches, so it’s always super fresh and as tasty as it can be.
2. You can experiment with lots of interesting oils and combinations of ingredients to get exactly the taste you are looking for.
3. Homemade means no funky fillers, preservatives, additives, or other sci-fi ingredients.  You get the purest product possible and, above all, you always know what’s in it.

While any logical person would use cute things like electricity and  appliances of modern convenience to make something as labor intensive as mayonnaise, one day I decided to bring it “old school” and try my hand at making it the hard way.  Yep, just me, my ingredients, and my whisk.  After all, it would bring me closer to my creation and make me “at one with the sauce”.  Some purists would say that using a blender with something as sacred as mayo is cheating, and I was not about to be a cheater.  I jumped into the project just to prove that I could go the extra mile to do it the right way, like a good little foodie.

Now, before you go getting the idea that you actually want to try the old school prep yourself, remember these words of wisdom: “Easier said than done.”  Ok, now repeat them 10 times.  Still wanna try?  Just checking.

It goes a little something like this:

• 1 1/2 c oil (I used sunflower for its pleasant, neutral flavor)
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp white vinegar (you may add more or less, depending on how tart you like it)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder

Start by assembling your ingredients in their own little containers and set aside for easy access when needed.  (The culinary term is “mise en place” if you want to sound all fancy and French and stuff.)  It will help greatly if your oil is in a pourable container.  If not, make sure you have a tablespoon handy to add the oil to the mix later on.

Now for the fun part:

1. Prepare for the marathon by selecting a vessel in which to commence the beatings.  I recommend glass as it has a good deal of weight and is therefore more stable.  You want stable for this undertaking.  Stable is good.  You also want your vessel of choice to be slightly warmer than room temperature during the whipping, as mayo is a finicky little guy and likes things nice and toasty before he’ll cooperate.  Glass is great for this as well because it can be popped into the microwave for a few seconds for a temperature that’s just right.  Speaking of temperature, all your ingredients absolutely must be at room temperature for the best results.  If your eggs are cold, set them in a bowl of warm water for about 20 minutes and that should do the trick.
2. Place your bowl on a sturdy surface, preferably on a non-slip pad.  If you don’t have one of those in your left pocket for occasions such as these you can dampen a towel, make a doughnut shape on your counter and put the bowl down in the center.  Do this step.  Trust me, it won’t be pretty if your bowl doesn’t stay in one place.  I know from experience…and I’d rather not discuss it.
3. Place your two egg yolks in the bottom of the bowl and begin whisking them vigorously until they become thick and foamy.  A little something like this:
4. Now it’s time to add all your goodies.  While continuing to whisk quickly, slowly pour in your vinegar, followed by the salt and mustard powder.  Give it about 30 seconds more until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
5. At this point you may be feeling pretty good.  You are in that relaxed, cooking state of mind.  Maybe you are whistling your favorite tune or watching a bluebird out your window.  This is all about to change, so wipe that smile off your face cause it’s about to get serious.  Find a comfortable stance, grab your oil, and kiss your arm goodbye.  Begin ever so slowly trickling your oil into the egg mixture – about one tablespoon at a time -beating steadily (the suggested pace is about 2 strokes per second for best results.)  Continue until you have used about 2/3 of your oil.  Because we are slowly trickling the oil this will take several minutes, but don’t worry, it feels like an eternity.  At this point your arm will probably be throbbing, but you must stay strong and continue with the self-inflicted abuse.  If you stop, your precious mayo could seize up and be ruined.  The good news is that the budding mayo should be thickening up nicely and resemble something like this:
6. If you guessed that the next step is “to continue beating like a madman” you’d be right.  But don’t worry, we are entering the home stretch.  Your mayo will gradually thicken and thicken until it becomes downright difficult to beat anymore.  Now is a good time to thin it up a tad.  While continuing to beat, drizzle in a couple of teaspoons of very warm water, ferociously whisking it into the mayo.  The mixture will instantly thin, whiten, and become a more creamy consistency.
7. It’s time to finish this puppy up.  Muster all the strength you have and try to steady your quaking knees and jelly-like arm and very slowly drizzle the remaining oil into the mixture.  This will take a few more minutes, but hang in there.
8. When the last of the oil is successfully beaten into the mixture and the mayo has taken on an extremely thick, dense texture, it’s time to assess the situation.  If you would like to thin it down and make it creamy again, drizzle another teaspoon or two of warm water in and keep-a-whisking.  When it is at the desired consistency, I’m happy to say, my friend, that you are done.  Your concoction should now look something like this:

Congratulations.  You are now a man.  You have endured the hellish homemade mayo-by-hand test, and are now free to gloat with pride.

However, if pride ain’t your thing and you feel that it is borderline insanity to make mayo in this fashion, aside from being 100% correct, you may want to try the 20th century version.  This one takes a fraction of the time, is 1000% easier, and will keep your arm from resembling a spaghetti noodle when it’s all said and done.  You won’t feel like a conquering warrior afterward, but will appear much smarter to those around you.

It goes a little something like this:

• 1 1/2 c oil (sunflower again)
• 2 whole eggs (yield a better consistency with blender mayos)
• 2 tbsp white vinegar (you may add more or less, depending on how tart you like it)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder

Assemble all of your ingredients as above in exactly the same way.  I use a stick blender to beat the mayo into submission, but a regular blender will work as well.  Starting with 1/2 cup of the oil, add in the eggs, vinegar, salt, and mustard and blend together on the lowest setting until well incorporated.  When the mixture has started to thicken considerably, start drizzling in the rest of the oil in a very slow, steady stream while the blender is running.  After all the oil has been added, continue to blend until the mayo is the consistency you desire.

When your mayo is complete, be it the “old school” version, or lazy, yet smart, method transfer it immediately to an air tight container.  I prefer to use many smaller containers as opposed to one large container as I feel it keeps the product fresher tasting and freer of those yucky “mayo boogies” that collect at the top…you know the ones.  It should keep for quite a while in the fridge, but it’s best to use within a week for best taste and texture.

I think everyone should try making mayo by hand at least once, just for the experience.  So if you are home alone one day with an adventurous spirit and a hankering to kick your own ass, give it a try.  It will help bring you closer to your food and will certainly help burn off most of the calories you will take in eating the stuff.

These small taco shells are easy to make with just three ingredients. Use them as fun finger foods for the kids or for yourself, for appetizers, lunches or bento! The uses are literally endless. OK, why you can’t use them to patch a tire, fix a bad toupee or make your car’s vinyl rooftop look like new, you can enjoy your lunch while watching others perform those feats.

Mini taco shells and bowls

Parmesan cracker recipe
cooling racks
mini cupcake pans or shot glasses

Roll the dough into a slightly wider log, about 1.5″ wide. Refrigerate. Bake crackers as directed, but instead of allowing to brown, remove the pan at about 4.5-5 minutes while crackers still look slightly gooey and pliable; let rest on the stove for five minutes.

Keep checking until crackers are solid enough to be handled but not too cool to form. As soon as they can be handled without falling apart (they should still be hot), move with a spatula and form into mini shapes and let cool/dehydrate for a day or so prior to use.

If you have a dehydrator which will accept the shells, pop them in there, or you can try drying shells in the oven for 250 degree Fahrenheit with oven door slightly ajar until shells dry and are crisp (this could take 6-8 hours;  keep checking just in case).

To form shells: Place a metal cooling rack over a mixing bowl. Take slightly cooled crackers and bend over the cooling rack’s metal tines, 2-3 spaces apart, so that the edges are hanging down. This will create a taco shell shape.

To form bowls: Invert slightly cooled crackers over the back side of mini muffin pan bowls or over small shot glasses. This will create small taco bowl shapes.

Have a hankering for mini tacos and a fresh salad in the ever-warming weather? This bento is quick and easy and satisfies the need for protein, fat and an extra dose of cute. There are no little nori faces, but the tacos themselves are so small, you can’t help but have a little fun.Just don’t break out into a jig. Like the last time.

Top: Salad from shredded iceberg lettuce, fresh sliced mushroom, sliced black olives and grape tomatoes.

Bottom: Mini taco shells filled with hamburger; shredded cheddar cheese; small bottle of taco sauce; kitty contains sour cream.

Mayo is indeed the condiment of choice in any low carb diet, and what’s not to love?  With its wonderful creaminess and tart, luxurious flavor, it adds instant punch to all sorts of low carb dishes.

A while back I discovered the magic of completely homemade mayo and have never looked back (my do-it-yourself mayo post is coming right up).  After enjoying this handmade treat I’ve come to the conclusion that the only thing better than homemade mayo is homemade mayo with stuff in it.  Hence, for your culinary enjoyment, here are the recipes for my top three favs:

1.  Sun-dried tomato mayo: A luxurious  blend of sinfully flavorful sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mayo.  Great for use on many types of dishes including salads, meats, and wraps.  The tomatoes give this mayo a sweet and tart flavor and beautiful color and texture.

For every 2/3 c. mayo use:

1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil

a touch of lemon juice (optional)

Take the sun-dried tomatoes and chop them into smaller pieces with a large knife.  The pieces can be any size you like.  Larger ones will obviously give you a chunkier, as opposed to smoother, mayo which can be wonderful and texturally interesting.  Blend tomatoes with mayo either by hand or in a food processor on pulse until completely incorporated.  Add lemon juice very gradually until the desired tartness is achieved.  (This step is optional but is great to balance the sweetness of the tomatoes.)  For a thinner, creamier, dressing-type mixture, (and some great color) you can also incorporate 1 tsp., or so, of the liquid from the jar.

2.  Roasted garlic mayo with parsley: Ok, this one is an absolute favorite of mine and it’s hard sometimes not to just dive in with a spoon.  It is inspired by a mayo I discovered in a South American sandwich shop that honestly should have come with a warning label because of its addictiveness.  It’s made with sweet, caramelized roasted garlic and finished off with a touch of chopped, fresh parsley.  Yes, it’s simple, but the flavor is out of this world!  Use on darn near anything, but one of my favorite uses is simply slathered all over a fresh turkey and cheeze roll-up.

For every 2/3 c. mayo use:

2 cloves of slow-roasted garlic

1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley leaves

Start by roasting the garlic.  Cut the tops off two heads of medium-sized garlic until the tops of all of the cloves are exposed. (This step is important, as you will need to get at those cloves with a fork later)  Drizzle with a touch of olive oil and salt, if desired, and snugly wrap in heavy duty foil.  Roast for 35-45 minutes at 375 degrees, or until the garlic is super soft and golden in color. When done, remove the individual cloves of garlic with a fork and place on a flat surface.  With the back of a fork, smoosh all those cloves together until you have a smooth paste.

Chop your parsley with a large knife and add to the mayo.  Now incorporate the garlic and mix together by hand until well blended.  Cover with plastic or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. While wonderful to enjoy immediately, this baby only gets better with age.  I prefer the fused-together flavors the mayo takes on around the 12-24 hour point.  Just delicious!

3.  Savory mustard and horsey mayo: At a family party recently, while enjoying a plate of lovely shrimp cocktail I noticed that without the cocktail sauce, which is positively laden with sugar, my shrimp was just…well, shrimp, and not so much “cocktail”.  I decided to go to work in the kitchen and frantically threw a recipe together that made my shrimpies sing.  While this mayo isn’t exactly like cocktail sauce, missing the whole syrupy ketchup part, it is much better in my humble opinion and really hit the spot with the right balance of earthy goodness from the whole grain mustard, and blow your head off “zing” from the horseradish.  I sweetened the final product ever so slightly with a touch of sucralose to mimic real cocktail sauce, but this part is entirely optional depending on your taste.

For every 2/3 c. of mayo use:

1 Tbsp grainy mustard

1 Tbsp horseradish (I used the creamy version which has a lovely texture)

A touch of your favorite sweetener (optional)

Blend all ingredients together and send those crustaceans swimmin’.  This is also a great spread for any LC dish.  Experiment with the sweet and savory versions and never have a boring meal again.

The carb count on the sun-dried tomato mayo is around 1g per tablespoon, and on the others is still a big fat zero.  Be sure to use the mayo wisely, however, because no matter how much we dress it up or how pretty it looks it’s still loaded with calories and Omega-6, which should both be taken in moderation.  Just a friendly reminder because after tasting these three treats you may be tempted to drown pretty much everything in their tomatoey, garlicky, horseradishey goodness!

Need a quick breakfast that looks like a million bucks? This eggs benedict is so easy, you’ll swoon from lack of preparation. Just douse some flour on your face to look like you worked all morning.

I also found a way around the egg ring:  Simply use a glass or cookie cutter to fashion the mass of cooked, scrambled eggs into a circle to achieve the perfect shape, and place on Canadian bacon under the circle o’ egg instead of an english muffin.

Top with my lazy hollandaise sauce for the finish.

Lazy Hollandaise Sauce

1/4 c mayonnaise
dash of pepper
dash of  lemon juice

Heat in the microwave until warm. Serves 2.

The ‘egg cutter’ idea also works for other breakfasts like your own egg McMuffins. Make sure the eggs are in a mass on the stove by scrambling minimally. Those crumbs aren’t going to net a beautiful biscuit-like egg. Try other cookie cutter shapes to get the kids excited, too.

Breakfast, babes and bacon,

Onigiri is also known as a rice ball (omusubi) , and is usually made with plain or lightly salted rice, formed into balls or triangles and used in bento. Some onigiri is usually traditionally with any salty or sour item as a food preservative (pickled umeboshi (prune), salted salmon, katsuobushi (dried, fermented, smoked skipjack tuna), kombu (edible kelp), or tarako (salted roe food made from Alaska pollock). I don’t usually stuff mine, but you could stuff yours with something fun like a green olive, fish, or a tiny bit of pickle.

Low Carbohydrate Onigiri

2/3 cup finely processed raw vegetables
1/3 cup Shredded Parmesan cheese (canned)

Process vegetables together until resembling couscous. Combine in bowl with Parmesan cheese. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir hot mixture with spoon. Butter your hands. While mixture is still hot, form into shapes (be careful–you could burn your hands if it’s too hot). Refrigerate.

Options: You can press surprises in the center, like an olive, a tiny meatball or a small piece of your favorite fish!

Wrap with nori for an authentic looking onigiri. I placed a small face for decoration.

Mini onigiri: Recipe makes 2-3 small balls.

Triangle: Recipe makes one triangle.

Form: Recipe makes one form.

Look at those cute little faces? Don ‘t they make you want to take them to lunch with you?

I had spaghetti squash that looked me squarely in the eye and said to me, “Are you going to just let my voluptuousness go to waste, or are you going to use me? I’m aging over here. My biological clock is ticking like your nervous astronomy teacher.”

Today’s theme centers on two things: Spaghetti squash and other veggies I  needed to use.

Top: Spaghetti squash, alfredo sauce, chopped peppers and onion; meat chili to toss into the mix.

Bottom: Lettuce or cabbage; American cheese divider; onigiri; baked spaghetti squash seeds and cashews.