This beautiful and drool-inducing shot is courtesy of Cinediva, aka Cheryl Katz. At flickr, you can see her whole bagel-making set, and you can check out her blog here.
Archive for the 'Food, Glorious Food' Category
Today’s sponsor goes by the pseudonym “Toblerone” (I’ve never actually had one of those chocolate bars…what a shame!) and is the founder of Simple Mom. I adore this website for its clean design and very very useful information. Not a single drop of filler to be found anywhere in her writing. She’s smart, witty, and entertaining to boot.
You also must check out the rest of our talented friends if you’re up for some good reading.
Today is my favorite carnival day. I absolutely positively adore food, and I admire all of those people who passionately photograph and write out, step by step, the means it takes to create it. Get ready for some major tummy-grumblage.
Victoria from SugaDaily is always being begged for her recipe for Taiwanese Vegan Lettuce Wraps. You think she’ll make us some if we’re really really nice?
Stephanie from Stop the Ride has shared a recipe for the West Virginia-native pepperoni roll. In answer to the question she poses in the post, no I didn’t know what a pepperoni roll was…but now I do, and I want one! She swears it’s a great solution for those days when you’re out running errands and need something quick to eat without resorting to another lunch at Chick-fil-A. (Which, although very yummy, lightens the purse after repeated indulgences!)
In this post, Jennafer from the Land of Lovings (I just love saying that) introduces us to the afore-never-heard-of buttermilk pie. The photo at left is of the raw pie. My guess is that they’re so good they ate it all before they got a chance to take a picture of the final product!
Emily from Loria Family Dialogues overcame her fear of candy thermometers to bring us this beautifully illustrated post on how to make free-form lollipops. I’m sure her kids were thrilled, as are we!
Valeree from Cincinnati Locavore has put together a useful post about how to shop at a farmer’s market. I love ours, even if it is a bit small and out of the way. Do you shop at farmer’s markets regularly?
Emily has another fabulous post for us inspiring us to romanticize our waffles, Eiffel-tower style. I never thought about making waffles this way, but it’s such a cool idea!
Katie from Frugal Fabulous encourages us to bag our lunches and save a ton of moolah. And if you’re sick of eating (and making) pb&js, she’s got a great idea to spice things up.
Victoria again challenges our tastebuds with a sophisticated dish — Bahami Pineapple Tilapia. Inspired by a dish at the Tsunami Cafe in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, she concocted this healthy tropical combination. Mmmmmmmmmm.
I am quickly falling in love with Emily’s photography. I don’t know anyone who can use vivid colors quite like she does. But this is about the food. Oh yes! Have you ever endeavored to make your own fortune cookies? These look so much better than the stale versions from ye-olde-chinese-shoppe.
Nichole from A Call to Higher Places graces us with a recipe for Cappucino Punch. I’m not a coffee drinker myself, but what a great spin off of the traditional fruity punch party fare.
Michelle from North of the 49 gives us detailed instructions for making a tasty loaf of no-knead bread. I am such a bread lover, it is not even kosher. I can’t believe hers looked this great on the first try!
Vegan Slow-Cooker Hot and Sour Soup. GeekyPoet shares a recipe that is decidedly different from most crock-pot recipes that I’ve tried in the past. Why different? It actually looks like something you’d get in a restaurant, and not from your mom’s kitchen. The mushrooms did it for me.
Food as a Ministry. Michelle from North of the 49 gives us some tips on how to use your kitchen to help your fellow (wo)man. Our friends have provided for us after we’ve given birth to our two children, and it was one of the sweetest gifts we’ve ever received.
What a fantastic lot of entries! I must say, I really am drooling at this moment. And the winner is…
Emily for her free-form lollipops! Thank you my dear for virtually fulfilling my sweet tooth today. Be sure to send me an email (sarahjoy AT todayshomemaker DOT com) so that I can send your prize package!
Be sure to visit again tomorrow for our entries on Green Living.
This week, I haven’t been doing too much impromptu cooking. Wait a minute…that’s not just this week. That’s the past four weeks! Oh well. Busy-ness has its downsides. But I did find Your Home Cafe a few days ago, and it has been a phenomenal life-saver. (And no, they didn’t pay me to say that. For all I know, they have no clue who I am or that I even know who THEY are.) It has saved me so much time and hassle, and for that I am extremely happy.
But. I think this week I’ll have some more time on my hands. I don’t want to jinx it, but you know…it just seems like it’s going to be one of those weeks. So here are some recipes that I’ve been saving up. If you could only choose one, which would you make? I’m trying to decide.
My favorite food blog of all time has now covered my favorite pizza of all time - pizza bianca. Is there anything better? I absolutely implore you to find something. Anything. I knew you couldn’t do it.
I’m not a huge fan of guacamole. I know, I know. I’m a sinner. But avocado GOAT CHEESE spread? Umm, yeah. Sinner no longer.
Remember when I blogged about loving these chocolate cupcake lollipops? Well, apparently so did Martha Stewart. (I knew we had to have something in common!) And now, the lovely Bakerella has decided to grace us with the recipe! How delightful!
Feeling nostalgic for the good ole days? The appropriately-named “I-wish-I-was-born-in-the-50’s-kitschy-icebox-pie” might have your name written all over it. (You might recognize it as “key lime” by another name).
Further proof that I am evil. There is not a single healthy thing on my list today! Well, I’m just making up for my dairy-free post of a few weeks back. These vanilla sugar sweet buns are going to require an extra pilates session…or two.
Here is where I redeem myself. What?! Whole wheat apple muffins do not make you love me again? But it has WHOLE WHEAT! C’mon…
Lastly, Danielle from Design Mom has written an excellent post on making it easier for your kids to help in the kitchen. Nolan has been helping me quite a bit this week, and so far the one (tiny) burn he’s suffered has not made it any less exciting for him. Now maybe he’ll believe me that the stove is, in fact, quite hot!
As I was doing my daily blog reading/sk*rt browsing, I found this great site that allows you to do a simple meal plan for the week, including ingredients and easy-to-print recipes, in about…oh…15 minutes. Seriously. And that’s including the learning curve!
I’m doing my free 5 day trial right now, and I’m already really excited about it. So far in “my game plan” (as it’s called in Your Home Cafe-land) for the week is:
- Baked Ravioli with a side of Garlic Green Beans
- Cheese Crisps with Roasted Chicken and Green Salsa
- Chicken Parmigiana
- French Dip Sandwiches
- Grilled Pork Chops with Maple Glaze
- Grilled Pork Satay
I love how when you’re done adding everything, you just print the whole thing out. It prints the shopping list first and the recipes right after. It separates your ingredients into sections that ACTUALLY make sense. It prints each recipe on a separate page. And everything is very, very easy to read.
The only glitch I noticed on the website is that I wasn’t able to check the “Add to my game plan” button on the page that showed my search results. I had to go to the individual recipe to click on it. It’s probably a browser issue with Safari.
Anyway, the website promises that these are things you AND your kids will love. I’ve no doubt. Everything looks fresh and delicious with a hint of sophistication. Have you checked out Your Home Cafe? What do you think?
My good friend Jen, blogger and artist/creator at Bliss Home Goods, is joining us today to share her experience with eating healthfully. She and her husband Erick have two ADORABLE boys (and I do not exaggerate…I wish they lived closer so I could see their antics in person!) and are two of the smartest people I know. Well, I don’t know Erick very well, but he married Jen, so…you know. He’s got to be pretty bright. Their only flaw is that they live quite far away from me. So sad. Without further ado…
…
I love food. I’m particularly fond of carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes) and sugar (dessert? who, me? Yes! of course!) Oh, and I can’t forget cheese. Of almost any sort. I also truly love fruits and veggies, although I can guarantee you I don’t get enough of them in my diet…so lately I’m trying to whip myself into shape and have discovered a few meals that I’m absolutely crazy about, fruit and veggies included.
Breakfast:
We have a waffle iron and put it to good use around this place. Butter and syrup are standard toppings, but recently we thawed out the remainder of our strawberries that we picked last summer, and combined that deliciousness with a dollop of Stonyfield Yogurt as well. Skip the standard fare! Yogurt and berries piled atop a steaming waffle? I don’t think I can go back! Makes for an excellent Saturday morning treat.
Lunch:
Friday nights are pizza nights around this household, most often of the homemade variety. Although I’m a sucker for good ol’ pepperoni (I can out eat my husband in pizza), we went half and half last time. Half sauce/cheese/pepperoni, and half cauliflower/spinach/feta.
I’m a convert! I couldn’t believe how much I appreciated the veggie side. It was incredibly simple; we used frozen spinach and let it thaw before sprinkling it over the dough. cauliflower came next (rubbed in a bit of olive oil…you don’t have to cook it ahead of time), and then the feta. The feta makes it. (Told you I was a lover of cheese!) Anyway, this might be a mommy-special. Good lunch while the boys are at their grandma’s house and the hubby is at work. (Don’t believe the male side of the household is too inclined to convert like myself just yet.)
Supper:
Everyone loves this meal, and it’s another easy one to throw together. Cooked pasta (we’ve used every variety and they all work), doused in a cup or so of cream that has simmered for about 6 minutes. I used to use whole cream, but started using half, and it’s just as good for us! Throw in around a pound of roasted1 asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces, and dice up some good ol’ sliced Virginia baked ham to toss in as well. Add some parmesan cheese to taste, and voila! The “fresh” of the asparagus and the salty ham makes for a fantastic combo.
There you have it! Change things bit by bit and I’ll get ever-closer to the recommended 5 a day…
- We have begun to roast ALL of our veggies. A bit of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and roast in the oven until tender! Better taste, and you don’t lose as many nutrients. [↩]
When I rounded up my most delicious-sounding food finds last week, Victoria left a comment mentioning that her son has a milk protein allergy and was wondering what kinds of things to fix for him. So today I’ve made it my mission to find yummy, kid-friendly recipes that include absolutely no cow-derived products.
Apple and Caramel Bread Pudding
I’ve made myself a strict 11pm bedtime, so I’m off the computer for now1. I hoped to get more recipes posted for you, but you know…I have to set limits for myself if I’m going to have balance in my life. That’s my number one goal right now. Feel free to post your favorite milk-protein-free recipes and links below. 
- Yes, I wrote this yesterday [↩]
Do you ever just get sick of cooking? I think sometimes we get sick of doing household stuff because we feel like we “have” to. Like someone out there is holding a little pen and notepad and jotting down all of the things that we’re not doing that we “should” be doing.
Well, I don’t cook anymore. At least not out of that mentality. When I cook or bake, I’m doing it because I can’t wait to taste the flavors. I am excited to create something out of raw ingredients. I’m doing it because it’s a fun thing to do with my husband and my kids. I’m not their personal chef. We all do our part to make the house a fun place to be.
So today I’m going to find a recipe that is really indulgent. I’m going to get the ingredients and I’m going to bake. Maybe I’ll try some Apple Dumplings made with Mountain Dew (did I really SAY that?!). Or maybe a homemade ding dong. Why am I finding all of the redneck recipes this week? Of course I MEANT to say black-bottomed cupcakes (these are aMAZing) or chocolate truffles. Now I’m in heaven.
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