Playing With My Food

Chocolate Peanut Butter Acorns

2011-11-23T11:25:00.001-08:00

So, a little over a month ago my aunt Jackie posted a link to her Facebook page. I've been wanting to do these little guys ever since: Today, I finally got my chance. I assembled the three ingredients: And got to work unwrapping those Kisses. Now, I should point out, that this is not a milk-free recipe. But it was so cute, I had to do it anyway. As a side-note, you may

Crispy Homemade French Fries

2011-11-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

So, I wanted to make up some homemade french fries for my friends the other day. I went to my trusty blog (which mostly functions as a handy recipe book, these days) and searched "fries." Unfortunately for me, it turns out I never did that post I meant to about how to make the perfect, crispy, delicious batch of homemade fries like I thought I had. So here it is now, for all of you (and me,

Peanut Butter Frosting

2011-08-31T17:12:00.000-07:00

I've decided that my attention to domestic activities appears to be in direct relation to the amount of time I spend alone in my home. When my husband is home, it rarely occurs to me to try a new recipe or scrub down all the walls. But when he isn't here... I begin to fill my time in Suzy Homemaker ways. Today while he was at work, for example, I decided to try making some cupcakes and

Ice Cream Sculpture

2011-08-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Our favorite dessert place to go to is Ice Cream Renaissance. So when my husband signed his contract for his new job, we decided to go there and celebrate. We ordered an "Indecision" for him and they brought him this fantastic two-toned ice cream sculpture in the shape of a bear with "congrats" written in chocolate syrup.We snapped a picture before digging in. They also have a nice variety of

Dining like a Princess

2011-07-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

By far the most fun I've had with my food this summer was all the delightful offerings on the Alaskan cruise we just went on. We did formal dining for the majority of our meals because it is easier for me with my food allergy. But who doesn't love a five course breakfast, right?Here we are in the International Dining Room before dinner one evening.Here is Bryan humoring me by posing with one of

Bacon-y Reprise

2011-07-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

This year for fourth of July the Bacon Explosions were back by popular demand. They were so popular last year, in fact, that we made four this year! If you haven't tried this yet, I highly reccommend it. See here for step by step instructions. Yum!

Summertime is Coming!

2011-06-19T21:18:00.001-07:00

I am so excited that grilling season is here again! My husband is amazing at the grill. Here is a quick snapshot of dinner:I made red roasted potatoes in the oven while he was working the above magic.Happy grilling!

Monday Bento

2010-11-29T22:38:00.001-08:00

I used one of my bento containers again today to turn my simple lunch into a bento.This bento contains:a ham sandwichBBQ chipsa miniature brownieHappy bento!

Apple Pie Filling

2010-11-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

Once you've got your pie crust prepared, you are ready to move on to the filling. Preheat the oven to 425* to start with.For the filling you will want:1/2 cup sugar3 Tablespoons flour1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/4 teaspoon cinnamona dash of salt5 cups thinly sliced pared tart apples (about 5 medium green apples will do)a few dabs of butter or margarineMix the first five ingredients together in a

Easy As Pie Crust

2010-11-25T20:32:00.001-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year I was asked to bring a milk free dessert that I could eat. I chose good old apple pie. (Now, keep in mind, this is only my second time doing a baked pie myself, so if it looks a little rustic... well, give me some slack, k?)I used my aunt Jackie's "EZ Pie Crust" recipe. Not sure where she got it from, but it was very simple.Ingredients:1/3 cup boiling water2/3 cup

Late Start Bento

2010-11-23T10:16:00.001-08:00

This morning, due to ice and snow, the school I work at had a two hour late start. So, I thought, while the ice outside melts away, why not pack a simple bento? This is what I came up with:This bento containsham sandwichred roasted potatoeswheat thinsHappy bento!

No Knead Rolls

2010-10-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

It has been coming on for a while now. The cloudy days and cooler nights have me thinking of baking. Today, I couldn't help myself. We just had to have homemade rolls with dinner. So I looked up a no knead recipe. One of the top no knead roll recipes was from Oprah. Since it didn't have any milk in it, I gave it a try. These first couple pictures are of my dough as it is rising. I used a

Bacon Explosion!

2010-07-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July each year, my husband and I like to serve our guests something tasty and unique off the grill. One year it was mead-marinated tri-tip steaks. Another year we did candied chicken teriyaki skewers. This year, we decided to go for the gusto and cook up a variation on a famous internet recipe: The Bacon Explosion.We started on Saturday night, cooking up a pound and a half of bacon

Homegrown Sprouts

2010-03-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

My husband surprised me a few weeks ago by requesting sprouts for his sandwiches. I was excited to hear him requesting something so healthy! So I pulled out my Easy Sprout and started growing some:This batch has been growing for about 4 days, I think.Then I de-hull them in the salad spinner I just acquired (from a co-worker who was no longer using it) and they are ready to go into our

Pulled Pork Bento

2010-03-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

Today's bento is super simple. It is a pulled pork sandwich ready to be assembled.You may notice I have a new "bento box." My co-workers have been going on about how it is not great to microwave your food in plastic, so I am slowly making the switch to Pyrex dishes for my hot lunches.Happy bento!

Produce Wash

2010-01-26T22:50:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. I do not usually wash my produce. Oh, I scrub the dirt off the potatoes before I bake them, and rinse my celery, but most of the rest of it I just chop up and eat. So this is an extremely odd sight for me:Not sure I'm doing it right, but I looked up this homemade organic fruit and vegetable wash on Videojug:1 Tb fresh squeezed lemon juice2 Tb vinegar1 cup water...

The Baby Shower

2010-01-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I hosted my first-ever baby shower. People came and brought cut little things like this: Here is the mom-to-be, Juliana, with her pile-o-presents: She seemed to have a good time opening everything up. And we, in true baby-shower fashion, oooooohed and aaaaaaaaaaaahed at them all. How can you not, really? But what is all this doing on my food blog, you ask? I give you, the snack

Sunset Bento

2010-01-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a sight you don't see everyday. A bento prepared and photographed as the sun goes down:This bento was supposed to be my dinner after tap class. But I ended up eating out with my friends instead.So, I tossed it in the fridge, and will be eating it for lunch today. It contains:a turkey sandwich (1.5 pts)soy crisps (1 pt)2 little homemade cookies (1 pt)Happy Bento! (And happy Friday!)

Fresh Lunch

2010-01-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

Today I stayed home from work feeling puny. But that gave me a great opportunity to make myself a delicious salad for lunch. Take a look at this:This salad was delicious. It was full of:Romain lettuceIceburg lettucecarrotsred pepperscucumbercelery &sugar snap peas.All of that was zero Weight Watchers points. Then I added:1 Tbsp fat free thousand island dressing (1pt)3 slices of turkey (0.5 pt

Simple Friday Bento

2010-01-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

I waited as long as I could this morning to take this picture, hoping for more light. In the end, I just set it up in the window to catch a few rays:This bento consists of:Turkey sandwich (1.5 WW pts)8 BBQ Soy Crisps (1 WW pt)I've crammed an apple (1pt), some dried blueberries (2pts), a Z-Bar (2pts) and my water bottle in my purse as well, so I am all ready for our community outing.Then it will

Zero Point Soup

2010-01-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

Here is the sight that awaited me in the kitchen when I woke up this morning. I only wish I could post the scent instead. Yum! This pot full of veggies was the backbone of my lunch today. And it cost me absolutely no Weight Watchers points to eat. Now how is that for feeling like you are getting away with something? I modified the recipe that I found in my booklet from years ago. Here's

Time to Blog?

2010-01-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

The last few days it hasn't seemed like I've had much time to sit down, at the computer or elsewhere, my time has been so tight. So blogging hasn't really happened.Today, before I rush out the door, I thought I would give you a glance at my lunch:I forgot, while I was packing it to take pictures. So this will have to do. :)Take my word for it that inside is a salad, apple, and rice with a bit

Grocery Day Bento

2010-01-11T07:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I am running low on veggies, and that's a fact. I didn't want to make myself a sandwich with no lettuce on it... so I packed a hot bento. But it is sadly lacking in color, I'm afraid:The lighting is also terrible. I am looking forward to Daylight Savings Time already.The hodge-podge of leftovers are:White riceShake-n-bake chicken tenderCarrotsCanned Asian veggie mixI will not be buying

3.5 Bento

2010-01-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Did anyone else have the misfortune to get on the scale after the holidays? I knew I'd been eating a bunch of junk, but it is always a shame to find that those foods have "gone to waist," if you know what I mean.So I decided I would "hit the reset" button, so to speak, on my eating habits by counting Weight Watcher points for a couple weeks. Always a good idea to remind oneself what a serving

A Break From Soup

2010-01-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been taking a small container of homemade soup for most lunches. Chicken noodle, vegetable beef, potato, "tortilla"... and it has all been very tasty. But it hasn't lent itself to much bento blogging.But yesterday, I took a break from soup and made myself a little bento:It has simply,RiceBBQ Beef Little Smokiesparsleymargarine & sugar (on the "sweet rice")Happy bento!