Some of it got a little overcooked--shh, don't tell! Just look at the prettier green florets!

We’ve been having so much fun with the Eating the Alphabet Challenge. If you’re new here, the idea is that each month I and other bloggers choose a fruit, vegetable or legume/grain to cook with that starts with a different letter of the alphabet. Each month is a different set of letters and this month it was G or H. It took me awhile to figure out what to choose this month. My family turned up their noses at my first choice: garbanzos. And although I do love to cook with Garlic, I wanted to branch out a bit.

Then I had my lightbulb moment! Ginger! That’s it. I make a lot of things with ginger and know my family likes it so this month’s challenge was just to try something new with ginger. We also love Asian food, like the Chicken and Cabbage Potstickers. And since there is a lot of ginger in Asian food it was a natural fit.

A quick search online and I found Garlic Ginger Broccoli (originally from Eating Well). Now Broccoli is a somewhat recent addition to my family’s plates but ever since we started growing it in our garden, it has been a welcome addition (yay!)

I served the Garlic Ginger Broccoli along with the Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Ginger Sauce (recipe to come later in a future post!) and it was a hit! Wow! My family LOVED it. And what I loved about it is that it was SO easy to prepare. Seriously, it took me longer to chop up the broccoli than it did to actually cook it. Another plus for easy! Don’t let the fish sauce scare you…it’s got just a little and adds some unique flavor along with the ginger. You can find it in the Asian aisle of most large supermarkets these days.

Gigner has been used for centuries for relief with gastrointestinal issues as well as an anti-inflmatory. And, packed with cancer-fighting photo nutrients, broccoli is also a great source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A, not to mention fiber. I totally recommend you give it a try!

Just a few simple ingredients is all it takes to get this whipped up!

I love to use my food chopped to mince the ginger easily.

Isn't that bright green beautiful?

So, what’s your family’s favorite fruit or vegetable that starts with the letter G or H? Share in the comments below. Bloggers, I’d love for you to join our Eating the Alphabet Challenge. Follow us on Twitter too using the hashtag #EatTheAlphabetChallenge. Just click here for details and to complete the form to sign up. And be sure to check out all these other fabulous blogger’s interpretations of the letter G & H, fruit and veggie style this month by visiting the blogs below! I know I’m planning to try a few.

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This week instead of a Real Food Friday recipe I’m writing about something very exciting coming up! Next week, on Saturday, May 19th, people from around the world will be celebrating Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day.
It’s a day to celebrate real food for our families and communities. You can check out the website to see if there are any activities planned in your area or even get ideas to plan your own (dinner party anyone?) The idea is to get the conversation started with your family, friends and anyone who will listen! If you’ve been talking about making a trip to a farmer’s market, now’s a great time to go! (you can find out where your local farmers markets are by clicking here)

The Jamie Oliver Food Foundation is doing great things to bring education to our schools and communities about how real food CAN be made quickly, easily and be tastier too! Renember a few months ago I told you that I and 21 other bloggers are part of the Jamie Oliver Real Food Advocate team trying to raise awareness for real food.

So how do you share your latte (or whatever indulgence you like to have) with Jamie Oliver? What I’m asking my readers to do is to consider making a minimum $5 donation to the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. That’s about the price of a latte. I have set a goal to reach $500 so if only 100 of my readers give $5, we’ll be there in no time!

It’s easy! You can make a donation online by clicking on THE BUTTON BELOW which will bring you to a secure page for our group.

The funds donated will go to help promote Food Education programs in the US, UK and Australia. (you can read more about where the funds will go by clicking here). Won’t you help us out and share your latte today? Thanks so much!

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Friggie Tape! It'll hold up your artwork on the refrigerator and do so much more!

Several months ago, we finally bit the bullet and got a new refrigerator. Ours was more than 18 years old and was having some trouble regulating temperatures–some food was spoiling while others were being frozen. I loved the look of the stainless steel refrigerators and we got a terrific price so went for one of those French door models (which I LOVE by the way!) The only down side to the model we chose was that it was true stainless steel and would not be magnetic (I know some models have a stainless steel “look” and are magnetic but are not really stainless steel). So before we actually bought the refrigerator I had to get online to find out if there was a solution to displaying artwork and other pictures on it like I had for years. I came across a product called Friggie Tape and knew this would be a great possible solution. We bought the fridge and shortly thereafter I received my Friggie Tape in the mail.

The Friggie Tape is respositionable refrigerartor-art-tape that is like a sticky note but in double-sided tape form. It is safe for the refrigerator, removable (with no residue), acid-free and photo safe! Not just for the refrigerator, it is great for home, office, classroom, church, dorms or lockers. It’s also easy enough for kids to use as the tape is designed so no dispender is needed. The tape is perforated and you just pull off a strip, remove the paper liner, attach the tape to your item and display. It also works on just about any solid surface–not just refrigerators. And it is made in the USA!

See, my refrigerator looks just as artsy as it used to--now only with Friggie Tape instead of magnets!

What’s also neat about it is that I can take the artwork that I have displayed and put it directly into a scrapbook easily and quickly if I want. My primary purpose for the Friggie Tape is to put things up on my fridge so this is an extra bonus. The other upside is that if you have little ones around, you can still safely display your artwork at any height and not have to worry about magnets getting swallowed by accident.

Friggie Tape creator, Deb Schroeder, said she even started a scrapbook with all the recipes that mer mother (now 95) hand-wrote on recipe cards for her on index cards or inside a Hallmark Card. She kept them and started a “Deb’s Favorite Recipes Scrapbook”. The recipes are attached with Friggie Tape and placed on scrapbook paper in her book. When she wants to make one of her family’s recipes, she can take the cards out, use them and then place them safely back into the book, in original condition! With Mother’s Day coming up, wouldn’t this be a great idea for you or your moms to hand write some favorite recipes so that daughters and sons have them as an heirloom? In this day of technology, a handwritten keepsake is a real treasure when it’s written in a family member’s handwriting.

This is my weekly meal planning grid...laminated so I can use a dry-erase marker to change it each week. Since it's a bit heavier, I need to use about 6 pieces of Friggie Tape to hold it on.

A couple of tips I learned when using Friggie Tape:

–Friggie Tape works great with lighter weight paper (think regular copy paper weight or even cardstock if it’s not too big). It’s also great for photos or party invitations (which we like to put on the fridge so we don’t forget when and where we need to be!) If you have a heavier item (like thicker construction paper or something laminated), you will need to use several pieces of the friggie tape. I use about 6-8 pieces for a letter size piece of paper.

–It does start to lose it’s stick after multiple on-off applications. But I’m talking like, over and over, probably like 20 times or more.

–The Friggie Tape roll comes with a plastic remover so you can safely remove any tape that doesn’t want to come up easily and not worry about scratching your appliance.

I have to say, after a few months of using Friggie Tape, I am a happy stainless-steel-fridge-owning AND artwork-displaying mom and my refrigerator is no longer naked! I am so glad I found Friggie Tape!

Want to try Friggie Tape for yourself? Three (3) lucky winners will get to try it for free with this giveaway!

Here’s How To Enter:
Leave a comment with how you would use Friggie Tape to help you display artwork and/or preserve other memorabilia. Only one entry per reader. Good luck!

Giveaway Rules:
Giveaway ends Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 11:59 (CST). Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. If prize is not claimed a new winner will be chosen. Winner will be posted on blog and if an email is given, they will be contacted via email. Open to ANYONE! (Thanks Friggie Tape for shipping worldwide!)

Disclaimer: I received free samples of the Friggie Tape and no other compensation. The opinions here are all my own.

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Monday: cheese quesadillas on whole wheat tortillas with diced sauteed bell peppers and onions (for those that won’t pick them out!), sliced avocados and cucumbers
Tuesday: Grilled Pork tenderloin and steamed broccoli, quinoa side (recipes to come!)
Wednesday: Spaghetti & meatballs over whole grain pasta; garden salad
Thursday: Chicken Cordon Bleu (from freezer meal exchange), garden salad
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: leftovers/out to eat
Sunday: Mother’s Day–no cooking for me! (not sure yet what’s on the menu though)

What’s on your menu this week? For more menu and recipe ideas, visit OrgJunkie.com!

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It’s time for another Crazy Cooking Challenge hosted by Tina at Mom’s Crazy Cooking. This month’s theme: grilled cheese sandwiches! We love a good grilled cheese sandwich and I thought this challenge was particularly appropriate since I’ve been drooling over the many different options for the last couple of years at Panini Happy’s Grilled Cheese Pageants.

I actually found this recipe on the Bake Your Day blog via Pinterest. The colors in the photo caught my eye especially because it has avocados and tomatoes too—both things that my family loves!

Simple to prepare, I thought it would be a great way to use up seasonal produce this summer. I paired it with a homemade tomato basil soup (recipe to come!) and it was a hit with my whole family! Even the sometimes-picky-eater ate nearly all of his! We will definitely be making this sandwich often. And I love that we can put it into our vegetarian meal rotation since we’re always looking for new recipes to try so that we can have at least (most weeks) one meatless meal each week.

Here’s the recipe so you can try it too!

Layer everything on the buttered bread (faced in to each other so they are less mess!)

Just a few simple ingredients is all it takes for this delicious and quick "gourmet" grilled cheese sandwich!

In case you missed it before, you may be asking how does this Crazy Cooking Challenge work you ask? Well, once month (on the 7th specifically), a group of food bloggers get together to feature one food item for that month. We all make that item, in our own kitchens and in our own way, but add our own special touches. It’s a great way to discover new blogs and new recipes!

You can enjoy visiting the other Crazy Cooking Challenge participants through the links below. And the extra twist? If you like my recipe, please click the ‘like’ button by my entry to vote for me. The recipe with the most votes will be deemed the ULTIMATE RECIPE for this challenge. Enjoy!

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This recipe is one my dad makes a lot. It’s originally from a local restaurant here in Houston (Rudi Lechner’s) but I adapted it slightly to make it more to our taste. The recipe appeared in the newspaper years ago. My kids LOVE it! Now I gave it a try myself and I’m not sure why I don’t make it more often…it is SO easy!

For this soup I used the leftover Slowcooker Rotisserie Chicken that I had on hand. Did you also know you can freeze the rotisserie chicken carcass until you want to make soup? I do this all the time! I was also excited to find whole-grain egg noodles to use in my soup! My family didn’t seem to notice the difference and I actually liked them a little more than regular dumpling-style pasta. Yay for easy extra dietary fiber!

Just a few simple ingredients and some time for simmering. Couldn't be easier to make your own chicken noodle soup!

I used a mesh ball (like a tea ball but bigger) for the peppercorns and garlic.

Garlic & pepercorns in the "tea" ball. Next time I'll probably just do the peppercorns and let the garlic simmer in all the broth.

Love all the colors in the soup while it is simmering!

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This is the first stack of books from the library.

And then there's this stack.

Yep, this pile too..... (at least one of those belongs to me though!)

And, this one. Yes, it's crazy and I went a little overboard. I promise, there were still plenty left at the library!

I think if they ever imposed a limit on the number of books you can check out it would probably be because of me!

September was the last update for the Tasty Books Book Club. I had originally intended for it to be a summer only club but there are just so many great food-related books out there that I just want to share and hopefully we can all share our thoughts on them too!

Starting this month I’m also adding films. For now, I’ve mostly chosen documentaries but if you have any others to suggest, please let me know!

So I’m bringing it back and kicking things off again this month. I hope to post Q&A’s about at least a couple of the books (not sure if I can keep up with all of them) but I want to offer a variety for everyone so choose what strikes your fancy month-to-month. As usual, I’m going to include a little bit about what I thought about the book and then the publishers description for a general overview.

NON-FICTION

The American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillan

I picked this book up on the recommendation of a friend and it is fascinating! Author, McMillan went undercover to live the life of Americans from different walks of life to determine if touting the “eat local, eat fresh, eat organic” option is realistic for the average American. It reads like a novel and is a page-turner! But in the end, you take a step back and hopefully ask the same questions and come up with your own answers. I’ll check back with y’all later to see what you think!

Amazon Book Description:
What if you can’t afford nine-dollar tomatoes? That was the question award-winning journalist Tracie McMillan couldn’t escape as she watched the debate about America’s meals unfold, one that urges us to pay food’s true cost—which is to say, pay more. So in 2009 McMillan embarked on a groundbreaking undercover journey to see what it takes to eat well in America. For nearly a year, she worked, ate, and lived alongside the working poor to examine how Americans eat when price matters.
From the fields of California, a Walmart produce aisle outside of Detroit, and the kitchen of a New York City Applebee’s, McMillan takes us into the heart of America’s meals. With startling intimacy she portrays the lives and food of Mexican garlic crews, Midwestern produce managers, and Caribbean line cooks, while also chronicling her own attempts to live and eat on meager wages. Along the way, she asked the questions still facing America a decade after the declaration of an obesity epidemic: Why do we eat the way we do? And how can we change it? To find out, McMillan goes beyond the food on her plate to examine the national prio-rities that put it there. With her absorbing blend of riveting narrative and formidable investigative reporting, McMillan takes us from dusty fields to clanging restaurant kitchens, linking her work to the quality of our meals—and always placing her observations in the context of America’s approach not just to farms and kitchens but to wages and work.
The surprising answers that McMillan found on her journey have profound implications for our food and agriculture, and also for how we see ourselves as a nation. Through stunning reportage, Tracie McMillan makes the simple case that—city or country, rich or poor—everyone wants good food. Fearlessly reported and beautifully written, The American Way of Eating goes beyond statistics and culture wars to deliver a book that is fiercely intelligent and compulsively readable. Talking about dinner will never be the same again.

FICTION

Catering To Nobody by Dianne Mott Davidson
This is the first in a series of caterer turned sleuth. I first read this book many years ago but it’s a great one that I love! The bonus? There are recipes included in every book!

Amazon Book Description:
Catering a wake is not Goldy’s idea of fun. Yet the Colorado caterer throws herself into preparing a savory feast including Poached Salmon and Strawberry Shortcake Buffet designed to soothe forty mourners. And her culinary efforts seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered…until her ex-father-in-law gynecologist Fritz Korman is struck down and Goldy is accused of adding poison to the menu. Now, with the Department of Health impounding her leftovers, her ex-husband proclaiming her guilt, and her business about to be shut down, Goldy knows she can’t wait for the police to serve up the answers. She’ll soon uncover more than one family skeleton and a veritable stew of unpalatable secrets–the kind that could make Goldy the main course in an unsavory killer’s next murder!

COOKBOOK:

Vegetables Every Day: The Definitive Guide to Buying And Cooking Today’s Produce by Jack Bishop

I figured this title was appropriate since I’ve been trying to come up with ideas for the Eating The Alphabet series and lots of farmer’s markets are starting back up for many of you all (if they haven’t’ already!) and there are so many yummy spring vegetables to choose from like those I mentioned in the Produce for Kids article I wrote on the Top 10 Spring Fruits & Vegetables.

Book Description:
The fresh vegetable sections in most supermarkets, farmers’ markets, and gourmet groceries are overflowing with an amazing range of produce, both familiar and exotic. Consumers are tempted by kale and kohlrabi, taro and tomatillos, bok choy and burdock, along with all the familiar choices. Now acclaimed cookbook author and food writer Jack Bishop offers a comprehensive A-to-Z guide to this bounty of produce, complete with selection tips, preparation instructions, and hundreds of recipes for more than sixty-six commonly available vegetables. With Bishop’s expert advice, you’ll learn how to coax the very best flavor from every vegetable, whether it’s a carrot, cauliflower, or cardoon. Wondering how and when to buy the sweetest green beans? Bishop suggests buying at the height of summer, and selecting beans that are crisp and slim (older, thicker beans will be mealy and bland). Confused about how to cook the spring’s first sorrel? Bishop offers such unique and delicious dishes as Sorrel and Potato Soup and Sorrel Frittata. These recipes — like all 350 in the book — are clear and uncomplicated, ensuring success for even the novice cook. So whether you are looking for a salad or side dish, a vibrant main course, or simply great mashed potatoes, you are sure to find it in this essential kitchen companion. We all know that vegetables are the key to healthful eating — now it’s time to discover how great they can taste, each and every day!

CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION/COOKBOOK

Garbage Helps Our Garden Grow: A Compost Story by Linda Glaser

I picked up a copy of this book at our local library recently and I thought it would be great for kids to help them understand composting and how it can help inspire them to help their gardens grow AND help our environment at the same time. What kid doesn’t like digging in the dirt?

Book Description:
What is that garbage doing next to the garden? It’s not garbage. It’s compost! Amazing things happen inside a compost bin. In go banana peels, grass clippings, and even an old jack-o’-lantern. Out comes compost. The compost goes into the garden to make the soil rich for new plants. Compost is good for the earth. Composting also helps us make less garbage. In this book, you can watch as one family makes compost for their garden and also learn how to start your very own compost bin!

MIDDLE GRADES BOOK:

The Cupcake Caper by Gertrude Chandler Warner

My kids love the Boxcar Children series! And what a fun twist with a cupcake theme.

Book Description:
It’s a delicious new mystery with the Boxcar Children as they help catch a cupcake thief! Mama Tova’s shop in Greenfield is so famous that every day, people line up around the block to buy her cupcakes. But when someone breaks into her kitchen, it’s clear that her secret recipe is in danger. The Aldens follow the suspects to a bake-off where they must find the culprit using their mystery-solving skills – and their taste buds, too!

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK:

A Cow, A Bee, A Cookie & Me by Meredith Hooper
This is a cute picture book that takes the reader on a journey of how the ingredients for making honey cookies are made and where they come from. And the bonus? There is a recipe for honey cookies at the back of the book!

Amazon Book Description:
Ages 4-7. Cookies don’t come from packages, they come from nature, as this jaunty picture book shows. Ben is baking honey cookies with his grandma. Each time Ben asks, “What do we need?” Grandma has the real answer: a cow and grass to make the milk, sugarcane growing thick and tall, a thousand buzzing bees, even dried bark from a tree. Bark? Yes, cinnamon bark. Grandma explains everything: how the bees pack flower nectar into waxy cells to turn into honey and how to cream the butter and roll out the dough. The childlike art is sunny with lots of yellows, greens, and blues coloring the two-page spreads or those featuring one large picture of a cooking ingredient in its natural state and two smaller ones that show what the products look like when processed. Once in a while the text raises more questions than it answers (how, a child might wonder, does the cow turn grass into milk?), but in general this is a happy introduction to the ways nature provides cooking ingredients. Recipe included

FILM:

I’m excited to add the film element to our review and discussion. There are so many food related films that it’s a great option to learn more and be entertained without the full commitment of reading a book. I recently discovered that I can get just about any documentary and films I could ever think of (and then some) via my Netflix live streaming subscription. Awesome! But if you don’t have this option, check your library for a copy as well—I found lots of them at our library as well.

The firsts film I’ve chosen is NOVA: Bees – Tales From the Hive
Why have I chosen this to be the first film? Well, partly because many of you have or are setting up your home gardens and bees are an integral part of the pollination process that probably a lot of us don’t understand. And with the Bee Colony Collapse Disorder a concern for the future of our food supply, it’s important to start at the beginning and learn how these little creatures are huge contributors to the future of the way we eat.

Amazon Description: 
Spend a year in this hive and experience life as a bee.
Amazingly up-close footage filmed with specially developed macro lenses brings you the most intimate- and most spectacular- portrayal of a working bee colony ever filmed. It’s not frightening- it’s fascinating. See things you never imagined. Hear things only bees hear. Discover new found facts about the strange and complex life of bees.
Did you know it takes nectar from 10 million flowers to create a single liter of honey? No wonder they’re called worker bees! Tales from the Hive exposes a bee colony’s secret world- detailing such rarely seen events as the life-or-death battle between a pair of rival queens, a bee eater’s attack on the hive, a scout bee’s mysterious dance that shares special “nectar directions” with the rest of the hive. Also, watch the high-speed mid-air “wedding flight” of drone and queen. See the colony’s defense against a honey-loving bear.

So which book will you be reading first? Or will the film be more your thing to start off with? Feel free to add title suggestions in the comments below for future months. And if you’re not already following me on Facebook or Twitter, be sure to do so as there’s always lots of conversation going on there! And spread the word to your friends and family–the more the merrier!

Disclaimer: I have received no compensation for choosing these books and film for the Tasty Books Book Club. I am, however, an Amazon Affliate, so if you choose to order any of these titles through my blog I receive a (very) small portion of the sale. And I thank you.

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Making your own spaghetti sauce is SO easy! And when you make it yourself YOU get to control the salt and sugar that goes into it! (read the label on your favorite jarred brand next time—several of them have added sugar!)

I’ve actually got a few favorite recipes but this is one of my family’s most favorites. I originally got it from the 30 Day Gourmet Big Book of Freezer Cooking Advantage Cooking software but I have changed it up just a bit over the years. The spices are not overwhelming but have just the right blend. I love that I can throw all the ingredients together in the morning and at the end of the day all I need to do is boil up some pasta, add a salad and we’re good to go on dinner. I also love it because it makes A LOT! I always have enough to freeze at least enough for two more dinners and sometimes a little more. It’s great with or without the sausage and I even used it in the Beef, Arugula and Spinach Lasagna I’ve made before.

And here’s my extra sneaky tip. I’ve made this overnight before. Yep, I put all the ingredients in the slowcooker before I go to bed then turn it on and it’s ready when I wake up. This is especially good when you want to make some up just to stock your freezer. How’s that for easy cooking?

And one more heads up….the original recipe called for Italian style tomatoes but I recently noticed that most brands have added sugar—high fructose corn syrup no less! Ok, why? All I want is the extra spices so I now add my own Italian spice blend and I’m good to go. We like to top ours with some freshly grated parmesan cheese that I keep in the freezer.

I hope you’ll give this one a try!

Making your own spaghetti sauce is easy and quick to put together. I used ground turkey (I forgot to take picture until after I had opened the package!). To save time, I also sometimes use frozen chopped onions--sometimes they are even cheaper than fresh!

Just a few simple ingredients combined in the slowcooker is all it takes!

Sometimes I cook the sauce overnight. See, I started this sauce right before I went to bed one night!

When I woke up from cooking the sauce overnight, it was already to be portioned out into containers, labeled and put in the freezer!

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Here’s what’s on the menu for us this week:
Monday: Chicken, Rice & Black Bean Tortilla soup (recipe to come); sliced avocadoes on the side
Tuesday: Crunchy beef tacos with all the fixings (lettuce, tomatoes, etc.)
Wednesday: Swiss Chicken casserole (from Freezer Meal Exchang Group); garden salad
Thursday: Pork Carnitas soft tacos (leftover from freezer) with peppers, avocadoes & onions
Friday: Vietnamese sandwiches (not homemade but very fresh & delicious–we will be near our favorite place this day so always pick some up!)
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: special activity, no cooking for me!

What’s on your menu this week? For more menu and recipe ideas, check out OrgJunkie.com

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I discovered this recipe probably four or five years ago after checking the The Classic Zucchini Cookbook out of the library. My family does not like zucchini or many other squashes for that matter but I do so I was interested in finding some recipes to try out. One squash (that I sometimes forget is a squash) that my family LOVES is pumpkin! Just about anything pumpkin will do. And since its packed with Vitamin A, low in calories and high in other anti-oxidant nutrients, you can’t go wrong with this great squash!

I am happy to serve it in lots of forms. As a matter of fact, I went a little nuts stocking up on pumpkin after the holidays when Walgreens (of all places?!?) had their cans of pumpkin on sale for 70 cents each. I think I was paranoid about the pumpkin shortage I’d heard about and wanted to make sure we would have enough. Or maybe I was contributing to the pumpkin shortage problem—ha!

This picture is not that great but it's of all the pumpkin in my pantry. I think I probably have about a dozen cans that I stocked up on after the holidays. Maybe I'm the source of the pumpkin shortage! Just kidding!

Ok, back on track now…. Another thing we love is waffles for breakfast. So this recipe was a match made in heaven! Leftovers store great in the freezer. Since they don’t have ANY sugar in the recipe, we add a little of our own with a squirt of whip cream (not non-dairy whip which is totally fake you know and well, not dairy!) and a drizzle of real maple syrup. Just a little will do it and these are gobbled up before I know it! This last time I put some chopped pecans on top and wow, was that delicious! With just a few simple ingredients, you can whip these up in not time and you’ll have some delicous AND nutritious waffles for your family.

Here’s the recipe in case you want to give these a try yourself. Enjoy!

Just a few simple ingredients is all it takes for these waffles. Love the yummy spices too!

I use a large ice cream scoop to put an even amount of batter on to the waffle iron. I use about two full scoops for our iron.

They don't have to be perfectly all the way to the edge--less mess this way and still just as tasty! And still pretty too.

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