July 28th, 2010
Busy life, bouts with illness and summer fun had us eating too many take out meals and bowls of cereal. This salad was my attempt to jump start our healthy diets.
It is just so easy to fall off the healthy eating wagon. A few “just-in-case” frozen dinners from Trader Joe’s freezer section, a decision to head to the beach last minute for an evening swim leaving no time to cook, summer heat that made endless weeding of the veggie garden less fun and an unseasonably sick toddler. These are the types of things that ganged up of late to nearly eradicate fresh, interesting foods from our diets.
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July 23rd, 2010
Cooped up with a sick toddler, an exhausted Mommy and 100 degree heat. Homemade Play-doh to the rescue! A few hours of giggling and much needed relief.
When I was a small kid, I remember my mom helping us make homemade play-doh. I must have also enjoyed the store bought variety because I recall the lever machine that pressed out snakes, spaghetti and shaped tubes. Perhaps it was my early fondness for baking and cooking that guided my preference towards the do-it-yourself process of kneading and getting your own color just right.
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July 19th, 2010
Next time you have the grill fired up, plan to use a little corner of real estate for a packet of foil filled with feta cheese, Greek oregano, olive oil and tomato.
We are still a few months away from our annual excursion to visit my in-laws in Greece. But, the excessive Chicago heat already has me in the mood. Once I start dreaming of souvlaki, Greek salad, pasticcio, bougatsa and feta, it is impossible to push myself out of the taste bud trance. Last week, I took an unplanned, quick turn into a local, ethnic grocer (Harvest Time) on the way back from the gym. Ten minutes later, I found myself walking out with a block of authentic Greek feta the size of my head.
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July 12th, 2010
It turns out that cilantrophobes may have a genetic predisposition against this fabulously fragrant herb. So, I won’t blame them as much for hating one of my favorites.
I have long been intrigued by the intense feelings people have about cilantro. You rarely find a palate that is indifferent to the herb. As I’ve mentioned before, I am so drawn to it, I have been known to pluck a leaf off in the grocery store and sneak it into my mouth while I shop. Yes, kind of gross since it is likely quite a dirty leaf that has traveled through the produce distribution underworld.
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June 29th, 2010
The outside of this cake was gorgeous but the unexpected treat awaited inside. The first cut revealed layers of blue and red velvet sandwiched between cream cheese frosting.
A few months ago, my husband became an American citizen. He has lived here for years but rather than continuing to renew his green card, he made it official and got a blue passport to add to his collection. He already has Dutch and Greek passports so he added the American one to the pile calling it his “Jason Bourne” passport.
Americans tend to be quite patriotic and through my husband’s naturalization process, I saw the best of the American spirit. When I announced that I would be hosting a big BBQ to celebrate, my talented friends came out of the woodwork with generous offerings. I am fortunate to know a designer who can design personalized plastic beer cups, a floral expert who delivered gorgeous red, white and blue arrangements, an event planner who supplied tables and patriotic linens and a very talented chef/baker who suggested a flag cake.
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June 24th, 2010
After all the ingredients, necessary tools and the recipe at hand are ready on the counter, I find my way into a baking trance.
This post was originally written for Buttoned Up where I was a Guest Guru in April.
Oh, Organization! We play a little game of cat and mouse, the two of us. Organization is my spirited toddler who is always one step ahead of me, out of reach and causing a little trouble. However, I will never stop chasing him. Somehow, I seem to stay the most organized when I am in constant pursuit of organization.
Let me explain…
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June 20th, 2010
Every since I perfected my perfect pizza dough, I have been pizza crazy. Fresh greens are my newest topping, straight from my little garden.
I was so anxious for my veggie garden to grow faster and faster so I could pluck just a few leaves for a fresh salad. Now, summer is upon us and I am nearly overwhelmed with my unending crops of spinach, mixed lettuces and arugula.
In an effort to find some fresh ideas for using the glut of arugula, I turned to Twitter. Almost immediately, @springboots (you can find her blog here) told me it would be good on pizza. She was right. I lathered up the dough up with some pesto and topped it with prosciutto and medallions of fresh mozzarella. After removing the hot pie from the oven, I dressed it with freshly harvested arugula.
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June 15th, 2010
Father’s Day is this Sunday. If your Pops likes good grub, you might want to send him this Zingerman’s Reuben Sandwich Kit.
So, I jumped the gun a bit and made some early Father’s Day Reuben Sandwiches from Zingerman’s. Why? So I could tell you how good they are in time to order them for your Dad, of course! What sacrifice. (If you do order, use the code ZINGDAD to get 10% off. Thanks Zingermans!)
I’ve always appreciated Zingerman’s use of illustrations instead of photographs of their products in their clever catalog. Even with the best food stylists, there is no way you can quite capture their food experiences in a photo. There is an extra aura of yummy magic that comes from the sum of all the perfect parts that can only be understood when all 5 senses are actually engaged. Their whimsical drawings help you better imagine how your palate will play. (Please excuse my best attempts to photograph and post their delectable wares.)
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June 11th, 2010
Coleslaw is one of those foods that I can’t decide if I love or hate. It’s rare that something with the same name can be at the top and bottom of your list.
Coleslaw can mean so many things: A big, gloppy mess overflowing from a small plastic cup next to your fried fish, a surprising red cabbage and apple concoction that turns up alongside your pork sandwich at a fine restaurant, an expected side dish at a BBQ. The common denominator is cabbage. My preference guides me toward the less goupy, more crisp and refreshing versions.
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June 11th, 2010
Denise Vasser and Geyer M. YOU are going to the Keith Urban/Dixie Chicks/Eagles concert on Sunday night!!
Thank you to everyone for your interest and for leaving comments on my last post. I am glad I broke my rule about giveaways. I loved reading about everyone’s real deals. My real deal? All of you! Thank you for making blogging so much fun. I wish I could rent out the stadium and and take all of you who read, comment and send good vibes my way to the concert.
June 9th, 2010
As a rule, I do not do giveaways and product reviews on Whipped. But, one of my favorite things about rules is finding a good reason to break them. So, here we go…
The Deal: Giving two Whipped readers 2 tickets each to a concert this Sunday, June 19th at 5 p.m. at Soldier Field in Chicago. Keith Urban and the Dixie Chicks are opening for The Eagles. And that’s not all… you will also get passes to a meet and greet event with Keith Urban.
The Reason: As I said, I don’t usually respond to offers for blog giveaways and product reviews. Frankly, I don’t have time to sort through all the management of the emails I get about opportunities and mostly, I just like to keep Whipped as a place where I have fun writing and interacting with readers.
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June 2nd, 2010
This cookie could possibly change the world. It is that powerfully delicious.
Recently, I received a comment on my post for the Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls. The page was featured on StumbleUpon, which brought many new visitors to Whipped. The reader wrote:
So you only tried one recipe? Doesn’t sound like there is much foundation to calling this the ultimate recipe, posting the definition just makes it more obvious. Go Go Action-Pointless-Hyperbole!
I am always slightly startled by critical comments that aren’t constructive about a recipe. They don’t bother me that much because I accept that in keeping a blog, you are opening yourself up to everyone that has access to a computer and by further allowing comments on your blog, well… you are allowing comments on your blog.
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