May 15th, 2012
Sommmme…wherrrrrrrre…ooooover the rainnnnbowww……
This.amazingly-delicious-rainbow-chard-smoothie-dream that you dared to dream….really will come truuuuuuue……..
Ha, ok being from Kansas, I probably should not willingly offer up a “Wizard of Oz” reference. (For all of you folks from other states who proudly pull a “you’re not in Kansas anymore” line out of your pocket when we’re traveling…trust me. We’ve heard it. A thousand times.)
But I actually love Judy Garland. And (real) rainbows. And now…rainbow chard smoothies!
I couldn’t resist those gorgeous colorful bunches at our farmer’s market this weekend. So decided to turn them into a simple, delicious green smoothie with my rockin’ new Blendtec. I had some ripe bananas and orange juice on hand, so that was my combination of the week. But for all of you who love green smoothies, would totally encourage you to mix it up and throw some chard into the mix next time! It’s a little more potent than spinach, but great in smoothies and so good for you!
What are some of your favorite green smoothie combinations lately?
see recipe for rainbow chard banana smoothie
May 13th, 2012
Today’s post goes out to my beautiful mom for Mother’s Day!
She is pretty much a rockstar. In addition to being an incredible artist (remember when newspaper fashion ads used to be hand-sketched — yep, that was her!), she is also a super savvy businesswoman and has built an amazing company designing cross-stitch patterns for about 15 years. (Fun fact – it’s named Lizzie*Kate after my sister, Sarah Elizabeth, and me, Alison Kate.) But then she also lives this amazing life outside of work, being a serious road-biker with my dad, volunteering weekly to run a really cool group for young Latino moms, traveling to really cool places, and of course…whipping up all sorts of deliciousness in the kitchen. Even with a busy schedule, she made it a point when we were growing up to make mealtimes a meaningful priority, and taught my sister and I the value of healthy, homecooked meals. And…the joy of desserts. :)
More than anything, she has been an amazing mother, and a great wife to my dad for 34 years and counting. She is a total inspiration to me, and grateful for everything I have learned from her. And forever changed by her love. She’s the best!
And as a fun shout out, thought I would share a toffee ice cream pie that we used to make together back in the day. It celebrates one of our favorite indulgences — the oh-so-delicious Heath Bar! And it also features a yummy Oreo crust, and lots of hot fudge and caramel drizzle. Super-easy and super-yummy. You’ll love it.
Hope you all have a wonderful Mother’s Day. I love you, Mom!!
see recipe for heath bar ice cream pie
May 9th, 2012
Food photography can be bewildering at times.
When I looked through the viewfinder, the main thing I saw was this luscious, creamy goat cheese sauce covering every bite of this dish. But strangely after uploading my photos — of course after having devoured this for lunch with a friend — the sauce is just barely visible. What the what?!
Still. Ttake my word for it. You goat-cheese-lovers will go nuts over this one.
I definitely did! This was my first time making a goat cheese sauce, and it made me regret the years of just dotting my pastas with little crumbles here and there. This sauce is ridiculous!!! So full of great, well-balanced flavor with just a few ingredients. And, it only took about three minutes to whip up, making this pasta a 20-minute meal. Yet one more reason why I will be making it again. Stat.
see recipe for pasta with goat cheese, chicken, asparagus & mushrooms
May 7th, 2012
What does one bring to a rockin’ Cinco de Awesome fiesta thrown by a bunch of foodie friends?
But of course, a super-awesome strawberry cheesecake…
…kicked up a notch.
Si, amigos. This strawberry margarita cheesecake is filled with all of the fresh strawberry and lime goodness of your favorite drinks, a salty pretzel crust, plus the tequila and Grand Marnier to make it a par-tay. And then I had a little too much fun playing with my food to make it extra pretty. (Which was actually super-easy — you should try it!)
Most importantly, I think the cheesecake lived up to the party name, as person after person gave it the “awesome” seal of approval. Would definitely recommend giving it a try next Cinco de Mayo. Or Diez de Julio. Or Treinta de Febrero. Or….whenever in the world margarita cheesecake craving strikes.
As my Costa Rican host family’s parrot would say (of course, in between his renditions of Madonna songs and hurling expletives at the family beagle), this one is definitely “muy rrrrrrrrico”. Agreed.
see recipe for strawberry margarita cheesecake
Happy Cinco De Mayo, amigos! My birthday happened to fall a few days ago, on the not-quite-as-famous Dos de Mayo. But with my fond affection for Mexican food, I usually end up celebrating both occasions at some point with a margarita in my hand and an attractive sombrero on my head. (Thus, the picture below [...]
Whenever my coworkers ask where I’d like to go to eat for lunch, about 9 times out of 10 my reply is a super-enthusiastic vote for Mexican. Yeah, it’s kind of the office joke. This little food blogger could live on Mexican food!! But being that we work clear out in the ‘burbs, authentic Mexican [...]
Asparagus and lemon just seem to be a match made in heaven. So simple. So beautiful. And SO tasty! This easy lemon pepper recipe is definitely one of my favorites. You can prepare the asparagus a number of ways — roasted, boiled, steamed, or sauteed. Then pair it with the citrusy zest and juice of [...]
Ok, this is not a recipe post. :) But for those who are interested, or who might have wondered why your comments on the blog have gone unanswered for the past two weeks, thought I would share a brief glimpse into my past two weeks. After a weekend trip to Washington D.C. to participate in [...]
