10 New Ideas for Back to School Lunches

The back to school lunch menu....fresh ideas are always welcome, right?!  My kids aren't huge fans of sandwiches, so coming up with something healthy and full of protein to give them enough energy to get them through the afternoon is top on my list of things to search for.  Here's what I've come up with after searching online.......


#1 from Food Network.... Lemon Roasted Chicken Salad Wrap.  Full of flavor with chicken, Greek yogurt, cranberries, walnuts, Dijon, water chestnuts, tarragon and red onion.

#2, also from Food Network.... Cold Peanut Soba Noodles with Chicken with soba (buckwheat) noodles, edamame, green onion, cucumber, soy sauce, ginger, and rotisserie chicken, just to name a few of the ingredients.

#3 from Eating Well..... Strawberry Cream Cheese Sandwich.... quick and easy with just a few ingredients, honey included.

#4:  I have one child that's a "dipper", so when I saw this Zesty Bean Dip and Chips from Eating Well I thought it would a huge hit with lots of protein and it only takes 5 minutes to put together!

#5:  Pizza is another favorite in my house.  How pleasing does this look?!....  Pizza Roll-Up Bento Lunch by Eating Well.

#6:  BLT Pasta?!...YES please...by Real Simple

#7:  What kid doesn't enjoy Classic Chicken Soup ?  Thank you for the reminder...Real Simple.

#8:  Place this comfort food in a Thermos and I think my kids would be happy.... Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew by Real Simple.

#9:  Spiced Mini Burgers with Couscous Salad by Real Simple.  Burgers are always a hit in my house.

#10:  Pasta Salad with Salami and Mozzarella also by Real Simple.  Tossed with some chopped spinach and grape tomatoes....mouth watering.

What's YOUR child's fave lunch box specialty??  I'm always looking for new ideas.

All photos by Food Network, Eating Well and Real Simple.

Pin It

'BOTW' Orange Cream Mimosa

Mother's Day is just around the corner and here is a sparkly beverage that most moms would love....I know I would!

'Best of the Web' this week is by Food Network..... Orange Cream Mimosa...oh yum!

photo and recipe courtesy FoodNetwork ~ Tyler Florence

Orange Cream Mimosa

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (5 to 6 oranges)
1 orange, zested
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup superfine sugar
1 bottle sparkling wine or Champagne
Strawberries, for garnish
*Non-alcoholic sparkling wine, sparkling cider, or ginger ale can be substituted

Directions
Put orange juice, zest, half-and-half, and sugar into a blender and process until the sugar has dissolved, about 30 seconds. Pour this mixture into a shallow pan and freeze until hard, 4 hours or overnight.

Remove the frozen orange mixture from the freezer and let it sit to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. With a scoop or tablespoon, scrape out a small scoop and put it into a Champagne glass. Slowly fill the glass with Champagne and serve garnished with strawberries

Pin It

'BOTW' Roasted Garlic Bacon Dip

Every weekend it's game day in our house.  Football on Sundays, baseball is still going on, so for game day gatherings the dip is it.  And if there's bacon in the recipe....it makes it that much better.

Best of the Web......Roasted Garlic Bacon Dip courtesy Food Network.  This is Super easy to make, hope you enjoy it!

Go Niners!

Pin It

Mint Julep for the Kentucky Derby

Have you tried a Mint Julep?  I have, once.  I'm not much of a bourbon drinker but when I was at a Kentucky Derby party many years ago, the host offered up Mint Juleps as the party cocktail of choice to go along with the two minute horse race we were about to watch. 

I liked them.  Must be the combination of mint, sugar and water that take the bite out of the bourbon for me.

If you're having a Kentucky Derby party, or even if you're not, a Mint Julep is worth a try.

The mint julep has been promoted by Churchill Downs in association with the Kentucky Derby since 1938. Each year almost 120,000 juleps are served at Churchill Downs over the two day period of the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby.

Here is Food Network's version for you........

Pin It

Blue Cheese Cupcakes?! For Valentine's Day

It's Saturday afternoon, the kids are at Nonny's house, I should be getting ready for the FFA Dinner Dance fundraiser we're going to tonight......but noooo, I'm sucked into my new favorite show, Cupcake Wars on the Food Network.

I could NOT help myself though.  This is not the first time I've been sucked into this show on a weekend afternoon. 

So, one of the challenges for this Valentine's Day themed show was to create a cupcake incorporating cheese!  After pairing cheese and chocolate the other day, I just had to see how they were going to incorporate cheese into a cupcake recipe.

I was not disappointed.  I could almost taste this blue cheese topped cupcake right through the TV screen.


Apple Spice Cupcakes with Walnuts and Blue Cheese
by Marilyn Norris

This is Marilyn's trio of cupcakes {blue cheese is on the left}

Ingredients


Apple Filling:
•1/4 cup sugar
•1/4 cup water
•1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon sea salt
•1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


Apple-Spice Cupcakes:
•1 2/3 cups unbleached pastry flour
•1 teaspoon baking powder
•1/4 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon sea salt
•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
•1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
•1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•3/4 cup buttermilk
•1 tablespoon vanilla extract
•1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
•1 cup sugar
•2 large eggs



Vanilla Frosting:
•1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•4 cups powdered sugar, sifted, divided
•1/2 cup cream or milk
•2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Walnut and Blue Cheese Topping:
•1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
•1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

•Honey, for drizzling

Directions
Cook's Note: If using unbleached all-purpose flour instead of unbleached pastry flour, reduce the flour quantity to 1 1/2 cups.

For the filling: In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, apples, cinnamon, and salt. Cook until the apples soften, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Cool.

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line standard cupcake pans with 14 cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, and cayenne pepper into a medium bowl and whisk together. In a liquid measuring cup, mix the buttermilk and vanilla extract. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. Place 1 teaspoon Apple Filling on top of each cupcake and lightly swirl into the batter. Bake until golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.

For the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the salt until smooth. Add 1/2 the powdered sugar and mix thoroughly. Add the cream, vanilla, and remaining powdered sugar and beat to desired consistency.

For the topping: Combine the walnuts and blue cheese, making sure to crumble the mixture after it is combined. Set aside.

To assemble: Frost each cupcake with a wide, flat "pillow" of vanilla frosting. Dip the frosted cupcake into the walnut and blue cheese topping. To finish, drizzle the cupcake with honey.
.

Tweet

Pin It

Obsessed - Cupcake Wars while Tweeting with American Farm Bureau

Photos from Food Network Cupcake Wars

It's official.  I'm obsessed with Cupcake Wars .  Okay that's not the only thing I'm obsessed with, if you ask Dominic he would say I am also obsessed with Twitter, social media and agvocacy and today it became clear to me {and probably him} just how obsessed I am.

The day today, here in northern California is a foggy, damp 40 degree one.  So what better to do than sit on the couch in front of a cozy fire, Droid in hand following the hash tag of #AFBF11 on Twitter{American Farm Bureau's annual meeting is being held in Atlanta} and simultaneously watch Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. But that all ties into together doesn't it?  Cupcakes, butter, cream, food network ~ farming, farms, food, Farm Bureau.  Works for me.

Okay, if you've never heard of Cupcake Wars, let me let you in on it.  Cupcake Wars starts out with four teams that face off against each other in three elimination challenges until only one cupcake baker remains.

I don't know why I watch.  After the shows over, all I want is to bite into a creamy, buttery cupcake.....not so good for my post Christmas sugar detox.

Here's a couple of recipes from the show that I'm sure to try in the up-coming weeks......

Strawberry Thumbprint Cupcakes



Ingredients
Cupcakes:

2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup pureed strawberries, frozen and thawed, or fresh
1 cup chopped walnuts
Strawberry preserves

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line regular sized cupcake pans with 15 liners.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale yellow. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture alternating with the sour cream. Fold in the pureed strawberries.

Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with batter and bake until baked through and golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool completely.

Fill a piping bag with strawberry preserves. Cut the tip of the bag off and insert the tip into the center of a cooled cupcake. Squeeze to allow a small amount of mixture into the center. Release and remove the bag from the cupcake. Repeat on the other cupcakes.

For the frosting: In a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream and vanilla until fully whipped. Remove from the bowl. In the same bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until blended and smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the whipping cream. Mix until just blended. Fold in chopped walnuts.

To assemble: Generously frost the cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.




 
 
Almond Cake with Fig Filling and Maple Buttercream


Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup shortening
4 large eggs
2 cups superfine sugar
2 3/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 24 count regular-size cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

In a heavy-duty mixing bowl, cream together the butter and shortening on medium speed. Add the eggs, 1 at a time until, completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the superfine sugar with the mixer set to low speed. Once combined, set the mixer to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes.

Sift together the cake flour, almond flour, salt, and baking powder. Begin to add the sifted dry ingredients to the batter, alternating with the warm milk. Fold in the sliced almonds.

Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 16 to 20 minutes. Use a toothpick to poke in the center of the cupcake and if it comes out clean then the cupcakes are done. Remove from the pan and place onto a tray to cool.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, fill the center of the cupcakes with 1 tablespoon Fig Filling. Using a pastry bag and piping tip, frost the cupcakes with the maple buttercream. Pat the sides of the buttercream with the toasted almonds.


Fig Filling:

10 ripened black figs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 1 minute. Once blended, move the mixture into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until thick, about 2 minutes. Mix well after microwaving.


Maple Butter cream:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
7 cups powdered sugar, divided
3/4 cup non-dairy whipping cream
1 tablespoon maple extract

In a heavy-duty mixing bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and pour in the non-dairy whipping cream. Mix on low speed until completely mixed. Add the remaining 4 cups powdered sugar. Fold in the maple syrup.

Do you have a Food Network or other obsession?


Tweet Pin It

A Weekend of Purses, Organization, Haircuts & a Bath

Now this is the way to begin a weekend......a purse party!  I haven't been to a purse party in at least three years, I was due to go again.  If you don't already know, at a purse party you must be there at the exact time the party begins because if you're late, all the most popular purses will be snatched up when you arrive.  It's a purse buying frenzy, let me tell you!  I did arrive a little late, but I still found one I really love.

I was looking for one that was deep enough to carry all my things plus my big camera without it falling out the top.  I liked this one because of it's depth, the color can go with black or brown and anything in between....perfect!

There was also a ton of food to sample at the party.  After a pot sticker, I went right for Leslie's cupcakes.

While eating my cupcake, I enjoyed the beautiful moon rise from Helen's back deck.  What a view she has!

Organization.  Remember my Ikea trip a few days ago?  Here are some of the magazine holders I bought.  The kids and I organized  the few piles of magazines I had laying about.  This is SO much better than storing them in various stacks!

If you haven't looked through a Food Network magazine, you MUST!  This is one of my very favorite foodie magazines.  I keep them ALL.  They have great recipes from all the Food Network stars that are really easy to prepare. 

Just so you know, I'll be featuring some of the recipes from the magazine, here on the blog....stay tuned.

Haircuts on the deck for both, Paige and Bryce {I think most of you know I was a hairdresser before kids}.  Paige LOVES getting her hair done.  She's such a girlie girl.

Bryce, on the other hand....not so much.

He's only happy when the job is complete.

And poor, poor Chloe just dreads bath day. 

Look how sad she looks!

She is just NOT happy with me AT all.  She refuses to even look at me.

She's also only happy when the job is complete.

Especially when she can hang out at my feet, in the office.

Or under the desk.

A busy, productive weekend for us.  What did you do??

Happy Sunday!

Pin It