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{N}osh…The Little Ones Eat: #AtoZChallenge 2016

Feeding the Little Ones today is much more exciting than yesteryear!   Today we allow the Little Ones to get in there,  roll up their sleeves and unleash their creative juices.  One thing for sure,  if you want to keep the ‘picki-ness’ and the prickly food attitudes at bay,  get those young chefs engaged and involved!

You know, they’ll never turn their

faces up at their creations.

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Instead,  they’ll be nosh-ing everything in sight!

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 In all fairness to the years gone by, there wasn’t the amazing social media outlets that virtually puts cooking with children on autopilot.  Perhaps if there were,  we would have the likes of these nutritious delights:

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Do you have a Little  One who loves to create yummy meals to nosh?

Do tell……

Next. The Letter {O}

{K}nife Skills: #AtoZChallenge 2016

How do they do it?

Have you seen the lightening speed of the hands of chefs as they slice and dice onions, tomatoes and the like?

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Making the proper cuts can make the difference between seeing food prep as a chore or as a joy. Proper cuts can mean the difference between unevenly cooked dishes, poor flavor development, and standing ovation meals!

Who knew? *head scratch*

The art of properly holding the knife and producing uniformed cuts of food is so vital that knife skill is usually the first skill course that culinary student learn.

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Try as I might, I just can’t seem to get my hands coordinated enough to ‘make it work‘ *blink!  blink! *.  The whole knuckle-thing is so unnatural. My fingers have a mind of their own and staying tucked is not ‘on the menu’.

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I’m not going to give up. I’ll have to do loads more reading and watch a sh!t- load more videos!!!!!

I’m going too have …..  if I want to keep my fingers!

Have you aced  the knife?

Do tell….

Next. Letter {L}

{I}nfusion: #AtoZChallenge 2016

Infusion is the process and the result of, steeping an aromatic substance into a liquid – hot or cold – until the liquid has absorbed the added ingredient’s flavor .

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The beauty of infusion is that,  not only do the flavor(s) being extracted from foods infiltrate the liquid, the flavors of the liquid is transferred into the food.  Think of it  as one hand washing the other!

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Flavored vinegars and oils, milk, and tea leaves and  herb and spices – lavender comes to mind – are common ingredients used in the infusion process.

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One of the most common and well-known types of infusion is used in the process of preserving food.  The berries and fruit are placed in alcohol or vinegar allowing them to be stored, without spoiling.

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Now,  you’re always ready for that unexpected houseguest!

Don’t think that you’ve used this technique?   Have you added fruit to your water?  How about lemons slices?  Cucumbers slices? Mint leaves? Thyme? Rosemary?

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Infusions are all around us!  There are endless ways to create them!  Today’s infusions techniques helps me turn, what can be, a multi-day/month process, into a few hours work.

When it comes to infusions,  you are only limited by your creativity!  Have fun!

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What have you infused lately?

Do tell…

Next.  The Letter {J}

{G}adgets: #AtoZChallenge 2016

I have a confession to make.  I am a gadget junky!  Not a luv’er of  all gadgets tho’.  If it’s electronic,  book-related or kitchen related, I go ‘ coo coo for CoCo Puffs’ over it!  *you do remember this tag line for the cereal,  don’t you? * 

The gadgets that get my attention had to meet only two criteria.  It must:

☆ be cute but functional

☆ and have the ‘ahhhhhhhhhhh!’ factor!

That’s it!  If it has those two things,  it has me at the letter ‘G’!

So I confessed about my luv for spices.  Gadgets are easily a close second in the area of vices!  And,  for the purpose of this post,  kitchen gadgets fit the bill nicely *flashing a big cheesy grin*

Here’s just a few of these little Luv-lies:

The Cute Factor : It’s a bowl

The Ahhhhhh Factor : The Splash!

 The Cute Factor: It’s a Cutting Board

The Ahhhhhh Factor: It’s a Paint Drip!

The Cute Factor: It’s  a Tea Infuser

The Ahhhhhh Factor: It’s A Dude just ‘hanging’ out!

These are just a few gadgets that I’m luv’ing now. I’ve got much more over on My Pinterest Page

What’s your food vice?

Do tell. …..

Next.  Letter {H}

{F}ood Trucks….A Few {F}un {F}acts: #AtoZChallenge 2016

The last time that I did this challenge, for my Letter ‘F‘, I blogged about ‘Farm to Table ‘

I luv’ed the concept then and even thought about re-blogging it for this post.  *wasn’t sure if that would be cheating.  Sheepish grin* .  So I picked a not-so-new-but-equally-as-exciting  ‘F’ word.

No. Not that F-word!

 The other one – Food Truck, of course!

Wikipedia defines a food truck as

“A food truck is a large vehicle equipped to cook and sell food.^[1] Some, including ice cream trucks, sell frozen or prepackaged food; others have on-board kitchens and prepare food from scratch. Sandwiches, hamburgers, french fries, and other regional fast food fare is common. In recent years, associated with the pop-up restaurant phenomenon, food trucks offering gourmet cuisine and a variety of specialties and ethnic menus, have become particularly popular.^[2] Food trucks, along with portable food kiosks and food carts, are on the front line of the street food industry that serves an estimated 2.5 billion people every day.^[3][4]

Today’s food trucks are not the mobile grease machines of yesteryear that went, largely, unregulated *read ‘food petri dish’*.

The food trucks today can be as well-equipped as a well-appointed chef’s kitchen and clean enough to “eat off of the floor” *in the proverbial since*.

Food trucks existed well before the early 2000s, but many sources pinpoint 2008 as the unofficial onset of the food truck phenomenon.

I found this infographic about theseverything trendy ‘Meals on Wheels’. Check it out:

I’m lucky enough to work in an area that I can, at lunchtime,  run out and grab a food truck meal.  I hope that you can too!

Got a favorite food truck?

Do tell….

Next.  Letter {G}

{E}dible Flowers: #AtoZChallenge 2016

It’s planting season again, and I am soooo  ready to restart my herb garden. I haven’t had much luck growing flowers so last year I planted my first herb garden!  *grinning from ear to ear*.

Definitely have a green thumb with herbs!  The success of my herb garden has me rethinking adding flowers to this year’s planting project.

I figure,  if I’m going to plant flowers, why not make them edible!

I’m thinking like bouquet-worthy flowers.  Lavender,  Day Lily,  Nasturtium like flowers.

*I feel a learning moment coming on*

All I’ve ever done with flowers is arrange them in a vase.  Not eat them!  I went surfin’ and found the following resources the tells about these edible beauties:

☆ Want the Do’s & Don’ts? Find them HERE

☆ Just how DO you use them?  Look HERE

☆ Check HERE for some unique cooking ideas like the one below

Rather I decide to try my hand at something as fancy as the cookies,  I know that if a decide to grow edible flowers, they’ll definitely make a breathtaking salad!

Have you used edible flowers in any of your dishes?

Do tell…

Next. The Letter  {F}

 

{C}hermoula: #AtoZChallenge 2016

Since starting this, now love affair with all things food, I cannot stop buying herbs and spices!  I’ve gone from having salt,  pepper, old bay and garlic salt as the only spices on my spice rack to an impressively well-stocked spice closet!

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Finding meals that include these spices & herbs is very exciting. Replicating classic dishes that include many of these spices is fulfilling and satisfying. It makes me feel very ‘Top Chef -like’. *smiling coyly*.

Since today’s letter is ‘C‘ I went in a search for recipe that would rep my {spice} rack well.  I came up with Chermoula- a spicy North African sauce,  that can do  double duty as a marinade.

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Charmoula (you’ll also see it spelled Chermoula) is a spicy sauce and marinade made of a complex spice mixture containing- among other things- herbs, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, cumin,  paprika, coriander and in some cases,  lemon. This sauce is used on meat and fish and can even be adjusted to make a unique vinaigrette.

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It may be a little while before I mix up this tangy delight.  Mainly because I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to spicy hot flavors.  But when I do,  or will definitely be blog fodder.

What herbs and spices are your favorites?

Do tell. …

Next…. the Letter {D}

I’m in the Mood for Munchies

It’s clean up day after this past weekend’s record breaking Snowpocalyps.  Being cooped up for a couple of days is nice, but right about now cabin fever is kicking in.
Big Time!
I haven’t got as bored *or as  crazy* as this girl

… oh the naiveté of youth…*side-eye*…

No.  Snowpocalyps has not put me in the mood to strip down to my skivvies, but it has brought on a decent size car of the munchies.  If you’re like me, you have you favorite ‘go to’ munchies that always hit the spot- popcorn,  chips with dip,  s’mores, some type of fruit bowl,  anything with loads of cheese. ….you know what I mean.  Today’s munch craving is a little different.  I’m wanting something that is not sooo ‘snack like’.

So I turned to one My Pinterest Board: Hello.IAmPhat Luvs {Food Glorious Food}

…. and came up with this goodness!

Fries with Lemon Salt & Rosemary

 

This deliciously savory side dish is from the sinfully tasteful blog – Alexandra Cooks.

This is her first recipe using lemon salt. I’d say it’s a home run!!!!

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Fried Mozzarella, Basil & Nectarine Stacks 

Tieghan, blogger extraordinaire at Halfbaked Harvest, is the mastermind behind this mouthwatering stack of loveliness.  The ‘icing on the cake’?….

…. Balsamic Glaze…#Yumlicious

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Homemade BBQ Chips

Alone or with your fav fun food {I’m thinking hot dog,  hamburger,  steak hoagie} chips are always a hit.  And the Purple Gypsy Home blogger makes the unforgettable.

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Roasted Brussel Sprouts

ala Momofuku

 I might be in the minority with this one,  but I absolutely ❤ Brussel Sprouts!  The folks at Food 52 serves them up roasted….. be still my {heart}

I’m on my way to the kitchen…..

Tell me…. What munchies are you craving?

! HApPy nEw yOu !

Woo!! Hoo!!   366 More!

366 More days

 {this year we get one more day… 2016 is a Leap Year!}

 to Be The Best You!!

I’ve gifted this year to making Me the priority.  I’m giving myself permission (without guilt) to pay more attention to me.  Taking time out from all of the ‘noise’ of day-to-day living to inject it with something(s) that are important to me.

This may sound ….

 A little self-centered.

A little self-absorbed.

A little selfish.

I say ‘Maybe….Not‘.   *The benefits of making myself a priority is fodder for another post.  So I’ll save that for later {stay tuned}.

 

Instead,  I will tell you that this Me Focused Year will include:

~ 1~

Keep Moving!

The Plan: Move. This. Body.  Daily!

~2~

Eat Like I Give a F*ck!!

Fall in Luv with Real Food!

 With the help of this little gem

~3~

Detach from the e-World!!

… a litttttle less internet Luv

… a LOAD more of this…..

reading is the new black!

 

~4~

Master the Art of  ‘The Chillaxin’

Yep.  This.

This is just a start….

What have you committed to this year?