Category Archives: eats

Yummy new quest!

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I’m excited to give you the inside scoop on my yummy new adventure. The Dairy Lodge Diet!

I admit it. My favorite food is ice cream. My passion for the cool, sweet, creamy stuff has led me to be employed with several different ice cream joints; it turns out this is not good for a gal’s waistline. I even went so far as to own and manage an ice cream joint one year. I think I gained about ten pounds every time I was involved in the operations of an ice cream establishment. It took me three times to learn the lesson. Oof. Finally I decided it’s best for me to be a loyal ice cream customer instead. When our local ice cream stand, The Dairy Lodge, opened for the season this year, I could hardly wait to scurry our family on down there for a vanilla cone with colored sprinkles. While waiting in line and looking at all the possible offerings, I wondered, “who eats gummi bear flurries & marshmallow shakes?” Someone’s got to because they’re still on the menu, right? Why not me? Why not branch out and try everything they have to offer? It always comes from a smiling face so it must taste good… so goes my reasoning.

Please join in and follow along on my quest to try everything on the menu at The Dairy Lodge. What are your favorites? I’d like to hear about them!

In full disclosure, this is my own silly, fun, tasty idea. The Dairy Lodge is not paying me to take this adventure. I’m simply a loyal customer who conveniently lives within walking distance. Dangerous!

Check out my new blog and let me know what you think. mmmmmmm.

Waffle day!

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Happy Friday to you dear readers. True early spring in northern Michigan has made her appearance; the rooftops are white. Good thing I didn’t take the snow tires off yet. I’d like to send a big shout out to my inherent procrastination! Woot woot! What’s it like in your neck of the woods? If it’s 75 and sunny, just keep it to yourself.

When I wake up early (and STAY up), I’m usually motivated to make a nice “from scratch” breakfast instead of the usual stand-bys, which consist of some kind of egg & toast, peanut butter on toast or Grape Nuts with fruit. I was inspired by the “Healthy Start” yogurt waffles in this month’s Everyday Food magazine. (Don’t you love that publication? I always get something out of it.)

I don’t put the words waffles and healthy in the same category so maybe that’s why I was drawn to this recipe? Plus, we have some fresh maple syrup from Grandpa Jon’s 2010 tap so what better reason to wake up to freshly-baked waffles, right?

Yogurt Waffles

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
(Note: I used a mix of spelt flours and threw in a generous amount of flax seed meal instead of the flours listed)
1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)
3/4 t coarse salt
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 T melted unsalted butter, plus a bit more for the waffle iron
3 large eggs (farm fresh, if you’ve got ’em!)
1.5 cups plain, low-fat yogurt

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together brown sugar, butter, eggs, and yogurt until smooth.

2. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture and mix well to combine. Let batter sit 15 minutes.

3. Heat waffle iron according to its directions; brush with melted butter. Pour 1/2 cup batter onto iron and close; cook until waffle is golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Repeat. Makes about 6 waffles. We like to make a big batch of waffles and freeze for another day.

They looked pretty, but did these “healthy waffles” taste any good? Let’s go and ask the expert, shall we?

On a scale of 1-10, Wren would give them about a 4. I gave them about a 6. When I slathered on a generous serving of peanut butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, they bumped up to maybe an 8. Go figure… They were pretty good, but I prefer a much crispier waffle. I believe it takes a lot of butter (like at least another stick+) to make a crispier waffle and “healthy waffle” would really be a silly notion. Sigh. “A” for effort!

Happy weekend to you! Any fun brunch or spring cleaning plans? Whatever you do, wherever you are, enjoy yourself.

Confessions. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

  • I’ve been thinking A LOT about spring cleaning, but the first word that comes to mind is drudgery. I’m working first on changing my attitude toward cleaning in general and hoping this attitude change will propel me into–at the very least– a more content cleaner. More about this in a future post…
  • Orange is still my favorite color. A friend told me that she heard on NPR that orange is the new black. Uh oh! Is it time for me to find a new favorite color?
  • My running and yoga have been going pretty well lately. Turns out carrying less weight on a midget frame does indeed help one to move and twist more happily and easily. Revelation!
  • Sunday night we’re going out for the first time sans Wren. All week I’ve been stressed out about it. Will she starve to death without the boob? No. Will she be unhappy? Possibly. Will she survive without me for an evening? Yes. But I still worry. Will I enjoy myself? Probably not a lot. Sigh. Will this get easier? Yes. So I know I have to do it, but I’m not feeling very good about it. Geesh.

Best!


toad in a hole squirrel-style

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I’m on an egg kick. Last week, Grape Nuts. This week, eggs. I was up early this morning so I thought it’d be fun to do a quick version of “toad in a hole” eggs for breakfast rather than just a fried egg and toast. But remember, be squirrely, right?! So here they are, toad in the hole squirrel-style eggs. Can you help me with a better name for these, geesh?

Happy Tuesday to you! What kind of squirrely things will you be up to today, dear readers?

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9!

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As if I really needed a good reason to mix up some butter and sugar…

But a new number-shaped cookie cutter set inspired me! Won’t these make cute cookies for a wee one’s birthday party? So here’s my question for you, dear readers. Should I just make cookies in the shape of the number 1 this year for Wren’s first birthday, or all the numbers? I know, I know, deep thoughts. Sorry, but this Mamma doesn’t get enough sleep for quantum physics. Sooooo I decided to do a test run today using my favorite Orange Cardamom Cookie recipe adapted from Gourmet via Epicurious.

Orange Cardamom Cookies

Yield: Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen cookies

Active Time: 1 1/2 hr
Total Time: 3 1/2 hr (includes chilling dough)

ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest*
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom*
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
*I’m a bit heavy-handed with these. Be liberal — you won’t regret it!

preparation

Make dough:
Whisk together flour, zest, cardamom, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in yolk and cream. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches just until a dough forms. Quarter dough and form each piece into a 6-inch disk, then chill, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, until firm, 2 to 3 hours.

Cut and bake cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Roll out 1 piece of dough between sheets of parchment paper into an 11-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Slide dough in parchment onto a tray and chill until firm, about 15 minutes.

Cut out as many cookies as possible with cookie cutter (chill dough again if necessary), reserving and chilling scraps. Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined large baking sheet, arranging them 1 inch apart.

I almost forgot to mention! Remember that woodland creatures cookie cutter set I got at Ikea a while back? I decided to use those too. How cute are these?! Of course the squirrel got me, but I’m surprised by how much I love the snail. A snail cookie? Awwww.

Bake until edges are golden-brown, 9 to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then slide cookies, still on parchment, onto a rack to cool completely.

Make more cookies with remaining dough and scraps (reroll only once) on cooled freshly lined baking sheets.

They looked great and tasted delicious, but they needed something…

Chocolate! Could you see that coming? So I threw some good dark chocolate in the microwave and drizzled it on the cookies.

Lovely AND delicious! So I’m still not sure what exactly to make for Wren’s birthday party… Maybe all of the above? Tell me what you think, dear readers. What gets your vote?

Happy Friday to you! It’s sunny, but chilly here today. Good thing I didn’t put away those mittens yet. Whew.

Best!

planting the seed!

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If you’ve been following my drivel, you know I’ve mentioned thumbing through seed catalogs and planning a couple raised bed vegetable gardens this year. I spent more than a few hours this winter perusing catalogs with coffee in hand, pondering what interesting veggies I might grow from seed. All the while thinking that I’d have the seeds ordered and in hand by the end of March. So it hit me yesterday that it was already the end of March and I hadn’t even placed my order yet. Well well well. It’s the thought that counts? As it turns out, this philosophy will only get one Mamma so far.

It was time to stop thinking, wishing and hoping. Act already! Truth be told, I was overwhelmed by the hundreds of organic heirloom tomato possibilities and just needed to settle on a couple packets of seeds. But which ones? It was like going down the cereal aisle at a big grocery store. Too many choices!

48, sunny, and a desire to dig in the dirt pushed me to load up my little birdie and head to Target. Because when you think of gardening, you think of Target, right?! The last time I was there I noticed a good selection of seeds and I just HAD to get a few other things so there I found myself. Thankfully, Target and Burpee made the decision for me and only had organic Brandywine tomato seeds. I’m not a huge believer in fate, but this was possibly just meant to be. I also picked up a packet of organic cherry tomatoes called Sweeties. How cute is that? A packet of organic Chinese Giant peppers also jumped out at me. For instant gratification, I grabbed a packet of microgreens. In two weeks, we’ll apparently have something edible to snip off and munch on so I couldn’t resist. I also got some biodegradable seed-starting cells and I was on my way!

Side note: while I was shopping, Wren was playing with her kazoo in the cart and flirting with other shoppers. Have you ever seen a baby play a kazoo? It’s pretty damn funny.

I couldn’t wait to get home and get planting! Wren decided she didn’t want to be around when I was flinging potting soil every which way so she took a nap. Perfect timing!

Here are a few pics. Enjoy!

My hope in this seedling experiment is of the guarded sort because I’m not sure we have enough heat and light in the sun room, but it’s worth a shot! I’ll keep you posted on what happens this spring. Even though I check on them every hour or so, no shoots yet. Shoot.

So what about that fancy seed order? Well, I still want to place one for other fun stuff I’ll start from seed after Memorial Day. Spinach, beets, sugar snap peas, mache, carrots, basil, zinnia, bells of ireland, oh my! I will try to restrain myself because I want it to be an enjoyable summer and with a mobile toddler, I’m not sure how much garden maintenance I’m actually going to be doing… thankfully it’s still light out at 10 p.m. when I’ll probably be doing most of the weeding. With a cold beer in the other hand.

What about you, dear readers? What garden plans do you have this year? Will you be planting a “Victory Garden” too? Tell me about it!

Hollow or solid?

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Top of the mornin’ to ya! Have you consumed anything green yet? We’re having this for dinner. Pretty traditional and super easy. So this mamma says “why not?” Thank you again, Uncle Fester, for making dinner while I take care of my little birdie.

Speaking (err, writing) of food, this consumer tries not to be too swayed by the mountains of Easter candy at the stores, but nonetheless I’ve got The Bunny on the brain. I’ve restrained myself and haven’t consumed any pastel eggs yet. *Yet* being the operative word. But I’m working really hard to resist celebrating the upcoming holiday so early that by the time the actual day arrives, I’m so sick of it I can’t even squeeze in another chocolate egg or bunny-shaped cookie. But I don’t get sick of looking at cute Easter/springy things… do you? I can’t decide which of these t-shirts I like better. Aren’t they darling?

Back to food. What’s your favorite Easter candy? I admit to loving black jelly beans, but I wouldn’t say they’re my absolute favorite. I love it all! Maybe it’s the pretty foiled eggs, or maybe it’s just that almost everything is egg-shaped and it’s such a simple, lovely shape.

But most importantly, dear readers, do you prefer a solid bunny or a hollow bunny? Me? Hollow. The solid ones hurt my teeth.

Boy, was this ever a thought-provoking post. More ruminations on Easter candy in future posts, I promise…

eat food. grow food.

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Have you read Michael Pollan’s new(ish) book Food Rules? I read it out loud in the car on the way back from Chicago and I can’t stop thinking about it. Although the critics say it’s just Pollan distilled down into bite-sized bits for the masses, that’s what I like about it and that’s exactly why I’m going to buy a few copies to give to friends for them to read. And pass on. And for them to pass on. And on. It’s one of those. And it’s only $5 through Amazon so I declare that you really can’t lose with this one.

The book pushed me even closer to placing my seed order for my ambitious raised bed garden that I’d like to have this year. Earlier this winter I looked through catalogs and then filed them away in my “to do in March” brain folder–still don’t have the office set up yet and my brain folders are getting full, but we really ARE working on it, thank you very much. Lo and behold, it IS March so here we go! I usually dislike March with its promise of spring and its reality of brownish winter, but somehow I’ve managed not to be down on it just yet. Give me a few more weeks… Maybe it’s April that’ll push me over the proverbial edge this year with its promise of spring and its reality of brownish winter. Why do we live in northern Michigan again? For me, it’s because of mid-May through snowy February, but I digress. Whew. Good thing I stopped that tangent early, eh?

Moving on.

A great kids book that pairs well with Food Rules is Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert. A friend told me about it and the very next day Wren received it as a gift from Aunt Becky. How very serendipitous was that?

I love the colorful illustrations of the plants (especially the ferns-very cool!) and of course, the story of growing a garden is timeless and timely. This is one of those books I will also order several of at a time and give to several friends. A must-have book in your kids book library if you don’t already own it!

Confessions.

  • Don’t try to kill me, but I was rooting for Canada in the Canada vs. USA hockey game. Go, Canada! Except those closing ceremonies were really cheesy. Huge inflatable beavers? Are you kidding me?
  • Still loving orange things, especially my new orange scarf.
  • Wren is getting feisty. She now realizes that there are things that she DOES NOT want to do and she lets us know. It’s pretty funny. Until she had a meltdown in the locker room after baby swim. Half-naked with a screaming baby is not really the best look for me I’ve decided.

best!

Jello.

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There’s something about mid-winter that reminds me of being a kid and having a love/hate relationship with the potlucks in the basement of our church. Strange juxtaposition I know, but it’s true. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about a godzillion-layer rainbow Jello that someone used to bring to every potluck. If we were lucky. Seems like people were typecast into bringing the same thing every time. I think her name was Peggy? And she wore braces. It’s hard to forget an adult with braces.

Anyway, it looked a bit like this…

Now how’s that for brightening up your mid-winter doldrums?!

It’s actually quite a bit of work to make such a thing and I don’t remember it tasting all that great, but it’s got looks goin’ for it and looks get you pretty damn far in this world, don’t they? For more pretty pictures like this one and directions on how to make it, check out this blog.

Happy Fat Tuesday, folks! What are you giving up for Lent? I’m not really religious, but I like the tradition of giving something up to make me more mindful… you? By the way, tomorrow is my day, Ash Wednesday. Guffaw.

Nursery Rhymes & Whiskey Sours?

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Hey Diddle Diddle, what do you think of a Nursery Rhyme-themed cocktail party? It hit me like a Mack truck in my way sleep-deprived state in the wee hours of today so this could either be brilliant or tasteless. Sometimes a bit of tasteless is brilliant, no?

Start with these glasses you can order through Fish’s Eddy and the party’s already a hit!

Maybe also order the coasters for a fun detail…

Make your own party invitations from these old illustrations you can snatch up for only $3 on Etsy. See how this is all coming together?

By the end of the evening, you’ll probably have your own Little Jack Horner, sitting in the corner.

If you were a nursery rhyme character, who would you be? I might be Little Miss Muffet except that spiders don’t scare me so I’d keep munching on my curds and whey (yummy!), thank you very much.