Berries are Back in Town

Berries.

Let whatever beautiful images, smells and tastes that that word conjures up take over you for a moment.

Berries have got to be one of my favorite fruits and I'm learning even more this summer that when they come from local farms, they are ten times better.

Although they're fantastic just popped into your mouth fresh, they also bring a bright, sweet flavor to a myriad of baked goods.

Getting Creative with Carrots

Re-introducing vegetables in a fun and exciting way is a great ploy to get your family to the table...and use up your vegetables.

Even the humble carrot can be made into a creamy, spicy, sweet and unexpected soup.

We love our local CSA, Farmbox Delivers, and most weeks we get 1-2 lbs. of fresh, crispy carrots.

I like to enjoy these carrots chopped and dipped in hummus or cut in rounds and put in stir fry. But sometimes we get a bit overwhelmed with the number of carrots in our fridge at one time.

Is 20 too many? Ok, yeah, it is.

Simple Saturday: Grilled Cheese & Tomato

Grilled cheeses take me right back to being a kid, coming home from preschool and eagerly awaiting my cheese crisped sandwich paired with tomato soup and an episode of Barney.

The life!

My mom always made me the best lunches and she even introduced me to the Grilled Cheese & Tomato Sandwich.

She visited South Africa for a month when I was young and learned about this British-inspired deliciousness there.

I spunk-ed up this sammie with the addition of fresh basil and super sharp cheddar.

How to Make So-So Wine Shine

My husband recently did some freelance work and got paid in wine.

Pretty good deal, right?

And it's been nice to always have a bottle of red or white around to celebrate with or enjoy with a special meal.

But there was a lot of wine...and some of the wine was not my favorite drinking wine.

What's that saying? When life gives you not-so-great wine, make sangria.

Random Acts of Foodness

Welcome to Random Acts of Foodness, a list of stories and events that are focused on food doing good in our world and in people's lives (thanks to my husband for the fun name idea). I hope that this list is an encouragement as you start out your week and gives you a healthy dose of good news!

1. How cool is this? A local couple, Scott and Julie, who used to go to my church raised money through donations and by selling homemade pound cakes to help send Scott to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to help diagnose some neurological problems he has been having.

And they exceeded their goal! I love seeing how a community comes together to help each other out!

2. Did you know you can host a bake sale to help the No Kid Hungry movement? Pretty cool and you can follow this Twitter handle to see how they helped in Chicago.

3. Good news for bees!

4. Learn about the Cookies for Kids' Cancer movement.

5. I stumbled upon this inspiring story on the blog for Nature's Bakery (whose fig bars I wrote about recently). It reminds me a lot of the soccer program I get to help promote at Firefall International. (If the link on the story doesn't work at first, just refresh the web page.)

P.S. This might not be food-related, but if you need a Father's Day gift idea that does a lot of good, check Don't Buy the Tie out.

Happy Monday!

Tacos and Slaw

I keep thinking that I'm going to be a vegetarian...and then I realize that pulled pork and pimento cheese burgers exist.

All that I know is often when I eat meat my stomach does not approve. And I want to kick myself for picking meat over veggies.

New Snacks on the Block

I'm a snacker...always have been and probably always will be.

I mean, what if you eat a meal and get hungry a few hours later; you've gotta have some back ups.

You know how they say instead of eating three large meals, you should eat several small meals?

I would like to combine those two to find a happy medium.

And although I love to snack on fresh fruits and veggies, sometimes it's nice to just grab something to snack on. Here are a few of the healthier snacks that have been making it into my snack time as of late.

Simple Saturday: Herbs

One of the easiest ways to add some flavor and color to a dish, drink and even dessert is to add herbs.

And they are practically fool-proof to grow. Trust me, because I am definitely no master gardener.

I suggest picking up herb plants at the farmers market (they're extra good there), planting them with some dirt, watering them most days and giving them lots of sun.

As you can tell, I'm no expert but I can grow herbs just fine!

Dreaming of Strawberry and Rhubarb

I have been dreaming of summer for quite a few months now and not just for the usual reasons: warm weather, sunny skies, flip flops, etc.

But I have had strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and rhubarb dancing around in my dreams.

And since I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle back in May, I have been awaiting the day when I would have local strawberries and rhubarb to put into my own Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble.

One Ticket to Zest-ville

Summer is finally here!

The pools are open, school is out and summer dresses are in!

And we're all wanting a taste of citrus, coconut and the tropics.

Ever heard of a culinary vacation? It's all the new rage, cheaper than a vacation, you don't have to go anywhere and you can totally avoid traffic and airplanes.

Simple Saturday: Graham Cracker Crust

It's good to be in a mode of "I can make this at home instead of buying it from the store."

And of course, this isn't ideal in all cases. I still enjoy buying things like pre-made hummus and soup mixes at the store.

Before making my key lime pie for a work party, I decided instead of buying a graham cracker crust from the store that I would make my own.

I was really impressed with the difference it made. The crust had more depth of flavor and it didn't all crumble once I cut the pie into slices.

High-five for homemade!

No Impact Man

So I know this is a food blog, but we all like other things than food right?! (I mean like 95% food and 5% other.)

So, here's a little bit of that other that also has a little bit to do with food.

I just got done reading No Impact Man by Colin Beaven.

As the title explains, this book is about "the adventures of a guilty liberal who attempts to save the planet and the discoveries he makes about himself and our way of life in the process."

A Sweet, Healthy Bite

Get ready because I'm about to blow your mind.

I am about to give you a recipe for cookie-like, Oat Chocolate Chip Bites that have no eggs, sugar or butter.

Believe it!

Mexican Comfort Food

I could basically eat Mexican food anytime, anywhere, as long as it's good Mexican food, of course. (Nothing makes me more angry than bad Mexican food, but that's another post for another time.)

And when I come home from an international trip (or even a domestic trip), it's the best food to come home to.

No one, other than Mexico obviously, does Mexican food as good as America does.

Local Eats

Although I love to cook at home, I live for getting to eat out at one of my local favorites on the weekend.

I like to think of it as a way of getting culinary inspiration and supporting the locals.

Here is a list of my top 10 restaurants in the Northwest Arkansas area (in random order). By no means is every restaurant that I like on this list (because that would be crazy long), but these are the ones that I keep going back to.

And I know that there are probably other great places in the area, so you'll have to comment with your favorites so I can try those, too!

Enjoy eating local!