Savoring the Season

You're never going to guess what this recipe contains that I'm sharing.

It's something sweet.

It's something seasonal.

Yep, it's berries!

2.5 Days in Nashville

A few weekends ago, we took advantage of the Fourth of July holiday days off and took a trip to visit my husband's Grandmere (French grandmother) in Nashville.

It was my first trip to Music City and I really loved it.

Other than exploring and eating through the city, it was such a treat to spend time with Grandmere and learn more about her and also introduce her to other fun things in town.

We hit up quite a few culinary highlights during the trip, so I'll try to give you a snippet of each:

Out and About: Apple Blossom Brewing Company

There's a new brewery in town...and it's within walking distance of our apartment.

Need I say more?

Apple Blossom Brewing Company just opened last Thursday and is already making a big splash!

It's in a part of town where there aren't any restaurants (aka lots of free parking) and is steps from Veterans Park and right on the bike trail.

Cocoa for Coconut Oil

All throughout school, I looked forward to getting my report cards.

I was a very competitive student and always looked forward to seeing what my grades were and how I could get them higher.

Report cards were also exciting because it meant that if I had done my best in all of my classes, I would get a trip to Sonic or Dairy Queen with my dad.

Although I probably switched my choice of treat up from report card to report card, I remember getting a Reese's blizzard about 75% of the time. I have always loved the combination of peanut butter and chocolate and mixed with ice cream, it makes sugary bliss.

But now I'm an adult and sometimes I want to treat myself with something that isn't going to make my stomach curdle from refined sugar overload.

Which leads me to these Healthy Peanut Butter Fudge Cups.

They're sugar free and definitely high fructose corn syrup free. And they use coconut oil, which is a fantastic and healthy oil option. And it makes these little cups taste a bit coconut-ey and exotic.

The rich flavor of the coconut oil and cocoa powder makes them like a refined, adult fudge pb cup and I'm always a fan of natural peanut butter in anything!

I've said it once and I'll say it again, TREAT YO'SELF!

 *Click on recipe card to enlarge and save.

Random Acts of Foodness

Happy Monday!

Here's another round of Random Acts of Foodness (aka good news about food) to start your week out on a positive, tasty note.

1. Potato Pickin'
Yesterday, Tri Cycle Farms here in Fayetteville had a "Potato Harvest" event from 7-10 am. Get updated on similar events in the future by liking their Facebook page. I definitely want to help out with something like this soon!

2. Gardening for Dummies
Here's a really cool Kickstarter project that needs some support from non-green thumbs like me.

3. AgFunder!
Speaking of Kickstarter, there's going to be a place soon where solely agriculture-based projects can get a boost.

4. Chicken-less eggs? They're real and may help our growing planet.

5. Aaaand food that looks like animals. How cute is this?!


Go spread the good news and have a great week!

Simple Saturday: Quick Jam

And here we are, back to talking berries.

I just know that they're only here for a few months, so I want you and me to be prepared to use them to the fullest.

Jam was something that I had never made until I tried this simple, 15-minute recipe. I'm not one to spend hours over the stove making things, so this recipe was perfect!

Two For One: Backyard Treats

As an apartment renter, sometimes I miss having a yard.

I love when I go to my parent's house and sit on the front or back porch and just listen to the dozens of different bird calls and smell the earthy grass and trees.

I find that backyards are a great place for quiet as well as good conversation.

I look forward to having a house and yard again one day (and my husband can't wait to get a grill), but right now I feel privileged to be invited to people's homes for cookouts and pool parties.

I treasure time in a backyard spent eating, laughing and hanging out with new and old friends.

Splurging on Mac & Cheese

I just got back from a long Fourth of July weekend visiting my husband's Grandmere (aka French grandmother) and exploring Nashville, Tennessee.

And boy was it a blast. Shopping at their new H&M, going out to fancy dinners and lunches in East Nashville and buying way too many things at Trader Joe's...I mean, what could be better? (P.S. Stay tuned for a special Nashville food post in the next week or two.)

It was definitely a weekend of splurging, but now it's back to cheap stir fry dinners and rice and beans for lunch.

I think we can all agree that sometimes you just need a splurge, whether it's a special occasion or you just want to make a normal day more exciting.

Simple Saturday: Tzatziki

Can one even express how delicious Greek food is?

The salty olives, the crumbly feta, the garlic, the falafel, the warm seasonings, the thick-as-sour-cream yogurt topped with sweet honey.

I could go on.

Although one of my favorite fast food meals is the Greek salad from our local place, Kosmos, Greek food is simple to make at home, too.

And you can't make Greek food, without making tzatziki.

Flag Cakes and the Fourth

Who's in the mood for a funny Fourth of July story?

I hope you are, because I've got one and it relates to food, so you're in for a treat.

Have you ever seen one of these cool fruit flag cakes?

Photo from catalogs.com

They're pretty cool, right.

The strawberries and blueberries form the perfect flag, their colors blend great and it's the perfect sweet treat to take to a party.

Random Acts of Foodness

Here's another round of Random Acts of Foodness (aka good news about food) to start your week out on a positive, tasty note.

1. Help Squash Bees! Buy Organic!

2. A call to support local British agriculture through social media.

3. Like oatmeal and want to win a trip to Scotland? Enter the Spar for the Spurtle contest.

4. This seems like a great idea: Items you buy at Target go to help feeding hungry Americans.

5. Did you know that you can use SNAP (or food stamps) to buy fresh produce and plants at the Fayetteville Farmers Market? Here's a graphic that sheds more light on how many people the SNAP program serves.

Have a wonderful week!

In Memory

I would like to take little break from food talk to celebrate a life.

This week, my mom's very good friend and my friend, too, Marilyn, passed away after a 2 1/2-year battle with lung cancer. And although I am so sad that she is gone, I am happy that she is no longer suffering and reaping her rewards in heaven.

Have you ever met someone and immediately known, no matter your age difference or your locale, that you would be friends?

Even though I only got to hang out with Marilyn on a few occasions, I felt this way about her. I found her sense of joy and incredible sense of humor to be magnetic and she always made celebrations even more fun.

Pork...In Moderation

You're all in for a treat today.

Because this mostly vegetarian, sweet-toothed food blogger is giving you a kickin' pork tenderloin recipe!

Again, I am not a huge meat eater, but after tasting this sweet, savory and tender pork tenderloin, I was definitely glad that I still eat meat on occasion and in moderation.

Random Acts of Foodness

Here's another round of Random Acts of Foodness (aka good news about food) to start your week out on a positive, tasty note.

1. Cupcakes and Compassion: I love this story of how the owners of a local cupcake shop (Bliss) here in Northwest Arkansas are selling their business and moving to Malawi to help feed orphans.

2. How CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) are bringing the farmer and the consumer closer together.

3. Encouraging composting in NYC.

4. Sip and Give: Tea that supports a good cause.

5. How our soil can help us with our health.


Have a great week!

Simple Saturday: Quinoa

I've been afraid of quinoa for quite awhile.

I tried making couscous a few times and totally failed getting good flavors into it. And I (wrongly) assumed that I would fail at quinoa, too.

But I finally got up the courage when I found a recipe for really fresh, delicious-looking quinoa with lime juice, garlic and cilantro. And then I saw another recipe with black beans.

And this cilantro and black bean quinoa is a happy marriage of all of those southwestern flavors.