All about Sweetnicks
Here are some frequently asked questions about Sweetnicks, and some of the terms used around the site. Click on a subject heading below to view questions and answers relating to your selection. Links throughout the answers will guide you to further information on our website or from other sources. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.
Cast of Characters
- About Me
- Eli
- The Husband
- Nicholas
- The Neighbor, The Neighbor Husband and The Girlfriend
- The Newlywed Neighbors
New Here? (Things you need to know)
For as long as I can remember, I have loved writing and yearned to be a food journalist when I grew up. When I moved out on my own for the first time, I discovered a second passion ... cooking. Now, many years later, I still have a love for both and started my site, Sweetnicks, in an effort to combine them.
I have a slight, ahem, obsession with cookbooks, food/cooking magazines, and, well, anything related to food. It's great to be among others who get the obsession. My web site's name comes from our five-year-old son, Nicholas, who loves to help me in the kitchen almost as much as he loves Dora, Spiderman and his girlfriend.
Along with daily updates on my site here, I also run the The Well Fed Network, a group of 15 sites dedicated to food and wine, and Mad About Martha. My writing can also be found on VoIP News, IT Management, and Daily Wireless. I also run the Sticky Date website, an online calendar keeping track of all food and wine blogging events, and in my free time (!), I sell Avon and run a travel agency.
Eli is our completely lovable, but forever goofy, Bernese Mountain Dog. He was a rescue that we got from a group a little over two years ago and is a very big part of our family. And at over 100 lbs, I mean the "big" part literally! He and Nicholas are joined at the hip; wherever there is one, you can usually find the other. Partners in crime to the infinite degree. You can find more pictures of Eli in the Weekend Dog Blogging Flickr group I have here. Feel free to join and add your own.
The Husband ... should be an obvious one, right? Although he disdains all green vegetables (unless they're in a salad or deeply hidden), and hates tortellini (my favorite pasta!) and mushrooms, he's a great guinea pig for my endless creations from the kitchen. He's slowly becoming more and more comfortable in the kitchen, and makes a wonderful Roast Chicken with Yellow Rice and Green Olives, Picadillo, Ropa Vieja and steak.
Our 5-year-old son, he's eagerly following in my footsteps and loves to pull the stepstool up to the counter and offer his help as soon as he sees me in the kitchen. He has a great taste palate, and loves Kalamata olives, smoked salmon and gorgonzola cheese as much as he loves munchkins from Dunkin Donuts. House rule is that you have to try everything once, and because of that, he has discovered his love for things like feta cheese and other strong flavors. He's my kinda kid! He loves watching Rachael Ray and has proclaimed her, the staff at McDonalds and me "good cookers."
The Neighbor, The Neighbor Husband and The Girlfriend
Our backyard neighbors. We actually met 15 miles away at our kids old school. Funny that we had to go that far to meet someone who lived just 50 feet from us! Their daughter is three, and Nicholas' girlfriend (referred to as The Girlfriend). The Neighbor doesn't cook much and uses her microwave and stove mostly for storage, but she's been branching out lately and has successfully tackled many recipes on her own. The Neighbor Husband thinks Sandra Lee is a good cook. He's a work in progress and is currently perfecting his own grilled hamburger recipe.
Not to be confused with The Neighbors, this is another couple. Luckily, since they're newlyweds, they got their very own distinctive name on my site. Since they live next door to us, and Nicholas' bedroom window faces their house, he delights in having long conversations with them at night when he's supposed to be sleeping. Too cute! The Newlywed Neighbor Husband has a sweet tooth ... perfect for trying out my endless creations from the kitchen; it's always good to have another place to drop off extra goodies to!
New Here?
Things you need to know:
Simple. Just my little way of keeping healthier eating in check. Every Tuesday, food bloggers who made a recipe that includes an ARF (Antioxidant Rich Food), fruit, veggie or any combination of the three can be included in my ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday evening round-up. The recipe doesn't necessarily have to have been made that day. Just e-mail me your permalink by 9 pm EST on Tuesday to be included, and post a link to my site in your post on your site, so your readers can get a chance to check out the round-up as well. Lastly, one lucky participant gets the coveted photo op of the week. All designed to keep us eating healthy and inspire us with new recipes and ideas. Hope you join in! If you got here from a link from a fellow food blogger, please go to my main web site to check out the round-up. Thanks for visiting.
Top 20 Antioxidant Rich Foods (ARFs)
Listed below are the Top 20 Antioxidant Rich Foods. The rule of thumb, if you forget which the ARF foods are, is usually, the brighter, the better. Antioxidant Rich Foods (the Top 20):
- Small red beans (dried)
- Wild blueberries
- Red kidney beans
- Pinto beans
- Blueberries
- Cranberries
- Artichokes (cooked)
- Blackberries
- Prunes
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Red Delicious Apples
- Granny Smith Apples
- Pecans
- Sweet cherries
- Black plums
- Russet potatoes (cooked)
- Black beans (dried)
- Plums
- Gala Apples
- Baked Beans: High in fiber and protein.
- Bananas: Contains trytophan, a protein that, once converted, helps put you in a good mood. Can't argue with that! Also helps ward off depression and dark moods.
- Blueberries: Helps improve memory.
- Eggs: A good source of lecithin, which is a great brain stimulant, also rich in choline, which helps improve memory function.
- Oats: One study found that they give you a longer lasting supply of energy than sports drinks do.
- Red Meat: A good source of iron. A recent study showed that kids whose diets were higher in iron scored better on tests and had higher IQs.
- Sardines: (Ok, here's where I skip to #8 - sorry!): Packed with omega-3 fatty acids, it's the ultimate brain food.
- Sunflower Seeds: A fantastic source of magnesium that regulates a part of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
- Whole Grain Bread: Great source of zinc. Improves hand-eye coordination, attention span and reasoning skills.
- Yeast Extract: Packed with Vitamin B, which boosts brain function, and may possibly improve concentration.
Tip Jar
I love writing for all my Sweetnicks readers every day, and sharing little bits of our Food & Life with all of you. If you've enjoyed coming here and would like to leave a tip, this is your opportunity to do so. All monies go towards Sweetnicks' operating costs. Thank you!