Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

ARF/5-A-Day #15

April 12, 2006 · ARF/5-A-Day

Wasn’t sure I was going to get this post up for you guys — Blogger seems to be having some issues today.

I did well for my own participation in ARF/5-A-Day today, making two new recipes that featured veggie goodness. The first one was Martita’s Awesome Asparagus. This was a recipe featured in a recent issue of Quick and Simple magazine, and it was delicious. The recipe comes from a woman (Martita) who lost 80 pounds in 10 months, and this was one of her favorite dishes. Usually when I make asparagus, I just drizzle some balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper over it and roast it for a bit. This is a great twist and one recipe I’ll definitely be repeating.

Viewers of Food Network’s show, The Next Food Network Star, might recognize the next new recipe I made tonight, Waka Waka Salad, made by Guy Fieri. I remember after he presented it to the judges and left the stage, one of the judges mentioned that he couldn’t wait to finish polishing off the rest of the salad. Between that kind of feedback, and the fun name, I knew I wanted to try it. I used preshredded cabbage and carrots to make the prep time even shorter. It is certainly colorful, healthy and a snap to make. I really liked the addition of the Spanish peanuts on top, and will definitely make this one again too. Be warned though, it makes quite a bit.
Lastly, when Nicholas and I were quickly running through the grocery store this afternoon, we spied these Havana mini Cuban sandwiches — delicious stuff! I baked up the whole box, figuring I’d have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, but they were gobbled up too fast for that!

OK, enough about me, on with your round-up.

They say, “life’s uncertain, eat dessert first,” and Stacey from Just Braise in New York is on the right path with her Strawberry Tart. Given Nicholas’ penchant for strawberries (I swear the kid could live on them and them alone), we will definitely be giving this one a whirl:

In what I do believe is the first entry to feature fava beans ever here, Jennifer from Weekly Dish celebrates the Spring season with her String Bean Pasta:

Indian food makes its first appearance this week with Cooking Medley’s Spinach Curry with Chapathi Chips – looks divine!

Faith from Blog Appetit shares her Polenta-Mushroom Bites… I’ve never had or made polenta before, but with a mushroom filling, I just may venture out and test the waters.

A new participant this week, see what lovely dish Happy Burp from Germany made with these fine veggies:

Our next Germany participant, What’s for Lunch Honey?, offers up a very satisfying recipe with her Tuna Tacos:

28 Cooks gives us a unique twist on hummus with her Moroccan Carrot Hummus version:

Food, In the Main from the UK is up next with her Black-Eyed Beans in Tomato-Yogurt Sauce – sounds divine!

Veggies and Spring abounds in The Unemployed Cook’s entry of Spring Succotash and Cherry Tomato Bruschetta … mmm, just imagine the ripe little tomatoes bursting in your mouth — yum!

Another newcomer joins in the fun … it’s Sumi’s Kitchen from Illinois with so many vegetables in the lasagna, it’s practically bursting!

Farmgirl Fare’s new site, In My Kitchen Garden is really taking off, with a recent mention on CNN’s site. Go take a gander and see what she did with these wonderful looking greens:

Until today, I had never heard of Tomato Rasam, but you can check out Cooking Within My Grasp’s site for all the details:

The Savory Notebook pops in, taking full advantage of the gorgeous Springtime weather with dinner from the grill with her BBQ Pork Chops and Baked Triple-Bean Pot:

The Aspiring Annapoorna from Arizona shares her take on Navratan Salad, a very delicious jeweled couscous. Yum!

Beautiful plating and a very Spring-themed Chilled Cucumber Soup finishes off this weeks’ round-up from Food for Thought in Illinois:

OK folks, that’s a wrap for this week. Until tomorrow …

A year ago today … loaded sweet potatoes.

Guy Fieri’s Waka Waka Salad
1 cup canola oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 packet ramen oriental seasoning
Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 head Napa cabbage, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1/4 head red cabbage, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1/2 head green cabbage, sliced 1/8-inch thick
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 carrots, shredded
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
24 wonton skins, fried
3 ramen noodle bunches, broken into small pieces
3/4 cup Spanish peanuts, finely chopped (I didn’t chop, and liked them better this way)

In a large bowl combine oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, ramen seasoning, salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix cabbages, onions, carrots, and cilantro. Whisk the dressing and pour over the cabbage mixture. Toss thoroughly. (Dress the salad no more than 10 minutes prior to serving.)

Place equal portions of salad on wonton skins and top with ramen noodles and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.

Martita’s Awesome Asparagus
Serves 4 (or just one asparagus lover!)
fat-free cooking spray
1 lb. asparagus spears, bottoms ends trimmed, cut into thirds
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
freshly ground cracked pepper
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking sheet with fat-free cooking spray and place asparagus on sheet. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over asparagus. Sprinkle on cheese, garlic salt and pepper; toss well. Top with sliced red onion. Bake for 30 minutes or until crispy.

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Posted In: ARF/5-A-Day

Comments

  1. Ivonne says

    April 12, 2006 at 4:13 am

    Fantastic round-up!

    The creativity of bloggers everywhere always amazes me!

    Reply
  2. aspiring annapoorna says

    April 12, 2006 at 11:00 pm

    HI,

    Just curious why my entry didn’t make the round up….was something wrong with my info? or did I post it in the wrong place…or was I late again ??

    I’m sorry for the trouble…but was curious…

    Best to you, and the wonderful job you do with this blog!!

    PS here’s the permalink again…just in case..
    http://aspiringannapoorna.blogspot.com/2006/04/arf-5-day-cous-cous-navratan-salad.html

    Reply
  3. Cate says

    April 13, 2006 at 1:27 pm

    Ivonne – I’m with you – they all make fruits and veggies look scrumptious!

    Annapoorna – sorry I missed you. I don’t get to the comment section every day, so the best way to get in is by e-mailing me your permalink. You’re in now — thank you!

    Reply

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

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