Good Food Talk Friday

 

 

Today’s post is almost an extension of yesterday’s Thinking Out Loud because I have a ton of randomness to discuss with you on this Good Friday with Passover to begin at sundown.

Should we talk cookie dough or coffee first? Hmm.

It almost makes sense to start with coffee since I am currently drinking a cup but how can anyone choose coffee over cookie dough when faced with both in the same question?

If I am in the mood to eat cookie dough then I am going to eat cookie dough and I don’t want to be limited to a dinky little cup traditionally used for pudding that’s packed in a child’s lunch box.

I get the concept of course, really I do, but this two-bite little cup of dough would not be enjoyable for someone like me, especially since I would first be getting into my cookie dough groove after finishing the two spoonful serving.

For me this cookie dough cup is like taking just a sliver of cake, as my grandmother would say.

Why bother with  JUST A SLIVER?

So I am no scientist or anything but I am convinced that flavored coffee does not stay hot as long as a regular cup of coffee.

I am telling you — every time I brew a flavor, such as the Caramel Vanilla Cream I am drinking now, it gets colder much quicker than a regular cup of coffee and yes, I have tried using the same mug because I do think some mugs keep beverages warmer longer.

I should really conduct some sort of coffee experiment with my son over this little spring break with the questions, hypothesis, variables (look how much I recall from science!) and have him test and graph the findings.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to have finally spotted Love Grown Foods at the Fresh Market near my house!

I don’t shop at Fresh Market often, as gorgeous as it is, because their pricing plus majority of product selection just doesn’t match my needs but they have the Hot Oats which my son loves so I will have to become a regular.

I bought coconut this week to make my own macaroons for Passover.

BUT I couldn’t resist my favorite chocolate covered chocolate chip macaroons from the Shop Rite Passover candy counter so I bought a pound.

I guess I can make my own anyway but gosh the macaroons from Shop Rite are just so good that I don’t know that I will bother.

Try freezing your chocolate covered macaroons. Trust me, I know these things.

I also bought this Edy’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie frozen yogurt the other day at my son’s request and after giving him a bowl, I went through and picked out just about every chunk of brownie available in the container.

I would say I am sorry but I am not since it’s something I have always liked to do and it’s my house so I can do what I want.

Ha, I love being the adult because I can say things like this is my house and I bought the food therefore I can and will take any chunks of brownie that I please!

Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday weekend with lots of chocolate and macaroons 🙂

[bctt tweet=”Lots of good food talking this Friday! #Passover #macaroons #cookiedough #coffee @lovegrownfoods”]

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Favorite coffee flavor? Does it get cold fast or am I nuts?

Are you the type to pick the toppings out of the ice creams or do you go for the ice cream part instead?

Are you baking for the holiday weekend? What are you making?

 

 

WIAW – Can We Skip To Dessert?

 

Confession: I used to eat dessert for dinner. Often. I didn’t see at the time how this was wrong. I mean, I was like 23. I was an adult. A married adult. I could do as I pleased.

Edy’s Frozen Yogurt, at least two different flavors loaded into a bowl, topped with fat-free cool whip = dinner was served. I spoke highly at the time of the low-fat nature of the yogurt and the benefits of calcium and protein listed on the label.

I know better now.

As much as my sweet tooth tries to takeover, I know that I really need some form of a more balanced meal in order to cross the bridge  to dessert land.

Thank goodness I am now old and wise; otherwise I would struggle to fit in with this month’s What I Ate Wednesday theme.

In honor of my love for dessert though, let’s breeze quickly through my recent meals in order to get to the dessert part of the post, deal?

BREAKFAST:

As cold as it is in the morning, I have suddenly found myself wanting greek yogurt for breakfast.

I don’t know which part of breakfast I love more this week – the fact that fresh blueberries have been cheap enough to start buying again or the fact that I bought a new set of ice cream bowls and use them in the morning to kick off the day.

LUNCH:

This week has been all about giant salads. Sort of looks as though I ate at Whole Foods, doesn’t it?

Tricked you. Remember I took the big blue bowl home last year? I am still ever so grateful that the power at Whole Foods went out that day so that I could be evacuated with my salad bowl in hand. This bowl holds a serious-sized salad for my serious-sized appetite.

This salad in particular contains roasted butternut squash, broccoli, asparagus and a chopped up pepper/onion omelette topped with avocado. I couldn’t decide if I wanted eggs or a salad for lunch so I just had both.

DINNER:

The big blue bowl once again is loaded with a variety of roasted vegetables, sweet potato wedges, lentils and avocado.

If you ask me, I give Whole Foods some serious competition.

DESSERT TIME!!!

We are  lucky that I managed to take any photos at all. Not only am I incapable of will power around slices of fresh fruit but when there is melted chocolate involved, forget it.

And, my son clearly takes after me as he kind of sort of ate our recipe.

Never deny your children fruit, even if it is the chocolate dipped fruit you need to photograph for Davida‘s Great Valentine’s Day Bake Off.

Perfect homework snack.

When Davida made the announcement about her Valentine’s Day link-up party, I knew right away what I would be making.

While I love cookies and molten lava cakes and chocolate fudge anything, I also love chocolate covered fruit.

In fact, if you put an Edible Arrangement in front of me along side chocolate cake and asked me to pick one, I would have a hard time.

The refreshing and sweet taste of fruit combined with a thick coating of chocolate is just divine. And packed with antioxidants.

I understand that Edible Arrangements does their fruit up all nice with shapes and patterns but when it comes down to it, it is chocolate and fruit.

We can do chocolate and fruit at home. And even add a layer of peanut butter if we want to…And yeah, we want to.

You better believe there is a layer of peanut butter underneath all that glorious chocolate.

They actually sell a new gadget for making the fun shapes like Edible Arrangements but I have no patience for that kind of stuff.

I am simple. Give me the fruit and melt me the chocolate.

You can dip any fruit you fancy – pineapple, strawberries, bananas, apples, cantaloupe….raisins. Yes, you can dip your raisins in chocolate and voila – raisinets.

You can buy pre-cut fruit or do it yourself. I know some people are afraid of cutting a pineapple. Don’t be.

The tag on the pineapple even comes with instructions. Pineapple for Dummies?

Use any chocolate you want  – I broke up the Baker’s Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Bar because I had it in the cabinet. Chocolate chips work just fine too. Dark, Milk, Semi-Sweet, White…even nondairy chips for my vegan friends.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED FRUIT

Ingredients:

• Fruit
• Chocolate
• Options: Peanut butter, sprinkles, chopped nuts or chopped candy such as m&m’s, reeses pieces…

*It is hard to give amounts because it depends upon how much fruit you want to use as well as how chocolatey you want your coating. If you want my opinion, the more chocolate the better but start with melting half a broken bar at a time or half a cup of chocolate chips.

Directions:

Cut, slice, dice your fruit. Melt chocolate (either chips or bar of chocolate broken up) in microwave safe bowl about 1 minute at a time, stirring in between. Cooking time will vary but takes me about 2 minutes total.

Once chocolate is melted, begin coating your fruit using a small spoon. Be sure to work at a decent pace so that the chocolate doesn’t harden in the bowl.

If you want to add a layer of peanut butter (of course you do) simply spread it on first and then top with chocolate.

Place chocolate covered fruit on aluminum foil-lined plate. Sprinkle on toppings.

Refrigerate briefly to set.

 

Be sure to check out the rest of the What I Ate Wednesday fun and watch for Davida’s Great Valentine’s Day Bake-Off on Friday!

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Are you guilty of eating dessert in place of a meal?

What have you been eating for lunch these days? I am always open to new ideas.