For the Love of Food

A few weeks ago I shared with you a Fall fruit platter that I had put together. Now, it seems like I am making fruit platters every few days!

My husband and children love the fact that I just have fruit – and sometimes vegetables – just sitting out enticing them to pick a piece and continue on…and completely making them forget abut that trip to the refrigerator that they were just about to make. Even my littlest one, just just started walking last week, stands at the end of the table (where I keep my platter) and picks off anything he can reach.

So, I think I may just make it tradition around here to post a fruit platter every week – or whenever I just happen to have a well photographed one on hand.

This is one from 2 weeks ago. And, as you can see, my family loves grapes. Would you believe me if I told you that my 2 sons (ages 3,5 and 1,25) eat that amount of grapes in 2 days!!?? It’s just unbelievable how they practically inhale them! And, hidden behind all those grapes are some mushrooms! My older son loves raw – or as he would say it “braw” – mushrooms.

In this platter I have:
Red Grapes
Black Grapes
Clementine
Pears
Mushrooms

Just remember that a variety of color is key, as well as the ability to eat in small portions without the help of utensils (such as a knife). And, don’t forget to be adventurous and add some items that your family doesn’t usually expect – like mushrooms!

I always feel a bit down when Summer comes to an end. No more strawberries, blueberries, watermelons….you know what I mean.

But, just because the delicious fruits of summer have been put to rest for the year, doesn’t mean that Fall has nothing to offer. Not only does the Fall season offer a variety of delicious fruits; many of them, when fresh picked, will last for months on end in a dark, cool, dry places – like your basement.

By the time New Years rolls around, many of us are quite frustrated with ourselves and our winter-obsession with sweets. Today I want to share with you a “method” I like to use to convince my family to eat healthy.

We are all drawn to food by it’s visual appeal – or repelled by it’s lack of it. I like to arrange fruit on a platter and set it out on the dinner table where everyone can just grab some at their will. Everyone gets excited about how nice the platter looks – then they start sneaking pieces when I’m not looking. By the time the end of the day has come, I have a half empty platter that I refill and rearrange much to everyone’s delight.

So, how do you go about arranging a beautiful platter to fruit that will have everyone’s mouth watering? Continue Reading »

For this month’s Taste&Create event, I have been paired with Corina from Searching for Spice. She has many delicious-looking recipe, and I came across one that really peeked my interest: roasted chickpeas.

I love chickpeas. In my humble opinion, they go well with every meal and can even enhance a meal. Now, I’d never heard of roasted chickpeas, so this sounded like a lot of fun, and I had no idea what the outcome would be.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that roasting chickpeas turns them into a delicious crunchy snack – like a croûton or that crunchy roasted corn that you can find at many convenience stores in Texas. Corina used hers in a salad – which sounds delicious, I, on the other hand, just used it as a sort of party food or snack food and set it out on my table in a little bowl during one of my garden meetings. The flavors were very delicious – with a hint of spice – but I believe the roasting dulls them down, so don’t be alarmed by the high amounts.

I plan on bringing a bowl of this to our garden’s Halloween party this weekend. I think that everyone with get a kick out of them! Continue Reading »