F.F.F Strawberry,Pear, & Rhubarb Pie

I LOVE Strawberry Rhubarb pie!  So when I saw some beautiful fresh Rhubarb in the produce section right beside strawberries on sale, I knew pie would be on the menu.

This pie is a step away from the traditional strawberry and rhubarb version.  It adds pears, fresh ginger, nutmeg, lemon zest and a pinch or two of cinnamon.  The result is amazing as long as you like strawberry and rhubarb pies.  Lucky for me, my daughter is the only other person in the house with any interest in this magically tart and sweet combination, so we had it all to ourselves.

Strawberry Pear & Rhubarb Pie

2 large stalks of Rhubarb with strings removed and chopped

1 lb Strawberries chopped

2 Pears chopped I used Asian Pears

Zest of one Lemon

1/4-1/2 tsp freshly grated Nutmeg I love nutmeg so I go for the full 1/2 tsp

1/4 tsp. freshly grated Ginger

1/4 -1/2 tsp cinnamon

Sugar to taste depending on the sweetness of your fruit. I used  3/4 C

Thickener of your choice.  I used 11/2 Tbs. corn starch and 1 Tbs. tapioca flour because it was what I had on hand

1 or 2 pie crust  I went with a store bought gluten free crust single crust to save calories over the traditional double crust version.  However, any crust recipe will do and a double crust could be used.

Directions:

Prep ingredients and pie crust.  Mix first 9 ingredients well but gently.  Pour into prepared pie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees til crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Let cool and enjoy as is or add a dollop of whipped cream.  This pie is also excellent with a scoop of ice cream on top if you can wait til it cools, or on bottom with the pie as a gooey topping if you can't wait.

F.F.F - Minecraft Bus Birthday Cake.

What do you do when your about to be six year old declares that he wants a Minecraft birthday cake (for the second year in a row), but it has to have a school bus?

Give it to him.  And let him lick the spatula of course.  It's his birthday after all.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I've been sitting on these pics since before Christmas, which just goes to show how busy it gets around here.  But now I've got time so you get to see them.  

I'll also admit this wasn't my best work.  His birthday is very close to the holidays and by the time I get to his cake, all too often I just want to get it done.  However, no worries, because as imperfect as it is, Little Guy loved this cake!  After it was finished, he decided we needed to add some animals.  I let him put the animals on by himself, which may explain why the pig has so much personality.

I'm also left wondering about the placement of the cow, but he liked it so who am I to judge.

F.F.F. - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake edition

On Friday, I was working on a cake for a friends daughter, and promised to  post an update with pictures, and here they are.

From the first swipes of icing

to the piping of pretty borders 

and cutting out the fondant decorations on top

this was a really fun cake.

And although I was able to do most of the work at home,

those big chocolate lollipops had to be put on at the party venue.

The birthday girl is a huge Disney fan liked it so much that she wanted to take a bite from a lollipop right then and there, but mom put a stop to it.

Happy Birthday Lizzie!  

You are one very special

 little girl.

F.F.F and I'm back!

I took a long break from blogging, but that doesn't mean I was goofing off.  Nope, It's been crazy busy here, but not too busy to help out a friend who needs a Birthday cake for her little girl.  So today's F.F.F. (Fun Food Friday) is all about that cake.

My friend and her daughter really liked this cake from  Disney Living Online, but wanted to personalize it a bit.

Instead of the number "1", they want the top tier to be a circle, and instead of stars for the her name and age, they want "Mickey" heads, plus this beauty needs to feed 60.  

The party isn't until tomorrow, so I'm just in the baking stage right now, and my house smells wonderfully of chocolate cake, which is so good, and so bad.  I recently found out I'm sensitive to gluten, so taste testing the batter and the trimmings is a job I've had to hand over to the kids.  At least they do the work for free.  

Once the layers are all baked and iced, I'll post an update with pictures.

F.F.F.- Red Bean Cake

Last night I stumbled upon a fascinating Korean cooking site maangchi.com.  I was going to make and share a recipe from the site as this week's F.F.F. but sadly, the international grocery store that I love, didn't have a few of the key ingredients.  Already running late to see a friend, I couldn't try another store, and not wanting to alter the recipe, I put it "on the back burner" and grabbed something that looked amusing with the idea of trying it with my friend.  Turns out today was her birthday, I swear I didn't know or I'd have brought something better. 

 Happy Birthday Julie! 

This F.F.F. the Red Bean Cake edition is for you.

I know someone out there is thoroughly unimpressed by my choice.  But, I've never tried this.  So it's pretty cool to me.  And yes, I do realize it was made in Texas, but for goodness sake, would you just let me have my moment.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, red bean cake.  At first glimpse, I imagined a nice bit of fluffy or chewy bread with a tiny bit of red bean filling.  I've had red bean ice cream, and red bean dumplings before, so I know red beans.  Their flavor is mild with the earthy/wholesomeness of dates, or figs or molasses, but nowhere near as sweet.  The texture of the paste is like slightly grainy/dry pureed beans, which makes sense, because it is beans.

Cutting into the bean cake, I was surprised by how dense the filling was and how flaky the "cake" part was.  The "cake" is like a very tender pie crust.  When it first hit's your tongue, it doesn't have much flavor, but then, the richness of the crust hits you and the sweetness of the beans comes through, and it's like YUM! I'm not sure Julie is so keen on it, but my family loved the leftovers.

F.F.F. - It's Halloween!!!!!!!

Today is a half day at school, which is awesome because it's HALLOWEEN!!!!

Since the kids will be home early, I started searching online to find something fun and not to hard to make that the kids can do with me. It was a tough decision with all the wonderful ideas that are out there, but these are the two I settled on. 

Chocolate covered pretzel monsters by Catch My Party

gooey monster cookies by Lil Luna

Those should occupy us for an hour or two, and be a nice addition to the sweet table for when our friends come over.  I'm also cutting up some apples and serving them with caramel dip.  Should be yummy, but kind of plain compare to all caramel/candy apple variations I came across. 

Like these sinister looking candy 

poison apples by Hello Copeland,

Don't like the candy crunch?  There's a

caramel version by Spoon University

Maybe you like caramel, but the black turns you off.  

You could try these

Green Caramel Apples by Momstown Central Alberta

And who could resist the beautiful and drool worthy

Ultimate Caramel Apple by Cooking Classy

Or a

Disney inspired apples from Or So She Says...

Finger's crossed my kids won't see these.  I don't have time or the inclination to make candy apples today.  I'm sticking to my cut up apples and dip.  

F.F.F. Monster Bento Edition

Halloween is just around the corner, so why not have some bento fun monster style?

Some monster lunches are cute.

(Like this bento monster for my daughter.)

Others are Strange.

(Like this one for my little guy.)

And some, even have parts to arrange.

(Like this build your own monster lunch for my big guy.)

All three lunches have:

• corn dog, (removed from the stick and cut into pieces)
• pretzels
• carrots and cheese, which are both more for garnish than nutrition
• fruit and veggie pouch, and milk to make up for that lost nutrition.
• candy eyes
• ketchup for the kids who like it
• toothpicks for the build your own

Don't miss a single F.F.F. 

See all the Fun Food Friday posts here.

Fun Food Friday - Jook/Juk

Just in time for cold and flu season.  Today's FFF is Jook/Juk, (Korean Rice porridge).  

This stuff is the go to food in Korea if you are sick, and in it's plain form is a great first food for babies.  Here in the US, I think it makes a nice alternative to chicken noodle soup when you aren't feeling your best.  As a bonus, it is extra gentle on yucky tummies, and it's pleasant creamy texture, is  just right for sore throats.

In it's most basic form, Juk is rice boiled in water until the rice is super soft and makes a traslucent creamy broth.  However, the variations are endless and Juk is often served with added meat or vegetables.  

Here are a few variations to try the next time you're under the weather.

Ginger Chicken Jook from Chow.com

Beef and Vegetable Juk by aeriskitchen.com

Kimchi Juk by aerieskitchen.com

Pumpkin Juk by beyondkimchee.com

Did you know, in Korea, they have restraunts devoted to Juk?

Check out this fun blog entry about Juk by Cute in Korea to learn more.

F.F.F - Golden Cherry and Ginger Jam (con't)

Today, I finish the Golden Cherry Tomato and Ginger jam I started on Friday.  If you missed the first part of this Fun Food Friday which has turned into a weekend edition, you can find it here.

We left off with a bowl of sugary cherry tomatoes resting overnight in the fridge.  The first stop in taking this sugary oddity to Yummyville, is putting it in a big pot.  Next, add matchsticks of ginger, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  I won't deny that I tasted the concoction at this point and had to fight the urge to add water to  make Cherry Tomato and Ginger Lemonade.  I will try that in the future.

With everything in the pot, it cooks until thickened.  Then goes into canning jars and is processed in a caning bath.  If you want complete directions, you can find them here:

Golden Cherry Tomato and Ginger Jam from The Joy Kitchen. 

The Verdict

Overall, this is yummy stuff and while it is really sweet, the ginger gives a nice peppery kick.  I cooked mine a bit too long, so it is thicker than I'd like, but still spreadable.  I wouldn't really call this a jam.  To me it has more of a marmalade texture especially with the ginger matchsticks and cherry tomato skins.  

Tweaks for Next Time

•  Use less sugar and add pectin.  Like any jam that relies on sugar alone, this stuff is super sweet, so I want to try adding pectin and reducing the sugar content like you would with a strawberry jam.  
• Grate the ginger and coarsely chop the tomatoes.  The skins on my Sungold Tomatoes are pretty tough, and I think this would help the texture.  
• Wait until the last moment to add the lemon zest.  I think it looses it's vibrancy during the long cooking process necessary to make jam.

Do you have a favorite recipe or Fun Food you'd like to share?  Drop me a line in the comments and you might see it here on a future Fun Food Friday.

Fun Food Friday

This was my first year with what I felt, was a real garden and the one thing I've had plenty of is cherry tomatoes.  The variety I planted was Sungold, and it has been incredibly flavorful and more prolific than I could have imagined.  Which means by this point in the season, I tried them almost every way imaginable and I'm pretty sick of the things, but they keep producing.  

Now, I think I may have stumbled across the solution in this recipe for Golden Cherry Tomato and Ginger Jam from The Joy Kitchen.  I'm pretty sure this will get the tomato surplus out of my fridge and into my pantry where it can wait to bring a burst of sunshine to the dreary days of winter. 

The first step is to wash the tomatoes, slice them in half, add sugar, and let them sit for 4 hours on the counter, or overnight in the fridge.  I'm opting for the fridge, so looks like this'll be a Fun Food Weekend instead of a Fun Food Friday.

Fun Food Friday

It's October!  I love October!  

And I love Halloween!  So lets start the month off right with these adorable Halloween themed food finds.  Be sure to click the link below each image to visit the original authors site for more Food Fun.

These Banana Ghosts  in a patch of Clementine pumpkins make a BOO-tiful snack.  

Image from Spaceships and Laserbeams

Plates will be cleaned when you serve them these cheese and pretzel broomsticks.

image from cocinandoconcatman

How bout some nummy "Mummies" for lunch?

image from "Our Best Bites"

or these Sweet Potato pumpkins for a sweet side dish.

Image from Food Mayhem

Do you have a fun food idea to share?  Leave a comment below and it might make it into next weeks lineup.

Fun Food Friday - Fruit Jelly

 How incredibly cute is this?!

This week's Fun Food Friday is Fruit Jelly, a fun find from our local Asian grocery store.  I went in to get rice and bath scrubbies, but couldn't resist when I saw this package.  

Look!  It's not just cute,

and, it is....

Green Apple, Strawberry, Grape, and Pineapple.

Once in a blue moon, I'll tuck one of these into the kids lunch boxes as an added treat.  Each one only has 24 calories, so it beats a chocolate chip cookie.  It is a bit like jello, but it is made with seaweed instead of gelatin, so the consistence is different and hard to describe.

There are tiny chunks of coconut which add a tropical note.  Imagine eating a fruit flavored lollipop on the beach sitting next to someone wearing coconut scented sunscreen and that's sums up the effect.

To eat it, just toss your head back and squeeze the bottom of the plastic cup.  As soon as the vacuum between the jelly and the cup is broken, it plops right out and hopefully into your mouth.  

So, what does the girl think?

She can't talk cause her mouth is full, but it gets a thumbs up.

Be sure to check out past Fun Food Fridays here.

Fun Food Friday

This week I've got a DIY chicken soft taco bento packed 3 ways for you.  

To save time/sanity, I put the bentos together the night before and stick them in the fridge.  In the morning, I can pop them into the lunch bags, along with a drink, an ice pack and some kind of fruit to round things out.

Each lunch has:

2-4"flour tortillas, some roasted chicken, cheese, carrots, & 2 mini cookies.   

I pack each according to the kid it will feed.  For example my little guy (the bear) has cheese cubes because he eats everything seperately.  If he had shredded cheese, he'd eat it shred by shred, and lunchtime would be over with him having eaten nothing but a tablespoon of shredded cheese.  Not good for the super skinny boy.  I also cut his carrots into smaller pieces to make them easier and quicker to chew. 

He along with big sister (pink) get dipping sauce (chick container) for their carrots.

Big brother (blue) on the other hand, likes his carrots plain, so no dip chick for him.

Want more Fun Food Friday?

click here

Fun Food Friday #2

It's Friday!

So here's something food related.  These bentos include chicken nuggets, potato smiles, veggies, fruit (not shown) and a little treat (marshmallows, part of a fig newton and part of a gummy orange slice).  The big kids also got BBQ sauce, in the pigs, and lowfat dip for the veggies, in the lego box.  

Not the fanciest thing in the world, I'll admit.  However, it illustrates how to fit basically the same foods into different shaped containers.

Fun Food Friday Begins Now!

I'm trying something new, and fingers crossed I can keep it up.  This is the first in a series of posts called called "Fun Food Friday".  As the name implies: 

It's fun! 

It's all about food! 

and 

I'll post a new one each Friday!   

This first post is all about Bento, and you'll see more in the future, as inspiration for those friends of mine who are in a lunch packing rut.

Traditionally, bento is japanese for lunch box and refers to any boxed lunch, but it has evolved into much more.  If you're new to Bento, take a moment and check out my Beginning Bento post from 2 years ago.  

I am in love with Bento style lunches.  They are fun to make, fun to eat and the kids always praise my efforts.   

I'm praise driven, so that's huge!   

Here is one "bento style" lunch packed 3 ways.  Each includes:

1 lean chicken hotdog 

(cut in half so it looks like 2)

1 oz of cheese cut into tiny cubes

 carrots, celery, grapes 

and a tiny piece of a chocolate bar as a treat. 

  

The first is for my youngest, he loves his adorable teddy bear box.  He's super skinny, and if he grows any taller or looses another ounce he'll be technically underweight.   I give him about the same as my older kids hoping he'll eat more than I'd expect.  Don't tell the big kids, but he got more cheese than them. 

http://www.allthingsforsale.com/bento-box-lunch-box/2980-rilakkuma-die-cut-bento-lunch-box-with-removable-divider-4974413585637.html

This next one is for my daughter.  She picked out this pink sheep box herself.  She's not a huge celery fan, but loves fruit so she has less celery and more grapes.  

http://www.allthingsforsale.com/bento-box-lunch-box/2753-japanese-bento-lunch-box-set-sheep-4973307168987.html

This last one is for my oldest son.  He's not in to cutesy stuff, so this simple bento box suits him well.

He's a normal weight and loves crunchy foods, so he gets lots of celery and carrots.

http://www.allthingsforsale.com/bento-box-lunch-box/1786-microwavable-oval-2-tier-bento-box-lunch-box-blue-4560219031265.html

Want more bento ideas?

Check out these links for more ideas and recipes:

http://justbento.com/

http://www.justhungry.com/bento

I'm not affiliated with the site below in any way, but I love their selection of bento boxes and accessories.

http://www.allthingsforsale.com/

Do you have a bento picture you want to share?  

Let me know and I'll post it to inspire others.