Bits of the Week---FUN FOOD!

Hey peeps! Sorry I missed you last week but I was out with the flu for the entire time!!!! Anyways, over the weekend, we tried  a new food...  ASTRONAUT ice cream sandwiches. It's freeze dried ice cream sandwich.  When you first bite it, it crunches, then  it almost melts like cotton candy would. Except, it starts tasting like normal ice cream again.

 That was FUN FOOD!  If you want to try some for yourself, you can order some through the Amazon link below:

We also we met our friends at Red Robin for dinner. There, we were served what looked like a mountain of onion rings. This crispy tower tasted so delicious that I ate a BUNCH!!!!!

Bits of the Week

Hey! This week we celebrated my kitty, Hazel's 3rd birthday. I made her a cute little photo frame that we will use to display adorable pictures. I think she really likes it.

I also just started violin lessons this week. It is fun but I'm not quite that good... YET. My mom thinks that I'll be a FABULOUS musician when I grow up. My thoughts are that it will take me a while till I become a "musician."

 My mama's garlic fries are awesome! You can't find any that are better. These are better for you because they are baked not fried plus you get to choose how much salt, oil, garlic, etc. Be sure to try this recipe.

• Mom's Note: These Fresh Garlic Fries are a fave at our house:
• Preheat oven to 375 Degrees
• Slice 6 medium (scrubbed) russet potatoes  into steak fry-shaped wedges, leaving the skin on. 
• Place 2-3 cloves of finely minced garlic (or I sometimes use the jarred crushed fresh garlic) into a large microwaveable bowl, along with 2 Tbs. butter, and if you have it, 1 or two sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped.  Place in microwave for 20-25 seconds, to melt the butter.
• Toss potato slices into the bowl you just microwaved, and drizzle with about 1Tb. olive oil (or enough to lightly coat potatoes).  Toss to coat fries evenly with the butter/olive oil/garlic.
• Dump fries onto a cookie sheet, spread into a single layer, and bake.
• Turn fries after 25-30 minutes, bake for another 25-ish minutes (check after 20, making sure they are not burning)
• Remove from oven, add salt to taste, and ENJOY!

My Favorite Food Video

This video combines two of our favorites: the Annoying Orange character and Lady Gaga music.  Oh, LOVE pasta, too!

OLD Fashioned Baked Apples

Tonight, after swimming, my mom wanted us to make a healthy dessert.  She suggested baked apples, which we have never tried before. We made them with diet cherry dr.pepper, and they were quick and delicious!

Easy Recipe for 2 apples:.

1. Remove 3/4 of the apple core (leaving bottom in tact so the fillings stay in the apple) and all seeds, using apple corer.
2. Fill the apple with Diet D. Pepper, top with a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon, and a dab of butter..
3.stick it in the microwave for up to3 min.

Now you have a nice healthy dessert and this is also good for a yummy afternoon snack.

MOM'S NOTES: My Kids LOVED it, and it was super fast, healthy-ish and easy to make!

You can use any kind of apple. We used Granny Smith, which are firmer, so take a little longer to cook.  Ours took 3 minutes in the microwave for 2 apples.

This recipe is very flexible. You can use any soda or no soda, but we found that ours made a yummy sauce after baking that can be spooned on top.

To amp up the good ingredients, you can add chopped nuts or dried fruits like raisins to your filling.

And if you want to get decadent, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

ENJOY!

Monday Night Brownies

Today I made a quick, delicious batch of fudge brownies.

A little measuring...

A bit of mixing...

CAREFUL!

Almost ready for the oven.

Baked and done before you know it!

I used a mix today, since it's a school night.  We used Ghirardelli Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix, and the brownies came out perfectly.  We also used the Perfect Brownie Pan that we had seen on TV and bought through Amazon.com. Using this unique pan assured that the brownies  were cut perfectly nice and even. I finished them off with a layer of hot gooey fudge ganache on top. Yummy!

PS.  We've tried this pan for our Snickerdoodle Blondie recipe (our first post ever), with great results, too.  Definitely gets the Bella Thumbs-up!!  My mom says the deal at Amazon is now better than when we got it--we paid $20.