Category Archives: A Peek Into My Kitchen

A peek Into My Kitchen: Pink Lemonade Bars (No Dye!)

Ah, the insanity that is Pinterest.

I am developing a love-hate relationship with this fabulous new time-suck…but, when it comes to finding new food inspiration, the feeling is generally one of love.

When I clicked on the original pin for this recipe, I fully expected the bright pink color to be a result of Jello, cake mix or insanely large amounts of food coloring that would’ve sent me clicking away. Instead, I was amazed to find that freshly pureed strawberries added to the lemon-sugar mixture result in a shade of pink so super girly vibrant that it would Pinkaliscious smile

I actually want to play with this recipe some more, maybe trying a few different types of berries to get different colored bars. And maybe a thicker crust–I’ll keep you posted.

A peek Into My Kitchen: Creamy Carrot Soup (dairy-free, GF)

Also posted in Food and Drink . by jessica on January 30, 2012

The parsnips in this simple to make soup, add creaminess and another layer of flavor to this soup. Even if you’ve never tried parsnips before, don’t be scared of them…and don’t assume that your children won’t like them either!

While you can definitely halve this soup so that you aren’t making so much at once, I prefer to make a big pot. I either give half to a friend (makes a great soup to share with a friend who’s just had a baby!) or stick half in the freezer.

A great way to freeze soup is to wait until it cools and seal individual portions in microwave-safe containers or in ziploc bags. If you have an older baby at home, freeze some in ice cube trays for baby size portions.

A peek Into My Kitchen: Sweet & Salty Caramel Apples (nut-free)

Also posted in Food and Drink, Products, Uncategorized . by jessica on January 20, 2012

To be honest, it has never really occurred to me to cook with pretzels. Every once in a while, I’ve seen a recipe for Pretzel-crusted this or that and I’ve definitely watched an episode or two of Chopped in which pretzels were one of the mystery ingredients…but I don’t generally think of them as more than a snack food staple in my pantry.

That’s actually one of the reasons that I thought it would be fun to do this post–to stretch my culinary imagination a bit.

Trying to figure out what to make, I had a “eureka!” moment. My nut-allergic son rarely gets to eat fun, frivolous carnival food like Caramel Apples because they are generally coated with peanuts. I threw a handful of pretzels in my food processor, dipped some apples in melted caramel and then in the pulverized pretzels. Voila! Nut-free caramel apples which still have the salty-sweet element which is generally provided by roasted peanuts.

A peek Into My Kitchen: Baked Moon Pancake

Also posted in Baby Food, Food and Drink, meatless monday . by jessica on January 16, 2012

Tagged #meatlessmonday, breakfast, brunch, dairy, easy recipe, kid-friendly, lacto, recipe, vegetarian | 1 Comment

A peek Into My Kitchen: Asparagus, Scorpios and Reproductive Organs (easy recipe)

Also posted in Baby Food, Food and Drink, Food related, meatless monday, Misc. . by jessica on January 2, 2012

I found myself in the most bizarre twitter conversation earlier today…

Here goes:

Wendi Aarons : As a Scorpio myself, I’m not sure I want to eat a plate full of asparagus just to keep my nether regions happy.

Wendy Bradford : Oddly enough that is what I ate last night #Scorpio @feelWeirdAboutItNow

Clearly, I couldn’t let such a conversation rest without sticking in my two cents. Not only am I a Scorpio, but, lo and behold, I had just purchased a massive bag of asparagus from Costco on Friday in addition to having already bought two bunches from Fresh Direct because they were on special…

A peek Into My Kitchen: Popcorn–Two Ways

Also posted in Allergies, Food and Drink . by jessica on December 19, 2011

My husband loves popcorn, particularly movie theater popcorn. Greasy, deadly, salty, bright yellow, god-knows-what’s-hiding-in-there-popcorn. In the days before kids, we would see a movie almost every Saturday night, reveling in bottomless buckets of popcorn and endless cups of High-C fruit punch (that being my own chemical dependency.) Some Saturday nights we would even see two movies back-to-back, particularly if the first movie was a complete disappointment….or a little bit scary. (Yes, we always bought tickets to the second movie instead of theater hopping–because that’s just how I roll.

With 2 young kids in tow, the movies nights are fewer and far between, having given way to DVR, movies on demand and a whole lot of HBO.

The love for popcorn and for each other endures