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M. F. K. Fisher [image via Gourmet Live]

“I am more modest now, but I still think that one of the pleasantest of all emotions is to know that I, I with my brain and my hands, have nourished my beloved few, that I have concocted a stew or a story, a rarity or a plain dish, to sustain them truly against the hungers of the world.” – M. F. K. Fisher

Thanks, Hilary!

Real Quick: Going bananas

Is it just me, or are banana flavored things everywhere these days?  Yonana machines whipping up a healthy version of ice cream, Nabisco Newton Banana drizzled with Dark Fudge Fruit Thins, and my favorite, frozen banana slices covered in chocolate.  Have you tried Dole Banana Dippers yet?  Dark chocolate, bananas, and a crunchy almond topping make them a great dessert, and as I found out this morning, a great addition to your morning smoothie!

I like to try and add nuts to my smoothies for additional protein, anyway, and of course I can’t get enough chocolate.  Throw these (in perfect packs of 4) into your usual morning fruit smoothie for a decadent little touch, and some added protein!

Side note: I used a bunch of fruit we had on hand, water, some frozen strawberries, and Spectrum Chia and Flaxseed with chocolate and coconut but I would recommend avoiding the watermelon for this one — the flavor is stronger than the other fruits and can overpower the smoothie.

Next time, I would do frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), almond milk, the Dole Banana dippers, and the flax/chia seed mix.  YUM!

What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

Have a great weekend!

Jaime

S’more Ideas for Summer

So.  It’s still summer — which means bonfires and s’mores.  Unless you don’t have a fire pit, in which case…grills and stoves.  Or microwaves, if you’re really desperate.  Growing up, we made our fair share of s’mores in the microwave, getting the chocolate ooey and gooey (and piping hot) and watching the marshmallows explode to epic proportions before pressing “END” and watching them shrivel back down.   This summer, I decided I wanted something just a little different, so here are a few s’more ideas.

The Mayan Hot Chocolate S’more

For this one, you’ll need:

• Cinnamon-flavored graham crackers
• Milk chocolate squares
• Marshmallows
• Cayenne Pepper
• Cinnamon

If you’ve never had a Mayan hot chocolate, you are missing out.  The combination of sweet milk chocolate and spicy  cayenne pepper goes down smooth, leaving that slight burning sensation in your throat.   I thought this flavor combination might translate well into a s’more, so lay down your graham cracker, then you chocolate base. Next, sprinkle on as much cayenne and cinnamon as you like, top with a piping hot marshmallow, and squish the graham cracker on top.

Strawberry White Chocolate S’mores

• Honey flavored graham crackers
• White chocolate squares
• Strawberry jam
• Marshmallows

Next comes something berry delicious and refreshing.   I thought about how much my hubby loves cheesecake with strawberries, and came up with this s’more that combines melty white chocolate with sweet and acidic strawberry jam.   Here’s how this one stacks up: graham, white chocolate square, strawberry jam, crispy marshmallow, graham.  Mmm.

Inside-Out S’more

The inside out s’more.  Like when Oreos made a white cookie with chocolate frosting.  Only better.

• Chocolate graham crackers
• White chocolate squares
• Marshmallows

I think you get the idea with this one — make your traditional s’more with these slightly non-traditional ingredients.  It’s fun to mix it up every now and then.

And I can’t forget to give mention to the s’more my sister wanted me to make.  A triple threat, using one square of white chocolate, one square of dark chocolate, and one square of milk chocolate.  Sure to please all chocolate eaters!

What s’more can we do?  Chocolate graham crackers with dark chocolate squares and strawberry jam, maybe?  Cinnamon graham crackers with white chocolate?  The possibilities are endless. Unlike the summer. Wah wah.

Mix it up with your s’more routine and bring even more gooey, sticky, sweet smiles all around.   Don’t forget to celebrate National S’more Day on August 10th — maybe with one of these fun recipes, or some of your own!

What are some of your favorite ways to eat s’mores?

xo Jaime

InstaFaves: A few things

Well, this is awkward.  Have you ever planned a really fabulous dinner party and then had to cancel it because you got WAY TOO BUSY?! No? Oh…

Well.  Me neither.  The Spring Soiree is still on!  It’s just going to take a bit longer for it to come into fruition.  I hope in the meantime you can be patient and satisfy your appetites with lots of grilled things (gorgeous weather, hip hip hooray!).  In the meantime, I thought I would share a few recent favorite discoveries, edited with Instagram (of course).  Enjoy!

Let’s start with this incredible buffalo chicken salad from Jessica at How Sweet Eats — made this over the weekend and it was a huge hit and SO EASY!
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/04/crunchy-buffalo-chicken-salads-with-bacon-and-spicy-ranch/

Cannot go wrong with root beer — especially when it’s HARD root beer! This is going to be a popular summer beverage for patio parties!

Sharon’s Coconut Sorbet — seriously people. This stuff is creamy like ice cream — but it’s sorbet! No dairy! Lactose Intolerants rejoice! The sad part…it’s been discontinued. We are going to snag as many pints as we can this week. Please, someone tell me there’s another coconut sorbet out there that I can try?! I’m going to develop a recipe for this sorbet asap!

RAAW juice and vegetable blends. The one on the left is cranberry ginger (yum) and the one on the right is raspberry lemongrass (double yum!) They have tons of other flavors, including pineapple cucumber — which, you guessed it, was yum.

I think I’m late to the party on this one — but I just tried Coco Cafe — which is a coconut water espresso, and I must say. I’m in LOVE. Perfect amount of sweetness provided by some evaporated cane juice, and they use organic fair trade coffee!

Who doesn’t love ketchup, right? This ketchup will give you a kick in the pants! Don’t be scared away by the ghost pepper — I was easily able to eat this and I usually like my foods as hot as Frank’s. The flavor is amazing. Recipe to come for this one some time soon!

What are some of YOUR favorites?

xox Jaime

Throwing a dinner party.

Does that phrase conjure up feelings of utter dread for you?  Sheer excitement?  Somewhere in between?  Entertaining friends is something we find really rewarding, but it takes a little planning.  That’s where we come in!  We’ve put together a menu that we think is pretty slick — two options in each of the following categories: appetizer, salad, side, main dish, dessert, and drinks — all interchangeable so you can pick and choose to make your perfect menu!  Don’t like shrimp? Make the onion tart!  Don’t eat meat? Go with the mushroom pasta!   We’ve tried to combine flavors in all courses that will blend well together and make a cohesive and delicious meal.

Over the course of the next month, we’ll be posting each course’s two options every week.

We can’t wait and we hope you can’t either!

xo Rae & Jaime

*Invite template from Evites — if you haven’t used their e-invitations before, they are awesome!  So many choices and all beautiful!*