From Calculu∫ to Cupcake∫ -

Honey Kiss Melon Salad

June 20, 2013 · by admin · Leave a Comment

Have you tried honey kiss melon? This one was my first! Apparently, they have been around for a few years, but they just recently started showing up in my rural grocery store. The flavor is similar to cantaloupe, but much sweeter. It might be my favorite melon. I should have taken photos of it before I cut it up, but didn’t think of it. It looks kind of like a cantaloupe, but is oblong instead of round. If you can’t find one, you could use cantaloupe in this recipe, but it won’t be nearly as sweet.

Of course, you know me, if I like it, I’m going to have to turn it into something else. So, here is the salad I created using my honey kiss melon. It should probably serve four, but I ate it all. Hey, it was most of dinner, and it was soooo good! Hope you enjoy!

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Fruit, Salads, Sides ·

Restaurant Review: Heirloom Market Bar B Que

June 19, 2013 · by admin · Leave a Comment

Heirloom Market Bar B Que is a restaurant I have been just dying to try. It has been written up in magazines, won awards, and my husband went before me and loved it. The chefs are Chef Cody from Texas/Tennessee/Atlanta and Chef Jiyeon from South Korea. Together they create southern barbecue with an Asian twist. I already knew I would love the flavors because I always want to put Asian sides with barbecue. Heirloom Market Bar B Que did not disappoint. The food was fantastic.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews, Uncategorized ·

Blueberry Cake

June 18, 2013 · by admin · 1 Comment

I have been seeing blueberry recipes all over the internet and have been dying to make one, so when trying out my new cake mix recipe, I just had to try it with blueberries. Let me tell you, this blueberry cake is divine. You just have to try it. I made it for dessert, but this would also make a great sweet breakfast.

The recipe does use my homemade cake mix, but in case you have not already made that. (And, you would have to be super quick to have done so, since I just posted it yesterday.) You can put together the mix for this cake in under ten minutes, and the whole thing won’t take much longer. Hope you enjoy!

[Read more...]

Filed Under: blueberry, Breakfast, Cake, Dessert, Fruit ·

DIY: Cake Mix

June 17, 2013 · by admin · 3 Comments

I have been trying to use processed foods less often. A lot of recipes, some that are not even cake, call for cake mix, and if you look at the ingredients in a cake mix, you will find all sorts of crazy ingredients that you would never add to your own cake. But, not using them at all wipes out tons of recipes. So, I have come up with a recipe for cake mix. It is a little different than the others I have seen. Most of them include butter and then have to be frozen, but I wanted something more shelf stable (though I usually store flour in the freezer anyway). I mean, yes, cake mixes have fat added to them, but if you look at the directions, you have to add fat (usually oil) anyway, so I don’t think there is really a need for it to be in your mix.

I made the cake shown above to show you that yes it will make a cake – though it is a bit domed, so you would have to trim it to make layers. But, that is not what I really intend to use it for. You know recipes for dump cake, or gooey butter cake (the easy version, not the yeast), that call for cake mix, that is what I plan to use it for. As I try those recipes, I will share with you how it compares to the purchased cake mix versions I have had in the past. The recipe is for one layer as opposed to the two layer type in the box, so you would need to double it for 2 layers or for a 9″ x 13″ pan. I did this intentionally because sometimes you really don’t need to have a whole dump cake in the house, if you know what I mean. This way, you can make half in an 8″ x 8″ pan – just don’t forget to half the other ingredients. If you use this recipe in another recipe, please let me know how it works. I just can’t try everything at once, and I really want to know all of the options. Tomorrow I will be sharing with you a blueberry cake I made using this mix that is completely fabulous!

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cake, Dessert, DIY ·

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party June 14, 2013

June 13, 2013 · by admin · Leave a Comment

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized ·

Peach Iced Tea

June 12, 2013 · by admin · Leave a Comment

I don’t know about where you are, but June in Georgia is hot! Today was a particularly hot day, and I love fresh peaches, so this peach iced tea was just perfect! The fresh peaches make it super refreshing.

Now, I must warn you that I am definitely a southern girl, consequently I like sweet iced tea year round, so I did add sweetener to this. If you are one of those people that thinks sugar ruins tea, then by all means leave it out! Don’t leave out the lemon juice though because it keeps the peaches from turning brown.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Beverages, Fruit, Peach, Tea ·

Kale Chips

June 11, 2013 · by admin · 1 Comment

I am well aware that I am probably the last food blogger out here to make kale chips. I don’t know why I haven’t before. I have no excuse. I see recipes for them all the time and think that it is a great idea and that I should try them. I even knew I would like them because I have bought them, but this is my first time making them!

I have to confess. I did buy that pre-washed kale in a bag. I was a little afraid that the shortcut would somehow ruin them, but it didn’t. They taste just like they are supposed to and are perfect since we are trying to reduce our carbohydrates. Don’t worry, I will still have plenty here, they just may have to exit the house. I will be sharing with you all of the lower carbohydrate recipes I like though, and this is definitely one of them. I adapted them very slightly from this recipe by Melissa d’Arabian via Food Network. I had a pound of kale, which I think is probably more than most heads, so I used a smaller oil to kale ratio. I also coated the kale with sea salt and olive oil by putting it in my largest lidded plastic container and shaking it up until it was well coated. This distributed the oil and salt evenly and probably allowed for the same amount of oil covering more kale.

Edit: It was extremely humid when I made these, so the next day they had lost a good bit of their crispness. I toasted some for about a minute at 300 degrees, and they were perfect, but be very careful when doing this as they do burn easily.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizers, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian ·

Brats with Mustard Sauce Over Whipped Cauliflower

June 10, 2013 · by admin · 1 Comment

On a recent trip to Aldi, my husband and I found these cute little miniature brats, and I knew I just had to make something with them. Really they are great all by themselves, but I made a sweet mustard sauce to go over them and served them over a bed of whipped cauliflower. We are trying to eat lower carbohydrate meals due to my husband’s diabetes, and whipped cauliflower is the perfect way to do this. It really does taste remarkably like mashed potatoes. To get it really smooth, it is a bit thinner than mashed potatoes, but is really good. If you have not tried it, you really should. Even if you are not watching your carbohydrates, it is a delicious and different way to add vegetables to your diet.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Dinner, Entree, Pork ·

Blueberry Walnut Chicken Salad for #TheSaladBar

June 8, 2013 · by admin · 25 Comments

I am very excited about the new monthly blogging group The Salad Bar! On the second Saturday of every month we will be posting a themed salad. This month’s theme was berries, and I had so much fun making this Blueberry Walnut Chicken Salad. It was fabulous tasting and beautiful!

I chose to use endive for the lettuce in this recipe, but if you prefer different greens, then definitely use your favorite. Endive is one of our favorites for any salad. It is topped with blueberries, candied walnuts, walnut-Parmesan crusted chicken, and dressed with blueberry vinaigrette. I realize it might sound kind of involved, but it really didn’t take long at all to put together. I did the nuts first, then got the chicken in the oven, and while the chicken was baking, got the greens, blueberries, and vinaigrette ready. The nuts the are a recipe I slightly adapted from Simply Recipes. My husband and I ate it all, so I put the servings as two, but you could probably serve three. We ate a lot – too much! It was definitely worth it! Hope you stop by every month for The Salad Bar post!