Foodie Friday : Immune-boosting Smoothie ~ Order at Starbucks | Well Good

Lucky me. Years ago, had a friend who worked for Starbucks, but also worked with me at a temp job. One of his perks for being a Starbucks employee was getting a free of bag of coffee. At our temp job he would bring it in and let us brew a pot. What a friend huh??

However ... do you only go to Starbucks for the coffee? OK. It's true. They do have great coffee! But that's not all they've got!

The secret immune-boosting smoothie you should be ordering at Starbucks | Well Good

For Foodie Friday ~ 

Wishing Everybody a Happy Smoothie Friday!!

#Breakfasting ❣️🍇🌾

It's all centred around the #Wheatgrass #smoothie

~ With which I've fallen in love. pic.twitter.com/xDUNnSiZP4

— Catherine Skye Knott (@catskye88) August 11, 2017

How to make #smoothie pic.twitter.com/ezHFHGkqpk

— Mr. (@9oltan) August 3, 2017

A green #smoothie a day keeps #doctor away: https://t.co/JGmKCFv3YT #NonGMO #Organic pic.twitter.com/qskNLQJUJi

— Organic Live Food (@OrganicLiveFood) August 9, 2017

Visit our blog to make the perfect #hemp, mint and watermelon recovery #smoothie! https://t.co/LihkDNbPrI pic.twitter.com/kr1uDjm2c4

— Mettrum Originals (@mettrumoriginal) August 11, 2017

Guide for using LEAFY GREENS in #SMOOTHIES. I start every day with a different #greensmoothie blend- a great way to increase your greens pic.twitter.com/t4nJtL50JY

— The Blender Girl (@theblendergirl) August 6, 2017

Sip on This All-Natural and Not-so-Sugary #unicornfrappuccino : https://t.co/0wrVziFK5n #healthy #starbucks #Coffee #smoothies #Foodie

— Michele Capellupo (@PlanAhead_) April 29, 2017

Previous #FoodieFriday posts? Recipes | Desserts | Pineapple Stuffing and More!  Japan’s 10 weirdest ice cream flavors  The Right Blend of Spices for Cajun Food Lovers  Indian Food: Hot n Spicy Samosas (Reblog)  Candied Jalapeño Peppers  Chinese New Year Recipes and Dishes  Pesto Around the World  Experiencing the Joy of Salsa   Spice Spotlight: Cinnamon  It's Flipping Foodie Friday!  Raw Coconut Fig Slice (Reblog)  Winter Salad Binging  Banana Brownies - Back for Seconds  Cool Foodies and Food Lovers Celebrating Their “Firsts” on Twitter

Foodie Friday : Candied Jalapeño Peppers

I currently reside in Texas.  The folks here were "born" with a jalapeño in their mouth.  LOL.  It's an obvious exaggeration but people really love jalapeño peppers.  So that's the focus of this Foodie Friday post.  Although Texans might accuse of committing blasphemy or something like that because the specific topic is:

Candied Jalapeño Peppers

Or not!  If you're from Texas, maybe you probably already know about them.  But I'm what they call a "Texas import".  That means I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could! 😜

I love jalapeños.  I love them with the seeds!  The hotter the better!  

I knew they came fresh or pickled.  But I never knew they came sweet too!  When I first found out about them, I thought:  "Isn't this against the Texas jalapeño rules?"

Evidently not!  You can buy them in the local grocery stores (here in Austin, Texas) or you can make them.  The recipe is easy.  Sharing some links below.

Here's a fun food fact.  Whether fresh, pickled, or sweet:

Candied Jalapeño Peppers are also called "cowboy candy".

Candied Jalapenos

There aren't words that exist to describe how addictive these little savoury, sweet, spicy, crunchy, garlicky pickled jalapeno rounds are. Put them on sandwiches, tacos, rice or bake them into cornbread. You'll need more and more!

Sriracha Deviled Eggs with Candied Jalapeno Peppers

Serve something a little different for your Easter spread this year: Sriracha Deviled Eggs with Candied Jalapeno Peppers. Sriracha spices up these deviled eggs and the candied jalapeno peppers give it a sweet/spicy note transforming the ordinary into extraordinary! Make it even more special and serve them on this gorgeous Wilton Armetale Egg Tray from their Flutes & Pearls Collection.

Cowboy Candy {Candied Jalapenos}

If you like pepper jelly served over cream cheese on crackers, you will love Cowboy Candy. The sugary sweet syrup/brine is the perfect compliment to the heat of the jalapenos. When my friend, Diane, at Canning and Cooking at Home made these, I knew I wanted to try it for myself. 

Previous #FoodieFriday posts? Chinese New Year Recipes and Dishes  Pesto Around the World  Experiencing the Joy of Salsa   Spice Spotlight: Cinnamon  It's Flipping Foodie Friday!  Raw Coconut Fig Slice (Reblog)  Winter Salad Binging  Banana Brownies - Back for Seconds  Cool Foodies and Food Lovers Celebrating Their “Firsts” on Twitter

Not into sweet and spicy?  You prefer salty?  Try this!

Fresh Gourmet - Crispy Jalapeños, Lightly Salted

Foodie Friday : Experience the Joy of Salsa

This week's Foodie Friday focus is on salsa!

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La Salsa Speciale del Chef ~ https://bit.ly/3VCmXtO

There was once a time when the recipe for fresh salsa was simply diced tomatoes, onions, green bell peppers, lime juice, red pepper or a jalapeno pepper, salt to taste; cilantro, optional. I love salsa!  It's a great way to eat your veggies.  Several years back, I moved into a new neighborhood and was at the local grocery store. Walked down an aisle and on the shelves were bottles of every kind of salsa imaginable.

Some of them were made with sweet fruits like mangoes and peaches! Oh the wonder of it all! Had no idea salsa came in that many flavors. Gave me all kinds of foodie ideas. Sharing some recipes.. 

Why keep all these delicious delights to myself?

• 7 Delicious Salsa Recipes
• Black-Eyed Pea Salsa Recipe: How to Make It
• Cilantro Lime Grille Chicken with Strawberry Salsa (pic below)

Originally published at Persona Paper on Jul 3, 2015.

Sharing a bit of salsa heaven!  

Recipes found around the web.

Wild Beet Salad Company makes Wild Beet Salsa

Recipe: Roasted Pineapple Salsa (thekitchn .com)

#Recipe: Roasted Pineapple Salsa — Recipes from #TheKitchn https://t.co/uIFEtndKUY pic.twitter.com/0bJCHDwhDv

— Zesty Recipes (@zesty_recipes) May 2, 2016

Blackened Tomatillo Poblano Salsa With Habanero

#Cooking #Friends #recipes https://t.co/IsPd2kqIt7 Blackened Tomatillo Poblano #Salsa With Habanero pic.twitter.com/UKOT7zDxdy

— Recipes Prep (@recipesprep) November 30, 2016

17 Savory Salsa Recipes

Mango Pomegranate & Tender Coconut Salsa

Apple Salsa – Spicy, Fresh, Perfect for Fall

Foodie Friday : Banana Brownies - Back for Seconds

Scanning pins on Pinterest and came across one pin shared by food blogger, Stephanie Brubaker, that made me start looking for recipe variations. Being that it's also #foodiefriday, it's also a perfect excuse to do a little detective work.  Brownies are on my list of fave foods, right along with cheesecake. But most of the brownies I enjoy are chocolate.  Never heard of a Banana Brownie. Have you?

Now it's imperative to know how many other different kinds of brownies are out there in wonderful world of food.  :)

Do you have a brownie recipe
that's not like any other?

Banana Brownies - Back for Seconds

Kelly Senyei, Just a Taste, came up with a recipe that combines three desserts into one.  Three guilty pleasures in one?  What a brilliant mind!!  :)

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies Recipe


Found this delightful treat at Kirbie’s Cravings.

Cookies and Cream Brownies


Cookies and Cream Brownies



 Another Kellie shared her recipe for vegans at her blog, Food to Glow.

Tahini Swirl Chocolate Brownies (immune-boosting and grain-free + vegan option).

Miley Cyrus would be so proud of her! :)

Tahini Swirl Chocolate Brownies (immune-boosting and grain-free + vegan option)




*This one from a fellow blogger on Blogspot, Nook & Pantry.

Green Tea Cheesecake White Chocolate Brownie



Green Tea Cheesecake White Chocolate Brownie



Blinking arrow found at glitter-graphics.com

Spinach Brownies  (???) OK! Spinach Brownies Recipe

Food Blog Spotlight: Tofu is the New Black on Tumblr

So glad such a thing as a spotlight was invented. The concept or idea of shining a light on something or someone worthy of being noticed comes in handy when you find a fantabulous food blog like “Tofu is the New Black”. 

My foodie adventures around the web often either begin here at this blog or at my complementary Tumblr micro-blog. Was scanning the posts stream and came across this amazing blog. Fortunately the publisher, “Irene”, introduces herself in both Italian and English. (No problem if she didn't. I keep my Google translator at the ready! ☺ ) 



Irene is a vegan and not only does she share great vegan recipes but the food images at her blog show off some of the prettiest food I've ever seen!  She scours the web and recycles recipes, cooking tips, healthcare tips, charts displaying food alternatives or substitutes, infographics, and other food finds.  She is PRO-Green and extremely environmentally conscious (as we all should be).  Her posts date back to August 2015. Got so excited just browsing January 2017, decided her food / foodie adventures needed to be shared with others.

Are you a tofu lover?
Do you have a favorite tofu recipe?

Please comment below. 

Pretty food!

http://happy-tofu.tumblr.com/post/135333234655/httphappy-tofutumblrcom

Healthcare Tips!

http://happy-tofu.tumblr.com/post/135333574570/httphappy-tofutumblrcom

Cheese Lovers!

http://happy-tofu.tumblr.com/post/135134167665/lemon-cranberry-pistachio-cashew-cheese-ball

Healthy Ways to Satisfy the Munchies!

http://happy-tofu.tumblr.com/post/125921885985/10-vegan-snacks-for-your-desk

The Joys of Making Dishes and Drinks with Edible Flowers

The first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared in February 1966. Since then, the magazine has only grown in its popularity and not just for the people who live in the South (Southern United States). The magazine has published wonderful articles about the home, travel and food for over 50 years. I found this wonderful article in Southern Living Magazine. It starts off with the statement “Cooking with edible flowers is back.”

I thought to myself: “What do you mean back? I have never cooked with edible flowers!”

When I was a kid growing up in Miami, Florida, we had hibiscus flowers in our front yard. We would pick them, rip them apart and I enjoyed sucking the nectar from stem. I never ate the petals because I didn't know they were edible. They are not just edible you can brew a tea with them and dirnk it!

In the SL article hibiscus in on the list of the 10 Best Edible Flowers.

What have I missed? LOL.

For me, the things is ... flowers are so pretty you don't really want to eat them. Do you?

But it's good that you can. It's one of those things you need to know if you ever get stranded on a desert island and you're not that good at catching fish or hunting for your food (like me).

It's just a personal thing; but I think edible flowers should only be used for weddings.

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FUN FOOD TRIVIA AND FACT:

Image is a photo of a marigold calendula. Calendula is known as the “poor man’s saffron” and it can be used in the recipe for deviled eggs. Who knew?

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Related Links:

10 Best Edible Flowers | Southern Living

10 Edible Flower Salads That Are Way Too Pretty to Eat | Spoon University

Recipe Box: Edible Flower Popsicles - Lauren Conrad

The Ten Best Edible Flowers to Grow in Your Garden

30 Edible Flowers You Can Eat Right Out Of Your Garden

Garden Guides | The History of Edible Flowers

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Have you ever prepared a dish or a drink with edible flowers?

Original Source

3 Best TV Cooking Shows for Newbie Cooks

It’s a common expression in American culture when people are praising something that’s new and different that they might say something to the effect “It’s the best invention since the napkin.” By the way, do you know who invented thr napkin? Well, it was Leonardo da Vinci in 1491. (No wonder they call the man a genius!)

Back on point. In my humble opinion, TV cooking shows are the greatest invention since the napkin. People give the late Julia Child credit for introducing the American audience to the wonderful world of French cuisine. Her show was called “The French Chef” and the first episode aired February 2, 1963. Sorry but … in 1963, I was eight years old and the only TV show I cared about was The Mickey Mouse Club. Cooking shows did not interest me.

However, as a married adult who was trying to please a husband and a bunch of hungry kids, TV cooking shows finally got my attention. All of a sudden there were loads of programs on local television and cable TV. They aired 24/7, and if you had Internet access you could watch them online. Some of the chefs even have food blogs. You can learn how to cook almost any kind of cuisine OR just get some cooking tips to figure out how to make your home cooked meals taste better OR you can watch a well-known popular cook or chef prepare a dish and get confirmation that your recipe you have been making for years is just fine. As an example: For years, my siblings told me I made the best macaroni-and-cheese. For the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays that was the dish I was responsible for preparing. Their compliments were very much appreciated. But you don’t how proud I was the day I watched a Paula Deen cooking show. She was preparing a holiday meal, and guess what? She made her mac-n-cheese just like me!

There are 3 cooking shows that are especially good to watch if you are a newbie in the kitchen. They are no longer being produced, so you might have to search online for old episodes online or buy the DVD collection.

Rachel Ray – 30-Minute Meals

Ms. Ray always said that she was a cook, not a professional chef. But that didn’t matter. She really could prepare a meal in 30 minutes. A healthy meal from start to finish. Do you know what that means to moms who work a full-time job outside the home, to be able to prepare a meal for your family in half an hour? The original shows aired from 2001 to 2012. She also made macaroni and cheese but not the way Paula and I made it. So I wasn’t sold on that particular recipe. But I did like many of the other dishes she made. She has hosted other cooking shows since, but this is the series that made me her loyal fan.

• Watch Rachel Ray cooking shows on Prime Video

Ming Tsai – East Meets West

Ming Tsai can cook! Mr. Tsai prepares “fusion” dishes. In other words, he takes the best of the East and the best of the West and fuses them to make wonderful Asian-European recipes. Unlike Rachel Ray, Ming Tsai is a professional chef who attended Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary school in Paris, France. He made his appearance on television when he served as a substitute or guest chef for Sara Moulton on her TV show. When she returned to work to pick up where she had left off, to her surprise, people who had watched her program while she was absent kept asking about that Asian guy. He’s Chinese-American. One thing led to another and he ended up having his own TV show. The East Meets West episodes aired from 1998 to 2003. I like the episodes where he cooks with his mom and pop. Although he went to French cooking school, he gives his mom credit for teaching him most of what he knows about cooking. Isn’t that sweet?

• Watch Ming Tsai cooking shows on Prime Video

glitter-graphics.com

Paula Deen – Paula’s Home Cooking

Paula’s a Southern gal and I grew up eating Southern cuisine. To clarify, I am talking about the traditional food cooked by folks who live in the Southern United States. Black-eyed peas, collard greens, corn bread, fried chicken, etc. Get the picture? I liked Ms. Deen’s show for 2 reasons. The first reason I have already stated. It’s the food I grew up eating, so a lot of what she cooked reminded me of home. The second reason is that Ms. Deen’s personal story reflects the triumph of the human spirit. I always love the stories where a person gets knocked down but they get back up and summon their will to survive. Ms. Deen found herself divorced with two sons to support. After trying various jobs, she decided to try something she knew she was good at: Southern cooking. She started a home business, making sandwiches. People would place orders and her sons would ride bicycles and deliver to the customers. From that start, it was one success after another. She opened restaurants and published cookbooks and was ultimately given the opportunity to have her own TV cooking show: Paula’s Home Cooking aired from 2002 to 2012. Yes, I know that her road to success has not been without controversy. But I personally admire her gumption! I also like her recipes but confess that they need to modify to be a little bit healthier and heart-friendly. It was not only one who had that opinion. Her own son, Bobby Deen started a TV show called “Not My Mama’s Meals”. He took his mom’s recipes and tried to revise them by reducing the fat content, sugar, etc.

• Watch Paula Deen cooking shows on Prime Video

Do you have any favorite TV cooking shows?

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Original source

Recipe Sharing: Global Flavors: Bahamian Food

My ethnic background is Bahamaian-American. My mother was American and my father was from The Bahamas. I sort of have a tradition of sharing a little something about my Bahamian roots in every community that I join. What I would like to share with this group is Bahamaian food. Matador Network published an excellent article titled “Traditional Bahamian food and dishes from the Bahamas”. The 8 foods are listed below.

1. Johnny cake

2. Conch salad

3. Chicken souse

4. Guava duff

5. Rum cake

6. Pigeon peas and rice

7. Goombay Smash

8. Conch fritters 

Out of these 8 foods, the 3 foods that I remember our family eating regularly when I was growing up were conch salad, conch fritters, and pigeon peas and rice. These dishes are very easy to make. However, depending on where you live the ingredients may not be available. You may live in a place where you can just go to the local fish market to buy conch. If not, just Google “where can you get fresh conch” and you will find online stores. The same thing for pigeon peas. You might be able to get them at your local grocery store. If not, you can buy canned or dried pigeon peas. The other 5 Bahamian dishes on the list are just as tasty. But the three I mentioned have special memories. Here are links to the recipes. Hope you get a chance to try them.

Conch Salad

Conch Fritters

Pigeon Peas and Rice


NOTE: Some people vary the conch salad recipe by adding diced mango or pineapple.


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Original Source