It’s that time of year again, the annual Christmas Cookie Swap.  I am not even going to mention how many consecutive years we’ve had this event.  But I will say that there have been a lot of cookies….

Last year’s winner were these Maple Pecan Bites.

In 2009, these Toffee Bit cookies won.

And back in 2008, these Chocolate Chunk cookies took first place, and the baker shared his secrets!

My sister’s recipe for Italian Toto cookies gets the most hits on my site year after year, maybe because they’re so unique?

Kermit the Frog says we’ll announce this year’s winner on Monday!

 

Have a great weekend!

I don’t talk enough about how great Trader Joe’s can be.  I feel bad for readers who don’t have one nearby.  But this pizza was made possible by some wonderful TJ products.

 

 

First, whole wheat pizza dough.  I buy it by the pound, and then separate it into 4 oz. portions and freeze it.  Whenever I want a personal pizza, I thaw the dough and stretch it into a circle.

I was lucky enough to have leftover Stilton Walnut Dip made with TJ’s White Cranberry Stilton Cheese.  But Trader Joe’s is the best place to buy just about any cheese, and you won’t go wrong.  I almost always buy the fat free feta, which does not taste fat free at all.

Finally, sun dried tomatoes.  TJ’s sells them in a plastic pouch, so they are not packed in oil.  They’re easy to toss on a pizza, or eat right out of the bag (not that I would ever do that!)

With just a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and 10 minutes in the oven, my pizza craving was satisfied.

One of my classes this semester is a food service management course.  I went into my nutrition program thinking that food service was something I would “get through” because it was required, but I ended up really enjoying the material.  You already know how much I love to cook, and I find the logistics of running an operation really interesting.

Our final group project for this class was to create a food service business from the ground up.  We made a marketing plan, crafted a menu, planned the restaurant layout, and calculated a realistic budget.  Yesterday we presented our project to the class, and I thought you might be interested in our proposed sandwich shop named “The Go Between”.

Ethnic sandwiches are one of the top food trends of 2011, and we believe the Seaport District is the perfect location.  We aimed to capture the weekday lunchtime crowd, in addition to tourists and residents of the area.  Our proposed menu has a variety of options.  (Sorry if the font is a bit small to read, I had a hard time with the image.)

What do you guys think?  I would be excited to eat here, but since our sandwich shop is completely fictional, I am going to have to make my own Banh Mi at home.

Special thanks goes to my project partners Vanessa and Hillary.  I had a lot of fun over the course of the semester, and learned a lot.  I don’t see myself working in the restaurant business, but you never know.

 

You guys know I love leftovers, and this recipe for Leftover Cranberry-Soy Sauce Tofu is very creative.  Except I didn’t have leftover cranberry sauce, I had fresh cranberries leftover from this Butternut Squash Cranberry Rice.  So I modified things a bit and ended up with a few decent meals.  But if you do have leftover cranberry sauce, this recipe would be even easier.  Lunch the day after Thanksgiving perhaps?

My first meal with the tofu was the sandwich you see below, but I wasn’t that impressed.  I served the remaining tofu over brown rice, and liked that much better.  The tofu had a subtle taste that was more savory than sweet, and I liked that the marinade still had visible chunks of cranberry. This was a great idea, and I’ll be on the lookout for more from the Lunch Box Bunch!

 

 

Cranberry Marinated Tofu

1 heaping cup fresh cranberries, rinsed
1/2 c. apple juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T lemon juice
1 T brown sugar
1 block tofu, drained and cut into 9-12 slices
Oil

Mix cranberries, apple juice, soy sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar in a small sauce pan.  Simmer on the stove for 20-30 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst.  Let cool slightly, and then place tofu slices in marinade.  Allow the tofu to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Add tofu pieces and sear on both sides.  Add the marinade to the pan, and continue to cook until the marinade is reduced.  Serve over brown rice.

-Adapted from the Lunch Box Bunch

Last week, a group of us got together to discuss the Dukan Diet.  As a future dietitian, I think it’s important to understand the various diets out there so you can speak intelligently to patients and clients.  So I am not in any way advocating the Dukan Diet, but I did think it was interesting that the diet recommends a daily serving of oat bran.  A popular way to get this serving is to make an Oat Bran Galette with oat bran, yogurt, and egg white.  I decided to trade in my oatmeal this week for some oat bran, and give it a whirl!

 

 

There’s nothing magical about this oat bran galette, but it did taste pretty good and was more filling than I expected.  Now that I have a whole container of oat bran, I’ll have to try some other variations.

 

If you know me at all, you know my lunchbag.  It can stretch to hold breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus it’s washable, collapsible, and has a cool shoulder strap.  (OK, maybe it’s not that cool, but it’s easy to carry!)

 

But of course, what goes in your lunch bag is just as important.  As a back to school present this semester, my Mom made me a reusable sandwich bag and reusable snack bag.  You can purchase these from sites like Snack Taxi, but she wanted to try to make her own.  She used this pattern with a basic cotton print on the outside, ripstop nylon for the lining, and a Velcro closure.  Aren’t they cute?

 

 

I’ve used the larger bag for sandwiches of course, but I also put fruit in the bag sometimes to prevent it from being dented.  I’ve used the smaller bag for things like carrots and crackers.  If my Mom makes more of these, there may be a few tweaks to ensure they are more durable.  I’ll keep you posted, but if you’re crafty, you can probably give us tips!

Disclaimer:  To the best of my knowledge, the FDA has not specifically approved ripstop nylon or other fabrics as safe for food storage.  I am posting my personal experiences, but am not qualified to evaluate the safety of this product.

 

 

I am off to San Francisco for a wedding, and couldn’t be more excited to see the bride, meet the groom, and spend 3 days with my college friends!  People around me have been talking about apples lately, so I am leaving you for a few days with two of my favorite apple recipes.

The first is a very simple apple cake.  It requires just one bowl and one pan, and comes together very easily.

The second recipe is a bit more complicated, but worth the effort.  My Mom’s apple pie is a classic one crust pie with a crumble topping.

Both of these recipes are from my earliest days of blogging, and don’t have pictures attached.  So if you’re so inclined and you make one of these recipes, or another fun apple recipe, will you send me a picture?  I’ll publish the responses in an apple post before Thanksgiving, and everyone can see your amazing talent.  My contact info is on the About Me page.

See you sometime next week……

Last week at the Farmer’s Market, I also picked up a small jar of Massachusetts Rubies, made by Deborah’s Kitchen in Littleton, MA. This spreadable fruit contains cranberries, strawberries, and raspberries, with a minimum amount of added sugar.  I feel good supporting local businesses, especially ones that make homemade food products.

I started by enjoying the spread on an old fashioned piece of (whole wheat) toast.  I don’t use jam often, so this was a nice treat.  It is just sweet enough, and the flavor of the fruit really comes through.  Then I served the spread on a plate with crackers, brie, and apples.  My guests seemed to enjoy it as well.

There are a lot of other flavors I’d like to try, and next on my list might be Cherry Bliss, with sour cherries, rhubarb, and lemon zest.  So where can you get some of this delicious stuff?  Besides the Farmer’s Market, the products are carried in some local specialty stores.  Someday, I’d love to make my own jam, but for now I’ll enjoy what others have made in their kitchens.