When I first had carrots & peanut butter, I was hanging out at my friend Julia’s apartment in San Francisco. We had just finished class at art school and she was cooking us dinner. She’s the one that taught me about kale (THANK YOU, JULIA! I am forever grateful) and when I saw her dip a carrot in a jar of peanut butter, I was like WHAAAAAAAT just happened? I’d only known celery, apples and bananas to be sufficient mates to peanut butter. But, carrots?! So, I tried it and really liked it and have been having it as a snack ever since. If you don’t go the baby carrot route, you can easily dip a carrot straight into the jar… If you’re gonna double dip…then make sure no one is looking? I hope you like the combo too (if you haven’t tried it!). The carrots add a nice sweetness and crunch to the peanut butter. I’ve been known to substitute PB with sunflower seed butter. Just as good!
I have this trait that’s both positive and negative… it’s this thing where I really want to prove someone wrong. It’s kind of like when someone calls Marty McFly a chicken; he can’t help but retaliate. This trait gets triggered the most when I’m parenting because I have a child who can be quite stubborn at times. His stubbornness comes out a lot when we’re eating. One week he loves broccoli. The next? DON’T EVEN SAY THE WORD (don’t do it!!). Raspberry jam is his favorite jam but will he eat a regular raspberry?? No, sir. Imagine me putting a raspberry on top each of my fingers showing him how fun it is. I did that and he was still not convinced.
This is when my brain locks into MUST PROVE HIM WRONG mode.
Oh yeah? You don’t like raspberries? How about I pack almost two containers of fresh raspberries into some popsicles (his favorite treat) and swirl in some leftover lemon curd for good measure? Let’s see how that goes.
It went something like this.
Him: MOM! These are NOT RASPBERRIES. Why did you say they are when they’re not?!
Me: They are raspberries.
Him: NO THEY ARE NOT because I LIKE THEM. Can I have a popsicle for breakfast tomorrow?
Want the recipe for the easiest ice cream dessert EVER? You’re gonna laugh when you see how easy it is. You ready??
Take two different ice creams. Set them on the counter for a bit so they get melty. Take a bunch of Oreos and smash them.
Layer the ice creams in between a thick layer of the smashed cookies and FREEZE. This all happens in a loaf pan. The result is a super tasty showstopper that you can take a ridiculous amount of credit for…and no one will comprehend that something so pretty could be that easy. Kudos to you! You just won battle DESSERT.
On the latest Joy the Baker Podcast, we talk about BLOGGING and the word WHEELHOUSE. We answer all of your questions about the subject and we figure out what Orange Is the New Black character I am… Check out episode #22 here. ENJOY!
When I posted the Avocado Sushi Bites, I got a couple of suggestions to add smoked salmon to the mix. WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA! So, here it is! We double up on roasted seaweed sheets, add a slice or two of smoked salmon on top with a little bit of green onions and sriracha. Next time I make myself this delicious snack, I’m going to put avocado on top (I was out!!). These would be fantastic appetizers at your next party or a little afternoon pick-me-up to tide you over til dinner.
I had goldfish crackers for dinner Monday night. Please don’t imagine me with a small ramekin of fishy crackers because I was definitely not eating them one by one in some a dainty feminine fashion. The reality is that I stood in my kitchen making a snack for Cooper and my giant man hands forced them into my mouth by the handful. And then like 15 minutes later Cooper was all, “MOM!! I’M STARVING!!” forcing me to wake up from my cracker binge coma. All this to say that I don’t have the energy to do much cooking/baking in the Summer. Sometimes I can’t be bothered turning on the stove or oven. Sometimes we have goldfish for dinner (with apples and red peppers) and if Casey’s away, it’s always cereal. We’re all just trying to keep it real, aren’t we?
I made these little beauties for my family on Father’s Day because the last thing I wanted to do was turn the oven on and bake a cake. They are absolutely NO FUSS. I’m sure you could add a little more work for yourself if you make your own lemon wafer cookies and lemon curd, but then you’d have to turn on the oven and your stove. Not advised when the temperature is pushing 90F. I compiled ingredients at Trader Joe’s the morning of our party like it was no big deal. Because it wasn’t.
Can I tell you the ONE drawback to serving these?? People were too shy to eat more than one. I think because they’re in individual cupcake wrappers, people assume that having two would be equivalent to having 2 cupcakes. If I had made an entire cake of them, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have had any leftovers. Since I didn’t want to have any leftover (I can’t be trusted with these in my fridge!) I dug into a few and made people “split” another cupcake with me. Safety in numbers, folks. Make your life easier this summer and make these. Also, if you don’t want to eat goldfish crackers by the fistful, don’t be a dummy (like me) and buy a case at Costco. I would be in serious trouble if I bought Cheez-Its…
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