Get Breakfast at Starbucks for Two Dollars!

Are you a morning person? Did you know that Starbucks has breakfast items? You can grab your morning coffee, and get some tasty breakfast food at the same time. Starting on January 4, 2011, Starbucks if offering some of their breakfast items for just $2.00, when you buy any beverage. This deal is only good until January 10, 2011. I admit it, I am not a morning person. I enjoy breakfast foods, sometimes, but I generally end up eating those kinds of foods in the afternoon, as lunch, instead of as breakfast. Even if you hate breakfast you might like … Continue reading

Toddler Fun Foods

It can be difficult to get toddlers to eat. Most are finicky eaters and do not like to try new foods. Several toddlers only want their favorite foods and complain about trying different foods. Making “fun foods” can help convince your toddlers to try new and healthy foods and snacks. Let’s look at some “fun food” ideas: Fun Shaped Sandwiches Take any peanut butter and jelly sandwich and cut it with a cookie cutter for an instant favorite. Use cookie cutters for ham and cheese sandwiches, tuna salad sandwiches or any kind of sandwich that your child eats. If it … Continue reading

Bloody Bites for Your Halloween Buffet

Oh, the wonders of ketchup. The tangy condiment can go a long way to creep out guests at a Halloween party (though, not to the point where mini ghosts and goblins won’t happily gobble up gory-looking goodies). The trick to these Halloween treats is to make them as tasty as they are gruesome to look at. You can start off with some Bloody Baked Potatoes (courtesy of the Food Network) and then serve up a slimy snake sandwich. Both make boo-tiful additions to your Halloween buffet. BLOODY BAKED POTATOES Ingredients: 4 baking potatoes 3 balls fresh mozzarella, diced 2 tablespoons … Continue reading

Hats Off to this Unique Sandwich

Much like the high calorie Horseshoe sandwich, this next double fisted treat comes with a unique story. A Croque-Monsieur is a popular sandwich in France and is served in restaurants around the world. Its name translates to “Crispy Mister,” and it’s basically a fancy grilled ham and cheese sandwich (though, I’m sure it’s French creator wouldn’t take kindly to that description). Its female counterpart is called a Croque-Madame and is similar to the Croque-Monsieur only it includes a fried egg on top. A celebrity chef on the Food Network claims it’s named as much because the egg looks like a … Continue reading

Summer Picnic Food—Meaty Italian Sandwiches and Three-Cheese Pasta Salad

Nothing says summer than a picnic in the park. With the Fourth of July holiday right around the corner millions of flag waving families will be trekking to local parks to view the annual fireworks displays. And with space at a premium most will be securing their spots from the early morning, which means packing a lot of food to keep the kids occupied until the big bang goes off at dusk. The following recipes are ideal picnic dishes as neither contains mayonnaise, which tends to spoil when left out in the hot sun too long. The first recipe for … Continue reading

Fourth of July Picnic Favorites: Super Steak Sandwiches and Strawberry Watermelon Salad

You don’t have to host a backyard blowout to show your pride for our wonderful country this Fourth of July. Rather, a simple family picnic can be just as patriotic. Just remember to pack enough mouthwatering creations for the entire clan and then sit back and watch others set off colorful fireworks as you dine on your delectable dishes. Some of my family’s favorites are listed below. The first is my dad’s signature sandwich. It features one of his all-time favorite ingredients—-steak. But not only do the toppings for this kicked up sandwich complement the star ingredient, the type of … Continue reading

Incorporating Asparagus into Everyday Dishes

In a previous guest blog I excitedly told you about the notice I received from our local farm announcing that the asparagus season had begun and that my share of the crop was ready to be picked up. Well, I just got back from the farm and I am now the proud owner of six pounds of fresh asparagus. (At $2 a pound how can you go wrong?) My mom was flabbergasted that I bought six pounds given that I am the only one in my family who really enjoys eating asparagus. “You’ll have to eat asparagus morning, noon and … Continue reading

Ready, Set, Grill–STEAK

Subtitle: Leftover steak? What leftover steak? The Memorial Day weekend (and the unofficial kick off to the summer season) is just a few days away—-is your grill ready for some serious action? Whether you fire up the coals (or turn on the gas) and throw on hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken or steak it seems nothing tastes as delicious as char-grilled goodness. Our family has a long-standing tradition of grilling steaks on Memorial Day. Which brings me to the subtitle of this blog and the subsequent recipes. Perhaps, we’re part lion or wolf… whatever the case may be when it comes to … Continue reading

Chocolate Football Rice Krispie Treats and Playoff Pinwheels

With all due respect to the Green Bay Packers (who walked away with a victory tonight and are one step closer to the Super Bowl)–the best part of the playoff party I just attended was the food. In my previous blog I shared two hearty dip recipes that I took to the football viewing party I just came home from. My friends and I gathered together to cheer on the green and gold, but I must admit when the team was down 14 points I made a dash to the buffet table and stayed there for much of the night … Continue reading

Super Sandwiches for the Big Bowl Games

My dad is just days away from hosting a HUGE Sugar Bowl party in honor of the most anticipated college football game ever to be broadcast in the state of Hawaii. On New Year’s Day the Aloha State’s beloved UH Warriors will take on the big Dawgs of Georgia in New Orleans. In a previous blog I shared two recipes for jambalaya–a traditional New Orleans’ dish–that will be served at various Sugar Bowl parties throughout the state of Hawaii on game day. (I also noted it will likely be center stage at numerous Bowl Championship Game parties on January 7th … Continue reading