Author: foodjules

It’s a Strawberry Party!

I have to say that my all time favorite fruit is the Strawberry. It is so sweet and delicious and when it’s in season, it just melts in your mouth. We have been eating strawberries like they are going out of style!

When it comes to strawberries, we buy organic as much as possible. They are one of the top 10 foods that are sprayed with tons of pesticides but to be honest, they just taste better too! Seriously, the kids and I conducted a taste test between the conventional strawberry and the organic strawberry and time and time again, the organic strawberry won for the most sweet, delicious flavor. So it’s not only better for you but it actually does taste sweeter too!

Well, since we’ve had pounds and pounds of them in our fridge each week, we experimented with a couple different crisp/crumbles.. I just love the combination of sweet fruit and a sweet, crumble topping. We’ve made both STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRISP and a STRAWBERRY AND PEACH CRUMBLE. They were both so amazing that we incorporated these delicious recipes into our cooking classes and the kids LOVED them. I mean what’s not to love, they are super yummy.

You might be wondering, as we were, what is the difference between a crisp, a crumble and a cobbler? Well, to put it in simple terms, a crisp and crumble are pretty much the same thing, a flour and sugar streusel topping. However, a cobbler includes pie dough so it’s a closer cousin to a type of pie. That’s basically it in a nutshell.

Anyway, our classes this summer are all about eating local, in season produce to take advantage of the bountiful amount of vegetables and fruits that are growing in our local gardens right now and enjoy the wonderful flavor of it all, as well as support our local farmers.

So, go to your local farmers market, pick up some gorgeous strawberries and make these sweet, delicious crumbles and serve them with a heaping scoop of cold, vanilla ice cream and you will be sure to thank me as you take each and every single bite! Enjoy!

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We’re Back at the Monroe Farmers Market.

Food Jules has returned to the Monroe Farmers Market, every Friday from 3-6pm.

This week, our sweet treats include Blueberry Crumb Muffins, Morning Glory Muffins, Lemon Yogurt Bread, Zucchini Bread, Chocolate Fudge Cookies and Cranberry Orange Scones. We will also have our famous Chicken Empandas, Turkey Empanadas, Jams, Hot Fudge Sauce and Granola!!! And don’t forget, all of our sweet and savory treats are made with organic, all-natural, whole grain ingredients so you don’t have to feel guilty about eating them.

It’s going to be a beautiful day tomorrow, so stop by the market to pick up some delicious sweet goodies, as well as some fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, maple syrup and bread from our amazing local farmers and help us support Connecticut.

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The Green Smoothie

I know what you are thinking… a Green Smoothie, is that going to taste any good? Let me tell you, my kids drank two batches of it last week, they loved it. Today, I introduced this recipe to the kids in my cooking class and they raved about it to their parents! It really is very delicious.

The baby spinach makes it the green color, which is the fun part, but you don’t taste it at all, you just taste the sweetness of the fruit. It is delicious AND nutritious! You have to try it this summer and feel free to mix it up with any fruit that is in season.

Enjoy!

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Homemade Playdough

Last night, the kids and I made homemade playdough. I found this wonderful recipe using Jello as the “color” base, which is great since there is such a large variety of Jello flavors and colors.

The dough came out great, very pliable, easy to make and smells wonderful. What a fun, “cooking” type of activity for you and the kids on a rainy or extremely humid day. Lucas couldn’t wait to get up this morning and play with his playdough again.

Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Pancakes

For those of you who LOVE peanut butter, this recipe is for you!

Our children and my husband eat so much peanut butter in this house, that we should invest shares in it. Our favorite brand is the Whole Foods 365 Organic Peanut Butter, both creamy and crunchy versions. This is the best peanut butter we have ever eaten and trust me, we’ve tried all of them! Our second favorite is the Trader Joe’s Organic brand, however, the peanut oil settles on the top of the peanut butter, which makes it extremely messy.

The kids also enjoy a Peanut Butter Banana sandwich that my husband makes for breakfast sometimes. So I thought, I’d incorporate both of these favorite ingredients with another favorite treat, chocolate! So, here it is…. our recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

Hope you like them as much as we did. As a matter of fact, the kids polished them off tonight for dinner!

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Mother’s Day

A couple of weeks ago, it was Mother’s Day. It was a very difficult day, so much so that it has taken me two weeks to write about it. A couple weeks before that, was my birthday and the day before was our 10 yr anniversary.

These are all special moments to cherish and enjoy but you know, it’s not so easy to do. Frankly, I think I do a pretty good job at “keeping it going” and it’s all because of so many supportive friends and my beautiful children. Sometimes, even just laying with the sun in my face, helps me feel just a little better. Other days, the pain just needs to be released because it just is so very painful. I think about Julian constantly. I am his mother and that’s what mothers do, they think about their children. Sometimes, I stare at his photos and just close my eyes for a minute so I can remember touching his soft hands and smelling his sweet baby smell. When I look at the rocking chair, I remember all those times I sat in that chair, holding him close to me, rocking him and telling him how much I loved him. When I lay in bed at night, I remember how he used to lay there right next to me and I yearn to have him there with me again.

This is my life. These are my memories. All of these celebrations aren’t filled with the same tranquility anymore because things are just different now.

My “mothers day” with Julian… just a couple days after he was born

For Mother’s Day, we set up a blanket near Julian’s grave and had a small picnic. I sat there watching the kids running around smiling and being themselves and all I could think about was how much Julian would have loved to be there with them. He would have smiled with them, acted silly with them, laughed with them. That would have been the best mother’s day gift for me. It is sad enough for Michael and I to be without him, but for our kids to not have their little brother anymore, just tears me up. Lilliana came over to me several times, to “check on me”… she knows, she feels it too and because she is so sweet and loving, she wants to take care of me as much as I take care of her. That’s what people do when they really love each other.

The proud Lilliana, holding her beautiful, sweet baby brother, Julian

Every day since then, I try to remember how much I adore my kids and how much of a blessing they are to us. We shouldn’t take any of our time here for granted. We should smile. We should laugh. We should cry. We should vent. We should dance. We should do whatever it is that we need to do, no matter what others think or what others expect from us, the only thing that will get us through the day, is to just do what we need to do to survive another day.

Cutie pie Lucas being the big brother for the first time!

In loving memory of my little angel, baby Julian.

 

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