Food and Recipes

I just can’t stop!

Well, this has been quite a week…. maybe it’s getting back from a weekend getaway and facing the reality of life here again, but I just can’t seem to get out of the kitchen, it’s very therapeutic.

I’ve created two new Jams and one new Sauce. The first and my favorite, is my ORGANIC APPLE PIE JAM! It is amazing, so very yummy and a perfect spread for toast or crackers, a topping for vanilla ice cream or as a filling for my ORGANIC APPLE PIE MUFFINS. That’s right, after I made the jam, I decided to throw some into a muffin batter and viola, my new ORGANIC APPLE PIE MUFFIN. The flavor is amazing, tastes just like apple pie but in an Organic, All-Natural, Good for you Muffin!

006 — Food Jules Organic Apple Pie Muffins

020 — Food Jules Organic Apple Pie Jam and Muffins

This morning, I spread some laughing cow cheese (or you can use cream cheese) on whole wheat bread with some of my Organic Apple Pie Jam for Lilliana’s lunch. A new alternative to the American Peanut Butter and Jelly classic.

The other Jam that I created yesterday is my ORGANIC STRAWBERRY-BLACKBERRY JAM. This jam is absolutely delish! It’s the perfect blend of sweetness and tartness. My husband enjoyed it spread on a piece of toast last night and my friend ate it right out of the jar this morning. SO YUM!

039 — Food Jules Organic Strawberry-Blackberry Jam

And finally, I made an ORGANIC STRAWBERRY SAUCE. This sauce is absolutely perfect drizzled on ice cream. It has some small chunks of fresh Organic Strawberries in it and tasted delicious as a topping to our Ben and Jerry’s Pistachio Ice Cream. You can even drizzle some of this ORGANIC STRAWBERRY SAUCE in combination with my ORGANIC HOT FUDGE SAUCE on your plain ice cream and you will never eat ice cream the plain way again! That’s right, I make ORGANIC HOT FUDGE SAUCE too…. made with organic, all natural ingredients (photo to come).

029 — Food Jules Organic Strawberry Sauce

047 — Food Jules Organic Strawberry Sauce drizzled over Ben & Jerry's Pistachio Ice Cream

Today, I’m going to make my famous and all time favorite, ORGANIC MIXED BERRY JAM. During the holidays, I call it my ORGANIC HOLIDAY JAM because it has fresh organic cranberries in it, as well as many other delicious fruit. It is a perfect gift for family, friends and teachers!

All of these items, as well as many others, will be available for sale at the Monroe Farmers Market starting on June 24th. Hope to see you there!

May 6, 2011May 6, 2011

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I passed!

As I opened the envelope from the American Food Safety Institute, I have to admit, I was a little nervous. I wasn’t sure if I had passed the 2 hour exam, but I did, with flying colors.

So, now I am officially a Certified Food Safety Professional. CHECK!

May 5, 2011

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Highly Recommended!

I was fortunate enough to visit a beautiful, quaint island this weekend… it is an absolutely beautiful place, surrounded by the ocean with old style, colonial homes, amazing restaurants, bakeries and shops! Martha’s Vineyard is an amazing place to visit and possibly live, maybe retire there one day and live on the beach, running a little cafe of my own.

Granted it was cold this weekend and very windy by the sea, but the delicious food, warm lattes, beautiful views from the top of our hotel, crashing ocean waves against the rocks and sandy beaches and in the company of my handsome, sweet husband…. it was an amazing weekend and my sore throat didn’t stop me, thanks to all the lemon tea I drank, courtesy of our awesome hotel.

If you haven’t visited the Vineyard yet, I would highly recommend it. It is definitely an expensive visit, taking into account the ferry prices, the hotel, the restaurants, the transportation on the island and all the shopping you’ll want to do there, but it’s well worth it for a little romantic getaway. I’ve heard it’s a very busy place during the summer months but right now, it’s very quiet and serene and you have the place to yourself. It’s awesome!

Here are some highlights from our trip and things to consider when you visit the Vineyard.

Our stay at the Vineyard Square Hotel and Suites (formerly the Colonial Inn) was amazing, located right on North Water Street in Edgartown, across from one of the many beaches in the Vineyard. It is a very clean, contemporary style hotel, with friendly staff, white rocking chairs on the porch and a gorgeous view from the rooftop. They offer tea and coffee throughout the day as well as a free Continental Breakfast every morning.

053 — View from the rooftop of our hotel

Down the street from the hotel is one of Martha’s Vineyard’s five lighthouses, the Edgartown Lighthouse. It’s absolutely gorgeous and has a rich history behind it. You can read about it if you click on the above link.

023 — The Edgartown Lighthouse from a distance

Dinner at Chesca’s, conveniently located right outside our hotel, was absolutely DELISH! There are so many amazing restaurants in Edgartown, as well as the other parts of Martha’s Vineyard, but since I was in the mood for a little mix of Italian and Seafood, we settled on Chesca’s. Well, let me tell you, even though it is extremely pricey for very small dishes, it is worth every penny! When I ordered the Lobster Ravioli and Scallops for $36, Mike joked there would only be 4 raviolis and guess what, he was right, except there were 4 jumbo size scallops too. I also ordered an appetizer of Shrimp with a Thai Chile Sauce over creamy polenta. I wanted to pick up the plate and lick it, but since that wouldn’t be “good manners”, I took some of the fresh bread on the table and cleaned up my plate. The appetizer and entree were to die for! Believe it or not, these two small dishes filled me up, along with a nice glass of my favorite, Riesling wine.

I am in love with Espresso Love, also in Edgartown. Their Mocha Hazelnut Latte was so sweet and delicious… so perfect, that I went back for another one a couple hours later! They also offer freshly baked goods, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soups, pizza and salads. We brought home some “love” with their Espresso Love mug…. which I’m drinking some Lemon tea from right now.

There were more delicious baked goodies at MV’s Gourmet Bakery in Oak Bluffs too. I got a sweet and yummy almond croissant. For those of you who don’t know my weakness when it comes to baked goods, it’s the croissant, every kind of croissant, plain, almond, cheese and chocolate! If I ever visit Paris, I’ll come back 20 pounds heavier from eating croissants all day, every day!

Here are some more amazing photos of the island.

If you’ve never been there before, don’t wait any longer to visit the Vineyard. I can’t wait to go back!

May 2, 2011

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Easter Cupcakes

The kids and I truly enjoy making cupcakes together for every holiday. This Easter, we made one of my favorites, Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. They were delicious even without the frosting.

This was our first holiday without our baby Julian, since his passing three months ago. It was so sad to be without him and he was very missed.

April 25, 2011

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Why haven’t I done this before?

So… my most favorite type of cookie is the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut. It’s so soft, so sweet and so very yummy! But, for some strange reason, unbeknownst to even myself, I have never made them before. Well, at least not until last night! Yes, at 10pm again. What can I say, cooking and baking is very therapeutic. It keeps me sane!

white chocolate macadamia cookies 004 — White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

white chocolate macadamia cookies 015 — White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

These cookies are so easy to make. Seriously. You have to try them. You will thank me. Just make sure you don’t eat them all as soon as they come out of the oven! Mike couldn’t wait to bite into them. They almost didn’t make it into this photo.

Next time, oh yeah, there will be a next time once this batch is gone, I’m going make them with chocolate, chocolate chips instead of the white chocolate chips. So, why haven’t I made these before? I will never have to ask myself that question again!

April 20, 2011April 20, 2011

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Food Revolution!

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution returns tonight (Tuesday, April 12) on ABC from 8pm-9pm ET for it’s second season. He’s running a campaign to push schools to start serving fresh foods to children at schools. This time, he’s going to Los Angeles schools. It’s amazing! We should all watch it and learn. We need to help our children grow up eating healthy. We can make a real difference in the future of our children!

April 12, 2011April 13, 2011

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