Just popping in with a quick post for you today! Mostly because bedtime snuck up very suddenly, and I need to prioritize sleeeep.
But also raw desserts. Those need to be prioritized as well.
What we have here are some raw lemon bar bites that I whipped up with the leftover dates from last week’s smoothie. I mean, I went through a fair bit of awkwardness to get those dates… don’t want to let them go to waste! These raw lemon bars were the perfect way to put them to use.
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Something very exciting happened in my parents’ town recently: they got a Whole Foods!
The old Johnnie’s Foodmaster near the house I grew up in closed, and the blinking Foodmaster sign was replaced with the big green Whole Foods lettering. This is somewhat sad, as Johnnie’s was a staple in my town and in my life: one of my best high school friends worked there for years while we were in high school and college (and can probably still tell you the code for just about every type of produce), and a band from my high school had a song called “Foomaster,” inspired by the grocery store sign whose D always seemed to be dark.Yep, I have some nostalgia for the old Johnnie’s. But Whole Foods is still a major upgrade.
I visited for the first time in August, after my flights home from our family vacation got messed up and I knew I’d have to go into work the next day in Salt Lake with no food. While wandering around checking out the bulk bins (my favorite section) and comparing the offerings to my Whole Foods at home (the Salt Lake one near me is bigger), I picked out this salad for my lunch the next day. It looked delicious – check out those colors! – and I figured it would be a good way of starting off a little detox after some serious vacation eating.
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Just take a look at this pretty little concoction I have for you today.
The more I think about ice cream, the more I remember the flavors I enjoyed as a kid. And this is just such a flavor: Swiss orange sherbet.
Edy’s Swiss Orange Sherbet was one of my childhood favorites, and was in constant supply at my aunt and uncle’s (hi Aunt Liz!). Did you ever try it? (The brand is Edy’s on the East Coast, and Dryer’s on the West Coast.) When it popped into my head a few weeks ago, I knew I had to recreate it for you. I was surprised to learn, when I started researching it, that Nastle has retired the flavor! So sad – it’s so easy to assume that everything from your childhood will stay the same forever.
In any case, I’m sorry if you missed out on the storebought version. It really was quite good. But I guess that’s just another reason that we should all start making it at home.
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I’ve been eating fresh fruit like it’s going out of style lately.
Berries alllll the time. I wasn’t joking on Monday when I told you we’d eaten more than 2 pounds of blueberries over the course of a week. And by “we” I mean… mostly me. Blueberries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And snack. And another snack. And dessert.
You get the picture.
So naturally, I had to make sure I could work fresh fruit into this week’s ice cream. The perfect solution? Pinkberry frozen yogurt!
Are you familiar with Pinkberry? It’s a popular frozen yogurt chain featuring tart-tasting yogurt and lots of yummy toppings, like fresh fruit. There are many similar yogurt shops and chains that have sprouted up around the country; I’ve heard that Red Mango is similar. And while I will generally pass on frozen yogurt, I make a serious exception for Pinkberry.
Pinkberry is different because of that tart taste. It’s not trying to be ice cream – it really tastes like you took some yogurt and stuck it in your freezer. So… guess what I decided to do?
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A pretty piece of salmon deserves a great side dish.
Growing up, we almost always ate Near East rice pilaf with our salmon. It was a staple that I never really appreciated until I went to college. I remember coming home for vacation during my freshman year and eating my mom’s home cooking again (the best part of coming home, even better than showering with no flip flops on!). We were eating salmon, rice pilaf, and probably string beans, and all the sudden I loved rice pilaf. It was pure nostalgia! Funny how I still remember that moment.
Recently I got a craving for Near East again and decided I’d try to recreate it on my own rather than stocking up on the boxes. (They’re expensive!) Some rice, orzo (little rice-shaped pasta), and spices, and I was in business! My favorite part is the yellow color the turmeric lends the rice. I don’t know what I thought turned it yellow before… magic, I guess!
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