...yep - bursting. We're up to our elbows in delicious home grown tomatoes.
(This isn't even 1/4 of the tomatoes we have in our kitchen)
I've been eating these things like candy for the past two weeks! If I eat any more tomatoes - I fear that I'm going to turn into one!
My father has been a botanist of sorts ever since I can remember. Every year he grows all sorts of flowers, plants, fruits, and vegetables in our green house and throughout our yard.
This particular time, of this particular year, is quite strange because we have a plethora of tomatoes - you might be wondering "why do you have so many, so late in the summer?"
Well - it turns out that my dad was late when planting his tomatoes - and they didn't end up in the ground until about half way through the season! So instead of this being the time year where the supply runs low, they just keep on coming!
We have: banana legs, lemon boys, yellow pears, yellow cherry, red cherry etc.
I've come to realize that not everyone likes tomatoes. And I am almost certain I know the reason why. Most people who dislike tomatoes - have never tried true, homegrown, delicious tomatoes. They are only basing their knowledge of the flavor tomatoes have - off of the ones they receive on their less than appetizing sandwiches from places like applebees, or T.G.I. Fridays, or Steak N' Shake...
The tomatoes you're trying at these restaurants ARE NOT THE WAY TOMATOES ARE SUPPOSED TO TASTE. Do you understand? Lol. They are absolutely flavorless. They're sprayed with pesticides, they're picked WAY too early, the plants are bred for quantity and not for quality (which makes sense, don't get me wrong), our restaurants are flooded with mediocre/sub par tomatoes for sure.
Real tomatoes. And I mean real home grown tomatoes - are delicious! They actually have FLAVOR. Each tomato is unique in it's flavor, color, size, bite, etc. If everyone I knew who dislikes tomatoes - tried my dads tomatoes - I know for sure they would change their mind.
Do me a favor - if the only places you've ever tried tomatoes are at fast food chains - try a real tomato. It'll wake up your palate for sure.
A few cakes, cup cake cakes, and baby cakes I made at work over the past few weeks....
(I've been meaning to take pictures of everything I make - but I keep forgetting!
I'll try to be better about it.)
Here are some of my favorite creations over the span of my employment at Kroger (that I actually remembered to photograph lol):
Pizza cake
Burger cake
These are my best flowers ever.
Flower cake
Guess who baked peanut butter cookies........
...and enclosed a recipe for all of you at the bottom of this very post... I DID! :) Scroll to the bottom to collect your new and delicious peanut butter cookie recipe!
I read the comics daily, like every respectable adult should, and today....
... I was reminded that my 2 favorite comic strips never fail to amuse me so.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - Agnes is me...in cartoon form.
I too worry about my skin cells turning "into odd pockets of cancer" lol
'Pearls before swine' is a "dark comedy" type comic strip - but I like it...
I hope that my life doesn't result in daily home depot trips...but it's possible lol
I tried a very strange concoction for breakfast today....
....that my cousin was telling me about when I visited her in Florida.
1. Toast two pieces of bread
2. Top the bread with peanut butter (My cousin said I could top it with jelly too if I wanted - but I though honey sounded a lot better...it added a lot of flavor and moisture!)
3. Fry an egg until the yolk is fully cooked
4. Put the egg on the bread
5. Close the bread
6. Eat it!
You're probably thinking "Eww...eggs with peanut butter?"
I know it sounds disgusting - I still think it sounds gross even though I know it's delicious. I really think you should try it though! What's the worst that could happen, you end up not liking it? So what- don't eat it then. BUT on the other hand - you could love it, and then make it every single day for breakfast for the rest of your life! (Probably not true lol, but you get the idea)
This breakfast sandwich is PACKED with protein from both the peanut butter and the eggs. Not to mention I added honey and whole wheat toast (plus an apple on the side) for an extra healthy kick!
Don't be a sissy - just try it.
Over the past few weeks I've been testing out different flavored clif bars...
...trying to figure out which flavor is my favorite! I eat these bars during my 15 minute breaks at work - All of the bars are roughly 250 calories, with 5 grams of fat, 10 grams of protein, and a whoppin 20 grams of sugar. They are the perfect quick/easy/delicious meal replacement (Minus all that freakin sugar!)
Although this bar was delicious and tasted very much like peanut butter - I was disappointed that it wasn't crunchy. How can it be called crunchy peanut butter without being crunchy!? Lol. More like chewy peanut butter.
Next up - Chocolate Chip This tasted less like an energy bar/meal replacement - and more like a delicious, hearty, chocolate candy bar (which I'm sure is the whole point)! Although I would much rather my energy bars taste like energy bars than candy. I will definitely try this flavor again - but not in place of lunch.
Lastly - Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Crunch
Unlike the crunchy peanut butter (that wasn't crunchy) this bar had a very nice snap when I bit into it. And unlike the chocolate chip bar - this one didn't taste like a candy bar.
Everything that bothered me about the aforementioned bars - that you would think would bother me with this one too - didn't! Very good flavor, very nice crunch, very filling, didn't stick to my teeth like a lot of the other bars. All in all I'd say this is my favorite of the three!
So far these are my top 3 favorite flavors:
1. Oatmeal Raisin Walnut
2.Blueberry Crisp
3. Black Cherry Almond
There are still a few more I haven't tried yet - so this list is subject to change - we'll see....
While going through my daily "blog check" today I came across a lot of pictures that I find interesting, cool, beautiful, and wonderful in one way or another:
Have a wonderful rest of the week everyone!!
Let us begin...
[[Today’s music]]
KANYE WEST – 2010 MTV VMA PERFORMANCE
I absolutely love this. I love Kanye. I don’t care what he’s done or what people say. He’s making up for it one step at a time. This song is a very good direction.
ON TLC’s ‘FREAKY EATERS,’ WEIRD FOOD ADDICTIONS COME WITH A PRICE
"When we got wind of a new show on TLC called "Freaky Eaters," we couldn't resist. Based on the UK show of the same name, the premise is fairly simple: Take people who have bizarre eating habits and rehab them. In 22 minutes. By "freaky," the producers aren't always referring to adult picky eaters, men and women who find textures and flavors of most foods unpalatable to the point of throwing up if they eat, say, a tomato or a piece of meat.
The people profiled on this show have issues with specific foods or food groups, always with a psychological component -- the young man who has devoured nothing but pizza since he dropped out of volleyball; the father of two who finds safety in eating at least three cheeseburgers -- and nothing but cheeseburgers -- a day; and the woman who, after getting divorced, turned to sugar to console herself, gradually working it into an all-day, everyday thing. (In the UK version, people are addicted to things like brown sauce, Spaghetti Hoop -- what they call SpaghettiOs across the pond -- and Yorkshire pudding. But really, who isn't addicted to Yorkshire Pudding? "
"This is an inventive way of getting rid of the old days that are never gonna be a part of your life again. The gregor calendar by Patrick Frey makes sure that yesterday doesn’t exist in your calendar at all. It makes the dates disappear by unravelling a tapestry that the dates are printed on. If you have a pet at home, train it to do the needful but be careful the feline doesn’t unravel the entire month for you."
-In a large bowl combine peanut butter, crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.
-Beat at medium speed until well blended.
-Add egg and beat once again until well blended.
-In a medium sized bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir well.
-Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture slowly, until all of the ingredients form a big ball (Like in the photo above)
-Break the large ball of dough down into small, 1-3 inch in diameter, balls.
(Just pinch a small amount out - and roll it between your palms)
Place these balls about 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
(I always use parchment paper - you don't have to, as long as you spray the pan first!)
To get the classic checker board style design on top of the cookies - take a fork and score it in two different directions.
(Make sure not to push down too hard - or you'll flatten the cookie out)
Bake for 7-8 minutes on the top rack
(I baked the first batch of mine on the bottom rack, and the bottoms of the cookies burned very fast).
Remove. Cool. And enjoy!!
Attention ALL curly heads!!
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Then sign up to be a featured curly head!
You must provide:
- Your: Name, Location, Occupation
-Tell me why you love being a curly head.
-Fill me in on what makes you a unique curly head.
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-And send 2 photos – so you have a chance to put your curls on display!
(If you would like me to provide a link to your blog, facebook, myspace, twitter, etc. for the rest of my readers to see – then also throw that in there! The more exposure you get the better!)
Haha yep I'm one of those people who don't "like" tomatoes, but I've never tried a home grown one, send me one! : P Haha there is a farmer's market here in town, I will have to go to it! ^_^
Ahh your cakes are so cute! I can't wait to learn how to decorate cakes better! I'm in pastry tube art so I've learned a few tricks so far!
That sandwich looks pretty good, but I would have to get scrambled eggs instead, I'm not really into fried eggs. Have you seen that burger where they top it with peanut butter and fried eggs? Haha this made me think of that!
Yay for Cliff Bars! I looove them too! My favorite are the Brownie ones, Blueberry, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, White chocolate macadamia, and Cranberry cherry apple! I kinda hate the chocolate chip ones, but they are the only one my brother thinks are good. x0
Ahh now I want ice cream, whoppie pies, annnnd peanut butter cookies! x0
Jenna is the name blogging about food appears to be my game. Self declared funny gal, and budding chef-to-be. I prepare food for a living at @olivedive . Click the 'About Me' tab to learn more!
Pizza cake
Burger cake
These are my best flowers ever.
Although this bar was delicious and tasted very much like peanut butter - I was disappointed that it wasn't crunchy. How can it be called crunchy peanut butter without being crunchy!? Lol. More like chewy peanut butter.
This tasted less like an energy bar/meal replacement - and more like a delicious, hearty, chocolate candy bar (which I'm sure is the whole point)! Although I would much rather my energy bars taste like energy bars than candy. I will definitely try this flavor again - but not in place of lunch.
To get the classic checker board style design on top of the cookies - take a fork and score it in two different directions.
Bake for 7-8 minutes on the top rack 
Posts
Haha yep I'm one of those people who don't "like" tomatoes, but I've never tried a home grown one, send me one! : P Haha there is a farmer's market here in town, I will have to go to it! ^_^
ReplyDeleteAhh your cakes are so cute! I can't wait to learn how to decorate cakes better! I'm in pastry tube art so I've learned a few tricks so far!
That sandwich looks pretty good, but I would have to get scrambled eggs instead, I'm not really into fried eggs. Have you seen that burger where they top it with peanut butter and fried eggs? Haha this made me think of that!
Yay for Cliff Bars! I looove them too! My favorite are the Brownie ones, Blueberry, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, White chocolate macadamia, and Cranberry cherry apple! I kinda hate the chocolate chip ones, but they are the only one my brother thinks are good. x0
Ahh now I want ice cream, whoppie pies, annnnd peanut butter cookies! x0
*needs to go stock up on baking supplies!*
^_^