The definition of "tasty yum-yum"

Apple season is upon us! I am a fan of Pink Lady Apples, but I can't stomach the $2.49/lb price tag so I try to find the next best thing. Enter Honeycrisp apples!

Honeycrisp fruit is characterized by an exceptionally crisp and juicy texture. Its flesh is cream colored and coarse. The flavor is sub-acid and ranges from mild and well-balanced to strongly aromatic, depending on the degree of maturity. It has consistently ranked as one of the highest quality apples in sensory evaluations.

Honeycrisp was produced from a 1960 cross of Macoun and Honeygold, as part of the University of Minnesota apple breeding program to develop winter hardy cultivars with high fruit quality.

And get this, the Honeycrisp has a patent, so if you want to grow them you have to obtain a license from the University of Minnesota!

Trust me, after one bite you will be hooked!

The Queen of the Cupcake!

My dear friend just started a new cupcake blog: Queen of the Cupcake
It features her reviews of cupcakes from shops around the country!
Stop on over! If you have a true love of all things cupcake, become a follower!

So you don't like pickles?

The Dinner

Keith's annual work dinner went off without a hitch (with the exception of a love-less yet tasty apple pie.) Two days of cooking, which included a Turducken, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with a streusel topping, Lion House dinner rolls, peas with mushrooms, Jezebel sauce, clam dip, shrimp cocktail, Rolo turtles, New York cheesecake with blueberry sauce, apple pie, and cranberry punch. Keith did most of the cooking, while I cleaned, tended to Remi, and decorated. Everything was SO good and I'm glad I still have 1/4 cheesecake all to myself!

The table. I didn't use a holiday-themed table cloth because I found this one on clearance at TJ Maxx. It screams me, so I couldn't pass it up.
This Christmas tree was $0.99 at Goodwill and the big bells were about $1 each.
Our appetizer and dessert table:
Authentic New York CHEESECAKE
Keith's Shrimp Cocktail. He prepared the shrimp in a spicy boil. They were the first thing to go:

Recipe links for anyone interested:
Turducken
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Lion House Dinner Rolls
Jezebel Sauce
Clam Dip
Shrimp Cocktail
Rolo Turtles
New York Cheesecake
Blueberry Sauce
100-year old pie crust
Apple Pie

Veggie Toddler

I can tell that many people have their reserved criticisms (at least to my face) about Remi's quasi-vegetarian diet, just as people ridicule us for not letting him consume sugar. For now, what's the harm in holding off? He'll be able to make his own food decisions before you know it, and then it will be all over for us! Besides, how many toddlers do you know that willingly enjoy pureed lentils, tvp, whole grains and a selection of at least 20 different fruits and veggies? The fact is he's growing like a champ, and our pediatrician is completely on board with our decision. So there!
Selection of his favorite homemade purees:
sweet potato
green beans
peas
corn
carrots
spinach
cauliflower
broccoli
potato
tomato
zucchini
yellow squash
blueberries
apples
pears
kiwi
strawberries
banana
peaches
apricots

Perfect Sandwich

My idea of a perfect sandwich is thick white bread, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, avocado, provolone and Miracle Whip. I like sunflower seeds on it as well. Cutler's or Leger's has the best!

Search

We had an evening very reminiscent of the great calamari hunt of '06. We are having friends over for a slow-smoked brisket tomorrow. We went to no less than 4 grocery stores looking for a good one. WalMart's was too big (we thought) Kroger's was a sickly brown color, HEB's was $30 and small, so we finally settled for Randall's. Keith was a regular Goldilocks looking for the perfect bed and porridge. We should have purchased the first one we saw, but why would we make it that easy on ourselves? I feel as if only Keith's family can truly appreciate this little tale of woe...Actually also reminds me of the great chicken tragedy of '03. It was Christmas Eve when Frank threw away Keith's chicken, and Keith spent all of Christmas morning looking for an open store, desperately searching the streets of Salt Lake to find a chicken to go inside his Turducken. Well, tonight was not so dramatic as all that, and the story has a happy ending.
No other people on this planet would go to so much trouble and heartache for a good meal besides the Sanos! Silly and delicious. And expensive!