Back To School!

It’s getting to be that time!  We’ll have recipes and lunch and dinner ideas for Back to School, coming up!

We’re also looking for some contributors with Back to School ideas… if you’re interested, just let us know!

Here’s the first in the series :

• Ideas for packing a healthy Kids Lunch

“Back to School” Photo by CleverCupcakes

Ideas for packing a healthy Kids Lunch

This month were going to be talking about feeding the kids, especially for Back To School.  Our school starts very early (it started this week!) and we have a new kindergartner, so this is a topic that I’ve been thinking about a great deal…

So first off, here are some collected ideas that may help you!

If you don’t like to send snacks and sandwiches in throwaway ziptop bags, how about making your own Environmentally Friendly Reusable Sandwich/Snack Bags?  Heidi has a step by step tutorial for it, and it looks like something even my minimal sewing skills could handle!

It pays to learn from the more experienced… here’s some tips from a mom of three: How to Pack Your Kid’s Lunch More Efficiently

Running low of ideas for what to put in your kid’s lunchbox?

• Here’s a list of idea of what to put in those lunches from In The Know Northwest: Packing a Lunch
• Family Fun has some clever ways to make lunch more interesting
• Here are some really cute presentation ideas:   Friday Food: Simple Lunch Ideas for Back-to-School
• A roundup of lunchbox ideas at Babycheapskate
• Gorgeous looking recipes for all kinds of eaters, including vegetarians, student athletes, kids with picky palates, and children with allergies at Epicurious

I’m collecting up a list of ideas from Foodwhirl readers to share next week… What are your favorite go-to meals for the lunchbox?

Cheese: What’s Parmesan, Pecorino, Asiago & Romano?

Wanna know more about Italian cheeses? I know I never can keep them straight, so I loved this article by Foodwhirl’s lovely friend Talk of Tomatoes.  It’s a very cool post detailing the differences between Parmesan, Pecorino, Asiago and Romano cheeses. Interesting and informative!

I was really tempted to categorize this post under ‘main course’ or entree. I love cheese so much, I could eat it for a meal. And being in Italy is my perfect excuse to focus on—and consume more—cheese. Really good cheese, with rich history and familial care and world-class quality.

I am learning that in Italy, food is all about region. Where did it come from ? Pay attention when you buy Italian products in the states: more often than not it is about qualified region, appellation, zones(s) and valley. There are stamps of approval, in hierarchical form (check out those really expensive balsamic vinegars). Italian vino with little pink labels around the neck will prove a bottle’s origins, stipulations and worth.

Go read the whole thing! What is the difference between: Parmesan, Pecorino, Asiago and Romano cheeses?

And we love Janelle… check out some of her Foodwhirl posts!

Eggplant Bites with Red Sauce

I love eggplant… (Eggplant fried up nice and crispy is one my guilty pleasures!) so this take on a bite sized appetizer portion of eggplant parmasan at Talk of Tomatoes sounds pretty tasty! Bites, nibbles, crumbly blobs of Parmesan and breadcrumbs on small pieces of eggplant. …

Clever! Soup in a Jar..

I ran across this yesterday at Foodwhirl fave, Talk of Tomatoes, and thought it was too clever not to share…  Fish Soup in a Jar? Like Janelle, I love jars too.  Unlike Janelle, I’m not getting inspiration from a trip to Bologna!  I’m so trying this.  Read on… I do love jars…

Spotlight: Salmon in Parchment

We’ve done fish in parchment here at Foodwhirl before, and we’ve done salmon, but here is a tasty looking Salmon in Parchment recipe from Foodwhirl Friend, Talk of Tomatoes! Salmon. I grew up fishing for salmon—it brings back close-to-my-heart memories of family time on Orcas Island…

Spotlight: Pork Ragu

Over at Talk of Tomatoes, Janelle (she’s a contributor here too!) has a tasty looking recipe for Pork Ragu!  This looks like a wonderfully simple ‘go-to’ meal…

Cool-off Cocktail Idea Roundup

Here’s a photo roundup of some tasty looking cocktails to cool you off in the heat of the summer… Click through the links below for recipes and/or ingredients

1. The Thai Boxer, 2. lemongrass cooler, 3. Watermelon and Rose Sangria, 4. Chocolate orange martini’s, 5. Bourbon Mint Tea, 6. Kermit Cocktails

Originally published at Dabbled.org: Experiments in Art, Craft & Food

Shaved Ice Cupcakes (and more cupcake ideas)

Need some cupcake ideas?  Here are some cute ones….

I love this idea for making faux shaved ice (snow cone?) cupcakes at Just Jenn:

Here’s another cute idea:  Bees & Honey cupcakes… I love how all together they make a honeycomb!

Or how about these cute Star Wars cupcakes? (Photo on Flickr)

For the more gruesome (which I love) how about these molded silicone cupcake skulls?

These Cherry Coke Float cupcakes from The Novice Chef are old fashioned fun… I think these would be quite tasty!

More ideas…Icecream cone cupcake pops at My Paper Crane

Pineapple Upside Down cupcake ideas at Ooh Shiny

Ninja! Ninja topper printables by Zakka Life

Lunchbox ideas: Calling all Moms (and Dads!)

Summer is drawing to a close soon, and that means school will be starting!  For August, Foodwhirl is looking for clever ideas for lunches to pack for school, and we know our readers have some…

Do you have a great tip lunches that stay good in a lunchbox, or how to plan ahead for lunches for the week?

Are your kids’ lunches the envy of their friends?

What about some great kid friendly sandwich ideas, now that so many schools outlaw the ubiquitous PB&J?

We are also looking for healthy after school snack ideas and strategies, and quick dinner ideas for getting the family around the dinner table with a minimum of work!

Wanna participate?  Just email us … we’re looking for contributors to do some guest articles here on Foodwhirl, plus if you’ve written something up on your own blog, just send us the link!

Photo credit by Wendolonia

Quick Fix: Mixed-Mushroom Salad

Sometimes you need a meal you can pull together out of just what happens to be in your cabinets. This is one of those meals…

The other day I found several jars of marinated mushrooms, at the Dollar Store of all places. I picked up several different kinds… the one here was a mix of different mushroom types, which makes it even more interesting, but regular marinated mushrooms work as well. The nice thing about mushrooms is that they add a meaty-ness to a meatless dish, which works well here. Add in that quinoa (which is high in protein) and the chickpeas, and you have a very healthy and tasty meatless meal, which still feels satisfying.

This type of meal is more of a how-to than a recipe, so adapt it to what you happen to have on hand. No quinoa? Try rice, couscous, or orzo. No yellow squash or red bell pepper? Sub in thinly sliced carrots, green bell pepper, zucchini, or even celery. No marinated mixed mushrooms? Try regular marinated mushrooms, or a jar of other marinated veggies.

Mixed Mushroom and Quinoa Salad

Makes a meal for 2 or a side-dish for 4.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• ~3/4 c summer squash and red bell peppers, sliced thinly

• 1 jar marinated mixed mushrooms (reserve liquid)
• ~1 cup chickpeas
• 1/2 small onion, chopped, or 1 green onion, chopped

• Soy sauce
• Seasoned rice vinegar
• Sprig of basil, sprig of mint (to taste)

Step 1:

Cook your Quinoa according to package directions.  When you have about 5 minutes left to go, add your squash and red bell pepper to the pot to steam.

When quinoa is cooked, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Step 2:

• Drain your mushrooms, reserving the marinade liquid.
• In a bowl, combine mushrooms, chickpeas, onions, quinoa, and vegetables and stir.
• Chop your basil and mint coarsely, and add to the bowl, reserving a small amount for garnish.

In another small bowl stir together equal parts of soy, vinegar, and reserved marinade.  (start with a couple of tablespoons of each.)

Add, a little at a time, to your bowl, stirring.  You want to coat the ingredients, but not have liquid in the bottom of the bowl.  [Save any liquid that you don't use, if the mixture looks too dry, you can add additional liquid prior to serving, or save for another use.]  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate for at least 1/2 an hour, or until cool.

Serve as is, or over a bed of lettuce.  Top with reserved herbs.

Works as a side dish, or a vegetarian main dish.

Overlapping Meals with Noodles, Shrimp and more!

More in this series: Really GOOD Tofu, I swear! | Shrimp and Asparagus Noodle Salad |  Tasty Tofu Pad Thai | Summer Shrimp Sushi

Don’t ya just hate it when trying out new recipes, and you need to go buy special ingredients, that aren’t used in your normal recipe repertoire… ?  So you use just a little of something, then have a jar stuck in the fridge for ages, or buy a bunch of a veggie or a bunch of herbs that ends up going to waste.  I hate that, so I try to plan cooking for the week that takes advantage of what I’m buying for a special recipe, without feeling like we’re having the same meal over again.  Hence “overlapping meals”!

Last week I wanted to try out the Pad Thai we featured in the Spotlight, but with tofu.  It wasn’t an overly complex recipe or have really weird ingredients, but it did require noodles, cilantro, and lime…and tofu.  I also had been promising to make some homemade sushi for my sushi loving child… for which I bought shrimp.

So here were the dishes I did, (with some key ingredients):

• Tofu Pad Thai (Noodles, Tofu, Lime, Cilantro)
• Summer Shrimp Sushi (Shrimp, Cucumber, Cream Cheese, Avocado, Rice Vinegar)
• Shrimp and Asparagus Noodle Salad (Noodles, Shrimp, Cilantro, Asparagus, Lime Juice, Rice Vinegar)

I’ll be featuring all of these in the next few days, and also my “Oh my god, this tofu is ACTUALLY GOOD!” tofu recipe, which if you’re skeptical of tofu, will totally change your mind.  [Edit:  Here it is!]

So stay tuned, the recipes are to come!

What are your favorite overlapping meals?  Share your ideas in the comments…

July 4th Quick Link Roundup!

Just checking in quickly to pass on a few more Fourth of July linky good ideas…

• Dessert and Drink ideas for the 4th of July from An Opera Singer in the Kitchen
• Creative July 4th Party Ideas at Tip Junkie
• A Frozen Trio of Red, White, and Blue (sort of) at Perry’s Plate

• Recipe: Coconut Granita with Lychees (she suggests adding red and blue fruit for 4th of July colors!) at Zakka Life
• Mega-crafty’s cupkins for July: Cupkins: 4th of July Red, White and Blueberry Muffins …and Red White and Blue Cupcakes from her partner in crime, Ready, Set, Craft!
• More Cupcakes! Independence Day Cupcakes at Ooh Shiny!

• Lots of Decor and Food Fourth of July ideas from Chica and Jo
• Rhubarb, Blueberry & Cream Parfait From the Chronicle Kitchen
• One Pretty Thing’s Fourth of July Roundup Here, and more 4th of July here!

• July 4 Roundup at Dollar Store Crafts (lots of cupcake ideas…)
• Love this Nautical Crab Boil at Design*Sponge
• Hot ‘n’ Smoky Baked Beans from Niki, here at Foodwhirl!
• And here’s Rawls’ Potato Salad, if you need more food…

Happy 4th! – Holiday Food ideas…

I have several really tasty dishes from my cooking experiments this week (all around tofu, and noodles, and pad thai, and sushi) , but I haven’t had time to write them up–I love how busy summer is.. oh well!  So since I figured you guys might miss me, here’s a few Holiday Food ideas from around the web, perfect for your 4th of July…  Links are below the photo gallery.

Links: