Family Foodies

So, the very long awaited announcement for the Stoneyfield Farms Yobaby Pack Giveaway is:

MELITSA!!!

Congratulations to our winner – I’m sending you an email for your contact information so we can get your prize shipped out to you!

So are you getting your menu and meal preparation together for July 4th?  This is one of the best days for family & friends to get together, enjoy great food, and celebrate our nation’s rich history and foundation!  But do you have it all together?

Well, here are a few last-minute suggestions that are easy and quick – saving you time when you need it!

How about PIZZA!?!

Oh, but not just any pizza – and certainly not delivery pizza!  Not when you can make these in a cinch!

There are a lot of definitions for love these days – and I’ll admit that I’m one who probably overuses the word “love” to describe my level of affection for say, Coffee.  The thing about REAL love is that it reaches outside with open hands and blesses others in some way.

I thought I’d share a few food-related charitable endeavors with you today.  Great Food For All is one that I’ve mentioned before.  While it is something that can be used for your family, it’s also a means to help others in your community who would otherwise go hungry.

So it’s been awhile, but I used to play FreeRice on a daily basis.  Do you know about FreeRice?

FreeRice is an online vocabulary game that donates 10 grains of rice for each vocabulary word you answer correctly.  Seriously.  That’s all it takes.  And it’s addicting!

The way it works is you are given a word like “Evade” with four possible definitions:

Blab

Refrigerate

Smooch

Dodge

You simply click the correct definition and 10 grains of rice are added to a “wooden bowl.”  You can play as long as yould like – as often as you like.  The food is provided by sponsors via the UN World Food program.  Not all the words are easy, but in the process of expanding your vocabulary, you are providing food for people who desperately need it.

The Hunger Site is a similar program, but doesn’t require much thought or effort.  You simply click the “Click Here to Give – It’s Free” button once each day, and for each click – a cup of food is donated to people all around the world.  At this site, you have the opportunity to select a variety of charitable programs including: Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest, and Animal Rescue.

Share Our Strength has a number of options and opportunities to participate in to end childhood hunger, including the The Great American Bake Sale, Great American Dine Out and more.

If you feel the need to do something a bit more proactive, contact your local food bank and find out what their needs are.  Donate food or your time to help someone less fortunate.

And always, while enjoying a meal at home – even if it’s just hot dogs and macaroni & cheese – we can be thankful for our blessings!

The foodie world has been busy this week with some really great recipes!  July 4th recipes are popping up everywhere so be sure to come back for the next several days and get great last-minute suggestions for your upcoming celebration!

For now, we’ll keep things simple and share this week’s Greatest Hits!

This Breakfast Pancake just looks like fun! Savory Sweet Life offered this as a Father’s Day breakfast for her husband. You can obviously customize this to your family’s tastes – and it looks like a great adventure in food!

Yep – it’s my second post in one day.  I couldn’t wait to continue my Cross Blog Conversation with The Veggie Queen.  But I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to participate in the Ultimate Recipe Swap meme with Life as Mom, either.  One great thing about a recipe swap meme is the variety of recipes you are going to find at the host blog!

The theme is:  Feeding a Crowd.  So what do you do when you feed a crowd?

I like to keep things simple, and since both of my daughters’ birthdays are during summer, we usually have a backyard get together.  I have served Taco Salad almost every time – and everybody has loved it!

In keeping with the 2-for-1 theme, I actually have 2 versions of taco salad – one is my mom’s and one is my mother-in-law’s.  They are both easy to serve outside and they serve a crowd nicely.  Since we always have coolers full of beverages, the “cold” ingredients are kept chilled in the coolers until its time to clean up!

So Jill, whom I may now begin to referring to as “Her Majesty, The Veggie Queen” has responded to my question, and answered another in the process!  That’s why she can claim her royalty status, you know! While wondering about eating vegetarian meals during winter, she also answered my wondering about sources of vegetable proteins! Yay!

So my husband & I have been discussing our transition to more vegetarian meals (and please don’t tell him that I told YOU that his idea of vegetarian in the past meant cakes, cookies, and pies – but no meat…  sigh).  I love the idea of starting with one meatless meal each week – and with Jill’s most recent post, I have several ideas in mind.

I actually love veggie bean burgers – but have never made them myself.  I think her suggestion to add a new grain (like quinoa) is a great idea, and I’m going to start getting my shopping list ready to see what I can come up with!

I love her take on seasons:  “Winter is roots, spring is shoots, and summer and fall are fruits.”  Great tip to get recipes together according to season!

Here are my questions for Jill:

I would love some suggestions for “fake meat” products as an foray into vegetarian eating.  What are some of your recommendations?

I see you have a cookbook devoted to pressure cooking, and your blog bio says you are a pressure cooking advocate.  Can you talk about your passion about pressure cooking and what you recommend for someone who has never used a pressure cooker?

Be sure to tune in for Jill’s answer to my questions and see how we wrap things up!