Family Foodies

Kelly’s challenge for my last week of internship is to write the Best Post of My Life.  No pressure.

Of course, I can’t end my internship at Family Foodies without a Big Coffee Blowout!!!  Being one of Kelly’s Blog Interns has been as exciting as I expected, but profoundly more rewarding than I imagined.  And much of my work here was indeed fueled by regular consumption of coffee.

So in honor of my “graduation” it behooves me to share what I consider to be the Ultimate Summer Coffee Coolers…  Coffee recipes YOU can make at home to cool off a hot summer day.

It’s my 21-gun, er recipe, salute to coffee!

Creamy Beverages

• Coffee Coke Float – like they used to make at soda shops…
• Coffee Banana Smoothie
• Spiced Iced Coffee
• Frappe Coffee Recipe
• Iced Cinnamon Honey Latte
• Coffee Punch
• Exotic Island Coconut Freeze
• Thai Iced Coffee

Cool Desserts

• Quick Espresso Granita
• Coffee Ice Cream
• Chilled Coffee Cheesecake
• Cappuccino Cups
• Blackberry Summer Dream
• Coffee Ice Cream Cake
• New Orleans Crème Brulee
• Colonial Café au Lait Pie

Chillers with a Kick

• Javatini
• Sassy Soda
• Coffee Cocktail 2-007 (that’s Bond – James Bond. Shaken, not stirred)
• Iced Mexican Chocolate liqueur
• Tiramisu (coffee? dessert? kicker?  It’s a 3 in 1!)

So there you have it – a list of Ultimate Summer Coffee Coolers.  They oughta get you through the rest of the summer – and help you stay chilled out, too!

Which one sounds like your favorite?

photo credit: Yume Photo ~?????~

I’m very happy to have a guest post from Janet Machowicz of Meatless Mama.  Janet and I met through Foodbuzz, and I have found some great recipes from her website!  Janet is married and mother to four children, one of whom survived cancer.  She shares her interest in good nutrition and healthy eating through her blog, and now she is sharing with us!

I am so excited to be guest posting here at Family Foodies, and I want to thank Debbie for this opportunity!

Cherries are my favorite fruit and they are only available for a short time. Cherry season runs from June through early July.

Loaded with vitamin c, boron, antioxidants and fiber, cherries have been found to reduce arthritis and gout pain, and help to prevent heart disease and cancer. Most importantly – they taste good!

I believe eating a mainly whole foods plant-based diet is the key to good health. I also believe that healthy food must taste good or no one will eat it.

Happy July 4th to all you Foodies out there!

photo credit: eschipul

Hopefully you don’t need any last minute July 4th menu ideas – but if you do, be sure to check out this Family Foodies post from earlier this week.

Unintentionally, it seems like there is a theme to the link love shown here – and this week, Strawberries seem to be in focus!

Something pretty amazing happens when you combine Balsamic vinegar with the sweetness of strawberries! Savory Sweet Life suggested this Easy Balsamic Strawberry Sauce and No-Pectin Balsamic Strawberry Jam.

Two versions of Strawberry Scones highlighted the foodie world this week.  Fresh strawberries in light scones?  Mmmm – sounds great.  Tea and Scones suggests these Strawberry Scones;  goodlife {eats} showcases Strawberry Scones with Honey Milk Glaze.

Combine one of these scone recipes with the Balsamic Strawberry Jam and you just might face Strawberry Overload! If that doesn’t scare you, then you should visit Strawberry-Recipes.com.  I highly recommend you try Chilled Strawberry soup at least once in your life.  Chilled soup may seem odd, but on a hot summer day it can be both cooling and satisfying.

Strawberries weren’t really the only thing online this week.

It was a fun trip down memory lane reading the Easy Bake Oven Cake Mix post at Nagle5 News!  Yes indeed, my first foray into foodie world started at my little Easy Bake Oven.  It was my favorite Christmas present.  And my brothers’ too!

This Apple and Onion Cheddar Burger from The Recipe Finder might spice up your cookout.  There is something so complementary about apples and onions (kinda like strawberries and balsamic vinegar)…

Coleslaw is a popular summer side dish, and this Blue Cheese Coleslaw from Schweet ‘N Savory might make the perfect addition to your favorite burger recipe.

Whatever you do this holiday, I wish you good memories and great food today!

In my previous post I introduced some information about herbs that are useful in your kitchen, and maybe your medicine cabinet.  Hopefully the information was something you could consider more seriously and maybe even this summer you could add some herbs in pots to your back yard or patio.

Not all physicians scoff at the use of herbs in good health, and more and more physicians are willing to consider the benefits of using herbs on a regular basis to supplement good health.  Just remember – if you have any medical condition that is being monitored by a physician or are using prescription medication – always consult your physician before using any herbs on a regular basis.

For my back yard garden this year, I’ve got the following herbs growing:  fennel, lemon balm, rosemary, thyme, and peppermint.  I’m not a fan of spearmint but oh how refreshing is the taste of fresh peppermint.  And it’s easy-peasy to grow.  As a matter of fact, most of the mint herbs will take over where they’re planted, so you may want to keep yours corralled in pots.

On with the herbs…

Growing herbs is pretty easy, and doesn’t usually require a green thumb.  As
a matter of fact, if you do any gardening at all, you are probably pulling weeds – which often enough, are actually herbs!

Herbs have been used in both kitchen and medicine cabinets for centuries, and many cooks find the addition of herbs in cooking adds flavor and nutrition at the same time.

Herbalism – using herbs for medicinal purposes sometimes comes under fire because it is not generally regulated by any government program, and is followed by many people who prefer an alternative means to modern medicine for health and healing.

The funny thing is, modern medicine traces its roots (literally) back to herbalism, and can to this day thank the lowly herb for the introduction of many helpful, and even life-saving, medicines.

In our Cross Blog Conversation, Jill responded to my last questions with her final answers, and provided some great information and links. For anyone new to our Cross Blog Conversation, you should start here at the introduction and my first question to Jill.

Jill Nussinow, a.k.a. The Veggie Queen, responded to my question about meat substitutions and said that although Morningstar products are generally used by people who are starting to go meatless, they also seem to be a bit more processed than she likes.   I’ve seen these products readily available, but will consider some of the others she suggested.  If I’m going to introduce vegetarian eating to my family, I’d like to do it the right way!

As for using a pressure cooker, Jill suggested visiting her Pressure Cooking Website!  She offers more information on a DVD about pressure cooking, and devotes a whole chapter to pressure cooking in her cookbook, Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment.  And for the ultimate resource, she offers pressure cookers at her website, too!

This CBC has really been a great experience for me personally, and my family is starting a new habit of eating meatless for at least one dinner each week.  I’m going to keep all of Jill’s suggestions and tips in mind as I’m preparing my grocery list and menu plan and try to offer some new things to my family each week.   It will be good for all of us to eat more vegetables and healthy grains and proteins, so I’m grateful for this opportunity to have discussed this topic with a pro!