lemon press

When I was five or six years old, I had a Snoopy Sno-Cone machine. My mom only let me use it when she had time to supervise me, so it was always a treat. It’s actually funny to grwon-up me that as a child, I thought of working my tiny little biceps pushing down on the red roof to decimate ice cubes was a treat. Of course, now you can buy a refrigerator/freezer that will give you cubed, crushed, or shaved ice with just the push of a button. As an adult, I appreciate being able to have something like shaved ice without all the extra work, but I’ll always have a little place in my heart for the nostalgic workout that using a Snoopy Sno-Cone machine gives. On the rare occasion that I have Italian ice or Hawaiian shave ice, I remember how much I loved my Snoopy Sno-Cones and wonder what I loved more: the sugary syrup or the fact that my own little hands helped create my cold treat.

Peanut Butter and Co.

My mom always kept our peanut butter in the pantry, not the refrigerator, and as a result, I prefer warm/room temperature peanut butter.  It just seems too cold if it’s been in the refrigerator, and it’s harder to spread. There’s nothing like ripping a hole in a piece of bread when you’re just trying to make a peanut butter sandwich.  Those are the main reasons that have been holding me back from switching over and holding onto my old school Jif and Skippy peanut butters.  A friend of mine loves natural peanut butter, but I get grossed out by having to stir it together. And that’s on top of having to keep it refrigerated!

Enter Peanut Butter & Co!  Their peanut butter is not full of hydrogenated oils or other icky stuff AND it doesn’t separate.  Like at all.  It stays creamy and smooth without any layer of oil floating on top, and it spreads easily.

the trinity of performance comfort

In Catholic school, I was taught that the trinity was the father, the son, and the holy ghost.  In cooking, I learned that there are several different trinities: French mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery), Italian soffritto (a little looser with the number of ingredients), Cajun mirepoix (onion, celery, bell pepper), Asian mirepoix (ginger, garlic, scallions), etc.  What I discovered last weekend was my holy trinity of performance comfort.

Coconut Bliss

I looooove ice cream, to that point where I could not walk past one of the three gelato places (all on the same street) near where I work without going in. I’m not sure which is more to blame: my love of ice cream of my lack of self control. Luckily I don’t have to walk down that street too often or I would have a gelato gut by now (that would be in addition to my existing Buddha belly).

I’m not vegan or lactose intolerant, so I’ve never had any interest in all the non-dairy ice cream options out there. My friend Donna is a total foodie. She’s the one I go to whenever I have questions about anything involving food. Not only does she know the best tasting stuff, but she also knows which ones are best (or least bad) for your health.