Foodie Pen Pal | February Reveal Day

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Aprons & Stilettos

Hey everyone! Today is Foodie Pen Pal reveal day and I’m excited to share the treats I receive from Crystal…yes, we have the same name. Not familiar with “Foodie Pen Pals”? Check it out below! So Crystal is a full-time student from Maryland studying nutrition and is looking forward to becoming a Registered Dietitian. She has a gluten allergy, so I had to be very specific regarding the items I picked out for her. Here’s just a quick overview of the items I picked out for her, then I’ll share the fabulous treats she sent to me:

Crystal expressed to me that she loved popcorn, so I decided to share with her this local product – COMET CORN. I haven’t had this flavor before so I asked her tell me what she thought of the Bloody Mary flavor. SHE LOVED IT!

Since she mentioned she liked to cook with coconut oil, I thought a nifty coconut oil spray would come in handy. I use my olive oil spray all the time to quickly grease my pans or add flavor to my food. I suggested she try spraying it on almonds before toasting or over popcorn instead of butter!
She loves butters so I picked up some Sunflower Seed butter to try with apples or blend it in a smoothie.
Sprouted Mung Beans: These tiny fresh-tasting beans have a rich creamy texture & nutty-sweet taste.
Earnest Chewy Granola Bars: Perfect on-the-go snack.

My Foodie Pen Pal Package

Crystal’s package of health conscious goodies couldn’t have come at a better time. After indulging the past week for my 30th birthday, I was committed to eating healthier and this pen pal package promotes exactly that!

Crystal loves raw food so she sent me this amazing 100% Organic Carrot Cake Super Cookies! Who knew?! They are SO good – seriously! Go pick up a bag and try it for yourself. There is coconut in these, where coconut in food is either a HIT or MISS, but the coconut flavors in these are a HIT. I’m eating these as I type and I seriously can’t stop. Gluten Free * Wheat Free * Nut Free*

Photo Credit: Go Raw

Ok, the next item in my pen pal package is a party in your mouth! SomerSaults Salty Pepper nuggets! Not only do these baked sunflower seeds & toasted grains twirls your taste buds but they are nut free, high in protein, vegan and a healthier alternative to potato chips. Absolutely addictive.

Photo Credit: Somersault Snack Co

Let’s meet my new B.F.F (Breakfast Friend Forever!) For someone who is rushing out the door at 6:30am for work, Crystal’s third item is perfect for my morning routine. Cocomamma Quinoa Cereal: All Natural & Gluten-Free Banana Cinnamon breakfast pouch. Packed with flavor, this cereal has REAL bananas, cinnamon, Madagascar vanilla, pure maple syrup and fair trade, organic quinoa. (See my older post on fair trade products….) Whoa! This is fantastic! I added some freshly cut bananas to the cereal.
Photo Credit: Cocomamma Quinoa Cereal
The perfect snack! This chocolate peanut butter CHIA BAR is just 100 calories and really curves your appetite. I enjoyed this snack mid-afternoon on Tuesday as I was getting a little hungry and it did just the trick.

Photo Credit: Health Warrior

I absolutely love Justin’s nut butters! Crystal included their honey peanut butter which she suggests on apples, toast and even waffles (hmmm will have to try it on waffles!) I decided to enjoy this treat with a granny smith apple as a mid-afternoon snack to help me through another busy day at work. I really enjoyed the slight sweetness from the honey!

Photo Credit: Justin’s

Now for those of you who are new to this and interested in joining, here is what Foodie Penpals is all about:

On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

Click here to learn more…

Cheers to another great day! ~Crystal @CrysPeterson

Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple-Ginger Soup

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Aprons & Stilettos

We finally received some much needed rain here in Northern California a few weeks back. For a minute there, I forgot it was winter with all of the beautiful, warm days we’ve experienced in December and January.

It was a Friday night and I had planned for my dear friend Morgan to come over and make dinner together. That morning over text we both had same idea for dinner: SOUP! What a perfect choice to pair with this rainy evening. She had a few ideas that we kicked around and then we both settled on making a comforting squash soup with granny smith apples paired with a pear & pomegranate salad.

1 large butternut squash
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3 granny smith apples, peeled & cored
3 garlic cloves, grated
1/2 cup half & half
1 tablespoon fresh Thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 granny smith apple, for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Quarter the butternut squash, coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes – 1 hour. Remove the skin and let cool. (If your local store doesn’t have whole butternut squash available, check to see if they have cubed butternut squash.)

Add the apples and 2 cups of broth into a blender or food processor (I used my Ninja and it worked great!) Puree until smooth and transfer it to a bowl. Set aside. In a heavy stockpot, add olive oil, onions and garlic and saute over medium heat until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the onions from pot and place in a bowl. Transfer the apple / broth mixture to the stock pot and simmer. Add the cooled squash to the blender along with 1/2 cup of broth and puree until smooth. Add the squash puree to the apple / broth mixture. Add the half & half and stir continuously until completely mixed together. Add the fresh thyme and ginger. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.

Garnish soup with thin slices of apples & fresh thyme sprig. Enjoy with your favorite salad or crusty bread.

Serves 4 -6

Pear, Pomegranate & Gorgonzola Salad

Arugula salad
1 – 2 ripe pears, sliced
Gorgonzola, crumbled
Pomegranate seeds (click here to learn an easy way to deseed a pomegranate)
Walnuts, toasted
Citrus vinaigrette (recipe below)

Combine pears, cheese, pomegranates and toasted walnuts over a bed of arugula salad. To make this simple vinaigrette, combine juice from 1 orange, 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil (slowly added), salt & pepper.

Enjoy! ~Crystal

Safari Themed Baby Shower

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Aprons & Stilettos

In the beginning of December my sister’s best friend, Christina, and I threw a baby shower for my sister Sarah. Several years ago my sister, grandmother and I departed on an adventure throughout East Africa so right away we knew what the theme should be! Not to mention my sister’s affinity for giraffes. So it was set – now let the planning begin!

TABLE SETTING

The color palette we chose for the majority of our decorations were browns, greens, yellows, and blues. So let’s start at the table.

The table runners were made by my friend & co-worker Kim who purchased the fabric from a local fabric shop. For the center pieces, I purchased several large and small mason jars, wrapped them in burlap and finished it with a twine bow. The flowers were a combinations of green Poms, Hydrangeas, Birds of Paradise and Eucalyptus from our backyard. The plates, napkins, cutlery, table cloths and premium stemware were purchased online from PartyCity.com.

FAVORS

As a takeaway for our guests, we had a 187ml bottle of Kenwood Vineyards Yulupa Sparkling wine wrapped in a burlap bag with a tag that read:

Additionally, we had these adorable (and delicious!) giraffe cookies made by Trisha Thomas who owns Dessert Divas in Sacramento.

Parmesan & Cranberry Salad with Peach Vinaigrette

8 cups mixed greens
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Toasted walnuts

2/3 cup peach nectar
2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon canola oil
pinch of salt

This recipe yields 6 – 8 servings so I tripled it for the shower. To make the vinaigrette, mix together the peach nectar, vinegar, mustard, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly add in the oil whisking constantly. Add the cranberries and toasted walnuts to the mixed greens and toss well with vinaigrette. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese. The original recipe, adapted from Sandra Lee, calls for Pear Nectar but I swapped it our for peach and I also added in the walnuts to give it some crunch!

Jungle Juice Punch (Cranberry, Pomegranate & Tangerine)

5 cups cranberry juice
3 cups tangerine juice
2 cups pomegranate juice
1 liter soda water
Fresh cranberries, for garnish

This was a huge hit at the party and it was so easy to make. In a large punch bowl combine the cranberry, tangerine and pomegranate juice. Top with soda water and garnish with fresh cranberries. (Variation: swap out the soda water for sparkling wine to give it an adult kick!)

For dessert we had these adorable safari cake pops, made by our dear friend Lisa and this amazing raspberry marble (chocolate marble cake layered with chocolate ganache, vanilla buttercream, and fresh raspberries) giraffe cake made by Diana Katra, Cake Whimsy in Campbell.

While my sister was opening presents, we played baby bingo! These cards were so easy to make in Photoshop (or InDesign). If you don’t have the time to design your own baby bingo cards, you can find an array of adorable cards for purchase on Etsy.

My sister is due any day now so we’re just waiting around for the call! This will be her first, my parents first grandchild and my first time being an Auntie! I can’t wait! Cheers! ~Crystal

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