Tony the Tiger Bars

Sometimes delicious food does not photograph well. And sometimes, despite wonderful camera equipment, apartment kitchens make poor backdrops. I attempted to make some camping treats that I recall from a Colorado backpacking trip. We called them Tony the Tiger Bars, and they are made with marshmallows and peanut butter and frosted flakes and butter. These little bars make an excellent snack on a hike, and the peanut butter provides some protein to sustain you until you reach the campground...or civilization.

Tony the Tiger Bars 1 bag of regular marshmallows 1/4 cup butter 1/3 cup peanut butter 7 cups of frosted flakes

Melt marshmallows and butter in saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Add peanut butter and stir until smooth. Add in the frosted flakes cereal, and stir until coated. You have to do this pretty quickly because the peanut butter/marshmallow will begin to thicken. Using a spatula or spoon, spread the mixture into a pan. Allow to cool, and then cut into the bars. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Dinner Date: Tiny Boxwood's + The Chocolate Bar

In the endless game of "catch-up," I want to tell you about a little food date from two weeks ago. My friend Jennifer and I went to Houston's popular Tiny Boxwood's for dinner, followed by second dessert at The Chocolate Bar. I ate at Tiny Boxwood's once before for lunch and just about died over the grilled cheese and pesto sandwich, the chocolate chip cookie, and homemade lemonade. A whole year later, and I still fondly remember this meal. In addition, this is the typically the first restaurant recommendation to come out of the mouth of any young Anthropologie-loving girl from Houston. "Make sure you order the chocolate chip cookie, too! It's ahhhh-mazing!" With Jennifer, we arrived at Tiny Boxwood's for an early dinner. We ordered glasses of wine, the refreshing white wine mojito, and the buffalo mozzarella pizza to split. We concluded the meal with, of course, the classic melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookie. The Tiny Boxwood's dinner vibe widely differs from the lunchtime vibe. The atmosphere is more formal, you order from your table instead of the cafe counter, and the lights are dimmed. It is a finer dining experience and serves as an excellent spot for a dinner-date. So really, check out Tiny Boxwood's for lunch and dinner. During the day time, meander over to nearby garden + landscaping business for extra greenery to accompany your lunch. And at night, score a table outside, and enjoy the white wine sangria. With each meal, be sure to conclude with the chocolate chip cookie too! Because it's ahhh-mazing!

I don't think Jennifer expected me to go for the chocolate chip cookie. But honestly, how could I resist. Still, we stuck to the original plan and went out for second dessert after dinner and went to Houston's The Chocolate Bar. ....where we ordered Mega Dessert, also known as Any Day's a Holiday Cake. (I could have sworn it was called Tuxedo Cake, but the internet does not lie). The cake retails for $75, or $10 a slice. There are alternating layers of chocolate and yellow cake, all held together with rich chocolate icing. I had about three bites before admitting defeat. Oh yes, the cake prevailed. Jennifer faired much better, but we still had a sizable portion to take home. Second dessert can be a formidable opponent.

Mexican Street Corn

The blog has been a bit slow because Kelley the cook is currently in Canada. I think I mentioned that in the last post or so...in addition to the horror story of my abysmal cooking skills. I take photos and eat. That's it.

Anyways! Just before Kelley left for Canada, we decided to cook Mexican Street Corn, aka the best summer side dish, and submit the recipes and write up to the fabulous Brit+Co website. Well lo and behold, they posted our recipes and photos this week.

Being Fed's
Mexican Street Corn - Two Ways

Click click click that to view the recipes!

Red + White + Blue Parfait

The 4th of July is a fantastic, though often overlooked holiday. Truly. When you are asked, "What's your favorite holiday?" Probably over half of you list Christmas and then Thanksgiving. Some, like myself, name Halloween as supreme holiday, while our more romantic counterparts might prefer Valentine's Day. (ick). A few people might say Easter, or St. Patrick's Day, or New Years. But the Fourth of July has so much to offer. Picnics + Parades BBQ + Red/White/Blue Fireworks + Freedom Watermelon + Water Sports Summertime + Sunshine History + Hot Dogs So whether you are in Canada (ahem, Kelley) or Europe (ahem, my brother), or fortunately, located in the great USA on this day, I hope you choose to celebrate your history and your nation. I plan to celebrate with fireworks out in the country, and classic 4th cuisine: hotdogs, corn on the cob, watermelon, BBQ, root beer floats, s'mores, and the like. But first, to start off my day, I did make this Red + White + Blue Yogurt Parfait. I think its the perfect, patriotic start to any day.

Red + White + Blue Parfait Raspberries Blueberries Crush graham crackers 1-2 cups of Greek yogurt

Fill the base of the glass/cup with crushed graham crackers. Add a layer of Greek yogurt. Add several blueberries before another level of Greek yogurt. Top with raspberries and graham cracker crumbs. Optional: Apply honey and sugar/brown sugar to the rim of the glass.

Homemade Tamales

During our junior year of college, Kelley and I lived in a little tiny green house just north of campus, near Hyde Park. We called it the Tom Green House, and along with four other roommates, we had a very soul-rich abode that favored coffee and coffee mugs, marathons of the OC, and year-round Christmas decorations. At the time, Kelley was not completely sold on the culinary school idea, though must of the roommates were definite encouragers. But occasionally, Kelley would create a lovely family dinner for us all. This is how I was introduced to Kelley's homemade tamales, and subsequently fell in love. It truly was a family dinner; everyone was given a task to help make the homemade tamales. Given my heart ties to Guatemala and Latin America, it was our best family dinner as well. Recently, Kelley made tamales again--three different varieties: one featuring venison, one with black beans and goat cheese, and one with chicken and....I don't quite recall, but I ate it and it was delicious. Some tips for making your own tamales: Soak the corn husks overnight, or throughout the day. Then, thoroughly dry your corn husks in order to be able to effectively fold them. Make your own masa! Look online for a favorable masa recipe and once you have your masa (dough), make thin patties to place on top of the corn husk. Patties should be able 1/8 inch thick. Added the shredded pork or shredded chicken or the veggie mix to the middle of your masa patty. Mmm, these are gonna be good. And though labor intensive, just keep going and make a bunch. It will be well worth it! Next fold up your tamales, and use a strip of corn husk to tie 'em off. Finally, steam/cook your tamales for about 15-20 minutes. Monitor your corn husks as well and watch as they brown and cook. Enjoy! Open up a bottle of Topo Chico, make some accompanying guacamole and salsa, maybe find yourself a margarita. Homemade tamales will be muy delicioso.