Theo Chocolate

I read an article in the Star Tribune last week about a Minneapolis elementary school who is not celebrating Valentine’s Day in their classrooms this year. There has been a lot of backlash about this decision, and honestly, I don’t see why people are so fired up. I’ve always hated Valentine’s Day. I see it as a fake holiday that either a) reminds you of your single status (most of my teens and twenties) b) creates pressure to perform un-natural acts of love (my thirties) or c) creates unnecessary stress and expense in preparing classroom party valentines (right now). Last year I spent almost $100 at the craft store to make little valentine monsters with paper cups, yarn, and glue guns. Why so much? I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, so I just bought everything. To be free of all of this Valentine nonsense? Yes please.

In the meantime, my bestie gave me a beautiful chocolate cookbook for Christmas that I haven’t done anything with because I’ve been working on healthy lifestyle choices. But it’s hard to not be tempted when you see chocolate hearts everywhere you go. So here is my plan. I’m going to cook out of this cookbook all week, making a few chocolate treats to send to my friend and my faithful readers (my mom and aunts – I’m late with your Christmas gifts anyway) while feasting on the savory chocolate recipes in Theo. Let’s see how my plan works out.

Continue reading

Granola

When this was coming out of the oven, I had to yank C’s hand away from the pan. The whole house smelled delicious. This recipe isn’t quite as sweet as some other granolas I’ve tried – and you can always adjust the sweetness based on the amount of syrup you use. I love granola – especially now that my adult braces are off! Here’s to celebrating all things crunchy. My comments are in italics.

Granola
From Jamie’s Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver.  Continue reading

Jamie’s Food Revolution

It’s Food Revolution week, so if you’re into Jamie Oliver, I’m sure you saw his fist gifs all over Facebook and Twitter. (I’m assuming Twitter. I’m still trying to figure out Twitter. I’m 40.) I grabbed this book after watching a few episodes of his food reality show in West Virginia. I was equally disgusted and fascinated with his demonstration of how chicken nuggets are made – and how the tv kids still liked them. But that was in 2010 and I was obsessing about which purees H would like the best. (Mango, if you really want to know.) Five years later I’m forced to admit that nothing has really changed.

The Recipes
Granola
Chicken Tikka Masala
Tikka Masala Paste
Light and Fluffy Rice
Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake
Evolution Carrot Salad
Dressed Asparagus
Buttered Spinach
Vanilla Cheesecake with a Raspberry Topping  Continue reading