Insta-Friday {5}

{my favorite spinach tortollini @ provino's with my hubby. brunch at midway with my cousins} 

 {taking part in the 2011 making strides against breast cancer walk with my granny}

{the pups who run our life. they are pretty stinking cute} 

Food Facts

{Robyn O’Brien shares her personal story and how it inspired her to become a Real Food evangelist.}

TED rarely disappoints. I want to know all of these people. Part of me think I will be smarter for just being in the vicinity of such immense intelligence. This particular TALK is from TEDxAustin.

I genuinely believe there is something to be said for exposing yourself to information. All types. Different points of view, a wide variety of topics, new & different tidbits all the time. It has been a goal of mine for as lone as I can remember to at least keep an open mind about information that I come across. I don't always follow the principles being expounded on or the guidelines being laid out, but at least I can honestly say that I have listened. I certainly am not the type of person that is easily swayed to just believe anything I hear.

I am currently in a quandary over something I LOVE. For me, the negative evidence is mounting against this love of mine. I am growing more and more disappointed by facts that are being uncovered. Food that is. The more I learn about the food we consume as Americans the more frightened I become. It is truly unbelievable what lengths the government, food industry and society as a whole will go to to keep the average person in the dark about the health (or lack there of) of the things we consume. Frightening I tell you. This particular TALK is from TEDxAustin and it is another piece of the puzzle that is coming into focus for me about food. Amazing. Stunning. Disappointing. Scary.

I have been cutting things out of my diet that clearly have no purpose being there other than to satisfy my cravings and things I eat out of shear habit. It is a challenge for me. One I am not proud of, but one that I have little to no will power for. I'm trying though.

I'm just continuing to expose myself to information like this.
I'm using the "Scared Straight" tactic on myself.
It's beginning to work, even if it a slow and arduous process.

Just some other bits of food information that have blown my mind:
Food Matters
Food Inc. 
Nourish
The Gerson Miracle
The Beautiful Truth
Homemade Grits
{Check out my girl Lesley ... putting things into perspective & giving simple tips for application}

DIY: Birthday Cake Pops

The norm in my family is that my wonderful mom makes our birthday cakes.

Reason 1: She loves us and thinks moms should make cakes for their kids.

Reason 2: Her cakes are simply UNBEATABLE. There's no dessert that comes close. It's just not a birthday without one of my mom's cakes. 

This year, I decided since there was a family tragedy happening, that I would attempt my own birthday dessert. Mom was making me one cake for the family celebration, but instead of her making two I choose to make cake pops for my "friend" celebration. I love the look of them, but I always felt a little intimidated by how perfect they always seemed. I am pleased to report that it was a delicious success!! They got rave reviews from the party go-ers and some even took a few for the road. 

I feel I must give two disclaimers for this DIY dessert. First, I needed HELP!! There is no way I could have managed this without a few extra helping hands. There was just too many things that needed to happen. Second, I needed TIME. This is a very easy dessert to make, but boy it takes some serious time. Between the baking and the cooling and the dipping, there is no rushing the process. Make sure you don't wait until the last minute to start this one (like me) because it really does take the joy out of making such a fun treat!

My Inspiration: the QUEEN of Cake Pops ... Bakerella. Check her out - she is amazing!! She also has a super cute how-to book out.

Here are the basic steps:

1: BAKE - I used Vanilla Duncan Hines boxed cake and it worked splendidly. Just pick out the flavor of cake you would like and cook as directed. Two boxes made two 9" x 13" cakes and that translated into about 48 cake pops. I even made them a little larger than normal so it would likely squeeze a few more out if you downsize a bit. 

2: COOL, CUT & CRUMBLE - Make sure the cakes are completely cooled. Cut the sheet cake into quarters. Break each quarter in half and rub the cake pieces together over a mixing bowl and let the cake crumbles fall in. (NOTE: I did one cake at a time and it seemed a bit more manageable.)

3: ICING - I bought a pound of buttercream icing from my local grocery. It was perfect and cut the prep time and cost for this dessert. Take approx. a handful of icing and plop it onto the cake crumbles. Knead the icing into the crumbles until you get an extremely moist constancy on all the crumbles. You should be able to pinch the cake with a fe fingers and it stick together. If its to dry, add more icing sparingly. A little goes a long way here. 

4: ROLL - Roll the icing and cake mixture into small balls. I have seen them done in bite size portions, but mine were more like 2 or 3 bite sized. I was shooting for meatballs size. Place the cake balls on a baking sheet or pan with a layer of wax paper. Place into the freezer for 15-30 minutes to chill. You don't want them to be fully frozen!

5: MELTING ROUND 1 - Now it's time to melt the chocolate - using bakers chips or bark in any color or flavor of your choosing. Hobby Lobby had a great selection of colors if you were trying to match a theme. I just went for your basic vanilla and milk chocolate. Melt chocolate in a double boiler if you have one. I don't so I used a glass pyrex bowl in a sauce pan filled with approx. 3 inches of water. You can also heat in the microwave but BEWARE that it is very easy to scorch the chocolate this way. 

For this step you only need a little chocolate melted. You are just going to be using a small amount on the tip of your lollipop stick. You are not coating the whole ball yet. 

6: DIP STICKS - Take out your lollipop sticks (also purchased at Hobby Lobby in packs of 50). Remove your cake balls from the freezer. Cake balls can remain on the same pan because they are going back into the freezer. Dip the sticks into the chocolate, only about a 1/2 inch of the stick, and then place in the dipped end into the center of the cake ball. Try to push the stick about half-way through the ball, not all the way through. Once all the sticks are in, put the pan back into the freezer for about 10 minutes to let the chocolate dry. This process will help keep your cake pops from sliding off the stick. 

7: MELTING ROUND 2 - Use the same process as Step 5 to melt the remainder of your chocolate. The bowl you choose to melt the chocolate in needs to be deep enough for you to submerge the entire cake ball into the chocolate. This gives you a more uniform coating. 

8: DIP BALLS - Remove the cake ball from the freezer and chocolate from the stove top. I kept my chocolate in the warm water so it wouldn't harden during the process. I just set the sauce pan on a trivet and it worked like a charm.  One at a time dip the cake balls into the chocolate. There will be excess that need to gently be removed. Very gently tap the stick on the edge of the pan while slowly turning the stick to let the excess drip off evenly. Whatever works for you here ... just be gentle. I flicked a cake ball right into my chocolate and had to fish it out. Ooopps. Don't worry, I ate him so he didn't go to waste. 

** sorry that i don't have pictures of this step, my hands were really busy!!**

9: DECORATING - The possibilities here are endless. I just used what I had on hand - milk chocolate chips, heath bar crumbles and sprinkles. I found it helps to have an extra set of hands during this process.  If you want your topping to stick firmly it needs to be sprinkled as quickly as you can after the dipping process. You can also do a drizzle of a contrasting color of chocolate (super cute!) or not decoration at all. I also got kind of crazy and rolled some of the chocolate chips and heath into the cake balls (step 4) prior to dipping. It was like an extra little surprise inside!

10: SERVE - I opted for tray service for my first attempt. It was easy to organize and easy for guest to pick which pop they wanted. I think they were adorable and tasty. Since it was my birthday treat ... I guess that's all that matters!

Here is the BEAUTIFUL 30th Birthday Cake that my mom made. It was a scrumptious, 8-layer chocolate cake with her famous buttercream icing. She choose the sweet cherry blossom decoration. I loved it. Thanks mom. 

Crepe Revolution

Have you heard of this nifty little joint called Crepe Revolution? It is delicious. Double-date night with the Grubbs' on Saturday night landed us here. They were well aware of this treasure, but since we live on the other side of the world it was a first for us. I must say it was more delicious than anticipated.

In addition to the wide variety of choices already available on the brunch, lunch and dinner menus, you can also customize your own crepe in 5 easy steps ...

1: Pick the batter

2: Pick your veggies

3: Pick your meat (or meats if you are so inclined)

4: Pick your cheese (as much as you want!!)

5: Pick your sauce

Done and done.

I would recommend giving Crepe Revolution if you are in the area. The atmosphere is great and the concept is really different. I had the California Turkey and the Katie's Strawberry Blonde. Our sever happened to be the Katie for whom the beverage was named and was a complete spaz. Other than that everything was great. We didn't opt for a dessert crepe on this trip, but I have it on good authority that they are scrumptious. I will be adding this to my growing list of dining options.

Check out their video feature on Atlanta Elite Pass TV.

100 Flavor Coke Machine?!

This video shows the new Coca-Cola Freestyle machine in the Orange County, California test market. Get excited people because this nifty piece of techno-goodness is making its way to GA!! Be on the look out for more details on the launch date and location here ...

TART.

I have recently discovered that my disdain for cooked fruit is waining. I have enjoyed a few tasty treats that have swayed me to keep trying more and so far, so good. I saw this simple apple tart recipe posted by the Pioneer Woman (amazing blogger btw, she blogs about everything!). It looks so yummy that I think I might have to give it a try. CLICK HERE to see the whole process step-by-step with photos. This post has also led me to seriously considering apple tarts for breakfast. It's fruit so that counts right?!

Speaking of cupcakes

-- Elinor Klivans Cupcake Kit --

There are some pretty adorable options when it comes to dressing your cupcakes these days. Not only can you decorate the top with icing, sprinkles and so on ... even the cupcake cups are stepping up their game. I am obviously in the mood for baking some sweets!

-- Confectionery House --

Rainbow Cake

First, I should admit that I have an unhealthy (mentally & for the ole' waistline) love for cakes! I love them in their most traditional & simplistic forms of course, but think it's great when you can give them a little funky flair. I came across this how-to for a beautiful rainbow cake on omnomicon.com. Now, even though I love cakes and love to try and bake them, my baking skills are not as vast as I would like. Lucky for me, and all the other domestically challenged ladies out there, Ms. Meadowlark takes this fun creation one step at a time with helpful photos & quick tips. Her FAQ section is hilarious ... very witty for a food blogger!

Due to the exciting springtime colors contained in the delectable dessert, I feel like I (or anyone) should make one for Easter for all to enjoy. I'm also left wondering how painfully irresistible these would be as mini-cupcakes!! We'll see.

"7 Whole Grains on a Mission"

During my on going journey to find healthy food options, I have stumbled across some really great finds. Some have been recommended by friends and others have been discovered through pure trial and error (errors = items not tasty enough to be considered food!!). I was introduced to these bars-o-goodness on my Sunday hike up the mountain with my folks. Thanks mom!

Anyhow, Kashi is a brand that rarely disappoints. They have a wide variety of products and it helps that part of their mission is to keep things healthy and flavorful. Check out the Kashi GOLEAN® CRUNCHY! protein and fiber bars. These bars are designed for an Optimized Glycemic Response with slow release carbohydrates to balance blood sugar, and protein and fiber to help you stay satisfied. I love these little snack-a-liciouis treats - the chocolate almond is my favorite!!

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

Last night my dear friend Fallon and I made the long haul up 400 to the new(ish) Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park to see Ryan Adams & the Cardinals. I love going to new venues and checking out their operations. I can't help but view everything with a bit of a critical eye since being in the venue biz myself. 

Getting off 400, no problem. Finding will call, no signage. Finding the correct parking lot, way to far away and no signage. Well, that is until you get in the parking lot and then it's excessive. Walk to the venue, respectable. It seems longer since you have to drive all over creation to even find the parking lot, but it really is a short walk. Bag checkers & ushers, eh. Decent I guess, less than enthusiastic but efficient. We didn't check out the concession or restroom areas, but they seemed well placed inside the venue and there appeared to be plenty of choices available. The seating in the orchestra section was great!! The acoustics were wonderful, in my opinion some of the best in an outdoor venue that I've heard. It  was really difficult for people who arrived after the show started to find their seats due to the low lighting under the canopy. The ushers had flashlights, but folks still looked confused. Overall the venue was very nice. I would recommend going to a concert there, just allow some extra time to figure out the parking debacle. 

The show started great. They played some of my favorite Ryan Adams songs and lots of the new stuff coming out on soon. Ryan was apparently feeling a little under the weather and had to end the show early. :( That was a bummer, but it couldn't be helped I guess. He was great live while he played though!! 

On a quick side note .... The Cheesecake Factory is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. They have a crazy tasty treat to celebrate the occasion. If you happen to go there I would HIGHLY recommend getting a slice of the anniversary cheesecake ... two layers of original cheesecake and two layers of creamy chocolate fudge cake filled with chocolate cream and finished with crunchy pearls of chocolate. GOODNESS!!

Organic.

Let me start this by saying we are TRYING! Scott and I have been diligently trying to make better choices regarding our eating habits. As a rule our habits as a whole aren't outrageously reprehensible, but they certainly stand some adjustments for the better. It will be a gradual process for sure. Years of bad habits to break and all. As we become more educated about what the side effects are from years of eating garbage ... we are trying to curb our diets in another direction. There is so much great information out there, but it can really be overwhelming. This too is a one step, one book, one journal, one article, one health blog at a time process.

Oh the shopping! What an adventure. Going to the same stores I've always shopped at with a new agenda in mind is quite the challenge. A scavenger hunt if you will. I have been working really hard to find the organic options for the things we would normally purchase. Some are more tough than others. Some taste AWFUL and some are quite delicious. We're still experimenting with flavors and brands, but these are some of my latest finds (Mostly from Target-Archer Farms and Kroger). Here's to our continued success in hunting down flavorful, healthy food options.

Christy's B-Day

She's the best. That's pretty much all there is to say. Those who know her, love her. Those who don't, are missing out. Glad to share in your birthday festivities again this year! Cheers to you (and your silly husband). Much love. Here's my pic for best photo of the weekend.


A few stops on our birthday celebration tour:
Hudson Grille @ Perimeter Mall - very cool atmosphere, tons of televions, great patio, fantastic menu, reasonable prices. Check it out.
Charlie Mopps (Roswell Road) - if you don't have a favorite pub, this is a good choiec. Laid back atmosphere, large patio, tons of beverage choices, all around great pub environment. There is a huge "regulars" crowd, I would recommend bringing your own crew to hang with.

brunch at the square on the square

Scott & I randomly enjoyed a Sunday brunch at the Square Bagel at the Marietta Square. We have been so busy lately, it was nice to spend a little quiet time together. Granted we had already been up working for 6 hours before the brunch, but I digress. I hadn't been there in years and he had never had the pleasure. It was actually better than I remembered. They have an extensive menu and breakfast specials that run until noon. I recommend if you are looking for a new place to enjoy.