June 2012

Island Inspired Food: Anguilla

06.29.2012

I gleaned lots of important information after yesterday’s post: no one really cares about Arie, Chris needs to go, Jef-one-f is a keeper, and Sean might be the perfect human. I found our discussion both enlightening and thought provoking and we shall continue it next week when we can psychoanalyze everyone’s families. Now onto…food! Anguilla is somewhat of a hidden gem (If you missed why we’re talking bout Caribbean food and Anguilla, scroll down to yesterday’s post.) While nearby St. Maarten is dotted with fashion, nightlife, …

Scenes from Anguilla

Posted in Sara, Travel

06.28.2012

I was prepping a post on Caribbean Inspired food from my recent trip and realized I had waaaay too many photos to fit in a single post! Since Kate is in the hospital today (having her baby- yay!!) I thought I’d post some peaceful island photos so she can look at them for a relaxation technique. That will make everything better, right? (Photo Location: Meads Bay, Anguilla) Just kidding. You know what really makes everything better? A spinal and some …

Layered Jell-O {4th of July Edition!}

Posted in Cooking with Kids, Holiday and Seasonal, Kate, Other

06.27.2012

Apparently 4th of July layers are what all the cool kids are doing this week. And by cool kids, I mean Sara and me. And by Sara and me, I really mean Sara because I’m a tiny bit nerdy in almost every way. So, basically, one cool non-kid and one semi-nerdy non-kid are posting layered red, white, and blue recipes this week. But that sounds awkward. So if you weren’t around during our last venture into the territory of Jell-O …

Layered Patriotic Punch

Posted in Cooking with Kids, Independence Day, Punch and Juice

06.25.2012

News flash: July is next week. Say whaaaa?? (Do I say that at the start of every single new month? Yes, yes I do. Apparently I need to figure out a way to slow down time. I’ll get right on that.) Since Independence Day is at the very beginning of the month, it seems to always sneak up on me. Luckily, it’s not too hard to pull things together for a holiday centered around patriotism, explosives, and all things red, …

Coconut-Lime Cupcakes

Posted in Cakes and Cupcakes, Kate, Tropical

06.22.2012

So when Sara and I discussed doing a week of tropical recipes, apparently that meant all things coconut. Really, this recipe is my brain spawn from June, the month of never-ending celebrations (remember that discussion?) My husband loves coconut. Everything coconut. He often makes or buys coconut cake for my birthday when in reality, I’m not the biggest lover of coconut cake. But I take that as a semi-subtle hint that maybe I should be less experimental for his celebration …

Coconut-Macadamia Crusted Shrimp

Posted in 30 Minute Meals, Healthy Meals, Kate, Oven Baked, Seafood, Small Bites, Tropical

06.20.2012

You know how Sara went to Anguilla and St. Maarten a few weeks ago and lounged on the beach and ate delicious seafood? Yeah. I stayed in Louisiana, swollen and achy (although very grateful for the healthy little human I’m almost done incubating). So while she was splashing in tropical international waters, I was trying to figure out how one scratches their fire ant- and mosquito-bitten feet and ankles when one cannot reach them. It’s okay. We’re cool. I knew …

Coconut Turnovers

Posted in Baby Shower, Other, Pies and Pastries, Sara, Travel, Tropical

06.18.2012

Last month I gave you a little sneak peek of a travel assignment I was working on. Sea Cuisine has been featuring recipes and flavors inspired by travel and my husband I got the super rough assignment of exploring the beautiful island of Anguilla, and a little bit of St. Maarten as well. It was a fabulous adventure, and the work I did for Sea Cuisine will be featured all next week on The Seafood Spot, so keep your eye …

Tin Can Treats {Father’s Day Edition!}

Posted in General Crafts, Holiday Crafts, Other, Printables, Sara

06.15.2012

Need a last minute idea for some Poppa’s in your life? I thought I’d bring back this popular printable from last year. Have a good weekend! My Tin Can Treats were so popular for Mother’s Day, I figured it was only fair to include the Dads too! If you missed the Mother’s Day edition, click here to see the full tutorial. Basically, you are removing the bottom of a tab-top tin can, emptying and cleaning it, and then filling it with …

Lemon Cheesecake

Posted in Cheesecakes and Tarts, Kate

06.13.2012

So does anyone else have a month where everything happens? Birthdays…holidays…anniversaries…anything involving cake and presents and merriment? In my family growing up, March was our crazy month. Now that I have my own family, June is our celebration month–my daughter’s birthday, husband’s birthday, and Father’s Day almost always fall within a week of each other and since I am now officially full-term and could pop out a baby any day (although I really doubt that will happen…my babies are very …

How To: Homemade Ice Cream Cake Crunchies & Homemade Magic Shell Topping

Posted in How To..., Ice Cream and Frozen Treats, Kate, Other, Sauces and Icings

06.08.2012

How To: Homemade Ice Cream Cake Crunchies & Homemade Magic Shell Topping

It is totally possible that this is the most random Our Best Bites post ever. We often get requests for how to make those crunchy things that are inside Carvel and Dairy Queen and other ice cream cakes, so I used my awesome stalker research skills to find out how they’re made. I also had this little awesome tip on how to make your own chocolate shell at home. Suddenly, I had these two seemingly unrelated mini recipes that are so …