Monday, February 28, 2011

Easter Bunny Bento



My first try at some Easter Bento. 
Here we have a cheese sandwich cut with the bento container for a perfect fit.  Sitting on the sandwich is the Easter Bunny himself.  Grin.   This guy came from Fancy Flours:
http://www.fancyflours.com/icing-bunny-with-carrot-feet.html
Wouldn't he be cute on a cupcake?

The pink striped bunny Bento food pick flat was purchased on ebay.  Search "Bento Food Pick Flag" to find these on ebay.  The green grass behind the cheese sandwich is reusable silicon BARAN purchased from jbox http://www.jbox.com/product/NYH131

Also from Fancy Flours are these adorable bunny party picks--perfect for Bento! I smile thinking of my daughter eating her raspberries and red grapes with this darling bunny.  I picked these up on one of Fancy Flours super sales and sadly they are sold out now. 
***Giveaway Alert***
However, I picked up an extra set of 10 for the blog!  So followers of my blog, please leave a comment on this post and I'll do a drawing Friday 3/4/2011 for the Bunnies. :-)


Using a small bunny cutter, I made the bunny cucumbers for the veggie.
The organic cheddar bunny crackers are Annie's brand from the grocery store.
http://www.annies.com/cheddar_bunnies


The bunny message bubble (that I have no idea what it says?) is a Bento food divider found on ebay.

Did you know that Pottery Barn Kids no carries Bento boxes!  You know Bento has gone mainstream in the USA if Pottery Barn jumps on board.  These are great basic boxes for girls and boys!
Spencer Bento Box Containers

Spencer Bento Box Containers

 http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/spencer-bento-box-containers/?pkey=e%7Cbento%7C1%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCHNoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-

Happy Monday Everyone.

~The Lemonista

Friday, February 25, 2011

Guacamole Tableside & A Super Fast Southwest Appetizer



As I mentioned before, one of the benefits of living in the Southwest (besides the fabulous warm weather) is the plethora of wonderful Mexican Restaurants.  The first time my husband and I ate at the Barrio Cafe, I was too dazzled by the showmanship of tableside guacamole to pay much attention to all the ingredients.  Once I had my first bite, I was on a mission to discover the recipe.  My next visit, I focused intently on the guacamole being created in front of me and then stealthily scratched the recipe on a piece of paper concealed in my purse.  Here is my interpretation of the Barrio Cafe's guacamole.  It is beyond imaginable.

You will need:  (plus 2 limes that I forgot to photograph)


Cut tomatoes in quarters.


Scoop out tomato goo and discard.  (This is the secret to keep guac or salsa from being runny).




Finely dice tomatoes.


Add 1/2 cup finely diced red onion.


Add 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro.


Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries.


Squeeze in the juice of one whole lime.


Open jalapeno and clean out seeds.  Then mince the jalapeno and put into a separate bowl.


With the back of a spoon, crush the mined jalapeno with 1 tsp. Kosher salt.


Add jalapeno/salt mixture to Guac.  Add 1 tsp. Olive oil.  Stir to combine.
***You may use more or less jalapeno here to adjust the heat.


**Okay, this is the place that you can stop and put the prepped quac/salsa in the frig until you are ready to serve.

Slice ripe avocados in half and remove seeds. 


Running your knife through the meat of the avocado, make a cubed grid.


Using a spoon, scoop the diced avocado into the salsa mixture.


Stir GENTLY, being careful not to smash the chunks of avocado. 


Taste to correct seasonings.   Add extra lime juice and more salt if needed.  I ended up adding an extra 1/2 lime and a sprinkle more of kosher salt.


Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.


The salty, sweet, tart, & spice of this guacamole is nothing short of AMAZING! 

Guacamole Tableside
3 medium tomatoes, goo removed and finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup dried cranberries
The juice of 1 to 2 whole limes
1 jalapeno minced
1 tsp Kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp oilve oil
3 ripe avocados, cubed

Cut tomatoes in quarters. Scoop out tomato goo and discard. (This is the secret to keep guac or salsa from being runny). Finely dice tomatoes. Add finely diced red onion. Add 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro. Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries. Squeeze in the juice of one whole lime. Open jalapeno and clean out seeds. Then mince the jalapeno and put in a separate bowl. With the back of a spoon, crush the mined jalapeno with 1 tsp. Kosher salt. Add jalapeno/salt mixture to Guac.  Add 1 tsp. Olive oil. Stir to combine. (You may use more or less jalapeno here to adjust the heat).
**Okay, this is the place that you can stop and put the prepped quac/salsa in the frig until you are ready to serve.
Slice ripe avocados in half and remove seeds. Running your knife through the meat of the avocado, make a cubed grid. Using a spoon, scoop the diced avocado into the salsa mixture. Stir GENTLY, being careful not to smash the chunks of avocado. Taste to correct seasonings. Add extra lime juice and more salt if needed. I ended up adding an extra 1/2 lime and a sprinkle more of kosher salt. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
 butterfly divider
All right, now for a zero labor, lickety split Southwest appetizer!  My husband and I have been serving this one since college.  You know, the good 'ol days when parties consisted of a giant trash cans, a keg of beer, red plastic Solo cups and maybe a few lime slices in a cereal bowl.   Ha! 

You will need only three ingredients:


Open the cream cheese and put it on a plate. Pour Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce over the top.  ( I purchase this at Costco but they also have a website if your Costco doesn't carry it, http://www.jelly.com/ )


Serve with crackers.  I've chosen wheat thins to make my lunch dietetic.  LOL.


The cool cream cheese is just perfect with the smokey sweet spice of the raspberry chipotle sauce.
Enjoy!
 butterfly divider
The winner of today's drawing for the romantic floral ring using random.org is
NUMBER #10
So, Muskie Mom, send me an email with your address and I'll get the ring to you in the mail.
thelemonista@yahoo.com.


Have a great weekend ladies.  I'm off to bake some spring cakes for a charity auction tomorrow.

~The Lemonista

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Spring is in the air! Check out these blooming finds...

I'll start back up with more Southwest recipes in my next post. Today I thought I'd spread a little of the spring fever that's been on my mind.

Maybe it's because I write young adult romance or maybe it's because I've always been drawn to anything with that vintage feel, but something about romantic spring blooms just suck me in.  I love a punch of color after the muted dark winter shades in my wardrobe and home decor.  I've already picked up a few spring items that have caught my eye and I thought I'd share them here.

With Valentine's Day packed up and Easter around the corner, I've begun adding a few spring touches around the house.  I found these two decorative plates at Michael's.  One was $3.99 and the other $5.99.

Bunny plate


Chick plate



My fashionista neighbor, Stephanie, brought this fun ring to my attention.  This romantic floral ring looks exactly like something you would find at Anthropologie, however, this gem was found in the dollar bins at Michael's!!!  Yes, folks, this beauty cost $1.00!






Continuing with the blooming motif, this Abercrombie & Fitch cardi just sings spring!  I love both colorways.  How darling would this be over a simple tank with some denim capri pants. 




And, everyone needs a new fresh white top mixed into their spring wardrobe.  The style and cut of this ruffled polo at Old Navy totally appeals to my love of vintage.  This top is very flattering and a great basic. 



What could be more vintage looking than a tank or tee from Vintage Lucy's?
http://www.vintagelucys.com/
***HOT TIP*** Be sure to check out Vintage Lucy's Facebook page for $14 weekly sale tanks & tees for Women and kids.  I just got this adorable tank for my daughter.
http://www.facebook.com/vintagelucys?v=wall&ref=mf


Now for the Vive la résistance!
I recently purchased this maxi skirt and floral top from my favorite store, Anthropologie.
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&id=20095469&parentid=SEARCH_RESULTS

I've read in several publications that the Maxi Skirt will be big this spring and summer.  Free People Apparel has the largest selection I've seen, but this particular outfit at Anthro is simply to die for.  I have a general rule against horizontal stripes, but this skirt broke all the rules.  The drape and angle of the stripes make this skirt so very slimming.  I did find this skirt to run long and generous, but then who doesn't love to fit into a smaller size. Grin.  I'm making cakes for a charity auction next weekend and I cannot wait to wear this outfit to the event! (I'll try and post some photos!)
~The Lemonista

***Giveaway Alert***
Oh, I almost forgot!   

I picked up an extra floral ring for my blog followers.  Leave a comment on this post and I'll have a drawing Friday 2/25/2011 for the ring. 

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Lucky #7


This morning we have the drawing for the bottle of prickly pear syrup.
Once again I used Rangom.org to select the winning comment number.  There were 27 comments, two of which were mine.  (I figured if it selected one of my comments, then I'd just run it again.)  I'm happy to report that lucky number 7 was the winner first time out of the gate! 

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

7


Timestamp: 2011-02-20 16:20:17 UTC

So, Ms. Corina, shoot me an email with your address and I'll get this off to you in the mail!
thelemonista@yahoo.com

Thanks to everyone who participated.  Hope you are enjoying a nice holiday weekend.

~The Lemonista

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Lemonista's Prickly Pear Margaritas & A Giveaway!

Did you know that some cactus are edible?
Yep.  And one cactus in particular produces a delicious fruit~ 
The Prickly Pear Cactus.


Prickly pear cactus are very common in Phoenix and the fruit this cactus produces has the most AMAZING magenta color! 




This fruit is often made into a syrup and then the syrup is used to flavor foods.  Prickly pear syrup is simply dreamy.  It has a sweet-tart taste that reminds me of a Smarties candy.  I guess I could go through the trouble of making my own but I found a local product that is so darn good that I figure, why bother? 

Cheri's Desert Harvest makes the most delicious prickly pear syrup.

http://www.cherisdesertharvest.com/pricpearcacs.html
You can pick this up at AJ's grocery store in Phoenix, but if don't live in AZ, then you can purchase this online. 

**********Giveaway Alert**********  
I picked up an extra bottle of Cheri's Prickly Pear Syrup for my beloved blog followers.  So leave a comment on this post and I'll do a drawing on Sunday 2/20 and ship a bottle to the winner's front door.  :-)

There are many great recipe suggestions on Cheri's Desert Harvest website www.cherisdesertharvest.com/recipes.html, but I find adding this syrup to anything with citrus results in the perfect harmony of flavors.  Being a margarita gal. I always order a prickly pear margarita whenever it's an available option. I've been playing around with my own perfect prickly pear margarita for a couple of years now. I'm happy to report that last summer I finally perfected it. (You can ask my neighbor Stephanie who suffered through the taste tests! LOL!! ) Not only is this drink amazingly delicious, it is also one of the prettiest drinks I've ever seen. Don't take my word for it, however. Make up your own batch and be the judge. This triumph of a drink will have you smacking your lips together and grinning from ear to ear.





The Lemonista’s Prickly Pear Margaritas
Yields one pitcher.

2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
2 cups margarita mix
the juice of one whole lime
1 cup Patron silver tequila
1/4 cup Cuarntro or Grande Mariner
1/3 cup Prickly pear syrup

Mix all ingredients.  Serve on the rocks with a salted rim glass.

ENJOY!

***Updated with my favorite Margarita mix!  Thanks Corina for your question.
I LOVE Dr. Swami & Bone Daddy's Margarita Mix. 
Margarita Gourmet Drink Mix - 4 pack
I find this at Safeway or Vonns grocery store, but you can order online if you cannot find it at your local grocery store. 

~The Lemonista

*In full disclosure, Mike took my camera on his trip this week, so all of the photos on this post have been "borrowed" from the Internet. If I take any of the photos down, then you'll know I got dinged. Wink.