Sweet Little Cupcakes

Today is my daughter's birthday and I just wanted to share the sweet little cupcakes she made for her friends this weekend. Luckily there are some extras for the family celebration tonight. {print available}

The Pear Launch

Today I have officially launched my monthly newsletter...for September. My first one is inspired by pears. Check it out here.

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The Tea Party

My daughter had a birthday tea party today complete with tea cups, sweets and savories. At eight years old you really don't want tea so we served hot cocoa instead. The sugar bowls were filled with marshmallows.

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O is for Orange

I love oranges. I will pass up flowery smells any day for a citrus one.

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Banana Flag

I have absolutely no good reason for drawing this banana today. I just felt like it. Maybe I'm just waiting for my husband to buy some.

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Lemon Meringue Pie

A couple of weeks ago a friend asked what they should bring to our house for dessert. My husband's reply, "something good...like lemon pie". He got it. {print available}

Flying Tomatoes

It seems that tomatoes are just flying out of our garden. I think we picked about 50 the other day. It made my mom very happy - being the tomato lover she is.

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Surprise: A Present for You!

Starting in September I will officially begin my monthly newsletter. That's not the only surprise...included is a free calendar that you can print out for yourself. That's my present to you for so willingly sticking around for this ride. To learn more about The Lunch Box Project Newsletter and to subscribe...click here.

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N is for Nectarine

There really are not many foods that start with N. I just wasn't inspired by "noodles", so evolved the nectarine. A fruit I never eat, but consider it quite beautiful.

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Zucchini Bread

We've been sharing zucchini with our neighbors, then received a wonderful treat in return...three different kinds of zucchini bread. One was filled with huge chocolate chips, another blueberries and the last simply plain. All fabulous. {print available}

Drink Coasters

You know, I really like drawing every day, so I've decided to continue this next year...except for one change. Rather than painting on playing cards, I think I'm going to try those little cardboard drink coasters instead. If anyone is planning on tossing some out (maybe you own a restaurant or bar??) - please let me know and I'll reuse them! {print available}

Jelly and Peanut Butter

For the last few months I've been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast. I typically reserve this treat for weekend breakfasts, but have found they are great everyday. It fills me just enough that I don't do the morning snackies anymore. {print available}

Green Pepper

Our garden is now overflowing with green peppers. What I especially love about these is their easy winter storage. Just cut them up, throw them in a plastic bag, then pop them into the freezer. No pickling, blanching, or any other fancy preserving. {print available}

On-a-Stick

We visited the Iowa State Fair this past weekend and enjoyed the usual...anything-on-a-stick. {print available}

Wait! Just in...I feel very honored to be featured on Kim Simpson's "I Resolve to..." blog. Take a peak here. Please read beyond my interview...she has many inspiring articles! {thanks Kim!}

Artichoke

Artichokes are one of those vegetables that you learn to like by someone else being sneaky. Most turn it down, but when they learn the dip they just tasted and now love has artichokes in it, they must admit their adoration. {print available}

Butter

My son loves butter so much that he licks it right off the knife. A little too pure for me. {print available}

M is for Melons

Sometimes I get stuck with a letter and ask my daughter for help. She suggested melons for the letter "m". Perfect time of the season for that. {print available}

Three Pears

This past couple of weeks have been really busy with vacation, weddings, and just catching up on everything. My time constraints have resulted in another quickie pear painting. {print available}

The Gluten-Free Cake

This past Saturday I had the honor of participating in my sister-in-law's wedding (which was quite lovely, by the way). The reception was filled with great food, including a fabulous chocolate cake (which tasted like a brownie). When I shared my excitement I was told it was gluten-free. Ah-ha...my first g-f experience. {available}

The Craving

Last night I had a craving for ice cream so planned to drive over to the store when I realized my keys were in the car my husband drove to work. Ugh. I tucked my 11-month old in his stroller and hiked down to the gas station instead. At that point any old ice cream would do...and the cookies and cream I found was just perfect. {available}

Pizza Slices

Do you have a favorite way to slice pizza? I like the traditional cutting in half, then in half again, and so on. My husband (and mom) like the grid method. The first is very egalitarian, the second creates a variety of sizes to satisfy both big and small appetites. {available}

L is for Lollipop

What can I say...lickety split? You can probably tell I've had a busy week.


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Strawberries

By the way, I finally tasted my first strawberry soup at a local tea room. It was fabulous!!

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K is for Kiwi Fruit

This is such a beautiful (and tasty) little green thing.

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Good for You

After a week of carnival food, I just had to switch gears. {available}

Funnel Cake

This is my husband's favorite theme park food. He can spot the words "funnel cake" plastered on the side of a concrete wall through thousands of people. There really is something nice about this bread that almost tastes creamy (maybe it's all that lard). {available}

Pretzels

This is the one theme park snack that I really love. A warm, soft pretzel is the perfect food to pull apart as you walk from ride to ride. {print available}

Mozzarella Sticks

It's not vacation without mozzarella sticks. My 10-year old son was so excited he just had to know who invented this fabulous delicacy. {available}

Cheese and Nachos

Please excuse the unhealthy nature for the next four postings. We just came back from vacationing at a theme/water park and, of course, it was filled with snacks galore. Today we'll start off with the ever popular cheese and nachos. {available}

Three Corn Night

At dinner last week my husband accidently made three corn side dishes. Not sure how it happened, but we had simple boiled corn, corn-on-the-cob, and corn stirred in with zucchini...all during one meal. He didn't realize until we sat down to eat. And he thinks I can't focus. {available}

Mexican Lime Tart

For those of you lucky enough to grow lime trees in your back yard, here is a special recipe to try. To those up north, I've heard there are limes at the grocery store too (though probably not as good). Find all the details at Taste with the Eyes.

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