Yellow Submarine

We have just arrived at my last Beatle Food post. September has flown by so fast.

Because I am super busy I've decided to focus on my past favorites in October. I have drawn over 400 food images since January 2009. I'll sift through those and show you the ones I love most.

Check back in on Friday, October 1 for the start of my personal reflection.

Until then, enjoy a sub sandwich.

Marshmallow Pie...No fluff! It's time to vote again!

Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies. Yes, another from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Lucy must have had a really good meal.

Speaking of tasty food...it's time to vote for the Project Food Blog Challenge #2! You can read my challenge entry and vote here.

Anyone can vote. You will need to register at Foodbuzz, but it only takes a minute...and if you love food, that's the place to be.

Project Food Blog Challenge #2: The Classics

As part of Project Food Blog's Challenge #2 we are to tackle a foreign cuisine outside our comfort zone (though, almost anything would be outside mine).

I've chosen a Scandinavian dessert called Upside-Down Lingonberry Muffins. My husband and I both have Norwegian ancestry, plus we currently live in a Norwegian community. We are not originally from this area, so have enjoyed learning many of the fabulous Scandinavian dishes. Every fall we partake in kumla suppers and our neighbor often shares her blue-ribbon kringla.

My featured ingredient is the lingonberry. Lingonberries are a staple in Scandinavian recipes. They are a small red berry found in mountainous areas of the Northern Hemisphere. These berries are often used with meats and baked goods. They are similar to cranberries and are just as healthy. This recipe, originally printed in A Lingonberry Cookbook, calls for fresh ones, but unfortunately, those can't be found in Iowa, so I slipped in lingonberry preserves instead. I must point out that finding lingonberry preserves is also no small feat. I dragged my kids all over central Iowa before locating that special jar.



To make Upside-Down Lingonberry Muffins, start by mixing the dry ingredients below.



Once mixed, add the following wet ingredients. The final batter will be lumpy.



This recipe makes 12 small muffins, but I decided to make six large ones instead. Make sure you grease the muffin tray first. Add the preserves to the bottom of the muffin indents, then pour the batter on top. The original recipe also required sugar and butter be added to the berries within each indent, but I left this out since I was using preserves. I did learn that this batter rises quite a bit, so you may want to leave about an inch at the top.



Pop into the oven for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Since I made six large ones, the 25 minutes worked perfectly. If you make smaller ones, 20 minutes may be more appropriate. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about ten minutes. Place a plate top facing down onto muffins, then flip muffins over onto plate (gently, of course). You may have to scoop out the extra berries and place them on top.



My favorite part of this recipe is the berry smell while they are cooking. Wow! The final result actually has a biscuit taste and texture. The salty texture of the muffin combined with the sweet berries is a great combination. Perfect with tea or a coffee break.

I am really veering from my blog intent by including photographs, but I wanted to show you that I did indeed bake these fabulous muffins.





Recipe gently borrowed from About.com: Scandinavian Food. Original recipe from the Bellingham Damekor's A Lingonberry Cookbook.

Sitting on a Cornflake

Have you ever sat on a cornflake...and what is the significance of that?

Song: I am the Walrus

Honey Pie...it's time to vote!

Today you can officially vote for your favorite Project Food Blog Challenge #1 entry. Click here to read mine.

Of course, I'd love to have your vote, but if my blog isn't your forte, I encourage you to peruse all the other fabulous entries.

Vote here...and enjoy all the virtual eating.

Voting is open through 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 23.

Song: Honey Pie
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Glass Onion

I really struggled with this one so went to my Facebook buddies for help. Their suggestions helped me come up with the crystal ball approach.

Can you see your future in the glass onion?

Song: Glass Onion

Sgt. Pepper

This was one of my favorite albums as a kid. I loved the whimsical, carnival-like feeling.

I associate this name so much with The Beatles that I didn't even notice the food connection at first. My daughter pointed it out. Sometimes it takes a newbie to notice these things I guess.

Song: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

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Project Food Blog Challenge #1: Food and Art

We interrupt our regular scheduled programming for my Challenge One submission to the Project Food Blog competition. The goal...to find the next food blog star! To learn more about this fabulous competition visit Foodbuzz.

The first challenge to is to answer this question:

What defines you as a food blogger and why should you be the next food blog star?

The combination of food and art define me as a food blogger. My love of art drove me to blogging and my love of food provided the focus. The result is a fresh perspective of food through whimsical illustrations at “The Lunch Box Project”.

My blogging adventures focus on four food dimensions:

1. Personal food stories. My blog is a way to share my relationship with food, good or bad, big or small, serious or funny.

2. My simple recipes. Okay, I am an amateur in the food world, but that seems to work for me. I think my readers enjoy the naivety and simple approach.

3. Highlighting fellow food blogger’s recipes. I LOVE illustrating food posts from other blogs. It gives me a chance to learn something new, offers some fun recipes to my readers, exposes other food bloggers to a new audience, plus allows others to see their food on an art level. I especially love grouping recipes around themes (cupcakes, pancakes, etc.). This approach is a nice way to collect the best from several sites into an illustrated, focused “menu” of sorts.

4. Food in popular culture. I often pick monthly themes to encourage a new look at what we eat. It’s a great way to view food in an innovative way. Themes include (honestly): gnomes, The Beatles, strawberry circus, ABC breakfast, The Tomato Chronicles, Ice, and many others. To add a fun twist, I often ask for feedback from my readers through Facebook and Twitter.

I should be the next food blog star because of my creative and novel approach to eating. I’m definitely not the best chef, but I value a fun and unique way to communicate food idiosyncrasies.

Imagine a blog that changes themes monthly, highlights fabulous recipes with an amusing twist, demonstrates the basics, and includes quirky, personal foodie stories. All of this pulled together by fresh, whimsical illustrations. Good news…that blog is “The Lunch Box Project”!

You can VOTE here!

{oh, and did you know most of my illustrations are painted on playing cards?}

Mean Mr. Mustard

I'm not sure what to say...except that I love mustard and my kids hate it. What's with that?

Song: Mean Mr. Mustard

Drank-a-Cup

Woke up, fell out of bed,
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup...

This was probably a cup of tea, but you can image a cup of coffee if that helps.

Song: A Day in the Life

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Egg Man

I swore that I would not draw an egg that looked like a man for this one, but my daughter insisted that I draw Humpty Dumpty. I guess that's not too literal. :)

Song: I am the Walrus

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Marmalade Skies

As a child I was always intrigued with Beatle phrases such as "tangerine trees and marmalade skies". I think the whimsical aspect of Beatle music has influenced my art more than I know.

Anyone have any good marmalade recipes?

Song: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

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Tangerine Trees

Here is a healthy snack from "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".

Speaking of trees, have you seen my new garden blog...Topiary & Tiramisu?

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Strawberry Fields

After many weeks of prodding from my nine-year old daughter this month I bring you....{drumroll please}...Beatle Food.

On a five hour car ride to Wisconsin, while listening to Beatle music, my daughter started noticing all the food references in their songs. This month is the list of titles she jotted down in the car that day. And by the way, recently she proclaimed she was a "Beatle-Fan-in-Training"...so this is just the start of her craziness.

Let's start with an easy one...strawberry fields.

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