Energy Bites

I’m back from a wonderful vacation!  It’s always hard to get back into the swing of things, especially work.  My job has been rather crazy, so what better way to boost my energy than with these Energy Bites.  These energy bites are so delicious, you’ll want to eat the entire batch.  You can add whatever type of nut butter you like.  I used peanut butter, but sunflower butter or almond butter would be tasty too.  You can also add whatever type of baking chips you like.  I love to eat a few of these bites on my way to work or for an afternoon snack.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Method:

1. Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into 1″ balls and store in the refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Yield:  About 20 balls

*Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

It’s Almost Time for Vacation!

 

Top 10 Things on my Maine To-Do List:

1. Eat lobster – Lobster is $3.99 a pound right now.  Enough said!
2. Sleep in – No more setting the alarm for 5:40.  I’m going to sleep until my heart desires!
3. Climb a lighthouse – There’s a famous one within walking distance to our house, so I’m planning on making at least 1 trip.
4. Antiquing – Maine is supposed to have some cool antique spots.  Would love to find a few gems while I’m up there.
5. Ride a bike – The house we’re staying at has 1 bike divided by 12 people.  I’m going to put my name on the wait-list now.
6. Read a book or 5 – I am bringing 5 books with me.  I’m old school and still love checking books out from the library.
7. Games – I plan on playing lots of board games with my family.  Let the competition begin!
8. Dance parties – My 12-month old niece loves to dance while holding my i-phone.  A lot of dance parties are going to happen next week.
9. Enjoy a sunset over the ocean – no explanation necessary!
10. And last but certainly not least…. Relax and enjoy time with my family! 🙂

Will be back soon!

Raspberry Limoncello Spritzer & a Kodak Photo Book

I was recently contacted by KODAK, as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, to create a hardcover photo book for free!  My two year wedding anniversary is coming up in September, and I realized that my hubby and I never bought ourselves a wedding album; we gave one to my parents and to my in-laws, but we never got around to getting one for ourselves!  I figured this was the perfect opportunity to bust out my wedding photos and take a stroll down memory lane.  I thought it would be a great idea to create this photo book while sipping on the signature cocktail that we served at our wedding…. Raspberry Limoncello Spritzer.  Since my hubby and I met in Italy and became engaged there a few years later, we wanted to have a signature drink at our wedding that was reminiscent of our time spent in Florence.  This drink is light, refreshing, and delicious!

What is more, KODAK Gallery is providing an exclusive offer for you; 40% off a medium hardcover or a large Photo Book. Simply go to www.kodakgallery.com/creativity to redeem.  The offer is only available through this URL until 8/31/11 so get started!

Here are some of my favorite photos that I included in our Kodak photo book.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 (750-ml) bottle limoncello, chilled
• 1 cup sparkling water, chilled
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 5 fresh mint sprigs, lightly crushed, plus extra for garnish
• Crushed ice

Directions:

1. In a pitcher, combine the limoncello, sparkling water, raspberries, and mint sprigs.
2. Fill glasses halfway with crushed ice. Pour about 1/2 cup of the limoncello mixture over the ice in each glass.
3. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.

Homemade Dill Pickles

Here’s a fun fact for my readers out there… my first baby word (besides Mama and Dada) was pickle.  No joke!  What’s even more amazing is that my sister’s first “word” was Tom Brokaw, Roger Mudd.  Apparently, since I was not even conceptualized yet, my grandmother was sitting on the couch with my sister watching the nightly news and my sister busted out two of the news anchors’ names.  Ok, so pickle isn’t that great compared to my sister’s first 4 words, but it’s pretty cool right?  Anyways, I do love pickles and depending on what mood I’m in, will go for either dill spears, bread and butter chips, or baby gherkins.  After our trip to the farmer’s market last weekend, you may recall that the hubs and I did not end up buying the cheese bread, but bought some goat cheese and some pickle cucumbers instead.  I decided I was going to make some dill pickles.  It was my first time making pickles, so I looked at quite a few different recipes to get an idea of what I wanted.  I definitely love onions and garlic, so I knew I wanted to add some of those babies to the mix.  I also found some pickling spice at the grocery store which saved me time and money from having to buy all those spices separately.

What about you… do you like pickles?  If so, what kinds?  Have you ever made your own before?  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 quart-sized mason jars and lids
• 8-10 pickle cucumbers (depending on the size)
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced thinly in rings
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 3 tbsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp pickling spice
• 2 tsp dill seeds

Directions:

1. Boil mason jars and lids in water and allow to air dry.
2. Clean and cut cucumbers into quarters and divide between mason jars.
3. Scatter onion rings and garlic over cucumbers.
4. In a large stock pot, combine water, vinegar, salt, sugar, pickling spice, and dill seed and bring to a boil.  Turn heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and fill each mason jar with vinegar mixture.
5. Allow jars to cool for 15 minutes before placing tops on and sealing.
6. If refrigerating, allow jars to cool completely before placing in refrigerator.  If canning jars for future use, boil jars in a hot water bath for at least 20 minutes until the top of the seal is pressed down securely.  Allow jars to cool completely before storing in a dark, cool place.

World Nutella Day!

February 5^th is World Nutella Day which means “Nutella lovers unite for one day!”    In 2007, two food bloggers and lovers of Nutella (Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso) gave this heavenly spread its very own holiday.  It’s a way for the food blogging community to pay homage to this delicious hazelnut spread by sharing their favorite recipes with each other and of course, by eating Nutella.  Here’s a few of my favorite Nutella recipes for you guys to enjoy on this special day!

Nutella & Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Butter Cream

Nutella Mousse

Shortbread Nutella Sandwiches

Christmas 2010 Recap!

This year my hubby and I went to Long Island for Christmas to celebrate with his family.  We have been having a great time at home eating a ton of food, relaxing, laughing, making fun of each other, etc.  I received so many wonderful Christmas presents from my family including new Saucony sneakers, the Culinary Institute of America’s Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft, a beautiful, white Fossil watch, an eco-friendly travel mug, and a delicious smelling, gigantic cinnamon candle that I’ll probably burn in 2 weeks.  My hubby and I also exchanged gifts and he definitely outdid his self this year.  My hubby bought me a new Canon S95.  It’s amazing!!!!  There are so many features on this camera that I don’t even know about, so I’ll definitely have to go through the tutorial.  Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

P.S. These photos were NOT taken with my new camera.  Hoping you guys will see a big change when I start using my new one!

(All my cookies)

(Tray of my cookies)

(Hubby, Me, Sister-in-Law, Brother-in-Law)

Stylish Blogger Award

I recently received the Stylish Blogger Award from one of my fellow food bloggers Kitchenarian.  This is a fun Award that allows bloggers to recognize and honor their fellow bloggers who they deem possess “great style” and have contributed to the blogging community.  I’m honored that I was one of the bloggers who Kitchenarian chose to give this Award too.

Kitchenarian has a beautiful blog that discusses “all things pertaining to the kitchen.”  Her writing style conveys her genuine love of food and of all things food-related.  She’s even passed her love of food and enthusiasm for writing on to her daughter as she is one of her contributing writers.  Her photos are amazing and will literally make your mouth water.  Just check out her post for Pumpkin Doughnuts and tell me that you’re not drooling right now!  I’m always excited to receive one of Kitchenarian’s new posts because you never know what fun and exciting recipe you’re going to have waiting for you.  Thank you again to Kitchenarian!

In order to accept this Award, there are a few things that I have to do.  The first thing is that I have to share 7 things about myself.  Here it goes!

1. I don’t like chocolate, but I love to drink chocolate milk after I workout.
2. I am tall, 5’10 tall.
3. I ran a marathon once and loved it so much I will never run another one again.
4. My least favorite baking thing to do is to cut butter into a recipe. I hate it!
5. My husband and I met in Florence, Italy while we were studying abroad in college.
6. I love the snow.
7. I’m obsessed with my Kitchen Aid and my Henckles knife block.

I’m also going to pass this Award on to some of my fellow bloggers who I read on a daily basis and who have inspired me to become a better cook, a better writer, and/or a better photographer.  Thank you to the following blogs:

Amy Bakes Everything

Beth’s Journey

Black Book Kitchen Diaries

Cream Puffs in Venice

Garlic and Sea Salt

Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

Awardees ― Accepting this award is based on the following criteria:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2.  Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the Award on to other bloggers you follow and who have inspired you.
4. Copy the award from my blog and then you may display it on your own blog.
5. Notify your selected recipients.

DC Metro Cooking & Entertaining Show Recap

This past weekend I attended the DC Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show as an official Foodbuzz Foodie Correspondent.  It was very cool – I even got my own press pass!  The main exhibit hall was huge and had numerous exhibitors giving away samples and tastings.  There were a ton of different exhibitors featuring homemade bbq sauces, cakes, whoopie pies, spice rubs, and various other food-related goodies.  Take a look at a few of my favorites!

Emily G’s Jam of Love

Holly’s Au Natural Oatmeal

Grama’s Best Apple Caviar

Wanna Hava Cookie Whoopie Pies

Beautiful cake (I can’t remember who made this!)

Rub Joe Meat Killer Coffee & Spice Rub

Gia Michael’s Gourmet Garbage

Bobby Flay

I watched Restaurant Eve’s Chef de Cuisine Jeremy Hoffman and Sommelier Tod Thrasher cook up beef wellington and make homemade mulled cider respectively.  There was also a Foodspring.com tasting contest; we tasted 15 different items that included marinades, sauces, ginger beer, curry ketchup, toffee, etc.  My vote went to an amazing sticky toffee pudding by the Sticky Toffee Pudding Company.  It was amazing, and I could have eaten about five more samples!  There were also Food Network celebrity events going on all weekend that included cooking demonstrations and book signings by Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, and Rachel Ray.  I was lucky enough to be at the show for Bobby Flay’s cooking demonstration.  I took some cool photos of Bobby Flay in action.  He’s exactly like he is on TV;  an extremely personable and cute Irishman with an affinity for Southwestern cuisine and a NY accent.

Overall, this was a great event that featured unique exhibitors and restaurateurs from all over the country. Be sure to check out the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show website for future locations and dates.  I’m happy to have been a Foodbuzz correspondent!

Homemade Granola Bars & Share Our Strength

This past weekend, I decided to bake my own homemade granola bars since I spend money every week at the grocery store buying them.  I found a recipe from Alton Brown and just added a few of my own goodies I had on hand.  I used shredded coconut, butterscotch chips, and flax seeds – not exactly a healthy granola bar, but a yummy one!  What’s nice about baking your own granola bars is that you can use whatever goodies you prefer (chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, nuts, dried fruits, etc.)  This is a simple recipe to make and definitely more cost effective than buying granola bars each week!

In other news, I recently started volunteering for Share Our Strength.  Many of you have probably heard of this organization, but if you haven’t, they are a non-profit that works to help end childhood hunger in the U.S.  In particular, every year they host an event called Taste of the Nation DC in which DC-area restaurants and chefs gather to raise money and awareness for this great cause.  100% of the proceeds go to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, which includes support for local beneficiaries Capitol Area Food Bank, DC Hunger Solutions, and Mary’s Center.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, this Monday, November 15^th is No Kid Hungry Day.  Select food trucks in DC including Bada Bing, CapMac, Choupi Crepes, DC Empanadas, DC Love Bites, Eat Wonky, Red Hook Lobster and Takorean will offer their eats the entire day and then donate a percentage of the proceeds to Taste of the Nation DC.  There’s also a happy hour at The Passenger (1021 7^th Street NW) from 5-8pm where 10% of the proceeds will also be donated to Taste of the Nation DC.

Be sure to grab some local, food truck eats and a few cocktails at The Passenger today!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup butterscotch chips (you can use chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc.)
• 2 tbsp flax seeds
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 by 13″ baking dish.
2. Toss the oatmeal and coconut together on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
3. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
5. Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the butterscotch chips and mix.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
8. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Metro Cooking Show Ticket Giveaway

Congrats to Lauren from Vita e Pane for winning the Metro Cooking Ticket!!!

Last week, I blogged about the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show that is going to take place this coming weekend in Washington, DC.  I am actually going to be covering the event on behalf of Foodbuzz as part of their Foodie Correspondent program.  Because I’ve already purchased a ticket for the event and no longer need it, I’m going to be giving away 1 free general admission ticket to a lucky winner!  The Show is being held this Saturday, November 13 from 10am-7pm and Sunday, November 14 from 10am-5pm, so please be sure that you can attend one of these days.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

1. Subscribe to my blog via email and leave a comment telling me you did.
2. For an extra entry, “Like” Happy When Not Hungry’s Facebook page and leave a comment telling me you did.
3. Get two extra entries by posting about this giveaway on your blog and linking back to this post.  Leave me two separate comments telling me what you did.
4. Leave a comment telling me what you’re most looking forward to seeing at the show for an extra entry.

One winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be notified.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, November 10^th at 7pm Eastern Time.

Good luck and can’t wait to see you there!