Strawberry Shortcake Popsicle

So my good friend Ali(another member of this co-op) got me a fancy Zoku Popsicle maker for my Birthday a few weeks ago. This thing is amazing in that you just keep it in your freezer and it instant freezes popsicles in under 8 minutes. (wut!)

Anyhow. Decided to try it out today. So I made 'Strawberry Shortcake pops' (I used the recipe from the book that came with it, I know, super creative, but that is what recipe books are for!).

The vanilla part is made with 2 vanilla pudding cups, 3/4 cup water, 3 T sugar and 1 T vanilla extract all whisked together. While the strawberry layer is frozen strawberries I microwaved pureed with 2 T fresh clover Beaverton OR honey, 3/4 T water and 1/8 T vanilla.

Calorie Count: ~75 calories each.
You can buy tons of 'low calorie' snacks that taste far worse that this that market themselves as '100 calories each!' or you can make your own for less money, and better flavor. I am sure you can make these in ice cube trays or cheap popsicles makers as well, and just leave them freezing over night.

My boyfriend, Tom commented that 'normally Popsicle are watery and lacking in flavor and suffer from this, and they(the ones I made) do not' I was reminded of a creamsicle and margaritas myself.

So there you have it, my first adventure in Popsicle making.

Candylude 1:Nerds Rainbow Mix

We all love candy right? Ok maybe not everyone does. But I definitely do! I figured between main posts, I would write some 'Candyludes' interludes about candy I try.

Nerds
These Wonka treats have been around since as long as I can remember. According to Wiki they have been around since 1983, which would be why they have been around as long as I remember. I am happy to say the rainbow nerds pack NO LONGER INCLUDES WHITE (my nemesis and hated flavor). Nerds are tangy and sweet and a perfect treat for a long road trip or eating while you watch a movie. I tend to obsessively eat all my least favorite flavors out of the pack, then separate the large nerds from the small. I eat all the small ones first, saving the tasty large ones for last.
I found this package at the Dollar Tree.

Flavors:
Yellow: WHAT flavor is this. Pineapple? I think? IDK but I am really not a fan.
Green: Watermelon. Nom my favorite flavor for candys!
Ornage: Ornage (duh!)
Purple: Grape, pretty average here too.
Pink: Strawberry.

Wait... where is the cherry(red!) :(.
Well I guess I will take an lack of cherry to not have whites... but yellow might be the new white.

This has been a candylude!

Oven Roasted Mini Peppers

Bought a bag of these Mini-Sweet peppers. Having no real plans for them, but not wanting them to go to waste in my fridge and mold. I scoured the internet for a good recipe.

I am not a fan of overly complicated dishes, or using too many expensive ingredients. What if the dish comes out bad? What if I do not have the talents to execute the proper steps to make top dollar peppers! The horrors of my over active imagination.


So instead of risking them to a recipe I did not have at hand, and instead of wasting time cooking all night. I continued reading my current book and instead, cut off the ends and cleaned them out. Arranged them haphazardly on a tray. Gave them a spray of butter (because butter is the only flavor of canned oil I have right now, Olive oil would have been better) and then dusted them with garlic salt.

Instead of making an elegant meal to serve them with, I ordered a few pizzas from Dominos(who happened to be having a 5.99 for medium two topping pizzas deal). and placed these on top of them. Dinner.

P.S. I don't take the skins off, I happen to like the flavor/texture the skin provides.

Starting a new blog

I cook, a whole heck of a lot, but I seem to forget to chronicle it, so here is to hoping I can have the remembrance to keep up this time.

Edit:
I have decided to open this blog up to my friends and a few other people who, like me have lives and don't post constantly. I am hoping that in combination all of us can make this a great place to come read about foodventures of varied people with varied backgrounds and tastes.

For note. I am JoDee. Admin of this blog, and lover of food(as my wasteline shows adequately). I am 25, and I almost wrote 22, that is how off I am on the real world. Graduated in 2011 from University of Hawaii at Hilo with a bachelors of Art in Marine Science. I have a love for eating and making good food, that no one can really equate this love  to my upbringing. I remember my first lover expressing how food is for passion just like love and feeding me delightful new foods that brought out new tastes to me. Foods I had never tried, such as curry, avocado, hummus and lychees suddenly revolutionized the boring world of food my parents had given me. Since then I have explored multiple cuisines, pondered and discarded the idea of being a chef and even been paid for my food. While rarely beautiful, I like to think of everything I cook as flavorful.