And he looks at me like I’m lying to him, or something,
like Spaghetti Sauce has some hidden booby trap and it is laced with HOT PEPPERS,
or something.
And I’ve told him, ‘Why would I lie to you? I’m your Mom. Trust me.’ I mean- I’ve taken care of him every day for 6 years now and loved him… so why would I lie to him about Spaghetti Sauce??!!

Oh, and now, this morning, he just informed me that he doesn’t like the hot dogs at school anymore…
Because of how they taste with chocolate milk   ??!!

What sense does that make?

Does Your Child Have any weird food hang-ups?

It’s a tomato… but it’s way more than that,

according to my son, it’s a ’snowman tomato’.

It’s 2 tomatoes grown together… I think…

Very Cool!  The coolness of this tomato did not stop my son from

immediately eating it after this picture was taken, however…

Sorry Mr. Tomato, a 6-year-old’s loyalty is brief and fleeting

probably everyone but me.

BUT, for everyone else out there who has never attempted to make deviled eggs,

because, like me, you thought they were

’so complicated’ and

‘kinda gourmet’,

But really you think,

‘Why make them when you can buy them already made in the grocery store, and even-in-a-cute ‘deviled egg container’? …

Well, I’m here to tell you- Deviled Eggs are incredibly EASY to make,

Incredibly QUICK to make,

And I’m sure you have all the ingredients in your pantry already…

READY?  Here we go-

Boil eggs.

Cut them in half.

Remove the yolks,

and mix them with

Yeah, that’s it…

Add a touch of paprika on top for a nice little spice.

And Yeah, that’s it.

I’m feeling like,

‘How have I been alive for this long and never knew this?  How can I have been a mother for this long and never attempted this before?  Who knows how many ‘hard’ things out there… are really pretty easy?!  I bet you poached eggs aren’t that hard either!’

So now you know,

and you’re the Cool Mom… with deviled eggs for snacks!

 Yes, this is a little random, but stay with me for just a second… last week I bought a pomegranate to show my son.  He had seen one on TV and he’d never eaten one, so we got one at the store.

But, I got it home and cut into it, and immediately had bright red pomegranate juice going all over my kitchen counter…

Needless to go into any more detail- I ruined the pomegranate and thought, “Why don’t I know how to cut open a pomegranate?”

Fast forward to last night- Andrea from Andrea’s Recipes twitters about pomegranates- 

which is a little weird, in a good way, because I hadn’t bought a pomegranate in about a DECADE, before last week,

I twitter her back asking her how to cut one open (because she knows everything about food and cooking)

She twitters me this site that has everything you need to know about pomegranates!

So, How do you cut open a pomegranate?  Here you go-

How to Open a Pomegranate

Pomegranates may seem intimidating, but they are easy to open. This efficient procedure for opening a pomegranate has six simple steps:

• Cut – With a sharp paring knife, cut off the top about a half inch below the crown.
• Score – Once the top has been removed, four to six sections of the pomegranate divided by white membrane will be visible. With the knife’s point, score the skin along each section.
• Open – Using both hands, carefully pull the pomegranate apart, breaking it into smaller sections.
• Loosen – Over a bowl of water, loosen the arils and allow them to drop freely into the bowl. The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top.
• Scoop – Use a spoon to scoop out the pieces of white membrane that have floated to the top of the water.
• Strain – Pour the arils and remaining liquid through a strainer.

Enjoy your pomegranates… they actually make festive decorations in your kitchen this time of year!

3 THINGS I’VE LEARNED IN 3 WEEKS FROM WEARING UNIFORMS TO SCHOOL:

     *    Suggest that your son change out of his uniform when he gets home from school

     *     If he is tired and doesn’t want to- ‘make it a rule’ that he changes out of his uniform, when he gets home from school

     *     Have a BIG bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide on hand, at all times, to get out stains (I do.  And Hydrogen Peroxide does get ANYTHING out of clothes.  You may have to soak the shirt, etc. in a bowl, but the stain WILL come out.).

**  Note:  I realize this picture is not of grape juice, it looks more like cranberries and cranberry juice, but I couldn’t find grape juice images on the internet… Who knew grape juice images were so rare?

Ahhh, it’s summer!  Seafood… my favorite, is in it’s prime!  Or is it?

According to Grey Goose Vodka, OYSTERS are best when ordered in months that contain the letter ‘R’

Oh well, I’m still ordering them!  I don’t even drink vodka, so why listen to Grey Goose?

Enjoy your oysters!  Remember, they are best when local!

The smell of ketchup made me sick when I was pregnant- literally.  And even now, if I was ever captured by terrorists and locked in a cell, all they would have to do is put a big blob of ketchup very close to my nose for an extended amount of time and I would ‘sing like a canary’, not that I know any State secrets.

But now, I have come to love ketchup, and have it in my home at-all-times-

Why, you may ask…?

Click Here to Continue Reading at DC Metro Moms-

it’s called Thyme Out!

I showed up (unannounced as a mom-blogger), I simply went in as a mom, on the recommendation of a fellow preschool mommy.

Thyme Out has prepared dinners, lunches, sides, a freshly-made-and-frozen section and the list goes on!

Before I go into how good this food is and how many options they have to choose from…

Let me just tell you-

This is a ‘Mom Business’ !!!!!

Missy Carr is a mom of 3 kids, ages 4-7 and a chef!  She created Thyme Out in 2006 to help families eat better, healthier food without the stress of dinner preparation.

Check out the Thyme Out Website because it is very easy to get around and tells you all you need to know about menus and ordering online and even delivery!

And I almost forgot- Thyme Out has ongoing PROMOS AND COUPONS!!

I ALSO noticed on their website calendar that they are offering FREE DELIVERY On Saturdays during May,

AND YOU CAN ORDER ONLINE!

I really like that Thyme Out has Ready-To-Cook Family Size Meals!  This is really nice as we move into Summer, when family schedules tend to be less structured, thus lending themselves to last minute pizza and fast food orders… Don’t order Pizza!  Just swing by Thyme Out, or order online- for healthy family dinners!

**  Thyme Out also customizes meals, so if there is a food allergy in the family, they can customize the meals to be “safe”.  They work with many families with nut and gluten allergy especially.

Soon, they’ll be adding a

Thyme Out of Town menu designed for taking meals on vacation.  

When I went in I picked up some Sweet Potato Fries… I just put them in the oven, according to the directions, and served them as part of dinner.

Thyme Out is right by the intersection of Rockville Pike and Nicholson Lane.  

It’s 11401 Woodglen Drive, off of Nicholson Lane, behind Chili’s, and the phone number is 240. 221. 2777.  

Check out this great meal alternative for Moms, created by a Mom!

Mention you are a BananaBlueberry reader and get 10% off any order!

And Last But Not Least, ENTER BANBLUE10  (ALL CAPS and then the number 10) for 10% OFF when ordering online!

*$50 minimum, cannot be combined with other offers… and this is good through June 30th!*

Good Food,
Beer,
MILKSHAKES,
A Bravo Top Chef,
and those wild and crazy DC Metro Mom Contributors?

Well, a FANTASTIC time, of course!

The place? Good Stuff Eatery on Capitol Hill!  Good Stuff?  Are you kidding me?

I love this place- look up at my blog title… I love ‘good stuff’ !!

‘Bravo Top Chef’ contestant Spike Mendelsohn showed off his culinary skills last night for DC Metro Mom contributors. This is his new restaurant, specializing in burgers and fries and salads and other comfort food. I love that there are delicious milkshakes on the menu and
I especially love that I got carded when I ordered a beer!! 

There’s Spike with some of our lovely DC Metro Mom Contributors…

He’s super nice, and talented- I loved my salad!

Everyone had fun; we always do when we get together…

Most of the seating is upstairs, I like this layout…

And there’s the infamous famous Jessica (A Parent In Silver Spring) holding her beer…

What a fabulous time: good food, good friends.

Spike’s new restaurant serves really good food and is reasonably priced…

AND he is working right now on opening a ‘pizza joint’ next door- SUPER COOL!

Thank you to Quaker Oats for appreciating Moms!

This ‘recipe’ is for the rest of us…

It’s not even a recipe-

* Just get Plum Tomatoes from your grocery store (all stores have them), they’re just tomatoes that are more oval in shape and a little sweeter, it seems

* Slice them and serve them with slices of cheese and a little vinaigrette…

YOU’RE DONE!

I slice them and put them on a little platter with slices of cheddar cheese, provolone and I usually have mozzarella cheese sticks in the fridge, so I slice those up too. Use whatever you have, let your kids choose, and then drizzle a little vinaigrette on them!

During the winter I usually bake the tomatoes in the oven for several minutes and let the cheese melt over them- this takes just minutes too!

See, I told you- a healthy side dish in 1 or 2 minutes!

These are the kind of ‘recipes’ I like!

Enjoy!