In honor of National Animal Cracker Day (April 18th) I decided to use creative license to craft a recipe from one of my favorite childhood classic songs, “Animal Crackers in My Soup” sung by Shirley Temple in the 1935 film Curly Top.
If this movie was before our time, most of us remember the Barnum animal crackers from our childhood, which are alive and well, with 40 million circus train boxes sold each year. Long gone are the days that a box sold for just 5 cents back in 1902. Today a box costs around $1.25. Continue Reading →
Today’s recipe is inspired by one of my all time favorite books “Green Eggs & Ham” by Dr. Seuss. I love Sam-I-am’s persistence in getting his friend to taste something so different and odd. “They are so good, so good, you see!”
“You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say.”
And in the end… Sam-I-am’s friend was grateful for having tried them.
“I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-am.”
Inspired by this book and its’ motivating lesson, I am revisiting foods that I thought I didn’t like to give them a second chance. I challenge you to do the same. (And maybe some day you will thank me as well!)
This month’s LA Food Bloggers Meet Up is dedicated to ethnic heritage, and we are to bring a dish that relates to ours. Since I am Swedish, I set out to find a yummy dish to showcase my cultural background and make my Swedish Grandma proud.
Growing up in Iowa – which is full of Scandinavians – my Grandma Nelson led the pack when she made krumkake, fattigman and rosettes. I wanted to make one of these specialties, but I realized they all require scary special equipment.
(If you haven’t seen these before, there a good chance your not Scandinavian)
These skinny, spiced bad boys (above) were stand-ins for gingerbread boys at the latest Food Bloggers Los Angeles cookie exchange. I personally drove over an hour in LA traffic to get to the event, but who wouldn’t do whatever it takes to gain access to some of the best cookies in the city? And the best part of it all was for every cookie exchanged, Glad (the plastic wrap people) donated $1 to CookiesForKidsCancer.org. (Special thanks to Erika Penzer Kerekes from In Erika’s Kitchen for hosting this event and organizing the charity.)
With a donation for every cookie, the gingerbread boys thought they would divide and conquer. You will be happy to know they were let off for good behavior flavor. Continue Reading →
There is something about the fragrances associated with Christmas that transports me back to my childhood. The scent of nutmeg and ginger take me to my Grandmother’s house for gingerbread cookies. The fragrance of cinnamon and butter makes my mouth salivate for my mother’s homemade cinnamon rolls. The aroma of star anise makes me long for my girlfriend’s poached pears.
Just thinking about all those goodies makes me put on 15lbs. So today I have a better solution – simmering potpourri. Even if you don’t cook, you can make your house smell like you do.
Today’s recipe is for Capturing Christmas Simmering Potpourri to help you get into the holiday spirit. This recipe is just a guideline. Use whatever spices you have on hand. I would have added a vanilla bean if I had one on hand.
Simmering Potpourri is easy to make and makes great gifts. Feel free to use your favorite spices.
Ingredients
1-2 orange, lemon or lime peels
4-5 star anise
a small palm full of cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
a few cardamom seeds
a few allspice berries
a couple of slices of fresh ginger
Instructions
Put ingredients into a small pot.
Fill the pot ⅔ full of fresh water.
Put on the stove and simmer.
Notes
Don’t let all of the water evaporate. Keeping filling pot with water as needed. You can store the potpourri in the refrigerator in a glass jar and use for a couple days.
Welcome to She Paused 4 Thought, a place to learn, laugh and have fun. I just finished culinary school at New School of Cooking. I love learning new things and passing them on to you. Enjoy!
“You do not like them.
This month’s 
