Time for tea

I had envisioned a tea party, something out of "Alice and Wonderland," for our latest Thursday Night Raw, but due to lack of planning (I've been a little under the weather lately), it didn't turn out quite as elaborate as I had imagined. Besides, Matthew refused to wear the crazy hats (you know, like at the Mad Hatter's unbirthday party).

Actually, I don't know if I can even refer to it as a tea party, since none of us drank any tea, although Jacob enjoyed sipping his hot chocolate out of his tea cup (okay, it's really an espresso mug). So, I guess it is better summed up as an unbirthday celebration (none of us had a birthday that day).

We did have a spread that was fit for a party. I made a variety of simple tea sandwiches, which I creatively displayed as one would for a formal tea (except these sandwiches were entirely raw).

My first idea for a sandwich was something with cucumbers, since cucumber sandwiches are quite common. However, I opted to use the cucumber as the bread and filled them with cashew dill "cheese," shredded carrot and thinly sliced radish. I topped some additional cucumber bases with some sliced tomato, marinated cucumber (my husband loves those) and a piece of red onion (also from the marinade).

Next, I moved on to some zucchini rounds, which I sandwiched around a slice of tomato, a basil leaf, some red onion, sea salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. These were simple, but very good.

Then, I had some nice sized mushrooms that I thought would be perfect as little sandwich buns, although I hadn't really thought about a filling. The first thing that came to mind was a raw version of chicken salad, but in the end, I chose to make a Waldorf salad-style pate instead.

I also had some jicama, which looks a lot like sliced white bread with the crusts cut off. I made some more sandwiches out it with mango and avocado slices.

Lastly, I had to have something sweet for the boys, so I made some almond butter and banana sandwiches using apple rings. The cutest ones used the tops and the bottoms of the apples. They were like the muffin tops of the bunch.

Alongside the sandwiches, I served some carrots and celery sticks, as well as some cantaloupe (Jacob has been craving it lately, so we'll be having it a lot). I have to say that I left the table with a full belly. Not bad for a tossed together meal. Maybe next time, we'll actually have tea :-)

The mystery piece

Well, it's Friday, so that means today's post is for Jacob, as you can very well see by the photo. It's a picture of the puzzle we've been putting together all week. He's gotten quite good at and can even piece it together upside down.

Speaking of piece, he left one flipped over. No wonder it doesn't fit in its space.

Oh ... I know why he did that; he wants you to guess what is on the "mystery piece." But, since I don't want to give it away just yet, here is some filler copy to give you time to think before panning down to the answer pic.

For those of you unfamiliar with the "Five Little Monkeys," this is how the rhyme goes:

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Three little monkeys jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

One little monkey jumping on the bed.
She fell off and bumped her head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Okay, now that you've scrolled down past the monkey lyrics, here is the missing piece. It's a duck, which Jacob set up next to his stuffed duck.

Did you know there is a similar song about ducks?

Five little ducks went out to play,
Over the hill and far away.
Mother duck went, "quack, quack, quack,"
And four little ducks came running back.

Okay, I'll spare you the rest. Time to make my smoothie. I'm keeping it simple with spinach, oranges, bananas and a big scoop of One Lucky Duck chocolate truffle butter. Yummy.

Happy Friday :-)

It's raspberry swirl!

That's the answer to yesterday's question. I topped the graham cracker crust with raw and creamy "no-bake cheesecake" filling swirled with frozen raspberry puree. For the entire recipe, check out my WLIR post today.

But, before you do, here are my responses to a survey I snagged off of Rawleen's blog. It's been making the rounds lately. Have fun coming up with your own answers and pass it along :-)

1. Cellphone: I always forget I have one
2. Relationship: married
3. My hair: has a gray streak I pretend is just a chunk of highlights
4. Work: something I do to fill in the gaps between what I really want to do
5. My sibling/siblings: are close; they live only 15 minutes from me
6. My favorite thing: I try not to pick favorites
7. My dream last night: probably something food-related
8. Favorite drink: green smoothies, I can't start my day without one
9. Dream car: I wish I didn't need one
10. The room I’m in: is cozy
11. My shoes: are not made of leather
12. My fears: scare me
13. What do I want to be in 10 years: happy and healthy
14. Who did I hang out with this weekend: my family
15. What I am not good at: lying
16. Muffin: blueberry
17. One of my wish list items: Hmmm ... I'm not even sure what I want for my birthday
18. Where I grew up: Maryland
19. Last thing I did: typed this blog post
20. Wearing: jeans, comfy t-shirt and knee socks
21. Not wearing: make-up
22. My pets: none at the moment, but my son keeps his two frogs at his grandparent's house
23. My computer: is a Dell
24. My life: busy
25. My mood: optimistic
26. Missing: more free time
27. What I am thinking about right now: the answers to these questions
28. My car: Hyundai Elantra
29. My kitchen: is cluttered
30. My weather: cloudy, sprinkling and chilly (I'd like it to be sunny like it was in the picture)
31. Favorite color: pink (no wonder I like raspberry swirl)
32. Last time I laughed: a couple minutes ago; I laugh all the time
33. Last time I cried: probably the last time I stubbed my toe, which happens a lot and is usually combined with laughter
34. School: just picked Jacob up from preschool
35. Love: is a warm and fuzzy feeling

What comes next?

Well, here is the crust I made for the dessert I brought to our Easter celebration on Sunday. You didn't think I went to a family gathering without a sweet treat? Of course I didn't forget one; I just hadn't mentioned it to you yet.

But, what did I put on top of that crust? I'll keep you guessing for a little bit. If Dhru posts it on We Like It Raw today, you'll find out soon. Otherwise, you might have to wait until tomorrow.

By the way, don't be fooled by that "hot surface" on my stove top; this dessert is better served chilled :-)

Good deal

If you've been on We Like It Raw it recently, you've probably noticed a new feature called "Deal of the Week." Now, I don't see myself posting a bargain on a regular basis, but it might be fun to mention one from time to time.

Trader Joe's, one of my favorite places to shop, is known for its good deals, like this guacamole kit I picked up for just $2.69. It contains two large avocados, two tomatoes, a lime, a jalapeño pepper, two little onions and some fresh garlic. You have everything you need (although I usually add a little sea salt and pepper, and sometimes some cumin and cilantro) to make a yummy bowl of fresh guacamole at a reasonable price.

It's very convenient. I just brought this along to our family Easter celebration at my mom's house on Sunday, as a raw offering I knew would go over well even with my "cooked" relatives. The bowl was cleaned out pretty quickly.

Speaking of our Easter celebration, we had a lot of fun hunting for eggs that day, and when I say "we," I'm talking about the adults (although I'm sure the kids had fun, too).

The little ones were so anxious to start the hunt that they hid them first for the grownups. It was so funny to be kids again, at least for a little while, as we scurried around the yard racing to get the most eggs. I think one of my cousins even tackled his brother for one. Now that's what I call competitive. At least no one got hurt.

I hope you enjoyed your holiday just as much. Drop me a comment and let me know how you spent yours.

Which came first, the pudding or the egg?

Well, of course it's the egg. I used to love getting candy eggs in my Easter basket, although I was once a little freaked out by the Cadbury Creme ones. I thought for sure there was a real yolk inside. Yuck!

But, when I found out the "yolk" was really just more candy (I think it's caramel), they became one of my favorites. They just do a good job of mimicking the real deal, kind of like my raw recipes.

So, now that I don't eat these processed treats, I've made a pudding of sorts to relive the experience. The bowls are lined with leftover chocolate fondue, filled with a vanilla cream made from young thai coconut meat and topped with a raw caramel.

When everyone else is devouring their traditional candies today, I'll be enjoying this fun tribute to one of my childhood faves. Happy Easter!.

Something sweet for my sweets

Since my husband wasn't a fan of the corn dogs last week, I promised him something sweet for this week's Thursday Night Raw. Knowing that he has enjoyed both my raw brownies and the chocolate from our fondue night, I decided to combine the two with this spread of fruit, brownie bites, chocolate chip bar pieces and chocolate dipping sauce.

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been taking it easy this week, so I kept the food simple. I made a small batch of chocolate brownies with a chocolate vanilla swirl on top and a sprinkling of chopped walnuts. On the other side of the container I used to form the brownies, I also opted to make a batch of chocolate chip cookie bars with an agave sweetened almond butter topping and some cacao nibs.

These chilled in the refrigerator all day, while Jacob and I finished some errands and spent some time at my mom's house with my sister and her boys.

When we got home, dinner was nearly ready to go. I cut the brownies and bars into small chunks, sliced up some fruit I had picked up at the grocery store that day and mixed up a quick chocolate dipping sauce.

Matthew enjoyed all the chocolate, while Jacob was psyched to have cantaloupe at dinner (he picked it out himself), I was also proud of him for trying pineapple for the first time (he selected the pineapple, too).

Yes, you read that right; Jacob, who has photographed the uncut fruit for this site, has never actually tasted pineapple until now. I offered it to him on many occasions, but this is the first time he took a bite. Good job, little man.