Piplup Parfait

A while back, Spud asked me to make Pikachu Pancakes.  But then he got the Pokémon Cookbook and wanted to make even more Pokémon themed foods!

Before we get to the food, let’s talk book review. 

The Pokémon Cookbook: Easy Fun Recipes by Maki Kudo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My son loves Pokemon, so he picked this cookbook up at the book fair.

The foods are very cute, however for a book that says "The ingredients and recipes in this cookbook have been adjusted so that even children who have never cooked before can try these out" (p. 2), there are an awful lot of ingredients I have never heard of! Presumably, one would need access to Japanese convenience foods to make several of these recipes.

Bottom line: fun to look at, not so great to cook from.

View all my reviews

I was not impressed.

So, we ended up making a lot of changes to the recipes because they sounded super unappealing to out American palates or contained ingredients that would be difficult to come by in a landlocked state.

Spud was actually overjoyed when he saw Piplup featured in his book.  He knows I love penguins and since Piplup is a penguin sort of thing, he decreed that Piplup was officially my favorite Pokemon.  No, he didn’t ask my opinion.  And no, I didn’t really care.  But he is so excited and passionate about his Poke-menu, that I was excited too.

Fried Rice

I’m back for this month’s Food n Flix!  I’m always a little sad when I have to sit one out, because I love this club.  However, I just couldn’t bring myself to watch To Kill a Mockingbird last month, not even for this.  I get the movie’s (and book’s) value as a classic, but I just don’t like it!
        

Anyhow, this month’s movie, hosted by Kimberly at Coffee and Casseroles, was the new Ghostbusters movie so I was super excited!

When the movie first came out, I was a bit skeptical about an all female reboot, but I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it (the cameos were the best!) and I love Melissa McCarthy!

Thinking back to when I saw the movie in theaters, I didn’t recall any foodie inspirations, so I was excited to give it another go with my foodie goggles on!

Initially I wanted to make some sort of slimy green beverage inspired by Slimer or ectoplasm.  But then I realized that probably no one in my family would actually like it and it would go to waste.  And I really don’t like making things that I know won’t be consumed.  I just can’t do it.

The next major inspiration was Chinese take out.  There’s a running gag with wonton soup and eventually the gals rent office space above a Chinese restaurant.  So I decided to make my updated fried rice recipe for the challenge (see Pork Fried Rice and Egg Rice too!)

Cream of Tomato Soup #CookbookMonth

Wow! This month is flying by with all manner of blogging events! 

Did you know that October is Cookbook month?  That’s right, this is the time of year to dust off those old cookbooks and try something new!

So, some of my blogging friends and I decided to do just that.  Only we’re not cooking from just any cookbook – nope, we’re using community cookbooks!  You know those ones that churches love to put out where everyone submits their favorite recipe?

I decided to take things a step further and use a vintage cookbook I found at an antique store a few years back.  It’s a cookbook put out by the Detroit Times that full of great vintage recipes!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies #pumpkinweek

Can I tell you how much I love pumpkin cookies?

You guys, I love pumpkin cookies!

I’m *almost* team pumpkin-spice-all-the-things, but there are some things that simply shouldn’t be pumpkin spiced, but I digress.

Pumpkin and pumpkin spice are seriously the best things about fall!

So obviously when #PumpkinWeek rolled around, I definitely wanted to make some cookies.

In this version of pumpkin cookies, I added molasses for some awesome depth and to complement those nice, warm fall spices.

Pumpkin Rosemary Hummus with Sizzled Garlic #pumpkinweek

So, we just wrapped up Apple Week, but now it’s October, so why not jump right into Pumpkin Week hosted by Terri at Love and Confection? Heyo!!!

I typically go the sweet route when it comes to pumpkin.  I just have a difficult time wrapping my mind around savory pumpkin recipes.  Especially since so many savory pumpkin recipes include sugar and cinnamon, giving them a sweet note anyway. *sigh*

So I decided to stretch myself a bit and make a truly savory pumpkin recipe.

Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins #appleweek

*Disclosure: I received product to sample from ­­­­Dreamfarm.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Today is the final day of #appleweek and it is sponsored by Dreamfarm who sent some Levups (self-leveling measuring cups) and Levoons (self-leveling measuring spoons) to help with my baking!

For this recipe, I decided to make a yummy protein muffin for my kids’ after school snacks or cold lunches!

These muffins are so perfect for snacks, with or without chocolate chips.  They are not overly sweet, so I have no problem sending them for lunch either!.

Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Roast #appleweek

*Disclosure: I received product to sample from ­­­­­Rainier and Veggie Wash.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Today’s #appleweek recipe is sponsored by Rainier Fruits and they sent a whole box of amazing, delicious hone crisp apples!  So delish!  We ate most of the apples fresh for snacks (and some with some 4 Ingredient Honey Caramel Sauce!) but one was recruited to elevate a pork roast from mundane to super delicious!

Every year I vow to use my slow cooker more often and every year I wonder why I haven’t used it more often.  So on back to school night, I decided to dust off the slow cooker and start out the school year right.  And yup, I haven’t pulled it out again since.  *sigh*  I always forget to thaw the meat and end out slamming out a one skillet meal instead.  Oh well, I can always start in October!

Anyhow, back to the pork roast.