Tonight, Paul and I went to the 3rd annual Taste of Johns Creek at Chattahoochee High School.  This event is a fundraiser for the high school and middle school football teams.  I had no idea it was such a popular event.  Of course, being a (recent years-since 2001-occasionally-stuck-up) city girl, I was super skeptical about this event, and I’m glad to say that I was very pleasantly surprised.

Yes, there are a ton, a ton, of chain restaurants out here.  But, there are also a lot of great family-owned, unique restaurants.

Okay, enough chatting … on to the food porn.

Left: Paul loving him some pizza from Pepperoni’s Tavern.  Right: My new favorite froyo place, Yogur-Le-Hee <3

Still drooling just looking at this photo.  Love me some Yogur-Le-Hee!  This time, strawberry flavored froyo with strawberries, mango and kiwi.

After I snapped this photo of Chick-Fil-A‘s new spicy chicken sandwich, the Marketing Director came up to us and complimented me on the beauty shot of the sandwich that I just took with the Chick-Fil-A car in the background.  I must admit… I was seriously caught off guard, I mean, it’s not often that I get compliments about a photo that I just took.

Hey, Chick-Fil-A!  If you have any marketing jobs available… I’m available!  * huge grin*

Mmm… meatballs by Luciano’s.  One of the tastiest Italian spots in Johns Creek.

Now these were some yummy, just perfect cupcakes and cookies by The Patio.  Now, I’m a strange one, I don’t have a huge sweet tooth.  So I only tried the lemon cupcakes – pacing myself – and they were delish.  Paul had all four offerings: Thumbprint Cookie, Lemon cupcake, Chocolate Chip Cookie and Red Velvet cupcake, and the verdict: all delicious.

Bamboo garden. Now, this place is on my must-go-to-eat-at list now.  This restaurant has a Indian-Chinese fusion menu.  And all I know is that the vegetarian hakka noodles that I tasted were amazing.

Here we are in line for Fresh 2 Order.  Paul tried to take this photo on his own about 6-7 times (no joke) on his camera phone (no front facing camera), and failed every single time.  Finally, a kind gentleman in line behind us took pity on him and snapped the photo for us.

Fresh 2 Order, oh I love this place.  It’s kind of a gourmet version of Panera Bread.  They had a great spread at the event tonight, if the line waiting to get the food was any indication.

Final verdict, Taste of Johns Creek: One great event.  Most definitely recommend it if you’re in the area next year.  I will have it on my calendar!

Here are a few of my favorite images from his book: A Matter of Taste, Hachette Australia, 2008.  This book features Bonavia’s conceptual photos of food as fashion.  Fashion + food… what more can this girl ask for?

Take a look, and fall in love:

(images by Fulvio Bonavia)

1. Chimpsticks Beginner’s Chopsticks: So, you have a kid and you want them to learn to use chopsticks. Here’s a simpler (and more fun) way to start them off… as opposed to the rubber band and wad of paper method.

2. Apron Cooking Guide: What a perfect cheat sheet for the kitchen!

3. Superpepper Vegetable Shopper: I’ve got a similar product that I use for chopping garlic and onions, but I must say this version must be more amusing to work with.

4. The Ex-Unique Knife Holder: There shouldn’t be any need to explain why this thing is awesome.

I just love that there’s a cupcake shop somewhat close to my neck of the woods.  In addition to the many, many flavors of cupcakes that the offer during the day, they also have a great space in the back of the shop that can be rented out for girly parties, for little girls and big girls alike.

Check out their amazing cupcake spread:

Strawberry cheesecake and pink lemonade cupcakes!

Paul got me a box of six cupcakes!  So yum! (butterscotch, ocean blueberry – it got smushed, key lime pie, pink lemonade – already eaten, cookies n’ cream, and of course, birthday cake!)

I was greedy and ate the Pink Lemonade one before I remembered to snap a picture… disclaimer: I did share my cupcakes with the guys.  The fork was used to cut each cupcake into quarters.

We didn’t eat all 6 cupcakes, so I brought the rest home for later.  Here is the key lime cupcake.  It’s a pretty one, isn’t it?  And so delish too!

It’s healthier than ice cream, and the toppings (can be) healthier as well. I personally love getting the plain flavor and layering on the fruit toppings.

We found this little place, Yogur-Le-Hee, near our neighborhood at 9700 Medlock Bridge Rd. Johns Creek, GA, 30097. It’s a fabulous location because it’s right next to a movie theatre and our favorite pizza joint.

But, what makes Yogur-Le-Hee special is their yogurt parfait.  I mean, look at it.

So basically you get… a layer of granola or cereal, your choice of yogurt flavor, then 3 toppings, yogurt, 3 toppings, yogurt, 3 toppings, yogurt, 3 toppings and then finished off with two Oreos, two Pocky sticks, two waffle cookies, sprinkles and a cherry. Yeah, it’s serious. And oh my gosh, SO good.

Here’s Paul digging into it.  We got the “For Us” size.  Though, the “For Me” size will do just fine for two people.  We’re just really greedy *evil smile*.

Almost there…

Done! Mmm… stuffed.

So, if you happen to live out in the Northeast Suburbs of Atlanta, or are visiting… or feel like visiting.  Make sure to stop for one of these parfait babies, you won’t be disappointed.  Just make sure you’re ready to eat fast… the yogurt will melt!

Today is my first year wedding anniversary with my sweet husband, Paul, and instead of trying to find a breakfast spot out here in the ‘burbs, I decided that it was the perfect day to try my hand at making some Stuffed French Toast.

My recipe was inspired by manda2177′s recipe on Tasty Kitchen.  Initially, I was planning on only using strawberries, but since Paul loves raspberries, and since I had some raspberries and blackberries around the house, the Strawberry Stuffed French Toast became: Many Berry Stuffed French Toast.

Ingredients: (2-3 servings)
- 1 loaf French Bread (or Italian bread)
- 3 Tablespoons Organic Strawberry Perserves
- ½ package Cream Cheese (4 Oz), Room Temperature
- 1½ cup berries (your choice of a combination of strawberries, raspberries and/or blackberries)
- 2 Eggs
- Cinnamon
- ½ cups Skim Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- Sugar
- Powdered Sugar (optional)

Let’s Cook!
1. This is the key to “stuffed” French Toast: Cut french bread into 2 inch wide slices. Then, go back and cut halfway through the center of each slice, this will create a pocket for the stuffing. Set the sliced bread aside.

2. Now, the berries. Cut your fruit up into small slices. For the raspberries, I cut those in half. For the blackberries, into thirds depending on how large each berry is.

3. Add some sugar to the cut up berry slices. Mix well and let the mixture macerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Doing this will bring out the juices in the berries and enhances their sweetness.
4. Add the strawberry preserves to the cream cheese and mix well with a spoon.

5. Now, take a slice of bread, add about a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the pocket and then about a tablespoon of the berries. After filling the slices, gently press the opening together. This will help make the frying process easier. When you’re done filling each slice, set them aside.

6. Egg mixture time! In a pan or deep dish, mix the eggs, milk and cinnamon together. Feel free to use as much or less cinnamon as you prefer.

7. Preheat your skillet on medium high heat and melt the butter.

8. Dip each bread slice in the egg batter, make sure both sides are well coated. Then add the bread slices to the skillet.

9. Fry each side of each slice until golden brown – about 3-4 minutes.

10. Optional. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top of the French Toast and garnish with leftover berry mixture.

11. Serve and enjoy!

The watermelon plants that we planted in our garden have been growing lots and lots of watermelons this summer. We have lost a few watermelons to some sort of little creature that has been taking huge bites out of the watermelons, but we have managed to save a few for ourselves.

This afternoon, I found a tiny melon that had already been separated from the vine, so I gave it to Aubie. He loved it.

And here are two ripe watermelons that we managed to salvage before the mysterious little creature got to them.

Hor d’oeuvres anyone? These Mediterranean Lemon Chicken Bites are infused with citrus and garlic flavors, and when they are served with a fresh tomato dip, they combine to make a wonderful light, summer tapas dish.

Ingredients: (8 servings)
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (add more, or use less depending on how much you love garlic)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
olive oil
pinch of salt
dash of ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch cubes

Making fresh lemon zest:

Let’s Cook:
Combine all ingredients and mix well in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Method 1: With Grill
1. Remove chicken from bowl and discard marinade.
2. Thread chicken onto skewers and grill over medium-high heat, turning skewers every 3 minutes, until chicken is cooked through – 8 to 9 minutes.
3. Remove chicken from skewers and place on serving platter.

Method 2: Without Grill
1. Place contents of bowl, chicken and marinade, into a large saucepan or wok.
2. Cook over medium-high heat, until chicken is cooked through – about 5-6 minutes.
3. Optional: After the chicken is cooked, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in another saucepan and brown the sides of the chicken, about 3-4 minutes.

Enjoy with a Fresh Tomato Dip!

Or….

Add 1/2 cup of water to the Fresh Tomato Dip and let simmer for 10 minutes (add some red wine as well if you wish).  Cook up a batch of pasta of your choice.  Then serve the pasta with the Mediterranean Lemon Chicken Bites topped with the Fresh Tomato Dip sauce.

1. Eva Solo Teamaker:  Perfectly brew all types of loose leaf tea with Eva Solo’s award winning tea maker.  It’s not difficult to see why it has won so many awards, the design of the tea maker is beautiful and functional.  The neoprene sleeve is not only adorable, but also keeps the heat in while keeping your hands un-burnt!

2. Silicone Tea Spoon Infuser: What a great little product – just put loose tea leaves in the tea spoon infuser and let steep in hot water.  A tea spoon and tea bag in one, awesome.

3. Steeping Mug: A beautiful steeping tea mug made out of porcelain, with three pieces that fit together perfectly.

4. Tea Cup Plushie: These tea cup plushies are lovingly made by hand by  Teresa of Sewing Stars.  Aren’t they adorable?

Paul’s been wanting to learn to make his own sushi for a while, and after seeing a special on the Food Network, his mind was set on making his own spicy tuna rolls.  I’m pretty sure he convinced himself that “it’s really not that hard to do.”  I, on the other hand, still had my doubts.

See… I actually listened to the Food Network show and watched a master chef (Bobby Flay) mess up roll after roll of sushi.  Not the taste of the ingredients, mind you, it was the handiwork of putting together a good lookin’ roll of sushi.  If Bobby Flay can’t do something perfectly on the first try (or two), what chance in heck do I have?  I mean, come on!

So, we decided to take a sushi workshop at Whole Foods and see try our hand at this sushi rolling business.  The cooking classes at Whole Foods are really great, the chefs always know their stuff and the food that we cook always comes out mighty tasty.

Our menu for the evening: Inside-Out California Rolls; Nigiri Sushi (Hand-Pressed Sushi with Salmon and Tuna); Spicy Tuna Rolls; and Cucumber Rolls.

First, we learned how to make and form sushi rice.  Basically, short-grained rice + vinegar = sushi.

Next, we assembled fillings.  Here I am cooking up some egg that is later cut into thin strips and rolled into the sushi rolls.  The egg was kinda difficult to work with since it was pretty thin.

But, I must say… I think I did pretty good.

Here’s Paul mixing up some wasabi – that stuff was strong!  You could literally smell it halfway across the room.  We also got some tasty Japanese beer while we made sushi.

Then we got plenty of practice rolling ingredients using a bamboo mat.

A few glam shots of our first attempt at sushi making… not too shabby.

And the failed rolls…