Vote IttyBittyFoodies – Circle of Moms Top 25 Foodie Moms

Thank you to all those who have voted for IttyBittyFoodies at  Circle of Moms for Top 25 Foodie Moms 2012 category. We’re currently at No 34 with 327 votes at last count! There’s just four days left to vote and we’re asking for a last push to try and get IttyBittyFoodies into the top 25. You can vote every 24 hours till May 29, 4pm PST. And don’t forget to share the link & tell everyone about IttyBittyFoodies!

Click here more info on Circle of Moms.

Thank you for your wonderful support! Till our next Happy Meal!

Sushi Sake in Richardson

Having eaten sushi since he was 18 months old, my 6 year old, Pikelet has become quite the connoisseur of raw fish. He especially loves octopus and clams and he knows just where to get some of the best in Dallas. His favorite is Sushi Sake.

If you don’t happen to live in Richardson or Plano, heading up to the no-reservations Sushi Sake takes a little planning especially on weekends. Try on a Friday night a little after 6.30pm and the waits for a table are grueling. But one look at the Japanese sushi chefs behind the sushi bar and one instinctively expects mastery.

IttyBittyFoodies nominated Top 25 Foodie Moms by Circle of Moms

IttyBittyFoodies have just been nominated by Circle of Moms for Top 25 Foodie Moms 2012 category and we couldn’t be more chuffed! In case you were wondering what Circle of Moms are, it’s a website for just for moms (about 6 million strong!) to network, get together and connect on all mommy things! From pregnancy to baby to big kid stages, Circle of Moms is a great resource to exchange ideas and learn from someone else who has probably been there and done that.

I’m thrilled to be part of this and I humbly ask you to vote for IttyBittyFoodies. Just click on the badge above and look for the avatar with the tiny toddler hands holding Lemley’s orange 8 ball squash (which btw are in season again at the Dallas Farmer’s Market).

Click here more info on Circle of Moms.

Thank you again to my readers! Till our next Happy Meal!

Texas Worm Ranch – more about Vermicomposting

“I have worms!” Lollo proclaimed loudly to his teacher who looked at me quizzically. He means we own worms. We’re proud owners of a spanking new working worm bin from Texas Worm Ranch.

Finally after an unsuccessful bout of vermicomposting last year, I decided to take a class from Heather Rinaldi, head worm rancher of Texas Worm Ranch and one of the founders of Dallas Eco-Op. Boy, did I learn a lot from the two hour workshop.

Three Happy Cows = Two Happy Foodies!

Let’s do the math! It takes just four ingredients to make Three Happy Cows blueberry drinkable yogurt - organic milk, blueberry pulp, pure cane sugar and live probitoic cultures (L.D Thermophilus and S.S. Bulgaricus) plus one talented artisanal yogurt maker, Edgar Diaz, to equal two happy IttyBittyFoodies!

Central Market at Preston Royal – First look!

New Central Market opens

Central Market throws open it’s doors today! The Preston Royal locale (previously housed by Borders) marks the opening of Central Market’s ninth store. IttyBittyFoodies had a media sneak peak yesterday at some of the innovations and offerings customers can look forward like the new selection of New York Deli-style dishes and baked goods. Think artisanal boiled and then baked bagels onsite and new bialys and New York City based Charlito’s cocina artisan salumi.There’ll be a full service custom sandwich bar with a “Build Your Own” sandwich option as well as a menu of chef created sandwiches.

Family Dinners & the Dine-in Date Night

We are big proponents of eating together as a family. Gathering for dinner is a time for sharing not just the food on the table but also to catch up on our day’s events. Pikelet and Lollo like to tell us about the ‘best bits of the day’ and also talk about solving the challenges they’ve faced during their day. Although the kids are just four and six years old and life isn’t too dramatic at this stage, Beefcake & I want to set this framework now so they know that the channels for openness are always there. We also use the time to teach table manners and try new foods in a familiar environment.

Tiger Mom meets IttyBittyFoodies Mama – Amy Chua in Dallas

From one Tiger Mom to another

Amy Chua, aka Tiger Mom is like a pistol. The whip smart Yale law professor and notorious author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother enters the room packed with confidence that says Ka Pow! Dressed in an elegant black suit, showing off her tiny frame and killer calves, Chua made a stop at the Authors LIVE! event at Highland Park United Methodist Church.

Dim Sum – the point & eat food

traditional dim sum

In honor of the Lunar New Year, we wanted to share one of our favorite Chinese meals – Dim Sum. Pikelet and Lollo love dim sum – the traditional Chinese brunch food and we like to frequent Kirin Court Chinese Restaurant in Richardson. The crowd is mainly Asian (always a good sign) but the staff speak enough English to get by.  The most fun part of dim sum is in the ordering. Servers wheel carts filled with steam dumpling and little plates and present them to you at the table. All you need to do is point to what you’d like and they serve it immediately. It’s so easy, no Chinese required and even the kids get in on the action. I liken it to online shopping and for us, dim sum is our ultimate ’point and click’ meal. 

Enter the Year of the Dragon – Lunar New Year 2012

Chinese Tea Ceremony set up

2012 brings the auspicious Year of the Dragon in the Lunar calendar. “Gong Xi Fa Cai!” as the Chinese say. The new year runs from January 23rd to February 6th, 2012 with fifteen glorious days of celebration and customs. There are so many traditional practices during this time, I wanted to share one of Pikelet & Lollo’s favorite – the Chinese tea ceremony. This is a sweet and private family ritual that is performed on special occasions such as weddings and we do it every year on the first day of the Chinese New Year.

Healthy Granola Wedge to kick off the New Year!

Happy New Year folks! Pikelet & Lollo are back at school this week and I’ve found the perfect healthy snack to pack in their lunches. It’s the Honey Wedge by Honey Crew gal Denise Bethel Molina who also brought us Honey Crew Granola. Pikelet took one bite of it and said he wanted to save it for dessert because it was so good.

Oh*holidays Oh*Brownie

Oh*Brownie, I think our whole family is collectively in love with you. The crunchy top layer at first bite that dissolves into a soft gooey chew and oh the many flavors. How does one begin? Oh*Brownie, will you give us Good Karmal for a choosing a Dark and Mysterious over a Smart Blondie or should we trust that Smooth Operator ? Whatever we choose, I’m sure it will be just Mochalicious.

Iris McCallister’s new venture Oh*Brownie has scored some serious swoon points with Pikelet & Lollo. It was so much of a treat that Lollo sneaked one into his lunch bag the first time he had lunch at school. McCallister (you may recognize the famous last name if you’re a foodie) is Matt McCallister’s wife of the much acclaimed CampO Modern Country Bistro that opened about a minute ago in Oak Cliff. But the brownie thing is all hers and she’s been working on perfecting her recipe for over four years now.

‘Surprise food’ from co-ops – Urban Acres

Pikelet & Lollo carrying the empty crate

Food co-ops have often intrigued me but I’ve always shied at the thought of getting 30 lbs of produce I do not know what to do with. This week, my dear friend D who is off to Sydney, let me pick up her half share from Urban Acres who have pick up sites all over Dallas.

Here’s how it works. You sign up to commit to a half share ($30 for 15 lbs) or full share ($50 for 30lbs)  and pick up your produce every two weeks. There’s a membership fee $50 and a bin fee $14 that you pay at signup.

Texas State Veggie Fair

Pikelet & Lollo keep asking to go to the ‘fair’ this year but I’m not a fan of bringing kids so young to the State Fair of Texas. The rides are geared towards older kids and the food is not exactly healthy. The place is just too enormous and after an hour or so, we always end up carrying one of them. So this year, we’re still going except it’s  the Texas State Veggie Fair! The event is on Sunday October 23rd at Winfrey Point at White Rock Lake. It promises funnel cakes and hot dogs and other fun fair food, except it’s vegan. There’s even a fried food contest! (see vegans can be fun!)

Electrifying your Jack-O-Lantern

Electrify your Jack-O-Lanterns with LEDs!

Being from Australia where Halloween isn’t such a big deal, I must admit that I’ve never carved a pumpkin before – until today thanks to the kind folks at TXU energy who organised a lovely pumpkin carving event at Central Market on Lovers Lane. Matthew McIntosh (“just like the apple” he says) from Central Market gave us step by step instructions on carving.