Marshmallow Molecule Cake Topper

Happy Birthday Pikelet! Oh how quickly you’ve grown. In the last couple of weeks, my sweet baby started kindergarten, lost his first tooth and is showing signs of a budding scientist. My mini Einstein wanted to have a Molecule party at The Lab in Lakewood, no cake, just brownies (Sugar Bowl Bakery Petite Brownies available at Costco) with a DIY marshmallow molecule cake topper.

Taste the Honey Dallas Food Swap – the new Stitch ‘n Bitch

The fabulous array of items!

Remember the Stitch ’n Bitch knitting craze in 1994 where flocks of young women wielding knitting needles gathered at fashionable cafes to chat and make fashionista ponchos? Check out this decade’s Stitch ’n Bitch – The Larder Swap! And Denise Bethel Molina of Honey Crew Granola & Darlene Rosen of Honey Girl Kitchen are the ladies heading the Dallas Taste the Honey Food Swappers.

iCOOLer – lunch bag

Lollo packing his lunch in the iCOOLer

There was an article recently in the Dallas Morning News that 9 out of 10 lunches are stored at unsafe temperatures and they are putting our kids in danger of food borne illnesses. What luck when we received an iCOOLer in the mail. This week being the first week back at school, I thought I would put it to the test.

Lemley’s at Dallas Farmers Market

Tonight's dessert after a day of painting paper boats

Many of us associate Lemley’s at the Dallas Farmers Market with sweet summer peaches but I’ve always found all his produce just stellar. The last month Pikelet & Lollo have had asked me repeatedly to drive downtown for Lemley’s canteloupes. The sweet aroma will envelop you before you even cut one open. And oh the heavenly pink coral flesh that await at first bite – juicy, sweet, luscious…

Texas Daily Harvest Milk from Urban Acres

Urban Acres

Milk is milk to me. If I’m passing a pharmacy I won’t think twice about popping in for a gallon rather than driving elsewhere for the organic stuff (foodies please don’t balk!). Sure I think that organic milk tastes better than conventional but it’s not enough for me to go the extra mile – literally. That is until last weekend when fate gave me a chance encounter with Texas Daily Harvest Milk at Urban Acres in Oak Cliff.

‘Royal’ Meringue Mousse with lychees & summer berries

We didn’t get our royal invite but IttyBittyFoodies are celebrating the Royal Wedding of Prince William & Kate Middleton all the same with our own Royal No Bake Meringue Mousse.  Pikelet my 5 yr old made up this surprisingly elegant Lychee Meringue Mousse recipe for the Princess Bride who dressed in an elegant Alexander McQueen gown. It’s his first recipe and the results are light, airy and naturally sweet, just like the Royal nuptials.

Honey Girl Kitchen

 

Just pack the hamper, wine and Pelligrino!

Spring is the start of picnic season and Honey Girl Kitchen is offering home-made organic picnic dinners to go! Think fresh ‘Fanciwiches’ made with Jimmy’s mortadella stuffed in a Mexican baguette and layered with smoked mozzarella and all the fixings or cool ‘Fancisides’ like jicama and cucumber salad or a simple caprese. The kid’s ‘Fanci Tiny Pants’ menu feature turkey wraps, cute little onigiri rice balls or organic PB&J sandwiches all served with a watermelon slice on a stick. Desserts are home-made brownies or Honey Crew Granola.

Mortadella on Bollilo

To top it all, Honey Girl Kitchen has thoughtfully coordinated pick up for these picnic dinners during the Spring, Summer and Fall Concert Series at The Dallas Arboretum from April 19 to October 27.

Babble.com Top 100 Mom Food Blogs 2011 – VOTE for IttyBittyFoodies

I’m gushing a little. Maybe not as much as Sally Field in her famous Oscar “You like me” acceptance speech in the 1984 for her role as Norma Rae. I haven’t won anything but I am excited to announce that IttyBittyFoodies is in Babble’s nomination list for Top 100 Mom Food Blogs for 2011.

So please ‘LIKE’ me and vote by clicking on the link here. Just click on view ALPHABETICALLY and search for CHERYL COLLETT of IttyBittyFoodies.

Thank you for supporting IttyBittyFoodies and please share the site using the buttons below with likeminded & very cool (like you) parents.

Tom Fleming’s Crossroads Diner

View from the waiting room

The Confession - I’m going to come right out and say it, we have not fallen in love with Crossroads Diner’s cinnamon buns. Ok now that it’s off my chest, more about it later. It is noon on a Saturday and there are at least 10 tables infront of us. Ugh it’s a 30-45 minute wait. Thank goodness there are children’s books to keep Pikelet & Lollo occupied in the waiting area. If spotting chef Abraham Salum of Salum and the gorgeous new Komali waiting patiently like the rest of us pedestrians is any indication of what’s to come, then wait we shall. 

And the winner of the Artizone Bolsa Giveaway is…

Winner of the Bolsa Artizone dinner

Congratulations to

Chocolate Secrets

There are many delicious secrets to discover within this little Highland Park chocolaterie. It’s not just any chocolate shop, it’s a boutique. The handcrafted chocolates made by Kate Graver (formerly of Nobu and Stephan Pyles) are positively inspiring. Resembling rich jewels, pretty flowers and colorful buttons, each one is transformed, molded and then carefully airbrushed to perfection. She even makes little chocolate stilettos and handbags my friend T. calls “Jimmy Chocs”. There’s a wine bar with jazz on weekends and a tiny little creperie.

Royal China Dallas Restaurant

You may wonder why we chose Royal China as the venue for a celebratory meal on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Tucked on the corner of Preston and Royal, Royal China’s customers are predominantly non-Asian dining on the ubiquitous American Chinese favorites like orange chicken or beef and broccoli. Even the children’s menu features nuggets and rice.  But Royal China surprisingly has some of the most authentic Chinese dishes in Dallas and the answer lies in the hands of Zhang Xue Liang, Royal China’s noodle chef and his crew of dumpling makers.

Gong Xi Fa Cai – Happy Chinese New Year!

新年快樂

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE GOLDEN RABBIT

JOY, PEACE, HEALTH AND PROSPERITY

It is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Although it is commonly known as Chinese New Year, many other countries with significant Chinese populations such as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia also partake in the festivities.  According to custom, the new year starts on the first day of the month in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar and ends with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day.

Home baked goodness – Little Aprons Bakery

The morning begins with a waft of cinnamon and butter curling through the air as I walk down the stairs.  The table set with our usual breakfast fruit, two fiddly, giggling boys and the source of the home baked aroma - a plate of warm cinnamon buns. Home made cinnamon buns are wonderful for leisurely weekend mornings and for those who don’t bake, it’s comforting to know that we can call on Little Aprons Bakery.

Happy New Year – My Two Year Old Eats Octopus

Happy New Year! As I sat to write down my New Year’s (Foodie) Resolutions, I stumbled across one of my favorite blogs My Two Year Old Eats Octopus byNancy Tringali Piho and thought I would pass on her pearls of wisdom. And my personal New Year’s resolution? … to simplify. I wish you all wonderful things for 2011.

Thank you for reading! Till our next happy meal!

My 2 year old cooks duck

Here is the easiest New Year’s Eve dinner party recipe - slow roasted duck legs with only 2 minutes of prep time. It’s so simple that my two year old Lollo actually makes it sans putting it in and taking it out of the oven of course. We like the Maple Leaf Farms brand which feature a meatier duck leg quarter but most duck legs will work with this recipe. The results are a wonderfully crisp skin wrapped over moist tender meat that’s almost like a confit. We use green peppercorns for its delicate taste especially for the kids and for the holidays we recommend you splurge and get some pink peppercorns too!  The kids love participating and are supremely proud that they cook duck regularly. This recipe is dedicated to my non-cook friend B.

Holiday Party Idea – Tom Colicchio’s braised short ribs

Stunning results!

So done with turkey? Then try celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio’s (of Craft restaurant at the W Hotel in Victory Park) braised short ribs recipe. The results from this succulent fall-off-the-bone recipe is guranteed to garner ’oohs and aahs’ at the dinner table even from the most discerning itty bitty guest.

Ratatouille or Chuck E. Cheese? An open letter to Dallas Child Magazine

I picked up the December issue of Dallas Child today and excitedly flipped to Pg.30 to see the featured article ”Best for Families – Dining and Destinations” article and boy was I shocked. On the list were Tin Star for Hottest Taco Joint, Babes Chicken for Ultimate Eatery to Share a Meal Family style, Chuck E. Cheese Best Pizza Pie with a Side of Playtime, Rainforest Cafe for Coolest Themed Dining Experience. There were two that I thought were ok, eatZi’s Market & Bakery for Best Healthy Dining and Paciugo’s Gelato & Cafe for Best Spot to Snag  a Frozen Treat. What a sad city we live in if this is considered Dallas’ Best?

This season’s holiday treats & gourmet gifts

Salted Caramel Cookies from Wackym's Kitchen

As we head into full holiday mode, here are some gourmet gifts that my kid foodies love to bring to people’s houses or share with their little friends at dinner parties.

Everybody’s talking about… tacos

Tacos galore from Rusty Taco

“Taco joints are the new fro-yo” announced my friend, A. Talking about where to find your favorite taco is not a new topic especially here in Dallas but there does seem to be a spate of generation-next taco joints opening lately.