Hmmmmm…. Chopsticks!  I think I was one of the fortunate ones out of my siblings that were able to pick up on chopsticks at a very early age.  It was never a thing where I couldn’t get it.  Although I am comfortable eating with them, I wouldn’t call myself an expert.  I started wondering if there were other people out there who have been able to master eating with chopsticks?  If not then tell me what’s your skill level?

If you have problems, here is a easy How To Guide and Chopsticks Etiquette

Image: Hiromy/Flickr

DawnVGilmorePhotography/Flickr

Is it a rule that every time you watch a movie you have to have a big bowl of popcorn with you?

Is it set in stone that while your fully engrossed on the screen your mouth must be chomping away on salty buttery popcorn???  I asked myself this question because everytime I am watching a movie with my kids without a doubt they ask… “Mom, can we have popcorn?”  Now the answer is always yes when in the movie theatre but its asked even when we are snuggling on the couch about to watch a flick.

Are you like my kids, always needing popcorn when watching a movie.  So that brings me to the question…

How do you like your popcorn?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Source

What would you prefer eating, Pizza or Pasta at an Italian Restaurant?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

When I was a little girl the one thing I always wanted more than anything, for Easter were Cadbury Creme Eggs.  I remember always waking up Easter morning and right before going to church my mom would have little easter baskets set up that the “Easter Bunny” dropped off for me and my brother and sisters.  Inside mine were always these chocolate covered creme eggs.  It was the highlight of my Easter holiday.
 Did you know that The Cadbury Egg was first introduced in 1923 but did not launch till 1971.  Over 300 million Cadbury Creme Eggs are made each year, with a third being exported.  I think these sweets are one of the most anticipated chocolates every Spring.

Every time to this day, when I see a Cadbury Egg I buy them and eat them and remember those memories as a child and how I enjoyed eating them.

I’m not sure if you know, but there is an artform to eating these Cadbury Creme Eggs.

    * 53% of people bite off the top, lick out the “creme” then eat the chocolate

    * 20% just bite straight through

    * 16% use their finger to scoop out the “creme”

Also how people unwrap their eggs can also reflect their Creme Egg eating style, some are…

    * Delicate Peelers – To achieve a considered, methodical & subtle eat

    * Stage Peelers – Who unwrap just enough to keep the ‘creme’ off their fingers

    * Quick Discarders – Who rip off the foil as they just can’t wait to eat their Creme Egg

I am definitely a delicate peeler and I bite off the top and lick out the creme.

How do you eat your Cadbury Egg?

Source

In this downward economic climate we are all living in there is no wonder why people are turning more to home cooked meals than eating out in restaurants.  

According to Food and Wine Magazine, “home cooking is the hottest food trend of 2009,” and the market-research firm Information Resources says “that supermarket shoppers are cooking more from scratch and spending more on basic cooking ingredients than on convenient but costly frozen and refrigerated foods.”

Normann Copenhagen/Flickr

Studies have been proven that the biggest influence on family eating habits is the  person who purchases and prepares the food.  

The New York Times states “These “nutritional gatekeepers,” as researchers call them, influence more than 70 percent of the foods we eat, according to a 2006 report in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association — not just home meals but children’s lunches, snacks eaten outside the home, and even what family members order at restaurants.”

The Times states that there are different types of cooks: Giving, Methodical, Competitive, Innovative and Healthy. 

I feel that my style of cooking depends on how I feel that week and is sometimes influenced by  how tired or hungry or if I have come across any enticing recipes I would like to make.

What’s your cooking personality?

Take the Well Quiz and find out.

1) When I prepare a meal, I typically:

    a) Rely on classic dishes my family has always enjoyed.

    b) Follow a recipe step-by-step.

    c) Substitute more healthful ingredients.

    d) Go all out and try to impress my guests.

    e) Rarely use recipes and like to experiment. 

2) Some of my favorite ingredients are:

    a) Lots of bread, starches and red meat.

    b) Beef and chicken.

    c) Fish and vegetables.

    d) A trendy ingredient I saw on the Food Network.

    e) Vegetables, spices and unusual ingredients. 

3) In my free time I like to:

    a) Visit with friends and family.

    b) Organize the house.

    c) Exercise or take a fitness class.

    d) Be spontaneous and seek adventure.

    e) Take part in creative or artistic pursuits.

4) My favorite things to cook are:

    a) Home-baked goodies.

    b) Casseroles.

    c) Foods with fresh ingredients and herbs.

    d) Anything that lets me fire up the grill.

    e) Ethnic foods and wok dishes.

5) Other people describe me as:

    a) Really friendly.

    b) Diligent and methodical.

    c) Health conscious.

    d) Intense.

    e) Curious. 

There may be overlap in the answers you give, but is there one letter that you picked most often? Here’s what your answers say about your cooking style:

a) Giving: Friendly, well-liked and enthusiastic, giving cooks seldom experiment, love baking and like to serve tried-and-true family favorites, although that sometimes means serving less healthful foods.

b) Methodical: Talented cooks who rely heavily on recipes. The methodical cook has refined tastes and manners. Their creations always look exactly like the picture in the cookbook.

c) Healthy: Optimistic, book-loving, nature enthusiasts, healthy cooks experiment with fish, fresh produce and herbs. Health comes first, even if it means sometimes sacrificing taste.

d) Competitive: The Iron Chef of the neighborhood, competitive cooks have dominant personalities and are intense perfectionists who love to impress their guests.

e) Innovative: Creative and trend-setting, innovative cooks seldom use recipes and like to experiment with ingredients, cuisine styles and cooking methods.

Emmavn/Flickr

I have encountered many home cooks that prefer to fly solo in the kitchen, unless specifically choosing to ask for help. Whether it is cooking romantically in the kitchen with that special loved one, or baking with the kids.  Some may even ask friends to come over and share in the delight of chopping and barbecuing together.  But at the end of the day, the one decision most home cooks choose is to be in their own domain in charge of their kitchen.

SO,  you can say that my mornings are pretty much filled to the max.  I start my mornings fairly early around 5:45am.  Running around waking up two little ones, who apparently are not morning people, Go Figure!  Trying to get them and myself dressed, fed and off  to school and work.

Well, on this particular day I wasn’t in a rush like usual and scrambling to get me and the kids out of the house.  Sigh! What a relief it was to wake up and feel not rushed like usual.  So I decided to make the kids and my FAVORITE breakfasts of all time, Milk Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes.  Can I just first tell you how delicious these are that you will feel like you died and gone to heaven.

Let’s just say I didn’t hear any complaints from my two taste testers.  They were SOOOOOOOO Yummy! Like my daughter Kayla always says.

Well back to the some of things I love besides my Two Children Julian and Kayla,

In the kitchen I love listening to music, always need something blasting while I’m cooking or baking.  Right now, I’m really hooked on Kanye West’s new Album 808s and Heartbreak, especially Street Lights, LOVE IT!!!!!  Listen and see for yourself

Image via Google

Besides being a total foodie I have a weakness, a BIG one…. can you guess what it is?   Sssshhhhh don’t tell anyone its this… Vampire Novels, but not just any kind Christine Feehan.  I LOVE her books and her writing.  I have read EVERY book she has written and trust me there’s a lot!

Besides being in the kitchen and cooking I love relaxing on the beach.  Soaking up the hot sun with the breeze on your face, there is nothing like it.

Image via Flickr

The list can go on and on and on…. I will share the rest another day.

What do you guys love?

Share your thoughts below and let me know….

How will you celebrate Valentine’s this year?  Do you have BIG plans already made for your significant other like creating a romantic dinner for two, have reservations for a romantic dinner at a restaurant, breakfast in bed, or maybe you have some cool plans with the friends.  Let me know what you have planned this year!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.