Taco Tofu

I purchase tofu every once in awhile but rarely use it to make anything all that interesting.  I decided to try something new and scramble my tofu with taco seasoning.  The result was delicious, and it was super easy to make!  I only needed tofu, a pan, some oil, and a packet of taco seasoning.  Here's the gorgeous result:

Do you know of any easy, delicious tofu recipes?  Tofu is so versatile, and relatively cheap too :-).

And I must say I have been loving the extended fall here in Illinois.  Our temps our still in the 50s and the trees aren't bare yet.  I've definitely taken some gorgeous pictures, and I'll be sure to share them with you soon!

Crazy Dog Halloween Costumes and T-shirts!

Halloween is right around the corner!  Do you have a costume yet?  If not, Crazy Dog offers a variety of custumes, and they are letting me share some discounts with you.  When you check out, you can use the coupon code TRICK for $5 off any costume order, OR TREAT for 10% off any costume order. 

Crazy Dog also sent me a couple of their awesome t-shirts to review for you.  I chose the Hugs Not Drugs shirt, which is featured in their New Tees category, and also their super fun Duck Duck Goose t-shirt that can be found in the 80s T-Shirts category.  Regardless of what you find funny or adorable, you are sure to find at least one (and probably a lot more!) t-shirt designs you like.  I personally enjoy the 80s T-shirts category the best since I was born in the 80s.  The school house rock shirts are super (ie. I'm Just a Bill).

Here are the two t-shirts I received:

I just love the quality of each shirt.  They are soft, fit well, and each has a unique, fun design - what more could I want?!  I'm even going to be wearing the "Hugs Not Drugs" t-shirt to a dance tonight.  I'm curious to see if it'll work like a "Free Hugs" t-shirt.  I've never been one to turn down a hug :-).

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

Easy Sugar Cookies

Good morning all!  I had a wonderful weekend enjoying the beautiful autumn weather here in Illinois.  I also took some time to bake some sugar cookies.  I don't bake very often, so this was a fun treat. 

Easy Sugar Cookies (Makes 10 servings)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Combine the flour, baking soda, and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture.

2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

You can find the recipe with nutritional facts here.  They were tasty :-).

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That's it. Giveaway Winner

The lucky winner of the That's it. Fruit Bars Giveaway I hosted is #7 according to random.org, which translates into Lisa Calandrino!  Congrats!  Thank you so much to everyone else who entered.

And in case some of you haven't had the chance to check out my photo website, below are two of my favorite pictures I took over the summer.

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Chili Cheese Fries

Good morning!  I decided to try a new recipe this weekend: Chili Cheese Fries.  This is not something I normally make, but I thought I'd live a little and be more adventurous.  I used the last of my garden fresh potatoes to make the fries, and then I cheated and used canned turkey chili.  I topped it off with some shredded cheese.  Pictured below is the final result:

Maybe next time I'll try making the chili from scratch.  The homemade fries were delicious!

And don't forget to enter my That's it. Fruit Bars giveaway!  It ends Sept. 30!

Have a great week!

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That's it. Fruit Bars Giveaway!

Hello everyone!  I hope you had a chance to check out my That's it. Fruit Bars review here.  Today one of you has a chance to win one 12 variety pack!

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will end on September 30, 2011. The winner will be picked via random.org. and will have 48 hours to respond to the winning e-mail to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn. Make sure you leave a valid e-mail address in your posts!

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment stating one neat fact about That's it. Fruit Bars or share where you would take your That's it. Fruit Bars for a convenient and healthy snack.

Extra Entries (leave one comment for each): Post a link to this giveaway on your blog.

Add my blog to your blogroll.

Tweet about this giveaway: @ThatsItFruit Bars Giveaway by @cygirl88 at Food, Fotos, and Fun! http://foodfotosandfun.blogspot.com/2011/09/thats-it-fruit-bars-giveaway.html


Best of luck!

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That's it. Fruit Bars Review

I've discovered yet another new product: That’s it. fruit bars!  These bars come in 3 flavors: Apples & Cherries, Apples & Pear, Apples & Apricot.  I was sent all 3 flavors to review for you here.

I love how these bars are all-natural and made from only two fruit ingredients and no preservatives, purees, concentrates, added sugar, GMOs or nuts. They are kosher, vegan-friendly, gluten-free, diabetic-friendly, high-fiber, fat-free and low-calorie :-).  These bars also contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Beta Carotene and 3 grams of fiber per bar.

While these bars aren't exactly cheap, they are affordable at $19.99 for a box of 12 or as low as $1.29/bar when you buy a 1-3 month supply.  While I would normally just buy real fruit, I think these bars are great for road trips or a day out hiking, touring the city, or shopping.  In those cases, real fruit can get bruised, mushy, etc. and these bars provide a great alternative.

Check out my pictures and review below!

Apples & Pears: 10 of 10.  Simple and delicious.  Very sweet with a nice blend of apple and pear.  I liked the chewy texture with chunks of moist, dried pears and apples in a pureed fruit mix. 

Apples & Cherries: 9.5 of 10. Same great texture with the perfect blend of cherry and apple flavors.  My only complaint is that it was a tad too sour for my liking.

Apples & Apricots: 9 of 10. Sweet and a little sour.  The apricot overpowed the apple flavor by a little, but the bar was still moist and had a great texture.

They sound good, don't they?!  Well, if you'd like to try them, stay tuned for a 12-pack giveaway coming up soon!! 

You can also visit http://www.thatsitfruit.com/ to find more information and purchase a 12-pack of Apples & Cherries, Apples & Pears, Apples & Apricots or variety pack of your own. The bars are also available to purchase on Amazon.com.

* Check out That’s it.TM on Twitter and Facebook for special promotions and giveaways.

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Simple Potato Hash

Good morning!  I've recently been blessed with a gift of lots of garden fresh potatoes, and I've been trying to think of various ways to use them.  So far I've microwaved them, made mashed potatoes, and baked potato fries.  Last night I decided to switch it up again, so I made my own version of potato hash.  The recipe is below:

Simple Potato Hash

3 small red potatoes
1 large onion
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Place oil, onion, and potatoes into a covered skillet and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Then add eggs and spices and continue stirring.  Cook until everything is heated thoroughly. 

It's that easy!  I think I'll experiment with adding different spices, but this still turned out well.  Below is the finished product:

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Hello all!  Today I'm going to share some pictures with you that I took on a recent trip to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.  It is a beautiful place to hike, swim, and sightsee.  You can really get a workout hiking up the hills and walking through the sand!  I absolutely loved it and was lucky enough to be there as a storm came through, which meant I got some awesome pictures.  Oh, and I also got soaked... but I survived :-).

The last picture is of the Chicago skyline!  I was so happy to be able to see it, since it's not always visible.

Thanks for reading!  I have a busy couple of weeks coming up now since classes resume for me on August 22.  This summer went by way too fast, but that's probably because I was having so much fun :-).  Now I've got to focus more on school and work.

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Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't do much baking since I don't like to have a lot of sweets in my apartment, but I recently attended a cookout and decided to bring some cookies along.  I have a nice, large bottle of olive oil, so I decided to find a cookie recipe that used it instead of butter.  Olive oil is healthier too :-).

I found a few recipes, took bits and pieces from each and concocted my own since I can never seem to find a recipe I want to follow exactly.  My version wasn't too sweet, and the cookies tasted like shortbread with chocolate chips.  I liked them, and so did my friends, though some mentioned that they would have liked them to be sweeter.   Below is a picture and the recipe.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. chocolate chips

Directions
Mix together sugar, oil, vanilla, and egg. Then add baking powder. Next stir in salt and flour until well absorbed. Add the chocolate chips last.  Scoop spoonfuls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 min at 350 degrees until edges are slightly brown.

Enjoy!!

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