Sweets + Colors

Boy this is going to be a monster post!!!

All the food lab experiments were very cool today. Remembering how I felt when I left lab last week, I kept it simple with just one small bite of each item – just enough to taste for the sensory analysis. Here’s a recap of the selections (and I wish I knew the details of each experiment, but unfortunately I don’t. Most of them involved replacing an ingredient with an alternative sweetener or other substitute)

Amy’s sugar-free + control toffees –

Chocolate cakes – (with splenda, etc.)

Cupcakes (with splenda)

Corn muffins (with WW flour?)

PB cookies with PB2 + Jif

Ice cream with soy and control –

Cara’s puddings

Kelsey’s jellos! (See her experiment here!)

Splenda fudge (go with the original. In fact, in all of these – just use the real thing! I can’t think of a single experiment that was better altered!)

I actually left lab feeling good and not full at all – tiny bites, tiny bites!

We we got home, Larbs was here!!! Along with her friend Martha and later her friend KitKat (Katie) arrived with the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen (except for our wedding flowers ) Thank you Katie!!!

They were the perfect centerpiece for a colorful lunch.

Mom and Larbs got me presents while they were out yesterday. Four of these gorgeous totally-my-style placemats (from Bed, Bath + B I think)

And a tiny bottle of Juicy Couture! Thanks B+L!

The lunch had to be both gluten-free and vegetarian friendly, so I decided on salads, with optional croutons and optional chicken as toppings. (Kelsey, the veg, added beans to hers!)

Romaine tossed in balsamic + lemon olive oil plus cranberries, carrots, feta + walnuts.

The side items included grilled cilantro pesto chicken (morphed from yesterday!)

And homemade GH croutons (toast in oven tossed in olive oil, S+P until crunchy). Store air-tight for a few days.

Plus fresh fruit

And toasted buns for a few  -

I had a salad topped with chicken + croutons

And a cilantro pestoed half of a bun (of which I only ate half b/c dessert was served when I had half left and I wanted to switch my palate)

Serving of fruit – antiox!

After lunch Matt, who by luck was off work early today because he went in at 3 this morning, did a beer tasting for the group of his latest wheat beer.

I drank half of my 6 oz glass and gave him the rest.

And last but not least, we all shared a cut up Apple Turnover Savannah Bar!!!! DELISH!! I had 2 of the squares.

I spent an hour cleaning up, just blogged (whew!) and am going to join my husband in the hammock for a swing. Kelsey is writing her Foodservice paper on a blanket in our yard!

We’re planning an early dinner at EarthFare to meet up with some readers in town for a concert, and then drinks with Kate and Nate.

SPEAKING OF NATE………

I give you: The Blog Stalker!!

Friday Dance!!