Food Lush

The Top Ten Most Popular Food Lush Posts (Ever)

By Jennie

I wanted to end this wonderful site on a fun note, a note that looks back on some of the delicious content Food Lush has produced over the years. Here, for you, on the last day of the site (at least for a while), let me share with you the Top Ten Most Popular Posts!

10. Tim Tams are Here!

How have I not tried these Australian cookies that hit U.S. store shelves, yet? Think I need to fix that soon.

9. Chicken Bacon Ranch Bake 

I love that some of these posts really need no description. Yeah, that recipe sounds delicious and like it should be one of the most popular. Kudos, Ariel!

 

 

8. How to Make: Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of the very first posts (posted in the very first week of Food Lush's life!), Jen shares her very good tips on making delicious cookies. In fact, this is the post that inspired me to buy my first Silpat. 

7. Recipe Knock-off: Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup

Katie recreated a childhood favorite and it seems she helped out a lot of other readers do the same. 

 

 

 

6. The Best Chicken Breast Recipe EVER

Seems like some readers agree with Dani (and the Barefoot Contessa) on this delicious recipe. 

5. Rotting fruit? Sugar it up!

We are a bunch in need of keeping our fruit fresh. Just wait...

4. Strawberry Brownies

Jen shared a Pinterest success! Oh, Pinterest. What did we do before you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Fluffiest Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever 

Okay, I think it's safe to say that Food Lush readers really like their desserts. (My kind of people.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Simple Cream Cheese Danish

Every one of these words is awesome. String them together? Even better!

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Key to Preventing Moldy Berries? Vinegar!

This post got a lot of views, obviously, but it also got featured in some fun places. See, Food Lush likes their desserts AND their fresh fruit.

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There you have it! You've seen our favorites and our most popular posts. Tell us, on the last post you'll see for a while, what's your favorite Food Lush post?

And, to end this beautiful internet ride, let me say a sincere thank you to our readers. If I could thank you each of you over champagne, I would in a heartbeat. Goodbye. 

Restaurant Spotlight: Red PrimeSteak in Oklahoma City

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Tara

Since this is my actual last post, I'll pick another favorite from over the years reading the Lush sites. Jennie's post on Personalized Handmade Thank You Cards was so awesome. I often have prints made of my daughter using toys or wearing clothes given to her and write a quick note on the back to say thank you. Genius! Another of the favorite posts I've written is Red Wine Love; I am, after all, a Lush at heart. Gosh, I'll miss this site!

***

If you're in or near Oklahoma City, go right now and make a reservation at Red PrimeSteak. Located in the up-and-coming, old-but-renovated, very-hip part of the city, it's a great place for a date or party.

There are red neon lights everywhere, which kind of gives an other-worldly glow to the whole restaurant (but doesn't make you see red when you leave the building).

We started with RP's Tomatoes: yellow, red, and green, fried, with mozzarella and a bunch of other deliciousness. We were also served a bread with garlic butter. It was awesome.

I had the 7-oz filet with a garlic herb crust and creamy horseradish sauce, and the horseradish potato gratin.

I didn't take a picture of my husband's dinner, but he had a sirloin and the slivered asparagus and it was also delicious.

For dessert we ordered the Red Velvet Cupcakes, which were DIVINE. 

(Personal Photos)

The staff was friendly and knowledgable, the food was incredible. All-in-all, it was a wonderful all around experience.

Have you eaten at a great restaurant in Oklahoma City?

Top 5 Food Gifts I'd Like From My Valentine

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Jen L.

This is my final post for Food Lush and it has been a fantastic couple of years! I have loved sharing my foodie love with all of you, participating in this wonderful group of writers (we call ourselves the Lush Family) and reading all your comments. My favorite post from another writer is this Candy Corner post by Erik because 1. it involves Bit O' Honey, and 2.  it is HYSTERICAL.  Choosing my favorite post of my own was like being asked to choose a favorite child, but I narrowed it down, and read and read, then picked this one, a post I got to write in response to a reader's question about hosting a birthday party. The best part of Food Lush has always been the interaction with our readers, so thank you! 

***

I love food gifts. Some people scoff at them. Some people automatically throw them out, as though they are tainted.  Other people, like me and people I'm related to, fight over them.  My husband and I get summer sausages in our Christmas stockings every year and my mom always gets me a big bottle of cranberry mustard to go with mine.  My grandpa used to give me my own wheel of Edam cheese every year.

I've never been one for flowers on Valentine's Day--I'd rather have a box of really nice chocolate or even have a nice dinner prepared for me. (My husband sometimes surprises me with cornish game hens!)  Here are five food gifts I'd be tickled to get on Valentine's Day.

1.  Harry and David's Pears.  Have you ever had a Harry and David pear? They are hands-down the greatest pears I have ever had IN MY LIFE. I don't know what it is, but they are always perfectly ripe, tender, sweet and delicious.  And look! They even have a Valentine Gift Box all ready to ship to the one you love, complete with heart-shaped stickers and pink foil wrapping.  Score.

2.  Wisconsin Cheese Mart Cheddar Deck Gift Box.  This trio of cheddar cheeses would be mine, all mine. I would use the mild for a cheddar cheese sauce (Served over pasta with bacon, of course!), the medium for grating over tacos and chili, and the sharp for eating with really good crackers.

3.  A Cookie Bouquet from Cookies by Design.  I had a cookie bouquet for one of my teenage birthdays and I remember it being delicious. I love iced sugar cookies, so that was right up my alley. (This was before I gave in to my all-consuming love for cake.)  This cute Conversation Hearts cookie bouquet would be a very sweet treat.

4.  A Crate O' Gummi Bears.  Haribo are the best gummies in the world--we all agree on this, yes?  How'd you like to get this crate of 72 packs of MINI gummi bears from Candy Warehouse? I thought so. 

5.  A beautiful box of Godiva chocolates.  Specifically, this dark chocolate collection.  Enough said.

What food gifts would you like to receive from your Valentine?  You can paste a link this post to in an email, you know...

 

Image credit  HarryandDavid.com

One Last Recipe from My Grandma's Archives

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Nora

Writing for Food Lush was a such a gift, and one I will always cherish. Food gives sustenance, comfort, and joy, and most importantly, creates memories. So, I guess it's no surprise that my favorite posts are the ones that link food and experiences. The one I wrote about my childhood food memories from summers in Norway is definitely the one I most enjoyed writing and which was most personal for me. But I have to say that Caitlin's post about her Christmases on Beaver Lake not only made me feel like I was there with her family, but made me WANT to be part of her family.

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Thus, my last post for Food Lush is simply a recipe that brings back memories for me, and which will forever remind me of my Grandma. Fettucine Alfredo---the real Italian version that uses butter and cheese (NO heavy cream). I still remember my Grandma pouring the hot pasta over the creamy mixture and the steam rising from the bowl, the sweet smell of basil and parmesan hitting my nose. I am giving you the recipe with the caveat that I have not yet been able to recreate it quite as perfectly as she was able to make it, and I don't know why. I follow the directions exactly, but still it's not the same. I think it's simply the fact that she's not here to make it for me anymore. But I hope that if you decide to make this recipe, it brings you as much comfort as it did for me at the time.

Nora's Grandma's Fettucine Alfredo

1 pkg fettucine

4 tbsp butter

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 egg (optional)

1 tbsp sweet dried basil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Cook the noodles until almost tender. In a separate large serving bowl (big enough so you have lots of room to mix), beat the 1 egg* and after the pasta is cooked, add a ladle full of the hot pasta water to the egg.  In a separate sauce pan, melt butter and add garlic, basil, and parmesan. Add half of the butter/cheese mixture to the bowl with the egg and pasta water, and then pour the noodles over that. Pour the rest of the butter mixture over the noodles and mix all together until combined and creamy. Eat and savor.

*If you are uncomfortable using an egg in this recipe, you can leave it out. The hot pasta water cooks the egg to the point where it thickens but doesn't get hard, and it adds a richness to the pasta that I like. However, it will taste just as good without it.

My Favorite Lemon Bars

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Julie

I really wanted to do justice to Food Lush in this final post, to leave something at the finish line that not only made me and the lovely editors proud, but something that could make you happy.  I have gotten so much joy from being a part of this site, and I am thankful for every moment, every word, and every one of you out there.

In looking back, the most memorable post for me was Erica's Homemade Childhood Favorites, because, as a mom, I am always on the lookout for foods my kids will want to eat that doesn't come from a box. This one hit me square between the eyes.

And as for my posts, my favorite is probably my recollection of making my daughter's birthday cake, because of the gargantuan effort it took and the enormous number of mistakes I made along the way. But mostly because it was so fun in the end. Just like today!

***

Fun fact: I was named after the character Julie on Days of Our Lives. It should come as no surprise then that one of my guilty pleasures is watching the occasional soap opera (OK, maybe more than occasional, ahem, especially in college, but I digress), and perhaps perusing a magazine on the subject now and again. Today, I share my (minor, totally manageable, slightly embarrassing) addiction for your benefit, because, years ago, I found this fabulous recipe in Soap Opera Digest.

I present the most delicious lemon bars (or squares, depending on the shape you cut), courtesy of Suzanne Rogers, Maggie on Days. I've made these many times for my family and friends, and even some of my fellow Lush writers, and they are always a hit. This is my go-to non-chocolate dessert, a little taste of summer any time of the year.

Lemon Squares

Ingredients the First:

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 pound salted, softened butter

Mix together and press into a 9 X 13-inch dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (Depending on your oven, check after 20 minutes.)

Ingredients the Second:

4 eggs
4 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh is good, but regular ol' bottled juice works just as well)
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix these ingredients while the crust bakes. Remove crust from the oven.  While the crust is still hot, pour the new mixture on top and bake for 25 more minutes. (Again, depending on your oven, check after 20 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool in dish. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. After it has cooled completely, cut into desired portions.

(Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org)