I've been having an affair. It's been a long, somewhat abusive relationship, but it's OVER. Last night, Cool Whip left my refrigerator for good. And it's not coming back because I'm in love with something else.
Yes, that dreamy, creamy, artificial fluff has been replaced by Truwhip, Cool Whip's all-natural, 70% organic cousin. I found it at The Coop today and became quite giddy when I realized it might be a decent replacement for that white stuff that I dollop on my yogurt and ricotta cheese. I've felt extremely guilty about eating Cool Whip for quite some time–not because the calories are high (in fact the reason I started buying it was because it seemed like a low calorie replacement for whipped cream!)–but simply because the list of ingredients reads like a chemistry experiment. All that fake stuff can't be doing a body good, but I haven't been able to find a decent replacement. How would I make peanut butter pie without Cool Whip?
Truwhip, it's official: mi casa es tu casa. 
LUNCH: COOKING WITH MISS DAHL
Yesterday morning I pulled out my new cookbook, Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights, and picked a recipe to make for lunch. I'm so inspired by the recipes in this book, as well as Dahl's philosophy about food, that I've decided that I'm going to cook one recipe each day this week. This may be a bit ambitious, but it's a goal, and I'm going to do my best to meet it.
Yesterday's lunch: Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese. (click for recipe!)
Umm, this may have been the best lunch I've eaten this year. It was so easy to make and contains only four ingredients (five, including olive oil). If you're a fan of caramelized onions and goat cheese, you're going to love this recipe! You can easily make one portion, as I did, or you can feed more people by doubling, tripling, quadrupling it etc. 
Around 4:00, the coffee cravings began to kick in so I headed for the 'bucks. However, instead of ordering my usual decaf-triple-tall-americano-with-loooots-of-room, I mixed it up with a NEW Frappuccino! The best part about the new version is that you can customize it. In the past they only came in "Regular" and "Light." Now you can order your Frap with any type of milk, make it decaf, add extra shots etc. I ordered mine decaf nonfat.
This was good, but I actually had them remake it because I couldn't taste the coffee! An extra shot of decaf was just right. However, I can't help but think that a dab of Truwhip would have made it even better. 
DINNER
Last night's dinner was special for me because I had the pleasure of dining with BOTH of my parents for the first time in two years. It was so nice to eat, laugh and reminisce together…just almost like old times. The only way it could have been better is if my brother had flown in to join us! Thanks for agreeing to do this, Mom and Dad.
We went to P.F. Chang's (I sure wish they had a punch card…I'd be piling on points and earning free meals galore!) and shared a few dishes.
Singapore Street Noodles
Cantonese Scallops
Sichuan-Style Asparagus
Everything was delicious, as usual. But the company is what made it great.
The 'rents
The three of us
Tomorrow Starbucks is beginning Frappuccino Happy Hour. Stop by the 'Bucks between 3-5pm and receive half off your order! Just remember to add extra shots of coffee!
Calling all Food Network lovers: A new cooking channel is debuting May 31st! The Cooking Channel, which is a Food Network creation, is going to be targeted towards a younger, "hipper" crowd, interested in the grassroots food movement. Read more about it in this New York Times article.
That's all, folks! Have a fantastic Friday!!
Have you ever had a "food affair"?
If you've tried the new Frappuccino, what did you think?
Favorite show on the Food Network?
I love Giada DeLaurentiis' recipes and Paula Deen's personality!
