I have a really bad habit of buying fresh fruits and veggies with the best of intentions and then letting them rot in the crisper. I knew better than to buy grapes and carrots on my last trip to the grocery because I wasn’t going to be home much during the week, but Naked Juice caught my eye and I grabbed a few thinking I could sneak all my fruits and veggies in on the sly.

I wasn’t expecting much besides having to hold my nose and gulp them down but I was pleasantly surprised when Mike and I shared a Berry Blast (1 lb. of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, plus lots of “boosters”) on our evening walk. It says a lot when Mike comments that Naked Juice is pretty good because I’ve never seen him eat a fruit or vegetable unless it comes in spaghetti sauce. He swears he’s a “super taster” and every fresh fruit and veggie known to man tastes bitter to him.

This morning, Green Machine (apples, banana, kiwi, mango, pineapple, plus algaes, broccoli, parsley, and more) didn’t disappoint, either.

Naked Juice will definitely be in my cart on my next trip to the grocery, and I might even get a little more adventurous and try some funkier flavors like mangosteen!

I ventured to County Line Orchard with my mom, Madeline, Katharine, and Jack this afternoon and being outnumbered by people under three feet tall is exhausting! Plus, picking apples when it’s 80 degrees and sunny isn’t exactly the ideal way to ring in the fall equinox.

I suggested that we set a limit on the number of apples everyone picks, but that number never materialized. By the time we had made it to the “weigh and pay” every variety of apple had been tasted and picked and we went home with 12 lbs. of apples. Looks like we’ll all get our fiber this week!

Along with 12 lbs. of apples, we also went home with pumpkins, kettle corn, pumpkin spice and apple cider donuts, apple butter, cookies, candy, and NO photos of me picking apples! Which is very disappointing considering my apple orchard enthusiasm, and especially since Jack told me that I “don’t look fat today.” What a compliment!

Today from 5-8 at your local Coldstone, try two new flavors of Coldstone Ice Cream for FREE!

Make-A-Wish children Jack and Emily created their own signature creations for everyone to try, with donations going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Jack’s marshmallow ice cream with Oreos, chocolate chips and fudge is my choice, while Mike will probably go with Emily’s Nutter Butter ice cream with white chocolate chips, Kit Kat, and yellow cake. Getting to create your own signature ice cream is almost as good as getting Sector watches!

So take you family for some free ice cream and leave a big donation for all the Make-A-Wish kids like Jack and Emily!

Getting my email reminder about Four Foods on Friday is the best thing that could have happened to me this morning. It’s been a long week, and that email was a reminder that a much needed break is coming!

1. Melon. What’s your favorite kind?

Watermelon! I am so sad the season is over. I ate fifty watermelons this summer if I ate one. TMI…they are a great colon cleanser if you eat enough of them!

2. Orange citrus. What’s your favorite - oranges, nectarines, navel oranges, tangerines, etc.

Cuties! California clementines with the zipper peel! Okay, they don’t really have a zipper, but they peel so quick and easy that they might as well. They should start popping up in the produce section any time now!

3. Oreos. What kind is your favorite? (Don’t eat Oreos? What about olives?)

Am I missing an obvious correlation between Oreos and olives? I don’t eat either regularly, but I do eat green olives more often than Oreos.

4. Pot pie. Share a recipe. (No pot pie recipe? What about a casserole or some other hot meal you bake?)

Whoa - we just wrote a recipe for pot pie at work this week! How scary.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare instant biscuit mix as directed and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine 1 (16 oz.) bag frozen mixed vegetables, 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, 2 cans (10 ¾ oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup, ½ cup diced onions and ¼ teaspoon pepper; heat thoroughly. Place mixture into an oil-sprayed 9-inch square baking pan and top with dollops of biscuit mix. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Serves 4-6.

I can’t believe it’s time for Four Foods on Friday, again! This week has just whizzed by, so lets get down to business before it’s time for next week’s edition.

If you’d like to play along, just copy the questions to your blog, give your best answer, and leave a comment so that the regulars can come visit.

1. Share a recipe for something Italian.

I’ve been dying to try the Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes recipe over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks, even though I’m not such a fan of The Pioneer Woman. But it’s okay, because the recipe is from Pastor Ryan, who I’m not such a fan of either. But it’s okay, because the recipe sounds damn good!

2. Jam, jelly, preserves, marmalade, fruit butter or butter. What’s on your toast or bread?

I keep meaning to buy a toaster, but one I want is $75 (because you know, the ability to toast four bagles at one time and be a cute green color is a necessity when toasting). Until I break and spend the money, nothing toasted in our house.

3. What’s your favorite Kellogg’s product?

Frosted Flakes! If they are good enough for Michael Phelps, they are good enough for me.

4. Do you like liver? What about liverwurst?

I’ve never had liver, and didn’t realize that liverwurst was liver. I thought it was just one of the foods with a crazy name. I feel betrayed. (But secretly love liverwurst on tiny slices of rye bread with cheese and Miracle Whip.)

My boss and I were on the road visiting a vendor today, and he took me for a fancy lunch at Wildfire. At first I was afraid he was going to fire me, but he told me not to worry, he just felt like treating.

We both had the chopped salad and it was phenomenal. It had bits of warm tortilla chips and lots of avocado. The restaurant is very old Hollywood feeling, and I’d love to go back for a serious steak and seafood dinner.

Hey, maybe I could expand my culinary career to include restaurant critiques!

Thank goodness it’s time for Four Foods on Friday. I thought this week would never end! I’m about ready to take Callaway irons to something (or someone).

We kind of have a mish-mash of questions this week, so everyone can join in. Blog your answers, then head over to Fun Crafts and Recipes and leave a link to your post so that everyone can stop by and see your answers.

1. Egg salad or deviled eggs. How do you prepare?

I don’t. I love eggs, but it never crosses my mind to make egg salad and I wouldn’t even attempt deviled eggs, because they are one of my mom’s specialties.

2. French fries. Do you make homemade or frozen?

Neither. Fries go with burgers, and I never make burgers at home either, so fries get left out by default.

3. Gravy. What do you use - homemade, jar, can or from a package?

Even before they were my client, my family always used Southeastern Mills gravy packages, and now that I have an almost unlimited supply, that’s what I make with my mashed potatoes!

4. Share a recipe for a hot (temperature, not spice) dish.

I made Malibu Chicken for dinner last night. My sister and I always thought our mom was so fancy when she made it for dinner when we were little.

It’s just a breaded chicken pattie topped with a slice of ham and a piece of Swiss cheese. Bake the chicken patties first, then top with the ham and cheese, and put back in the oven until the cheese is bubbly.

Viola - hot, tasty, and oh so fancy.

Don Gorske has eaten 23,000 Big Macs, and he has the receipts to prove it. He began tallying his Big Macs 1972 after being fascinated with the way McDonald’s tracks the number of people served on its billboards. Since then, he’s eaten two Big Macs (he nixed the fries in the 1980s) every day.

It should be noted that Don suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. He knows exactly which days he didn’t fulfill his Big Mac quota and why (the day his mother died, the big snowstorm of 1982…), and now keeps 2-5 burgers in his freezer for emergencies.

It should also be noted that Don is a healthy 6′2″ and 185 lbs.

We’ve got our hands in a little bit of everything food related where I work. They might say we have a cook for every kitchen. Cookbooks, recipe development, photography, food packaging…we do it all.

Our Chef has been cooking up her own endeavor, and we’re excited to launch Blue Egg Photography on Etsy this week! Chef Sue creates stationary and canvases that incorporate food photography in her own funky style. Her stationary is perfect for sending notes to foodie friends and family, and her canvases would make tasteful additions to any home kitchen or restaurant.

High quality notecards featuring eight different culinary photos are currently listed on Etsy, and canvases larges and small will be available in the coming weeks. Ideas for recipe cards, placeholders, and grocery lists are all bouncing around, so look for more from Chef Sue in the very near future!

P.S. If you’re a blogger and want to help spread the word about Chef Sue’s food photography, leave a comment and I’ll send you a free box of stationary!

Yes, Mike and I are renters, and even though the complex can be a little shady at times, it’s not so bad. In fact, on my way to work this morning, the manager was standing at the exit handing out muffins and orange juice to show how much he appreciated our frivilous spending on cruises and jewelry instead of purchasing a home.

Later this week - a free carwash and a block party!