I made this meal for my companion Ken. He is not a tie guy. The Teddy Bear in this lunch is wearing one because I wanted to use a cookie cutter from my accessories category. Now that I have a digital catalog of all my cookie cutters, I want to use ones I never used.
Left Side: Teddy Bear – Cheddar quesadilla cut with a cookie cutter, Face details – food coloring, Tie – Cheddar cheese cut with a cookie cutter, sugar snap peas
Top Right: Macadamia nuts
Bottom Right: Teddy Bears – apple cut with cookie cutters and dipped in water with lemon juice to prevent browning, Face details – cinnamon put on with a toothpick, peanut butter
I made this snail themed lunch for myself. I have created many snail themed meals. Actual snails scare me a little but since I was a child I have drawn a cartoon snail along with a sheep. Of course, I have snail cookie cutters.
Left Side: Snail – Cheddar cheese with paprika details (drew with a toothpick dipped in water then paprika), Greek Quinoa Salad without the cucumber, spinach leaves
I made a heart ravioli dinner for my companion Ken on Valentine’s day. He gave me the gorgeous flowers you can see in these photos.
3 Cheese Heart Ravioli with Garlic Tomato Sauce – This is my favorite pasta dough, I used a heart shape cookie cutter to cut the dough. The filling was Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Asiago cheeses with basil and fresh ground pepper. For the tomato sauce I sauteed onion and 4 garlic in olive oil. Then I added a 29 oz can of tomato puree and basil.
My critique of the meal: The ravioli were delicious. I really should make ravioli more often. Ken was thrilled with the meal. I had a little trouble with the chocolate fondue consistency but I think it was operator error. It tasted great and was fun to eat. Earlier in the week when we went to the liquor store to buy the hazelnut liqueur, I was thrilled to get Frangelico in the cute monk bottle. It was a successful Valentine’s Day meal.
My critique of the meal: Everything was delicious and my guests seemed to enjoy. The only thing I would do different is ask them for bagel topping preferences. I was not sure so I made a lot of plain bagels. When I make for a crowd, I prefer making plain bagels and I add various toppings.
Left Side: Fish – store brought Naan bread cut with a cookie cutter, spread with pesto (I make mine with garlic, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, pine nuts, and Asiago cheese), add small cubes of fresh mozzeralla cheese – bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown, Eye – carrot, blueberries
Top Right: Pecans
Bottom Right: Fish – carrot cut with cookie cutter, sugar snap peas
Last year I started a tradition of making freezer meals for my friend Carol’s birthday gift. It was well received so I decided to do it again this year. I made 4 different types of meals and gave her 15 portions. I saved some portions for myself. The Chili, Cornbread and Chocolate meals are in EasyLunchBoxes.
West African Peanut Soup – I added only 4 cups of vegetable broth and 1 can of coconut milk, halved the ginger, and used spinach instead of greens.
Homemade Fresh Mozzarella Pesto Pizzas with Frozen Yogurt Pies (I used Greek Raspberry yogurt, did not use the fresh raspberries and put the filling in individual graham cracker crusts.)
Chunky Vegetable Chili (I reduced the chili power since Carol does not like spicy food) with Cornbread Muffins (I baked them in muffin tins – did not take as long to bake as original recipe.)
I am not good at giving gifts but think that this idea is a success. It is fun to think of meals I can make and give to friends. It is an added benefit that I create meals for myself at the same time.
Last Friday was Carol’s birthday. Instead of going to a restaurant, I offered to make dinner for her at my home. I made the Vegetable Wellington from Thanksgiving 2018 that she loved.
Note: Since this dinner was on a Friday night after work, I did some prep Thursday evening: roasted the vegetables, made the pesto and soup. I kept the dessert easy by buying it Friday afternoon at Wegmans.
Lentil Soup– this was easy to make and delicious. I needed more vegetable broth and did not use the grains of paradise.
My critique of the meal: Wonderful meal! The only thing I would change is to cut the shallots smaller for the Citrus Wine sauce. It would look prettier on the plate. I don’t usually buy dessert but it saved time and was a special treat.
I made this for my companion Ken. He likes donkeys. This is the second donkey theme meal I tried to make for him. The first was rice and looked like a horse not a donkey so I didn’t share it here. I don’t think that these donkeys are successful either but the sides are cute. Ken said the meal was delicious.
This is my 1000th post! It’s fitting that it is a photo catalog of all my cookie cutters. I use cookie cutters a lot! A majority of my collection is based on what I think I will use (rarely for cookies). Sometimes I make cute food without cookie cutters but I love cutting food into fun shapes. It is incredibly satisfying and relaxing to push metal or sharp plastic into food.
20 Goals for 2020
I created a list of 20 goals for 2020 and added many items that I have wanted to complete for a long time. I first started photographing my cookie cutters in 2015. Now that I finally have photos of all of my cookie cutters in one accessible place, I plan to update it when my collection grows. This post is also motivation for making cute food with cookie cutters I have not yet used.
My Collection
This may seem like an insanely huge collection but it brings me joy. I actually use them (but rarely for cookies). They are organized in my craft room. I can find what I want fairly quickly. I keep them in labeled plastic totes with labeled zipper plastic bags inside the totes. A friend noticed one of my totes and said that I had a LOT of cookie cutters. I told him that it was only 1 of 4 totes! Many of the cutters came from friends & family, thrift stores, and garage sales. A few of these are from my childhood.
Along with these images I added links to some favorite meals I made with the cookie cutter in the photo.
I made this snowflake snack lunch for my friend Carol. I don’t enjoy driving in snow but snowflakes are a natural fun theme for this time of year in Rochester, NY.
Contents: Snowflake tortilla chips (flour tortillas cut with cookie cutters, place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, brush with olive oil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp)
Snowflake zucchini cut with a cookie cutter, carrots
Snowflake melted chocolate (drizzle melted chocolate into a snowflake shape onto a piece of parchment. Chill until firm.), macadamia nuts
Snowflake apple cut with a cookie cutter, raspberries
I asked my companion Ken for theme suggestions and he said fire. I actually had a mini fire cookie cutter! I was excited to try a new theme. I think that Ken enjoyed this meal. The wood burning fireplace at his home is very cozy.
Left Side: Fire – Orange and red bell pepper, Logs – brown cherry tomato, Fireplace – Sugar Snap Peas, Roasted garlic mashed potatoes with brick cookie cutter indents, Artwork – cucumber with cherry tomato
Left Side: Snow globe: Roasted garlic mashed potatoes cooled then cut with a cookie cutter, Reindeer – carrot cut with a cookie cutter, Snow – smoked paprika attached with the end of a toothpick, Base – salsa, broccoli
Top Right: Snow globe: Cheese – cut with a knife, Tree – apple cut with a mini cutter, Base – cinnamon rub, toasted hazelnuts
Bottom Right: Snow globe: Apple, Tree – cucumber cut with a mini cutter, Snowman – carrot cut with a mini cutter, blackberries
I made this for myself the same day I made the Gingerbread Polenta Man meal for my friend Mark. The harp is a vegan version of this I made many years ago.
Left Side: Angel – polenta made with broth and cornmeal (stir 1/2 cup cornmeal into 1 cup of vegetable broth, heat at medium-low heat while stirring, when it becomes a ball and is somewhat firm, remove from heat and spread onto a plate at the desired thickness for your cookie cutter. When cool, cut with a cookie cutter), Mouth – radish cut with a mini bento face cutter, Eyes – spinach cut with a mini bento face cutter, Halo – peeled radish, Spanish Garbanzo Beans
Top Right: Harp – orange bell pepper with angel hair pasta, green bell pepper
Bottom Right: Angels – apples dipped in water with lemon to prevent browning, cinnamon details (sprinkle cinnamon on a plate, dip end of a round end toothpick in water then in cinnamon, dab and draw cinnamon covered toothpick on apples)
My friend Renae came over for dinner on a night that her family was out of town. Since we both like eggplant and a lot of people don’t, it seemed like the perfect choice for dinner. This meal was mostly make ahead. I made the eggplant in the morning and put it in the refrigerator. Before dinner I baked the eggplant and the garlic toasts.
Note: We each had 2 halves of a stuffed eggplant. Only 1 is in the photo.
Left Side: Gingerbread Man – polenta made with broth and cornmeal (stir 1/2 cup cornmeal into 1 cup of vegetable broth, heat at medium-low heat while stirring, when it becomes a ball and is somewhat firm, remove from heat and spread onto a plate at the desired thickness for your cookie cutter. When cool, cut with a cookie cutter), Mouth – radish cut with a mini bento face cutter, Eyes and buttons – spinach cut with a mini bento face cutter, Scarf – green bell pepper, Spanish Garbanzo Beans
Top Right: Gingerbread Men – cucumber cut with a cookie cutter, carrots
Bottom Right: Gingerbread Men – apples dipped in water with lemon to prevent browning, cinnamon details (sprinkle cinnamon on a plate, dip end of a round end toothpick in water then in cinnamon, dab cinnamon covered toothpick on apple)
Over the years, I developed a love for making gingerbread creations. When people ask to see my gingerbread, I am happy to now have all of my gingerbread adventures in one place. I will update this post whenever I create new gingerbread displays.
This is the 3rd year in a row that I entered a gingerbread house in Sweet Creations at the Eastman Museum. I planned for this to be a miniature village and easy to transport but it got a little big. It consumed me during the month of October since I work full-time and was due just after Halloween. I enjoyed learning several new techniques – Fondant Swans, Lighting, Stained Glass Isomalt windows.
Windows – Gold Quality Gelatin Sheets (attached with hot homemade sugar only caramel)
Decorations – Holly Sprinkles, round balls
Calla Lilies – Fondant, Sprinkles, Spaghetti – on top of caramel
Lighting
My friend Angie’s man did the lighting for me. I bought a 12 V Power Adapter and Pre-Wired LED Lights in Warm White. He heat shrunk and soldered in parallel and hot glued into place. He drilled a hole in the board for the power cord. I glued small wooden cubes on the bottom of the board to raise the board a little. I covered with foil before adding my gingerbread.
I am glad that I once again made gingerbread for the Eastman Museum. It pushed me to learn new skills and it was enjoyable to visit the show many times with my family and friends.
For the 3rd year in a row, I made gingerbread for the Eastman Museum’sSweet Creations gingerbread show. I enjoy seeing the variety. Here is a sampling of some of the creations that were memorable to me.
I made this Rose themed meal for my parents and friend Renae’s family the weekend they went to my parent’s Lake House. Renae’s daughters were very helpful with making enough cute ravioli for 7 people.
Rose Ravioli – I found these directions for beautiful rose shaped ravioli. I used this pasta recipe and filled them with a combination of ricotta, Parmesan, basil and oregano. I topped the roses with cut tomato and served with a choice of roasted sugar snap peas or asparagus.
Making these with Renae’s daughters was a special experience. The ravioli looked beautiful and tasted great. This was my second time making the Apple Rose Tarts. They are easy, impressive, and delicious.
Awhile ago, I hosted a Day of the Dead themed taco meal for my friend Renae, her family, and my friend Mark. It was mostly a gluten free and vegan meal. This was actually my first time making this theme! Renae or her husband suggested it.
Table setting
Placemats – I made placemats with themed wrapping paper and clear contact paper. I found the wrapping paper at TJ Maxx. It had a 1 inch square grid on the back. The finished placemats were 11 x 17 inch.
Napkin Rings – Tissue paper flowers tied with a thin wire made into a ring
Skull Tortilla Chips – Cut corn tortillas with a skull cookie cutter, cut out eyes with a tiny flower cookie cutter and nose with an upside down heart cookie cutter. Brush both sides of the skulls with olive oil, place on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.
My critique of the meal:
The Lazy Susan made this type of meal much easier for my guests. Horchata was new to all of us. We were not huge fans but it was good to try something different. I designed the Skull Tortilla Chips and they were a huge hit! Everyone enjoyed the Chipotle Lentil Taco Protein. The brownies did not turn out as cute as the original but I did use gluten free brownies. Overall, the meal was a success!
The last weekend in September, I went to Ireland for the weekend. My parents were there and it was a good opportunity to see them and my cousins. My Grandmother was born in Ireland. This was my second visit to Kerry where my Grandmother lived as a child. Many of my relatives still live there. I had a fantastic time!
It is my tradition to make food after my travels and share travel photos. This was a simple dinner with Irish Flag roasted broccoli, water chestnuts, and roasted sweet potatoes. I also ate Kerrygold Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey (not in the photo). The porridge photo below is from the Dublin airport. I am not exactly sure why but I was very impressed with the taste of it.
It was memorable to spend time with family–a wonderful weekend and I am glad that I took the opportunity to go!
This year was my first Friendsgiving. My friends Mark and Carol and companion Ken joined me for a 4-course Vegan autumn themed meal. It was the first time for each of them to meet each other but I think that everyone had a good time. As usual when I host a meatless Thanksgiving, I focused on autumn harvest foods and did not try to replicate a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Table: I borrowed my Mom’s plates, place mats and napkins. My friend Carol designed the flowers. She used a special flower holder that goes around candles. We worked together with the place cards. For years I have thought about putting a flower in a water tube to add to a place card. This year seemed like the perfect time since I have a lot of water tubes from flowers my new companion.
Pumpkin Soup with Leaf Shaped Cinnamon Tortilla Chips, Maple or Spicy Pumpkin Seeds, Maple Syrup
Cut corn tortillas with a cookie cutter, brush both sides with olive oil, place on cookie sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp
Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Date Butter – I mostly followed this recipe but I did not use the apple, mushrooms, sage, thyme, or cinnamon. I used red onion and added spinach and chopped pecans to the filling. I made a simple vinaigrette with maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and a little olive oil and added it to the quinoa filling. I roasted the acorn squash the day before and heated the squash in a 300 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Then I added the hot filling and served. I added the Brussels sprouts and date butter to the plate.
Apple Pie with Toasted Walnuts and Caramel – I used this recipe for the tart but made individual pies. I used this pie crust. After the tarts came out of the oven I added Vegan Caramel Sauce and some toasted walnuts.
My critique of the meal:
I continue to work on my plating skills and combining flavors and think that I am improving. I normally don’t like dates but I enjoyed the walnut date butter as part of my main course. I LOVED the Vegan Caramel Sauce! I think it is better than ordinary caramel and I am a huge fan. I loved the taste but the addition of almond butter adds protein and just makes it seems healthier. I enjoy making individual desserts since it seems more special. I thought that the table was beautiful and suitable to the day and food. In my eyes, the meal was a success.
Left Side: Penguin – 30 minute cheese bread, with cocoa powder, eyes – cheese and cocoa powder, nose – carrot (cheese and carrot attached with small pieces of spaghetti)
Top Right: Blueberries
Bottom Right: Fish – carrots, cucumber, and radish cut with cookie cutters, raw spinach
I made this snack lunch for my friend Renae’s daughter Elizabeth. It was a bonus cute meal since I knew she would not like the soup everyone else had for lunch that day. I was happy to make it for her.
Contents: Red grapes, carrots, cheddar cheese (cut with a cookie cutter), cat tortilla chips (flour tortillas cut with a cat cookie cutter, place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, brush cats with olive oil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp)
Left Side: Ghost – hot cooked Nishiki rice pressed into a cookie cutter with plastic wrap, carefully push rice out of cookie cutter, spread a little bit of Brie on top of the rice, Eyes – blueberry, green peas
Top Right: Walnuts
Bottom Right: Ghosts – apple (cut with a cookie cutter and dipped in water with lemon to prevent browning), blueberries
I made this photography themed meal for my friend Mark. He requested the theme and it was actually one I never did before! I represented photography of nature and people.
Container: Book Bento Box
Contents: Photographer – roasted garlic mashed potatoes cooled then cut with a cookie cutter, Photographer’s Eye – spinach, Camera – cucumber with carrot details attached with a piece of angel hair pasta, Butterflies – rainbow carrots cut with a mini cutter, lentils cooked in vegetable broth
Contents: Cucumber and Radish faces – details cut with Japanese decorative bento face cutters, Camera tortilla chips – corn tortillas cut into rectangles, brush both sides with olive oil, add smoked paprika details, place on cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp
Note: I cut a potato into a circle and small rectangle and used it as a stamp to attach the paprika to the tortilla chips before baking.
Left Side: Maple Leaf – polenta made with broth and cornmeal (stir 1/2 cup cornmeal into 1 cup of vegetable broth, heat at medium-low heat while stirring, when it becomes a ball and is somewhat firm, remove from heat and spread onto a plate at the desired thickness for your cookie cutter. When cool, cut with a cookie cutter), Spanish Garbanzo Beans
Top Right: Macadamia nuts
Bottom Right: Maple Leaves – apple (cut with a cookie cutter), cinnamon
I made this meal for my Mom at her Lake House. The owl has extra indentations since it was difficult to release the cheese out of the cookie cutter but my Mom did not complain. She enjoys my themed lunches.
For as long as I can remember, my Dad sometimes makes his special filled pancakes for a weekend breakfast. Similar to his Onion Rings, my Mom does a lot of the work but gets no credit. My Dad is skilled at cooking them.
I don’t have an exact recipe for you but the photos below will provide an idea of the process. It takes practice learning the consistency of the batter (thin crepe type batter), and time to learn how to flip and roll. My Dad has practice doing this!
Important Tools:
2 spatulas (flippers or turners)
Flat frying pan
Ingredients:
Pancake Mix
Water
Cottage Cheese
Blueberries
Cinnamon
Oil (for the pan)
Serve with:
Butter
Maple Syrup
Sour Cream
My family enjoys these on special occasions when we can convince my Dad to make them. Try making them for yourself.
Top: Elephant – polenta made with broth and cornmeal (stir 1/2 cup cornmeal into 1 cup of vegetable broth, heat at medium-low heat while stirring, when it becomes a ball and is somewhat firm, remove from heat and spread onto a plate at the desired thickness for your cookie cutter. When cool, cut with a cookie cutter), cut a separate piece of polenta for the ear, Eye – spinach, Tusk – radish, Spanish Garbanzo Beans
Bottom Left: Elephants – apple (cut with a cookie cutter), cinnamon
Left Side: Swan – hot cooked Nishiki rice pressed into a cookie cutter with plastic wrap, carefully push rice out of cookie cutter, spread a little bit of Brie on top of the rice, Eye – blueberry, Beak – apple peel, green peas
Top Right: Walnuts
Bottom Right: Swan – apple (cut with a cookie cutter and dipped in water with lemon to prevent browning), blueberries
I assisted my 17 year old niece with making her lunch at my parents Lake House. The concept and food were her own. I suggested the addition of the olives (I was inspired by this). We think it was cute!
Contents: Totoro – cooked Nishiki rice pressed into a ball using plastic wrap, sauteed mushrooms with olive oil and butter, eyes and nose – olives, Soot Sprites – black olives with rice (make a hole with a skewer, then push in cooked grains of rice), broccoli
Left Side: Capitol Building – hot cooked Nishiki rice pressed into a cookie cutter with plastic wrap, carefully push rice out of cookie cutter, spread a little bit of Brie on top of the rice, green peas
Top Right: Walnuts
Bottom Right: Red, White and Blue Fruit – apple, raspberry, blueberries
I made this faceless black bear lunch for myself. I don’t know why I neglect to add faces during creation and then regret it later. Regardless, it was a fun and tasty meal.
Today is my birthday! I was fortunate to be able to take the day off from work and have my parents and my friend Mark over for a sheep themed meal. A co-worker thought it was strange that I was making lunch for my own birthday. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to make and share a fun meal with people who are close to me.
Sheep in a Field Layered Rice
Line a small ramekin with plastic wrap.
Add a layer of hot Nishiki rice and press down.
Add a small layer of cooked white beans and cut tomatoes cooked in some Vegetarian Broth with some added oregano.
Add an additional layer of hot cooked rice and press down.
Carefully lift the layered rice out of the ramekin and place on the serving plate.
Add Basil Pesto (this happens to be homemade and Vegan) to the top of the rice.
Cut a sheep out of Daikon (Japanese Radish) using a sheep cookie cutter.
Cut lines in snow peas with a sharp knife.
Cut butterflies out of carrot with a mini clay cutter.
Arrange the daikon, carrot, and snow pea on top of the pesto. Pipe a thin layer of pesto around the layered rice.
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Zest – roast asparagus with a little salt and olive oil at 425 for about 10 minutes or until tender. Add lemon zest after plating.
Roasted Cauliflower with Almond Aioli – Roast cauliflower with some olive oil and smoked paprika at 425 for about 20 minutes or until tender. Serve with Almond Aioli.
Baby Potato Chips – Slice baby potatoes with a mandoline slicer. Fry in vegetable oil.
My Critique of the Meal:
As usual I am more critical than my guests. I think that the sides were the most popular. I tried to recreate the cauliflower and almonds with baby potato chips that I had in Iceland at the Blue Lagoon Lava Restaurant. It was not exact but it was delicious.
Plating is something that I continue to strive to improve. My plates are not as precise as the planning sketch I drew but I like how I loaded the plates with flavor. If I put less food on the plates it would have looked prettier but then my guests would not have as much to enjoy. That said, it was a hearty lunch with the Sheep in the Field Layered Rice. I think my plates have a rustic look to them.
It was a memorable meal and I am thankful for the people who came and shared it with me.
I made this lunch for my friend Mark to take home to have another time. He selected the theme and seemed happy with it. I love it when people in my life request fun food!
Left Side: Race Car – hot Nishiki rice pressed into a car shaped container lined with plastic wrap, firmly press down, then carefully lift the rice out of the container. Brush some salsa on top of the rice. 42 – cut the numbers out of cucumber with a cookie cutter. (I didn’t attach them with spaghetti since I didn’t want holes in the cucumber but it is a way to help the numbers stay in place). Black beans, corn, and salsa.
Top Right: Pistachios
Bottom Right: Racing Flag – checkered apple with cinnamon
I am surprised that this is my first loon lunch! My Grandparents had and now my parents have a summer lake house so I grew up listening to and watching loons. They fascinate me. I made this meal for my Mom to take on a day trip in the Adirondacks to visit the Adirondack Experience museum at Blue Mountain Lake. When I asked my Mom for theme ideas she said, “loon”.
Eclectic Lamb 
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