Matcha Marshmallow Corn Flakes Squares inspired by Saving Grace

Aaaaaah, April 20th...aka the day when pot smokers around the world (or maybe it's just the country?) raise their buds high as a nod to the fact that it's 420 ALL DAY LONG. If you're not familiar with the history, there are all sorts of 420 origins stories. The one that I heard back in the days was that 420 was the police code for "marijuana smoking in progress" in California, so as a way of sticking it to the man, the date has blossomed into a day to salute the herb.

Those were the days before Google, so I figured I'd google it to see if that was true. Well, to some people it is, but I did find some other supposed roots in the number. Maybe that's part of its appeal? Anyway, since the day is upon us, my f'ing fab friend Sophia from NY Foodgasm suggested we make some 4/20-inspired food. With so many fun ideas floating around in my head, I happily agreed.

The Best Banana Bread inspired by Jessica Jones

A while I ago, Netflix "recommended" the show Jessica Jones as something I might like. At first, I didn't listen. As much as I love comics-turned-movies-and-television-shows, I've never actually been a comic book reader myself. All this to say that I wasn't really sure who this Jessica Jones was and what she was about. But I did add it to "My List"...you know, just in case.

Fast forward to the release of season 2 of Daredevil—which I do watch and had been anxiously awaiting. As per my m.o., I immediately binge-watched it (something I equally love and loathe about the way Netflix simultaneously releases an entire season of their original programming).

Food & Drink Quiz Friday #12

Native to the rainforests of Africa, the Kola is an evergreen tree that reaches about 20-25 meters in height and has long, leathery ovoid leaves that are pointed at both ends. The trees have yellow flowers with purple spots, a star-shaped fruit and a nut. The portion used to flavor beverages also contains caffeine.

If you have a fun or interesting food or drink related trivia question that you'd like me to feature, send me an email with the words "Food and Drink Quiz Friday" in the subject line to girlichef@yahoo.com!

Mahi Mahi Burgers Glazed with IPA-Hoisin Barbecue Sauce | #BeerMonth

Although I don't limit cooking with beer to once a year, I always look forward to April when Sophia from NY Foodgasm holds her annual #BeerMonth event! There are so many varieties and producers of beer, from big box to the small artisan, that I love seeing which one everybody cooking along will choose to use and what flavors they will be paired with.

I chose a hoppy Lagunitas IPA to cook with today. For anytime drinking, I normally gravitate towards stouts, porters, or dark ales, but when I'm in the mood, I can drink the heck out of something really hoppy and "bitter". This particular IPA, made with 43 different hops and 65 various malts, is a bit carmely and very easy to drink. It cuts fatty or heavy components of a meal easily, making it a nice accompaniment to a meal.

Frozen Mexican Hot Chocolate with Liquefied Prom Queen Brains inspired by iZombie

I've been wanting to do an iZombie-inspired post for quite some time now, and with tonight being the 2-hour season two finale, I figured there was no time like the present. If you're not familiar with iZombie, you might be thinking "oh no, not another zombie show". But it's so different from all of the others out there right now, that I recommend not dismissing it before you've watched a couple of episodes (because then you hopefully won't want to).

iZombie airs on The CW and is based on the DC Comics' Vertigo imprint I, Zombie that was created in 2010. I've ever read the comics, but the title sequence and some scene openers throughout each show are in "comic form". Our lead character, Liv is scratched at a party in the first episode and wakes up a zombie. In this show you can recognize zombies by their white hair and skin—initially, as some choose to die their hair and visit a tanning bed.

Yogurt Chia Pancakes

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Greek Gods® Yogurt. All opinions are my own.

If I ask my kids what they want for breakfast, 9 times out of 10, their answer will be (or include) pancakes. It was probably the same in my household when I was kid. Perhaps pancakes are the universal language of love. It's not difficult, but to see mom in the kitchen scooping, measuring, and stirring ingredients together means something.

I'm not sure if this extends beyond American households (since pancakes differ across the globe), but I know that the pancake process is a rite of passage in these parts. It starts with the small, neatly cut squares of pancakes scattered on the tray of a highchair. As a toddler, you want to drag a chair up to the stove while you watch the bubbles burst on the pancake dough and then help mom by flipping each and every pancake in the batch.

Sardine & Pickle Sandwiches inspired by License to Drive

80's movies...full of cheese and corn and cussing children...and I'm a living, breathing testament to what they produced. But seriously, as a child of the 80's, I have tons of fond memories and movie lines forever engraved in my psyche. I had a (few) handful(s) of favorites that I watched so many times my parents can probably recite them word for word, as well. So, when Kimberly from Coffee and Casseroles asked me if I wanted to do an 80's Movie-inspired post, I couldn't refuse.

There was a single rule going into this post—we had to choose an 80's movie that we already owned. Fortunately I love my movies, and while I may not have all of my favorites from back in the day, I do have a stack that would carry me through a couple years of monthly posts with this requirement. I contemplated so many, but I wound up choosing the 1988 film License to Drive, starring "the two Coreys" (and yes, I loved the two Coreys as much as any other 12 or 13 year old girl of the time).

Food & Drink Quiz Friday #11

This co-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein comes in a couple of different types. The sweet variety comes from the making of cheeses that use rennet to produce them, like Swiss and Cheddar. The sour (or acid) variety is produced when making softer cheeses that use acidic products like vinegar, lemon juice, or citric acid in their production, like ricotta and cottage cheese. Both varieties of this co-product have many uses and benefits.

If you have a fun or interesting food or drink related trivia question that you'd like me to feature, send me an email with the words "Food and Drink Quiz Friday" in the subject line to girlichef@yahoo.com!

Pineapple Tarts inspired by Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge

Today I'm happy to be hosting a book tour stop for the third book in the Singaporean Mystery series by Ovidia Yu called Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge. I mention all the time that I prefer to start a series from book 1, but I jumped in right at book 3 due to time constraints...and the fact that I forgot it was a series until I picked this book up to read. I will say that while I was entirely able to get into the story and understand this book without having read the previous two, there were times I'd wished I'd read them first because the characters referred back to what happened in them.

Culinary mysteries are pretty much my favorite kind of book to read, so Aunty Lee and her escapades are right up my alley. A widow who is known throughout Singapore for her amazing food and the fact that she's helped the local police solve some murders, she thrives on being both nosey and nurturing.

"Shag Apple" Pie for Two inspired by The Walking Dead

Tonight is the night! Season 6 of The Walking Dead was packed with so much good stuff. Lots of story development, lots of action, lots of suspense, and lots of food! I think food has been much more visible this season since we're further into the apocalypse and "stores" are dwindling. I'm guessing that tonight's focus won't be on food, it'll be on finally interacting with Negan face to face. Which means that months of waiting to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan's beautiful face on Sunday nights will finally come to fruition. Even though I'll probably hate him.

A few other things that I'm hoping will be at least somewhat covered are *SPOILER*:

• Tara coming back to Alexandria and finding out that Denise was killed.
• Finding out the fate of Daryl (please be okay...please be okay...please be okay...) and the rest of the group being held by Dwight and buddies. 
• Maggie's agony (again, please be okay...please be okay...please be okay...).

Orange Crush Oatmeal (for Denise) inspired by The Walking Dead

I swear it seems like I was just talking about the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead and the season 6 finale is TOMORROW already! TWD always concludes way to fast for me. Fortunately, it's one of the few shows that I can watch endless reruns of and still want more. So, in honor of the close of another amazing season and countless months of waiting for the new season, I'll be sharing a couple of recipes inspired by the show today and tomorrow.

It's always a tough decision deciding which scene and/or character to pull my inspiration from (because I have SO MANY ideas written down), but *SPOILER* I knew I'd be making something for Denise the minute that arrow poked through her beautiful face. Which I'm so bummed about; her character really started to blossom over the second half of season 6 and she was quickly inching her way closer to my favorites list. And who else can't stop thinking about Tara and how she's going to react when she gets back to Alexandria?

Wii U Bundle #Giveaway!

It's time for another group giveaway organized by Angie of My So-Called Chaos. I'm super excited to share this fun giveawa for a Wii U prize pack today. One lucky winner will take this home!

Angie talks about how some of her fond memories revolve around playing Nintendo, so we're thinking that you can make your own memories with Nintendo if you win this Wii U! Or you can just take the cash, we wont judge. Since we're on the topic of childhood memories, Angie asked us all to share some of our fond ones. Here's what we came up with...

Join the #FoodnFlix club in the kitchen with Tampopo!

The little club that I started over 5 1/2 years ago to explore and celebrate food in movies has come home this month. I'm hosting the April edition of Food 'n Flix with a movie that I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've never seen (but have meant to watch for years)—Tampopo!

Tampopo is a food-centric 1985 Japanese comedy whose publicity dubbed it the first "Ramen Western" as a play on the popular Spaghetti Western. Apparently there are now a bunch of ramen restaurants around the world that bear the name Tampopo (which means dandelion seed).

Food & Drink Quiz Friday #10

This thin-fleshed black fruit with a purplish-blue waxy bloom resembles a plum and has a highly astringent flavor if eaten raw. It is most often used in different sorts of alcoholic beverages like "mock" port wine, Pacharan, and Bargnolino, although you probably know it best by its inclusion in a certain type of gin liqueur (which bears the name of the fruit). It is also delicious made into jams and pies, and can be preserved in vinegar. 

If you have a fun or interesting food or drink related trivia question that you'd like me to feature, send me an email with the words "Food and Drink Quiz Friday" in the subject line to girlichef@yahoo.com!