Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary, use words...

While I was visiting my parents in Denver back in July, my Mom and I, along with Calvin, made a special trip to visit the SAME Cafe. I first read about this unique restaurant in Cooking Light a few months earlier and I was immediately intrigued. (Read my original blog post about it here.) Here's a quick recap of what makes the SAME Cafe so unique:

• SAME stands for "So All May Eat"
• There are no set prices
• Patrons pay what they can afford for their meal or they get their food in exchange for 1 hour of work at the restaurant
• Nearly all the food is made from fresh, local ingredients
• The cafe is run by a husband/wife team, Brad and Libby, who both have full-time jobs outside of the restaurant!

When we first arrived at the Cafe, I was surprised by just how small it was. There were maybe 8 or 9 tables, along with a tiny, open-air kitchen, all crammed into one space. Thankfully, a table opened up just after we arrived. Then it took us a few minutes to figure out the "system." We were greeted by this lovely menu just inside the front door:

From there, we told one of the kitchen workers what we wanted and, here's the clincher, we also told him the exact portions we wanted. What an absurdly simple way to cut down on costs and eliminate excess waste! (They encourage patrons to only take what they think they can eat, then return for seconds if they'd like more.) My Mom and I had little servings of each of the pizzas and salads:

I must admit, though, that while the food was good, it wasn't quite as spectacular as I had hoped. Upon reading in Cooking Light that one of the owners was a chef, I kind of had prepared myself to be wowed by the food, so I was a little disappointed. But here's the thing--though I wasn't as "wowed" by the food as I had originally hoped, I was encouraged and blessed in exceeding amounts by this unassuming restaurant in many other ways. The SAME Cafe has succeeded in establishing community and fellowship in a way that is surely a rare sight in our modern culture. Mom and I observed people from all different economic backgrounds, races, and walks of life bustling in and out of the SAME Cafe's tiny space, talking with one another, eating with one another, and becoming involved in one another's lives. I also witnessed just how engaged the owners are with their patrons. They go above and beyond simply "welcoming" their customers. During our entire lunch, I don't think I saw Brad (one of the owners) in one place for more than a few minutes--he not only personally talked with each and every patron, but he spent a great deal of time engaging with a group of counter-culture guys by the bike rack on the sidewalk.

I don't know Brad and Libby personally, but as a Christian, I see very clearly that the SAME Cafe is a ministry. They have created a safe-haven where all are welcome. They are providing food for those who can't afford to eat, and yet they uphold people's dignity while doing so. They are passionately facilitating community, which is something our hearts desperately long for in a culture that is often so disengaged. And also, they are concerned with being good stewards of not only their resources, but also the environment, too. Thank you Brad and Libby.

What more could I possibly say, except that if you're ever in the Denver area, go check it out for yourself! Oh, and also, check out this little dude enjoying his pizza:

Life Is Just A Big Fat Bowl Of These Beauties...

Signs My 4 Year Old Is Turning Against Me

So about a month ago, Calvin and I were driving all over the St. Louis metro area, going to appointments and running miscellaneous errands. After dropping off our recycling in Kirkwood, I realized just how quickly our afternoon was passing us by. It was nearly 2:00, we hadn't even had lunch yet, and we were still a good 20 minutes from home. I made the executive decision to purchase some snacks from a local grocery store to tide us over on the trip home.

Totting our treats and a couple cans of "Blue Sky" pop, we returned to the car. I got Calvin all set up with his snack in the backseat and was about to hand him his pop, when all of the sudden I began to see the possible turn of events in my head: 4 year old + backseat of the car + open can of pop...well, you can do the math! So I reassured him that I would keep his pop safely in the front seat and that he could have it as soon as we got home. A few minutes later, this is the conversation that began to develop:

C: Why do you call it "pop?"

Me: Well, because I'm from Nebraska and that's what I've always called it.

C: But it's called soda.

Me: In St. Louis, people call it soda. But I call it pop.

C: But it's not called pop, it's called soda.

Me: (getting a bit agitated) Well pop and soda are the exact same thing, but some people call it pop and some people call it soda.

C: Well I call it soda.

This went back and forth like this for several minutes. Remember my pop/soda debate a while back? To further fuel my annoyance, now I'm being being told by a 4 year old what to call my carbonated beverages!! I think I'll be lessening Calvin's inheritance into the family fortune.

My Latest Food Adventure

A couple months ago, my friend Emily called me to ask if I'd be interested in heading up the meal for the VBS Volunteer Luncheon (to serve 50-70 people). Now I haven't known Emily for very long, but obviously long for her to figure out what a crazy foodie I am. I was so very flattered and honored that she would put her confidence in me and it didn't take long for me to tell her a resounding "yes." I was giddy with excitement; this was exactly the kind of foodie challenge that I was up for: planning and preparing a meal from beginning to end with no constraints on my creativity. My giddiness even kept me up that night, as my I poured through my mental recipe file, searching for the perfect combination of dishes.

A couple of weeks later, as I strolled through Sam's Club with Emily, I started feeling a little overwhelmed. My behemoth-sized grocery cart was filled to the max with food and I couldn't help but think,"Holy Crap! Can I really do this?" Thankfully, I was reassured knowing that I had a handful of wonderful women who graciously teamed up with me to get the job done. I am especially grateful to Jillian, who worked for 6 hours in the church kitchen with me the day before the luncheon, sweating with me and keeping me sane! She's quite a foodie herself, plus she has way more catering-type experience than I do, so her input and hard work was invaluable. Without all of these gals, I absolutely could NOT have pulled this off! Here are the 5 of us finishing up on Sunday morning (from left- Anna, Liz, Jillian, Sabrina and me):

Everything went off (mostly) without a hitch and it was a joy to help serve all the VBS workers in this way. So without further adieu, here are the recipes:

VBS Volunteer Luncheon Menu

Slow-Cooked Mediterranean Chicken

Emerial LaGasse's Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Tossed Salad

Fresh Fruit Saladp>

No-Bake Peanut Bars

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Slow-Cooked Mediterranean Chicken

Originally found in Cooking Light, this slow-cooker recipe quickly became one of my favorites. I adore Greek food, so I figured, what's not to love about it?! The original recipe calls for turkey breast, but I have easily substituted chicken many times. For the luncheon, I opted to cut down on the cooking time, since I wouldn't be able to use a slow-cooker. Instead, I basically marinated the chicken breast in all the other ingredients for 24 hours, then roasted them in the oven at about 300 degrees for 2 hours. It worked really well in lieu of the slow-cooker, however, to get the full effect of this dish, I would always opt for the slow-cooker over the oven.

• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup julienne-cut drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning mix (such as McCormick's)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4-pound) boneless turkey breast, trimmed (or 6-8 large, boneless chicken breasts)
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Combine first 9 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup broth and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add broth mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Cut turkey into slices.

Yield: About 8 servings

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Emeril LaGasse's Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad

Oh. My. Gosh. Holy cow, this is the most phenomenal pasta salad known to man. You've never tasted pasta salad till you've tried this one. Even for people who normally don't care for pasta salad, this will bring new light that ho-hum, mayo-based pasta salad so popular at potlucks. One of the facets that makes this recipe so fantastic is the roasted garlic vinaigrette. Don't be scared of using an entire bulb of garlic; when garlic is roasted, its flavor becomes very mellow. Plus, the smell of garlic roasting in the oven will make your home smell so inviting. Then, when you're ready to take your first bite, make sure you're sitting down cause this bad boy just might knock you off your feet! Thanks to Emeril and the Food Network for this recipe..."Bam!"

• 1/2 pound fresh angel hair pasta (I substituted rotini)
• 10 roasted cloves of garlic (about one whole bulb, see note below on how to roast garlic)
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 roma or plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh sweet peas, blanched (I always omit peas cause I don't care for them)
• 1/2 cup Greek black olives, pitted and halved
• 4 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled (herb-seasoned feta is wonderful in this dish)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and place the pasta in a bowl of ice water. Stir the pasta a couple of times to separate the pasta. Drain very well; Season with salt and pepper. In a mixing bowl, add the garlic. Using the back of a fork, mash the cloves until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and mustard. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil slowly. Whisk until the mixture is slightly thick. Season with salt and black pepper. In a large mixing bowl, add the onions, tomatoes, and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta, olives and cheese. Toss the salad with the dressing. Serve either cold or at room temperature.

**How to roast garlic: This is pretty darn simple, but you'll want to do this ahead of time so that the garlic is roasted and cooled before you prepare the pasta salad. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Loosely wrap the garlic bulb in foil and place in preheated oven. Roast for about 1 hour, checking periodically to make sure it doesn't burn. You'll know it's done when the bulb is very soft and the cloves are a lovely golden brown. Multiple bulbs of garlic can be roasted at one time, too.

**How to get the roasted garlic out!! Okay, so you've roasted your garlic...now what? Allow the garlic to cool so that you can easily handle it. Then, insert the tip of a paring knife at the edge of the stem on the bottom of the bulb. You should be able to easily pry up the stem and pull it off. Now, holding it over a small bowl, squeeze several times at the top of the bulb and all the roasted goodness will squirt out the bottom. I should warn you, though, that it can be a little messy at times and roasted garlic is quite sticky on hands. But don't dismay, it's totally worth it! Now you're ready to use the your roasted garlic.

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No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Okay, so I have to admit, these bars are the one part of my meal that was a total, last-minute decision. I just had no clue what to make for dessert, but I knew it had to be simple. So I asked my husband, an expert dessert-taster, what I should make for dessert: cake? cookies? bars? etc. His response was, "Hmmm...bars really say 'VBS Luncheon' to me." So bars it was! I found this recipe on an ad for Nestle Toll House and as I've mentioned before, the chocolate/pb combo can never be beat in my book. The results were quite astounding and indeed, the recipe was super-simple to prepare. Although the Nestle employee who wrote the recipe must've been smokin' crack because it said that it yielded 60 bars!! Unless I cut those bars into 1 inch squares, there's no way to get 60 bars from one pan. Besides, when it comes to dessert, more is always better. :)

• 2 cups peanut butter, divided
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

GREASE 13 x 9-inch baking pan. BEAT 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup morsels. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Smooth top with spatula. MELT remaining peanut butter and remaining morsels in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm; cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Bounty

Perhaps I'm just a little crazy, but I have an insane amount of fresh produce in my kitchen right now. Like more produce than I've ever had at one time. Here's what I currently have:

Fruits: bananas, yellow peaches, Athena melon (a type of cantaloupe), 5 lb. bag of apples, papaya + 3 bags of frozen fruit

Veggies: avocados, English cucumbers, radishes, assorted bell peppers, button mushrooms, baby bella mushrooms, mixed baby lettuces, mustard greens, kale, romaine, yellow summer squash, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, red onions, red potatoes...and I think that's it.

And I'm loving it! I'm trying to commit to having raw fruits or veggies for my snacks in place of other food that I tend to eat for snacks (granola bars, etc.). It's been somewhat challenging to re-train the way I think about snacking, as I'm not used to grabbing an apple or some sliced bell peppers when I'm hungry. When I'm struggling, I try to remind myself of how good I feel when I eat this way. I'm also discovered that the more produce I have, the more time I have to commit to prepping all of it. This week, I've become a washin'-rinsin'-choppin'-dicin'-fool! ("I pity da' fool who don't drink green smoothies!")

Hopefully I can keep this up...

Dave Thomas May Just Roll In His Grave...

So has anybody else seen the most recent Wendy's commercials? I have a major bone to pick with them and this is a good place to get it out. Because yelling at my tv doesn't seem to be doing much good anymore. And in case you haven't seen it, their new slogan/catchphrase is:

"Wendy's. It's waaaay better than fast food."

Huh?!? Um, yeah, I hate to break this to you, Wendy's, but fast food is exactly what you are!! If your burgers arrive from a mega-meat processing plant and you have to pour a liquid mix into the shake machine, that pretty much defines fast food. What's even more ironic is that on the Wendy's website, they make the statement that "we're unrivaled in our passion for giving people what they want." Exactly. Because people want to believe that they're not really eating fast food and it's pretty easy to reinforce that belief to our media-driven culture by using slippery language in their marketing. And don't even get me started on the more recent Mcdonald's commercials, which are trying to brainwash the public into believing that their food is "all-natural." I think I better give Morgan Spurlock a call...

A Healthy (and Moral) Love Affair

I adore avocados. No, make that, I LOVE avocados, passionately and without abandon. I am so thankful for my eyesight every time I cut one of these beauties open because their color is simply stunning. But please, why did those crazy folk in the 70's think this color would look good on walls and couches and bathroom tiles...ugh, God forbid!! Then, there's the taste--smooth, creamy, slightly nutty and oh-so-indulgent. For the past 5 months or so, I have been eating an avocado nearly every day. It usually takes residence on my daily lunch salad and when tossed with other salad goodies, it sky-rockets my salad from "good" to "phenomenal." And I have yet to get tired of them.

I have only the slightest quibble with avocados. Why, I ask, why must they go brown so quickly after cutting into them? I know, I know, there's all that chemistry about why fruits like apples and pears turn brown once their flesh is pierced, and I'm sure it's the same with avocados. But it's just a little disheartening...I mean, I cut into it, barely turn around and it's already staring to brown. So I have to be committed to eating a whole avocado at a time and thankfully, my halfpint veggie-lover shares my affinity for avocados and will gladly split one with me. I guess it's a small price to pay for all that wholesome goodness.

Read all about the do-ya-body-good benefits of avocados here. And search for a vast variety of recipes featuring avocados here.

"Quietly Changing the World, One Meal at a Time"

While perusing through my latest issue of Cooking Light, I happened upon an article featuring the SAME Cafe--SAME stands for "So All May Eat." Believe it or not, this Denver restaurant has no set menu prices. Patrons can either decide what their meal was worth, pay what they feel they can afford, or get their meal in exchange for 1 hour of service at the restaurant. And, if that isn't cool enough, all the cafe's food is prepared by a culinary-trained chef and his wife, using fresh and local ingredients. In our consumeristic society, reading about a place like this was a breath of fresh air. Read more about it here.

Unresourceful People Need Not Apply

See these seemingly unassuming-looking veggies pictured above? To the untrained eye, they may look perfectly ordinary. What would you say they're called? Bell peppers and zucchini? Well, think again! These are not your run-of-the-mill veggies. Let me introduce you to...pepper fries and zucchini fries. Before I had our son, I scoffed at the suggestion of coming up with cool-sounding names to entice your children to eat. "That's for sissies," I thought, "My child will eat nutritious foods called by their given names. There will be no 'Superhero Sandwiches' in my home."

As all you parents out there already know, becoming a parent has a way of humbling a person, and I am certainly no exception to this...God knows I need all the humility He's willing to grace on me!! Now I am extraordinarily thankful that our son really does love a lot of nutritious foods, especially fruits and veggies, and that's something that I've worked on ever since I began introducing solid food to him. But as I've learned more and more about the way nutrition affects every part of our bodies' functioning, I wanted to up the anty even more, both for myself and for my family. I noticed that my son was eating way too many carbs for snacks and while they were "healthier" snacks (granola bars and crackers that were preservative-free and free of trans fat), I knew that I needed to gradually work in more raw food for snacks. Calvin already loved bell peppers, so the thought of eating "pepper fries" was quite exciting to him and he was all on board. The zucchini fries didn't go over so well, but I can't complain too much because he does like cooked squash. Now he knows that for at least one of his snacks during the day, he'll having some raw foods. Giddy up, Mama!

The more I thought about this concept of making foods sound appealing, it made perfect sense, and I realized that it isn't just about kids. Adults are enticed all the time simply by the name of a food. Most people are more likely to be drawn to a "Rootin Tootin BBQ Burger" on a restaurant menu than they are to a plain ole "burger." We like to start our wining and dining in our brain, before the food even touches our palate.

I'd love to hear about the creative ways that other parents out there have used to help their kiddos eat healthy!

Unintended Blog Break (AKA Computers Suck)

As you've deduced from the title, yes, this is my announcement of a blogging break. Very simply, our laptop's powersource has been slowly kickin' the bucket over the past couple of months. And now we're in the desperate place of always wondering if it has enough gumption to actually keep our computer powered for more than 20 minutes at a time. At any given moment, the power poops out and the computer shuts off. All this has brought us to the painful realization that we no longer can put off the opening of our wallets to buy a new power source! So I will return just as soon as humanly possible.

Computers....grrr.

I keep turning up in the funniest places!

Okay, so I just discovered that my blog is listed on a website called, "Food Blog Search." Is this evidence that I'm actually moving up in the cyber-world?? (Picture me doing the "raisin' the roof" motion.) And while I was completely surprised and delighted that I was listed there, I am also utterly baffled at how I ended up there! Perhaps some questions in the world are better left unanswered...

Potato, Po-tah-to

When I first moved to Missouri 3 years ago, I didn't realize that I had moved into a foreign country. That is, I didn't know that there was a certain lingo here in St. Louis that I would have to grow accustomed to, and that I would be pressured into giving up my Nebraska roots and conforming to these silly St. Louisans. I didn't know I had moved into a land where people said "soda." Suddenly I felt stupid saying the word "pop." I mean when I paired the two words up side by side, pop started to sound down-right unintelligent. And I certainly didn't want to sound like some Nebraska retard.

But it just felt so unnatural, so forced to say "soda" instead of "pop." I grew up saying pop. Whether it came canned or bottled, glass, aluminum or plastic--that fizzy stuff inside had always been known to me as pop. And old habits are hard to break. I tried, I really tried. But after a while, I whole-heartedly threw in the towel, said good-bye to "soda," and welcomed back "pop" with open arms. Conformity is highly overrated. And if you're one of those unfortunate St. Louisans who dares to give me a confused look when I say the word "pop," beware... :)

So I will close by posing a question to all of you faithful Foodie readers out there: What do you call it? Soda? Pop? Or are you one of those folks from south of the Mason-Dixon line who calls it Coke? Or maybe something else entirely? Discuss!

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers:

• To Whole Foods Market for permanently eliminating all plastic bags from their stores! (Read more about it here.) Hmmm...perhaps I can persuade Trader Joe's to do the same.
• To Shop 'n' Save for recently remodeling their West County stores, which are now chock-full of many more organic and natural products.

Jeers:

• Also to Whole Foods Market, who, in spite of their commitment to sustainable living, destroyed acres of full-grown trees to build their new store in West County. What's up with that, dude?!

Oprah's Favorite Foodie Things!

As some of you may already know, I am not a huge Oprah fan. I go back and forth in a sort of "love-hate" relationship with her. Sometimes her shows intrigue and fascinate me (such as her shows about hoarders), and other times I just roll my eyes at her show and say, "Gimme a break, sistah," and then proceed to mutter obscenities at her. Suffice to say, though, that when I saw that Oprah's "My Favorite Things" show was going to be broadcast this afternoon, I was all over it. I'll put up with Oprah's annoying antics for 55 minutes just so I can drool over all the awesome products I'll probably never own, plus seeing her audience members go absolutely crazy is priceless. This year, she had some incredible products for the self-defined Foodie:

These delectable looking cupcakes can be hand-delivered to your door from Williams-Sonoma for a whopping $59!! Yikes...but oh man, do they look scrumptious.

I love bright colors of these melanine mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons. They all have pour spouts on them, plus the bowls have a non-skid, rubber rim on the bottom of them, too. Also from Williams-Sonoma.

I saved the absolute best for last...The Kitchenaid Artisan Standing Mixer! This my all-time dream kitchen appliance. Dave and I had one on our wedding registry and on the registry print-out, it said that it had been purchased. Yet, as we were cleaning up all the wrapping paper after opening our wedding gifts, we realized that none of the packages contained my beloved mixer. All I can figure is that some cruel individual purchased it for us, was then struck by the sheer magnitude of kitchen genius that lied in the mixer...and decided to keep it for themselves! Or maybe there was a computer error at Target and the mixer was never purchased at all. I like the first story better, it's way more dramatic. Either way, I'm still holding onto the hope that one day the Kitchenaid Mixer will be permanent resident in my kitchen.

Holiday Product Highlight

Elmer's Glue on your Christmas cookies?! While it is fun to reminisce of my kindergarten days when glue was accepted as a food group, I wouldn't suggest using it on your cookies. But what I am saying is that you should check out an awesome product that my Mom discovered recently: Wilton's Cookie Icing. Now this is not your usual "frosting in a can." Instead, it is a quick and simple way to replicate that lovely glaze known to the decorating gurus as "Royal Icing," which is made with meringue powder. Royal icing differs from standard buttercream because it harden somewhat as it dries. My Mom was quite pleased with the ease in using it: simply follow the directions to soften the icing in the microwave, squeeze on your cookies, and allow them to dry. (The results were pretty yummy, too, as both Calvin, Grandma's cookie helper, and I can both vouch for!!)

Mom found Wilton's Cookie Icing at Target, and I have heard it can be found at Michael's, too. If you see it anywhere else, let me know. Happy decorating!

Why not drink your holiday meal?

Ever wonder what you'll do for your holiday meal when you're old and toothless?? Well, God bless the Jones Soda Company, who've created a solution to the problem. Mmmm...I can just picture myself, 60 years from now, tossing back a couple of ice-cold, Christmas Ham sodas.

A True Gem

7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey. Deut. 8:7-8

I am continually amazed at God's wisdom in providing just the right food for the Israelites. The Israelites certainly didn't know when they were wandering 'round the desert that the pomegranates they would be eating in the Promised Land would be viriley rich in antioxidants, lower their cholesterol, prevent plaque formation on their teeth, and have a whole host of other health benefits! Yet this near-perfect gem-of-a-fruit has stood the test of time. Here we are, some 3500 years later, and yet it's only been recently that light has been shed on the abundance of wealth dwelling in the pomegranate. (For even more info about the health benefits, look here.)

I can't remember the exact time in my life when I first had a pomegranate. But suffice to say that it was many, many moons ago. I do remember my mom explaining to me that we only eat the seeds of the pomegranates, which was quite intriguing to me. The fact that we only ate the seeds seemed to bend all the rules of fruit-eating that I'd grown accustomed to.

So when I saw that pomegranates were in season again, and double-bonus, they were only 2 for $4, I thought I'd broaden my horizons a bit. If you've ever seen a pomegranate, you might be, as I was, a little intimidated at the thought of peeling it. But I knew that my faithful kitchen companion, "The Joy of Cooking" would certainly be able to shed some light on the mystery:

"Score the rind lengthwise in 4 or 5 places. Place the fruit in a large container and cover with cool water. Let it soak for about 5 minutes. Keeping the pomegranate under water, gently break the fruit apart along the scoring lines. Pull back the rind and separate the seeds from the membranes. In the water, the light rind and pith will float and the heavy seeds sink. Use a sieve to skim off the debris, then pour the seeds and water into a colander. Pat the drained seeds dry and store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator until needed; they will stay fresh for at least a day or two."

And, just like magic, I tried it and it worked exactly like described. But consider yourself warned--those gorgeous, jewel-toned pomegranate seeds will leave a scarlet-hued stain on anything they touch!! So it's quite important to keep the fruit completely submerged in water while you're dissecting it. I was aware that the pomegranate seeds can be used in recipes in a variety of different ways, but I didn't feel like researching and ended up just eating the seeds. Not to dismay, though, they were still delightfully indulgent. For recipe ideas, check here.

If you've never tried a pomegranate, I encourage you to branch out and enjoy this ancient fruit. I promise that you'll not be disappointed!