REFRESHING WHEAT BERRIES SALAD

Autumn is almost here: days are getting shorter, though still not yet any cooler! Refreshing salad is a great bite any time of the year!

This is a salad that my 7th grade geography teacher once made and I can still remember the explosion of flavors in my mouth when I ate that first bite! It is refreshing, tasty, and filling.

Ingredients:
(for printable recipe click here)

2 cups cooked wheat berries

½ cup pickles cut into small cubes

1 large ripe tomato cut in small cubes

½ cup pickled hot banana peppers

¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

½ small onion, finely chopped

½ cup pitted black olives cut into circles

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2-3 tbsp virgin olive oil

½ tsp salt (or to taste)

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp chili powder or crushed chili pepper

1 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika

¼ tsp cumin

Direction:

Into a big enough bowl, put cooked wheat berries, salt, pepper, all spices, lemon juice, vinegar, and oil. Mix to combine and set aside.

Cut all the vegetables and add them to wheat berries mix. Stir to combine and refrigerate for at least ½ an hour before serving.

THE VALENTINES CUPCAKES

Everyone wants to indulge a delicious, specially made for them treat on Valentine's Day. With their rich red color, their oh so sweet flavor, and the fact that they are easy and fun to decorate, these red velvet cream cheese frosted cupcakes are sure to please.

It doesn't have to be complicated, life is easier when it's simple. Go buy you a box of ready to make red velvet mix cake and a can of ready to use cream-cheese frosting. Then it's up to you how creative you want to get.

As for what I did: I mixed red velvet cake mix with butter milk, vegetable oil, and eggs, poured into cupcake forms, baked them for 15 minutes, let them completely cool, and frosted them. As for the frosting I used blue and red food coloring to make the purple and red food coloring to make the pink frosting. And voila!

~HAPPY VALENTINES TO ALL MY FOODIE FRIENDS~