Beach Luncheon
My friend Tracie loves to host parties, and has probably hosted more parties than anyone I know. Ever since she bought her first Martha Stewart book in 1987, she has taken a cue from the Queen herself, and made sure that every gathering is perfect. Not because she wants the accolades, but so her guests would always be treated to a perfectly stress free event.
Tracie called me and asked if I would oversee the food and decorating for a baby shower she was throwing at her home on the beach. Her friend Jennifer was due with twins, so Tracie wanted to give her an extra-relaxing, special day.
I wanted to share with you some of the ideas that helped bring this fun luncheon together.
Fresh raspberries waiting for the champagne
Here’s a helpful do-ahead, time-saving tip: Whether you’re serving champagne, a wine spritzer, sparkling cider, or club soda, it’s a good idea to Read more »
A Quick Question for my Readers
Quick Question:
My blog comes out every Thursday at 8:30 am, PST.
How is this working for you? Would you rather see it at another time on Thursdays?
Please take this quick poll and let me know what you think. (All times are in the California Time Zone PST)
Mom’s Rhubarb Custard Pie
My mom has many cooking/baking talents, but her Rhubarb Custard Pie is one recipe that really gets a lot of requests. So, of course I was very excited when she asked if I’d like to use it for a blog 
What’s even better…all of the photos of pie that you’ll see are hers too.
I’ve heard that when my nephew would come visit her from college, it was the one thing he’d request. Every time.
Freshly picked rhubarb
When I was at her house for Mothers Day, we were talking about rhubarb, and she told me that she always gets *interesting* comments from Grocery Clerks when she buys this pretty veggie at the market. Here are a few:
- “Sooooo, is this red celery?”
- ”How do you eat this?”
- ”What is this, anyway?”
- ”Do you know…you’re the only one who ever buys this?”
Really? Maybe it’s because I’ve seen my mom make her pie so many times, that this is as normal as seeing a head of broccoli in the shopping cart.
So, let me ask you… what do you think? (multiple choice)
So here’s her recipe, along with easy directions for making this beautiful basket-weave lattice crust
Mom’s Rhubarb Custard Pie
4 c. finely cut rhubarb
1½ c. sugar
3 extra large eggs, beaten Read more »
Italian Country Chicken
Years ago, when I was a new mom, I was in the process of making the big change in my everyday cooking. Sure, I knew how to prepare some good, homemade meals, but at that time, it was also so easy to do the “add a can of condensed creamed soup to whatever….” dinners. In my defense, at the time, I didn’t realize what exactly was in those soup cans and boxes of premade powdery stuff.
One day while my little son Tyler was napping, I was flipping through a cooking magazine and a recipe caught my eye. It was different than what I normally cooked, so I tried it out and really liked it. I’ve since made it many times throughout the past two decades, and recently I’ve updated it quite a bit to suit my health needs and tastes.
It’s also Gluten Free, and Paleo. Yay!
Poli-Kala Roasted Red Peppers, packed with garlic!
Before we get into the recipe, I want you to take a look at the Roasted Red Sweet Peppers I used. I just found them a few months back at a little market in Upland that sells goods from all different countries. These peppers are Bulgarian. I know, the label looks Greek, but really, they’re from Bulgaria. They’re super tasty because the peppers are swimming around in the jar with a few cloves of garlic. Yum!
I also use Meyer Lemon Olive Oil in this recipe. This one is “Big Sur Gourmet”. The flavor is perfect, and it only has two ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Meyer Lemons.
Now back to the recipe: This is one of those dishes where you can pre-cut many of the ingredients, so that when it’s time to cook, your actual time in the kitchen is reduced by quite a bit. You can also cut down time by Read more »
Cinco de Mayo Potatoes
Sockmonkey Pedro is ready for a Fiesta!
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Are you hosting or going to a party/gathering/get-together this weekend? Great! Since Sunday is Cinco de Mayo, why not give the food a Mexican theme?!
Of course, I never need an excuse to eat Mexican food, but when you’ve got a special day staring you right in the face…. well, you may as well use it!
Today Sockmonkey Pedro is trying out a new dish, and these easy little appetizers will be perfect for your Fiesta. Plus, it’s Paleo & Gluten Free!
This recipe was one that came out of a conversation I had with my friend Mary, who is an avid foodie. She suggested three things for me, for this week’s blog:
a.) that I write about a Mexican dish
b.) that I incorporate my potatoes I love to make
c.)…plus, she even told me where I could get a sombrero for the monkey!
So, without her, you guys might be looking at a blank page today…. so Thank you Mary!! =0)
These little potatoes don’t take much time, and take even less, if you do some of the prep beforehand.
Prep 1: Make the Seasoning
This can be done far in advance. I like to have this blend on hand, and it takes just a couple of minutes. Measure everything into a mortar and then grind with the pestle until the entire seasoning blend is of a consistent size.
Mexican Seasoning
If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, I highly recommend you get one to make your own spice blends!
¼ tsp. Cumin
4 tsp. Garlic Powder
4 tsp. Leaf Oregano
1 tsp. Onion Powder
¼ tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Paprika
¼ tsp. Salt
⅛ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp. Arrowroot Powder
Prep 2: Slice & Dice Read more »
Passin Through Paso
Having a great time – wish you were here!
A welcome sight for my LA County eyes!
This week I’m taking you on a virtual weekend getaway to Paso Robles, California.
Are you ready?
I was joined again by Donna, my partner in shenanigans for a three-day girls-only weekend of beautiful scenery and delicious eats.
Going through a tunnel on the 101 North
Driving up the coast from Los Angeles is not all that pretty… but once you hit Santa Barbara, the rest of the scenery makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a completely different part of the country. With rolling hills, giant Oak Trees, patches of wildflowers, and various livestock… you almost don’t see the ocean following you on your left side till it sparkles at you.
- photo: Fiddlestix Winery, courtesy of The “Prince of Pinot”
You’ve gotta smile when you see a calf playing in the sprinklers.
The miles and miles of grapevines are such a treat to drive through. I never realized how much they remind me of the photos I’ve seen of Italy until just the last few years. I rolled my window down and felt the cool breeze and smelled the deliciously clean air. I immediately could feel the stress fly out the window, the farther north I journeyed. Read more »
Apple Cake and a Free Prize!
If pie and cake had a baby…this would be it.
So…You’ve been thinking about making some kind of dessert, but you’re not sure which to do. Cookies? Cake? Cinnamon Rolls? hmmm. You search through your worn cookbook, but nothing seems to pop out at you.
Then you glance at a few books, but the ones that sound really good require a lot of ingredients you don’t have on hand.
Has this ever happened to you? What do you do? Do you make the same old thing, or do you resort to buying something at the grocery store?
I have something that requires a short amount of time, with ingredients you may already have sitting in your kitchen. It’s moist, not too sweet, and tastes like a cross between a moist cake and an apple pie. Interested?
Weeknight Chicken
Hey, Mom… What’s for dinner?
Has this ever happened to you?
You’ve got so many things you’re trying to compress into one little tiny day, and just when you think you may be able to take a 30 minute break…
…you realize you have to make dinner….. or the small army that you created will accuse you of starving them, and rebel?
When my boys were young, they were pretty good eaters. Well, except the older one would starve before he would touch cheese. Or cooked carrots. And the younger one never wanted to eat non-green beans. Or avocado. Or pie. And both believed that all salad dressings, white sauces and meatloaf were toxic. They’re obviously aliens, but that’s another blog entirely.
So what’s a mom to do?
I initially made this recipe out of the desperation of finding something my boys would both eat, that I would like as well. Through the years I changed a little here and there, and today it’s a dish they still ask for. Go figure! So, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s either tasty, or they are no longer aliens.
Read more »
White Spring Sangria
Many of you are in Spring Break Vacation Mode right now…
so let’s keep it going…
Pull up a beach chair,
pour a glass of White Spring Sangria,
and relax with the Sockmonkeys!
White Spring Sangria
This sangria centers more on fruit, and less on wine
It’s officially Springtime, and the weather has certainly been warming up here in Southern California.
While I’m putting on my 100 SPF sunscreen, my Facebook buddies across the country are posting photos of themselves, all decked out in hats, scarves, and mittens. Being a lover of the cold, I am officially jealous. It makes me wonder why on earth I live in SoCal. Then I remember the year-round farmers markets… and the ability to get nearly any produce that’s in season…
Okay. I’ll stay. For a while.
During these warm weekends, when folks are lighting up the BBQ, it seems like the perfect time to bring out a pitcher of Sangria. This delightfully fruity beverage is such a good match to a moist grilled chicken breast, or an appetizer course filled with cheeses and artisan breads.
Note: I don’t make Sangria the typical way. Far be it from me to be normal… right? 
Generally “Sangria” is made from red wine, thus the name (loose translation means “bleeding“). But since I have allergic reactions to reds, I’m only able to drink whites. And, generally only the sweet whites at that. PS: if you ever take me wine tasting… I’ll probably be your driver, since I can’t really drink most of the offerings. I’ve even been to a winery where all I got was a T-shirt… but that’s another story.
Back to the task at hand…. Read more »
Pinterest And Potatoes
I really like Pinterest.
A lot, actually.
Click the logo to visit me on Pinterest!
It’s the online magazine we all can share, and we all retrieve different information. I especially love that we can each tailor it to exactly what we’re looking for.
For those of you who haven’t yet checked it out (Mom and Aunt Nat, I’m talking to you), it’s worth a look! You’ll love it!
Let me get back on track. I was checking out some pins about breakfast foods (primarily potatoes) on Monday and I came across something so simple, yet I’d never seen it before.
I clicked on the photo to see the recipe and I immediately wanted a bite!
Here’s the best part: this is one of those dishes, that is so simple, and contains very typical breakfast fare…. and I’m guessing you all may have these ingredients in your kitchen *right now*. Read more »
