Pip’s Caramel Pops
It’s that time of the year ALREADY??!?!? Seriously. I feel like it was last week that my girlfriends and I were talking about summer and drinking margaritas in the backyard. Now the leaves are changing and Pixie is amped up about this year’s Halloween costume, Ariel. Which of course also means it is nearing her birthday. Every morning her first question is, “Mommy? Is TODAY my birthday?”
Remy’s Ratatouille Fondue
A fellow mommy-blogger and high school friend of my hubby’s, Nikki Bull Pollard (http://myfootinmymouth.blogspot.com/), is currently working on an article about family movie nights and asked me to contribute some food pairings with the movies. Which I am SOOO honored to do because Nikki’s blog is an overwhelmingly successful blog that absolutely cracks me up and she also contributes to www.ksl.com. The two movies she asked me to pair with are the fabulously entertaining movie, Ratatouille (which I secretly love to watch with Buggies and Pixie because it is all about cooking!) and the movie Enchanted, which stars McDreamy and that adorable Amy Adams.
Roasted Garlic
Here’s the deal. Garlic is amazing. If you don’t think so, you haven’t had it made for you the right way. Roasted garlic is one of our favorite starter appetizers. We love serving it with some crusty French bread. Spread it across the bread, sprinkle it with some kosher salt and black pepper and take a bite. It’s beyond delicious. Take it one step further by drizzling some white truffle oil over it. Or even placing a slice of avocado on top of the garlic and then drizzling with oil, salt and pepper. Mix it up peeps! Make it the way you like it – as long as you make this garlic.
The Great Caperless Piccata
I love salt. So, why don’t I like capers? I have no idea. But I love a lemon, wine, garlic sauce so I still do love the Piccata. I’ll tell you what – if YOU want to add capers, be my guest. But this recipe will be without those salty little morsels.
Hubby’s Note: I want to bathe in a lemon/wine/garlic/butter sauce. Seriously. Add onions or shallots in to the mix, and I honestly don’t think there’s any better combination of flavors. I’ve suggested to my wife that there are many uses for such a sauce. She keeps telling me that those uses are best kept to the kitchen. I’ll leave that fight for another day, because YES, this dish rocks. Fry the chicken a little bit and add this sauce, and it’s GAME ON! Well, at the dinner table anyway.
Grandma Josie’s Chile (Salsa)
Ofrasina (Josie) Avila-Preciado was born in 1930 in Michoacan, Mexico. She was one of fourteen children. As a baby, she was smuggled into the United States under her aunt’s dress. She put her roots down here in California, got married, and started a family of her own. Her son Steve is my best friend Jessica’s father. Grandma Josie was one of the most selfless ladies to have ever lived. She loved her children and worked everyday to provide everything for them. One of those things she provided, was of course food. And Josie loved to cook. She would cook all day for her family and passed many of her recipes on to them.
She had a heart of gold and if she liked you, you were blessed. If she didn’t like you, well let’s just say I’d advise you change your name and move to Canada. Grandma Josie passed away in 2002 but her life continues to always be celebrated. The stories about Josie still make her family laugh, cry and relive her life all over again. It is my great honor to post the recipe (with her family’s blessing of course) for Josie’s amazing “salsa.” Please make this as soon as you possibly can. It has become a favorite in my family as well but it will always carry Josie’s name on it.
Hubby’s Note: My wife has been known to put this salsa out when I have the guys over to watch a game or for poker night. Any one of my friends that has had it once, will inivitably ask for it the next time they are over. It’s so fresh tasting. It’s the perfect mix of spicy and sweet and fresh. The only thing that improves it is a dollop of Guac on the chip right along side it. Thankfully, I’m always asked to be the taste tester while it’s being made. Does it need more of this? Of that? No honey, it needs more tortilla chips in my hands to eat it with.
Ventura County Star Article about Mommy Bistro!
My hair isn’t exactly how I wished it was. I was so worried about my food getting cold by the time I got there and it was hot and I was nervous…..’ya know what I mean??? But what a great article! Thank you Ventura County Star!!!
Spinach Salad with Balsamic Onion Dressing
Salads are a pretty standard fallback meal in our house. They are healthy, delicious and easy to make. Most evenings we don’t sit down to eat our dinner until after Buggies and Pixie are fast asleep. And some days don’t go as smoothly as others. Which brings me to make an easy salad for dinner. Spinach is such a wonderful source of vitamins and is one of the healthiest leaves you can put in your body. Granted topping it off with bacon may not be the best thing for your body but my motto is, “everything in moderation.” In this picture you can see croutons which I don’t normally use. But they were calling my name in Trader Joe’s…
Hubby’s note: And my motto is, “WHERE’S THE BACON”?! Bacon + Avocado = Happy Hubby. Wait, did you say this was healthy?
Summer Skewers with Balsamic Syrup
We recently had a few friends over for an impromptu backyard BBQ. Ryan was dying to smoke a pork shoulder and I wanted chocolate sheet cake. That’s half a party right there isn’t it? I think so! Well, I wanted to make something light and refreshing as an appetizer. I was google-ing, searching recipe books, looking at our BBQ app on my phone – I was desperate for some inspiration! I had a watermelon, mini heirloom tomatoes and basil in my house. What to do…what to do. What I did was make these fabulously refreshing skewers. I layered the watermelon, basil, and tomatoes on skewers and served them up with a balsamic/sugar reduction. I made a few too many so I took them to my in-laws house the next day and my mother-in-law swooned. I know it’s “kind of” fall already but here in California, we have Indian summers that last well into October. Make these quick before watermelon is out of season and we have to wear close-toed shoes again.
Oh! And scroll to the end to see a picture of our four kids eating their corn. Silly little monkeys…..
Dederich Family Spaghetti Carbonara
In the kitchen, my husband is amazing at making exactly two things: Sicilian Chicken Marsala and Spaghetti Carbonara. As I talked about in our marsala recipe, Ryan’s grandparents were stationed in Sicily for a few years. Their house was situated over this fabulous little Italian restaurant and while Jerry was out being a Master Chief Signalman, Doris made friends with her landlady.
Kelli’s Vegetable Panini
This summer I had a dear friend, Kelli, come visit me from Arizona for a few days. We met our senior year at UCLA and ended up taking some Sociology classes together.