The Moorpark Maier Margarita

Cocktails and Bubbly | January 26, 2012 | By

You ask, and you shall receive my fellow foodie and cocktail loving friends!!

I introduce to you, my sweet, amazing ex-roomie and best friend, Molly, and her fabulous cocktail making capabilities. This margarita is standard at the Kern River as our “river juice”. It’s perfect at the Waters Reservoir for some boating, cornhole and water play. And in the summer it is perfect on a random Tuesday when it’s hot and I’ve got the white trash water park set-up and kiddos are playing.

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Chicken Chutney Tacos

Dinner, Grub. | January 24, 2012 | By

I’m living with a terrorist.

She’s about 3 feet tall, has blonde pigtails and responds to the A.K.A. of “Buggies.”
Toddlers are like little terrorists or drug addicts. Happy one second, hysterical and jones-ing for “insert-anything-from-Goldfish-to-favorite-blankies-here” the next; ready to blow the roof off my house if I don’t allow her to have a “nack” an hour before dinner.

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Kitchen Sink Crock-pot Soup

Dinner, Grub. | January 18, 2012 | By


WARNING: The above picture was taken on the hubby’s iPhone. My camera was indisposed taking pictures of the newest little angel, Sweet Baby Jane, which let’s be honest – is MUCH more important than taking pictures of my soup. Proceed….

Last year we got home from a trip to warm and sunny Cabo San Lucas, only to be welcomed by pouring rain, cold wind and an even colder house. We landed at LAX and the girls and I were still wearing our swimsuits and shorts when Mother Nature turned reality back on with a giant slap to our goose-bumped keesters. We were cold and grumpy and ticked off that we weren’t on the beach anymore. Of course, after being gone for a week, our fridge consisted of a jar of pickles, some sticks of butter and coffee creamer. Unless you’re pregnant – that ain’t dinner. So, I rummaged through our pantry for a bit….

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Six Cup Salt Crusted Pork

Dinner, Grub. | January 16, 2012 | By


Don’t be scared. Don’t close your eyes. I promise this recipe is not as crazy as it looks. And I promise it’s easy. And the pork isn’t salty. And you will love it. And re-pin it. And if you don’t know what it means to “Pin It” then we need to talk.

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Fried Chicken

Dinner | January 10, 2012 | By

It’s January 10, 2012 and here in California it has been between 75-90 degrees for the last two weeks. I’m not gonna lie – it’s been really, really nice to have a summer break in the middle of winter. I’m sure some of you are thinking of stabbing the computer with butcher knives reading this as you shovel your driveway for the umteenth time this week. But here’s the deal: us Californians are accustomed to nice weather for most of the year. So when it is raining, windy and cold; we are grumpy, short tempered and cold. In addition, studies have shown that 90% of California drivers are incapable of driving in any weather other than bright and sunny. Seriously, most of us just can’t do it. We freak out. Of course now that I’ve put it out in the universe that our weather has been nice, it is going to start raining immediately. Quick, knock on wood! (Hubby?)

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Thai Red Curry Chicken

Dinner, Grub. | January 5, 2012 | By

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In 2003, on a beautiful afternoon in the middle of California’s Indian Summer, I married my hubby. We said our vows in blistering heat with sweat dripping down to you know where and we sealed our commitment with a kiss.

And then we partied.

We danced and drank mojitos and visited with (almost!) every single one of the 200 guests. We fed each other cake and I was a good sport when he dolloped some on my nose. We watched a dear friend of ours (who is now an ocular plastic surgeon) try to smoke a cognac dipped cigar while four inch flames leapt from it as two other friends (mere feet away) tried to relay a sincere message to us on our wedding video.

It. Was. Perfect.

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Happy New Year!

Giveaway, Grub. | January 3, 2012 | By


Let’s be honest. The holidays are a time of complete and utter chaos. Between shopping, parties, school parties, shopping, cooking, winter break, family, shopping and regular life – it’s a lose your mind time of year. But it’s the best time of year (especially for shopping 😉 ). And as a result, I had to ride the amazing wave of holiday life and let Mommy Bistro take a nap for a few weeks. But I’ve missed her. And I’ve missed YOU! I’m back with a recap of my life from the last few weeks, some resolutions, and some questions for the new year. 

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