Heirloom Tomato Stack
Phew. What a week! I know I fell off of the radar for a while. A week ago today, my parents sent me a video of their house showing no less than four feet of snow. With blue skies and the flexibility in my schedule to pack the kids in the car with our “snow clothes crate” and go enjoy a few days in the snow – I jumped on it (ha!). Unfortunately I was also sick as dog. No voice, totally congested, achy…YUCK! I warned my mom and dad that I was SICK. They didn’t care. And neither did I. I just knew I had to do it because it would be my only chance this season to play in the snow with the girls. So, I picked up Pixie from school, loaded up the car and off we went! The girls were so stinkin’ excited.
A few hours later, the girls ripped themselves out of the car as quick as they could and dove face first into the snow. Snow bibs? Who needs ’em! Gloves? Naw! They played for about an hour and when the jeans were too wet and the fingers bright red, we retired inside for some cozy clothes and movies.
The next morning my mom had to head back to Los Angeles to work so my dad gave her a ride down the mountain to the main center in their community. As he was walking her to her car to make sure she could get out….he fell. On black ice. HARD. He came back up to the house limping and barely able to sit down in a chair. CRAP. (Side note- it occurred to me that had I still been nursing, a Boppy would make a wonderful “donut” to cushion one’s bruised tailbone)
Guiness Chocolate Cake
I’ve been making this cake for years. It’s rich and moist and the frosting is so stinkin’ good. With St. Patty’s day happening tomorrow, I thought it was a great time to share this cake with you!
Mixologist Molly: Birthday Cake Martini
First, it is very important to use store bought vanilla frosting, it really make the CAKEy-ness (is that even a word??) of this drink. I tried chocolate syrup and cream cheese frosting and neither really did it for me. The sugary store bought vanilla frosting really brought it all together. We also tried serving these straight up in a martini glass…still wasn’t quite right…so we blended them and served them in the martini glass (which maybe makes it not a martini, but the glasses look cool). Now we have it…soooooo YUMMMY!!!
Mommy Bistro Note: The hubby is turning THIRTY-FOUR this week. I cannot believe it. I’ve known this amazing man for eleven years. And he would hate this martini. We actually made these in honor of Mixologist Molly’s birthday in February but it wasn’t perfected until now. It’s super duper delicious!
adapted from www.howsweeteats.com
Ingredients:
1 ounce amaretto
1 1/2 ounces Cake Vodka
1 1/2 ounces creme de cacao
1/2 ounce Godiva white chocolate liqueur (pricey, but soooo worth it!)
1 ounce heavy cream (try with fat-free half and half too)
rainbow sprinkles (nonpareils, the teeny round ones)
Frosting (vanilla, not homemade)
Directions:
First just put the rim of the glass right in the top of the frosting container. Having placed the round sprinkles on a plate, roll the frosted rim in the sprinkles.
Now make the yummy drink: Add the amaretto, cake vodka, creme de cacao, Godiva liqueur, heavy cream and ice to a blender.
I usually at least double this recipe. But just put all ingredients in the blender with a little bit of ice (not to make a slushy margarita, but just enough to chill it). Blend until ice is broken, but not smooth. Poor in prepared glasses and serve 🙂
Note: if you cannot find Cake vodka, whipped cream or vanilla will work.
Smoked Gouda and Drunk Onion Quesadillas
 
These quesadillas were another huge hit at every party we catered. They are so easy and so, so, so good. People would ask, “how do you get the onions to taste so sweet yet savory.” Our answer? Get ’em good and drunk! Add half a bottle of wine and boil the hell out of ’em.
Raspberry and Goat Cheese Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette
My hubby is awesome. Sometimes, he really plans out thoughtful and fun presents for me. My absolute favorite musical instrument is the cello. I love the deep, passionate, resonating sound it makes. When we got married, I walked down the aisle to Jeux D’eau which is a song from the Cirque de Soleil show, “O.” About thirty seconds in, a cello starts and it’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.
Back when we still lived in Sherman Oaks, he rented a cello for me and got me private cello lessons. I LOVED IT! It was so much fun to learn – it was a LOT of work. I never realized how difficult it was. The funny part is, I guessed what he had planned for me. I wrote it down, brought it with us and showed it to him when we pulled up at my first cello lesson. He was gobbsmacked. Totally speechless. Honestly could not believe that I had guessed it.
Mixologist Molly: Fresh Blueberry Margaritas
In previous posts I have shown you how to make a Party size margarita, and a personal size margarita. Here I am going to show you the EASIEST variation of these super tasty drinks.
Nut Crusted Halibut with Lemon Aioli
Crap!! I meant to post this one months ago! It somehow slipped through my butter covered fingers until I made it again this past weekend. See, now that I have a “blog,” I just use my “iPad” in the kitchen to “Google” my website and pull up my recipes. Sidetrack for a second. Do you remember that Friends episode when Joey didn’t know how to use air quotes? That show “was” so perfect. And Jen Anniston is still perfect. How in the world is she so beautiful? I still haven’t gotten over her break-up with Brad. Okay – TANGENT. Focus Jessica!