Fancy Pants Mac N Cheese
Pixie’s school is the greatest school on the planet. Seriously, your kid’s school cannot hold a candle to this place. It’s the school you dream about, the school you see in books and think “That does not exist.” But it does. I played the $590 million PowerBall game with the secret hope we would win and next year she could stay at this uber expensive school and not go public. The teachers are the sweetest, most caring downright kick ass teachers ever. The learning programs the school has instilled has made Pixie grow by leaps and bounds.
Kitchen Sink Salad
My last five posts have all been salads. I’m feeling proud of that and ashamed of that at the same time. On my Mommy Bistro Facebook page I asked what you wanted to see and the answer still, is… salads! I had three ears of corn that I had to use up so I kinda threw a ton of stuff at some arugula and it turned out pretty darned good. The hubby thinks it should be called fiesta salad but I thought this could be the yang to my Kitchen Sink Soup.
Angry Mac N’ Cheese – Vegas Style
Forgive me cooking gods, it has been weeks since my last post.
See, this little thing called “life” caught up with me. And by “life” I mean this: I was sick. The girls were sick. I was sick again. Sprinkle in two bachelorette parties in Vegas and three bridal showers and you can see why I honestly haven’t had a moment to catch up on sleep, laundry, bills, sleep, grocery shopping, health, sleep and immunity.
Mommy Bistro Kids: Pizza Roll-Ups
My new goal is to release one kid friendly recipe per week. I am sure I am not the only mommy out there who is frustrated on a daily basis with the near impossible task of getting her darling little kiddos to eat their dinner. When Buggies and Pixie were babies, they ate everything I put in front of them. As they have gotten older (and more independent), I feel like I’m losing the food battle. I insist on vegetables with their meals (fruits are easy peasy to get these little monkeys to eat). Even if it is just one bite, it’s a step in the right direction. On the other hand, I’ve never met a 45 year old man or woman who only eats mac n cheese. Which makes me feel like there is a ray of sunlight at the end of the tunnel.
Hubby’s Note: When it comes to our kids, my wife is the Food Whisperer. If I am left in charge of dinner for them, it’s gonna be Mac N Cheese, or eggs, or snacks. Or Del Taco. I’m not ashamed of this, I’m just a realist. I know my limitations.
Perfect Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
I seriously LOVE mashed potatoes. IF they are done right. None of this “keeping the skin on with a smidge of butter and regular milk” crap. If you’re going to make them, please, please, PLEASE make them right. So that with each bite your eyes roll back in your head and your tummy screams, “comfort.” (Hey, it better, since the next time you put on your cute-jeans, it’ll scream “why did you eat so many potatoes!?”)
Hubby’s Note: Bless my wife’s heart. I am lactose intolerant, and I can’t stand potatoes. Though I’m convinced this is due to my Irish ancestors eating only potatoes for years. This dish is my kryptonite. I would rather take meals and bath duty for my two girls for a month than eat these potatoes. But every person she’s ever served it to actually levitates from the table while they eat it. I’ve got dents in the ceiling to prove it. So…I guess they’re pretty amazing.
Best Breakfast Burrito
Okay, so here is the deal people. It’s W-Day. Yes. Yes, W-Day is Sean and Annie’s wedding day. For which I am making 300 French Macarons for. And coordinating the rehearsal dinner for. And hosting a day after the big day BBQ for. So I’ve lost all sense of reality peeps. I feel like I’m living in the twilight zone at this point. This will be my only post this week. I’m SO SORRY! I feel like I’m letting you down. I promise to make up for it next week but right now, it’s 11:26 and I think my bedtime tonight will be closer to 2 or 3 AM time. Wish me luck and I promise to post tons of pics of the big day!
In the meantime, make this burrito for breakfast. It’s delish and if you post on Facebook that you are making it, I might show up at your house looking frazzled with a bottle of champagne and invite myself in for a burrito.
This burrito is a take on my other breakfast indulgence, Morning Glory. The first time I made this was at the Kern River about a month ago and it was quite the hit.
Hubby’s Note: I’m convinced that I could make anything into a burritto and enjoy it. I could wrap a pickle, a carrot, and maybe Thomas the Train into a tortilla, throw some Frank’s Red Hot sauce and guacamole on it and i’d be a happy man. All that being said, I’d much rather have this magical concoction of yumminess in my breakfast burritto than the aforementioned ingredients. It’ll be better on the back end this way too.
Burrata Cheese Crostini with Basil Oil
Have you had it? Have you cried from happiness of eating this cheese? The first time I had it was before the Sex in the City 2 movie. My girlfriends and I met in our party dresses for cocktails and appetizers before heading over to see the SITC girls head to Abu Dhabi. We went to Farfalla in Westlake Village. I LOVE eating out with my girls because we usually order a ton of different things and share. And they like all of the things that my sweet hubby doesn’t. We ordered burrata cheese over a crostini drizzled with a basil oil. GASP! It was delicious. The cheese was creamy, the bread was warm and soaked in butter and the basil oil gave the perfect punch of flavor. Of course I had to recreate it. And it was kinda super easy.
Italian Quesadillas
I’m not gonna lie. It takes some planning to keep new recipes coming every few days. And my past two weeks have been crazy so my posts have dwindled for just a moment. But I’m proud to say that I’ve been stockpiling. I’ve got some ammunition that I’m ready to release people! That being said, I had a very ambitious night where I decided to make six (SIX!!!) new recipes for a casual dinner party. And of course because I hadn’t spent a few days in my kitchen and I’m pretty sure my Kitchenaid hummed to life on its own, I needed to cook. I was also craving mushrooms and because Ryan won’t eat mushrooms, I thought I could add them to an appetizer and get my fix. That’s one of my favorite things about entertaining friends, we outnumber my picky husband so I can make some really yummy dishes!
Oh! And these are vegetarian 😉
Hubby’s Note: Yes. I’m picky. But I’m really cute. So…I’ve got that going for me…which is nice.
Morning Glory
So, being a parent is one of the most exhausting (but totally rewarding) jobs on the planet. There are times when I am watching the clock like a crazy person counting down the minutes until Ryan walks in the door. And other days? It’s smooth sailing. You moms out there know what I’m talking about, right? Well, on weekends we love to be lazy. Like, grab the kids, bring them into our bed and turn on Tinkerbell (their FAVORITE!) while we catch a blissful 10-15 minutes more of sleep. But once that 10-15 minutes is over, Buggies is climbing all over us. “Mommy? I wannanack.” Translation? Mommy I want a snack. So, I head to the kitchen to start on….Morning Glory. It’s the end all, be all sandwich that keeps evolving and getting better. I had no idea it could do that.
Hubby’s note: The title of this sandwhich says it all. I’m not a morning person. And if it’s Saturday or Sunday morning, you can bet your ass that i’m dragging mine as Friday and Saturday nights are No Holds Barred in our house. For some reason my body/mind didn’t get the memo that once you have kids, there is no such thing a sleeping in. So i stay up late, and pay the price then next morning. This sandwhich saves me. It fills my taste buds, mouth, stomach, and head with all that is good in the world, and soaks up all that bad stuff from the night before. Best breakfast ever!