Homemade Fresh Tomato Salsa & Guacamole

Memorial Day has come and gone so that means summertime is nearly upon us! And what's an essential component to any summer get-together? Chips and salsa! Even better when its a deliciously homemade fresh tomato salsa and homemade guacamole too! Both are so simple to make but offer so much more than the run-of-the-mill store bought variety that is hastily grabbed at the last minute. I have made both the Salsa and Guacamole on several occasions to rave reviews and now you can too!

Lessons Learned from Italian Cooking: Tubetti Cacio e Uova

Lessons learned from Italian Cooking #3: Pasta is a blank canvas. You can dress it up with basically anything you have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Some of the most basic ingredients such as eggs, cheese, and fresh herbs can come together and create a decadent dish that you will want to share with friends and family.

In this edition of Lessons Learned, I have made

 Tubetti Cacio E Uova: Tubular Macaroni with Cheese and Egg.

Peanut Butter Cream Cookies AKA faux "Do-Si-Dos"

I am a sucker for anything peanut butter (throw chocolate in the mix and I am one happy girl!) so I decided to make my version of the popular peanut butter cream Girl Scout Cookies, "Do-Si-Dos!" The recipe was very easy but you have been warned...MILK REQUIRED! Try these out on your family and you will have them hooked on YOUR version of the classic :)

My Mother's Day Menu

Chicken Piccata, Roasted Potatoes, and Sauteed Spinach w/ Bacon & Pine Nuts

A lot of families take Mom out for a lovely brunch or dinner for Mother's Day. I know that for us, being in a restaurant family and having Mother's Day being the busiest day of the year, it was always important for us to do something special for my mom in the morning before my dad had to head to work. Some years we took her out, others we would cook a special breakfast for her. Unfortunately, this year I won't be able to do that for her :( But on the bright side, there is my fiancee's mom to cook for! So if you are looking for some inspiration for that special menu on Mother's Day (or for someone else special on a different occasion), here's what I'll be making:

Appetizer: Parmesan Garlic Stuffed Artichoke
Starter Plate: Penne with Creamy Marinara Sauce
Main Dish: Chicken Piccata with Mushrooms
Side Dishes: Herb Roasted Potatoes & Sauteed Spinach w/ Bacon and Pine Nuts

How To...Preserve Lemons!

What to do with leftover lemons, a mason jar, and a ton of salt? Make homemade preserved lemons, of course! 

Restaurant ReCreations: Scarpetta's "Spaghetti with Tomato & Basil"

  

The finished product of my Restaurant ReCreation of
Scarpetta's "Spaghetti with Tomato & Basil"

Welcome to the first post in our series, Restaurant ReCreations, where we will take a look at some of your favorite restaurant dishes and explore how you can recreate them right at home in your very own kitchen! We will explore dishes from different cuisines and varying types of restaurants all while trying to keep it simple enough that the most amateur chef in all of us could follow along and turn out a quality interpretation of that restaurant's best offering. And with that in mind, let's jump into our first Restaurant ReCreations adventure!

Lessons Learned from Italian Cooking: Marinara Sauce & Neopolitan Meatballs

Lessons learned from Italian Cooking #1: You don't need to let marinara sauce simmer ALLLL DAYYY long! I don't know why I had in my head that in order to make a good marinara sauce, it needed to be an all day event. WRONG-O! With the right ingredients, you can have delicious marinara sauce in about 20 minutes.

Chef Kirsten Gum visits OTO Farmers Market!

On April 15th, I woke up early and walked a few blocks to the Old Towne Orange Farmers & Artisan Market so I could catch a chef demonstration by raw foods chef, Kirsten Gum, get some fresh produce and enjoy a sunny Saturday morning. I'm so glad I was able to have the opportunity to meet Kirsten Gum and see what she does best!

Kirsten Gum is a Travel Channel TV personality who specializes in perfecting raw food recipes. She also has a passion for traveling the world and helping others find their way to a green, sustainable way of life. What a life, huh? She currently resides in Venice Beach, CA and South America. She was so much fun to watch because her passion is evident and lets be honest...I love my meat, cheese, butter, white sugar, eggs, and everything that she DOESN'T use. I have to admit, I was a tinsy bit skeptical about how her food would taste...but...it was delicious, and healthy, and fresh, and probably how food should be, right?