Date night with Steve at Blanca

Blanca~Solana Beach, Ca.

Southern California Cuisine

Contemporary Seasonal Farm to Table dining with

A incredibly beautiful presentation!

I ordered Grilled Neville Ranch Berkshire Pork served with baby vegetables from seed to flower

Kickn up the Food Fashion~Hip & Sassy

You gotta love the Vintage aprons of the past with the practical pockets~

Apparently the women also enjoyed sewing them.

I love this one! I've always been domestic, I have a brown apron with pink polka dots & ruffle trim & another with Eiffel Towers all over it.

Here is some of my favorite looks for today's modern housewife~

Slip on a cute pair of heels and your ready for your dinner party~

May make you feel like meeting your man at the door & serving him a martini after work...

...maybe even feed him a chocolate dipped strawberry

Anthropologie has cute prints & styles~ adorable tableclothes, tea towels & pot holders too!

Fresh Farmers Market Mushrooms

Portebello, baby bella, oyster, enoki

Quick Chicken Breast recipe ~ Great for preparing after a day at the Beach

Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Parmesan


4 T. Olive Oil
4 boneless Chicken breasts
1/2 C. Chopped drained Sun Dried Tomatoes
1 large shallot, diced
3 minced cloves garlic
Fresh chopped parsley
1 Cup whipping cream
Grated Parmesan


Sauté chicken in olive oil until nicely browned. Remove chicken to plate. In hot skillet sauté tomatoes, shallot, garlic & parsley until tender. Add cream, simmer until thickened. Return chicken to sauce & sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Fresh Summer Basil

this is a cute lil basil plant called Boxwood Basil~it has delicate lil leaves but is just as fragrant and flavorful

Curly parsley 

Time to make some pesto

~Love Artichokes

 I give them a squeeze of  lemon juice, stuff them with bread crumbs & parmesan. Drizzle melted butter, olive oil & 4 T. chicken broth over each one. Season with garlic salt & fresh parsley. Wrap individually in heavy-duty foil. Place in a baking dish filled with some broth & lemon slices. Bake in 425 oven about an hour depending on the size of artichokes~The foil steams them and seals in the flavors.

Mmmmm...Marsala Chicken with Panchetta & Capers

Delic served over mashed potatoes 

Simmer'n Lil Pot of Chicken Pastina

Get a lil chicken simmer'n with carrots, celery, shallot and some chicken broth. I added a lil organic tomato soup, pastina and top off with parmesan

Artist Ed Bing Lee~Macrame Works of Art

Making Homemade Pasta~with Taylor

My son Taylor always helps me make homemade pasta. Its a big help & fun to have someone help you roll it out~

...and on this day Taylor made the pasta & I helped HIM!

Good Times~Good Times

Eggplant Parm breaded with Asiago bagel breadcrumbs & topped with feta and capers~

The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford

I spent the morning with a cup of coffee and a stack of Nana Audrey's vintage recipes. Most neatly typed or handwritten-some shared from friends. Alot splattered with food, her most favorite covered in plastic recipe covers! Quite a few quickly jotted down on hotel stationary from her travels toThe Colonnade Boston, the Silver Dart Motel Nova Scotia and others- Recipes range from festive holiday favorites to hosting her bank business dinners back in the day. I smiled and laughed out loud when I came to a instant pudding dessert titled The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford.