Queso Fundido = Fun Party Dip

Prep 5 min  Cook 15 min  Eat 20 min

Queso Fundido with Mushrooms and Olives

Queso Fundido is a Mexican appetizer, translated to “melted cheese”.  What is a party without melted cheese in one form or another?  I can guarantee that when you serve this Queso Fundido, it will disappear in about 2 minutes, so be ready for all the hands in the bowl and all the compliments.

Bread Pudding with Pineapple and Raisins smothered in Tequila Sauce

Prep 15 min  Bake 35 min  Eat 50 min

Bread Pudding with Pineapple, Raisins, Pine Nuts and Tequila Sauce

This bread pudding is addictively good.  I’ve served it three times now and no one can resist.  Maybe its the gooey center formed from the custard. The fragrance from the vanilla and baking bread or the sweetness of the pineapple and golden raisins. Perhaps its the syrupy tequila sauce.  It’s the kind of dessert that when you offer seconds to guests, they will accept with a bit of guilt on their face.  Don’t have this around if you are on a diet.  Make it for company and make only what you can eat, because the rest is going to disappear into your own tummy, unless you have lots of willpower.

Summer Barbecue Cooking Class – July 24, 2014

 

Nothing says summer like a burger off the barbecue.

Let’s have a summer garden party.  Doesn’t that sound great? Our cooking class will be held as always in the Holy Nativity Community Hall in Westchester on Thursday, July 24, 6:00 – 9:00.  The Community Hall is the central hub for the community garden that grows food for the hungry.

The Holy Nativity Community Garden

Every Thursday volunteers come to harvest what has grown that week and send it over to the LAX Food Pantry, which provides food for our brothers and sisters in need.  Isn’t that a beautiful thing? Fresh food, not just bottles and cans are sent over to help those that deserve to eat delicious meals. 

16-Spice Chicken from Mesa Grill

Prep 10 min   Cook 12 min   Eat 22 min

16-Spice Chicken

This 16-Spice Chicken from Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook is unbelievably good. You’ll want to be grilling all summer with this spice blend once you taste it.  Mix up the blend, place it in a spice jar and you’ll have enough for most of the summer, making dinner a cinch on those long hot nights.  Perfect for pot-luck barbecues too.

Rancho La Puerta’s “La Cocina Que Canta” Cooking School

 

Rancho La Puerta Cookbook

I was thrilled to get the word that I had been selected by Rancho La Puerta’s executives to be one of six new cooking teachers at “The Ranch” in 2015.  I will be the guest chef at “The Ranch” the week of January 17, 2015.  I had the amazing good fortune to be invited by my friend, Natalie to attend Rancho La Puerta for the first time in December.  As anyone who has been there will tell you, it is a magical experience.  You leave your city life behind and find an oasis of calm, serenity, healthfulness, fellowship and most important…delicious gourmet spa food that is good for you. It can be life changing or just change your outlook on the year ahead.  I wrote about my experience there in two blogposts, which I hope you will read.

Main Dish Salads Cooking Class – June 12, 2014

Making fresh vinaigrette is super simple.

Never buy another bottle of salad dressing!  Once you learn how easy it is to make a fresh vinaigrette with lots of variations, you will be on your way to a limitless supply of salad dressings for all your salads.  That’s a big promise!  When you join us at our Main Dish Salads class on Thursday, June 12, 6:00 – 9:00 at the Holy Nativity Community Hall, you will get the goods.

Mac, Ham and Cheese

Mac, Ham and Cheese from “Mo’ Macaroni and Cheese” eBook.

Can You Ever Have Too Much Mac and Cheese?

“We don’t think so. Macaroni and cheese is America’s comfort food. And to prove it, here’s a collection of 30 tried-and-true mac and cheese recipes from the Food Bloggers Los Angeles, a group of more than 100 Los Angeles-based bloggers. “

Kamut – an ancient grain for modern times

raw kamut berries

With all the focus on gluten free, why not switch up the grains in your diet and add a healthy wheat grain – Kamut. While it has gluten, it may actually be healthier for those without celiac disease. And it’s delicious! We used this grain to make the side dish at our Spring Entertaining cooking class. It’s pretty enough for company and it’s not the same boring rice side dish you may have made zillions of times. Another plus is that it holds up well when made a day in advance, saving you more time on party day.

Fig Balsamic Drizzle tops 15-minute Salmon.

Salmon with Balsamic & Pesto Drizzles.

Making a syrupy balsamic vinegar has been on my to-do list for awhile.  When planning our April Spring Entertaining class, I wanted to take something simple and make it grand, so dressing up this super simple salmon dish with balsamic and pesto drizzles seemed like a great way to show off for company.  But the balsamic I had purchased just wasn’t syrupy enough, even the $20 bottle of Fig Balsamic I bought at the Olive A’Sudden store on my last visit to Palm Springs.  While it tasted heavenly, I was going to have to reduce it to the consistency I was looking for.

Southwestern Fiesta Cooking Class, May 15, 2014

Mesa Grill’s Blue and Yellow Corn Muffins from our 2013 cooking class.

When you live in Southern California, you can count on great Mexican food everywhere you turn.  We love our tacos and enchiladas, but when we want a more glammed up meal, the new Southwestern cuisine combines the spicy flavors of the southwest we love with a grand presentation.