Amy Cantu

The Shared Pretzels and Smoothies / April 26, 2016 by Amy Cantu

Pretzels and smoothies came about the way most of my meals do; it was a product of an intense craving for something sinfully carb-y and buttery. Which was followed by a need to balance it out with something more nutritious (but still delicious . . . obviously). Enter these pretzels. Ever since a friend (months ago) mentioned that she used to make homemade pretzels with her dad, the idea of soft pretzels still-warm-from-the-oven, (I want that to be a one word description for all fabulous baked goods,) has been knocking around in my head. I finally couldn't take it anymore. (I eat my feelings . . . often.) After reading at least a dozen recipes for soft pretzels, this one called to me with its ease and speed (no long waits begging for the dough to rise faster) and the oh-so-buttery (also should be one word) tops. Which brings me to the smoothies. I happen to have a friend that concocts brilliant smoothies that taste better than anything I've ever ordered at a smoothie bar. I asked her to whip one up to make me feel better about my buttery pretzel eating, but because she loves me (and two is always better than one), she made TWO smoothies for us to split. Here is a woman who gets me and my multiple personalities with food.

Buttery Soft Pretzels

The Green Canteen Smoothie

Purple Rain Smoothie

The Shared Thai Fish Cakes / April 19, 2016 by Amy Cantu

I have been biding my time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to hit my dad up for his recipe for Tod Mun - Thai fish cake fritters. These savory fried morsels make me really happy - the kind of happy where all my deep-fried dreams come true (because really, all of my dreams involve food and anything deep-fried is by nature, dream-worthy). My son's preschool hosted a Multi-Cultural Event to celebrate the community's different heritages and as a fundraiser for New Child Fundamentals, a non-profit that supports children and their families. Voila! The perfect opportunity presented itself, and you better believe that I called Grandpa Audy immediately for this recipe. So we gathered together in my kitchen to fry up a batch of these crispy and *mildly* spicy fish cake fritters (these are preschoolers after all). My son gobbled up three of them before we even got these to school, and when they finally made their appearance, they disappeared in five minutes flat. You snooze, you lose (or just make them yourself)!

Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes) with Cucumber-Peanut Relish

The Shared Pizza and Salad / April 5, 2016 by Amy Cantu

My kid was begging me to have pizza for lunch. Normally I would probably try to distract him and get him to forget about his request, but this day I saw a fun opportunity for us to bond over mixing together the stretchy pizza dough and scattering toppings over the crust. Also, I am obsessed with this recipe for Broccoli Cooked Forever and all the different ways that I can eat it. Why not on pizza??? The soft, umami-rich broccoli gets smeared all over the pizza crust and topped with stretchy, milky fresh mozzarella and shards of sharp and nutty parmesan. Yes. I want to eat that. Even the kid wants to eat that! This easy-peasy recipe for pizza dough makes enough for two crusts, so for pie #2, we dug around the fridge and found a good nub of fontina, a small chunk of red onion, a package of Canadian bacon, and some grape tomatoes. Last (but not least), this shared pizza meal needed a crunchy salad and some good friends to make it complete. Luckily, we had the makings for both!

Pizza Two Ways

Broccoli Cooked Forever

Pancetta Caesar Salad

The Shared Thai Food / March 22, 2016 by Amy Cantu

Pineapple Fried Rice and Tom Yum Soup To-go

At some point, everyone always asks me if I cook Thai food, to which I say, why would I need to to? My dad makes me awesome Thai food whenever I want! (And better Thai food than I would ever make, too.) I asked my dad, Audy, to make a couple of his favorite Thai food dishes with us, so Cynthia and I could revel in his Thai cooking prowess. He worked his way around the kitchen with such deft speed, that it was hard to keep with him! We were constantly trying to stop him to weigh or measure out his ingredients, because like many wonderful home cooks, my dad cooks by “feel” or “sight”. Oh yes, this looks like the right amount of rice (after scooping a few heaping spoonfuls into a bowl) or just a few more shakes of fish sauce. All I can say is that after a whirlwind of chopping (lots of chopping), frying, and simmering, Cynthia and I were gifted enough mouth-watering food to feed both our families, plus extra for my dad and mom to enjoy for dinner, as well. It was worth the kitchen sprint!

Audy's Pineapple Fried Rice

Audy's Tom Yum Soup

The Shared Winter to Spring Meal / March 15, 2016 by Amy Cantu

This meal came about as Cynthia and I looked out the window at a crisp, but sunny day. The leaves were still glistening from the recent (much needed) rain, the grass was tinged a bright green, and the rose buds hinted at a bit of color. It’s was still very much winter, but just a few hints of spring were starting to poke through the gray din to cheer us up. We wanted to cook and eat a meal that would give a nod to the briskly cold air but also bridge the gap to the brightness of approaching spring. I think this meal of citrusy roasted chicken legs, paired with a heavily herby, yet hearty farro salad, is just the thing.

Roasted Chicken Legs with Smoked Paprika, Blood Orange, and Honey

Chopped Herb Salad with Farro

The Shared Birthday Dinner / March 1, 2016 by Amy Cantu

My husband is one of those impossible-to-buy-for people. He’s a minimalist and prefers to get rid of stuff, rather than acquire more stuff. There is, however, one thing that he can never get enough of: cheese! (Okay, that’s not entirely true - he also never tires of carne asada burritos.) He is a serious cheese lover - all day, everyday . . . cheese. On our honeymoon to Europe, we had cheese with every single meal. I thought I loved cheese, but by the end of the trip, I had hit a wall. My husband? He wanted to know if we could have cheese fondue for our last meal before heading home. So it came as no big surprise when he requested fondue for his birthday dinner. And what about the cake? (I bet you’re thinking cheesecake . . . ) Nope, he requested his favorite - ice cream cake!

Follow us to the recipes:

Three Cheese Fondue

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake

The Shared Valentine's Day / February 9, 2016 by Amy Cantu

Chocolate Strawberries Red Velvet Brownies

Last Valentine’s Day, my then 3-year-old woke up and slipped into my room to cuddle, like he does most mornings. He whispered into my ear, “Happy Valentine’s Day! I love you, Mommy. But, I love you ALL the days.” And I melted into a wet puddle. I gave him an extra snuggle, and stored the memory away for the inevitable moments when I’d need to remind myself that he is more than a crazed, tantrum-monster. He’s absolutely right though; love is something we should acknowledge every single day with hugs, our time, words of kindness, and my favorite - with food.

This Valentine’s Day, Cynthia and I wanted to surprise the kids, the best way we know how - with food. Let’s have an (early Valentine's Day) party! I made to-die-for Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies and easy Chocolate-Covered Strawberries. Cynthia found cute paper straws that we cut up into “beads”, and the kids laced them together with pipe cleaners to make bracelets and necklaces. She also had adorable mini milk bottles with striped red and white straws that the kids drank from with giddy glee. Honestly, the enormous smiles on their little faces was the best Valentine’s Day gift I could have imagined. Nothing’s sweeter than that!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

The Shared Chili / February 2, 2016 by Amy Cantu

I have never been a real football fan, or really a sports enthusiast of any kind. (What can I say? Watching sports makes my eyes roll into the back of my head, where I fall into a deep coma until halftime.) Watching a game is only fun if I’m hanging out with my friends and cheering loudly while waving brightly colored pennants and pompoms. It’s the shared experience that makes it worthwhile; but, the real reason I agree to watch any game at all is for the shared food. Tailgating is the BEST! I love all the feasting on barbecue meats, grazing on the vast spread of finger foods, and the imbibing of cold alcoholic beverages to wash it all down. By the time that’s all done and over with, I’m feeling so good that sure, I’ll happily watch the game too. If I sound like a little piggy right now, that’s because I am. (And you know you are too, because you’re reading a food blog!) Then there’s the Super Bowl - I am excited to host a Super Bowl Party for the simple reason that I adore a giant pot of chili with all the fixings. There’s nothing better than cozying up on the couch with a steaming bowl of spicy chili, heaped with shredded cheese, onions, and cilantro. How can you top that? Have Cynthia make a fresh batch of buttery cornbread and slather it with even more butter. Bliss. Maybe this year, I’ll also try to figure out which team is which.

Chicken Chili

All-Purpose Cornbread