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 Brunch / April 12, 2016 by Cynthia Raub

Parenthood is terrifying. It’s incredibly fun, fulfilling, exhausting, as well as physically, mentally and emotionally taxing. I have two children, and I was a much better parent before I had kids of my own! So having multiple children does not make you an expert. (I actually have less of a grip on parenting now, than when I had one newborn.) When someone has a baby, I like to bring them a meal to say: 1) I’m here to hold (and smell) your baby, 2) I’m sorry you will never sleep the same again, and 3) Welcome to the tribe. A new friend had her first baby, and I wanted to bring her and her husband some yummies that could be enjoyed at several different temperatures (hot coffee and warm meals are impossible with a newborn). I wasn’t sure if they had a meal train set up for them, so I decided to play it safe and bring them brunch foods instead of a dinner meal. I made an all-occasion Swiss Chard and Leek Crostata - one of my standards that is always appropriate, delicious, and fool-proof. As luck would have it, Amy was experimenting with making yogurt and granola and wanted to contribute to the meal too!

Swiss Chard and Leek Crostata

Olive Oil Granola

Homemade Yogurt

In The Kitchen Now: Roasted Eggplant and Pickled Beet Sandwich / April 8, 2016 by Cynthia Raub

Eggplant. Does that word entice you or does it make you shudder and gag? What about pickled beets? Is that sexy-talk or nightmare city? Eggplant doesn't regularly show up in my shopping basket at the market, but when I saw this recipe on my Facebook feed, my interest was piqued and I began to crave it. I picked up a few small, taut and shiny aubergines and headed home to my multiple jars of pickled beets. Yes, multiple (very large) jars of pickled beets- courtesy of Costco and my BUY ALL THE PICKLES! tic that acts up for every shopping trip. This sandwich is complex in flavor but not in preparation or cooking. The roasted eggplant is deeply luscious and sweet; the beets and herbs are bright and merry, and the sherry-garlic mayonnaise is a punchy creamy spread that deliciously pools in the crannies of the bread. This messy and loose vegetable sandwich delivers so much flavor despite it's very humble ingredients.

Roasted Eggplant and Pickled Beet Sandwich

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

In the Kitchen Now - Oatmeal Fruit-Nut Bars / April 3, 2016 by Amy Cantu

I needed a snack to bring to my 18 month-old's play group, so I started sifting through the pantry to figure out what I could make in about 30 minutes - that's about all this tired mom had left to give because the kids were asleep and my soft, cushy bed was calling. I remembered seeing these Oatmeal Fruit-Nut Bars in the Weelicious Cookbook; a half-hour later, the house smelled like cinnamon, and I had the perfect snack for both toddlers and adults alike! They're not too sweet, taste like a bowl of oatmeal loaded with my favorite toppings, and perfectly portable.

Oatmeal Fruit-Nut Bars

In the Kitchen Now - Salmon Cakes / April 1, 2016 by Cynthia Raub

For Easter dinner, my husband Michael cooked a delicious and ginormous (11+ pounds) salt-crusted Atlantic salmon for our extended family. Needless to say, everyone was sent home with leftovers and we were eating salmon for days. The past week we have enjoyed: salmon with Israeli cous cous and roasted vegetables, salmon flaked on top of a bagel with whipped cream cheese, salmon on grilled toast with a fried egg... you get the picture. Once we whittled the container down to the last 1/2 pound, I checked in with my girl and (unbeknownst to her) mentor Ina Garten and she (and Google) recommended I make her Salmon Cakes. These beautifully browned, tender and flavorful cakes can be enjoyed as an appetizer, for brunch (with poached eggs, duh), or served with a salad for a meal.

Salmon Cakes

The Shared Mexican Meal / March 29, 2016 by Cynthia Raub

beef fajitas and coconut tres leches cake

Sometime last year, I had Amy and our friend Puja over for an intimate brunch potluck. I made a crostata and a simple fruit salad, Puja made a delicious quiche with her very own fresh hen eggs, and Amy brought a sinfully moist Coconut Tres Leches Cake. I have been craving that cake since the first bite I took last year. I mentioned my longing of eating it again and she offered to make it for us! I got excited, and maybe a little sweaty, and my mind began to race in delicious ways I could repay her for helping to satisfy my craving. Since we couldn't eat just cake for dinner (well, WE could. But we have children and husbands that need wholesome and nutritive meals blah blah blah . . . ) so I decided to make beef fajitas for both of our families. You can learn a lot about a person and how they build and eat their fajita. My kids ate the soft and fresh tortilla first, then nibbled on the meat and were persuaded to finish their peppers and onions so they could partake in Amy's dessert. Amy's tortillas were a lot like mine: ridiculously full on the verge of collapse. It was another reminder of why we get along so well and how fun it is to cook and eat with her.

Steak Fajitas and Guacamole

Coconut Tres Leches Cake

Pico de Gallo