Yum!

Song - Green Onions by Booker T & the MG's

On Wednesday I decided that I was getting bored with our usual cooking - meat, veggie, carb, so I found a recipe that would kick it up a notch or two. A woman I follow on Instagram named Lindsay from Pinch of Yum came up with a spectacular idea - Spring Roll Bowls.  She uses all of the ingredients that you would find in a Spring Roll but she had made it into a bowl.

I made a recipe list and Whole Foods delivered all of the ingredients within a couple hours. I did make a couple of small changes - I didn't have a ripe avocado so I blanched some broccoli florets and I added sliced green onions. I think with this recipe anything goes! The Serrano peppers were a little too hot for us so next time I will use Jalapeño peppers. 

It was a huge hit and satisfied something deep.  The mint, cilantro and basil combo were incredible as well as the sweet, salty, tangy flavor in the sauce.

One word of advice that Lindsay says over and over again - Do NOT smell the fish sauce!  Mr. B didn't see that and he did smell it stating that "You will ruin this recipe if you use this!"  I am not a seafood person but I have cooked with Fish Sauce before.  It just adds a deeper layer to the flavors.

Thanks to Lindsay for the great recipe and I am excited to say we will be having leftovers for dinner tonight! Make it.....you will be glad you did!

Gobble Gobble

Song -Thanksgiving Theme by Vince Guaraldi Trio

Mr. B and I are busy in the kitchen preparing a Thanksgiving meal for our family.  Mr. B takes on the tough stuff - the turkey (or turkeys), the stuffing and gravy.  I get the side dishes and set the table.  We have guests bring appetizers or desserts.  Luckily all of our boys like to cook just like their dad!

This is a photo of me in front of our Ponderosa house.  That was when Walnut Creek had Walnut trees and California had water!

We were probably getting ready to go to my grandparents home in Oakland where Grandma Sophie cooked for her four daughters (Grandma was Italian and no one else knew how to cookjust like her!), their spouses and the twelve grandchildren - my cousins!

Just wanted to say that I am so very thankful for FAMILY....little do you realize how important it truly is when you are young!

Enjoy your day, the food on your table, the family and friends around you and the love that is there!

“Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal.  It's a way to live.”  ~Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear

Mom's Glue

Song - Your Mother and Mine from Peter Pan

Mom circa 1957

See that cake pan on top of the refrigerator? Mom always had a freshly baked cake in there!  And the drawer behind her had Red Vine licorice and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for the family and our friends. And she usually had a pot of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove top. 

Mom could be found in the kitchen or in the garden....both favorites of hers.....they still are.

Mom is still cooking in the same kitchen (minus the plaid wallpaper) in 2016

My mom has some extra strength glue - one that can hold a whole family together.  This will be our year of "firsts"....first time in 66 years that dad wasn't with us to celebrate Mother's Day. But we held it together with mom's love.

As for my Mother's Day, it was an extra special day.  My middle son, Jon surprised me with a visit from LA - way too short Jon but a delight!  The three of us had breakfast with my mom, then while she was off playing golf with my brother & his family, I got to paint.  My three (4 with Mr. B) boys and my soon to be daughter (insert ear to ear grin here) celebrated with a lovely meal outside by the fireplace.

"Home is where your mom is."