July 31, 2010

“That’s it!  We’re outta here!”, I said to Jesse as I placed him into his stroller.  We needed to take advantage of the fresh ocean breeze and the bright sun this past Wednesday morning.

I had gotten enough of it…this summer fog that made it seem like early morning throughout the entire day.  The past month here on the Central Coast (especially in our South County area) has been cooler than normal, with far too many overcast days for my liking.

Good thing there was a sunny summer surprise waiting for us at the farmer’s market.

Who could resist this gorgeous local berries?  I was so happy to meet Jan, who has been growing these beauties since 1985.  She was kind enough to give little Jesse a plum to keep him happy on the rest of our walk, which he greedily bit into over and over again until all that remained was red red juice all over his face.

I thought he’d enjoy the berries, maybe even more.

A little vanilla yogurt and a few berries stirred in.  A good snack for both baby and mama.

Too bad these berries didn’t make it through the rest of the day…somehow they were eaten all up!

July 31st, 2010 | Category: Baby Food, Desserts, Food, Locally Made, Snacks | Comments (3)

January 27, 2010

Just a heads up to all you art lovers in the area!   This Saturday between 5-8:30pm SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS and come to an awesome show at the Sanitarium in SLO.  Featured artists are joey Salazar, Vincent Bernardy, Joe Tomei, Rober MAJA & Suzie Bliss.  Art, live music and wine tasting at this free, open to the public event.

This Saturday, January 30 from 5-8:30pm.  The Sanitarium is located at 1716 Osos St., on the corner of Osos and Leff in San Luis Obispo, CA.  For more info, contact Vincent Bernardy or Suzie Bliss at (805) 544-4124.  See ya there!

January 27th, 2010 | Category: Desserts, Inspiration, Local Places, Locally Made, Snacks | Leave a comment

January 4th, 2010

First off, a big HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you out there!!  I have a sense that this is going to be an amazing year for all of us…can’t you feel it in the air?  I have so many friends and acquaintances whom have mentioned how 2009 was a great year for them, but they know that 2010 will be even better.

I love seeing this despite all of the changes we’ve all had to go through with our little economy acting as it has been…many of us are more appreciative, grateful and hopeful.  And yes, we had quite an extraordinary year ourselves with our new family addition being at the top of our list.  Very happy and grateful…not much can get us down.

And so, a simple celebration for the start of this New Year.  I’ve always loved New Year’s more than the other holidays during this time.  There’s nothing like a fresh start, a clean slate.  New Year, Old Traditions… for us that means ringing in the new digits with a fiesta, including our own take on Cole Slaw, Tortilla Soup and homemade Guacamole.

Recipes after the jump!

More »

January 4th, 2010 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks, Veggie | Comments (2)

October 5, 2009

So….I didn’t win the recipe contest.  But that’s ok…

…if you want to know how to make Bruschetta (sooo innovative) I can send you to the magazine site.
BUT if you want something creative, savory and downright scrumptious…READ ON!

Mushroom & Goat Cheese Flautas

Recipe makes 8 flautas (Very filling-  Serving suggestion: 1 for an appetizer; 2 for an entrée)

Ingredients:

·  1 tablespoon butter
·  2 tablespoons olive oil
·  8 oz crimini mushrooms, diced
·  1/3 cup red onion, diced
·  1/3 cup red pepper, diced
·  1/4 teaspoon each:  dried dill, dried oregano, Worsteshire sauce
·  1/8 teaspoon each:  dried garlic, paprika, ground pepper, salt
·  1 tablespoon lemon juice
·  2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
·  8 oz goat cheese
·  1/3 cup ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese works too!)
·  8 flour tortillas (8 inch size)
·  Oil for frying

Make ‘em:
1.  Melt butter and olive oil together in a skillet; sauté mushrooms, onion and pepper until slightly soft; add spices (dill through salt) and remove from heat.
2.  In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, ricotta and mushroom mixture.  Gently toss in lemon juice and cilantro.
3.  Spread two spoonfuls of mixture in a line on a tortilla and roll up from one end to an other, like a small burrito.  Make sure not to roll too tightly to prevent mixture from leaking.  Secure wrapped tortilla by inserting a toothpick through the middle.  Continue with remaining tortillas.
4.  In a large skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable or canola oil to medium heat.  Fry flautas in two or three batches, watching closely.  Flip when one side has become golden in color (30-60 seconds each side).  Drain on paper towels and allow to cool for a couple minutes.

Serving Suggestion:  Serve with a sweeter dip such as Pineapple or Mango salsa

Might have to make some again this week, yummmmmy!!

October 5th, 2009 | Category: Food, Recipes, Snacks, Veggie | Comments (5)

July 23, 2009

A rebellion against my last post….was I too preachy about the negatives of frying foods?
Probably not, but here is what was created in the same day as that Oven Fried Eggplant Parmesan:

Scrumptiously fried Mushroom and Goat Cheese Flautas.

I’ll share my secret recipe with you all in a future post…I’ve entered these in a contest so wish me luck!

(Yes, they’re worth the wait…..!)

July 23rd, 2009 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks, Veggie | Comments (6)

July 8, 2009

So I HAD to force myself away from finishing up some important jobs to share a couple great things with you!  Our baby shower was a while ago, but here are some highlights….  okay, you got me, yes they are the edible kind of highlights.  (What else do you expect from me?)

First of all, I was so excited about my favors!  My little wedding favors didn’t even come close to what Megan at Saylor Studios made up for me!  (She’s lucky she wasn’t around here during the wedding, I would have had her make about 3 times the amount she made this time.)

Each guest got at least one cute take-out box with a HUGE dark chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting, so good!  I also got surprised with these adorable mini brownie cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (green to match everything, of course!) for snacking during the festivities.   Visit Saylor Studios for any of your cupcake needs!  *Drool*

What did we eat besides cupcakes, you ask?  One of my favorite local blogs is by an amazing whole foods chef instructor, holistic nutritionist and blogger, Correne Quigley-Faysal.  Did I mention she’s also one of us Central Coasters?  Check out her blog Seasonal Cuisine.

Correne has the most tempting healthy recipes and I had to use one for shower snacks: Artichoke-Pine Nut Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms.  Oh if these just SOUND good to you, wait until you TASTE them.  I actually had to make a second batch of the artichoke pesto because….um…well…I ate too much of the first batch to finish the recipe.  Oops.  Check out Correne’s blog for some other amazing recipes!

July 8th, 2009 | Category: Food, Inspiration, Locally Made, Recipes, Snacks, Veggie | Comments (6)

May 6, 2009

A favorite question to ask a pregnant lady, especially one so obsessed with food like I am has been:

Are you craving anything??

Yes, despite my best efforts to stay on a healthy menu I’ve gotta admit it…  Sometimes all I want to eat is a gigantic bag of Ruffles!  Not one of those 3-4 serving size bags either…I’m talking Costco-sized, feed a family of 4 for a week-sized bags!

My fight against these cravings has led me to make my own chips, (of course, No Deep Fryer Required).  These are best eaten fresh out of the oven, warm and crispy, and the plain ol’ potatoes can be substituted with anything from sweet potatoes to parsnips!  The key to Homemade Chips is to slice them very thin (a bit before paper thin).

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, spray a lined cookie sheet with oil, lay your chips in a single layer, spray again with oil, then sprinkle with some coarse salt and pepper (we also added dill to these, and the other options are endless…just picture all the flavors in your local grocery store’s chip aisle).  Depending on moisture content, how thin you’ve sliced your chips, and how crispy you like them, these little ones can take anywhere from 25-45 minutes.

I advise you to make a couple trays at a time as they disappear quickly!  Enjoy!

May 6th, 2009 | Category: Food, Recipes, Snacks | Comments (8)

March 13, 2009

Well, it seems Friday the 13th has brought Localette a bit of good luck!  I’m proud to be one of Foodie BlogRoll’s Finest Foodies Friday!  Foodie BlogRoll handpicks 5 of their favorite blogs every week and it feels great to be selected.

The Left Over Queen did an extremely flattering write-up for Localette, as well…a fellow “Jenn” and foodie who has a really fun, informative and professional blog that celebrates the beauty of simplistic cooking, eating locally and making meals from scratch.  Read her blog here.  Thank you so much!

For your weekend, I wanted to share another great recipe from Cathe Olson’s The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook.  These quick and easy Herbed Cottage Cheese Veggie Wraps are simple, nutritious and can be customized with any ingredient you desire!  Perfect to take along on a weekend adventure….have a great one!

Cathe Olson’s The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook

March 13th, 2009 | Category: Food, Inspiration, Recipes, Snacks, Veggie | Comments (6)

February 18, 2009

I’m taking full advantage of this sun we have today.  Who knows what tomorrow or the next day might bring…this week we’ve had everything from torential downpours, to spontaneous hail, to goreous blue skies!  To celebrate the 70 degree-not a cloud in the sky afternoon, besides finally getting to do laundry (no dryer…all line-dried), Apple Chips are on the agenda.  C’mon you February Sun…work your wonders!

February 18th, 2009 | Category: Food, Snacks | Leave a comment