God Bless America!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a nice Fourth of July filled with food, family and patriotic thoughts. It was really hot in Ojai so I beat the heat with early morning chores and headed to the house with the temperature soared.

My mom delivered me a special treat in the evening, she brought my horse Missy down for me to see! I spent the evening riding her and enjoying the warm evening.

After riding I whipped up dinner for us all, it was very easy and quite refreshing. The salmon was perfect, there is pretty much nothing that I enjoy more than fish. The rice was a store mix, Zatarain's - hey, it is good and really easy! Last was a cucumber salad I made that morning. It is so easy and very tasty. I will be making it all summer.

To make the salad all you do are these few easy steps:

CUCUMBER SALAD

1. Peel and slice (I used a mandolin but you can free slice with a knive) three - four cucumbers 

2. Combine the 1 cup vinegar, 1 T dried dill, 1/2 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. 

3. Bring to a boil, and pour over the cucumbers. 

4. Cover, and refrigerate until cold. 

***I served the cucumbers with a sesame seeds on top, can you imagine how great a little but of crab would be?***

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday and reflected on how truly lucky that they live in this country. Don't take it for granted, be proud that you are an American and don't be afraid to show it!

My Mom's Diner - San Juan Bautista, CA

I have always been a horse show kid. My parents supplied me with nice horses to show when I was little so I have continued my horse crazy love into adulthood. Then...

And, Now! While I was home during the horse show my Mom made some fabulous meals. One of my favorite things to do is find a recipe and have my Mom just whip it up!

Today it was: Potato Crusted Snapper in Beurre Blanc Sauce served with two different type of rice pilafs. She couldn't decide between the two so she made both. 

I am so spoiled.

The fish was excellent. Huge! Too big of a portion but it was so nice to spend time with my mom in the kitchen. Next week I am going back home for a visit so I can't wait to stockpile a few more recipes for her to whip up!

Pier 46 Seafood Market - Templeton, CA

When i travel back and forth to my parents I like to know a good spot to stop halfway. I have been reading good things about this seafood market in the Trader Joe's shopping market off vineyard in Templeton. Why not give it a try?!

I ordered the Halibut Fish and Chips and they were amazing. They had the batter cooked just right, the texture crispy and well salted. The fish was moist and barely need tarter sauce for dipping. The fries were mixed in with sweet potato for a salty and sweet combination.

I was more than impressed with my food. I will be definitely stopping by in the near future for more fishy fun.

Ricatoni's - Morgan Hill, CA

My mom and I had some downtime one afternoon so we made a few stops shopping and then got hungry for lunch. She suggested Rosie's At The Beach so we wandered into town. As we parked we notices, Ricatoni's - I had never been there so we decided to give it a try.

The bread was fine, just bread really... More on that later.

I ordered the Seafood Grill with salmon, lobster and prawns. All grilled to perfection and served with a saffron lemon risotto. It was a nice blend of all my favorite things. There was asparagus too, but i was more preoccupied with everything on my plate.

My mom was feeling like a baller too so she ordered the Lobster and Prawn Mafalda. Think mushrooms, scallions, lobster, prawns, garlic and tomatoes served in a chardonnay cream sauce. She said it was amazing, the pasta was fresh and everything flavorful. I decided to dip some of the comped bread into the sauce and I agreed - it was very tasty.

I would recommend Ricatoni's for a nice lunch or casual dinner. The restaurant is not formal, in fact very casual but the food placed before you will be very pleasing. 

Beef Stew with Creamy Polenta - San Juan Bautista, CA

When I go home for a visit I love to enjoy my Mom's cooking. She teaches me how to make my favorites even better or we try new recipes we have been scooping out online. This night I wanted my old favorite... Polenta and Stew, kicked up a few notches by my clever cooking mom.

She bought a whole tri-tip and butchered it into small cubes, After I took this photo we cut them down a bit smaller. We wanted small pieces of delicate meat.

We browned the meat with a little bit of bacon, yes bacon. We set the combo to the side and continued on with our dish.

We chopped up carrots and onions.

I made an herb bouquet with cheese cloth and also threw it into the pot.

In went the wine and beef broth. We put on the lid and let the magic heat do the work!

While the stew was going we made the polenta with copious amonts of cream, butter and cheese - a mish-mash of what we had leftover in the refridgerator. Mostly parmesan reggiano.

After about 40 minutes we had our masterpiece!

I love polenta and stew so much that I had it for a late night snack that night, breakfast that morning and a late snack the following day. My favorite!

I am proud of my Swiss heritage.

Jardines - San Juan Bautista, CA

Hello Readers! I am back home from my trip home for the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo and ready to up date the blog! I had the pleasure of many food opportunities so lets go!

My sister, brother and Kate met up for lunch in San Juan Bautista to celebrate our June birthdays. Jennifer and Kate got balloons from Melissa Good Taste...

I love, love, love to order the #10 at Jardines. The rock cod, with three lemons squeezed over the top, is my favorite thing on the menu. My favorite is when a little bit of the lemon juice mixes in with the rice, it really is the perfect bite. I like the beans because they set them under the broiler until they are nice and bubbly. Yum!

My brother likes to order Manuel's Salad with sliced carne asada on top. It is a light and refreshing meal if you are looking for something on the healthier side. The rock cod is good too, just leave those rice and beans alone!

We had a nice, relaxing meal but the rest of my crew had to get back to work. It made me smile to see the three of them walk away with their balloons. I was really happy to be home. Memories, all good.

Off being a Cowgirl! - Tres Pinos, CA

My Northern California stay has been a busy one. I have been dining out alot but haven't had to blog as I have been cowgirling it up this week. The 80th Annual Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo is in full swing! I made eliminations in both my classes: The Ladies Horsemanship as well as the Ladies Stock Horse. I will have a busy rest of the week and will get to regular blogging schedule pronto.

In the mean time keep your fingers crossed for Melissa Good Taste!

What in the World?!...

Oh my gosh what am I doing? I have been a little distant from my pretty, little blog and let me tell you why... I have been saddling horses for my darling husband and caring for their daily needs. It is a lot of work and I have been burning calories so I have been taking the easy route when it comes to my foodie activities.

Scott went surfing once this week and he treated me to one of my favorite meals ever... Fish and Chips. Ah, I love. However I am not going to lie, this dish from Spencer Makenzie's failed to impress because the batter was raw on the fish as I bit into it. The fries were fantastic as I dipped one by one into their fry sauce - Mayonnaise based. Yum!

Scott got "Tuna On Fire" and he freaked at the heat! It was spicy city but I might add it was a pretty healthy dish. Good choice man! Seared tuna and white rice, this is the stuff i used to eat all the time... Until I developed these crazy cravings for fried fish.

Also this week I made salad for dinner. It was filled with all things tasty: Arugula, pecans, chicken, goat cheese, strawberries, apples, poppy seed dressing... We love this salad!

Last night before Scott jetted off to Texas, I heated up a bag of Bertolli's (I know, I am L-A-Z-Y...) but the Roasted Chicken Risotto is so good. Keep a bag in your freezer when you don't feel like cooking.

Most nights Scott and I watch the Giants games on our Giants package that we purchased through Direct TV. We love the team, the sport and the idea of being super fans. They have been losing more than they have been winning but we are loyal and cheer, cheer, cheer. Scott's favorite player is Macro Scutaro and I just can't get Buster Posey's confidence out of my mind.

Melissa Good Taste is going home for a week... Be prepared for my favorite Northern California eats!