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Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

In Southern Cali!!

March 9, 2014 by Mary 27 Comments

crystal cove beach in California

We are in California for a few days, on little Balboa Island, visiting my brother and sister-in-law, getting a little R & R and will do some business in Beverly Hills on Tuesday before heading back east. It is so darn pretty here, I have to pinch myself. We arrived last Thursday and every day is more gorgeous than the last. We reached 80 degrees yesterday, over 80 today. The lyric – “It never rains in Southern California…” keeps on going through my head. This warm sunshine is a very, very welcome relief, after the constant wearing of long underwear, rubber boots and two sweaters with at least one being a turtleneck every single day, back in NYC.

hiking in crystal cove state parkWe’ve gone for local walks visiting friends, long bike rides, and hiking in a state park.

man lounging on a park bench

Here’s my husband “hiking”

They’ve cooked fantastic meals and we had a wonderful dinner out last night. Just to share with you, here’s our lunch from yesterday. seared sesame crusted tuna on a bed of lettuce with raw beets and sugar snap peasSeared sesame crusted tuna on a salad with raw beets and sugar snap peas. sunny side up eggs on a bed of frisee with crispy bacon topped with a tomatillo sauceAnd our breakfast from this morning – sunny side up eggs on a bed of frisee with bacon, finished with a tomatillo sauce. But tonight I will cook. So we went to the farmers market yesterday morning. California lettuces at a farmers marketYou know you’re in California when you see the most gorgeous heads of lettuce all lined up, all perfect and Succulent plants at a farmers marketso green and fresh along with the largest array of succulents I’ve ever seen. Just look at how pretty they are! We got some great local corn chips and homemade tomatillo salsa to start our evening. I also bought some burrata and buffalo mozzarella from the nicest Italian man, to serve with beautiful tomatoes and basil.mini squash at the farmers market in California

Take a look at this squash. I’ve never seen anything like them before. I’m going to make a mustard coated chicken and I’m going to grill these little babies with some radishes tossed with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Aren’t they just too cute?!! Some fingerling potatoes will be roasted and we’re going to have a rockin’ good time tonight as my brother Steve has, as usual, picked out some stellar wines to serve with all. Stop in to his wine pairing blog to know what you should serve with your meals.

Newport beach

Newport Beach

May warm weather shine upon you soon, wherever you are!!

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Travel Tagged With: farmer's markets, food and wine pairings, mini squash, seared sesame crusted tuna on a bed of lettuce, Southern California, succulents, sunny side eggs on frisee with bacon chips

Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches

August 24, 2013 by Mary Frances 22 Comments

Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches cut in half.Now is the time!! The tomatoes are magnificent! Go and visit your nearest farmer’s market and buy those amazing heirloom tomatoes. Get some nitrate-free bacon and whip up bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches! We had just that for lunch today with an ear of corn, leftover from last night’s dinner, and it was just so delicious. So flavorful, like eating sunshine. Can you eat sunshine? Well it felt like it because this was just so fresh and yummy. So simple, yet full of flavor but light at the same time.

Once again, it’s all about the ingredients. Our bacon, from a local farm, was delicious and crisp. Our bread was toasted and also crisp. It was whole wheat sourdough artisanal bread. The orange tomatoes were vine ripened and just picked this morning. The two red cherry tomatoes I grew and picked this morning. The lettuce was iceberg for the cold crunch and the mayo was Hellman’s, not even homemade. I sprinkled a little fine grind sea salt and fresh ground black pepper on the tomatoes, before closing the sandwich.

Don’t let summer come to a close without making this. You won’t be sorry.
Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches with an ear of corn on a brown plate.

BACON, LETTUCE AND TOMATO SANDWICHES – serves 2

4 slices of whole wheat sourdough bread, toasted and cooled
2 – 3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4” thick
6 slices of nitrate-free bacon, fried crisp, drained on paper towels and patted dry of top grease
3 – 4 leaves of iceberg lettuce, torn in half, folded to fit
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Hellmann’s real mayonnaise

Spread a thin film of mayonnaise on each slice of bread, Top one slice with a double thickness of tomatoes. Salt and pepper the tomatoes, top with 3 slices of bacon, the lettuce and then close with the other slice of bread. Cut in half and serve.

Eat with gusto and enjoy the summer sunshine!! You will LOVE it!

Filed Under: Lunch, Meat Tagged With: bacon, bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich, BLT sandwich, farmer's markets, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, nitrate free bacon, sea salt, tomatoes

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Mary Frances

Mary Frances

Spread love through cooking.

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