Friday Chitchat

I have missed you, my friends! I took a few weeks off because to be completely honest, I have been in full-on “hosting mode.” It is definitely my happy place but it keeps me off the computer and in the kitchen and spending time with family and friends.

We have been in California for the past few weeks and it has been full of non-stop visitors, which has been SO MUCH FUN. We were there for 5 1/2 weeks and had friends and family coming and going the entire time. To give you an idea…we left the house to drop off my parents at the airport and at the same time, three of my son’s friends arrived. It was NON-STOP! 🙂

This is why I love what I do. Baking and cooking for my family and friends is such an expression of LOVE for me. It brings me such happiness to cook and bake and take care of those that I love. It is what brings me SUCH JOY! Having all of our kids around the table and eating food together is my absolute FAVORITE.

Since we have had a house full of people at all times, I have been baking and cooking up a storm! I will have to share some of the recipes I have been making for all our visitors and what they seem to love.

Here are some ideas if you are hosting friends and family:

Easy Almond Croissants — I just buy the 12-pack of plain croissants from Costco for $5.99 and brush a simple almond syrup on them, fill them with a homemade easy almond filling, and bake them. They are HEAVENLY!

Easy Overnight Bread — This is one of my go-to recipes because you literally just throw the ingredients in a bowl, stir it, and then forget it. It doesn’t get much easier than this!

Fresh Mozzarella Pesto Tomato Paninis — Since tomatoes are in season, I love picking them up from the farmer’s market and pairing them with homemade pesto and fresh mozzarella all on sourdough bread.

Banana Bars with Brown Butter Frosting — This is one of those recipes that stays moist for soooo long! I keep this covered in the refrigerator or freezer and pull it out when ready to eat. It is always a hit!

Beef Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta — This is comfort food pasta and I am here for it. I love the richness of this dish and the slow cooked meat is fantastic.

Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce — This is my go-to lasagna recipe because I just can’t get enough of the creamy bechamel sauce. It keeps it from becoming dry. I pick up my fresh lasagna sheets from the refrigerated pasta section at Whole Foods and it takes it to another level.

Garlic Cheese Bread — I think my kids like to believe they could live on garlic cheese bread alone. This is such an easy side to serve with pasta or with steak.

Macaroni Salad — For some reason, this is the salad that my kids request over and over again. We have this in the refrigerator often because it pairs so well with sandwiches or for a quick snack.

Pasta Salad — I love the simplicity of this pasta salad recipe. The Olive Garden salad dressing is a game changer and makes this recipe extra easy.

Bircher Muesli Overnight Oats — This is such an easy recipe to make ahead of time and just have in the refrigerator. We serve this with a big helping of brown sugar, fresh apples, and any other berries in season.

Sweet Cream Ricotta Pancakes — I love this recipe because it is one bowl and my kids could whip them up with ease and the texture just melts in your mouth.

M&M Cookies — These are DANGEROUS to have around but I love to keep them in the freezer for quick snacks and desserts. The kids love these!

Summer Happenings:

I have been working on an epic update to my Disneyland food post so I had to do some serious research. We bought the summer 3-day pass at a discount so we could go 3 times. We ended up at Disneyland for 1 day and California Adventure for 2 days.

And when I tell you we ate our way through the park, that is NO EXAGGERATION. We tried to try as many food items as possible so be on the lookout for that post. Thank heavens we had A LOT of food testers with us and they ALL LOVE FOOD. It made Disneyland and California Adventure way more fun.

I celebrated my birthday and had a DREAM DAY. My sweet fam decorated the house which was so thoughtful. I love my family SO MUCH!

We had to pick up our daughter from the airport so we had to hit the famous Erewhon. Have you heard of it? It is a ridiculously expensive grocery store that everyone has been talking about.

A fun fact about me is that I am not a big spender. I am super practical and always look for the deals at the grocery store and items on sale, so this was a bit of a sticker shock for me. I love stores like Whole Foods but to be honest, I shop their sales and deals!

I would say that I was so glad that the food lived up to the expectations and it was DELICIOUS. But to be honest, the smoothies are overhyped and overpriced. $20 for a medium size smoothie is insane. But the steak breakfast burrito, buffalo cauliflower, mac n cheese, and even the cookie were all fantastic.

Be on the lookout for some NEW smoothie recipes coming to Modern Honey soon. They are through the recipe testing and photography stage and I just need to write the post and share the recipes with you.

I spent the rest of the day at Eataly, Din Tai Fung, Levain Bakery, and finished it off with a chocolate cake and ice cream with my wonderful family and my cute nieces and nephews. It was a PERFECT, SPECIAL DAY. Thank you so much for all of your sweet birthday wishes. I appreciated them so very much.

I also discovered another grocery store, BRISTOL FARMS, and I was hooked. I went three times to try as many items as possible. They are known for their cookies so I can’t wait to share my recipes for their famous cookies.

The amount of research that goes into figuring out copycat recipes is SO MUCH FUN for me. I will share on my next Friday Chitchat how I go about creating recipes and my process. 🙂

Have you ever been to Bristol Farms? If so, what are your favorite things?

BACK TO ARIZONA:

We are now back to the 113-degree heat and definitely missing the cool California weather. But more importantly, I am just super grateful for the special time with my family that I will cherish.

I am old enough to have experienced some major LOSS in my life and I know that nothing should be taken for granted. I am grateful for every day spent with my loved ones, when we experience times of good health, and when we create super happy, lasting memories.

RECIPES COMING UP:

Oh, I have sooooo many NEW recipes coming to you! I honestly can’t keep up with all of them. I have so many ready to go! Be on the lookout for quick and easy dinner recipes, copycat cookie recipes, healthy smoothie recipes, decadent desserts, and more. Can’t wait to share!!

Thank you so much for reading this long and for staying with me. Being short and concise may not be my strong suit. Hahaha! But as always, I am grateful for you and for the kind comments.

Have the best weekend, my friends! xo