A Foodie Family and Mother's Day Weekend

Mother’s Day weekend here in San Jose with my family, as always, was a food lover’s mecca. When my children get together for any occasion it becomes a “Have you tried making this?” contest. This weekend was no exception. My granddaughter, Lexi, had gone to Antelope to be with her mother.  My son, Steven, and his family arrived at Brenda's Friday night. Early Saturday morning the food prep began. Saturday’s dinner menu consisted of Beer Brats on the barbie, German Potato Salad, grilled peppers and onions, and for dessert, Stephanie’s White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Blondies (recipe from her Pinterest page http://pin.it/F8SPbSA) Stephanie added Macadamia nuts. Oh yeah!

Stephanie's finished White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Blondies.

    Saturday afternoon we tried to see “The Jungle Book,” but it was sold out. We went home and Brenda ordered tickets online for the 7:55 p.m. showing. So we had our dinner before we went.

Nothing smells better than onions and bacon cooking!

Peppers and onions go on the grill

Beer brats on the barbie

Ada looks a little skeptical about Aiden's candle lighting.

Ready to eat. Nom Nom!

Since our tickets were bought online, we sailed right through and didn’t have to wait in line! Getting seven seats all together was a challenge, though. We had to split up inside the theater but it was okay. The movie was great! I have never seen special effects like that. If I didn’t know it was a new technology, I swear, I would have thought the animals were actually talking and interacting with the humans. Amazing!

Sunday was brunch day. Brenda, our tablescape artist, went above and beyond for Mother’s Day. Graceful pale pink tulips set the tone. The place mats were in soft shades of pink, pale greens and yellows. They look like watercolor paintings.

Brenda's artful table setting. I love the place mats.

Brunch started with Mimosas and Martinelli Sparkling Cider and Pomegranate juice. Robin and Brenda had made Eggs in a Nest; Hash brown potato nests filled with chopped ham, bacon bits and green onion and a whole or scrambled egg, then baked. Go to: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/231488/birds-nest-breakfast-cups/?prop24=etaf  for the recipe. To go with our nests, Robin’s Cheddar and Curry crackers, spread with Red Jalapeno Pepper Jelly hit a really high note. I could eat a dozen of those. Something about the Pepper Jelly really brings out the curry in the cracker. It is a flavor party in your mouth.

Cheddar and Curry Crackers

Brenda and Robin making the "nests."

Final touches. Let's eat!

 

Mom Stephanie with Aiden,Steven and Ada

Mom Judi with Steven, Brenda and Robin

    We mothers had to wait until after brunch to open our cards and gifts. Steven had already sent two dozen roses to my house in Los Gatos and they're lovely.

Stephanie got a new Silpat cookie sheet liner, Brenda got a hummingbird on a wire for her garden and my girls bought me a Fitbit! I had been looking at them, thinking I might get one but now I don’t have to! I love it. It tells me how many steps a day I take and even lets me know my sleep pattern. Last night I slept 7 hours 15 minutes, woke up 3 times and had 13 restless incidents. So far today I have walked 3,309 steps. Now I’m obsessed with checking my smart phone to track my progress.
    After Steven and family left for Antelope Sunday afternoon Brenda, Robin and I played a game of Train, a dominoes game. Dinner that night was simple: baked salmon, roasted asparagus, and Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Risotto. The Risotto was divine and would have stood up to any Top Chef  challenge. All in all it was a wonderful weekend. Now I have to get moving so my Fitbit will show I am trying to walk off all that food!

Recipes

Cheddar and Curry Crackers

Ingredients:
2 cups extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
dash cayenne pepper
1/2 cup butter (1stick), cut in pieces and kept cold
3 tablespoons water (or more as needed)

Process cheddar, flour, salt, curry powder, and cayenne in food processor until combined, about 30 seconds. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand, about 20 seconds. Add water and pulse until dough ball forms, about 10 seconds. Transfer dough to counter and divide in half. Roll each half into 10-inch log, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap logs and slice into ¼-inch-thick coins. Place coins on prepared sheets, ½ inch apart. Bake until light golden around edges, 16-18 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let coins cool completely before serving. Serve alone or with Red Jalapeno Pepper Jelly.

German potato Salad 

Ingredients:
3 cups diced peeled potatoes
4 slices bacon
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tblsp. water
3 Tblsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tblsp. chopped parseley

Place potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, and set aside to cool. Place the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until browned and crisp, turning as needed. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. Add onion to the bacon grease, and cook over medium heat until browned. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, then add the potatoes and parsley. Crumble in half of the bacon. Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining bacon over the top, and serve warm.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!