Asian Chicken patties with Sriracha Mayo

I couldn’t take one more night of chicken!  There had to be a better way.  Could I possibly find a way to make it interesting?  It took the large part of an afternoon to come up with the idea of shredding it and re-forming it into a delicious Asian style patty.  It’s the little things that keep me going!

Taco Pizza with Spicy Sour Cream

I know I have been cooking up a lot of  “Mexcian” cuisine lately, but I did warn you that my vacation in Cabo inspired me to capture some of the regions fantastic fresh flavors.  Avocado, lime, corn, cilantro, black beans, tomato and an array of hot sauces tantalized my palate. Therefore I decided to work these flavors into family friendly meals.

Raspberry Mint Iced Tea

Summer is right around the corner, so my mind has veered toward refreshing drinks to enjoy on a steamy hot day.  My staple drink, that I consume several times a day is a glass of seltzer water with ice and a squeeze of lime.  My day is not complete until I’ve had at least three.

However, even I need a bit of variety now and then.  I started thinking about Snapple's monumental success and their array of flavored iced teas and drinks.  Many varieties of bottled drinks have hit the shelves in the last few years with inventive flavors and unique ingredients.  Essentially, I do believe  that homemade is best – it just tastes better.

Almond Cream Crescent Rolls with Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Check out my Mother's Day Giveaway @ Virtually Homemade - Garlic Smashed Potatoes . Just leave a comment for a chance to win!

After my Strawberry Cream Cheese Crescent recipe went mildly viral, I decided to create another recipe using this quick dough from the grocery store.  As well, many families enjoy preparing breakfast for their Mom’s on their special Sunday, and this breakfast pastry is extremely easy to prepare and tastes like it’s from a fancy bakery.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes with Fresh Rosemary + Mother's Day Giveaway

Last week I had a bit of a Mommy disaster.  Well, perhaps not a disaster, but it was a whirlwind of activity that kept me from my blog.  I lost the first day of the week traveling back from Palm Springs where my family celebrated the marriage of my beautiful niece Alicia.  My daughter Eva was the flower girl and the weekend was packed with family events and meals under sunny skies and 100 degree temperatures.  It was wonderful, but exhausting.

The rest of my 6 days were filled with basketball try-outs, basketball practices, basketball games, softball try-outs, softball parties, school plays and lots of homework.  Everything a Mom should expect, but can be overwhelmed by at times.

Santa Rosa Chicken Salad with Wild Rice, Avocado and Toasted Pecans

This week I am busy baking and packaging for the food bloggers bake sale this weekend (for details see Cranberry and Salted Pistachio White Chocolate Bark).  However, I thought I'd pass on this very simple  chicken and wild rice salad I tasted at my friends house and have been making ever since.  Easy to prepare and truly healthy - you can't go wrong!

Cranberry and Salted Pistachio White Chocolate Bark and the Second Annual San Diego Food Bloggers Bake Sale

This will be the first year that Virtually Homemade participates in the Annual Food Blogger's Bake Sale. Our faithful leader Marie of Meandering Eats is organizing this event for San Diego, which benefits Share Our Strength. One in five children in the United States struggle with hunger and Share Our Strength creates initiatives to ensure that children have adequate access to nutrition in school and at home.

Cabo Taco Salad with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing and an Iceberg Wedge

After retrieving my hot cup of coffee in the morning, this was the view from my patio during my recent trip to Cabo…

I loved our family trip to Mexico.  Our accommodations were perfect – a one bedroom suite overlooking the pool, Sea of Cortez, Palm Trees and cruise ships slowly gliding into port.

Asian Spinach Salad with Orange and Avocado

I once again defer to my online recipe bible Epicurious.  I chose this salad for my daughter’s elementary school Staff Appreciation Week.  The Asian themed lunch including sushi, brown rice noodle salad, spicy chicken lettuce cups and mochi cakes with sweet red beans needed a refreshing mix of greens and fruit.

Quick Coconut Macaroons for Passover

When my daughter expressed the desire to make cookies this past weekend, I never imagined that she would pick macaroons as her confection of choice.  Could this be divine intervention?  I am Jewish and my daughter is half Jewish, but she had no idea that macaroons were associated with Passover.  Did the powers to be want me to initiate a conversation regarding Moses, the parting of the Red Sea and the Jewish Exodus from Egypt?  My daughter is familiar with this story (mostly do to the movie “Prince of Egypt) but we also discussed unleavened bread and why it’s traditional to adhere to this tradition during the 7 days of Passover.