EncinoMom the California Lifestyle New Media Magazine.: August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Super Sweet, End Of Summer Watermelon


Fresh from the Farmer's Market, this super sweet watermelon keeps the taste of summer in the house even when the kids are back to school. Try cutting it in bite sized cubes (or balls) and mixing with some crumbled Feta cheese, a drizzle of olive oil (to keep the melon from getting mealy), mint leaves and a little freshly ground black pepper.

photo by: Lisa Keating


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Friday, August 26, 2011

New Orleans or New Orleans Square?


Here are a few snaps from my camera roll. Can you tell which pics are New Orleans (Louisana) and which are from New Orleans Square (Disneyland)? When I was a kid, I always loved to linger in New Orleans Square when we visited Disneyland; the music, the narrow, winding alleyways filled with shops, the food. I had no idea how true to the original Big Easy the California copy was! It's as true today, as ever.

photos by: Lisa Keating


Our road trips are paid for by donations from viewers (like you) and sponsors. All opinions expressed are our honest thoughts and experiences. Any promotional content is clearly identified as advertising. If you are interested sponsoring an EncinoMom video, please inquire at: info@EncinoMom.com 


Oh yes, all of the photos above are from a recent trip to New Orleans, except the second from the left, taken yesterday at Disneyland.




Sunday, August 21, 2011

Easy Gazpacho Recipe From EncinoMom

Gazpacho is very forgiving. Read the ingredients below as a list of suggestions and let your taste buds and the contents of your fridge be your guide. I like my Gazpacho zesty and I've used cilantro instead of hot sauce and zucchini when there weren't any cukes in the fridge!

Ahh, Gazpacho!

2-3 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled
1 large cucumber, peeled
1 red pepper
1/2 small yellow onion
2 scallions
3 cloves of garlic
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons hot sauce (just discovered; Café Des Amis' Zydeco Rouge - amazing flavor)
1 Ancho pepper, diced
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & pepper to taste

Gazpacho is a great place to use tasty home grown produce with cosmetic flaws. Notice, in the pic above,  some of the tomatoes are split and the cucumber has uneven color, but it won't matter once the vegies meet the food processor!

Combine all ingredients using a food processor. Chill and serve with an ice cube or two in each bowl. Garnish with fresh herbs and croutons if desired. Makes 8-10 servings.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

photos by: Lisa Keating




Our road trips are paid for by donations from viewers (like you) and sponsors. All opinions expressed are our honest thoughts and experiences. Any promotional content is clearly identified as advertising. If you are interested sponsoring an EncinoMom video, please inquire at: info@EncinoMom.com 

Monday, August 15, 2011

Impossibly Blue Summer Morning Sky


photos by: Lisa Keating




Our road trips are paid for by donations from viewers (like you) and sponsors. All opinions expressed are our honest thoughts and experiences. Any promotional content is clearly identified as advertising. If you are interested sponsoring an EncinoMom video, please inquire at: info@EncinoMom.com

Monday, August 8, 2011

How To Choose A Fresh Zucchini

The zucchini on the left was picked 3 weeks after the zuke on the right.

Freshness counts. I like to use the freshest produce possible when I cook. I grow many of my own vegetables and herbs. It's great to be able to step outside of the kitchen and pick fresh veggies for lunch or dinner, but things don't always work that way. Sometimes produce needs to be picked before I can cook it (that's the case with the zucchini on the right), sometimes it's produce from the market and I bought more before I prepared what I already had in the fridge! Either way, the fresh young things are mingled with the "veteran" produce and it's good to be able to tell which is which to avoid having to toss moldy oldies.

Here are three things I've noticed about aging zucchini:

1. Pitted skin
2. Withering stem
3. Uneven color - freckled or streaked skin

Next time you need to choose the freshest zuke in a flash, look for smooth, shiny, evenly colored, dark green skin and a stem that shows signs of moisture. If you're trying to use the oldest first, opt for the zucchini with a few freckles! Here's a recipe from our archive if you're up to your eyeballs in zucchini right now: What to make when the zucchini genie visits.

Enjoy!
 
photo by: Lisa Keating


Our road trips are paid for by donations from viewers (like you) and sponsors. All opinions expressed are our honest thoughts and experiences. Any promotional content is clearly identified as advertising. If you are interested sponsoring an EncinoMom video, please inquire at: info@EncinoMom.com



Friday, August 5, 2011

Taste Of The Chop Stop In Encino

 

Please join me in welcoming the Chop Stop to Encino! Now open on the boulevard (17332 Ventura Boulevard, near CVS and Jamba Juice) this is the Chop Stop's second location - they just opened in Burbank in January of this year.

Owner, Mark Kulkis was on hand at the ribbon cutting and showed us the simple idea behind his eatery's instant success! Everything is FRESH and chopped daily for you to mix and match into a salad (or you can have it in a whole wheat tortilla, if you prefer) of your own design.

The menu also has great tried and true combinations to chose from. I tried The Classic - so many great flavors all working to delight you with every spoonful. That's right. The salads are so finely chopped you can eat them with a spoon!

You can pop into the Chop Stop or look for them at the upcoming Taste of Encino, on the Boulevard, Sunday, October 9th! Either way tell 'em you saw them on EncinoMom, proud sponsor of the 24th annual Taste of Encino. See you there!

video by: EncinoMom Productions 
photo by: Warren Keating


Our road trips are paid for by donations from viewers (like you) and sponsors. All opinions expressed are our honest thoughts and experiences. Any promotional content is clearly identified as advertising. If you are interested sponsoring an EncinoMom video, please inquire at: info@EncinoMom.com
This video produced on behalf of the Encino Chamber of Commerce for the 24th annual Taste of Encino.