[Restaurant Recipe]: Casa Vega's Spinach Enchilada

I'm so grateful that Christy over at Casa Vega was willing to share some of her family's recipes with us! Turns out, they are pretty simple to make and beyond delicious! 

Spinach Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 package of corn tortillas

12 oz fresh spinach

½ sliced white onion

1 tbsp chopped onion

8 large green tomatillos

2 cups of water

1 bushel of cilantro

1 tbsp cilantro

1 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp of salt

½ avocado

1 oz sour cream

6 oz shredded cheese (Monterey Jack or Asadero)

Love and Luxury Found in Laguna Beach

Photo Credit: Montagelagunabeach.com

If you are following my Instagram account, there's a good chance you were flooded by pictures last weekend of gorgeous seascapes, yummy food, and a few pics of me and The Mr. That's because last weekend we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. I seriously cannot believe how quickly the time flies! It feels like just yesterday I was shimmying my way into my Vera Wang gown and walking down that chandelier lined aisle to marry my Prince Charming... ok, that was super sappy, sorry.

Anyway! Last weekend The Mr. totally surprised me with a weekend getaway to Laguna Beach, mind you I had no idea where we were going when I got in the car. My only hints were that the weekend would be "Lilly Pulitzer Appropriate", most likely the nicest place we've ever stayed and that he had to pull some major connections to make it happen.

Spring Is In The Air!

 
Posey patterned pants and tulip-shaped tops are popping up on every rack in town, but florals aren't exclusively a fashion trend this year. Locals chefs are using florals for flavor! Check out this round-up from some LA hot spots!

Kimchi Tofu Soup

 

As some of you know, the month of March has been a whirlwind for me and Kasey's Kitchen. Between menu tastings, production meetings (yay!), interviews and traveling, I knew that when I finally slowed down, my immune system would be shot. 

So, as predicted... while I was playing catch up yesterday I felt a little lump in my throat start and my nose became a little stuffy. I decided when I got home I needed to make a soup that would kick this cold to the curb before it knew what hit it!

Healthy Coconut Shrimp

Last night, as I got home to whip up the yummy Baked Coconut Shrimp recipe my girl Cynthia from Cupcake Provocateur sent over I realized two things... 1) I was missing quite a few ingredients and 2) I was way too tired to go through each step and follow the recipe. No surprise there... by now you all should know I'm not the biggest fan of recipes, yet I love sharing my successful concoctions with you!

[Restaurant Recipe]: Casa Vega's Tamales

Oscar Recipe: Crab Louie

Ingredients:
8 ounces jumbo lump crab
3 tablespoons Thousand Island or Russian dressing
2 tablespoons chives
1 vine-ripened tomato, diced and well drained
¹/₄ red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
16 endive leaves
1 whole avocado, diced 

BLD and National Pancake Week

 

As some of you know, I’m a newbie to Los Angeles therefore there are hundreds of places I’m told I have to try. One place in particular that my friends have been raving about is BLD on Beverly Drive. I had heard it was the best Brunch in all of L.A. and so far, they were right! 

My experience at BLD was fantastic. We were promptly seated by a welcoming host and instantly felt the low-key, local feel of the place. Since I was dining with some BLD vets, they suggested a few menu items and then asked our server Matthew if we had missed any “must haves”. 

We started off with fresh squeezed OJ and a chocolate croissant then moved on to a parade of food that drew cautious looks from the other diners. Yes folks, this is all for us. 

We ordered everything from savory to sweet including the Ode to Butterfield’s, a flat iron steak Benedict with Cabernet Sauvignon Hollandaise and Spanish Chorizo Homefries [to die for], the Three Bean Huevos Rancheros which had some of the tastiest beans I’ve ever had, a Nutella & Banana Crepe which was cooked just right and last, but certainly not least… the Ricotta Bluberry Pancakes.  Click here for all the pictures!

Since the pancakes are the star here, let me fill you in on all the yummy details.  We were able to get the inside scoop from BLD’s Manager, Nina. The secret to the pancakes is not only the fresh ricotta cheese that is whipped into the batter, but they also whip in extra egg whites to make the pancakes as fluffy as possible. As if this short-stack could get any sweeter, a toasty log cabin filled with REAL warm maple syrup and whipped butter.

Needless to say, with all that food, our wonderful experience was bagged up for us to enjoy throughout the rest of the week!

Go check out BLD for yourself and don’t leave without sinking your teeth into those amazing pancakes! What better time to try brunch at BLD than Pancake Week! That’s right, you heard me. February 10^th-16^th is National Pancake Week!