Week 2 Menu featuring California Farmer's Market Pizza

(plus Kung Pao Chicken Kabobs, Sheet Pan Salmon, and Coachella Date Bars)

Hi there friends and Happy Friday! A sunny Southern California welcome to you all. Thanks for joining me each week to chat about California Cuisine.

Does it feel like spring yet in your part of the world? The first spring daffodils have appeared in my garden and their bright yellow faces are so cheerful! I hope things are warming up, wherever you are.

Podcast

Have you listened to my latest podcast? You get to be a fly on the wall as Nicki Sizemore of Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD and I dish about

• Deciphering a good recipe from a bad one.

• Skills every home cook should learn to make their life easier.

• What she discovered on a recent trip to Nicaragua.

• Plus, she shares her tried-and-true recipe for Spicy Salmon Rice Bowls.

You will love hearing Nicki’s story!

Photo courtesy of Nicki Sizemore

If you haven’t already subscribed to her newsletter, you are missing out on some amazing recipes that are seasonal, healthy, and downright delicious! I mean, who doesn’t want a piece of her Chocolate Almond Cake with Amaretto Cherries & Sour Cream Whipped Cream?

Listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. Or hit the button below.

This month: Menu Plans and a Field Trip

Yes, menu plans are back! Remember we cooked our way through month-long menu plans last spring and fall? I’m happy to say we are doing it again.

Here’s how it works:

• Menu plans are released every Friday in March.

• There are three dinner recipes per week. This leaves flexibility for leftovers, dinners out, and no-cook evenings.

• Each week features a SoCal-inspired pizza!

• Downloadable recipes and shopping list included.

• Free subscribers have access to 3 weeks of plans.

• Paid and Founding subscribers get all the plans (including last year’s)!

Did you miss last week’s menu? It featured Korean BBQ Pizza, so you don’t want to sleep on that!

Also this month, the first of my SoCal quarterly field trips! I take you with me every 90 days to visit local growers and producers of California Cuisine ingredients. First up: a trip to a Coachella Valley date farm. We learn everything you’d ever want to know about dates!

Field trips are just for paid subscribers. Won’t you join me?

Week 2 Menu Plan

Remember the Netflix TV series Chef’s Table: Pizza gave me the idea to feature a SoCal-inspired pizza every week? The creative pizza chefs on the show used ingredients local to their area, and that’s what we are doing this week. Feel free to add your own mix of ingredients that are locally available to you!

Interestingly, while touring the date farm last week, I ran into Holly Robinson, co-owner of Sunny Hill Seattle. Her pizza place utilizes seasonal produce from local Washington state farms. This spot in the North Ballard neighborhood is now on my list of places to eat next time I’m in Seattle!

Here’s what is on our menu this week:

• California Farmer’s Market Pizza. Fresh springtime veggies flaunt their freshness atop the pizza of the week. Some get baked on the pizza while carrot- fennel slaw brings some crunch and acid.

• Kung Pao Chicken Kabobs. A fun version of a Chinese restaurant classic! The kabobs and the sauce are simple to put together and taste so yummy served with rice or noodles.

• Sheet Pan Salmon and Asparagus with Quinoa. Easy-peasy and delish, this dinner comes together in half an hour. It’s quick enough for a mid-week meal but also fancy enough to serve to guests.

• Coachella Date Bars. Yes! There is an exclusive dessert this week! Soft, orange-scented bar cookies with a gooey filling made from dates grown in California’s Coachella Valley. After eating a few of these, my 22-year-old son said they were “gas” (let me translate: they are very very good).

This week’s menu plan is just for paid and founding subscribers.