Pan Dulce French Toast: I’m officially that gal that uses every little scrap of food in the house. I’ve learned a few tricks during this pandemic of how to preserve and make things stretch for longer than usual. My grandfather was raised during the depression and was seriously the master of conserving food. Thankfully I remembered a few of the things he taught me that I used to take for granted, and didn’t pay much mind to. He would freeze bread or tortillas if we had too much in the house. Or toast bread that was a few days old and then dunk it in his coffee. He was so crafty that way.

I’m talking Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies today. Since I have been home bound due to Covid-19 I have fallen into complete comfort food zone. I need something to cradle me through this tough time, and these cookies definitely are doing the trick. I like using salted peanuts and both milk and semisweet chocolate chips. They crisp up nicely on the outside and keep moist on the inside. The classic combo of peanut butter and chocolate take their love affair to new heights in cookie form and makes staying home a lot easier.

Bright yellow custard… Sweet tangy lemon…. Meaty coconut… Wrapped in English short bread cookie crust. Chewy and magnetically addictive. Then imagine a toasty cloud of swiss meringue up top. I just described my Lemon Coconut Meringue Bars!! If they only existed on another planet, I’d have to book my flight.  They could transport me to a coffee shop across the Atlantic with brick stone roads and cold air.  Or I could easily be in outer space floating on air… that’s how these bars make me feel.  Close my eyes and entwined in their delicious magic I feel comforted at home and ready for aa another bite.

When I think of a day spent at the amusement park… I instantly think of a crispy glazed funnel cake too. I picture myself on a warm Summer night enjoying a freshly fried plate of this finger licking crunchy treat in between water rides and firework shows. Ahhh memories of summers past. I miss those experiences and am really craving some Summer fun.

When I was a wee young girl, I attended a Magnet elementary school in Brentwood, CA and used to get bussed there. It was a one hour ride in each direction as we zigzagged our way through my beloved City of Angels. I feel like I learned so many back streets and the lay of the land beyond East LA from that bus ride. We used to make a stop in front of Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown, and the owner’s son would get on board the school bus. A handful of times he brought a box of cream puffs to share from his famed bakery. It was then that I was introduced to the delicate pastry.

For St. Patrick’s Day this year I’m celebrating with some tie-dyed shamrock looking Polvorones, the ultimate Mexican sugar cookie. These cookies will make you feel so LUCKY like you just fell into a pot of gold. Okay, maybe not a pot of gold but you’ll feel GOLDEN for sure. They will have you doing a little Irish jig and furthering the similarities between Mexicans and The Irish…. What a beautiful union of people and cookie dough.

The first time I had a three layer banana pecan cake was at my Uncle Luke and his bride Vita’s wedding. I was a little girl under the age of ten and had never tasted anything so fine. Having banana cake at a wedding wasn’t a popular thing to do in those days. I distinctively remember instantly falling in love with the taste of banana cake and wondering WHEN I would have this enchanting taste in my life again?