Bite Me is a cookbook written by Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, two sisters who have been described as ‘passionate eaters and skilled feeders.’ The most noticeable difference with this oversized and colorful book is that from the moment you open the pages, you’ll start chuckling.  These dedicated mothers and business women are full of beans, basil, balsamic vinegar, butter, raspberries…. well you get the picture—they’re really funny.  Bite Me is clever, stylish and extremely satisfying, while being easy and fun to read. Like most cookbooks, the sections are divided, but here instead of ‘Soups’ you’ll find ‘Spoon Me.’  Looking for salads?  They’re there under ‘unDress Me.’ There is even a ‘Whoopsie’ section that gives you suggestions on what to do when things go wrong (we really liked this section.) Each page is filled with easy to follow and foolproof recipes, anecdotes, tips and beautiful photographs.

This Mother’s Day create a delicious wake up call for mom with breakfast in bed. Chef Jacques Haeringer, author of TWO FOR TONIGHT, a collection of romantic meals for two, believes love begins in the kitchen.  “Life’s memorable moments are not complete without a festive meal.  At home, preparing a meal for someone special is an act of love, much more significant than buying flowers or candy.  We are most susceptible to love after we have enjoyed a good meal,” Chef Jacques explains.

Romance is a tradition for Chef Jacques and his restaurant, the legendary L’Auberge Chez Francois, in Great Falls, Virginia.  Long known for not only great food, but their unique setting, Jacques and his family have been serving up romance to their customers for almost 60 years.  “Our customers love to come to the restaurant for the special occasions in their lives, whether it’s an engagement party, wedding, birthday or for Mother’s Day.  We supply the food, ambience, and service; they bring their own romantic magic.”

As a cook, I get bored making the same thing day after day. I need to constantly change it up or being in the kitchen just isn’t fun for me. Recently, Kenya has been asking for omelets EVERY morning for breakfast. So after the first few days of “crack eggs, whisk eggs, cook eggs”, I decided to see how he’d respond to a bit of a change.

“Egg in the Hole” was one of my favorite breakfasts from childhood. This dish is especially great because there’s lots of fun stuff the little ones can do to help you prepare it — getting to make the holes in the bread is probably the most fun. When I was a kid, a simple drinking glass did the trick. But here at weelicious, we believe things can always be MORE fun. Well, cookie cutters aren’t JUST for making cookies, you know. While you’re getting everything ready to prepare the “Egg in the Hole”, your little ones can rummage through your cookie cutters and pick the shape they want their egg to be. Say hello to “Egg in the Witch”, “Egg in the Gingerbread Man”, “Egg in the Star”, and more! In no time flat you’ll have a delicious high protein and carbohydrate meal that’s the perfect start to a day….and never boring!

I am addicted to Grape-Nuts and have been for years. There is something about the nutty, crunchy taste that I just can’t get enough of. Kenya is getting to the age where he wants to try everything he sees me eat. So when I pour my bowl each morning, he always wants to munch on a few. It became clear to me very quickly that he inherited my love for them. Still, I want him to have variety in every meal, so I decided to make him a Grape-Nut breakfast parfait. Sure I could just make him his own little bowl with milk and berries, but that could be a real mess. So I came up with this recipe that also gives him fruit and dairy in addition to the carbohydrate of the Grape-Nuts. This being the week of 4th of July, I incorporated a red, white and blue theme for the fun of it, but it’s great any day of the week.

NO PLACE LIKE HOMEMADE

I was a military brat, but today I look back at all the moving and upheaval in our routines as great lessons in flexibility, acclimation, patience and an appreciation of the unknown.  We experienced cultural diversity, and in every locale, my mother delved into the culinary delights of the areas – whether it was making tabouleh in Lebanon, rice cakes in Japan or tacos in Texas, we were tasked to “at least try it” as kids.  Not only did I try it, but I was attached to her hip in the kitchen when she cooked, much to her chagrin.

I miss summer crab feasts.  Buying a few crab legs at an exorbitant amount at the grocery store this time of year - just to get a little crab meat for my “fix,” - is not my idea of a feast. My wallet agrees. So to comfort my soul, I settled for small tub of crabmeat (back fin, the less expensive one, is fine) and dressed it up for this quick fix of corn and crab chowder.

CORN AND CRAB CHOWDA

Prep time: 10 min.

Cook time: 20 min.

Serves: 4 (or one very hungry husband)

I love the fresh taste of spring rolls, but sometimes they leave me  feeling a little empty, so I took some of those same flavors came up with this more filling and healthy version of the spring roll and I put it in a wrap. Very tasty and very satisfying

2 oz. 1800 Silver Tequila
1 oz. Pama Pomegranate Liquor
½ oz. Pineapple Juice

Pour all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and strain into a sugar rimmed martini glass