Farmer's Market pics.....

7 dollar a dozen eggs at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market in San Fran.

Veracruz sauce for seafood.....

I returned home on Wednesday from 2 fun filled weeks in California. I lived in Cali for 15 years before moving to small town Ontario. I hadnt been back in 4 years and I didnt realize how much I missed Cali. I wasnt into cooking/baking as much as I am now when I lived in Long Beach ( I was a full time student/working) I didnt have time and I was only cooking for myself. I cooked a lot when I lived with my ex, but I wasnt that advanced and since my ex was a vegetarian, I made simple things. I really love this VeraCruz sauce recipe. My friend Mike introduced me to it a few years ago in Florida. The recipe can be found on MarthaStewart.com. Its meant to be served over whole fish, but I prefer to use fillets. For this meal, I used mahi mahi. I wanted red snapper but Gelson's didnt have any. My dad, sister and I paid a nice visit to the San Clemente Farmer's market where I bought some gorgeous baby veggies that I sauteed for a side dish. We also got some gorgeous strawberries. The produce was fabulous. Later in the week, I drove up to San Rafael and went to the Ferry Plaza Market in SF and the Marin Farmer's market in San Rafael. Both of them were beyond fabulous. It was absolutely killing me that I couldnt cook with all the wonderful products.

Back to the veracruz sauce. I used canned San Marzano tomatoes. The sauce also has white onion, garlic, fresh herbs, capers, white wine and olives. Its super easy to make and the leftovers freeze well. After the sauce is made, pour some into a baking dish and nestle the fish inside. Bake until the fish flakes. Even my sister who isnt really crazy about fish loved it.

I baked!!.....

So yeah, I gave it to peer pressure and baked yesterday!! I went searching thru my old cooking light annuals and came up with this peanut butter cake. I seem to remember making this recipe years ago( into cupcakes) and really liking it. I also recall making a different frosting because I was at my MIL's house and didnt bring the cookbook with me. This frosting was meh, more like a glaze. Nevertheless, it hit the spot.

I also made a veggie/chicken sausage pizza using Joe's favorite whole wheat dough recipe. He's right, its easy to work with. I prebaked it for a few minutes before topping it. I also added a few tbls of ground flax to the dough to make it healthier. Robin really enjoyed it.