This is quite a crew that runs a terrific restaurant in Laguna Beach. It is my go-to spot. There is owner Maro, executive chef Deb, and Stefan, who makes sure we are well served at every meal.

Maro, who is originally from Argentina, has a real feel for the grill. Chickens are on a spit and he supplies the most delicious cuts of meat. 

My favorite is the skirt steak with chimichurri sauce. The only way to order it is rare or medium rare. It comes with a green salad to balance out the meal.

I am sort of a creature of habit there. My favorite starters are the mushroom empanadas and roasted edamame and shishito peppers. They are absolutely delicious.

For some reason, I never get tired of this great simple restaurant. I can walk in for lunch or dinner, get a great seat at the bar, and leave with a satisfied palette. They are open for lunch and dinner, and have been known to cater a party or two for me. 

Maro also offers great food to be picked up if you want food to bring to a concert in the park or on a beach picnic!

Maro Wood Grill 1915 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA
Open every day except for Mondays

Thank you Anne McGraw for a foodie's dream gift: Grappa and a White Truffle from Italy!

So I said to Shelby, "Do you eat eggs? Do you like mushrooms? Because today our nutrition is going to be fresh eggs with shaved truffles".
So here we go... we cracked six eggs into a bowl and whipped them up. I shaved some truffle in the egg while it was cooking and then generously shaved more on top when they were finished. It was a real Italian treat.
Thank goodness for my truffle slicer because it makes great thin shaved pieces to go around and garnish with the truffle.

4th of July, 5th of July, and 6th of July....
Yes it is true. For three days straight, I made these delicious crowd pleasing creamy margarita popsicles. They are tart yet sweet due to the condensed milk. It literally took me 2 minutes to complete the recipe (minus the effort squeezing the limes). In 8 hours flat, you have a delicious adult popsicle.
If you use a plastic cup or dixie cup, they un-mold really easily. With a lime at the base, they have a great presentation. A regular popsicle mold would be a tad bit overwhelming. You can find the popsicle sticks at most craft stores.
It is much more fun to make multiple flavors. We also made pina colada, grapefruit basil and vodka, and... the grand finale... boozy red white and blueberry cheesecake pops.
Although you might desire to add more booze to your popsicles, you can only have 20% alcohol in your recipe. Otherwise they won't be able to freeze.

Ingredients
1¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 8 limes), plus 4 limes for stabilizing the popsicle sticks
1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup water
¼ cup tequila
2 tablespoons tangerine juice (orange juice works as well)
Kosher salt or margarita salt

You will also need:
12 (3oz) Dixie cups (I couldn't find dixie cups so used plastic ones)
Small popsicle sticks or craft spoons
A pitcher or large cocktail shaker

1. In a pitcher or large cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, water, tequila, and orange juice. It is important to combine the ingredients in a container that has a spout because it will make it much easier to pour the mix into cups.
   
2. Line out the Dixie cups on a baking sheet, so it will be easy to transport them to the freezer. Fill each Dixie cup 90% of the way with the tequila mixture.
3. Slice the limes into ¼ inch thick rounds. Push a craft spoon through the center of each lime round, so that half of the stick pokes out from each side. Top the mixture with the lime sticks. Make sure the lime is resting directly on top of the tequila mixture.
4. Freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight. When ready to remove the popsicles from the Dixie cups, simply snip a small cut in the rim of each cup and peel them away from the popsicle. Place the popsicles onto a dish with crushed ice to keep them from melting too quickly, Sprinkle the tops generously with kosher salt, and serve.

It's all about Peggy's Gazpacho.
My mother was a fabulous cook and periodically, you may see a recipe of hers pop in on the blog. 
It is very important to get really red local tomatoes to make gazpacho. It's also good to make it a day in advance so the flavors can mix well together. This is a delicious, lo-cal, refreshing chilled soup that you can keep in your refrigerator up to three days. It is great to have on hand during these hot summer months!
The recipe below fills ten 8 oz cups... but leave room up top for the condiments!

You are probably wondering how you peel these tomatoes. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. In the meantime, make a small X on the bottom of the tomato with a sharp knife piercing the skins. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water until you see the skins starting to crinkle around the X. Quickly remove the tomatoes and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Using your fingers, the skin will easily peel right off. Cut the tomato in half and squeeze gently to help remove all of the seeds.