Bringing It Back 80s Style

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Little Gems Salad with Green Goddess Dressing from www.aidamollenkamp.com

This salad is at its most simple a great big excuse for me to make Green Goddess Dressing. I’m a California girl through and through and Green Goddess is too.

Though this dressing is just a tad bit older than me — it has been around, by some accounts, since the 1920s when a chef at the Palace Hotel made his West Coast version of the classic French sauce verte. If you grew up out west, you probably remember that Green Goddess was all the rage right about the time Madonna came out with Material Girl and Regan was our commander in chief. But, with time, this dressing went the way of shoulder pads and scrunchies and became all but obsolete. 
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The Dental Hygienist And Her Sugar Stash

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Chocolate-Almond Butter Easter Eggs from www.aidamollenkamp.com

My mother loves Peeps. And cheap white cake. And candy corn. Which is totally ironic because she was a dental hygienist and rarely had sugar in the house when we were growing up (that we knew of).

Her sweet tooth goes into overdrive during the Easter season when she can be found diving into her stash of Chocolate-Peanut Butter eggs with abandon. But those over-the-counter eggs are loaded with all sorts of subpar ingredients never mind the fact that they could just be so much better with a few tweaks. So, this year I made her homemade chocolate eggs. 
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Urban Legends And Eggs

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Aida-Mollenkamp-Pretty-Easy-Eggs-Header-1020

So, I’ve got a thing with eggs. I could eat them for any meal, at any time, and any number of ways. There’s a culinary urban legend that the number of pleats in a traditional chef’s hats is directly correlated to the number of ways to cook eggs and, while I’ve never found concrete evidence backing that claim, it’s fair to say there are at least 5 kajillion ways to make eggs.

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Going Ga-Ga for Babies

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Cumin-Carrot Farro Risotto from www.aidamollenkamp.com

My best friend is obsessed with babies. She probably won’t just tell you that when you meet her and she’s not psycho about it in that dreaming of bassinets, onesies, and baby names sort of way. But she’s a sucker for pudgy little ones. Back in middle school, when those  baby photos were all the rage, she was single-handedly keeping the business booming. I mean, I think she would have interned for free for Anne Geddes were it to mean she could have primped, preened, and cooed over little ones.

Me, I’m not so into babies. Okay, I love my niece and nephews and look forward to having a family someday, but the kind of baby things I love are of the vegetable variety.


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Austin-Style Migas Recipe

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Austin-Style Migas Recipe from www.aidamollenkamp.com

There is a medical condition in my family known as the Mollenkamp flu.

You haven’t heard of it, you say? Well, that’s because it’s a disease of my father’s devising. It’s akin to a hangover but the only real cure is rest, your hydrating beverage of choice, and your favorite egg dish. When I was younger, before my parents wanted to let on that they were inclined to party now and then, they’d simply say, “Bring me a Canadian Dry, I have the Mollenkamp flu.”


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Getaway: Austin, Texas

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Aida-Mollenkamp-Austin-Photo

I swear there is a huge magnet buried deep below Austin that pulls me toward it. I had never set foot in the place until 3 years ago and now I find myself there every 6 months or so. Clearly that is because of that magnet. Clearly.

I’d like to think that Austin is a sort-of kindred spirit to my homestate, Texas with a West Coast perspective, but that’d be undervaluing it and all its unique-ness. Last week, I ended up there as part of my Texas tour of the Central Market Cooking Schools, but I stayed there because the craziness that is the South By Southwest conference was about to begin.

Was I there for the parties? Hell, yes. But I also heard some amazing talks, met some incredible people, and had a ton of fun along the way. Here are a few highlights of my trip as well as an ever-growing list of delicious eats in Austin:
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Oatmeal Breakfast Soufflé

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Aida Mollenkamp Oatmeal Breakfast Souffle Recipe from www.aidamollenkamp.com

This is a multiculti soufflé.

And it’s directly inspired by my family. My French stepmother came into my life when I was 12 and I remember watching in awe as she’d whip up cheese soufflés with the flick of her wrist. Even at that age, I’d read enough Seventeen magazine to have the wherewithal to know that I shouldn’t be eating a molten cheese puff for dinner, but the reality is I’d pray that she’d serve it every time I was at their house.


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