Mrs. Carla Monti

Mrs. Carla Monti

Friday, September 13, 2019

Cauliflower Lettuce Wraps!

My favorite food blog hands down is Pinch of Yum. In the 10 years I've been in love with cooking, baking, and learning, I've never come across a food blog where I wanted to make every single recipe posted! Lindsay, the creative brainchild behind the blog, is a beautiful personality, and the way she writes is both entertaining and captivating! If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend that you do, and you can click here!

Ok on to these fabulous, Korean BBQ-style cauliflower lettuce wraps!

I am a BIG fan of cauliflower. I love how versatile it is - pizza? Gnocchi? What will be next ... ice cream? I would try it!

Click here for the recipe link!

It's very simple ... roasted cauliflower, toasted peanuts, and a killer Asian spicy sauce that will knock your socks off! I used hyrdoponic butter lettuce for the cups, and I found them at Super Walmart.



Giuliana turns 4!

Ice-cream themed birthday party for my angel!
















Cupcakes for her class at school:


Paris!

I was lucky enough to go to Paris for 12 days for work, and I had the most amazing trip! Paris has got to be on every foodie and wino's bucket list!

















Healthy {Easy} Dinners!

I saw this on one of the (many) Trader Joe's fan accounts I follow on Instagram, so I can't remember where to go back and credit the account for the recipe!

Anyway, it is very simple. Sprinkle TJ's Chile Lime seasoning blend (not spicy, just flavorful) on the salmon fillets, and bake them at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until done and they flake easily with a fork.


Take a bag of frozen cauliflower rice and put it in a pot with a little water. Add a pat of butter, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper, and keep stirring for 10 minutes over medium-high heat.


Voila! Delicious and healthy!




Cauliflower gnocchi ... one of the cult favorites from Trader Joe's, and worth every penny! Oddly enough, you cannot cook these according to the instructions on the back of the bag. Click here to read about the three different ways that you can cook these, because if you follow the bag instructions, you will end up with soggy, tasteless gnocchi!

I sauteed these in olive oil, straight from the freezer, no thawing necessary. Take a few min and let them brown/crisp up. I topped with freshly grated Parmesan, sauteed spinach and a little bit of TJ's awesome kale cashew pesto sauce.



Wine, buttery garlic breadsticks that I bought frozen and baked up at home, salmon with either Trader Joe's ancho-lime seasoning, or garlic powder and lemon wedges, diced zucchini tossed in olive oil, garlic powder and black pepper and baked, diced portabella mushrooms sauteed in butter, heavy cream and Madeira wine, and white rice.





Summer 2020:








Wine House Social (After Expansion)!

Wine House Social recently expanded in the old N2 Wine Bar space in the Hyatt hotel in Pineapple Grove. The owner, Dina, remodeled the space in gorgeous gold and navy tones, and the decor and furniture is perfect! They offer plenty of organic, biodynamic wines by the glass, as well as delicious cheese/charcuterie boards.

I came here with friends for late night happy hour one night, and then a few nights later I hosted an alumni event for my alma mater. This space is perfect for hosting any kind of event!












Updated October 2019:

Thursday night is ladies night! Between 5 and 7 pm, ladies receive a complimentary glass of either house wine or champagne. Yum!


Baby board happy hour special - for $9, select one cheese, one meat, and one accompaniment, served with warm toasty buttery bread. We ordered the champagne cheddar which was a little on the sweeter side, and honestly reminded me more of a gouda than a cheddar, but was overall tasty; barolo wine salami, which I did not care for because I found it to be too gamey tasting; and pinot grigio pear jelly which was delicious!


Fall 2019:




Spring & Summer 2020: