Mexican Caesar salad

I love salads year round but especially during the summer. They're a great way to eat healthy and avoid turning on the oven! Here is a recipe that may require a little more work but is definitely worth it. It is reminiscent of a popular salad from El Torito. I've also thrown in a yummy recipe for a super moist, super sweet corn bread but you will have to turn on the oven for this one!

Mexican Caesar Salad

Dressing:
2 medium Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled and seeded
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c canola oil
1/4 c red wine vinegar
5 T cotija cheese
2 bunches cilantro, stems removed
1/4 c water
1 1/2 c mayonnaise

Place all ingredients except cilantro, water and mayo in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add cilantro a little at a time. In a separate bowl mix together the water and mayo. Whisk into the dressing. (Dressing will keep in fridge for 3 days)

Salad:
3 heads Romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped
1 roasted red bell pepper, peeled and julienned
1 c cotija cheese
1 c pepita seeds (roasted pumpkin seeds)
2 handfuls tortilla chips, crushed (or tiny tortilla strips if you can find them)

Combine salad ingredients and toss with dressing. Serve immediately.

And while you're in the middle of a Mexican-themed dinner, try this recipe for super yummy corn cake. It's one of my favorites!

Sweet Corn Cake

1/2 c butter, softened
1/3 c masa harina (Mexican corn flour)
1/4 c water
1 1/2 c frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/4 c cornmeal
1/3 c white sugar
2 T heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl beat butter until creamy. Add the masa harina and water and beat until well mixed. Using a food processor, process thawed corn but leave chunky. Stir into the butter mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8-inch baking pan. Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil. Place pan into a 9x13-inch baking dish filled a third of the way with water. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. (Tip: Use an ice cream scoop for easy removal from pan.)

Food is our common ground, a universal experience.

--James Beard

in love with Maclaren's Twin Techno stroller

Because we're still taking it easy this summer our that's hot! thursday will often recap a recent product review from Boutique Cafe's Daily Dish. I will only highlight the best of the best here on freshly baked, and this week's review is one of them.

The Maclaren Twin Techno is my favorite stroller by far when it comes to a compact folding double stroller. It's amazing how many features this stroller has and still manages to fit in the back of my tiny '95 Honda Odyssey. We took it to Disneyland and California Adventure and it did swimmingly. For the full review check out "Maclaren's Twin Techno is the best double stroller of all time..." on Boutique Cafe's Daily Dish. If you're looking for a great double stroller, this is it! --Emily

Startup Princess Conference, September 26th

For today's mompreneur monday I wanted to pass along a save-the-date announcement from one of my fave sites, Startup Princess. The Startup Princess "Make It Happen Conference for Women Entrepreneurs" is scheduled for September 26th. Mark your calendars now--it's an event you won't want to miss!

Last year's event had nearly 100 women entrepreneurs. This year it will be held in the Miller Innovation Center in Sandy, Utah. The larger facility will accommodate the expected increase in attendees. The event runs all day from 9am to 5pm. Pre-purchase price for the event is $159 ($199 at the door).

This year's keynote speaker is Heather Madder. Heather is the author of Walking on the Ceiling: The Practice of Overcoming Barriers and Creating a Life of Freedom, as well as several audio CDs. For over nine years, she has taught audiences of all types and sizes in various parts of the country. The creator of the internet-radio show, On the High Road, her weekly teachings served 100,000 listeners world-wide as one of the top ranked programs for The Grapevine Talk Radio network.

The conference will offer small group networking, three tracks of afternoon breakout sessions featuring 12 different classes, an Elevator Pitch Competition, and prizes during lunch. The conference will also feature a boutique from 4-5pm featuring Startup Princesses’ products and services (limited space/early registration suggested to reserve a spot!). If you'd like to be notified when registration is available you'll want to email Startup Princess.

Even if you're not local you'll want to make plans to attend this year's conference. In this learning experience we call business ownership you can never be too prepared! --Emily

Trunkettes design sexy yet comfortable swimwear

Yes, we're still taking the summer off but I did a review on Boutique Cafe perfect for fashion trend tuesday and very summer related. I tested a new line of swimwear called Trunkettes, which incorporates swim trunks for women in a variety of styles that coordinate with tankinis, halter and underwire tops. With cute prints and a flattering fit I thought this line of swimwear was perfect for those who want a little more comfort and a little less bikini waxing this summer. (Don't we all?)

To read the full Trunkettes review on Boutique Cafe, click here. Happy swimsuit shopping! (Okay, so "happy" and "swimsuit shopping" don't usually go together but with Trunkettes they just might!) --Emily

summer update

Funny how everything sometimes works out. Soon after our last post about taking the summer off my family went on a last-minute trip to southern California. We had a timeshare week set to expire this year and on June 3rd I called to check out the available short-notice weeks. Miraculously one was open in Anaheim at the Peacock Suites, just 3 blocks from Disneyland, starting June 6th. I am not a very spontaneous person but we went for it! My parents even packed up and headed down to meet us there since my husband couldn't leave work. My sister joined us in the car to help with the kids and we headed down south last Saturday.

Though the hotel suite was a bit crowded with 4 adults, 2 pre-teens, a toddler and an infant we somehow survived and had a fantastic time. We created lots of memories, some which kept us laughing late at night when we all fell in to bed at midnight (including the babies). I didn't have to worry about blog posts or business and even with the long lines at Disneyland and California Adventure it felt like a real vacation. Of course the trips to the Corona del Mar tide pools and shakes at Ruby's on the Huntington Beach pier helped a bit! This past week was a great reminder that spending time with family, even while waiting in line for the Nemo's underwater adventure (aka the submarine ride), is much more important than checking email. I know...I didn't check email the entire week! --Emily

mompreneurs focusing on "mom"

Today's mompreneur monday is along the lines of what my mom would call a "mother's moment." A mother's moment is when my mom has something on her mind (i.e. something concerning me) and she shares her wisdom, thoughts, insight via a card, letter, or specially chosen book. I always listen and I often--but not always--take her advice. (By the way, she always seems to be right.)

Well, LeShan and I have just given ourselves mother's moments about just how many balls we try to juggle on a daily basis: kids, husbands, georgie tees, our husbands' entrepreneurial pursuits, church responsibilities, freshly baked, and the daily stuff like laundry, cooking, cleaning (okay, the cleaning doesn't get done daily but it's a worthy goal). We've given ourselves what we feel is great advice (my mom would think so too) and decided life is too short to juggle so many balls, especially when our little ones are growing up before our eyes.

As much fun as we've had keeping freshly baked's content "fresh," we're dropping the ball on our blog, at least for the summer. We have loved sharing our thoughts, favorite products and sites, fashion tips, and recipes and look forward to picking things up around September. I may write the random post here and there but we are going to take a little summer hiatus from the daily posts and focus on enjoying our families a little more (and maybe even clean the house once in a while). We also want to work on our new packaging idea and our goal to have georgie tees give back to the community and feel even supermoms (LeShan's the supermom; I'm just the sidekick) need a little balance.

You know, summer vacation isn't just for the kids. If you find you're juggling a few too many balls you may want to give yourself your own mother's moment. It's amazing how doing a little less can actually make your days a lot more enjoyable. We're going to give it a shot and we'll be back in the fall--with fabulous tans--to tell you how it all worked out. --Emily

P.S. We really will do the random post here and there, so stop in once and a while. We have some new designs coming out in a couple weeks and you won't want to miss them!