Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with our Friend Nacho!

They’re easy to make, perfect for any fiesta, and great for just anytime you need a tasty snack with a little crunch to it.  Can you guess which snack?  Kids of all ages can’t resist this Latin food snack that ironically has become an “All-American” invention snack/meal.  Although all you moms out there might want a fun cerveza to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, make drinks with your food a family treat and serve sparkling apple cider for your kids to make mealtime more festive. What is this versatile, irresistible snack? Nachos, naturally!

Maybe I am biased being originally from California, but in my opinion, very little time is required to whip up a batch. You can cater your recipes to put your own individual spin on them too.

What is nice is nachos can be prepared many ways – on a grill, in the oven, or even in a microwave for any “short on time” parents.  They can even be made for vegetarians or for the meat eaters in your family.  Nachos are a great snack anytime!

Here’s what you will need to make this dish in a microwave:

• Whole wheat or corn tortilla chips
• grated cheddar cheese
• refried beans
• salsa
• jalapeño pepper slices
• microwave-safe bowl
• butter knife
• microwave-safe plate
• can opener
• oven mitts

What to do, What to do!

1. Wash your hands! (Make sure to be present with your child because this requires using the microwave).

2. To begin, put the refried beans in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for about 45 seconds.

3. Spread tortilla chips on a microwave-safe plate.

4. Spread the refried beans on the tortilla chips.

5. Spread a big dollop of salsa on top of the chips.

6. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the salsa and refried beans.

7. If you and your kids like spicy food, you can add a small amount of mini slices of jalapeño pepper to garnish the plate.

8. Microwave everything for about 1-1.5 minutes OR until the cheese melts.

9. Using oven mitts, remove the plate from microwave. (BE CAREFUL – the plate might be caliente (a.k.a. hot!)

10. Serve your tasty nachos with extra salsa!

11. Dig in

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A Small Town in the SF Bay Area?

Here comes the Parade!

Petaluma is more like a Norman Rockwell painting than one would think in the urban sprawl of the San Francisco Bay Area.  The city prides itself in maintaining the traditions of a small town with parades and family friendly events. My mother-in-law lives in this happy little hamlet, and we regularly get calls asking  if she can have “her girly” for the night so they can attend this event or that.  A couple of weekends ago, was one of these occasions, as it was Petaluma’s 29^th Annual Butter and Egg Days celebration!

Lilah watching the parade sporting her Le Top Sweetheart Butterfly shirt and capri set plus sunhat.

At one time, Petaluma was known as the “Egg Basket to the World,” and it had a rich agricultural history as one of the premiere dairy regions in the country.  What a better way to celebrate than to dress the kids up as baby chicks hatching out of a giant egg or enter a Cow Chip Throwing Contest.  Yee ha!  With its large stock of historic buildings, Petaluma has been used as the filming location for numerous movies since the 1940s. Some of the most well known movies included American Graffiti (1973) and Pleasantville (1998) .  If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend you visit this quaint little town. I’m sure they’ll have an event happening whenever you stop by!

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