Over the past 2 weeks I had the opportunity to cook and serve lunches for a family in town from Mexico at a beautiful vacation rental up in the hills behind La Cantera Resort.

The owner of the house contacted me originally and then passed the baton over to the guests so I could coordinate menus for their stay. We decided on the 5 days they wanted to stay in for lunch, chose menus, and I popped in each of those 5 days to prepare their lunch and serve it family style.

Each day consisted of a salad starter, entrée with protein, vegetable and starch, and a small dessert. On my first visit I made a chicken, sausage and seafood paella and served it poolside overlooking the hills. What a gorgeous setting for lunch! I returned two days later and the family remarked that it was by far the best paella they’d ever eaten. Their precious 8 year-old daughter showed me her new Build-A-Bear stuffed animals and her super cute plastic grill station that lights up to look like grill flames.

We played make believe for a few minutes and grilled up some plastic food before I got to work in the real kitchen. The second lunch was also served outside: chicken teriyaki with stir fried veggies. The remainder of the lunches were moved indoors as the weather declined a little. The first rainy, cold indoor lunch was a warm and comforting meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans. As they were eating I was cleaning up the kitchen and on my way out they asked if I’d go home with them to Mexico.

I told them I do have a passport and love to travel! 🙂 The fourth meal was a baked shrimp scampi. As I was leaving they asked if I could at least send them recipes for all the food I’d made them! The final meal, Alaskan cod with almonds and dill, was served with a mix of happiness that they’d thoroughly enjoyed all the meals and sadness to say farewell. They promised to stay in touch and contact me before their next trip to Texas to make sure I’d be available to cook for them again. A trip to Mexico is still a possibility too.