You're invited to "Casa Marcela"

Casa Marcela by Food Network chef Marcela Valladolid is a love letter to her unique upbringing in a Mexican border town, crossing into the United States and back again freely, taking the best of both culinary traditions and combining them into one. It's a lifestyle she continues to live today. “We live on and love both sides, appreciate both sides, speak both languages, love both cultures, and combine all the foods,” she explains. She goes on to say that “[In the book] You’ll find everything that organically happens in the California kitchen of a cook who was raised in Tijuana but crossed the international border every day into San Diego for either school or fun…. It’s not Tijuana versus San Diego. It’s one region. We come and go. We go have lunch in Tijuana only to come home in time for dinner.”

Within the pages of Casa Marcela, you’ll find recipes for accessible, family-friendly, and most of all, delicious Mexican/Californian food, from Squash Blossom Stacked Quesadillas and Grilled Steak and Cheese Tostadas, to a to-die-for Mexican Turkey Club Sandwich and Jalapeno Roasted Chicken. Round out the meal with an impressive selection of sides, salsas, drinks, and desserts and you’ve got the recipe for a truly magical meal. The recipes are punctuated by stunning photographs that pulsate with Marcela’s warm and inviting personality.

What I love most about this book (aside from the delicious recipes, of course) is the stories within the pages. This book is so much more than a cookbook. It is a scrapbook of the people, places, and experiences that have shaped Chef Marcela’s life into what it is today. It is a celebration of food, of family, and of life. Reading this book is like sitting at Marcela’s kitchen table, sharing stories over a cup of coffee and celebrating what it means to live the good life. You’ll come away from exploring this book feeling as though you have visited Casa Marcela in person, and yearning to go back.

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