We just got back from a glorious two weeks in Scandinavia. For both Mr. Hedin and I, Sweden is “the homeland.” It’s where all of our great grandparents originated from - and after being there, we can totally see why they landed in Seattle. It’s identical. Our weather, our greenery, the water - it’s so reminiscent.

It was also cool to see how so many of our “Northwest Flavors” are also reflected in the foods of Scandinavia. Rhubarb was especially prominent. We usually associate rhubarb with spring here in Seattle - like right when strawberries come out in May - but the weather is a little cooler in Sweden, so the rhubarb was EVERYWHERE in mid-June. We happily ate everything we found with rhubarb, and loved a rhubarb soda that we had at Restaurant Barr.

My rhubarb at home is still going strong, so when we got home I tried to recreate something just like it. Mostly because it was delicious but also because when I took a sip of Jud’s rhubarb soda, all I wanted to do was to stir in a little gin.

Rhubarb sauce on ice cream in Copenhagen!

Restaurant Barr in Copenhagen used rhubarb perfectly throughout the whole dinner

Rhubarb Syrup

1/2 cup chopped rhubarb

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

In a sauce pan, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the water is reduced by half. Let cool. You can keep this in the fridge for up to one week.

If the syrup gets too thick and looks like jam, add a few tablespoons of hot water and stir (or shake it in the jar) really well. If it is still not pourable - add another tablespoon of hot water.

To make a Rhubarb Soda

In a tall glass filled with ice, add two tablespoons rhubarb syrup and top with sparkling water. Stir gently. You can add more or less rhubarb syrup as you’d like.

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Spike it!

Click below and read about how I spiked the Rhubarb Syrup with gin - and what gin to choose.

Click Here

I love a good spring cocktail - but sometimes the situation calls for a mocktail. I can’t stand a mocktail that is all juice based, too sugary or is just clearly designed for kids. A mocktail should be made for grown-ups too - everyone deserves something to sip on regardless of if they want the booze.

This one is SO SPRINGY and it made me desperate for my roses to bloom. They are waiting for some sun, and I have a feeling this weekend’s heat will do the trick. I cannot wait.

The trick with rose water is to be careful - it’s a lot like any other flavoring and going easy is your best bet. The tiniest amount of rose water makes a huge flavor impact. I like to start with 1/4 teaspoon per cocktail and you can increase after that if you’d like to - I don’t think more is needed, things get a little too much with more!

Grapefruit Rose Seltzer

makes two

4 ounces fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

1/2 teaspoon rose water

seltzer

fresh grapefruit to garnish

Squeeze the grapefruit into a glass and stir in rose water. Add ice and top with seltzer water. Serve with a grapefruit garnish.

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A traditional mint julep has muddled mint leaves and bourbon with a little simple syrup. It’s a very boozy cocktail. When I’m making a cocktail for a party, or for day drinking, I usually try to tone down the booziness. So for this, I made a mint-y pink lemonade to mix with the bourbon and take down the concentration of liquor. It also is a great replacement for the simple syrup as pink lemonade is pretty sweet.

The history of the cocktail comes from it being a sweet cocktail combined with an herb. Traditionally a ‘julep’ was used to administer medicine. The word ‘julep’ comes from the Spanish ‘julepe’ which can mean “medicine.” If you’ve had a traditional julep, it’s not hard to imagine medicine hiding in there - it’s a strong drink with strong flavors.

The trick to the Mint Pink Lemonade is to not let the mint steep for too long in the lemonade. Mint will get bitter after a bit - so leaving it for a few hours is perfect, overnight is too long.

This version of a mint julep is a lot less boozy than its origin and makes a great party drink. This is a perfect cocktail to make in a pitcher too! You can serve these for your next Derby party or really anytime you need a summer sipping cocktail!

Pink Lemonade Mint Julep

makes one drink

2 ounces mint infused pink lemonade

1 ounce bourbon

mint to garnish

In a cocktail shaker, combine lemonade and bourbon over ice. Shake or stir and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint leaves.

Mint Infused Pink Lemonade

1 cup pink lemonade

6-8 sprigs mint

Rip the mint leaves and add them to the pink lemonade. Let rest in the fridge for at least one hour, but after 6 hours, pull out the mint leaves. They will get bitter otherwise!

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Last year I discovered that it is perfectly acceptable in the south to put pimento cheese on white bread and call it a sandwich! A SANDWICH! Out of the very best cheese + squishy white bread. Who has been keeping this miracle from me?!

I have a girlfriend who makes a version of this regularly for parties. It’s good, but there was something missing. That’s when I found out she doesn’t use mayo in hers. It’s the mayo that makes it a spreadable delight! And I know there will be discussion about the kind of mayo I choose. I cannot be talked out of my Best Foods mayo. I know there are lots of in the Duke’s camp. And they also can’t be swayed. So you use your mayo that you prefer. Just know that the correct mayo is Best Foods.

I also use a hand mixer when I make this. It feels more authentic. The stand mixer is great. But doesn’t it feel like a good southern kitchen would use a hand mixer instead? And I like to be sure that I don’t over mix this. Using the freshly grated cheese can lead to clumping if you aren’t careful. The hand mixer lets you get in all the corners of the bowl. Which does let you mix it a little easier.

If you’re thinking of using pre shredded, shredded cheese, let me advise against it. Preshredded cheese get a little coating of potato starch or other starch to make sure it doesn’t clump in the package. I think the starch does something weird when you try to mix it all together - the cheese just doesn’t blend right.

At the Masters, they serve pimento cheese sandwiches. This is the most epic way you could possibly serve pimento cheese. But it’s also perfectly acceptable to serve with celery, Ritz crackers, salami - whatever else you like on a charcuterie board. But I can’t tell you how good it is on white bread.

Epic Pimento cheese Spread

2 cups freshly shredded cheese

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 ounces pimento

1/2 jalapeño, shredded

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2-4 shakes Tabasco sauce

STEP 1

Grate the cheese yourself. The combine the mayonnaise, cream cheese, and the grated cheese with a hand mixer or a stand mixer.

STEP 2

Grate in the jalapeño and add the pimento. Mix together.

STEP 3

Add the spices and mix one last time. Spread on white bread or eat with Ritz cracker and celery.

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It’s golf season again! I don’t know how many of you are excited, but I’m excited. We live on a golf course so we spend a lot of time watching people golf. In the summer, we head out to the course - but I refuse to golf when it’s raining or cold. If it’s not a sunny day, a lovely walk and a fun outing - then I’m not going.

So I get particularly excited when the sun comes back out and the season starts back up.

Golf season is the perfect time to whip out your best goofy outfits, strong cocktails, and great visors. Do you play? What’s your vice on the course?

Arnold Palmer ‘Tini

2 ounces good lemonade

1 ounce tea vodka

lemon garnish

STEP 1

Pour the vodka and the lemonade in a shaker. Fill with ice and shake.

STEP 2

Strain into two martini glasses and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Tea Vodka

1 cup vodka

1 tea bags

Pop the tea bags into the vodka and let soak until dark brown. In the sun, it takes about 2 hours.

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I started making a scone recipe thinking a scone recipe couldn’t be too hard. I make a great cake, a great muffin and a TON of cookies that are great. So how hard could scones be?? Turns out I was wrong. Scones were harder to crack than I thought. And millions of recipes out there all do something different to make a scone. Doesn’t it seem like a scone is a scone?

Then I started cooking scones. A scone is not a scone. The first few batches tasted good, but boy were they ugly. And they could not replicate easily. So I kept going.

Turns out freezing butter is a big trend in the scone world. Do you know how hard it is to work with frozen butter?? And it does not stay frozen very long once you start working with it. It seemed to me that the idea of baking from cold - with cold butter - was the critical part of keeping things flaky and tender. Frozen, whipped, chilled, room temp, melted; I tried them all.

And then I arrived here! Cold butter is critical and then refrigerating the dough keeps the scones from spreading and losing their shape.

Since strawberries are just coming into season right now, this is the first fruit I tried with them. Over the summer I’m going to work on raspberries, blueberries, etc. and we’ll see if we can make these an ‘every fruit’ scone - which is the goal!

The Very Best Strawberry Scones

makes 8

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup grated butter (very cold)

1/2 cup chopped strawberries

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 egg yolk, beaten

turbinado sugar

STEP 1

Mix together the milk, egg and vanilla and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine together the flour, sugar and baking powder.

STEP 2

Blend the milk mixture into the flour mixture until loosely combined. Remove the bowl from the stand and add the butter. With your hands, fold the butter in by kneading the dough until the flour and butter are completely integrated. Use as few kneads as possible. Don’t overwork the dough!

STEP 3

Toss together the strawberries with the cornstarch. Fold them into the dough with three or four turns. Form into a 10 inch circle on a floured cutting board and pop in the fridge. Let it chill for at least one hour or up to overnight.

STEP 4

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the scones from the fridge and cut into eight triangles. Brush the top of each one with egg yolk and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake 20 minutes until golden brown on the edges. Let cool slightly before serving.

Tell me what you want to see in a scone? Have you had a good one somewhere that we should recreate?

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Cheers to brunch

Toast with an espresso martini! And really kick up the morning.

This year we are going skiing during Easter weekend so Easter cocktails will be mandatory! What could be better than a fun bloody mary just before hitting the slops? The hill we go to has an amazing tradition of costumes while skiing, so I can’t wait to see who comes down the hill as the Easter Bunny!

A regular Bloody Mary is great but I love a good pun so a Bunny Mary seemed hilarious to me. The kids all rolled their eyes. When it’s made with carrot juice - it becomes the perfect Easter cocktail!

Bunny Mary

makes 2

8 ounces carrot juice

4 ounces vodka

2 tablespoons Bloody Mary seasoning

2 tablespoons Bloody Mary mix

garnishes like carrots, bacon, pickled asparagus, pickled beans, celery, and lime wedges

In a small pitcher, stir together the juice, vodka and seasoning until well combined. Sometimes the seasoning sinks to the bottom, so stir to totally integrate! Run a lime wedge around the edge of two glasses and dip them into the Bloody Mary mix. Pour the vodka mixture into the glasses filled with ice. Add your favorite garnish!

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Click here!

How about a traditional Bloody Mary?

Click here!

What about one made with tomatillo?

I cannot believe I didn’t think of this before. It’s so simple. And so delicious! It tastes just like a boat drink, but without the booze. My kids love this one - and depending on your kids - you can you spicy ginger beer or the version that’s a little more sugary. I choose the spicy one because we like the zip of it all!

This would make an amazing pitcher cocktail too! Fill all of the ingredients in a pitcher, pop it on the counter (do not add ice) and let guests pour their own. I highly recommend this for Easter.

Pineapple Ginger Mocktail

serves 4

4 ounces pineapple juice

8 ounces ginger beer

lime wedge garnish

fresh ginger root

Divide the juice and ginger beer across four glasses filled with ice. Top with a garnish of fresh ginger and a squeeze of lime!

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I buy loads of food on vacation. I love finding things that I might not usually cook with - and sometimes things I do - and pick them up somewhere unique. Artichoke hearts in Rome, tomato paste in Venice, salt in Hawaii, and preserved lemons from Palm Springs - but sometimes I’m at a loss for what to do with them once I get home.

Preserved lemons are surprisingly simple to cook with - they go with almost anything but can feel intimidating. This risotto is the perfect introduction to using preserved lemons. And then you can graduate to more complicated recipes later - or not.

Preserved Lemon Risotto

With asparagus and zucchini

Serves 4

1 bunch asparagus, chopped

½ preserved lemon, drained and chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 onion, chopped

¼ cup butter, divided

¼ cup olive oil, divided

2 cup Arborio rice

6 cups room temperature vegetable stock

1 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

STEP 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions zucchini, and asparagus.  Cook 5 minutes until slightly browned and tender.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 2

Add two tablespoons olive oil and rice to the pan - stir until coated with oil.  Pour in one cup of chicken stock and stir until completely incorporated.  When most of the stock has dissolved, add another cup of stock.  Continue until all of the stock has been added.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

STEP 3

Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter, Parmesan cheese, and reserved asparagus and preserved lemons.

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Cucumber Mint Cocktail

The perfect spring cocktail! There’s literally nothing better for your spring cocktail hour.

A few nights a week we decide we aren’t drinking. Not for any big reason, just because we don’t need to/want to/feel like it. But sometimes, it’s nice to have something a little more special than bubbly water. This is that.

I’ve also found it’s kind of nice to go through the process of “mixing a drink,” with the muddling, and the shaking and the straining, this is that.

The flavors are perfect for right now, it’s light and refreshing. The coconut water adds a depth that is so delish. If you don’t have it, you can always muddle the cucumber and mint and just top it with bubbly water - it’s also good, but not AS good.

Coconut Cucumber Mocktail

makes two

12 slices of cucumber

3 sprigs of mint

1 lime

2 cups coconut water

mint, cucumber slices and lime wedges for garnish

STEP 1

Drop the cucumbers and mint into a cocktail shaker. With a muddler or the handle end of a table knife, muddle together the cucumber and mint until it’s completely smashed.

STEP 2

Pour in the coconut water and squeeze half a lime - add ice. Shake well.

STEP 3

Strain into glasses filled with fresh ice. Garnish with cucumbers, limes and a spring of mint.

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