The first time I made this cake it was a huge gamble. We were having guests for dinner and this was my only dessert. I had nothing else planned in the event that this was terrible. I had a guess that it would be good because it’s a version of a cake I really do love. But putting rhubarb into a cake is risky. It can be extremely sour when not prepared properly.

After thinking through the process completely I decided to use more sugar than seemed reasonable to counter the sour of the rhubarb and bring out its delicious flavor.

I don’t think I would have even considered rhubarb in this cake until we were in Sweden this past summer. Rhubarb was in full effect in EVERYTHING and I could not get enough. In Seattle, rhubarb is a spring flavor but it turns out in Sweden it’s a summer flavor. For this cake, frozen is mandatory which makes it an any season cake! I usually have frozen rhubarb from our garden or my mother-in-laws garden but you can always but it at the Whole Foods.

Rhubarb Snack Cake

makes one 9” cake

1 cup frozen rhubarb

1 1/2 cup sugar (divided)

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

STEP 1

In a small bowl combine the rhubarb and 1/2 cup of the sugar and set aside. Mix to combine and let rest until the rhubarb is defrosted and a syrup has formed around the rhubarb. Smush it a bit with a fork to mash the fruit a little.

STEP 2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9” pan and line with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and remaining one cup of sugar. Cream together until a paste forms. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine.

STEP 3

Mix flour and baking soda together in a separate bowl.

Drain the liquid off the rhubarb. It should be about 1/2 cup.

STEP 4

Alternate flour, rhubarb syrup, and flour mixing into the stand mixer and combine. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the rhubarb gently.

Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before serving.

OPTIONAL

I like to add a glaze to the top. I realize there’s already an excessive amount of sugar in this small cake, but I figure what’s a little more? Mix together 1/3 cup powdered sugar and one to two teaspoons cold water. Pour over the cooled cake.

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Rhubarb Soda

Turning things into cocktails is a special skill of mine. Here’s a rhubarb cocktail in case you can’t get enough rhubarb.

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I think this is the potato salad to end all potato salads. It’s herby and tangy and filled with bacon. I literally can’t think of anything better.

I’m not a huge fan of a mayo based potato salad. There are some that are good- but it’s usually made with so much mayo and egg that the potato is almost an afterthought. This one is extremely potato forward - so use your good potatoes. It sounds silly, but it actually makes a difference if you use a good quality potato. If you can get them straight out of the ground, you will be blown away by how good it is.

Roasted Potato Salad

2 pounds small potatoes

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped basil

2 tablespoons chopped oregano

2 tablespoons chopped thyme

2 tablespoons chopped chives

4 strips cooked bacon, chopped

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Chop the potatoes into quarters, or smaller to make them bite sized

STEP 2

In a jar with a lid, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and all herbs. Shake until well combined. If I don’t have a jar on hand, I’ll mix the dressing in the bottom of the serving bowl - then throw the potatoes on top and toss them all together.

STEP 3

Let the potatoes cool slightly then toss with dressing and potatoes. Let sit at least an hour in the fridge before serving.

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Oven Baked Ribs

This is the perfect main dish next to your new favorite potato salad.

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When we were in Copenhagen, Jud tried to order a soda, but we were at a very swanky restaurant - and, as I’m sure you know, swanky restaurants don’t have “soda.” Luckily the waiter recognized that a 12 year old boy was just looking for something more fun than water. So he suggested their “rhubarb soda” that they make sometimes. Jud was in - he loves rhubarb. And I turns out I loved this soda. We all did. As soon as we got home I figured out how to make it ourselves!

It’s fabulous without gin (that’s what inspired it) but even better with a good gin. I’ve had so many people tell me how much they hate gin when I tell them that’s what I drink. I’ve realized it’s because there is SO MUCH gin out there.

Here are my picks and my advice on drinking gin:

• Don’t start with an exotic flavor profile, choose a gin you’ve heard of before.

• Read labels and know what the herbs and flavorings in the gin are. If you don’t like black licorice, don’t get one with anise. If you like things that taste floral, look for gins infused with florals.

• The top three most popular are Tanqueray, Hendricks, and Sapphire. Tanqueray is the most evenly balanced with a little anise; Hendricks leans toward cucumber and floral flavors; while Sapphire is very herbal. Tanqueray is my personal favorite, but Hendricks is a popular starting place.

• The first time you try gin, mix it with tonic water or soda. A martini is not the place to start if you aren’t sure you like gin.

Spiked Rhubarb Soda

1 tablespoon Rhubarb Syrup

2 ounces gin (Hendricks or something floral)

4 ounces soda water

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake together Rhubarb Syrup and gin. Pour all of the ingredients (including the ice) into a highball glass. Top with soda water.

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At the beach we eat a ridiculous amount of Drumsticks. We even started buying the little ones so we can feel less guilty when we eat them daily. It was only a matter of time until I turned them into a cookie for the summer. These are a simple summer recipe - the only added step is the topping, but I think we can all agree the topping is the best part of the Drumstick!

We finally get to go back to the beach this week - but only for a few days. This time in life - raising teenagers - means our summer is a lot of driving kids around or being on hand for their friends to come over. I’m embracing it. At some point they won’t need me and I’ll be at the beach all the time. And eating way too many Drumsticks.

Drumstick Cookies

makes about 2 1/2 dozen

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

12 ounces white chocolate chips

6 ice cream cones, crushed

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup peanuts, chopped

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy. Do not rush it.

STEP 2

Blend in dry ingredients until it’s nearly combined.

STEP 3

Pour in white chocolate chips and cone bits and combine completely. Scoop batter onto a baking sheet and bake in the hot oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden on the edges. Let cool.

STEP 4

Melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil. I use the microwave on 30 second intervals. Dip each cooled cookie and sprinkle the top with the the chopped peanuts.

Serve warm OR add vanilla ice cream to the center and make an ice cream sandwich!

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Last summer one of my good friends - who also loves a good cocktail - declared this the “drink of summer!” He was sure it would take off and take over the traditional spritz. It didn’t. We can all attest that we all love the Aperol Spritz and I don’t see it getting knocked off it’s pedestal anytime soon.

But who doesn’t like to try?!? This is delightful! If you aren’t a fan of the bitter flavor of the Aperol Spritz, then I highly recommend this. The St. Germaine is much more sweet than Aperol so it’s a different flavor profile than the regular spritz.

Hugo Spritz

3 parts Prosecco

2 parts St. Germaine

1 part soda water

In a wine glass filled with ice, pour in St. Germain. Top with Prosecco and soda water. Swirl gently to mix. Serve immediately!

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I will tell you that I think salad and mayonaisse are contrasting ideas. A “salad” should not include mayo in its ingredients! It’s not even a little healthy with it - and the concept of a salad (to me) is healthy. So I have protested a mac salad repeatedly for years. But every summer we host a luau at our beach house and you cannot serve Hawaiian plate lunch without mac salad! So we started researching and came up with a version that is just like you might get on a plate lunch, but with way less mayo. If you love a traditional mac salad, then take a minute before judging this one. It’s not traditional. It’s a noodle salad for the rest of us!

Mac salad is always served on a Hawaiian plate lunch. Plate lunch is my favorite thing ever. I usually get teriyaki chicken or chicken katsu - and a little mac salad on the side is actually quite delicious. This version is delightful with a plate lunch without being gloopy. I think you’ll like it no matter what your traditional mac salad preference is!

Mac Salad (for people who don’t like Mac Salad)

serves 4

1 cup macaroni noodles

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup shredded carrot

2 green onions, chopped

salt & pepper

STEP 1

Boil the noodles and drain when they are cooked. Immediately toss with apple cider vinegar and set aside.

STEP 2

In the bottom of a mixing bowl, combine mayo, milk and sugar. Add the noodles, carrot and green onion. Toss to coat with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

STEP 3

REFRIGERATE! It must sit for at least one hour. Otherwise it’s not good and we’re going for surprisingly good.

*Note - I use almond milk instead of regular milk and no one has ever noticed the difference. We’ve also used vegan mayo in the past to avoid eggs. Any of those substitutions work just fine.

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Have you grilled your peaches yet?? You are going to love it if you haven’t - the grill caramelizes the sugars in the peach and it’s so good. This dinner is so simple because it relies on good ingredients and it takes almost no time.

It’s ridiculous to learn that if you have good ingredients, then you don’t need a lot of ingredients. I read an article by Ruth Reichl recently where she talked about the joy of discovering what good fresh ingredients taste like. She grew up in a non-foodie household where the joys of canned foods of the 1950’s reigned in her house. As she left home and explored the world, she uncovered the delights of French cheeses, Italian wines, Swiss chocolate, and everything else the world has to offer. But the central theme of her essay was when she discovered Americans making high quality products that rivaled or beat the imported versions.

I grew up in a ‘quality ingredient’ household but got to eat at friends houses where Tuna Casseroles and Chicken Ala King were on the table. I was so jealous. I worked to make some of those comfort recipes when I first started cooking on my own. As I got better, and ate more, I realized that the fewer ingredients, the easier it was and the better it tasted. And the quality of the ingredients is critical when you’re using fewer.

This dinner requires the best ingredients you can find. Good organic peaches - find them at a farm stand - local zucchini - find a friend that grows it - and very good chicken. I like to get the herbs at Market Spice because they are the best. The ones I used making this dish came directly from France when a friend brought them home for me from their trip.

Herbs de Provence Chicken

Serves 4

1 large split fryer, breasts, thighs, and drumsticks

¼ cup herbs de Provence

¼ cup olive oil

4 peaches, sliced in half

4 zucchini, sliced in half

2 tbs parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

STEP 1

Sprinkle Herbs de Provence and salt over the chicken pieces.  Rub in to coat completely. 

STEP 2

Grill chicken, peaches, and zucchini together in a grill pan or on the barbecue – brush with a few tablespoons of olive oil so it doesn’t stick.  If the chicken pieces are thick, start them first and grill the peaches and zucchini at the end for 5 minutes each. 

*Cook the chicken until a thermometer reads 160 degrees.

STEP 3

Sprinkle parmesan and salt & pepper over hot zucchini.  Serve everything together.

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The classic spritz online is THREE parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part soda water. But it doesn’t taste like the spritz I had in Venice last year. So I messed around with the proportions and decided that just a little less Prosecco makes for the proper cocktail. Obviously, you can add more bubbles if you’d like, but I like it just like this - a little more bitter!

A spritz is the perfect day drinking/afternoon cocktail. It’s light on booze - Aperol and Prosecco are both light alcohol options so you can have one (or two) and still function for the rest of the afternoon. It’s a classic option when you’re sitting at a cafe in Venice on a warm summer day. The secret to a good spritz is to not waste expensive champagne on it! I like La Marca, which is a reasonably priced Prosecco that tastes great in a cocktail like this.

Ali’s Classic Spritz

2 parts Prosecco

2 parts Aperol

1 part soda water

Fill a glass with ice. Pour in two parts Aperol (I use two ounces) then add equal parts Prosecco. Top with soda water and add a straw. Cin cin!

The perfect spritz in Venice with the love of my life.

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School is out! Summer is here! It’s the best time of year at our house because there are no schedules, no definite plans, and no responsibilities. My kids used to do swim team so we were home all summer - at least Monday through Thursday - and we could only go to the beach on the weekends. Now that the kids are older and out of summer scheduled events, we can be at the beach and live our best summer life for all three months.

I’m always on the hunt for the best things to make my summer the best summer ever - these are my new favorite things.

Cordless Outdoor Lamps :: Stripe Bag :: Supergoop Sunscreen :: Oyster Cast Iron Grill :: Yeti Ice Bucket :: Tower 28 Lip Gloss :: Pink Stripe Umbrella :: Wood Handled Clippers :: Super Cool Blue Weber Grill :: Business & Pleasure Beach Blanket

How & why I’m using it all

• The cordless outdoor lights are perfect for eating outside. As soon as it starts to get dark, parties tend to break up. But if the lights are still going - then the party is still going!

• A pink stripe umbrella is just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen! It comes in several colors to match your outdoor space - and take it up a notch.

• Wood handled clippers just look like they’re so much nicer than my plastic coated handled ones. And I clip A LOT of flowers.

• Do not go outside without sunscreen. So use a good one.

• I live in this lip gloss. It’s the perfect shade of red and it looks shiny and fresh which is what I’m going for in the summer.

• All of everything fits into this cute bag. My general routine is to put all of the random bits that I need for the day in a big bag like this, then drop my cute purse on top!

• I am working on some wood burning grilling this summer - a Weber is the perfect way to make that happen! I cannot wait until I can share what I have up my sleeve on the grill.

• Baseball games are so much more fun when you can roll out a blanket and sit on the grass to watch it. This is such a cute way to do that - and I love when blankets have handles too.

• In the summer, we bake or grill our oysters at the beach. The whole “months without an ‘r’” thing makes me nervous. Fill the oysters with an herb-y butter and pop them on the grill in this pan and they will bubble up and be EPIC.

• Summer in the PNW is generally not hot, but it’s getting warmer and keeping drinks cooler is mandatory.

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Greek flavors are some of my favorite flavors. This burger is all of those flavors - literally ALL OF THEM - crammed into one burger and it is epic.

We have a food truck that comes once a week to our neighborhood - and my favorite one (ok, one of my favorite ones) is the gyro truck. I see on the schedule that he’s coming, and I make sure we preorder so I know we will get our gyro fix. You can ask for extra tzatziki - and I obviously do that - but when you make your own burger versions, you can add as much as you want. You can even dip the burger into the tzatziki for extra sauciness. I for sure make that choice.

I cannot recommend it enough.

I like to make these patties ahead and leave them raw in the fridge. Then right before it’s time to eat, I pop them on the grill. I’m also home during the day, which does create a little more time for me to prep that’s not always available to everyone. So divide the jobs up! One person makes the tzatziki, one person makes the patties, another gets all of the toppings pulled together! It comes together pretty quick when you have (make) everyone help you!

Greek Burger

Serves 4

1.5lb ground chicken

½ cup chopped fresh spinach

½ cup feta cheese

1 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 cucumber, ½ cucumber grated & ½ sliced

1 cup greek yogurt

juice of ½ lemon

1 clove grated garlic

1 beefsteak tomato, sliced

4 brioche buns

1 cup greek olives

STEP 1

In a large bowl, mix together chicken, spinach, ¼ cup feta, dried oregano. (5 mins)

STEP 2

Form into four patties.

STEP 3

Combine yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice and 1 clove of grated garlic.  Let rest. (5 mins)

STEP 4

Cook patties over medium heat 10-15 minutes until done all the way through.  (15 mins)

STEP 5

Serve hot patties on a hamburger bun topped with tzatziki sauce, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumber, reserved feta, and Kalamata olives. 

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