My birthday party continues! There is no birthday party with out a cocktail. At least at my house. A cocktail makes the whole night sing. My signature birthday cake is a Black Forest Cake and I was dying to figure out how to get those flavors into a cocktail. So I did it.
Happy Summer! Are you celebrating something? You should be, there's lots to celebrate. Celebrate the kids who have graduated from school; celebrate the parents who made it through another school year; celebrate the baseball teams/soccer teams/volleyball teams that had a great season.
You did it!
We made it to another summer.
To celebrate, I leaned into the pineapple trend that everyone is loving and turned it into an edible trend. If pineapples are cute, then eating them has to be freaking adorable. Right? I made a simple little menu with teriyaki chicken burgers that can cook on the grill while everyone sips delicious coconut pineapple cocktails that can be spiked or un-spiked for the younger celebrators.
serves 4
STEP 1
In a microwave safe bowl, combine soy, pineapple juice, ginger, garlic, and sugar. Set aside. If you’re making rice, start it now.
STEP 2
Pour half of the pineapple mixture over the chicken. Let rest 5 minutes, but no longer or the pineapple with begin to ‘cook’ the chicken.
STEP 3
Grill chicken about 3 minutes on each side until cooked through.
STEP 4
Whisk cornstarch in the pineapple mixture and microwave at one-minute increments whisking between each minute. Continue until slightly thick.
STEP 5
Whisk together mayonnaise and sriracha. Spread mixture on one side of the Hawaiian buns.
STEP 6
Layer chicken, pineapple, and lettuce on top of each burger. Serve with rice.
4 chicken breasts, sliced into cutlets
1 can sliced pineapple rings
¼ cup soy sauce
Pineapple juice from the can
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tbs corn starch
8 Hawaiian hamburger buns
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tbs. sriracha
Iceberg lettuce
In a tall glass scoop two to three scoops of coconut sorbet. Top with Pineapple Dry Sparkling until the glass is full. Float 2 oz. of dark rum on top for the adults in the group.
Long weekends are the best. Three whole days to hang out with the kids, barbecue, and not have to pack lunches. I've crammed this post full of shopping, cocktails, and recipes for you to use for your own shin-dig this weekend. Enjoy!
xoxo, ali
It occurred to me this weekend that I actually have no idea how many years Mr. Hedin and I have been going to the Fred Hutch Premier Chef's Dinner. This event is my favorite event of the year (no offense to other events, it's just the best). The evening celebrates local chefs, wineries, and finding a cure for cancer.
Every year a fabulous chef is brought in as the guest speaker, last year it was Alice Waters (whom I adore) and this year we heard from the D A R L I N G and idol worthy Dominique Crenn. She's the gal from the Visa commercial who makes the giant soufflé. She's also the gal who has two Michelin Stars (the first lady to ever receive two stars in the US), best female chef in 2016, and most recently, Best Chef West by the James Beard Foundation just this year. That's all to say, her culinary chops are legit. She's also the cutest thing you've ever seen and a motorcycle jacket just jumped up on my wish list.
image courtesy of Seattle Met
1. The "whoop" that went out as soon as I finished presenting about Two Mountain Winery. My friends are the best.
2. Daisley Gordon's Asparagus Tart (below) which I might have eaten that whole sheet of... the pickled asparagus salad on top was to die for.
3. Dominique Crenn's motorcycle jacket. #goals
4. Braised Short Ribs as big as your hand served on the creamiest polenta I think I've ever had.
5. Raising more money than ever before for the study and research of cancer prevention.
The way the evening works is unique for a charity event - at least in Seattle. If there's an event like this near you I'd love to hear about it!
Chef's throughout the city of Seattle are invited to cook for the meal. Each chef cooks half of the courses so that you and your date are each served something different at each course. The idea being that you switch halfway though and you each get to eat two plates per course. Since there are four courses, that's a lot of food. A lot of amazing food.
image courtesy of Seattle Met
With each course of food, a wine is paired to compliment it. Generally the wines are all local, this year we featured three Washington wines and one from Oregon. I had the privilege of speaking to the meat course wine provided by Two Mountain Winery - one of my favorite wineries in the state.
Elijah DiStephano's Duck Breast
Samuel West's Braised Short Ribs
Two Mountain paired their 2015 Cabernet Franc with a Duck Breast from chef Elijah DiStephano from Thackeray Kitchen & Bar AND a Braised Short Rib cooked by Samuel West from San Fermo. The Cab Franc is literally my favorite wine that Two Mountain makes - it's easy to drink, rich, and bold without overpowering anything, and just delightful.
The wine was grown in the Copeland Vineyard on the Two Mountain property. It's the first vineyard Matt planted in 2000 when they started the winery. It's 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot - a perfect food friendly wine with good acid, tannin and structure. Hints of oak, rose petals, and vanilla lend it to pair really nicely with red meat or dense mushrooms.
Unless you're friends with me, you may not have heard of the winery. It's actually owned and managed by Matt and Pat - brothers who grew up in Seattle and Eastern Washington where they lived on the family orchards and learned the agricultural business. When they lived in Seattle they lived on the same block as Mr. Hedin and their families have been great friends ever since.
In 2000 when we all graduated from college, Matt convinced his uncle to let him plant grapes in part of the orchard. When Uncle Ron died unexpectedly, Matt and Pat took over orchard and - by then - a growing winery business. Between the two of them, the brothers do everything; the wines are estate grown, they are blended by the brothers on the property, and most of the sales calls are handled by them as well. It's truly a family operation.
image courtesy of Seattle Met
image courtesy of Seattle Met
I would love to have you join us next year at this amazing event. It's a foodie's paradise - when else do you get to eat the food of 10 amazing chefs in one night? Here is the landing page for the Chef's Dinner and as soon as the event staff has come up for air from this year, they will begin to update with next year's information. If you really want to be on top of it, send an email to the email address on the page and they will get you on the list so you will be one of the first to know when next year's event happens.
Did I mention it's a fundraiser too? The remarkable people in the room raised more than $1.4 million dollars for cancer prevention. Come be a part of that life changing conversation. If we can prevent cancer, we don't need to cure it.
Hope I see you there next year
xoxo, ali
image courtesy of Seattle Met
image courtesy of Seattle Met
This time of year is like a ladies party extravaganza. If they aren't getting married, they are having babies. And those are both really good reasons to celebrate. You know I'm a big fan of the simple celebration so I've put together a really good spring luncheon that gives you a reason to celebrate with your ladies even if no one is having a baby (reason to celebrate!) or getting married (again?).
I'll be totally honest. I had a salad at a restaurant recently that was and amazing cobb salad and I had this fabulous brainstorm to make a cobb salad using all of the fresh spring ingredients that are popping up in the farmer's markets right now Think asparagus and radishes and tiny potatoes and peas all arranged beautifully on a platter. Then right before I had my photo shoot, another local blogger created E X A C T L Y what I was thinking. Clearly, we eat at the same restaurants.
I was so bummed. Mine was different because it does have eggs and doesn't have beans (which you could add when you do the asparagus!) so it's not the same. But I like to be unique. Do something different. It's a personal goal that often gets busted by the bazillion recipe developers that are out there, but I try.
So I decided I could use the same ingredients (which are A M A Z I N G right now!) and toss them like a chop chop salad. Not only do you get the same delicious flavors but, you also can't screw this up. I know if I made a cute arranged salad I would hear "mine won't look like yours" or "pinterest-fail" and I don't want you to ever feel like a fail. Also, when you toss this thing together the egg yolk "melts" down a little bit with the dressing and creates a really good creamy texture without any actual cream. You could almost call it healthy then.
serves 4
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place raw eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain off hot water and fill pot with ice and cold water to immediately cool the eggs.
STEP 2
Toss potatoes with olive oil and salt. Place on a baking sheet and roast 10 minutes until fork tender.
STEP 3
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice and water and set aside. Quickly lower asparagus into hot water. Cook until just bright green – about 2 minutes. Remove from water and pop into ice bath.
Repeat with the peas.
STEP 4
Mix together 2 tbs bacon drippings, red wine vinegar, dried basil, honey, and Dijon mustard.
STEP 5
Chop all ingredients and toss together with salad dressing.
1 bunch Asparagus
1 cup Fresh peas
6 Radishes
2 cups Artichoke hearts, cooked and sliced
6 Hard boiled eggs
¼ lb Tiny red potatoes – sliced in quarters
2 tbs olive oil
8 strips Bacon
2 tbs Chives
1 head romaine lettuce
DRESSING
2 tbs reserved bacon drippings
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Honey
A few years ago I hosted Easter brunch. It was a small group, my sister, her boyfriend, my husband and our kids. Within that group we don't eat eggs, wheat, dairy, or refined sugars. Since I revel in a challenge, I saw this as a chance to really test what I could make. Mr. Hedin and I have lived on quinoa for months when we first started eating clean. I was still researching what else we could eat and relied on quinoa to fill in the blanks.
I really wanted to serve strawberries and mint and how amazing would that be with quinoa?? Turns out, really delicious. Really really delicious. The trick with it is to make it first because when it rests for about an hour, it's really perfect.
Salmon is a natural choice. When you can't eat eggs, dairy, or wheat you can't make an overnight casserole. Or Eggs Benedict. Or pastries of any kind. That sounds depressing. It's not - salmon is awesome. Also, because it bakes in about 15 minutes, you don't have to plan ahead too far.
Are you eating clean? Health reasons or just to feel better? You don't even have to be eating clean to make this your Easter dinner. I did make my grandmother's rolls for the children - they love them and it just doesn't feel like Easter without them. They are really tempting when they are sitting on the table smelling all good. And yeast-y. And covered in butter.
click to go to the recipes
Lucky you! I started making shirts for my kids years ago before Target was flooded with a t-shirt for every holiday. It's become a bit of a tradition. Mainly just for Valentine's and St. Patricks at this point, but that doesn't mean I won't take full advantage of some silly reason to make custom t-shirts for the the gang.
Mostly I make them because I luurrvvee when we match. It's my favorite! When we can all line up and wear the same shirt - it's so stinking cute! It's like a Hanna Anderson ad, but for t-shirts. Since Target has yet to see my vision, I make them myself.
The most challenging part of these is cutting out the template. I use freezer paper for the template because it cuts out really easily and you can iron it on to the shirt so it sticks and forms a perfect template. You can use sticker paper or stencil paper too - freezer paper is a cheap and easy option!
May these shirts bring you and your little leprechauns much luck!
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
STEP 2
In a deep pan, mix together popcorn, pretzels, and goldfish crackers.
STEP 3
Combine butter, spices, and hot sauce (to taste - spice it up!) and pour over the popcorn mixture. Toss to coat.
STEP 4
Bake 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container up to one week.
4 cups popcorn
3 cups pretzels
2 cups goldfish crackers
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
salt & pepper
hot sauce
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a deep pan mix together popcorn, pretzels and 1 cup of the marshmallows.
STEP 2
Mix together butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Pour over the popcorn mixture and mix to coat.
STEP 3
Bake 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with remaining marshmallow, whoppers, and chocolate chips. Let cool. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container up to one week
4 cups popcorn
2 cups pretzels
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup whoppers
SHOP THE PARTY
Before I had children I hosted a Chinese New Year dinner every year! I loved it. It's a great excuse for a party and not one that most people in Seattle seem to think of. Or we remember the day of because the kids come home from their assembly super excited about dragons and envelops with coins inside.
I don't entirely know why I stopped. Probably being overwhelmed by three kids did it. But I'm determined to bring it back. Even if it's just for the five of us - I will bring it back. If you are more ambitious (or if I get more ambitious?) host a few friends and enjoy.
This dinner is one of the simplest dinners you can make - and it's so good. Like addictive good. If you need to scale the recipe, download Weeknight Society and you can adjust to as many as 12 servings within the app.
serves 4
STEP 1
Cook chicken with garlic and onion until chicken is browned.
STEP 2
Mix hoisin, soy, vinegar, honey, ginger, chili oil, and stock in a bowl.
STEP 3
Add chestnuts, scallions, zucchini, and bell pepper to the pan then pour over the sauce.
STEP 4
Cook until veggies are softened.
STEP 5
Serve on butter lettuce
2 lb ground chicken
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
¼ cup hoisin
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs grated ginger
2 tbs honey
1 tbs chili oil
¼ cup chicken stock
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 head butter lettuce
Shop the gear
In the event you forgot to get a dinner reservation for Valentine's Day - or if you're like me - you don't want to waste a perfectly good evening out on a prix fix menu and overly crowded restaurants. - let's eat in!
I have become a master of the "indoor steak" technique over the last few years for a number of reasons, but mostly because it is so freaking easy! SO EASY! It's how restaurants do their steaks - there aren't grills in most restaurants - so they skillet sear and broil them too. It keeps in the moisture (worst word ever) and creates the deliciously crispy crust on the outside.
The video will show you how easy it is to cook steak in the oven + a bonus cocktail and a side dish you can make in minutes. (Also, my cute husband is at the end)
serves 4
4 NY Strip steaks
4 tbs crushed peppercorns
2 tbs butter
2 shallot, chopped
½ cup cognac
½ cup beef stock
3 large russet potatoes, sliced in rounds
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp flake salt
STEP 1
Preheat the broiler to 500 degrees. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until the pan is smoking hot. Pat the steaks dry and push each one into the peppercorns.
STEP 2
Pop the steaks on the hot skillet. Sear 3 minutes each side until browned.
STEP 3
Toss potatoes in olive oil and salt. Spread out on a baking sheet and pop in the lowest rack in the oven for 5 minutes. Check and flip as needed to brown them but not burn them.
STEP 4
Top each steak with ½ tbs butter and pop the pan into the oven. Cook 5-8 minutes until meat thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove from the oven and let rest covered on a plate with foil for 5 minutes.
STEP 5
Place pan on a high burner and pour in shallots – cook quickly. Add cognac & stock and whisk. Season with salt. Cook to reduce by 1/2. Plate steaks and top with sauce.
NOTES
- Traditionally this is cooked with heavy cream. That didn’t seem needed with this gorgeous steak but if you want to add ½ cup cream with the sherry, it’s delicious.
I don't think you need me to tell you how to make it romantic at home. But I will remind you that music helps. A lot. Have music.
