This year I wanted to host a Galentine's Day for my best gal pals.  Unfortunately, we're dealing with one who is just coming out of the ER, two that have been sick, and two that can't stop traveling for work.  It looks like it's turning into a post-Valentine celebration. 

No matter when we get together, these fizzy watermelon cocktails will go down easy.

WATERMELON FIZZ

serves 4

In a blender, combine watermelon and vodka.  Puree until totally smooth.  Divide equally into four martini glasses and top with DRY Sparkling Watermelon!  Garnish with a heart shape of watermelon skewered with rosemary.

1 cup cubed watermelon

4 ounces vodka

DRY Sparkling Watermelon

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These puffs are a perfect brunch, lunch, dinner or - if made a little smaller - appetizer!  They are so easy and so good.  The puff pastry is the secret.  It does the heavy lifting making these puffs flaky and - well - puffy.  

I brought these to my girlfriend this week for a family dinner.  They're great for delivering to someone because they are just as good at room temperature as they are warm.  Which means... you can make these earlier in the afternoon and have them for dinner!  Even take them with you to soccer practice or a basketball game!  

HAM & CHEESE PUFFS

serves 4

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350.  Roll out puff pastry and cut each sheet into 4 pieces

STEP 2

Divide ham and cheese on top of the pastry. 

STEP 3

Beat the egg yolk and milk together and brush the edges of the pastry with the egg yolk mixture.

STEP 4

Bring up the pastry corners and pinch them together.  Pinch down the sides where the egg wash is painted on. 

STEP 5

Brush the tops of the pastry with beaten egg yolk.  Bake 10 mins until cheese is bubbly

STEP 6

In a jar or a small bowl combine mustard, honey, olive oil, vinegar, and parsley.  Shake vigorously. 

½ lb ham, cut into cubes

8 oz gruyere cheese, cut into cubes

2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted

1 egg yolk, beaten

2 tbs milk

4 cups mixed greens

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

½ cup olive oil

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Parker Palm Springs via SugarBuzz

Perhaps the most significant spot in the house is the bar.  I know the kitchen is the heart of the home and blah, blah, blah.  But I guarantee that the minute guests come over they are going to pop over to the bar and grab a drink.  Which means, this is the most significant part of the house.

When we first started designing the house with the architect we mentioned that we wanted a bar of some sort.  Originally, we looked at a space near the kitchen.  We just wanted a second sink and a little fridge near some cabinets for booze and glassware (I have a growing collection of vintage barware that needs to be seen!)

The architect came back to us with a different idea - way far away from the kitchen - and it's brilliant.  The new plan is to have a bar built in near the fireplace.  Perfect for cocktails before dinner - cocktails after dinner  - or cocktails instead of dinner.

I want this little nook to be cool and different from the kitchen and living room.  Both of those spaces will be super basic and this seems like it's screaming for something a little bit "more."  The minute I saw the bench that Sarah Sherman Samuel and Emily Farnham installed in Mandy Moore's house I was obsessed and started stalking down terrazzo designs.  

I adore terrazzo and we know we can't afford total terrazzo floors, but I can probably afford a small terrazzo countertop!  Can you believe how cool this bench is?  Wouldn't it be the best countertop?  Stay tuned because I have to convince Mr. Hedin that it's a great idea...

Because this is a small space, I clearly won't get the entire collection of bar ware loaded into here.  But I want to be able to display some of the goods - probably seasonally?  And I want to not see the booze all the time.  This will be in the middle of the living room and I don't want to look like a total alcoholic.  I've sketched up an idea for an upper level cabinet that will hide the bottles and leave some display space above.  I'm not sure what I think about it.  I still need to have the standard bar ware over here - the glasses we use regularly - and I'm not sure where those live just yet.  

Oh the drama.  Don't I wish all of my life decisions were as hard as "where do I store glasses in the bar."   Let me know what you think!  What would you do?

xoxo, ali

Shop my bar inspiration 

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I think a punch is the coolest.  I love pouring big buckets of booze into a cute punch bowl and serving it up.  I also love that it's a one and done kind of thing.  Make a big batch and you won't have to deal with it again for a while.  What better time to not be tethered to the bar than Super Bowl?  

I made this one 'not too strong' so you can continue  to have cocktails for the four hours of football without being totally on your lips by the award ceremony.  If you want to pop it up a notch, add a little vodka!

FOOTBALL PUNCH

STEP 1

Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl and stir

STEP 2

Serve in chilled glasses

2 quarts light beer

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate

46 ounces pineapple juice

1/2 cup cointreau

Shop this punch

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I was with a friend of mine talking about the Super Bowl party last month and she said "You have to have bacon at the party."  As soon as she said it, I said "What about bacon brownies?" You would not believe the look of disgust on her face.  

But I could imagine it.  Salty, sweet, creamy, rich, perfect.  A caramel topping with extra bacon on top seemed like the perfect way to finish it off.  Can you imagine a better dessert?  Especially for a big group?  

Bacon Brownies

makes 12

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare the brownies according to package instructions.  Crumbled three strips of bacon into the batter.

STEP 2

In a saucepan, melt butter.  When butter is melted add brown sugar and 2 tbs heavy cream.  Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.  

STEP 3

Let the brown sugar mixture bubble for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.  Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Let rest 30 minutes.

STEP 4

Remove the brownies from then oven when they are done and let cool.

STEP 5

Add the whisk attachment to the stand mixer and blend in powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.  You may not need all of the sugar.  If it's too thick, add a tablespoon of heavy cream.

STEP 6

Spread frosting over cooled brownies and crumble remaining bacon on top.

1 box brownie mix

6 strips cooked bacon

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons heavy cream

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

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Over on Weeknight Society, I regularly post a recipe so I can share what I'm cooking on the app with people who can't download the app (Android).  When I'm finally willing to pop for the Android build (it's almost $20,000!) I may not post as often, but I like to be able to offer all of the people my recipes.  

This week I'm going on Q13 FOX News with my fun ideas for a fabulous Super Bowl party.  This salad is the centerpiece of the party - well, the chicken strips on top are the centerpiece.  The lettuce is like the greenery around the roses.  It also makes this feel a lot healthier than a big pile of chicken wings (which are my very favorite thing in the whole world).  I also baked these chicken strips adding another level of healthiness that traditional wings just don't have.  There is a bit of butter on these chicken strips so they aren't "health food" by any means.  Just slightly better than the greasy fried version at the bar.

Speaking of the greasy fried wings, where are your favorite wings?  I'm on a mission to eat them everywhere. Currently, our neighborhood dive bar has my favorite.  They serve them naked, but with a side of Franks for dipping + the blue cheese.  I'm getting hungry writing this, so I probably can't tell you about the ones I had last month that were rolled in a blue cheese dust before frying.  They were awesome.  A hint of blue cheese flavor without even dipping them.

BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD

Seves 4

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 375

Toss all tenders in milk then bread in panko.  Bake 20 minutes until cooked through. (30 mins)

STEP 2

Combine dressing ingredients and set aside. 

STEP 3

Remove tenders from the oven.  Melt together franks and butter in a small sauce pan.  Dip each tender through the hot sauce. 

STEP 4

Toss lettuce, celery, tomatoes and dressing.  Top with blue cheese crumbles, buffalo chicken, and dressing.

1 lb chicken tenders

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup milk

1 cup franks wing sauce

¼ cup butter

1 head butter lettuce

4 stalks celery, sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2  cup blue cheese crumbles

1 cup blue cheese

1 cup greek yogurt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 clove grated garlic

salt and pepper

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So the dream for the living room is to be an open and inviting room that we can all hang out in - and is open enough for other people to feel invited in.  The current living room is pretty un-inviting.  You have to walk around a goofy little wall to get into the room and it becomes a weird stopping point where we end up hanging in the hallway instead of the actually spacious and inviting room.

The living room off of the main entrance at the Parker Palm Springs has been a big influence on how we want the space to feel.  The cozy, comfortable room centered around a statement fireplace is what we are going for. 

The living room as it is is the perfect size.  It's big.  I can re-arrange the furniture about a zillion ways unless - of course - you try to arrange around the fireplace.  When we first moved in, I loved the fireplace and the statement it made about the era of the house. 

In talking to the architect, keeping this giant and awkward fireplace intact requires rebuilding the thing.  Why would I want to rebuild something that has been a bit of a headache?  So instead, we're ripping it out.  This will let us have our cool Parker Palm Springs type fireplace instead.

The other issue with the living room is the lack of ability to get to our backyard.  Those large windows could be doors.  Wouldn't that be great?  Big doors so we can go in and out easily.  In Seattle there are definitely seasons when that would not be the best idea, but the whole summer would be lovely to have the doors open and the dog able to run in and out. 

Here are the priorities:

1. Get rid of the old fireplace and replace with something cooler.

2. Open up the back windows and turn them into doors.

3. Make it more inviting to the front of the house.
 

Here's the plan. 

1. Remove the fireplace and it opens up to the back room of the house creating a perfect passage into a new den?  Also, a bar can go there now.

2. Sliding doors! Big giant sliding doors!

3. Remove the ridiculous pony wall and replace it with a floating closet/wardrobe deal.
 

I'm dreaming of a super cozy space where we can kick back with a cocktail and our friends.  One tiny detail we haven't dealt with yet is where a television goes.  Our architect isn't really the "design around a TV kind of guy" but the reality of needing to watch the Super Bowl or - more importantly - the Oscars is really real. 

What do you think?
 

xoxo, ali

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My kids start school at 8am.  I am not a morning person.  Those two facts mean that I struggle to eat a decent breakfast.  And breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  I love eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, fruit, waffles, pancakes.  All of it.  I love all of it.  

A few years ago I started making granola once a week.  With the realization that I wasn't regularly eating breakfast (although I should!) I started making "to go" breakfasts with the granola.  I pop it in a jar, add some dried fruit, and pack a separate jar of coconut milk to pour over the top when I get to the office.  It's actually really delicious.  

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

makes 5 cups

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, honey and vanilla until combined.  

STEP 2

Add remaining ingredients and mix until coated.  Pour out oats on to a lined baking sheet and pop into the oven.  

STEP 3

Bake in the oven 20 minutes, stirring at least once.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Break into pieces and store in an air tight container for one week.  If you need to keep it longer, pop it into the refrigerator.  

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup pecans

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup shredded coconut

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My trick I've found for eating healthy is to plan ahead.  If I don't plan what I'm going to take for lunch ahead of time, I end up eating whatever random thing I find in the fridge and/or a CLIF bar. It's not pretty.  I also end up starving at 4pm and I eat a ton of food right before dinner.  And then, I clearly eat all of the dinner.  

So I've started packing lunches ahead of time.  This is one of my classics that I make ahead and keep in the fridge.  It's really simple to make ahead - the trick is to put a layer of salsa and tomatoes between the quinoa and the lettuce.  It keeps the lettuce from getting soggy.  

SOUTHWEST QUINOA LUNCH

makes 3 lunches

STEP 1

In a bowl mix together cooked quinoa, black beans, spices, and hot sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 2

Divide quinoa into three separate jars.  Divide out all remaining ingredients across the three jars.  Seal and pop in the fridge.

STEP 3

You can eat these out of the jar - or put them on a plate and feel slightly more civilized.  

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 can black beans, drained

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

3 cups lettuce

Welcome Q13 viewers!  I'm so glad you're here.  Click on the below images to see what was on air today and come back every day for more recipes, cocktails, and decorating ideas.  I can't wait to get to know you.

I'm so glad you joined me on television this morning.  Follow along the blog for new recipes, cocktails, and more daily!  Next week I'll pull together a really simple Super Bowl party!  

xoxo, ali