Who else is craving a vacation? Or just to travel somewhere outside of our neighborhood? We’ve booked a trip to Hawaii for as soon as school gets out, which can’t come fast enough but also seems like it’s coming at record speed. Maybe because the kids weren’t in school for so many months?

Regardless we’re ready to travel. We’re starting with a few recipes that let us dream about travel. Let’s all go to Hawaii this week.

Hawaiian Flank Steak  

with Spicy Pineapple Salsa

serves 4

STEP 1

Pour rice, coconut milk, and water into a pot on the stove.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.

STEP 2

Rinse and pat dry flank steak.  In a small bowl, combine together half of the ginger, half of the garlic, coffee, and salt and pepper.  Rub mixture all over steak getting into the crevices on both sides. 

STEP 3

Preheat grill to high heat. Place steak on the grill and cook 6-8 minutes on each side until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees for medium doneness.  Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes.  Slice thinly against the grain.  

STEP 4

In a bowl, mix together pineapple, avocado, mango, and onion.  Toss with remaining ingredients and let rest 10 minutes.

STEP 5

Combine together soy sauce, pineapple juice, and remaining ginger and garlic in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and continue cooking until reduced by half.  Pour glaze over sliced steak.  

Serve with pineapple salsa.

2 pounds flank steak

4 tbs grated ginger

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely ground coffee

1 can pineapple, reserve the juice & chop the pineapple

¼ cup soy sauce

1 avocadoes, sliced into cubes

1 mango, sliced into cubes

½ red onion, thinly sliced

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 jalapeno, seeds removed and thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 can coconut milk

1 ½ cups rice

 How to pull it off

1.     Rub the steak and set it aside.

2.     Make the pineapple salsa.  Let it rest

3.     Grill the steak.

4.     Let the steak rest while you make cocktails

5.     Slice the steak

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I can’t think of another drink that makes you think about a celebration like a margarita. We spend an unusual amount of time drinking or thinking about margaritas especially when we are in Palm Springs - which was quite often before COVID shut down our travel plans.

I used to think they were fairly complicated to make, but I think that’s because store bought margarita mix is so sweet and gross and when you get them at a restaurant, they are delish! I assumed I was doing something wrong until I figured out it was the store bought margarita mix that was all wrong. When we discovered Tommy’s Margarita Mix, our life changed. It made me realize we were over complicating things and I started a deep dive on the margarita.

As with all historied and popular beverages, the origins of the margarita are not definite. I’m so entertained by these stories. Every famous cocktails seems to have one and I can’t help but wonder if there was just a trend starting and the “original margarita” started in multiple places around the same time? If you’re curious what the stories are, they are pretty good.

One stays that the margarita was created in Galveston, Texas in 1948 for the singer Peggy Lee (Peggy being a nickname for Margaret and thus the “margarita”). The bartender created a riff on a current classic - The Daisy - using tequila instead of the gin or brandy it called for and named his “new cocktail” for her. I like this story but there’s no way it’s right. Mostly because there are rumors of the drink as early as 1937.

Here’s what I think. In the 1920’s and early 30’s prohibition was real and really reduced the amount of American booze on the market. Mexico did not have prohibition and continued making tequila through the era, which means it was readily available to bootleggers - especially those in California and Texas.

The Daisy was a popular cocktail - a shaken drink made with brandy or gin mixed with lemon juice and orange cordial. They would shake it over ice and serve it in a martini glass with sugar on the rim. If you were going to replace the gin or brandy with tequila you’d have to make a few adjustments. Tequila was commonly consumed with salt and lime, so switching the lemon for lime and the sugar for salt is a natural swap and suddenly you have a margarita.

The first published record of the margarita was in 1953 in Esquire Magazine. In that, they mix 1 ounce of tequila, a dash of triple sec, and the juice of 1/2 a lime. Then the drink is strained into a coupe glass where the edge has been rubbed with lime and dipped in salt.

In the name of research, I have spent the last few months thinking about margaritas, making margaritas and drinking margaritas. It was all so I could report to you on the best, most authentic way to consume this classic beverage. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

The most authentic margarita is ridiculously simple. Here’s how I make it:

Margarita

makes one drink

1 ounce blanco tequila

1 dash triple sec

juice of 1/2 a lime

lime wedges

coarse sea salt

STEP 1

Rub the ridge of one glass with the lime and dip half of the rim in salt. If you dip the whole thing, you can end up with a mouth full of salt and no one needs bloated fingers tomorrow. Fill the glass with ice and set aside.

STEP 2

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour tequila, triple sec and lime. Shake aggressively for a few seconds. Strain the cocktail into the salted glass. Squeeze a lime wedge over the top and serve.

ALTERNATIVLY

I often will not fill the glass with ice in the beginning, but pour the ice the cocktail was shaken with into my glass. There’s a little melt that happens when you shake and I like to capture all of the flavors. But it’s not traditional, so you do you.

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This almost feels like cheating because I can’t think of a faster dinner than fish tacos. Mostly because you literally can’t cook fish very long. It’s like two minutes on each side. The longest part of this dinner is cracking into the avocado.

Fast Fish Tacos

Serves 4

STEP 1

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, cumin, cayenne, paprika, and garlic.  Rub spice mixture over fish on the side without skin or both sides if the fish is skinless. 

STEP 2

In a large bowl, toss cabbage, radishes, lime zest and juice until well combined.  Set aside.  

STEP 3

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat.  Pour a thin layer of oil in the bottom of the pan to cover the entire bottom.  Lay fish carefully into the pan, skin side up and cook 2 minutes.  Flip fish over and cook another 2-3 minutes until cooked through.  

STEP 4

Lay fish pieces in a warmed tortilla and top with cabbage slaw.  Serve with chopped cilantro, avocado, and sour cream.  

Note: Tilapia is a common fish for fish tacos, but it’s not always the best choice.  If you purchase tilapia, make sure it was raised in the US or Canada.  Other white fish options are easily found – wild caught is best.

1.5 lbs white fish; rock fish, red snapper or halibut

2 tbs chili powder

2 tsp cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

1 clove garlic, grated

1 head cabbage, finely shredded

6 radishes, finely sliced

2 limes, juiced and zested

2 avocado

1 bunch cilantro

½ cup sour cream

2 tbs canola oil

corn tortillas for serving

hot sauce

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Have you ever fried paneer? OMG it’s life changing. Cheese that fries without fully melting but becomes rich and gooey?? It’s the dream. And when you top the hot cheese on this cold salad, it’s an experience.

There are a lot of bits in this salad, but it is WORTH IT. It’s limited chopping, lots of tossing, and can be made WAY ahead and kept in the fridge until dinner time. Then just pop the cheese in a skillet and dig in. I promise if you take this to your kids baseball game in containers, everyone else will be green with envy. And you’ll look so extra.

Marrakesh Salad

Serves 4

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Whisk together cumin, coriander, paprika, lime zest & juice, and honey. Toss chick peas in half of the dressing. Reserve the rest for later.

Roast 15 minutes until crispy

STEP 2

Toss the vegetables and the herbs, then add the remaining dressing and toss again.

STEP 3

Pour roasted chick peas into the salad.

STEP 4

Heat olive oil and red pepper flakes in a skillet.  Add slices of paneer and cook over high heat for 2 minutes (or so) a side until brown and crispy.  Pop on top of the salad.  

1 can chick peas, drained

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp paprika

1 lime, juiced & zested

1 tbs honey

2 carrots, shredded

4 scallions, sliced

1 cup cooked quinoa

½ cup raisins

1 cup dried apricots, diced

¼ cup chopped pistachios

1 cucumber, chopped

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1 tbs fresh mint, chopped

1 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

4 oz paneer

1 tsp olive oil

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

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My girlfriends all play tennis. And before you think I’m exaggerating, I’m not. They ALL PLAY TENNIS. I don’t. I’m the black sheep. I’m the one coming from Crossfit to meet them for drinks after they’ve played tennis. And they all look darling and have cute clothes, and tennis bags, and clever sayings. I’m just sweaty and have red cheeks.

But I love them anyway. I partnered with my friend Jamie to create a cocktail for post tennis gatherings as we kick off the outdoor tennis season in Seattle! This week marks the beginning of playing outside again and hopefully means we can have a few gatherings with friends post match.

Jamie is also making the cutest tennis clothes for you tennis ladies and fellas. She’s just launching now, so if you’re in Seattle you can pick up at RainGlow. If you aren’t in Seattle, follow her site here and get updated when it launches nationally! I’m holding out for a shirt that just says “rally.”

Back to the cocktail; we wanted something light and spring-y but with just a little punch. Since our friend sent us a case of Deep Eddy to test out - including the new lime flavor! - we had to use those when mixing! We came up with an extremely refreshing cocktail that’s almost a spiked lime-ade, but better!

Apres Tennis

makes one drink

1 ounce Deep Eddy Lime

1/2 ounce cointreau

2 lemon wedges

2 lime wedges

Topo Chico

Honeydew melon balls (frozen optional, but delicious!)

In a cocktail shaker, muddle together one lemon wedge and one lime wedge. Add ice, Deep Eddy Lime and cointreau. Shake well. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice and top with Topo Chico. Garnish with remaining lime and lemon wedges and a skewer filled with honeydew melon balls.

Hot tip: if you are going to freeze the balls, skewer them first then freeze!

Cin Cin!

This is the perfect cocktail for any spring/summer activities and cocktail hosting. I love how refreshing and light it is and do not skip the honeydew. Clearly we did it because it was a funny tennis ball allusion, but it is also SO DELICIOUS! It is perfect with the lemon/lime cocktail.

Enjoy!

I love a chop chop salad. It’s the perfect way to eat a lot of delicious food in one single bite - thanks to an inordinate amount of chopping. Think of the chopping as therapeutic and you can make the whole thing pass easily. You can make this early and not dress it until you’re ready to eat - so it’s great for making early.

This is also the perfect thing to serve as we start to be able to entertain friends! You can dish up each person’s serving in individual jars to containers to avoid using the same serving vessel.

Spring Chop Chop Salad

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

If I ever need to perk up my kids I bring out the sprinkles. There is literally nothing that seems to lift spirits like a healthy dose of sprinkles. I keep a jar in the pantry to add to waffles, hot cocoa, and - it turns out quite often - cookies. This snickerdoodle recipe is perfect on it’s own, but rolled in sprinkles seems to take it totally over the top. And that’s my favorite place to be.

SPRINKLE-DOODLES

makes 2 dozen large cookies

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

5 ½ cups flour

 STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together sugar and butter.  Blend in eggs, milk, and vanilla until completely incorporated. 

STEP 2

In a separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.  Working in three batches, add the dry ingredients to the wet incorporating fully after each addition.

STEP 3

Roll two ounce balls of dough and press into sprinkles.  Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown on the edges.

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Spring is a weird time of year for the weather. One day it’s lovely and sunny and the next there’s torrential rain and hail. That weird weather makes it tricky to plan a dinner that’s “seasonal” but also “seasonal.” The joy of soup solves that problem.

Minestrone just means “big soup” and this is totally a big soup. Traditionally, it has what ever vegetables are around plus beans and a pasta of some sort. I always make mine with chicken stock, but there are some who make it only with bean broth. That would add some thickness, but it’s not something I keep in my pantry. If you do, knock yourself out!

This spring version is filled with things that are fresh right now. I think this is the perfect soup for a Friday because it can just use what ever vegetables are left from the week. Enjoy!

Spring Minestrone Soup

Serves 4

STEP 1

Chop all vegetables into basically bite sized pieces and cook in a stock pot with olive oil until a little brown on the edges.  Season with salt.  

STEP 2

Pour in garbanzo beans and stock and bring to a boil.  Season with oregano and basil.  

STEP 3

Add asparagus and pasta to the pot and cook 3 minutes until the pasta is done.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

STEP 4

Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

1 zucchini, about 1 cup chopped

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 leek, whites sliced thin

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 bunch asparagus

2 cups green beans, chopped

2 tbs olive oil

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 can garbanzo beans

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup orzo

2 tbs fresh basil

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper

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Does anyone else have a child obsessed with their bracket right now? Mine is only obsessed with making sure Gonzaga gets to the end because that’s his team to win. Also making sure he beats his friends since they are all competing. He’s hilarious.

When we still had the Sonics in Seattle, I followed a ton of basketball. I haven’t really watched since then, but college ball this year has been a blast! Who are you rooting for? Who’s your team?

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I do love carrot cake.  It's really the only cake that I like to eat.  It's possible that's largely because of the cream cheese frosting.  I love a good cream cheese frosting.  When I think of Easter, carrot cake naturally floats to the top.  But ugg, I don't want to eat cake.  

But I love love love cookies.  Cookies are the best.  I could eat cookies all the time.  So I had an idea - can I turn carrot cake into a cookie?  It makes the ultimate dessert mash-up/solution.  I don't have to eat cake, but I still get the carrot cake + cream cheese frosting.  Well, this one is really icing.  But you get the idea.

Oh, and for the love of pete, grate your own carrot.  It takes one minute and it's so much better than those weird carrot sticks you can buy "pre-grated."  

Carrot Cake Cookies

how to

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and all of the spices.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together sugar and butter until smooth and fluffy.  Add apple sauce, egg, and vanilla.  Beat until incorporated.  Stir in carrot and raisins.  

Scoop batter on to a baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until browned on the edges, but still a little soft in the middle.  I smash down the tops when they come out of the oven so they don't 'bump up.'  Let cool on a cooling rack until completely cooled before icing. 

icing

4 oz cream cheese, melted

2 oz butter, melted

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together cream cheese and butter.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Dip cookies in soft icing.  Let cool.

ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple sauce

1 egg

1/2 cup grated carrot

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup raisins (optional)

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