I never saw the allure of fat asparagus. The skinny ones seemed much more fancy, the fat ones seemed too meaty. Then I got to have dinner with Alice Waters - yes, that Alice Waters - and she was going on about how much she loves fat asparagus. So it seemed worth a shot.

You guys, we have been missing out. Fat asparagus is where it’s at! And what’s amazing is that it is as meaty and tender as you’d hope. It works brilliantly as a meat substitute in these tacos. I’ve had it in tamales as well - amazing! It ‘s totally worth trying the giant ones.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, then you know the good ones are coming in from eastern Washington right now. Scoop them up while you can! You won’t regret it.

Fat Asparagus Tacos

Serves 4

1 bunch really fat asparagus

3 avocados

1 tomato, chopped

¼ cup queso fresco, crumbled

1 can black beans or 2 cups beans, soaked

1 white onion sliced thin

1 bell pepper, sliced thin

8 tortillas

2 tbs cumin

¼ cup chili powder

salt

pepper

2 clove garlic, crushed

¼ cup pepitas

1 jalapeno

2 lime, juiced

½ cup greek yogurt

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss asparagus, bell pepper, and onions with 1 tbs cumin, 2 tbs chili powder, salt & pepper, garlic, and lemon juice.  Roast in the oven until tender.

STEP 2

In a blender, combine 1 avocado, 1 jalapeno, 1 clove garlic, the juice of 1 lime, and ½ cup greek yogurt.  Blend until smooth.  If it gets stuck, add 2 tbs milk. 

STEP 3

In a sauce pan, heat up the beans and add 1 tbs cumin and the remaining chili powder.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.

STEP 4

Scoop vegetables onto warm tortillas.  Top with beans, queso, pepitas, chopped tomatoes, and spicy avocado cream

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Taco night is everyone’s favorite night. Every once in a while I change it up and do something a little different. I like these because we are trying our best (as adults) to be low carb. Eliminating the tortillas is one tiny step towards being a little healthier. Or at least feeling a little less bloated.

The other hot tip for a dinner like this is to make two of the flank steaks. Steak number 2 doesn’t get sliced right away. Wrap it in foil then pop it in the fridge. TOMORROW night you can have a steak salad that takes a few minutes to make - or my steak sandwiches (link here) so you can take them to the baseball game, volleyball game, or whatever other sports your kids are dragging you to.

Fajita Lettuce Cups

1 pound flank steak

1 large onion, sliced (about 1 ½ cups)

1 large red bell pepper, sliced

1 large green bell pepper, sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

½ cup chili powder

¼ cup cumin

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon oregano

1 head butter lettuce

8 oz queso fresco

1 avocado

1 bunch cilantro

1 lime, cut into wedges

salsa

salt and pepper

olive oil

STEP 1

Preheat broiler to 500 degrees. 

In a small bowl combine 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, red chili flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper with two tablespoons olive oil.  Rub both sides of the steak place on a broiler pan or on a cooling rack set inside of a rimmed cookie sheet. 

STEP 2

Pop the steak in the oven and watch it carefully.  Cook 5 minutes on one side then flip it over.  Cook an additional 5-8 minutes depending on how thick your steak is.  Cook until internal temperature reads 135 degrees on a meat thermometer.  Cover with foil and let rest.

STEP 3

In a large skillet heat two tablespoons olive oil and add remaining chili powder, cumin, garlic and oregano.  When the pan is sizzling hot, add bell pepper and onion and cook quickly turning the entire time to coat with spices.  After about five minutes – or until the pepper and onions are soft - remove from heat. 

STEP 4

Slice steak and serve with butter lettuce cups, queso fresco, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges and salsa or hot sauce.

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Daiquiris are now all frilly and sweet.

But the original is much more of a treat.

Invented in Cuba in 1898 when an American throwing a party ran out of gin.

Cuban rum was swapped into the punch and made it a win!

The drink turned up at the Army Navy Club in DC

where it became a favorite of Hemingway and Kennedy.

Overtime, the drink got blended and topped with frills

but I recommend the traditional, shaken and chilled.

Classic Daiquiri

1 ounce run

1/2 ounce simple syrup

3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice

Pour all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigweously. Strain into a glass and garnish with lime wedges.

Who doesn’t love a churro!?! We’ve made them before but they’re messy and greasy. So I stick to cookies. And churro cookies seemed like the perfect way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

So you’re going to say - aren’t these just a snickerdoodle? Well, kind of. But also these are crispier on the outside and smooshy on the inside which makes them an amped up version of a snickerdoodle - which in my opinion makes them a Churro Cookie! Also, isn’t a fun name 90% of making something fun?

Churro Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and 1 cup sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and whip on high until light and fluffy.

STEP 2

Combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar and add it to the butter mixture. Beat until mostly incorporated. It will be a dry mixture.

STEP 3

Slowly add the milk to the mixture and incorporate until the batter becomes smooth and blends together. If it still seems dry, add another teaspoon of milk.

STEP 4

Scoop batter into balls and roll through the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes until brown on the edges. Let cool slightly before moving the cookies to a cooling rack.

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I am dying to have a tiki bar. It doesn’t fit into my house currently - so every once in a while I’ll pull up a few elements to make it seem “tiki-bar-ish.” But what I really want is the real deal. I want the gaudy tiki statues, the grass cloth walls, custom swizzle sticks and a record player blasting Jimmy Buffett. I want shelves crowded with a collection of tiki mugs. I want a terrible bar name inscribed on napkins and matchbooks. I want it to smell like coconuts and sunscreen.

Image borrowed from Kiel James Patrick’s Instagram account @kjp

I can’t wait until the day I can shake up a fruity cocktail from behind the bamboo bar. The counter will be slightly sticky because it’s been splashed on so many times that no amount of wiping will get it entirely un-sticky. But we won’t care. We’ll continue to shake drinks full of pineapple juice and coconut cream and continue to let them drip all over as we pull out the giant pieces of pineapple that hold little drops of the cocktail on the ends. I’ll make crab rangoon and coconut shrimp to serve instead of dinner because every meal is better when you’re sitting on top of a rattan stool.

We’ll listen to Jimmy Buffett on repeat and dance while wearing leis, floating dresses, and goofy shirts. I’ll light tiki torches lining the path leading to the bar. We’ll find a vintage tiki god to guard the entrance so there’s no bad ju-ju.

I’ve started collecting the mugs already - I’m knee deep in quirky glassware. I already have the perfect name. I just need a location. A place to pop on a rattan barstool and fill the top of a glass with slices of pineapple, tiny umbrellas, and wedges of lime.

Etsy Swizzle Sticks | Custom Tiki Mugs | Jimmy Buffett Vinyl | Pyrat Rum | Aloha T-Shirt | Rattan Tray | Pitcher | Nick Kuchar Print | Vintage Tiki Ashtray | Flamingo Punch Bowl

An amazing drink from the Soggy Dollar Bar. A hair of the dog cocktail from a swim up bar. Tr additionally made with Prusser’s Rum, one sip evokes sounds of a steel drum. Made with juice and coconut cream, it’s like a Pina colada without the sugar extreme. Shake one up and bottom’s up! It’s sunshine and sand, all in a cup.

prusser’s Painkiller

2 1/2 ounces run

4 ounces pineapple juice

2 ounces orange juice

1 ounce coconut cream

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake well over ice until combined. Strain into a glass filled with fresh ice and top with an umbrella, pineapple, lime wedges and anything else you can think of!

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I don’t eat eggs. I have an intolerance to them which gives me migraines. Most of the time, it’s totally fine and I don’t even miss them. But then brunch happens. Brunch is one of the best meals of the whole week and here I am stuck without 90% of the menu. So I’ve been coming up with a few brunch ideas that are not egg based and are still decadent and delicious. This tart hits all of those - it’s buttery and delicious. I cannot get enough of it. I actually had to stop myself from eating half of this the first time I made it.

I made it for our family with Earth Wise buttery sticks (not real butter - also, not sponsored) because my husband is dairy free. It totally did the job. You could use a combination of olive oil and butter if you want to cut out some of the fat. I prefer to just eat a smaller slice rather than change ingredients.

Buttery Potato Tart

makes one 12” tart

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, grated or diced

1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

pinch of salt

pepper

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Very thinly slice the potatoes and the onion. Set them aside.

STEP 2

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and stir in garlic, anchovy paste and mustard.

STEP 3

When butter is melted, line the bottom of a cast iron skillet with parchment paper. Begin layering potatoes and onions - add a few tablespoons of the butter mixture between each layer of potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. When you’re done, pour any remaining butter over the top.

STEP 4

Pop the pan into the oven. After 20 minutes, press down on the potatoes to seal it together. Pop back in to cook for another 20 minutes.

STEP 5

After 40 total minutes, remove the pan from the oven and place something heavy on top of the potatoes. I like to fit a cake pan on the top and then weigh down with something heavy. Let cool with the heavy thing on top for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a cutting board or serving plate.

Also! You can easily substitute Earth Balance instead of butter in this recipe if you are going dairy free or dairy light!

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Why is it that spring feels like salads? I know at my house it’s because we ate so much meat and hearty soups over the last few months that we start to crave fresh and bright salads. Also, we’re in the thick of baseball season and these salads can be made ahead of time and packed to the field or kept in the fridge until after the game. There’s always a game.

Here’s what I’m making this week.

This Marrakech inspired tossed salad is topped with fried cheese and filled with quinoa. It’s both healthy and delicious. Also, it keeps well until the tomatoes get to smushy.

I make this Soba Noodle Salad all spring and into the summer. It’s my favorite thing to pack up for baseball, swimming, and every other late night or traveling dinner.

Is anything better than a Chop Chop Salad?? Packed with asparagus, spring potatoes, and fresh veggies, it’s the perfect spring time version of the best salad ever.

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Every year for my kids birthdays I make a coffee cake. A few years ago I started making a smaller and smaller cakes because my kids eat one slice and then they are done. Then I moved on to muffin sized coffee cakes and suddenly we can eat the entire batch!

These are perfect for a brunch, a weekday breakfast, or just for a snack. They cook super fast too - so you can whip them up anytime! I promise once you bite into these, you will never stop making these muffins. They are epic.

Coffee Cake Muffins

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (or sour cream)

topping

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl (or measuring glass) whip together the oil, egg, milk and vanilla.

STEP 2

In a large bowl combine together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pour in half of the milk mixture and stir to combine. Then add the yogurt and blend together. Pour the last of the milk mixture and stir until combined. Don’t over stir. The mixture will be lumpy, it’s fine.

STEP 3

In a food processor or a bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until it’s sandy. I just use a fork or my fingers.

STEP 4

Fill muffin tins about 1/2 way and top each one with the topping mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

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Need a brunch cocktail?

In the era of prohibition, gin was terrible. It was made in bathtubs and buckets and could have actually been poison. In order to cover up the taste of the terrible gin, a bartender added honey and lemon and shook it up - like a martini only so it was palatable.

There are lots of stories about where the cocktail came from and most people like to say Paris. HOWEVER - prohibition was in the US not in France so how would the above explanation, which is the common explanation, make any sense at all? Here’s the better story that ties things together:

Do you know who Margaret Brown is? Molly Brown was traveling alone on the Titanic when it hit the iceberg. She loaded passengers on to lifeboats before she was finally persuaded onto one herself. Following the sinking, Ms. Brown organized the first class passengers to secure funding and necessities for the second and third class passengers who had survived. Her passion for philanthropy started long before she set foot on the Titanic and continued long after.

Here’s how she ties into the Bee’s Knees. The Unsinkable Molly Brown was on the Titanic because she needed to leave Paris, where she was visiting with her daughter, to get home to a sick grandchild. In the years following the sinking, Ms. Brown continued to travel to Paris - and as the wealthy woman she was - she stayed at the Ritz. The Ritz claims it originated the cocktail in 1921. However, another story says that Ms. Brown, the strong and independent woman that she was, brought the drink to Paris and had the bartender shake her up one. Ms. Brown bringing the drink to Paris makes way more sense - gin was readily available in Paris and would have been much more delicious than what was available back home in Denver.

Now that gin is delicious, we don’t need the honey and lemon to cover up the flavor. I chose a gin that has the flavors highlighted by the lemon and the honey serves to smooth out the lemon. I also chose this Empress Gin because it’s blue and turns this pink/purple when mixed with the lemon! Empress gin is one of the coolest you can have on your bar cart. It stays blue or gets a little more blue when mixed with basic ingredients (like soda water) but gets pink-y when mixed with anything acidic! It’s almost impossible to find cool colored liquors that aren’t mixed with weird ingredients - this one gets it’s purple color from the Butterfly Pea Flower. And it’s delish!

The Bee’s Knees

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon hot water

2 ounces Butterfly Pea Flower Gin

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

In a cocktail shaker, stir together honey and hot water to melt the honey. Add gin and lemon juice. Stir a little - then add ice to the shaker. Shake well and strain into two cocktail glasses. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

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