I’m obsessed with the olive bar at the grocery store. I almost always get a container, whether we need it at home or not. We used to do a snack dinner once a week and the olive bar was the main star. Now that my teenagers are eating way more than ever before, we can’t just do a snack dinner. The kids would end up eating an entire second dinner after snack dinner.

It’s still my favorite dinner so I’m finding new ways to integrate olive bar into as many meals as possible. This is my latest favorite. You cannot beat this Olive Bar Chicken! I’m obsessed for a few reasons:

• Olive Bar is the best part of grocery shopping

• A split fryer is a cheap and easy way to feed your teenagers

• You can’t over bake the chicken when the bone is in

• Swap out what ever is your favorite on the olive bar! Some people love those marinated mushrooms and that would be perfect here too.

One of the secrets to making this dish is to use something heavy to bake it in. I love my Le Creuset because it’s thick and holds the heat nicely. You can also use a cast iron pan with a well fitting lid or lots of aluminum foil.

Olive Bar Baked Chicken

serves 4

1 split fryer chicken (that’s all the pieces, but cut into parts)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil

1 cup kalamata olives (pitted)

1/4 cup olive tapenade

1 cup chicken stock

salt & pepper

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In the bottom of a large dutch oven, brown the chicken in the olive oil.

STEP 2

Turn off the heat and pour in the onion and all of the olive bar bits. Pour in the chicken stock and cover.

STEP 3

Pop the pan into the oven and bake 25-40 minutes until the chicken is done. Test it with a meat thermometer. How long it takes depends on how thick your chicken pieces are. Serve with bread and pasta!

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Classic Negroni

A classic Negroni is the perfect cocktail to go with this Italian flavored dinner!

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We were just in Palm Springs and went to a restaurant where I totally doubted the cocktails. Then we started talking to the bartender (always talk to the bartender!) and realized he was legit. It was not entirely the vibe of the place so I was so excited to have him tell us that he made everything from scratch and none of the cocktails were out of a jug.

There were drinks on the menu that I thought sounded great, but I can’t do almonds so I asked for a recommendation. Life lesson: If the bartender is legit, then ask what they recommend! Give them one or two drinks that sound good to you and they will usually make you something amazing. This bartender recommended what he called a ‘brunch punch.’

The Brunch Punch was so good! And it was rum based - unexpected. And pink - unexpected. But it was not overly fruity - expected because this was a good bartender. So we grilled him on how he made it. Three rums, one spiced (!), two juices and grenadine. Of the three rums, one of them was a spiced rum. I usually hate spiced rum. It’s gross. But in this, surprisingly good. I found a place for spiced rum to thrive. The other rums were basic so I swapped them out for a good rum that I adore - the Blackwell dark rum is so perfect. And it’s bold so it stands up to the juice.

This feels a lot like Mr. Hedin’s Boat Drinks, but with a more brunch feel that’s more appropriate for 10am. And aren’t we all looking for something that seems more reasonable for brunch that isn’t just champagne?

*Also, just realized I’ve never posted Mr. Hedin’s Boat Drinks so get excited. That’s now coming soon!

Brunch Punch

makes four drinks (a small pitcher full)

6 ounces orange juice

6 ounces pineapple juice

3 ounces spiced rum

3 ounces Blackwell rum

1 ounce dark rum

2 tablespoons grenadine

maraschino cherries

In a pitcher, combine all ingredients - except the cherries - and stir to combine. When you’re ready to serve the drinks, pour 1/2 cup of the drink into a cocktail shaker and shake well. Pour the drink and the ice into a cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry. These are strong drinks so be careful!

Alternatively, you can make each drink on its own - when you do, float the dark rum on top instead of mixing it into the drink. It’s delicious!

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Any Fruit Muffins

The perfect brunch appetizer - Any Fruit Muffins! They are so simple to make, they can bake while you shake up the cocktail.

Click here for the recipe

I bought a bag of broccoli slaw on a whim one day. I don’t normally buy the pre shredded or precut items, but time is at a minimum these days and those precut bags looked really inviting. Originally I planned on just tossing it with a slaw style dressing and calling it a day. But then I looked through the fridge and started brainstorming what else could be done to make it more interesting.

Since broccoli is Italian and I had purchased Italian sausages…. it only seemed natural to pair it all with Italian flavors. I grabbed oregano and basil from the herb garden and added some roasted tomatoes. A little vinegar, olive oil and salt & pepper and it was a surprisingly delicious

So I made it again. And again. And again. And then I thought you might like it too! It’s the perfect side dish for Memorial Day weekend. It holds for a few hours and it’s actually better if you let it sit for 1/2 hour so the broccoli bits soften.

We’re heading up to the beach this weekend and I will for sure be making this happen. Let me know if you make it too!

Broccoli & Roasted Tomato Slaw

1 bag broccoli slaw

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2-4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (a small handful)

2-4 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (a small handful)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt & pepper

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour out the tomatoes on a baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt. Roast for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes pop.

STEP 2

Let the tomatoes cool slightly then pour over the broccoli slaw. Add vinegar and fresh herbs. Toss gently until coated in the oil. If it seems dry, add more olive oil. Season with salt & pepper.

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All Amercian Burger

The perfect burger to go with your new favorite side dish!.

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HALIBUT! Here in the Pacific Northwest, we get so excited for halibut season. We wait for this to happen. It comes in fresh from Alaska and is fished locally by friends in the San Juans. It’s unbeatable. And when it’s super fresh, it does not need a lot of seasoning to make it amazing. It actually only needs gentle cooking.

My best advice for cooking fish, is to be vigilant when it’s in the oven. Don’t let it over cook. Halibut is great for this because it’s so thick - and the butter on top helps to keep some moisture in - but if it goes over cooked, it gets dry and weird. You’re better off to pull it a little early then let it rest until it’s done. Remember, you can always pop it back into the oven, but you can’t fix overcooked fish!

This is also an easy dinner for any fish you have at the market. A thick piece of salmon is amazing in this situation!

Sheet Pan Halibut

with roasted vegetables

Serves 4

2 lb halibut

1 lb small white potatoes, cut in half

2 tbs olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 lemon, 1 juiced and zested and one sliced.

1 bunch asparagus

4 tbs butter, room temperature

salt and pepper

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Toss potatoes in olive oil and pop into the oven.  Bake until roasted, about 15 minutes.

STEP 2

Pull potatoes out of the oven and make room in the center for fish.  Arrange fish, asparagus, and shallot on a baking sheet with the potatoes.  Top with lemon juice and zest and season with salt and pepper.  Top fish with butter and slices of lemon.

STEP 3

Place in oven and bake another 15 minutes. 

STEP 4

Remove from the oven and tent the pan with foil.  Let rest 5 minutes then serve on a big platter.

Pull it off

1.     Toss the potatoes in oil and get them into the oven.

2.     Slice the shallots and trim the asparagus.

3.     Pull the pan from the oven and arrange fish and vegetables.

4.     Pop the pan back into the oven.

5.     Set the table.

6.     Serve with white wine.

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These cookies became my favorite and almost surpassed traditional chocolate chip cookies in my house.  I made these last week and the kids went crazy. That’s when I realized I’d never posted them here! I’ve been making them for 100 years and I can’t believe I haven’t shared them with you yet. These are really good. Like really.

The trick is to use the best quality cocoa powder you can find.  Cheap ones often leave a chalky flavor to the finished product.  The good stuff creates a smooth chocolate flavor that permeates the cookie entirely.  I also discovered in my testing of these cookies that the critical step is to blend the cocoa with the butter and sugars. Cocoa powder is a dehydrated product - I discovered that if I “rehydrate” it with the butter, it cooks up to a gooey texture. Most recipes include cocoa powder with the dry ingredients, but then it doesn’t have time to rehydrate and it turns to a dry flaky consistency.

Double Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup room temperature butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Dutch Process cocoa powder

2 eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy.  Add cocoa and incorporate on low speed.  Increase to high speed and beat until mixture lightens in color. 

STEP 2

Beat in vanilla then eggs, one at a time, incorporating completely after each egg is added. 

STEP 3

In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the cocoa mixture slowly and mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

STEP 4

Drop one inch balls of dough on a cookie sheet using a small ice cream scoop.  Place cookie sheet in hot oven and cook 10-12 minutes until cookies are no longer shiny on top.  Let cool on cookie sheet 10 more minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely. 

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Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do you prefer the classic? Here’s my chocolate chip cookie that is literally the perfect chocolate chip cookie!

One pot dinners are THE BEST DINNERS! It sounds like most people I know switch out the cooking duty and the cleaning duty with their partner or kids - but isn’t it still delightful when only one pan is used?

This is like a sheet pan dinner, only it’s a pot dinner. Is that a thing? Sheet pan dinners have been a hit because you pop it in the oven and walk away. Same-zies here. The chicken gets browned the sauces, vegetables and rice gets added and boom. You’re off the hook for the next 25 minutes to do homework, etc.

The secret here is harissa paste. I’m a major fan of anything that can be added and it brings literally ALL of the flavor. If it saves me time, I’m in. When you pair it with the green olives and fresh vegetables it’s suddenly an epic weeknight dinner. It’s also an amazing Sunday night dinner idea.

Harissa Baked Chicken & Rice

Serves 4

4 lb bone-in split fryer chicken

4 tbs olive oil

2 large tomatoes, cut into chunks

½  cup chopped Green Olives

1 onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

¼ cup Harissa paste

1 cup rice

2 ¼ cups chicken stock

1 can undrained garbanzo beans

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat.  Add 2 tbs olive oil and brown the chicken, skin side down.

STEP 2

When the chicken is browned on the skin, remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 3

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and cook onions and bell pepper until soft.  Stir in harissa to coat.

STEP 4

Pour in rice, top with chicken, stock, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and olives.  Cover and pop into the oven.

STEP 5

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 when inserted. 

 How to pull it off

1.     Preheat the oven and start chopping vegetables.

2.     Brown the chicken.

3.     While the chicken is browning, measure out the rice and chicken stock.

4.     Add the harissa, vegetables, stock, olives, and beans.

5.     Cover and pop into the oven.

6.     Set the table and pour a glass of wine.

7.     Serve hot straight from the pot!

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Grapefruit Rose Seltzer

The perfect inspired mocktail for a harrisa dinner.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday and I will be out of town eating brunch at a new restaurant in Palm Springs. In the event you haven’t planned to be out of town and in the sun, here are some ideas for your Mother’s Day brunch. I like when we celebrate first thing in the morning - usually, if we are in town, we go out somewhere for brunch. My favorite spots are near the market. Then we walk the market, buy some flowers, some fish for dinner, and have tiny doughnuts. It’s a delightful morning.

Scroll down for more ideas for shopping, dinner, and cocktails!

For Brunch

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for dinner

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More!

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bottoms up

I love a good spring cocktail - but sometimes the situation calls for a mocktail. I can’t stand a mocktail that is all juice based, too sugary or is just clearly designed for kids. A mocktail should be made for grown-ups too - everyone deserves something to sip on regardless of if they want the booze.

This one is SO SPRINGY and it made me desperate for my roses to bloom. They are waiting for some sun, and I have a feeling this weekend’s heat will do the trick. I cannot wait.

The trick with rose water is to be careful - it’s a lot like any other flavoring and going easy is your best bet. The tiniest amount of rose water makes a huge flavor impact. I like to start with 1/4 teaspoon per cocktail and you can increase after that if you’d like to - I don’t think more is needed, things get a little too much with more!

Grapefruit Rose Seltzer

makes two

4 ounces fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

1/2 teaspoon rose water

seltzer

fresh grapefruit to garnish

Squeeze the grapefruit into a glass and stir in rose water. Add ice and top with seltzer water. Serve with a grapefruit garnish.

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It’s almost Mother’s Day! Is Mother’s Day something you get excited about? Care about? Hate? It’s such a fraught holiday. Some people have lost a mother, some people want to be a mother and aren’t, some people have a strained relationship with their mother. And then there’s a group of us who just don’t care.

I’m a mother all the time. I don’t do it because one day a year I might get breakfast in bed. But I do use it as an excuse to buy myself something. Are you looking to buy yourself something this May? Mother’s Day is a great excuse - if you aren’t a mother, we all had a mother - buy something in honor of that.

5 quart braiser :: Westman Atelier Lipstick (I wear Bright Tomato) :: Capri Blue Candle :: Sisal Handbag with Sequins :: Gardening Shears :: Yoga Mat :: Games!

I personally go to Palm Springs with my best girlfriend and her husband every Mother’s Day. If Mother’s Day is hard for you, I highly recommend jetting out of town for the event. ESPECIALLY somewhere like Palm Springs. We have been out to brunch at a grown up hotel the last few years and it has been delightful.

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Pink Lemonade Mint Julep

The perfect easy drink to match your brunch!

My kids call this spider eggs. But I can’t tell you how much I like it. It’s also really good for you. Chia is packed with fiber so it helps with digestion and keeps you filling fuller longer. Fiber is also supposed to do amazing things for your heart and what not too. Bottom line, nothing but good news when you eat chia seeds. Unless, of course, your children call them spider eggs in which case it makes them a little less appealing.

I’ve never talked about my daily eating pattern before because it seems really boring to me - but I do get asked questions so here goes…

I take a handful of supplements in the morning - for my hair, my stress, and a probiotic - but I cannot tolerate anything in my stomach without food in there too. So I have a bowl full of chia pudding with my supplements. This time of year I mix in fresh strawberries to jazz things up a bit. Plain old chia seeds are not delicious. In a few weeks I’ll switch to raspberries but for now - strawberries are the best.

I like to go with chia pudding first thing because I know it will fill my stomach, give the supplements something land on, and give the probiotics something to work with. It’s also a healthy start to the day and if I start healthy, I find I do better throughout the rest of the day. Or I at least know I started healthy so if things fall off, then I at least tried.

Strawberry Chia Pudding

1 1/2 cups milk alternative

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup smashed strawberries

1 teaspoon vanilla

STEP 1

Smash the strawberries in a large measuring cup or a small bowl.

STEP 2

Add the milk alternative and vanilla and stir.

STEP 3

Stir in the chia seeds and refrigerate at least one hour but ideally overnight. Stir every 15 minutes for the first hour. Serve with sliced strawberries and granola.

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