This is it! It’s here! The best time of the year! The Fourth of July is literally the best time of the year ever. I will die on this hill. I cannot imagine anyone thinking any other time of the year is better than warm sunshine, beach days, rosé, and barbecues. At our house it calls for lots of people, lots of entertaining, and lots of food. Here are my ideas for what to serve on this fabulous holiday!

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A clambake is possibly my favorite meal ever! It’s impossibly simple, serves a crowd, and it looks so impressive. We serve it every year at our beach house for the Fourth of July. It’s always a hit (with the exception of one year when some people showed up with another guest and then told us they didn’t like shellfish - so they sat on the side and watched us eat - awkwardly).

I usually make this for a crowd. It’s a really simple way to feed a crowd. But it’s also a really fun weeknight dinner for the family! In the summer it’s a fun way to make a regular weeknight dinner seem a little more fun. Also, you don’t actually need plates.

When we make clambake for the crowd, we usually just roll out freezer paper on the table. When the clams have opened up, then we just pour it out on the table (after draining of course!) Add a few bowls of melted butter and you don’ need any other dishes! Or you can use dishes and be more civilized. Your call.

Clambake

Serves 4-6

2 cups water

1-12 ounce pale ale

2 pounds fingerling potatoes

1 pound kielbasa, cut into two inch lengths

2 lemons, cut into rounds

14 ounce bag frozen pearl onions

4 ears of corn

6 cloves garlic

2 pounds clams

2 pounds mussels

2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

¼ cup butter, melted

1 loaf crusty bread

STEP 1

In a large pot bring to a boil beer and water with kielbasa and potatoes. 

STEP 2

Once it’s boiling, add corn, onions, one of the sliced up lemons and garlic.  Cover and cook for five minutes. 

STEP 3

Add clams and mussels to the top.  Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning over everything.  Cover and cook until clams open up.  About five minutes. 

STEP 4

Drain off liquid then pour the pot out on a table or in a large bowl.  Serve with butter on the side and a loaf of bread.

How to pull it off

1.     Prepare all ingredients – cut the kielbasa, shuck the corn, etc.

2.     Roll out freezer paper on the table and have paper towels, wipes, and extra napkins standing by

3.     Make the clambake

4.     While waiting for the clams to open up, melt the butter.

5.     Pour out the clambake.  Enjoy!

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Gin & Lillet Cocktail

The perfect refreshing cocktail for clams and crab on the beach!

Click here for the cocktail recipe

The Fourth of July in my family is basically Christmas. The Fourth is the only time of year when my entire family gets together. A significant number of my cousins stay at the beach house and we all hang out together for the entire week. We play wiffle ball, catch crab, walk on the beach, swim in the Puget Sound, play a ton of croquet, and drink way too many cocktails.

It’s my favorite time of year and my favorite color palate. I collect things all year long for our annual celebration at the beach! How do you celebrate the Fourth?!

Salad Servers | Silicone Coated Glassware | Croquet Set | Red Stripe Napkins | Dream Team T Shirt | Wiffle Ball Set | Waffle Maker | Le Crueset Pan | Old Bay Goldfish | Volcano Candle

How and Why I’m using it all

• We usually have anywhere from 12-40 people at our Fourth of July celebration which means we serve A LOT of food. Nice looking salad servers are always needed

• Cocktails start when ever we feel like it and end long after the sun goes down. Something non-breakable, like silicone coated glassware, is so helpful.

• Cocktail croquet! We love to play croquet every night that we can - ideally at cocktail hour.

• Serving a million people means we need napkins! Usually we use paper napkins, but how cute would red stripe napkins be?!

• What’s a holiday without a cheeky t-shirt? I’ve ordered a handful of quirky clothes for all of us to wear - and over the years we’ve created quite a collection!

• Home run derby happens every year! To prevent all of us from (just Kevin) ruining a car or a window, we use wiffle balls and bats instead of the usual.

• Again, we have so many people at the house and can’t make enough food! Waffles are a hit at every house - and this year since we have so many extra days of vacation around the long holiday, we’re making more breakfasts than ever before! Waffles are absolutely on the menu.

• Our Fourth of July dinner is always a clam bake. Every year! It’s so perfect for the summer holiday and easily my favorite food. We need to make it in a giant pot usually - but when I make it at home, this Le Creuset pan is the perfect size.

• Snack time! Cocktail time! They go hand in hand. And I can definitely say Old Bay is my favorite flavoring - so a cocktail snack that’s Old Bay + Goldfish?! Yes please.

• This is my favorite candle. I buy it every month - sometimes more often. Capri Blue Volcano is absolutely coming to the beach this summer!

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There’s a story that says Seattle is the birthplace of takeout teriyaki dinner as we all know it now. That Japanese immigrants brought some of their recipes, etc. and turned it into the take out classic we all know and love. Teriyaki arrived in the US sometime in the 1940’s but the big takeout craze came in the 1970’s - that’s the credit Seattle gets - we get the takeout craze. You’re welcome.

The best part of making your own teriyaki is that it takes less time than ordering it. And you can make a batch of the sauce and keep it for a week or so. I usually make this with chicken breast because I prefer it - I’m doing my best to eat a little healthier with small choices every day. But a classic teriyaki chicken dinner is made with chicken thighs. That’s how to go authentic. You choose what you want. It’s done the same no matter what!

Hot tip - make double the teriyaki sauce. It keeps in the fridge for about a week (or two?) and makes an even EASIER dinner down the road.

The secret to getting this dinner nailed is the side salad. It’s always a bit of iceberg lettuce, a slice of tomato and a miso ginger salad dressing. It seriously makes the entire thing work.

Teriyaki Chicken Dinner

serves 4

1/4 cup soy sauce

6 ounces pineapple juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon ginger

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons very cold water + 3 teaspoons cornstarch

2 lbs chicken breast

2 tablespoons olive oil

rice

lettuce + tomato + miso ginger dressing

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a sauce pan, combine soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, brown sugar, ginger, mirin, and sesame oil. Let is simmer gently for a few minutes.

STEP 2

While the sauce is warming, bring the oil to a medium heat and pop the chicken into the pan. Let it sit there for a few minutes until the chicken releases from the pan. Flip the chicken over and put the pan into the oven.

Bake in the oven 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

STEP 3

Whisk together the water + cornstarch and then add it to the sauce already cooking on the stove. Whisk until it all comes together and remove from the heat. The sauce will thicken up as the cornstarch heats.

STEP 4

Remove the chicken from the oven and chop it up. Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve over rice with a salad on the side!

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Gin Rickey

A light and refreshing cocktail is perfect with the Teriyaki chicken!

Last summer one of my good friends - who also loves a good cocktail - declared this the “drink of summer!” He was sure it would take off and take over the traditional spritz. It didn’t. We can all attest that we all love the Aperol Spritz and I don’t see it getting knocked off it’s pedestal anytime soon.

But who doesn’t like to try?!? This is delightful! If you aren’t a fan of the bitter flavor of the Aperol Spritz, then I highly recommend this. The St. Germaine is much more sweet than Aperol so it’s a different flavor profile than the regular spritz.

Hugo Spritz

3 parts Prosecco

2 parts St. Germaine

1 part soda water

In a wine glass filled with ice, pour in St. Germain. Top with Prosecco and soda water. Swirl gently to mix. Serve immediately!

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I will tell you that I think salad and mayonaisse are contrasting ideas. A “salad” should not include mayo in its ingredients! It’s not even a little healthy with it - and the concept of a salad (to me) is healthy. So I have protested a mac salad repeatedly for years. But every summer we host a luau at our beach house and you cannot serve Hawaiian plate lunch without mac salad! So we started researching and came up with a version that is just like you might get on a plate lunch, but with way less mayo. If you love a traditional mac salad, then take a minute before judging this one. It’s not traditional. It’s a noodle salad for the rest of us!

Mac salad is always served on a Hawaiian plate lunch. Plate lunch is my favorite thing ever. I usually get teriyaki chicken or chicken katsu - and a little mac salad on the side is actually quite delicious. This version is delightful with a plate lunch without being gloopy. I think you’ll like it no matter what your traditional mac salad preference is!

Mac Salad (for people who don’t like Mac Salad)

serves 4

1 cup macaroni noodles

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup shredded carrot

2 green onions, chopped

salt & pepper

STEP 1

Boil the noodles and drain when they are cooked. Immediately toss with apple cider vinegar and set aside.

STEP 2

In the bottom of a mixing bowl, combine mayo, milk and sugar. Add the noodles, carrot and green onion. Toss to coat with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

STEP 3

REFRIGERATE! It must sit for at least one hour. Otherwise it’s not good and we’re going for surprisingly good.

*Note - I use almond milk instead of regular milk and no one has ever noticed the difference. We’ve also used vegan mayo in the past to avoid eggs. Any of those substitutions work just fine.

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Have you grilled your peaches yet?? You are going to love it if you haven’t - the grill caramelizes the sugars in the peach and it’s so good. This dinner is so simple because it relies on good ingredients and it takes almost no time.

It’s ridiculous to learn that if you have good ingredients, then you don’t need a lot of ingredients. I read an article by Ruth Reichl recently where she talked about the joy of discovering what good fresh ingredients taste like. She grew up in a non-foodie household where the joys of canned foods of the 1950’s reigned in her house. As she left home and explored the world, she uncovered the delights of French cheeses, Italian wines, Swiss chocolate, and everything else the world has to offer. But the central theme of her essay was when she discovered Americans making high quality products that rivaled or beat the imported versions.

I grew up in a ‘quality ingredient’ household but got to eat at friends houses where Tuna Casseroles and Chicken Ala King were on the table. I was so jealous. I worked to make some of those comfort recipes when I first started cooking on my own. As I got better, and ate more, I realized that the fewer ingredients, the easier it was and the better it tasted. And the quality of the ingredients is critical when you’re using fewer.

This dinner requires the best ingredients you can find. Good organic peaches - find them at a farm stand - local zucchini - find a friend that grows it - and very good chicken. I like to get the herbs at Market Spice because they are the best. The ones I used making this dish came directly from France when a friend brought them home for me from their trip.

Herbs de Provence Chicken

Serves 4

1 large split fryer, breasts, thighs, and drumsticks

¼ cup herbs de Provence

¼ cup olive oil

4 peaches, sliced in half

4 zucchini, sliced in half

2 tbs parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

STEP 1

Sprinkle Herbs de Provence and salt over the chicken pieces.  Rub in to coat completely. 

STEP 2

Grill chicken, peaches, and zucchini together in a grill pan or on the barbecue – brush with a few tablespoons of olive oil so it doesn’t stick.  If the chicken pieces are thick, start them first and grill the peaches and zucchini at the end for 5 minutes each. 

*Cook the chicken until a thermometer reads 160 degrees.

STEP 3

Sprinkle parmesan and salt & pepper over hot zucchini.  Serve everything together.

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The classic spritz online is THREE parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part soda water. But it doesn’t taste like the spritz I had in Venice last year. So I messed around with the proportions and decided that just a little less Prosecco makes for the proper cocktail. Obviously, you can add more bubbles if you’d like, but I like it just like this - a little more bitter!

A spritz is the perfect day drinking/afternoon cocktail. It’s light on booze - Aperol and Prosecco are both light alcohol options so you can have one (or two) and still function for the rest of the afternoon. It’s a classic option when you’re sitting at a cafe in Venice on a warm summer day. The secret to a good spritz is to not waste expensive champagne on it! I like La Marca, which is a reasonably priced Prosecco that tastes great in a cocktail like this.

Ali’s Classic Spritz

2 parts Prosecco

2 parts Aperol

1 part soda water

Fill a glass with ice. Pour in two parts Aperol (I use two ounces) then add equal parts Prosecco. Top with soda water and add a straw. Cin cin!

The perfect spritz in Venice with the love of my life.

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School is out! Summer is here! It’s the best time of year at our house because there are no schedules, no definite plans, and no responsibilities. My kids used to do swim team so we were home all summer - at least Monday through Thursday - and we could only go to the beach on the weekends. Now that the kids are older and out of summer scheduled events, we can be at the beach and live our best summer life for all three months.

I’m always on the hunt for the best things to make my summer the best summer ever - these are my new favorite things.

Cordless Outdoor Lamps :: Stripe Bag :: Supergoop Sunscreen :: Oyster Cast Iron Grill :: Yeti Ice Bucket :: Tower 28 Lip Gloss :: Pink Stripe Umbrella :: Wood Handled Clippers :: Super Cool Blue Weber Grill :: Business & Pleasure Beach Blanket

How & why I’m using it all

• The cordless outdoor lights are perfect for eating outside. As soon as it starts to get dark, parties tend to break up. But if the lights are still going - then the party is still going!

• A pink stripe umbrella is just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen! It comes in several colors to match your outdoor space - and take it up a notch.

• Wood handled clippers just look like they’re so much nicer than my plastic coated handled ones. And I clip A LOT of flowers.

• Do not go outside without sunscreen. So use a good one.

• I live in this lip gloss. It’s the perfect shade of red and it looks shiny and fresh which is what I’m going for in the summer.

• All of everything fits into this cute bag. My general routine is to put all of the random bits that I need for the day in a big bag like this, then drop my cute purse on top!

• I am working on some wood burning grilling this summer - a Weber is the perfect way to make that happen! I cannot wait until I can share what I have up my sleeve on the grill.

• Baseball games are so much more fun when you can roll out a blanket and sit on the grass to watch it. This is such a cute way to do that - and I love when blankets have handles too.

• In the summer, we bake or grill our oysters at the beach. The whole “months without an ‘r’” thing makes me nervous. Fill the oysters with an herb-y butter and pop them on the grill in this pan and they will bubble up and be EPIC.

• Summer in the PNW is generally not hot, but it’s getting warmer and keeping drinks cooler is mandatory.

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We go to Palm Springs a lot. It’s an easy flight from Seattle and a guarantee of some sun when we’re tired of the Seattle weather. I get asked recommendations a lot and have had a list of places in my phone, but this seemed easier for everyone. And I’ll update it as we go back again! We’re sure to be back again.

Below is my collection of my favorite spots for food, cocktails and things to do. Usually when we’re down, our “things to do” are sit in the sun and read a book. So it’s not a robust list of activities, but a few things to do when you’re in town.

EATS

Bar Cecil - If you can get a reservation, then go!! The food is so amazing, the space is darling, and every detail is well thought out.

Armando’s Bar & Grill (in Palm Desert) - Their margaritas are legendary and the queso is a must! Its the perfect pit stop when you’re on El Paseo in Palm Desert.

Paul Bar/Food - They don’t take reservations, so it can be tricky. We’ve found that showing up around 7:30 or 8pm makes for a shorter wait as the 5pm line has filtered through already. The food is epic and the bartender is ridiculously good.

Blue Coyote - Classic Mexican food that’s exactly what you are looking for. I recommend the Verde Enchiladas or the Carne Asada. Also, their pitcher of Howling Margaritas have caused a lot of problems for me the next morning!

Workshop Kitchen + Bar - Order the rum punch! The food is classic American and fabulous - but that rum punch is something else.

Alice B. - Yep, it’s in a retirement village. But it’s the best food I’ve had in the desert. The ambiance is completely lacking but the delicious food makes up for it!

Holiday House - The brunch here is delightful, but the space is my favorite. I’m slowing turning my house into their lobby.

DRINKS

Melvyn’s Piano Bar - Make sure you go when the pianist is playing! We love to hit Melvyn’s after dinner for a drink and dancing. It’s a perfect spot to feel like the Palm Springs of the 1960’s.

Seymour’s Palm Springs - A speakeasy tucked into Mr Lyon’s that’s adorable. Ideally, you can sit inside because it’s darling and cozy, unfortunately, it’s also very small - so there’s an outdoor space that’s lovely too.

Bootlegger Tiki - Amazing tiki cocktails!! Don’t go hungry, they don’t serve any food - even peanuts. But the tropical cocktails are worth the stop.

Margaritaville Hotel - Yep, that’s right, a cheesy hotel - with an amazing bar program. I don’t think Jimmy would have it any other way! Try the Brunch Punch.

Things to do

Copa Nightclub - I’ve been to good Drag Shows here and bad Drag Shows here. But a Drag Show is always fun, so take the gamble and head in! The drinks are basic, so don’t try to get anything too fancy, you’ll be disappointed.

Hike to the Cross Trailhead - It’s a slow steady climb up to a cross the church below placed on the top of the hill. It’s a great hike to feel a little better after all of the Howling Margaritas and queso. Go early before it’s hot, take water, and plan for about two hours.

Thursday Night Street Fair - If you love folksy art and handmade goods, this is your spot. Even if you don’t, it’s fun to walk the street filled with booths of locals selling things you probably don’t need - but maybe want?

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