When we were in Copenhagen, Jud tried to order a soda, but we were at a very swanky restaurant - and, as I’m sure you know, swanky restaurants don’t have “soda.” Luckily the waiter recognized that a 12 year old boy was just looking for something more fun than water. So he suggested their “rhubarb soda” that they make sometimes. Jud was in - he loves rhubarb. And I turns out I loved this soda. We all did. As soon as we got home I figured out how to make it ourselves!

It’s fabulous without gin (that’s what inspired it) but even better with a good gin. I’ve had so many people tell me how much they hate gin when I tell them that’s what I drink. I’ve realized it’s because there is SO MUCH gin out there.

Here are my picks and my advice on drinking gin:

• Don’t start with an exotic flavor profile, choose a gin you’ve heard of before.

• Read labels and know what the herbs and flavorings in the gin are. If you don’t like black licorice, don’t get one with anise. If you like things that taste floral, look for gins infused with florals.

• The top three most popular are Tanqueray, Hendricks, and Sapphire. Tanqueray is the most evenly balanced with a little anise; Hendricks leans toward cucumber and floral flavors; while Sapphire is very herbal. Tanqueray is my personal favorite, but Hendricks is a popular starting place.

• The first time you try gin, mix it with tonic water or soda. A martini is not the place to start if you aren’t sure you like gin.

Spiked Rhubarb Soda

1 tablespoon Rhubarb Syrup

2 ounces gin (Hendricks or something floral)

4 ounces soda water

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake together Rhubarb Syrup and gin. Pour all of the ingredients (including the ice) into a highball glass. Top with soda water.

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I love Chicken Picatta but I hate making Chicken Picatta. Do you know how much work it is?! Especially if we’re talking about a weeknight or a summer evening or really anytime you don’t want to spend a bunch of time in the kitchen. I have been turning my favorite dinners into meatballs lately and these are an instant hit in my house. My kids love them - I love them - and they make a great lunch the next day too!

Chicken Piccata Meatballs

dinner for four

for the meatballs:

2 pounds ground chicken

1 cup panko

4 cloves garlic, grated

2 eggs

zest of one lemon

2 tablespoons chopped capers

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/4 cup cold water

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

for the sauce:

4 tablespoons butter (or Earthwise fake butter)

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup white wine

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/4 cup capers

2 tablespoons caper brine

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon chicken bullion concentrate

STEP 1

In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients and form into balls. Heat the olive oil to medium/high and brown the meatballs. Don’t worry about cooking them through - you’ll do that later. Just get each meatball brown and then remove them from the pan.

STEP 2

Once all of the meatballs have been browned, turn the heat down to medium and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until completely combined with the butter. Deglaze with the wine and simmer one minute - whisking the whole time - until it all comes together.

STEP 3

Add the garlic, capers, brine, lemon juice, and bullion. Whisk gently. Return the meatballs to the pan and cover. Let cook about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve with pasta tossed in garlic olive oil.

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Aperol Spritz

The perfect cocktail for your Italian style dinner - and it’s light and refreshing which is perfect with the briny capers.

Click here

At the beach we eat a ridiculous amount of Drumsticks. We even started buying the little ones so we can feel less guilty when we eat them daily. It was only a matter of time until I turned them into a cookie for the summer. These are a simple summer recipe - the only added step is the topping, but I think we can all agree the topping is the best part of the Drumstick!

We finally get to go back to the beach this week - but only for a few days. This time in life - raising teenagers - means our summer is a lot of driving kids around or being on hand for their friends to come over. I’m embracing it. At some point they won’t need me and I’ll be at the beach all the time. And eating way too many Drumsticks.

Drumstick Cookies

makes about 2 1/2 dozen

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

12 ounces white chocolate chips

6 ice cream cones, crushed

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup peanuts, chopped

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy. Do not rush it.

STEP 2

Blend in dry ingredients until it’s nearly combined.

STEP 3

Pour in white chocolate chips and cone bits and combine completely. Scoop batter onto a baking sheet and bake in the hot oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden on the edges. Let cool.

STEP 4

Melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil. I use the microwave on 30 second intervals. Dip each cooled cookie and sprinkle the top with the the chopped peanuts.

Serve warm OR add vanilla ice cream to the center and make an ice cream sandwich!

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We just got back from a glorious two weeks in Scandinavia. For both Mr. Hedin and I, Sweden is “the homeland.” It’s where all of our great grandparents originated from - and after being there, we can totally see why they landed in Seattle. It’s identical. Our weather, our greenery, the water - it’s so reminiscent.

It was also cool to see how so many of our “Northwest Flavors” are also reflected in the foods of Scandinavia. Rhubarb was especially prominent. We usually associate rhubarb with spring here in Seattle - like right when strawberries come out in May - but the weather is a little cooler in Sweden, so the rhubarb was EVERYWHERE in mid-June. We happily ate everything we found with rhubarb, and loved a rhubarb soda that we had at Restaurant Barr.

My rhubarb at home is still going strong, so when we got home I tried to recreate something just like it. Mostly because it was delicious but also because when I took a sip of Jud’s rhubarb soda, all I wanted to do was to stir in a little gin.

Rhubarb sauce on ice cream in Copenhagen!

Restaurant Barr in Copenhagen used rhubarb perfectly throughout the whole dinner

Rhubarb Syrup

1/2 cup chopped rhubarb

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

In a sauce pan, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the water is reduced by half. Let cool. You can keep this in the fridge for up to one week.

If the syrup gets too thick and looks like jam, add a few tablespoons of hot water and stir (or shake it in the jar) really well. If it is still not pourable - add another tablespoon of hot water.

To make a Rhubarb Soda

In a tall glass filled with ice, add two tablespoons rhubarb syrup and top with sparkling water. Stir gently. You can add more or less rhubarb syrup as you’d like.

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Spike it!

Click below and read about how I spiked the Rhubarb Syrup with gin - and what gin to choose.

Click Here

I had a prepackaged snickerdoodle recently and I almost died. It was gross. It was crusty and dry and flavorless. Snickerdoodle cookies should be light and fluffy! They should melt in your mouth! They should have a delicate cinnamon flavor with a little crisp of sugar on the edges.

These are those cookies. They are epic with a cup of coffee, a glass of milk, or even a cocktail if you’re into that.

SnickerDOODLES

makes 4 dozen 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

for rolling

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 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 cinnamon & sugar mix.  Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown on the edges.

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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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