monday morning mashup

pic via

1. the most beautiful floral macarons i've ever seen

2. oh, and speaking of floral... this sangria!

3. how to: get the perfect haircut

4. what you don't know about marissa mayer

5. tips for those of you training for marathons this summer

6. on finding the best peanut butter on the market

7. this totally justifies my current obsession with facial oils

8. words you should eliminate from your vocabulary to sound smarter

9. 40 reasons you should plan a vacation right now! 

10. watch this touching video of a couple imagining growing old together

zucchini salad

i absolutely love kitchen gadgets and have
more than i can realistically fit in my kitchen.
things like ice cream makers, popsicle molds, my industrial sized
food processor, popcorn maker, salad spinner, garlic press and the like
line my shelves and make my cupboards jam packed.
we honestly barely have room for tupperware!

my new favorite gadget was a gift from a dear family
member for our wedding (you know who you are)

it's a SPIRALIZER!

a spiralizer is a little gadget that takes any sort of vegetable
and twists and cuts it into spaghetti-like strings.

and let me just say... i'm OBSESSED!
i've been using it with zucchini every couple of days to make the base
of a salad and then change up the toppings depending on the day.
best and easiest way to eat healthy! hello!

for more inspiration click here and here

here is my current fave recipe
dreamed up by moi!

makes about 4 large salads or 6 small salads
keeps well for leftovers!

ingredients

3 medium zucchini, spiralized

1 large pinch red chili flakes

1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 large lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 grated parmesan
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

salt and pepper

directions

1. place zucchini, chili flakes, mint, basil, shallot,
lemon juice and olive oil in a large bowl.

toss to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
top with desired amount of parmesan and pine nuts.

salted chocolate chip cookies

i cook a lot. and even though i frequently make dishes that i think are really really good, 

it's hard not to be critical of every aspect of the meal you created. as a recovering perfectionist, 

i still find myself identifying ways i could have made the dish better. 

(i.e. a little more salt, a couple more minutes in the oven, more time marinating, etc.)

this is my third time making the salted chocolate chip cookie from ashley rodriguez's 

date night in cookbook and every time i said outloud 'WOW - these are AMAZING'.

even ben made fun of me praising my own baking skills. LOL!

i've made a lot of chocolate cookies in my day,

and sometimes the recipes feel a dime a dozen.

but there is something about this recipe that convinces me 

it's going to be the recipe i'm using twenty years from now.

the secret ingredient? the sugars and the salt!

most cookie recipes use a lot of granulated white sugar and a little bit of brown sugar. 

this recipe flips the two - using almost entirely brown sugar 

with just two tablespoons of white sugar AND two tablespoons turbinado sugar.

makes 18-24 cookies

ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1 egg, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6oz bittersweet chocolate chips

flake salt for sprinkling

optional: vanilla ice cream for serving

directions

1. in a medium bowl, cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer 

on medium speed until light in color and texture, about 5 minutes.

 scrape down sides of bowl as needed. 

2. add egg and vanilla and mix well to combine. 

3. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. with the mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture. 

mix until streaks of flour run throughout. 

add chocolate and mix until everything just comes together. 

finish the dough by hand, taking care to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

5. at this point it's best to refrigerate the dough for 24 hours, 

as resting it deepened the toffee flavors and improves the cookie texture.

i do always recommend refrigerating cookie dough - although it's not 100% necessary 
to make a delicious cookie. i've made this recipe all ways - baking the cookies right away, 
chilling the dough for an hour or so, and letting it rest over night as well. all ways produced a delicious cookie, but any extra time you can spare in the fridge does add a layer of flavor!

6. when ready to bake, preheat oven to 360 degrees.

line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

scoop dough onto the baking sheet, rolling into 1.5-2 inch balls.

top the cookies with a pinch of flake salt just before baking.

7. bake 10-12 minutes. 

the cookies should be lightly golden on the outside but look quite gooey on the inside.

let cookies cool on baking sheets for at least 5 minutes.

transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

8. enjoy immediately for a really gooey experience,

wait until they are fully cooled (also amazing),

or stuff two with a scoop of ice cream and have your mind blown! :)

note: this was the batch i did NOT chill in the fridge first.
this leads to a wider, flatter cookie. my cookies that were previously chilled
were roughly half this wide and doubled in thickness. just something to keep in mind! :)

the first time i made these i served them as ice cream sandwiches,
slipping a small scoop of slow churned vanilla bean between two cookies.
they were AMAZING and a huge hit with my crew!

spiced salmon cakes

i've made these salmon cakes three times in the past two weeks.

each time i intended to serve them as an appetizer,

but by the time i ate a couple and my new favorite side salad (recipe coming tomorrow!)

i was sufficiently stuffed and had no room for dinner.

these were delicious and a crowd pleaser each and every time i served them.

also love that you can make them ahead of time.

easy for summer parties and entertaining.

recipe via date night in

makes 8 small salmon cakes

ingredients

8oz salmon

i usually cook just slightly more than this,

but be careful not to get the ratios too out of whack

or your cakes won't come together and stay together.

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

1 red or green jalapeno, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

other fresh herbs can be substituted here

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped capers

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 cup panko

1 egg slightly beaten

2 tablespoon olive oil

salt and fresh ground pepper

creme fraiche or sour cream for serving

i always prefer creme fraiche to sour cream. personal preference!

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

place salmon on the baking sheet and generous sprinkle with salt and pepper.

roast for 10 minutes or until just cooked, or even slightly underdone, 

as it will be seared again in salmon cake form.

when the salmon has cooled enough to handle, 

pull from skin, break into small flaky chunks and remove any bones. 

let cool to room temp.

2. while the salmon roasts, in a medium bowl, combine red onion, jalapeno, 

basil, dill, capers, mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, dijon, coriander, 

cumin, smoked paprika, panko, salt and egg. fold in cooled, salmon.

3. form salmon cake by taking 1/3 cup of the mixture in your hands 

and shaping it into a roughly 2 inch round cake. 

continue to make the cakes with the mixture. you should have about 8 mini cakes.

you can store the formed salmon cakes, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days.

4. when read to make, preheat oven to 250 degrees 

(if you want to keep them warm in the oven)

coat bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and place over medium-high heat.

once oil is hot, sear the cakes in batches until deeply browned, about 2 minutes per each side.

keep them warm in the oven until you are ready to serve.

5. serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream.

enjoy!

beachcombing in hansville

did a quick trip to hansville this past weekend,

and spent our time walking the beach and celebrating my mother-in-law.

great little weekend getaway!

edmonds ferry landing

the handsomest co-adventurer of all time

little treasures

creatures, dead and alive

stray balloons

caterpillar infestations