spring veggie & goat cheese dip

yesterday was beautiful in seattle.

it was sunny and warm and i quite enjoyed myself.

about half way through the day,

i realized it was just too hot for jeans (seriously)

and so, i adventured into my closet to grab a pair of shorts

and planned to continue on with my day.

well, what you probably don't realize, if you don't live in seattle,

is that re-finding your summer clothes after a long and dreary winter is a daunting task.

after looking high and low on every shelf and inside of every drawer

i decided i must have relocated these so as to not take up space

during the 10 other rainy months of the year :)

so FINALLY, i find a large 3 by 4 by 2 foot tupperware container

that literally holds every single summer thing i own.

(slight exaggeration)

in any case.

i pull out the first pair of shorts i see

and as i put them on i realize they still have tags attached. hilarious.

apparently it didn't get warm enough to debut these last summer.

oh the wonders of living in this beautiful city :)

ingredients

1 cup 3/4-inch pieces asparagus

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped leeks (white and pale-green parts only)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 cup grated mild white cheddar

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

114-ounce can chopped artichoke hearts in water, drained

1/4 cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) peas

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

4 ounces crumbled fresh goat cheese, divided

directions

1. preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. cook asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.

drain; let cool.

3. melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

add leeks and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 10 minutes.

whisk in flour; gradually whisk in milk. bring to a simmer, whisking constantly.

cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened; remove from heat.

(leeks = my new favorite veggie)

4. add cheddar; whisk until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.

season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. fold in asparagus (reserve tips), artichoke hearts, peas, chives,

mint, flat-leaf parsley, zest and 2 oz. crumbled fresh goat cheese.

6. transfer mixture to a 4–5-cup baking dish;

arrange asparagus tips on top and dot with another 2 oz. goat cheese.

7. bake until golden brown and bubbling, 15–20 minutes.

let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

tips & review

*i actually LOVED the fresh ingredients

the fresh herbs, lemon zest, etc. made it super delicious

*next time i actually would have put in more veggies (maybe 50% more)

*my dish size was not ideal... i think a shorter wider dish would have

allowed the mixture to set up a bit more and have more crispy surface area

*cook your milk mixture slightly longer than you need to

*overall i really enjoyed the flavors in this. perf for a summer party :)

*it was a bit heavy, but still :)

enjoy!

pretty in pink

love this wedding full of soft pinks, subtle creative details and elegance.

check it out.

wasabi salmon w/veggies

ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon wasabi paste (Japanese horseradish paste)

(i found this at whole foods)

11-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves, finely grated

4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets (preferably wild)

kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1 pound baby bok choy, halved

2 cups (packed) finely shredded green cabbage (about 5 ounces)

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced if large

2 tablespoons olive oil

recipe thanks to bon appetit

directions

1. preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

heat a large rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes.

2. meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and wasabi in a small bowl.

stir in half of ginger and half of garlic; set aside.

3. season fish all over with salt and pepper.

4. place bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms in a large bowl.

drizzle with oil and add remaining ginger and garlic.

toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.

couldn't seem to find BABY bok choy... so we used the large size :)

5. scatter vegetables across one side of baking sheet.

arrange salmon on other side.

roast, stirring vegetables occasionally, until salmon is cooked through, 12–15 minutes.

6. divide vegetables among plates; top with salmon.

serve wasabi mayonnaise alongside.

really enjoyed this, and it's super easy. you should try it.

only things i would have done differently are:

*it really probably would have been better with BABY bok choy.

the big stuff was just too cumbersome and awkward to eat

*i would be more generous with the veggies (mushrooms & cabbage)

*make the wasabi dip to your liking :)

i would totally make this again.

super basic recipe that you can tweak as your heart desires.

enjoy! :)

happy birthday kinsey!

just wanted to wish my favorite little sister a wonderful birthday!

you are growing up to be an amazing, smart, beautiful woman and i am so proud of you :)

lemon raspberry cupcakes

have i ever told you that i don't have a 'full button'?

well yeah, i don't.

it's rather inconvenient when you think about it.

i am missing that little trigger in your brain (stomach?)

that tells you when you've had enough to eat.

consequences of having this rare disease (ha)

are that i can eat an unnecessary amount of food without really noticing

let me tell you. had i not counted these cupcakes when they were coming out of

the oven to be sure every last one was accounted for, i could have eaten them all.

they are that good.

you know that i love a great cupcake,

but sometimes the richness of it all is just TOO MUCH.

too much chocolate, too much sugar, too much sweetness, too much frosting...

you know, too much cush getting put on my tush!

these have a refreshing 'i'm not as cupcakey as you think' feel to them.

lots of fresh lemon juice and lemon peel give them a fresh taste,

and the frosting glaze is a great substitute for the

cream cheese frosting glob that normally sits on top.

think raspberry lemonade on a summer day.

that's what is happening in these cupcakes :)

enjoy!

ingredients

3/4cup(1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3cupspowdered sugar, divided

4 1/2teaspoonsfinely grated lemon peel, divided

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cupsself-rising flour

1/4cupbuttermilk

4tablespoonsfresh lemon juice, divided

12teaspoonsplus 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam

Fresh raspberries (for garnish)

recipe via

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. 

2. using electric mixer, beat butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar,

and 3 teaspoons lemon peel in large bowl until blended, then beat until fluffy and pale yellow. 

3. add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition.

beat in half of flour. add buttermilk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; beat to blend.

beat in remaining flour.

4. drop 1 rounded tablespoonful batter into each muffin liner. 

spoon 1 teaspoon raspberry jam over. cover with remaining batter, dividing equally.

tip: i decided to even out my top and bottom dollops
with the back of a spoon to be sure the jam stayed in place.

also, when biting into the cupcake (although AMAZING)
i would have liked the jam to sit slightly higher.
so i would be slightly more generous on the bottom dollop
of batter than the top one. make sense?

5. bake cupcakes until tester inserted halfway into centers comes out clean, about 23 minutes.

cool cupcakes in pan on rack.

6. meanwhile, whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar,

2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel in small bowl.

spoon icing over half of your cupcakes.

whisk 1 tablespoon raspberry jam into remaining icing. spoon over remaining cupcakes. 

let stand until icing sets, about 30 minutes. garnish with raspberries.

walnut cake

walnut cake seemed like a good idea.

now, i'm not saying that in hindsight it wasn't, i just wasn't in love with it either.

first of all, what in the world is a girl like me going to

do with an ENTIRE sheet cake of walnut bread?

it did really have a good flavor when i think about it...

the SEVEN cups of walnuts made for a super rich cake.

and it definitely would fall more in the breakfast category.

(think coffee-cake-like; good with your morning coffee)

honestly, it was just kind of boring.

like it needed some extra flare.

anyway.... here it is :)

ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

6 tablespoons raw sugar, divided

7 cups walnut halves

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal

3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 large eggs

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

whipped cream (optional)

recipe via bon appetit

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

butter a 13x9x2" metal or glass baking dish;

sprinkle bottom evenly with 3 Tbsp. raw sugar. set aside.

2. pulse walnuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped. set 2 cups aside.

add all-purpose flour to processor and pulse until walnuts are very finely ground, 1–2 minutes.

add almond flour; pulse to blend. set aside.

3. using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter and granulated sugar

in a large bowl until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes.

add eggs, cream, yogurt, and salt.

4. scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (reserve bean for another use).

beat until well combined, 1–2 minutes.

(see how to do this here)

5. add ground-walnut mixture and beat just to blend.

gently fold in chopped walnuts, being careful not to overmix. 

pour batter into prepared dish; smooth top.

sprinkle with remaining 3 Tbsp. raw sugar.

6. bake until cooked through and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50–55 minutes.

let cool in pan on a wire rack. serve with whipped cream.

have a great day! :)