Passionate Palmer Pops | Popsicle Week 2017

It�s Wit and Vinegar�s WORLD FAMOUS POPSICLE WEEK! The hottest (yet, chilliest/chillest) week of the year! Check out the 2017 popsicle week page for a plethora of pops. Some are covered in toasted marshmallow (!), some are made with pudding, others are boozy and fruity, a few have chunks of cake in them. And this, my friends, is mine: The Passionate Palmer Pop�. 

It�s a sordid love affair, a steamy (yet frosty) summer romance between everyone�s favorite non-alcoholic drink named after a golfer, the Arnold Palmer, and the tangy sweet tropical seductress, Passionfruit. We�re talkin� sweet and sour, sticky and melty, and as refreshing as a glass of iced tea on a hot summer day. We have intrigue. We have temptation. We have PASSION. And tea and lemon. We have passionfruit Arnold Palmers (tea + lemonade combo) in one cool, frozen package. 

My sister and I were throwing out popsicle flavor ideas, and when we landed on passionfruit Arnold Palmers, and the name Passionate Palmers, we laughed hysterically. Partially because we think we�re hilarious no matter what we say, but mostly because we had an 8th grade teacher named Mrs. Palmer, who also happened to be the mom of one of my best friends growing up. Like the true middle schoolers we are at heart, it�s just funny saying passionate + a teacher�s name. RIGHT!? (Is this the part where we make the calculator say boobs*?) #growupalready. 

I had to search pretty far and wide to find any sort of passionfruit anything. Seattle has no passion. When I was about to give up, I got over my hating-tourist-season-at-the-market infliction, and tried Pike Place Market, and of course, found everything I needed: frozen passion fruit pulp and whole passionfruit fruits. The whole passionfruit is fun because it adds some fresh flavor and the cute crunchy seeds, but if you can�t find them, the frozen pulp will do. I found mine at the Mercado Latino, the Latin grocery at Pike Place. When it doubt, try a Hispanic/ Latin grocery. I used the Goya brand frozen pulp, which is 100% passion fruit pulp (no sweetener, etc). If you can�t find that, my next suggestion would be passionfruit nectar or juice (Goya also has one, or try a Hawaiian brand�look for lilikoi instead of passionfruit), but don�t add extra sweetener to the pops, as those drinks are usually pretty sweet. And if all of the above fails, and you live in a passionless pit, I think pureed mango would be pretty good here too!  

Don�t forget to visit Billy�s #popsicleweek page to enjoy fun pops all summer long!

Passionate Palmer pops (passionfruit arnold palmer popsicles) 

Makes ~10 standard sized popsicles

2 cups water 4 tea bags (basic black tea, like Lipton) 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from approx.  2 whole lemons) 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2/3 cup frozen passionfruit puree/ pulp 2 whole passionfruit

Boil water, then steep tea bags for about 10 minutes, until you have a dark, strong tea (but not like, impossible to consume dark). You can either simmer the bags in a pot with the water, or just boil, remove from heat, and steep, covered. Chill tea until cool (in refrigerator, or over an ice bath). While tea is chilling, cut open both whole passionfruit, and scoop the insides (seeds and all, they�re edible!) into the bottom of each of your popsicle molds. Freeze until solid, about 20 minutes. Add lemon juice, maple syrup, and passionfruit puree to chilled tea (Note: the frozen passionfruit comes pretty solid. To use it, I first broke it up and added it, with a splash of water, to the blender, just to get it to loosen up to a thick soft-serve, sorbet like consistency. You could also just try thawing it like a normal patient person). Whisk or stir until combined. Taste, and add more maple syrup as needed (depending on how sour/tangy versus sweet you like it). Pour mixture into popsicle molds, over frozen passionfruit. Insert sticks and freeze until solid.

*Speaking of 8th grade and boobs... my mom, sister, and I recently reminisced about the time I tried to stuff my bra (with wadded up tissues) for a middle school dance, and as my friend and I were leaving the house, my mom SO EMBARRASSINGLY, IN FRONT OF MY FRIEND, told me to take it out! I died a thousand angsty deaths. But in hindsight, I think she did me a huge favor: 
    Amanda: How'd you know she stuffed? Were they too big?
    Mom: No, they were just super lumpy and weird shaped!

Tropical Garden Party Cocktail

HI, it�s me! And I come baring refreshing summer cocktails� because it finally sort of feels like summer in Seattle! These are bright and fresh, a little sweet, slightly savory, and super herbaceous, with muddled shiso leaves and cucumbers, gin (I used Hendricks for that extra floral/herbal kick), lemonade and a splash of pineapple juice (though a muddled chunk of fresh pineapple would be the way to go if you have it!), and a sparkly splash of Serrano DRY to finish it off. 


These cocktails are a breeze to mix up, but they do require a couple speciality items: shiso leaves and Serrano DRY. My neighbors pointed out two giant shiso plants in the jungly oasis they planted between our places, so I�ve been trying to come up with lots of things to do with the leaves. They have such a unique scent and flavor, I�m obsessed (and stoked that I can just go pick them whenever I want now!). If you don�t have generous neighbors with green thumbs, you should be able to find fresh shiso leaves at fancy grocery stores or Asian grocers. Serrano Pepper is one of DRY Sparkling�s limited summer flavors, so get it while you can (their website usually lists where you can find it). For straight sipping, I actually prefer their other summer flavor, Malali Watermelon (it seriously smells and tastes like a fresh juicy watermelon, no fake melon flavor at all), but the Serrano is great for cocktails, especially savory sweet ones like these! If you can�t find it, just use plain soda water (but it will change the flavor). If you like an extra kick, you can add a slice of actual Serrano pepper (though spicy cocktails aren�t for me!). Also, crushed ice would have been real cute in these, but when happy hour (i.e.: noon on a Sunday) is calling, ain't nobody got time to crush some ice. 

Note: This post is NOT sponsored, and all opinions are my own, but I did get a free sample of the Serrano DRY from their summer release party last week! 

Tropical Garden Party Cocktail
Makes one 1/2 pint cocktail 

1 large shiso leaf
2 slices of cucumber plus 1 more for garnish
1 ounce Hendricks gin (or more as desired)
Pineapple juice
Lemonade
Serrano DRY Sparkling
Ice

Put shiso leaf and cucumber slices in glass. Muddle together until mashed up and fragrant. Fill glass with ice. Add a splash of pineapple juice, and fill glass 3/4 full with lemonade. Fill remainder of glass with Serrano DRY. Stir, garnish with a cuke slice, and enjoy! 

Feel free to adjust quantities based on your tastes. 

Ready-To-Go TJ Salad

I was eleven or twelve years old, and beyond excited to go to the movie that everyone said made them literally scream and jump out of their seats with fear. Of course my cousin Coco, 13 years my senior, took me. The same cousin who let me watch Candyman four years earlier (I would go on to brag, for years, that Candyman didn�t even give me nightmares, a fact that I wore like a badge of honor and maturity). The same cousin who couldn�t wait to binge on the movie Fear with my sister and me every summer since it came out� in 1990. When I was 5. (While the Marky Mark/ Alicia Silverstone Fear is amazing and the ferris wheel scene taught middle schoolers across the country everything we knew about sex at the time, I�m talking about the earlier movie Fear, starring Ally Sheedy, in which she�s a psychic who uses her powers to track down murderers and ps. it�s the best movie ever). The same cousin who later took us to see The Blair Witch Project� the night before we went on a family camping trip. 


But back to 1996 and the most iconic scary movie of my generation: SCREAM. Do you remember watching it for the first time? Remember Drew Barrymore�s amazing hair? And how we all fell in love with Skeet Ulrich and wondered if he was related to Johnny Depp? The next year for Halloween I wore a glow in the dark scream mask (but with platform shoes, a long hippy dress my mom had since the 70s, and a peace-sign necklace. The 90s were so good you guys). 

Scream was followed by another classic, I Know What You Did Last Summer, which was followed by countless sequels of both (remember Jennifer Love Hewitt getting trapped in the tanning bed!? That scene is the best skin protection PSA around), and a host of other mid-late 90s teen slasher films (not be confused with 80s teen slasher films). To this day, my almost thirty-one-year-old heart still beats wildly for the genre, just as it did when I was a pre-teen. Even with all the predictability, red herrings, teenage love triangles, cringe-worthy dialogue, and over the top scare-tactics, it�s my favorite guilty pleasure.

So it was no surprise that, on Sunday, nursing a hangover from a wedding the night before, I binge watched the entire first season of Scream the TV Series, and devoured nearly an entire frozen deep dish pizza, by myself.

Make no mistake, I have zero regrets about these life choices (my only regret is that I didn�t also make chocolate chip cookies), but there�s nothing like not moving from the couch for a day and eating a giant brick of pizza to inspire lighter, somewhat fresher eating. It�s back on the salad train for me, while I wait patiently for the season 2 premiere of Scream at the end of the month (and for the summer season premiere of Pretty Little Liars in June, because I�m an adult and can watch what I want, damnit).

This salad is my favorite desk lunch these days. To be fair, it�s not really a recipe and is hardly blog worthy, but I can seriously eat it every day for weeks, so I figure it's a combo worth sharing. I love the flavors and textures, it fills me up but feels light and healthy, and it�s so easy to pack for work, because it strictly uses ready-to-go items from Trader Joe�s (no affiliation), though you could definitely try out a homemade creamy cilantro dressing and home baked tofu, if you can pull yourself away from Netflix long enough to actually meal-prep.

PS. Thanks, Coco, for instilling that early love of scary movies... I think we're due for a Fear night! 

Ready-to-go Salad
Arugula
Baked tofu, 1 piece cut in cubes (I like the flavor called �Savory,� lol)
Cucumber, sliced (I like the mini Persian cucumbers for this)
Avocado, diced
Feta
Dried bing cherries
Toasted almond slivers or pieces
TJ�s creamy cilantro dressing
Chia seeds

For work lunch, I like to just store all of the separate packages in the fridge at work, but if you have a bigger company/ less shared fridge space, it�s really easy to pack at home. In a to-go container, add a couple big handfuls of arugula, sliced cucumber (I use one mini Persian cucumber for a full lunch salad), and a spoonful of crumbled feta. Bring the full bottle or a small container of the dressing, or pour a little to the side of your arugula (it�s pretty thick, so it won�t run and sog out the salad too bad while you wait for lunch). I bring a full avocado to work, and use half each day�it�s the one item I don�t like to prep ahead of time, because I don�t want it to brown. Add a handful of the almonds, chia seeds, and cherries just before serving.

Coconut Nectarine White Wine Spritzers

Summer's not over yet! Sherrie & Renee are hosting a bubbly, sparkly, boozy, fresh, fruity virtual cocktail party, #drinkthesummer! Scroll to the bottom for a complete list of fun summery drinks by other awesome food bloggers! Get your summer drank on!

One of my favorite summers was when I was probably 12. My ma�s always been a big Stephen King fan, and that summer, the Green Mile books came out (remember, it was first released as a six-part series). It was too hot to be outside, and to avoid the boredom of being trapped inside all day, my mom, Amanda, and I read the books out loud together. Amanda and me laying in front of a box fan, icy glasses of sun tea at the ready, misting ourselves with a spray bottle (no AC? No problem!), while my mom�s voice transported us to the 1930s, to the deep South. I remember those days so clearly� the three of us together, the dry heat, the mystery of John Coffey.  
Later that summer, the spell was broken when my ma got to a particularly tense part in the book, and stumbled over some dialogue� cautiously spelling out �F-U-C-K, Percy said!� Amanda and I laughed hysterically and our little book club lost its steam. After that summer, Amanda and I started spending summer days out and about with friends, and my mom (who had been a stay-at-home mom most of my childhood) got a full time job. We kind of grew up and moved on. But I loved those lazy days, reading those books together.
For me, those Green Mile days are just as vivid as the lush garden and fresh tomatoes, towels on the clothesline, sherbert for dinner, the trail of dust when my dad pulled in the driveway every evening after work. Quintessential summer memories. 
Another quintessential part of my childhood summers? Wine coolers. Not for me, for my mom. She loved her wine coolers, and often made her own with grapefruit soda and wine. I stayed away from wine coolers for a long time�they get a bad rap, ya know? You know what doesn�t get a bad rap? White wine spritzers. They�re sophisticated and classy. You guys! It�s a wine cooler in disguise! These sweet, fruity sparklers are also wine coolers in disguise.

For the 4th of July, Amanda made a big pitcher of white sangria with sweet, fresh summer stone fruits, and we added a splash of my favorite coconut La Croix, and amazing things happened. These are basically that, but rather than going the full pitcher route, we�re keeping it simple and accessible. Like 3 ingredient, as easy as possible simple. It is Wednesday, after all. 

Coconut Nectarine White Wine Spritzers
Nectarine slices
Ice
White wine (a basic white blend/table white*)
Coconut LaCroix (or other coconut soda water)

Smash 2 nectarine slices in the bottom of each glass, and fill with ice. Fill glass a little over half way with white wine, and the rest of the way with coconut flavored soda water.

*I used Maryhill Winemaker's White, which we had at our wedding! Maryhill is near my hometown!

Wait, there's more! Here's the full list of amazing summer drinky dranks by other awesome food bloggers!

#DRINKTHESUMMER:

With Food + Love | Fresh Heirloom Bloody Marys with Old Bay and Spicy Pickles

Will Frolic for Food | The Sugar Hollow: Watermelon Gin Cocktail with Cardamom and Lime

Kale & Caramel | Sweet Coconut, Hibiscus & Lime Slushie

Hummingbird High | Thyme Lemonade

Brooklyn Supper | Bloody Maria Cocktails

Cake Over Steak | Blackberry Bourbon Cocktail

Dunk & Crumble | Ginger Peach Whiskey Smash

Tasty Yummies | When Figs Fly: Spiced Rum Fig Kombucha Cocktail

Feed Me Phoebe | Pimm�s Cup Cocktail with Fresh Ginger, Lime and Tarragon

Earthy Feast | Strawberry, Basil and Pink Peppercorn Negroni

Ginger & Toasted Sesame | Blackberry Peach Margarita with Spicy Salt

O&O Eats | The Long Hope: a Honeydew Cucumber Gin Cocktail

my name is yeh | Nutella Egg Cream

Faring Well | Sparkling Melon Coolers with Muddled Raspberries and Mint

Beard and Bonnet | Pineapple and Cilantro Moscow Mule

The Pancake Princess | Strawberry Balsamic Shrubs

Edible Perspective | Ros� Slushies

Vegetarian �Ventures | Sparkling Peppered Plum Blush

The Broken Bread | Blackberry, Cucumber and Mint Gin Spritzer

Tending the Table | Plum Spritzer with Ginger and Kafir Lime

Appeasing a Food Geek | Sugar Plum Margarita

She Eats | Fizzy Lime and Blackberry Shrub

holly & flora | Pimm�s Cup with Blackberry and Lemon Zest Shrub

Vigor and Sage | Peachy Tomato Basil Gin and Tonic

The Pig & Quill | Raspberry Basil Gingerade Fizz

Hungry Girl por Vida | Peanut Butter and Berry Smoothie

A Brown Table | Fig and Bourbon Summer Smash

The Clever Carrot | 5 Minute White Peach Margaritas
Cookie and Kate | Watermelon White Sangria

Fix, Feast, Flair | Berry Peachy Kentucky Mules

le jus d�orange | Peach Yogurt Soju and Ginger Plum Kombucha Cocktail

Chocolate + Marrow | Raspberry Thyme Smash

The Bojon Gourmet | Basil Pluot Pimm�s Cup

Snixy Kitchen | Sparkling Asian Pear and Mint Iced Tea

what�s cooking good looking | Watermelon Basil Colada

Salt & Wind | Watermelon Aperol Spritzes

Ginger Lime Turkey Sliders with Peanut Slaw

Last weekend was my SEVENTH year running Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage, and I have a serious case of the post-Ragnar blues.
I ran around 15.5 miles! My final leg was just under 7 miles, all hills, and I almost stepped on a snake! We jammed out hard to some 2AM Celine Dion, had a few epic dance parties and costume changes, mastered the art of glow-stick dancing (ahem, raving?), and wondered how that one team next to us at the brewery managed to run after consuming so many burgers and beers. And extra sides of ranch. Also, this year, a few other teams copied our name! We�ve been Chafin� the Dream since 2009, so it was annoying to see other folks stealing our swagger. Imitation�something to do flattery�blah blah� Nope, get outta here with that. #theoriginalchafers

Anyway. I feel like I've been super MIA on the blog this summer, but I just haven't been cooking much. Instead I've been running, swimming, gardening, eating popsicles, seeing Dashboard Confessional and Third Eye Blind (!!!) with my girlfriends, and binge watching Sopranos. These sliders are maybe the only dinner I've actually cooked in the month of July!

Turkey sliders! The patties are Asian-inspired with fun flavors like ginger and lime, which goes great with the sesame-peanut slaw! I actually liked them wrapped in lettuce even more than with a bun, and that's surprising, because this girl loves big buns, hun. 

Ginger Lime Turkey Sliders with Peanut Slaw 
Makes 10-12 small sliders

Peanut Slaw

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 squirt of Sriracha

Half a head green cabbage, sliced thin (and diced, if desired)

2 green onions, sliced thin

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 handful peanuts, chopped

1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, Whisk together mayo, lime juice, peanut butter, sesame oil, and sriracha. Add cabbage, green onions, and cilantro. Toss until coated. Add salt and pepper to taste, and toss in peanuts and sesame seeds just before serving. 

Sliders

1 pound ground turkey

1 inch chunk of ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, grated or minced

1 Green onion, sliced thin

Zest from 1 small lime + splash of lime juice

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Panko bread crumbs

Salt & pepper

Mix turkey, ginger, garlic, onion, lime zest and juice, and soy sauce together (with your hands), until combined. If the mixture seems too wet and loose, add a bit of panko to bind it. Separate into about 10-12 small slider-sized patties, and salt & pepper both sides of each patty. Chill for at least 30 minutes so they firm up a bit. 

Heat grill, brush with oil, and grill patties until charred on the outside and cooked through. 

Serve on slider buns or in lettuce cups, with peanut slaw and extra sriracha! Also, not pictured but a great addition: avocado!

July 4th Burger Roundup

A few years ago Serious Eats released this amazing, comprehensive guide called the United States of Burgers, and apparently I was super unhappy with Washington's representative burger. I wrote a post about it when the article was released, and never ended up hitting publish. With the 4th of July just around the corner, there's no better time to resurface a ton of awesome all-American burger inspiration. Aside from Will Smith saving the world from aliens, what's more American than a burger on Independence Day!? USA, USA!


In addition to the Burgers of America, here are a few recipes, old and new, from around the interwebz for your July 4th cookout/picnic/bbq/get-together/pool party/food-fest. 

• My ode to the 50th (and most tropically amazing) state, Hawaiian sliders with grilled pineapple (pictured above). 
• This turkey banh mi burger is fusion at it's best (just like America!). 
• These chorizo garlic shrimp burgers are Mexican-inspired, along with 95% of food I love in the US. 
• And these Xi'an style lamb burgers are Asian-inspired, along with 95% of food Evan loves in the US. 
• These Carolina burgers with mustard bbq sauce are pledging so much allegiance to the flag of the USA.
• These are packed with fried mozzarella, caramelized peaches, balsamic drizzle, and stars-and-stripes forever.
• Jessica basically deserves a spot on Mt. Rushmore thanks to these goat cheese-guac numbers and these smoky sweet bacony beauties.
• Bev should probably join her, and bring these queso turkey burgs and these chipotle black bean ones!
• These sexy bacon burgers are totally all-American, even though Sarah's Australian. 
• Remember when I made homemade everything burgers? You can do it too, for your country!

And, because it made me laugh when I re-read it, here are my original thoughts/crazy grumblings on the Serious Eat's article. Enjoy!

Hey guys, I need to tell you about how crazy I am. Warning: this involves hamburgers.

So... I'm a crazy person. Unless you're Evan or my parents or my sister or my friends... or my cat... you might not know that about me. And even though I just mentioned my cat, I'm not talking about crazy-cat-lady type crazy right now (though I am that, too). I don't even know what kind of crazy this is... state-hamburger-pride crazy, perhaps?

I'll preface this with the fact that I love Serious Eats, and I love J.Kenji Lopez-Alt's burger articles (um, his fake shack burger... perfection). What I don't love, however, is when a totally random burger and random fry sauce (that I'm assuming everyone outside of Washington state also uses...it's basically Thousand Island dressing, people!) is declared Washington's state burger. Not necessarily Washington's best burger, mind you, but our most iconic, or the burger that most represents our state. Ok, so this is where my crazy comes out. I'm like, weirdly, irrationally upset about this. I complained so much that a friend told me "maybe it's time to write to your congressman."  

But c'mon! What about a Deluxe burger from Dick's Drive In!? Dick's was voted most-life-changing burger by Esquire, people! It beat favorites like In-n-Out and Shake Shack! That is state burger material! Or what about the bacon jam burger from Skillet or the bacon burger from Red Mill? Ok, too Seattle-centric? How about Burgerville!? It's a fast food joint founded in SW Washington that's known for its commitment to local resources and environmental sustainability... if that doesn't represent our Earth-friendly-recycling-crazed state, I don't know what does. What about something with wild mushrooms or salmon or apples on it, for crying out loud!? Gah!

How did this travesty happen!? Breath Amber, Breath. See...crazy-town.

Now, look at these burgers, and go a little nuts yourself.

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizzas with Cherries and Corn

I was kind of dreading Father�s Day this year. All of the first holidays and events without him are hard. But the impending punch in the gut of Father�s Day�all of the gift guides in my inbox, the grilling recipes for dad online, the Father�s Day golf/BBQ/fishing/woodworking/drinking themed everything everywhere�it had me in a major funk these last few weeks. Luckily we celebrated in the most amazing way possible, which really helped me (and my sister and mom) get through the day. Rather than having a somber memorial last summer, which he would have hated, we waited until last weekend, and had a big blow-out celebration of life. He loved being a dad, and he loved summer solstice, so there was no better time to raise a glass and toast an awesome man, who lived life to the fullest.


My dad loved good food, good drinks, laughter, jokes, friends, and family. He was a good-timin� kinda guy, and we sent him on his way in true JFK (my dad, not the pres) fashion. Friends and family (about 70 people!) came from all over the place: southern, northern, and central California, Oregon, North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and all over Washington. We ate an insane amount of smoked meat, toasted terrible shots of slivovitz, told tons of stories, and looked through years and years of hilarious and fantastic photos. Evan and our friend Robb arranged an epic bean bag/ corn hole tournament: three courses, 19 teams, 39 total games. Amanda and I were The Zombies (which was my dad�s old horse-shoe team name), and we came in second (we lost to the, ahem, Bunghole Bros).

That night we had the most beautiful pastel painted sunset, my dad�s favorite kind� his little gift to us. I miss him like crazy, but man, I feel so lucky that I got to have 29 years with him. So much thanks to my ma for working her little tail nearly clean off, to all her helpers, and to all our friends and family who came to celebrate. It was so cool to be surrounded by so many people that loved him. And it made this Father�s Day way less sucky.

So anyway, long story short: I just haven�t really been in the kitchen lately. Totally unrelated to everything above, I did manage to make quick grilled flatbread pizza, and figured you should probably know about it. Since it�s officially summer, we�re putting a bunch of summery goodness on a flatbread, and then grilling it up. Fresh corn and cherries, plus BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, and smoked mozzarella. Hello summa!

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizzas

3 chicken tenders (or 1 large chicken breast, cut in 3 thin strips)
Olive oil, salt, and pepper
2 flatbreads or large naan (like these)
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1-1.5 cups grated smoked mozzerella
8-10 fresh cherries, pitted and halved (and sliced again if they�re big)
1 ear of corn, kernels cut from cob
2 green onions, sliced

Heat grill. Brush chicken with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, and cut into thin slices.

Spread BBQ sauce on one side of each flatbread, and top with cheese, cherries, corn, green onions, and chicken. Grill until cheese is melted.

To make without a grill, prepare chicken as you like, then heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place flatbreads on a baking sheet, and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until cheese is totally melted.

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs with Artichoke Jalape�o Dip

It's Memorial Day and that means it�s officially (unofficially?) grilling season! I�m extra stoked for summer this year, because our place has a tiny little yard, which we�ve spent the last month transforming into a patio oasis (with tons of help from Kyle, Benson, and Kel). 


Evan, Biscuit, and I have been spending every spare second outside. When you rent and live in the city, your own private outdoor space can be hard to come by, so we feel super lucky and happy with what we have, small as it may be. We have room to plant a few veggies, we have a crow that stalks Biscuit out there, and also, I watched a caterpillar build his cocoon! It�s basically a wildlife refuge/science class/jungle/nature hike/farm/wilderness retreat. 

We kicked off grilling season on our new little patio with bacon wrapped hot dogs! With artichoke jalape�o dip! Hot dogs aren�t really my favorite, but when you add cool, creamy, spicy, bacony elements, I�m all in. 

Oh, and Evan wants you to know that he's trying to get a #dadbod this summer (ie: that perfect mix of beer belly & sort of sometimes goes to the gym). Unfortunately for him, he has amazing metabolism and muscle definition that he has no right to have, no matter how many beer and bacon wrapped hot dog-filled weekends he has. Unfortunately for me, I have terrible metabolism. I basically have enough #dadbod for the both of us. 




Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs with Artichoke Jalape�o Dip
This makes a pretty big bowl of dip, which is great hot or cold, with chips or crackers.

For Dip
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened (room temp)
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 cans artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained & chopped
1/4 cup diced/canned jalape�os
garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Stir together cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream until combined and smooth. Stir in cheese, artichokes, and jalape�os. Add garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to taste. I usually use about 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated in an airtight container.

For Dogs
Hot Dogs
Bacon (1 slice per dog)
Buns
Dip
Mustard
Sriracha
Diced white onion

First, soak some toothpicks in water (the longer they soak the less they�ll burn). Wrap each piece of bacon around a dog, and secure the ends with a soaked toothpick, otherwise when they cook, the bacon will shrink up and not stay wrapped. Fire the grill to medium-high heat, and cook bacon-wrapped dogs until bacon is slightly crispy and cooked through. You�ll need to keep an eye on them and use caution, as the bacon grease dripping will cause some flames. Turn and move often to avoid fire hazard. Heat buns on grill until just toasted. 

To assemble, put a big scoop of artichoke jalape�o dip in the bun, top with dog, yellow mustard, sriracha, and a sprinkle of onion. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Mexican-style Pita Cheeseburgers

It�s a cheeseburger! It's a taco! It�s a pita sandwich! It�s a quesadilla! It�s a burgerpitacodilla! Or something. You guys! What is this thing!?

I saw these lamb pita burgers on Bon Appetit, with the meat cooked right inside the pita, and couldn�t stop thinking about how rad they looked! But, I haven�t been feeling the lamb lately, ever since this weird thing happened with my mom�s dog. The other day my ma got Daisy a fresh lamb bone from the butcher, for her birthday. When Daisy smelled the lamb bone, she flipped out. Like, started shaking and whimpering, and ran and hid. Totally afraid of it. So I did a Google search and apparently this is a thing! A lot of dogs are afraid of the smell of lamb! I read one thing that said it�s because the strong gamey smell of lamb makes dogs think that you�re cooking and hurting living animals, like dogs, and it freaks them out! This was just a comment on a forum, so I mean, it could be total BS, but weird, right!? Ugh. So anyway, I�m just not feeling lamb at the moment� solidarity with my dog-sister. 

But, it�s sunny outside, people are starting to break out their grills, and it�s only a few weeks until Cinco de Mayo. So I�m definitely feeling cheeseburgers and Mexican food, all day every day! 

Here we mix plain ol� ground beef with some Mexican spices, pepper jack cheese, and grated onion, and spread into a pita! See the gratuitous raw meat photo above! The whole thing gets smashed together and thrown on the grill, and served with guac. The meat is moist and cheesy from the grated onion and pepper jack, and the pita gets all crispy on the outside and kind of melts together on the inside. Also, I read in the original Bon Appetit article that you can spread the meat mix on the pitas ahead of time� how perfect is that!? When it�s fiesta time, the work is basically done! Get your burgerpitacodilla on! Pitacodillaburger? Quesapitacoburger? I don�t know. Just do it! 

Pita Cheeseburgers, Mexican-style 

Makes 6-8 full pita burgers

1 lb ground beef (not the leanest, I used about 85/15. An 80/20 would work too)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Scant teaspoon salt

Fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoon grated white onion (about 1/4 of a large onion)

2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1 cup grated pepper jack

6-8 pitas

Serve with guacamole, sour cream, bean dip, salsa, etc. 

Mix together ground beef through cilantro until well combined, and then stir in the grated cheese. Slice open each pita, so that you have two rounds for each one. Spread about 1/4 cup of beef mixture on half the pita, in a thin layer, all the way to the edges, and top with remaining pita half. Press together firmly.

Heat grill over medium-high heat, and grill each side for about 4 minutes, until beef is cooked through. 

To cook inside on an oven-safe grill pan: preheat oven to  400 degrees. Heat grill pan on stovetop over medium-high heat, and grill prepared pita for about a minute on each side just long enough to get grill marks, then put the whole pan in the oven for about 4-5 minutes, until beef is cooked through. 

You Never Remember Anything about Our Childhood

I was going through old documents and files on my computer, and found this thing I wrote for Amanda for her 30th birthday. I never ended up giving it to her, for whatever reason. We always joke (in a funny-'cause-its-true kind of way) that Amanda has the worst memory ever, and I exist to be her life historian, because I have a crazy good memory.


Anyway, I think this is perfect for a sunny Friday afternoon, and has me longing for hot, endless summer days! PS. That epic photo up there is my favorite family photo! So 80s/90s. The original hipsters. We actually have a series of these, because my dad would set the timer and run back for the perfect shot. Check out the expression I'm making...HA! So good.

TGIF, friends!

You Never Remember Anything about Our Childhood (So I Remember it All)
Vol 1. Summer.

Overexposed and faded. Pastel and neon.
It was the 90s, after all.
We had big box fans and spray bottles for AC.
We had jugs of sun tea brewing on the picnic table in the front yard.
Mom and dad called it the back yard, which never made sense.
Mom with her tanning oil and tube tops.
The blue and white striped one was our favorite. Because it was her favorite.
It was hot and dry. Never humid.
Everything was the color of wheat, from the sky to the grass to your sun-bleached hair.
Except for the garden. It was like a jungle.
Lush and green, cool and shaded. Full of life.
We went barefoot over a path of hot gravel.
Like firewalkers on burning coals.
We had tough soles back then. And tougher souls.
We had iced sun tea in jelly jars, nestled in the cool garden dirt.
Yours with sugar, mine plain. Never with lemon.
The water from the hose was always sizzling hot at first.
Straight from the well, it tasted like the hose.
Rubber and metal, and earth.
The roma tomatoes, covered in a light layer of dust.
They were our favorite. Because they were Richard�s favorite.
Farm to table. Minus the table.
And minus the farm.
When dad came home from work, we chased the dust down the driveway.
We got to eat dinner outside.
We got to have fruit salad with an icy scoop of lime sherbet.
On the deck in the back yard, which mom and dad called the front yard.

Summer Salad Roundup

This weekend is two of my favorite events of the year: Ragnar Relay (my 6th year!) and Burning Beast. Next weekend we�re hiking/camping for Amanda�s birthday, and the following weekend is�wait for it� my bachelorette party weekend! In Sonoma! 

Um, also�did I mention that Evan and my wedding is in 2.5 months!? Where did the time go!? At this point, we mostly just need to pull together some last minute decorations and things. We have each other and we have the food, so that�s really all that matters in the end. Oh, but we�re having a helluva time picking out the aisle song. We love music and want it to be something special, but most of the bands we love sing about the opposite of happiness and love. Maybe you can help: I love classic rock (think CCR, Stones), bluegrass, Lana Del Rey, and Miley (don�t hate). Evan loves electronic music & Elliot Smith. Together, we�re bigtime fans of DCFC, Colin Meloy, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Annnnd, go! 

So anyway, with all I have going on lately, I�ve been living off of quick salads. Not even exciting ones. I know that�s kind of boring, but it�s true. Sometimes I toss some chicken on the grill and then put that in the salad, or maybe I�ll throw the whole thing in a tortilla, and call it dinner. I�ve been so busy and it�s so warm out that I�ve just had no energy to put together a real dinner. I think Evan loves it, because it means he can eat out whatever and whenever and I just don�t care. The Korean place around the corner probably loves it too, because Evan�s been a very frequent customer (sidenote: their grilled pork & kimchi sandwich is insane, and I�ll probably need to recreate it for you sometime soon!).  

Summer�s a busy time, man. If you�re also living off salads, here�s a little inspiration from the archives:

• Warm Potato Salad with Blistered Shishito Peppers
• Spicy Sesame Soba Salad with Tofu
• Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing
• Tuna & Whitebean Salad with Tomatoes & Kalamata Olives
• Wheatberry Salad with Avocados, Strawberries, & Caramelized Shallots
• Fried Green Tomato Salad
• Southwest Quinoa Burrito Bowl Salad

And a few from the interwebz:

• Sweet corn, peach, and cherry salad with creamy goat cheese and a lime dressing from Flourishing Foodie
• Octavia�s Warm Shrimp Salad with Cantaloupe & Feta from Dunk & Crumble
• Grilled Peach and Haloumi Salad from A Cozy Kitchen
• Char-Siu Chicken B�n Bowls from The Pig and Quill (basically a salad...right?)

Raspberry & Basil Bourbon Jam Sours

I have this summer fantasy. Not like, a Fabio fantasy�sillies. More like an idyllic summer in the South kind of fantasy. I'm sitting on a porch swing on a sunny, summer day. There are those big hanging trees around the porch�willows?�and probably bluegrass playing off somewhere in the distance, mingling with the sound of the breeze through the trees. I'm kicking back, without a care in the world. It's basically a never ending Sunday in August. Job? What job? Bills? What bills. Cocktail? Yes, definitely a cocktail. 

This fruity, jammy, lemony, herbaceous bourbon cocktail is exactly what I'd be drinking on that porch swing. Can someone just invite me to their porch swing already? 

Jam and booze is such an amazing, perfect combo. I don't know why I haven't been doing this forever. These drinks are sweet and fruity in a not-too-sweet, summery kinda way, with a bit of tang from the lemon juice, and a nice basil and bourbon finish. So good. So, so good. It's my�jam. Yep. Said it.

Until I find that porch swing and endless summer afternoon, my couch, episodes of Fargo, and this cocktail will have to do. 

Raspberry & Basil Bourbon Jam Sours

Makes 2

These look a bit dainty with their pretty pink hue, but trust me, they are strong cocktails, as bourbon drinks should be. Feel free to lighten it up with a splash of soda water. If your jam is pretty sweet, you may not need the honey. 

2 tablespoons raspberry jam/preserves of your choice*

1 teaspoon honey

1 sprig fresh basil (about 4-5 leaves)

Ice

2 ounces bourbon

Juice from 2 medium-large lemons

Combine raspberry jam/preserves in a small dish, and microwave about 15 seconds, just to loosen it enough to easily stir together. 

Add basil to a cocktail shaker, and muddle/mash. Add ice about 3/4 full, bourbon, lemon juice, and jam/honey mixture. Shake shake shake!

Pour over ice, garnish with a leaf of basil, enjoy!

*I used Trader Joe's Raspberry Fruit Spread.