winding wooded roads

fresh oysters directly from the bay

red beers

endless glasses of wine

produce picked from pretty gardens

evenings spent over long dinners wrapped tight in vests and blankets

friends that feel like family

pizza for breakfast and dinner and dessert

bunk beds

lazy vashon island days

so many times this weekend i had that happy right now feeling

strawberry and lemon curd pistachio tarts

I turned 30 this week.

To celebrate, I took some time off work.

I thought I could use the extra days to get ready for the move, but as it turns out what I really needed was four days to not think about moving.

I spent time with friends and sipped wine over long lunches. I went shopping, and did pilates, and got treated to dinner and a pedicure {thanks Carrie!}.

I also made these pretty strawberry tarts from Nigel Slater's new book, Ripe.

I replaced the whipped cream with lemon curd, and the white flour with whole wheat flour. They were baked up in 20 minutes and eaten in less than 5.

Ba dahhhh happy birthday to me

Strawberry and Lemon Curd Tarts

Adapted from Ripe, by Nigel Slater

For the crust:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter + extra for greasing pans

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup shelled pistachios, finely ground

1 egg yolk

1 ½ cups all purpose or whole wheat flour

For the filling:

 lemon curd (click on link for recipe), can be made and chilled ahead of time

20 (or more) fresh strawberries, trimmed and halved or quartered

Special equipment:

6 tartlet pans with removable bottoms, 3-4 inches in diameter

Using the paddle attachment on an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale and smooth. Add the ground pistachios, egg yolk, and then the flour until just incorporated. The dough should be firm but roll-able so you can add a little extra flour or water to get it to the correct consistency. I also found that chilling the dough for a few minutes at this point, helped the rolling process.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough just so that it is short and fat (about the same size of the tartlet pans). Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the tartlet pans and set aside.

Once the dough has chilled, Nigel suggests to “cut the pastry into thin disks and place them in the tartlet shells, pushing them gently into the corners”. I found that my dough didn’t quite want to be rolled or cut into thin disks, so instead, I pushed it piece by piece into the tartlet shells. Either method should work fine, depending on the consistency of your dough.

Once you get the dough into the tartlet pan, line it with parchment paper and top with pie weights (I use dried beans). Bake for about 15 minutes, or until tartlet shells are pale and just lightly browned. Remove the paper and pie weights and return to the oven for about 5 minutes. Let shells cool for 5-10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pans.

Fill each shell with chilled lemon curd and top with strawberries. Enjoy!

roasted spring veggies

The weekend passed so quickly. All my grand plans slipped right through my fingers. Although, I did manage to roast a pile of market fresh veggies. Jimmy was at work so I ate them standing by the window, glass of rosé in hand.

Simple. Just how I like it these days…

roasted spring veggies

with parsley, lemon, and olive oil

4 parsnips, peeled and chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 small bunch asparagus, stalks trimmed and cut in half

2 small(ish) red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

5-6 garlic whole garlic cloves, peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped

Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Put the prepared veggies into a roasting pan and toss with two tablespoons of olive oil. Roast for about 35 minutes, tossing veggies with a wooden spoon one or two times throughout, making sure they are golden brown and tender. Remove veggies from oven and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with lemon juice and remaining one tablespoon of olive oil. Taste for salt/pepper and garnish with parsley.

little quinoa patties

I walked outside on Saturday morning and it smelled like summer.

Like sun warmed pavement, and honeysuckle, and fresh cut grass.

Our weekend was a happy blur of lazy brunches and long walks.

Of wooden patios and cocktails and vintage shops.

Of views from the pier and easy meals and so so much sun.

The pretty weather tends to keep me out of the kitchen but little quinoa patties + greens + a poached egg seems just perfect for summer. Heidi Swanson kind of knocked me over with these. In. Love. The batter will keep for a couple days in the fridge so you can fry them up as you go. I didn't change a thing about this recipe so you can find it H E R E  on Whole Living. Or better yet, buy Super Natural Every Day, turn to page 121, and get to work!

kettle corn

I had big plans for this post today.

I was going to tell you all about the gorgeous weather we’ve been having in Seattle.

About how Jimmy and I walked to the train station last week stopping for dinner and a quick glass of wine at Baguette Box.

About how we were gifted ah-mazing seats at the Mariners game and about summer and baseball and beer and popcorn and blah blah blah because right before that game started what I can only imagine to be a monster-sized sea gull pooped directly on top of my head. There were tears. A perfectly good headband was ruined. It was so gross.

In any case, I hope you enjoy this kettle corn. Its easy and delicious and if you happen to go to a baseball game on a pretty day and you also happen to live by the sea, wear something with a hood. Let that be my lesson to you.

Homemade Kettle Corn

2 tablespoon vegetable oil, or enough to cover the bottom of your pan
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)

Heat oil in a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add popcorn kernels and swirl around in pan to coat in oil. Cover the pan with the lid and listen for the oil to begin sizzling then add the sugar. Place lid back on pan and let kernels pop, shaking pan every few seconds to prevent the popcorn from burning. When popping slows remove pan from heat and carefully pour popcorn into a large bowl.

Add the butter (if using) and salt to the popcorn and stir with a spatula until popcorn is well coated. Serve warm or at room temperatue.

asparagus upside down corn + cheddar muffins

Last Friday, Jimmy and I boarded a plane and headed for warmer grounds. We spent the weekend in Arizona with family and friends and a whole lot of sun. We sipped prosecco and we grilled and we swam in the pool all day. It was fantastic. You'll have to take my word for it, though. I took maybe three pictures the entire time we were there. Blame it on the prosecco, not me.

I did, however, bake (and photograph) these totally awesome muffins a couple weeks back. They make a lovely light lunch or dinner when served with a poached egg and taste perfect with a glass of wine. I hope you’ll find them a fair exchange for pictures of sunshine and grilling.

Asparagus Upside Down Corn + Cheddar Muffins

I had never thought to make a savory upside down dish, in my mind those were always reserved for things like rhubarb and  pineapple, but when I was left with a bowl of slanted asparagus slices  and just enough supplies to throw together a pan of corn muffins I thought it might be worth a shot. It was. The muffins are savory and just a little sweet with a soft cheesy bite. Pair that with a perfectly tender asparagus bottom turned muffin top and you are in business.

Butter for greasing muffin tins

2 tablespoons butter, chopped into 12 small pieces

1 small bunch of asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal (see picture)

1 cup corn flour

1 cup whole-grain pastry flour

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 eggs

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a twelve cup muffin tin with butter then place a piece of the chopped butter in each cup. Place asparagus pieces in the bottom of each tin in a single layer. The asparagus should lay mostly flat but don’t worry if there is some overlap between pieces- it doesn’t have look perfect. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the grated cheese and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, and melted butter. Using a spatula, add this mixture to the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tins (on top of the asparagus). The batter should fill just to the top of each tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the tops look golden brown.

Let muffins cool for a minute or two, then flip over onto a baking sheet or cooling rack. You might need to run a knife along the muffin cups or tap the bottom of the pan to make sure they all fall out. Replace any asparagus pieces that have fallen out and serve warm.

muffin recipe adapted from Kim Boyce’s Corn and Grueyere Muffins
via Good to the Grain