Roasted Summer Fruit Cookie Shortcake With Coconut Whipped Cream

Summer felt different when I was a kid.

It was thick and lazy with the scent of chlorine clinging to everything. Perpetual tan lines carving their way through my shoulder blades. Rich purple plums being plucked off of my grandparents’ tree — the warm juice trickling down my chin. It was matinee movies with buttered popcorn. It was watching my dad try to put out fires we’d accidentally set with shady roadside Fourth Of July Fireworks. I can still see him running around the back yard, chasing away sparks with the lid of the BBQ. It was the beach, and family vacation. Sleepovers were long, and filled with whispers about boys. We made prank calls and ate pancakes. It was dusky evenings in the tree house–swinging in a hammock and deciding what character I’d be in The Babysitter’s Club (Claudia–always Claudia). It was the sticky packages of store bought shortcake, fresh strawberries and a canister of whipped cream. A little bit gross, but also kinda great. […]

Grain-Free Lemon Vanilla Cookies

It’s Monday. I’m tired from Weekending. Yes, this is totally a thing.

You know how people are always like “I need a vacation from my vacation –wahhhhhh!!”? Because that’s a thing that people always say (myself included–wahhhhhh!). Well, I propose that we start needing weekends from our weekends. This will make us professional weekenders. And, I’m all about learning more professional skills. Imagine your new resume! Under your special skills you could put things like: Typing, Excel & Weekending. I wouldn’t call myself an expert on corporate business strategies, but I’m pretty sure your new boss would be thrilled to see that one of your core skills is blindly looking forward to Fridays. I think it, simply put, makes you a forward thinker. They’re into that stuff, right? I don’t know. Maybe I should just stick to things that I actually know–like, how Mondays are most certainly for cookies. Yes, that’s my final answer.  […]

Tropical Rock Shrimp Ceviche With Pineapple, Mango & Lime

So, Summer. It’s a thing that’s happening. Also, sweating. Schvitzing. Glistening. Whatever word we’re supposed to use to describe a sweaty mess with frizzy bangs. That’s happening. I’ve also managed to adopt a summery attitude–meaning, don’t make me turn on my oven when it’s 90 degrees outside, K-thaaanks. Let’s just eat cold stuff. Maybe only popsicles for the next three months? Sure, we’ll get malnourished, but gosh darnit if we won’t keep cool. Probably a bad idea. Back to the drawing board…

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Bacon & Apple Beef Liver Pâté

“What am I? Chopped liver?” 

This was a phrase commonly used in my childhood. I hugged one grandparent and the other would expectantly wait for their hug and exclaim something about being a piece of chopped liver. It was a phrase that popped up a lot. I’m sure you’ve heard it or used it, or had a Nana say it to you while squeezing your cheeks. The phrase was used to express a feeling of being left out. The visual of sad, grey, organ-meat-mush being neglected on the side of one’s plate is haunting. Until this past year, this was the only experience I had with liver. It was only a concept for loneliness and isolation. An expression. A visual symbol of exclusion.  So, in my brain it wasn’t meant for human consumption. I equated it on the same plane as drinking a tall glass of human tears. It’s just not done. Also, sad. Also, gross. […]