did your parents ever bring you home some delicious cheese and fruit danish as a kid? you know, the one drizzled with frosting, so perfectly flakey and delicious. well i have been dying for one. but this little 26 week pregnant bod feels TERRIBLE when i eat too much sugar.

so as a fill in, i whipped up this more adult version with creamy ricotta cheese, honey instead of sugar a fruit filling that will please both children and adults. these little bites go down way to easy and could easily be served as a breakfast treat, a passed appetizer or a tasty dessert.

mixed berry & rhubarb + ricotta tartlets

serves: 12 tartlets

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 sheet of puff pastry dough (store bought works great or you could use THIS quick and easy one that i like to use). 1 tbs ricotta cheese (you can find my recipe HERE). 10 strawberries, diced. 10 blackberries, halved. 1 stick rhubarb, diced. .25 cup honey. 2 tbs orange juice + the zest of one orange. 1 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped. couple pinches of kosher salt. flour for dusting. rolling pin. muffin tin. 1 tbs veggie oil or baking spray. optional: 12 edible flowers or 12 berry slice for garnish.

start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees f. in a small saucepan, combine your berries, rhubarb, honey, orange zest and juice, tarragon and the pinch of salt. stir well to combine and place it over a medium heat. once the liquid starts to boil, reduce the flame to medium low and allow the fruit to simmer till it makes a nice sauce. about 15-20 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the bottom doesn’t stick and burn.

while your berries are cooking, lightly dust a work surface with the flour and roll out your sheet of puff pastry to a large rectangle.

slice the rectangle into 12 pieces. give each piece an additional roll so they are as square as you can get them and about 1/8th and inch thick. prick each all over with a fork pretty liberally.

spray or oil your muffin tin. fill each muffin hole with a puff pastry square.

bake the tartlets for 12-15 minutes till they are lightly golden brown and puffed up. use the back of a spoon to push any really puffy centers back down into the tin.

fill each tin with 1 tbs of ricotta cheese. by now, your berries should be thick and all the liquid reduced. spoon about 1 tbs of berries into each tartlet. bake again for an additional 5-7 minutes till puff pastry is really golden and crisp on all the edges. allow the tarts to cool slightly.

top with berry or flower garnish.

serve warm or at room temperature.

xo, a

mixed berry & rhubarb + ricotta tartlets

serves: 12 tartlets

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 sheet of puff pastry dough (store bought works great or you could use THIS quick and easy one that i like to use). 1 tbs ricotta cheese (you can find my recipe HERE). 10 strawberries, diced. 10 blackberries, halved. 1 stick rhubarb, diced. .25 cup honey. 2 tbs orange juice + the zest of one orange. 1 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped. couple pinches of kosher salt. flour for dusting. rolling pin. muffin tin. 1 tbs veggie oil or baking spray. optional: 12 edible flowers or 12 berry slice for garnish.

start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees f. in a small saucepan, combine your berries, rhubarb, honey, orange zest and juice, tarragon and the pinch of salt. stir well to combine and place it over a medium heat. once the liquid starts to boil, reduce the flame to medium low and allow the fruit to simmer till it makes a nice sauce. about 15-20 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the bottom doesn’t stick and burn. while your berries are cooking, lightly dust a work surface with the flour and roll out your sheet of puff pastry to a large rectangle. slice the rectangle into 12 pieces. give each piece an additional roll so they are as square as you can get them and about 1/8th and inch thick. prick each all over with a fork pretty liberally. spray or oil your muffin tin. fill each muffin hole with a puff pastry square. bake the tartlets for 12-15 minutes till they are lightly golden brown and puffed up. use the back of a spoon to push any really puffy centers back down into the tin. fill each tin with 1 tbs of ricotta cheese. by now, your berries should be thick and all the liquid reduced. spoon about 1 tbs of berries into each tartlet. bake again for an additional 5-7 minutes till puff pastry is really golden and crisp on all the edges. allow the tarts to cool slightly. top with berry or flower garnish and serve warm or at room temperature.

for the last two and half years, when people would ask me what i do for work, it was really COMPLICATED to answer. basically, i did anything food, yoga or swim related that people would pay me for. but now, i feel confident answering the question with, "i'm a caterer." 

now, catering has never really been my dream. but feeding people is. and doing that is a priority, even if the situation is not ideal. catering is hard. lots of shlepping. loading and unloading and loading and unloading again. and MANY people tried to deter me. family, friends and plenty of strangers have told me along the way it is too much work. but you know what? even though it is freaking hard, i LOVE it.

people invite us into their homes for their most important celebrations. i will NEVER forget who catered my twenty-first birthday fiesta or our wedding. funny side note. wes's stepmom now works (and i've worked some jobs for) the people that catered my twenty-first birthday. such a small wold. ok.... let's get back on track. 

basically, we get to be apart of people's special moments. and that is a gift. sunday, we catered the sixtieth wedding anniversary of my childhood neighbor's parents. this family has lived next to my parents for thirty+ years and my brother's and i grew up right along side their kids. it was a crazy time warp to celebrate such a momentous occasion with such long time friends. 

in the end. all the shlepping is worth it. and these damn crab cakes were delicious. they are perfect for special occasion or an easy dinner at home. you can make them in advance and store them in the fridge for a few days until you are ready to fry up and eat. 

crab cakes

serves: 6 medium crab cakes

prep time: 10 minutes

inactive time: 30 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 50 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb lump crab meat. 1 bell pepper, diced small. 1 shallot, diced small. 2 green onions, white and green parts halved and sliced. 2 tbs parsley, finely chopped. 1 egg. .5 cup panko bread crumbs. .5 cup italian bread crumbs..25 cup mayo. 1 tbs worcestershire sauce. 1 tbs garlic powder. 1 tsp paprika. 1 tsp chili powder. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. .25 cayenne pepper. 3 tbs vegetable oil. lemon wedges for garnish. arugula for serving. 

in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the oil.

using the best tool nature gave you (your hand) combine the mixture until you have a pretty dense, kind of wet mixture.

make cakes about the size of your palm and about 1 inch thick. place the cake on a platter and set aside. continue the process until you have used all the crab mix. 6-8 cakes. place them in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes. you can store them in an airtight container if you aren't ready to use them right away.

when you are ready to cook. heat your oil in a heavy skillet. when the oil is hot (test a little piece of cake, the oil will bubble rapidly when it is ready) add in your cakes. be careful not to over crowed the pan. if you have too many to do in one batch, cook the cakes in two batches. fry the cakes for 4-5 minutes a side for nice, crispy cakes. when the cakes are cooked, remove them from the pan onto a paper towel or drying rack to remove some of the excess oil.

plate on a bed of arugula. squeeze with some fresh lemon and serve. 

xo, a

crab cakes

serves: 6 medium crab cakes

prep time: 10 minutes

inactive time: 30 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 50 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb lump crab meat. 1 bell pepper, diced small. 1 shallot, diced small. 2 green onions, white and green parts halved and sliced. 2 tbs parsley, finely chopped. 1 egg. .5 cup panko bread crumbs. .5 cup italian bread crumbs..25 cup mayo. 1 tbs worcestershire sauce. 1 tbs garlic powder. 1 tsp paprika. 1 tsp chili powder. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. .25 cayenne pepper. 3 tbs vegetable oil. lemon wedges for garnish. arugula for serving. 

in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the oil. using the best tool nature gave you (your hand) combine the mixture until you have a pretty dense, kind of wet mixture. make cakes about the size of your palm and about 1 inch thick. place the cake on a platter and set aside. continue the process until you have used all the crab mix. 6-8 cakes. place them in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes. you can store them in an airtight container if you aren't ready to use them right away. when you are ready to cook. heat your oil in a heavy skillet. when the oil is hot (test a little piece of cake, the oil will bubble rapidly when it is ready) add in your cakes. be careful not to over crowed the pan. if you have too many to do in one batch, cook the cakes in two batches. fry the cakes for 4-5 minutes a side for nice, crispy cakes. when the cakes are cooked, remove them from the pan onto a paper towel or drying rack to remove some of the excess oil. plate on a bed of arugula. squeeze with some fresh lemon and serve.