before i left for my canadian vacation, my friend lish and i got together to brainstorm about our summer events and to celebrate spring.

we set up a beautiful outdoor lunch complete with blooming eucalyptus table runners and lavender + grapefruit cocktails. all the food we cooked up was inspired by jenni kayne’s new book, pacific natural. and my favorite dish was a version of her mushroom and ricotta crostini.

i LOVE using lavender (if my logo wasn’t a dead giveaway) as a replacement for most dishes with rosemary. that light, floral herb is the perfect compliment to zesty red wine vinegar mushrooms and my creamy homemade ricotta cheese.

ricotta + lavender mushroom crostini

serves: 8 crostini

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 10 minutes

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 8 slices of your favorite baguette. .5 cup homemade ricotta. 1 cup slice cremini mushrooms. 2 tbs butter. 1 tbs chopped lavender (you can sub rosemary if you don’t have any lavender). 2 garlic cloves minced + one extra clove to rub your bread. .25 cup red wine vinegar. .5 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp freshly ground pepper. edible flowers for garnish, optional. baking sheet.

start by toasting your bread. place your baguette slices on your baking sheet and either toast them in toaster oven or baking them in the oven at 375 degrees F for 7-10 minutes. you want your toast to be a light golden brown.

while your bread slices are toasting, heat your butter over medium high heat until the butter is bubbly. add in your mushrooms and season with half the salt and pepper. toss everything well till the mushrooms are lightly butter coated. cook until the mushrooms get a nice brown, about 5-7 minutes, stirring about halfway through.

add in the garlic, lavender and the red wine vinegar. season with the rest of the salt and pepper and stir everything well.

cook until the liquid has completely cooked down. about 3 minutes.

once your baguette pieces of toasted, brush each piece of baguette with your garlic clove.

spread each piece with a nice layer of ricotta.

top the ricotta with your cooked mushrooms.

garnish with your edible flowers and serve.

xo, a

ricotta + lavender mushroom crostini

serves: 8 crostini

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 10 minutes

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 8 slices of your favorite baguette. .5 cup homemade ricotta. 1 cup slice cremini mushrooms. 2 tbs butter. 1 tbs chopped lavender (you can sub rosemary if you don’t have any lavender). 2 garlic cloves minced + one extra clove to rub your bread. .25 cup red wine vinegar. .5 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp freshly ground pepper. edible flowers for garnish, optional. baking sheet.

start by toasting your bread. place your baguette slices on your baking sheet and either toast them in toaster oven or baking them in the oven at 375 degrees F for 7-10 minutes. you want your toast to be a light golden brown. while your bread slices are toasting, heat your butter over medium high heat until the butter is bubbly. add in your mushrooms and season with half the salt and pepper. toss everything well till the mushrooms are lightly butter coated. cook until the mushrooms get a nice brown, about 5-7 minutes, stirring about halfway through. add in the garlic, lavender and the red wine vinegar. season with the rest of the salt and pepper and stir everything well. cook until the liquid has completely cooked down. about 3 minutes. once your baguette pieces of toasted, brush each piece of baguette with your garlic clove. spread each piece with a nice layer of ricotta. top the ricotta with your cooked mushrooms. garnish with your edible flowers and serve.

it is amazing what a difference just twenty-four hours can make. sunday, wes and i catered for one of my besties lish. we were celebrating her daughter's first birthday and baptism. it has been in the works for months and we had a full plate (pun intended) as far as what we were handling. lunch for thirty-five, four cakes (all different flavors), and a few dozen painted and dipped cookie favors had us prepping for days in advance. 

after months of planning and days of prep, the morning of the party shit was hitting the fan. yeah i said it. nothing was cooperating. i was STRESSED. level 10 stressed. we were in the weeds. luckily, wes has MUCH more experience than i do and was able to calm and focus me to power through to the finish. the party was beautiful, the food delicious and our little birthday girl had a blast. 

twenty-four hours later (eleven of which were sleeping), i felt more calm, relaxed and rested than i had in months. thankfully, come thursday the cakes and catering ramp back up, but i'm soaking up every moment of calm before the storm. and i'm going to savor all the leftovers i have from one of sunday's best dishes. 

balsamic stewed berries & ricotta toast
serves: 12 toast
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: .5 cup ricotta (you can make your own HERE which i promise is worth it and very easy, OR you can purchase some at the store. it is worth it to spend a few extra dollars on a good quality ricotta for anything you will be eating it straight up.). 12 slices from your favorite baguette or other bread you like. 6 oz blueberries. 6 oz raspberries. 6 oz blackberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup balsamic vinegar. pinch of kosher salt. edible flower petals for garnish (i used geraniums from my garden). 

start by making your stewed berries. combine the berries, sugar, vinegar and salt in a medium sized sauce pot. cook the berries over medium, low heat until the berries have broken down to half their sizes and all the liquid has cooked down. 

the consistency should be similar to that of a jam. it should take about 45 minutes and you should stir it every 5-7 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly. while your berries stew, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. 

when your berries are done and cooling, toast your bread. on a baking sheet, spread out the bread evenly and toast for 7-8 minutes till lightly toasted. 

remove the toasts and allow to cool till you can handle. 

spread each toast with a bit of the ricotta. 

top each with a spoonful of stewed berries. garnish with flower petals and serve warm. 

xo, a

balsamic stewed berries & ricotta toast
serves: 12 toast
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: .5 cup ricotta (you can make your own HERE which i promise is worth it and very easy, OR you can purchase some at the store. it is worth it to spend a few extra dollars on a good quality ricotta for anything you will be eating it straight up.). 12 slices from your favorite baguette or other bread you like. 6 oz blueberries. 6 oz raspberries. 6 oz blackberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup balsamic vinegar. pinch of kosher salt. edible flower petals for garnish (i used geraniums from my garden).
start by making your stewed berries. combine the berries, sugar, vinegar and salt in a medium sized sauce pot. cook the berries over medium, low heat until the berries have broken down to half their sizes and all the liquid has cooked down. the consistency should be similar to that of a jam. it should take about 45 minutes and you should stir it every 5-7 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly. while your berries stew, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. when your berries are done and cooling, toast your bread. on a baking sheet, spread out the bread evenly and toast for 7-8 minutes till lightly toasted. remove the toasts and allow to cool till you can handle. spread each toast with a bit of the ricotta. top each with a spoonful of stewed berries. garnish with flower petals and serve warm.