there are few times of the year more exciting than when spring starts to show her colors. even the slightest spike in temperature has people racing to their tank tops and sandals. and i am no exception.

our yard work is nearly complete and we have replanted ninety percent of our small but mighty side yard garden space. and while i am anxiously waiting for all my strawberries and tomatoes to start producing, all the green things in the garden are going wild.

i have been on a bit of a pasta kick lately. it truly is my first culinary love and i’ve been working on new shapes, flavors and colors to bring to all of our spring menus.

our gorgeous garden greens (nasturtium leave, kale and arugula) bring flavor, color and nutritional value to a simple and delicious spring spaghetti.

garlic & spring green spaghetti

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs spaghetti (fresh if you can get your hands on it or want to make it yourself). 8 oz mixed spring greens (i used nasturtium leaves, kale, chard and arugula that we had in the garden but you could do any combination of your favorite greens). 2 tbs olive oil. 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced. zest and juice of 1 lemon. ..5 cup parmesan cheese + extra for garnish. 25 cup bread crumbs. 1 tbs + 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by filling a pot with water and 1 tbs of salt. you want to cook your pasta with water like the ocean. bring your water to a boil. cook your pasta to your package instructions. if you are cooking fresh pasta, it should only take 1.5-2 minutes to cook. if you are using fresh, wait to cook it till your greens are cooked. if you are cooking dried pasta, start it as soon as your water boils. while your pasta cooks, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. once your oil is hot, add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant. about 30 second to a minute.

add in your greens and your lemon juice, season with the salt and pepper and cook until they wilt down. 3-5 minutes depending on how hearty your greens are.

turn off the heat and add in the lemon zest.

add in your cooked pasta, .5 cup of paremsan cheese, half the bread crumbs.

stir well till everything is combined.

serve hot with with extra parmesan and bread crumbs and enjoy.

xo, a

garlic & spring green spaghetti

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs spaghetti (fresh if you can get your hands on it or want to make it yourself). 8 oz mixed spring greens (i used nasturtium leaves, kale, chard and arugula that we had in the garden but you could do any combination of your favorite greens). 2 tbs olive oil. 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced. zest and juice of 1 lemon. ..5 cup parmesan cheese + extra for garnish. 25 cup bread crumbs. 1 tbs + 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by filling a pot with water and 1 tbs of salt. you want to cook your pasta with water like the ocean. bring your water to a boil. cook your pasta to your package instructions. if you are cooking fresh pasta, it should only take 1.5-2 minutes to cook. if you are using fresh, wait to cook it till your greens are cooked. if you are cooking dried pasta, start it as soon as your water boils. while your pasta cooks, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. once your oil is hot, add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant. about 30 second to a minute. add in your greens and your lemon juice, season with the salt and pepper and cook until they wilt down. 3-5 minutes depending on how hearty your greens are. turn off the heat and add in the lemon zest. add in your cooked pasta, .5 cup of paremsan cheese, half the bread crumbs. stir well till everything is combined. serve hot with with extra parmesan and bread crumbs and enjoy.

when i started catering almost three years ago i had NO CLUE what i was doing. sure, i could cook, but cooking for the masses is a different story. and even more than that, cooking for the masses, taking it somewhere else, unpacking it, serving it and then cleaning everything up to go back and clean up the original space on top of cooking delicious food is OVERWHELMING. but, wes followed my crazy lead and we did it anyway. and through out the years, we’ve gotten quite good at it.

in the beginning, the hardware house didn’t really have a “menu.” every single event we were coming up with new dishes tailored to the client. but now, we actually have a bank of delicious dishes to choose from and i am currently working on finalizing proper menus for brunch, lunch and dinner options.

i realized as i went through the best of the best that there were so many delicious dishes i hadn’t shared yet. this salad is a brunch best. we specialize in beautiful brunches and in california, even brunch has a salad. this salad is hearty, healthy, gluten free & can quickly be made vegan by omitting the goat cheese.

sautéed apple & kale salad

serves: 2 dinner size or 4 side salad servings

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 8 oz finely chopped kale (if you find kale to rough you can always pick up the baby version, it is much more tender). 1 pink lady apple (or other sweet/sour pink apple). 1 red onion, halved and sliced .25 inch thick. .5 cup goat cheese crumbles. .25 cup roasted & salted pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels). 3 tbs olive oil. 3 tbs lemon juice (about the juice of 1 juicy lemon). 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by pouring 1 tbs of the lemon juice over the kale and toss with the goat cheese. preheat a pan over medium heat. combine the remaining lemon juice, the olive oil, half the salt and pepper and the whole grain mustard in a small bowl.

whisk together until everything is combined.

when your pan is hot, add in the onions and 2 tbs of the vinaigrette.

cook your onions until they begin to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. add in the apples and season with the remaining salt and pepper.

cook until the apples are browned and tender, stirring every couple minutes. about 8 minutes. while you are cooking your apples down, add the pepitas and the remaining vinaigrette to the kale and toss well.

when your apples and onions are cooked, add them straight from the hot pan onto the kale salad.

toss well allowing the hot apples and onions to melt the goat cheese a bit and slightly wilting the very hearty kale.

serve immediately or you could allow it to cool completely and chill it for a more refreshing summer version.

xo, a

sautéed apple & kale salad

serves: 2 dinner size or 4 side salad servings

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 8 oz finely chopped kale (if you find kale to rough you can always pick up the baby version, it is much more tender). 1 pink lady apple (or other sweet/sour pink apple). 1 red onion, halved and sliced .25 inch thick. .5 cup goat cheese crumbles. .25 cup roasted & salted pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels). 3 tbs olive oil. 3 tbs lemon juice (about the juice of 1 juicy lemon). 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by pouring 1 tbs of the lemon juice over the kale and toss with the goat cheese. preheat a pan over medium heat. combine the remaining lemon juice, the olive oil, half the salt and pepper and the whole grain mustard in a small bowl. whisk together until everything is combined. when your pan is hot, add in the onions and 2 tbs of the vinaigrette. cook your onions until they begin to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. add in the apples and season with the remaining salt and pepper. cook until the apples are browned and tender, stirring every couple minutes. about 8 minutes. while you are cooking your apples down, add the pepitas and the remaining vinaigrette to the kale and toss well. when your apples and onions are cooked, add them straight from the hot pan onto the kale salad. toss well allowing the hot apples and onions to melt the goat cheese a bit and slightly wilting the very hearty kale. serve immediately or you could allow it to cool completely and chill it for a more refreshing summer version.