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.

i <3 tacos.

who doesn’t <3 tacos?

if you know someone who doesn’t <3 tacos, please fill me in on who and WHY?! i’d love to meet such a unique individual.

tacos are undeniably wonderful and they are one of my favorite make at home meals. i love all shapes and sizes. soft taco, crispy shells, corn or flour tortillas. they are all golden. but why not lighten it up and mix it up with some lettuce tacos. lately i’ve been loving crisp, crunchy, refreshing iceberg lettuce cups and they are a a great taco vehicle.

chicken + mushroom tacos

serves: 4

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb chicken tenders. 8 oz cremini or white mushrooms, diced. 4 green onions, white & green parts thinly sliced. 1 lime, sliced into 8 wedges. 3 tbs olive oil. 1 cumin. 1 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp dried oregano. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp ground pepper. 1 head of iceberg lettuce, core removed and leaves washed and dried. .25 cup tequila. 1 cup fresh pico de gallo or your favorite fresh salsa. optional: 1 avocado, diced. 1 cup mexican cheese blend. handful of cilantro sprigs.

start by blending the cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne, half the salt and all the pepper. place all your chicken in a bowl, drizzle it with the olive oil and season with your spice blend.

squeeze half the lime, into the mix, stir well and set aside. reserve the rest of the limes for serving. heat a large, heavy pan over medium heat.

when the pan is nice and hot add in your chicken in an even layer. don’t crowed the pan or the chicken won’t get a nice brown. if you need to cook the chicken in two batches to not over crowed the pan, do so.

cook the chicken till browned on each side and just cooked through. about 4 minutes a side. remove the chicken and set it aside to rest.

add the mushrooms, the white and light green parts of the green onion and the rest of the salt to the pan.

cook until the mushrooms have released all their moisture. about 7 minutes. pour in the tequila to deglaze the pan. use the liquid to scrape up any little brown flavor bits from the pan. cook until almost all the liquid has cooked off. about 3 minutes. while the tequila cooks down, chop up your chicken.

add the chopped chicken and all it’s juices back into the pan.

stir in half the salsa and stir well to combine. cook for 2 minutes till everything is nice and hot and then turn off the heat.

to serve, fill your lettuce cups with a couple spoon fulls of your chicken mixture.

top with the dark green parts of the green onion, some cilantro sprigs, avocado, some salsa and cheese.

serve with a lime wedge and enjoy.

xo, a

chicken + mushroom tacos

serves: 4

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb chicken tenders. 8 oz cremini or white mushrooms, diced. 4 green onions, white & green parts thinly sliced. 1 lime, sliced into 8 wedges. 3 tbs olive oil. 1 cumin. 1 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp dried oregano. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp ground pepper. 1 head of iceberg lettuce, core removed and leaves washed and dried. .25 cup tequila. 1 cup fresh pico de gallo or your favorite fresh salsa. optional: 1 avocado, diced. 1 cup mexican cheese blend. handful of cilantro sprigs.

start by blending the cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne, half the salt and all the pepper. place all your chicken in a bowl, drizzle it with the olive oil and season with your spice blend. squeeze half the lime, into the mix, stir well and set aside. reserve the rest of the limes for serving. heat a large, heavy pan over medium heat. when the pan is nice and hot add in your chicken in an even layer. don’t crowed the pan or the chicken won’t get a nice brown. if you need to cook the chicken in two batches to not over crowed the pan, do so. cook the chicken till browned on each side and just cooked through. about 4 minutes a side. remove the chicken and set it aside to rest. add the mushrooms, the white and light green parts of the green onion and the rest of the salt to the pan. cook until the mushrooms have released all their moisture. about 7 minutes. pour in the tequila to deglaze the pan. use the liquid to scrape up any little brown flavor bits from the pan. cook until almost all the liquid has cooked off. about 3 minutes. while the tequila cooks down, chop up your chicken. add the chopped chicken and all it’s juices back into the pan. stir in half the salsa and stir well to combine. cook for 2 minutes till everything is nice and hot and then turn off the heat. to serve, fill your lettuce cups with a couple spoon fulls of your chicken mixture. top with the dark green parts of the green onion, some cilantro sprigs, avocado, some salsa and cheese. serve with a lime wedge and enjoy.