yes friends! we made it to the first day of summer. today is the longest day of the year and the official summer kick off.

our calendar is packed to the gills this week with graduation cakes, food delivery, baby shower, wedding and anniversary cakes. ALL the summer celebrations are going down now.

in additional to sharing all the beautiful cakes this weekend, i’m sharing this summer lunch i planned with my friend lish from lisherbevents and these gorgeous melamine products from juliska.

it got me super excited for summer. summer food, summer fruit, summer drinks and before too long, a summer baby. baby is the size of pineapple this week and coincidentally i’ve been eating a ton of it. it makes me think of tropical vacations and some of my favorite cocktails.

in this weeks edition of delicious cocktails i make and then pass of to my lucky, LUCKY husband, we have a cooling, tropical orange and pineapple drink that tastes like the dreamiest popsicle in a glass. and will have you feeling like you are on vacation.

pineapple + orange rumsicle

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 3 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 4 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 oz white rum. .5 oz triple sec. 2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice. 3 tbs pineapple purée (i blended up about 5 pineapple cubes in a food processor until smooth. if you aren’t into making your own purée, you could always sub pineapple juice) + pineapple wedge for garnish. 1 cup finely crushed ice + a couple cubes for your shaker. shaker.

start by filling your shaker with the couple full ice cubes. pour in the rum, triple sec, orange juice and pineapple purée. shake well till everything is well combined.

fill your serving glass with crushed ice. strain the contents of your shaker into your glass.

garnish with a pineapple wedge. serve and enjoy.

xo, a

pineapple + orange rumsicle

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 3 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 4 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 oz white rum. .5 oz triple sec. 2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice. 3 tbs pineapple purée (i blended up about 5 pineapple cubes in a food processor until smooth. if you aren’t into making your own purée, you could always sub pineapple juice) + pineapple wedge for garnish. 1 cup finely crushed ice + a couple whole ice cubes for your shaker. shaker.

start by filling your shaker with the couple full ice cubes. pour in the rum, triple sec, orange juice and pineapple purée. shake well till everything is well combined. fill your serving glass with crushed ice. strain the contents of your shaker into your glass. garnish with a pineapple wedge. serve and enjoy.

in my world, the boom of celebrations has hit. may at our house is a crazy time. along with mother’s day, this month is packed with my birthday, both of my brother’s lady’s birthdays, my parents anniversary and my mother’s birthday. and this year we are throwing in some baby minichiello celebrations as well.

and special occasions call for special desserts.

lemon tarts are one of my mother’s absolute favorite treats. and because they are a little more labor intensive, i only bust them out for special occasions. and when i made her this gorgeous, brilliantly delicious dessert i remembered why this tart is worth every second. silky citrus curd and a delicious shortbread crust will have you signing up to make it again and again.

blood orange + lemon tart

serves: 10 inch tart round tart or 6 mini 4 inch tarts

prep time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 2 hours

baking time: 45 minutes

total time: 3 hours

ingredients:

crust - 8 oz unsalted butter, softened plus 2 tbs extra to grease the tart pan. .5 cup sugar. 1 egg yolk. .5 tbs whole milk. 12 ounces all purpose flour. .25 tsp kosher salt.

citrus curd filling - 1 tbs meyer lemon zest. .5 cup meyer lemon juice. .5 cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice (you can use regular oranges or all lemons if you prefer). 1 cup sugar. 5.5 ounces unsalted butter. 7 egg yolks + 5 eggs. 2 pinches kosher salt.

tools - tart pan. stand mixer or food processor. whisk. baking sheet. fork. plastic wrap. mesh strainer. aluminum foil (optional).

start by making your crust. in the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer with a paddle attachment. (i like to use a food processor because your dough comes together very quickly), combine the butter, sugar, egg yolk and milk together.

mix or pulse in your food processor till well combined.

add in the flour and salt and mix or pulse until your dough comes together.

lightly shape your dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. if you plan to reserve some of the dough, you can freeze it for up to 2 months. while your dough chills, make your citrus curd.

in a medium sized sauce pan, combine the lemon zest, citrus juice, sugar, butter and salt. heat over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved into the mixture. while that heats, in a bowl with a whisk or in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and yolks till completely combined.

when your citrus juice mixture is ready, add it VERY slowly to your egg mixture while either whisking or while the mixer is on a low speed.

adding in the mixture too quickly will cause your eggs to scramble so take your time.

return the mixture to the saucepan and heat over low heat until the mixture thickens to a pudding like consistency. do not allow the mixture to boil. once the mixture is thick (coats the back of a wooden spoon), remove it from the heat. continue to stir until the mixture cools. strain the curd into a bowl to cool. cover with plastic wrap so that no air is between the curd and your plastic.

once your dough has chilled for an hour, lightly butter whatever tart pan you are using. press the dough into the pan to fill in all the ridges. cut off any excess dough and reserve or bake (i baked it to make a nice little cookie snack). prick the bottom of your tart pan with a fork and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes. in the mean time, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f.

after 30 minutes, place your tart shell on a baking sheet and bake until the edges of are starting to turn a light gold. about 15-20 minutes. allow the tart shell to cool slightly.

fill your shell with citrus curd. bake until the curd has set. about 20-30 more minutes. if the edges of your shell start to brown too much, you can lightly cover them with aluminum foil to prevent more browning.

allow the tart to cool completely and then refrigerate till you are ready to serve.

xo, a

blood orange + lemon tart

serves: 10 inch tart round tart or 6 mini 4 inch tarts

prep time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 2 hours

baking time: 45 minutes

total time: 3 hours

ingredients:

crust - 8 oz unsalted butter, softened plus 2 tbs extra to grease the tart pan. .5 cup sugar. 1 egg yolk. .5 tbs whole milk. 12 ounces all purpose flour. .25 tsp kosher salt.

citrus curd filling - 1 tbs meyer lemon zest. .5 cup meyer lemon juice. .5 cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice (you can use regular oranges or all lemons if you prefer). 1 cup sugar. 5.5 ounces unsalted butter. 7 egg yolks + 5 eggs. 2 pinches kosher salt.

tools - tart pan. stand mixer or food processor. whisk. baking sheet. fork. plastic wrap. mesh strainer. aluminum foil (optional).

start by making your crust. in the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer with a paddle attachment. (i like to use a food processor because your dough comes together very quickly), combine the butter, sugar, egg yolk and milk together. mix or pulse in your food processor till well combined. add in the flour and salt and mix or pulse until your dough comes together. lightly shape your dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. if you plan to reserve some of the dough, you can freeze it for up to 2 months. while your dough chills, make your citrus curd. in a medium sized sauce pan, combine the lemon zest, citrus juice, sugar, butter and salt. heat over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved into the mixture. while that heats, in a bowl with a whisk or in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and yolks till completely combined. when your citrus juice mixture is ready, add it VERY slowly to your egg mixture while either whisking or while the mixer is on a low speed. adding in the mixture too quickly will cause your eggs to scramble so take your time. return the mixture to the saucepan and heat over low heat until the mixture thickens to a pudding like consistency. do not allow the mixture to boil. once the mixture is thick (coats the back of a wooden spoon), remove it from the heat. continue to stir until the mixture cools. strain the curd into a bowl to cool. cover with plastic wrap so that no air is between the curd and your plastic. once your dough has chilled for an hour, lightly butter whatever tart pan you are using. press the dough into the pan to fill in all the ridges. cut off any excess dough and reserve or bake (i baked it to make a nice little cookie snack). prick the bottom of your tart pan with a fork and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes. in the mean time, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. after 30 minutes, place your tart shell on a baking sheet and bake until the edges of are starting to turn a light gold. about 15-20 minutes. allow the tart shell to cool slightly. fill your shell with citrus curd. bake until the curd has set. about 20-30 more minutes. if the edges of your shell start to brown too much, you can lightly cover them with aluminum foil to prevent more browning. allow the tart to cool completely and then refrigerate till you are ready to serve.