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.

halloween is in our rear view mirror and the season to give thanks is upon us.

i have MUCH to be thankful for this year.

just over three years ago, i took a major leap of faith and let go of my former life in wholesale fashion. i shed my former skin, got certified to teach yoga, started a baking and catering company and got married. the last three years have just been one big first after another.

and sometimes i just burst out in tears with how grateful i truly am. don’t get me wrong, some days, i feel VERY far from where i want to be. financially, with trying to grow our family, with work and personal relationships, sometimes i just feel like i am falling short. but then, i have a moment where i realize that i bake cakes, celebrate people’s special occasions AND get to help people with their physical and mental journeys as a JOB and the tears just come. i am so damn lucky.

i encourage you as you gear up for the holidays, no doubt planning events and searching through recipes just like i am, to take moments here and there to just be grateful. for not just the awesome and wonderful ways your life is sweet, but also those moments where you fall short. it just means your dreams are big and how lucky we are to be able to dream big. to start over. to take that leap of faith.

with that said, with every piece of “wisdom” from this here blog, comes a recipe. i NEVER ate stuffing growing up. until a few years ago i had never even tasted the stuff. and there is no good reason why. as a kid on thanksgiving, it always just seemed like the least appealing of all these amazing food options.

but guess what, stuffing rocks. and part of the reason it rocks, is that you can put a ton of delicious stuff in it, and it’s pretty much always good. i used ingredients i enjoy, but you could easily make a couple tweaks here and there to customize it to make it YOUR perfect stuffing.

kitchen sink stuffing

serves: 10-12

prep time: 15 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

baking time: 30 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 16 cups sourdough bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 2 brown onions, diced. 5 celery stalks, diced. 2 pink lady apples, diced. 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 2 tbs finely chopped rosemary. 2 tbs finely chopped .5 cup butter. 2 cups turkey stock (chicken if you can’t get turkey, or veggie if you want to keep it vegetarian). 1 tbs of kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. large pot. aluminum half pan or baking dish.

start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees f. place your bread cubes in your aluminum pan or baking pan. equally divide up your butter into tablespoon sized dollops and place the butter dollops evenly over your bread cubes.

toast your bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through so the bread toasts evenly. when the bread is lightly toasted (some bread pieces will be really crunchy, some will be softer and that’s ok, we want a variety of texture) remove it from the oven and set it aside. while your bread toasts, heat your heavy pot over medium high heat.

when the pot is hot, add in your mushrooms in an even layer and season with a couple pinches of the salt.

let them get really toasty and start to release their juices. about 5 minutes.

when the mushrooms have a nice brown on them, add in the celery, onions and apples. season with half the salt and pepper. sauté your veggies just till the onions are translucent. about 5-7 minutes.

add in the herbs & garlic and stir to combine. cook just till the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. pour a fourth of a cup of stock into the bottom of the pot to scrape up any of the cooked bits off the bottom and allow that the liquid to completely cook off. about 2 minutes.

add your toasted bread and the remaining salt and pepper to the mixture. stir well to combine.

pour the contents of the pot into your baking dish. pour the 2 cups of stock equally over the top of the veggie and bread mixture. now, if you are using the stuffing to actually stuff your bird, here is where you wold stuff the bird with as much of the stuffing as you could get in there.

if not, this is where you bake the stuffing for 25-30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and crunchy. serve hot and enjoy.

xo, a

kitchen sink stuffing

serves: 10-12

prep time: 15 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

baking time: 30 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 16 cups sourdough bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 2 brown onions, diced. 5 celery stalks, diced. 2 pink lady apples, diced. 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 2 tbs finely chopped rosemary. 2 tbs finely chopped .5 cup butter. 2 cups turkey stock (chicken if you can’t get turkey, or veggie if you want to keep it vegetarian). 1 tbs of kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. large pot. aluminum half pan or baking dish.

start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees f. place your bread cubes in your aluminum pan or baking pan. equally divide up your butter into tablespoon sized dollops and place the butter dollops evenly over your bread cubes. toast your bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through so the bread toasts evenly. when the bread is lightly toasted (some bread pieces will be really crunchy, some will be softer and that’s ok, we want a variety of texture) remove it from the oven and set it aside. while your bread toasts, heat your heavy pot over medium high heat. when the pot is hot, add in your mushrooms in an even layer and season with a couple pinches of the salt. let them get really toasty and start to release their juices. about 5 minutes. when the mushrooms have a nice brown on them, add in the celery, onions and apples. season with half the salt and pepper. sauté your veggies just till the onions are translucent. about 5-7 minutes. add in the herbs & garlic and stir to combine. cook just till the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. pour a fourth of a cup of stock into the bottom of the pot to scrape up any of the cooked bits off the bottom and allow that the liquid to completely cook off. about 2 minutes. add your toasted bread and the remaining salt and pepper to the mixture. stir well to combine. pour the contents of the pot into your baking dish. pour the 2 cups of stock equally over the top of the veggie and bread mixture. now, if you are using the stuffing to actually stuff your bird, here is where you wold stuff the bird with as much of the stuffing as you could get in there. if not, this is where you bake the stuffing for 25-30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and crunchy. serve hot and enjoy.