sweet baby sage is two weeks old today and it really feels like we are settling in to our new life as a family of three. we took her for her two week check up today and she is chubbing up nicely and is the picture of baby health.

it has been nice taking a break from teaching, catering and cakes to truly slow down and enjoy this new phase of life, but our little nugget sleeps pretty long stretches until she parties hard from eight to midnight. plenty of time for me to stretch my legs in the kitchen.

of course my first trip out of the house was to my local produce store. i picked up some gorgeous summer peaches to cook up with some leftover homemade ricotta i had made. these galettes are great to bring to those end of summer parties you are headed to as an appetizer or a dessert.

peach + red onion & ricotta mini galettes

serves: 24 mini galette

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 10 minutes

bake time: 25-30 minutes

total time: 45-50 minutes

ingredients: 1 large yellow peach, quartered and sliced thin. 2 frozen pie crusts, thawed (usually you can purchase them in a pack of two). .25 of a red onion, thinly sliced. ..5 cup whole milk ricotta (you can make it yourself or purchase from the store). 2 tbs balsamic glaze. 5 large basil leaves, thinly sliced. 5 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp freshly ground pepper. 1 cup of all purpose flour for dusting. parchment paper. baking sheet. rolling pin. large round cookie cutter (mine was 4 inches in diameter).

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. dust your working surface with flour and roll out the dough to about an eighth of an inch thick. use a large round cookie cutter to cut out 24 rounds. you may need to roll out the excess dough a couple of times to get as many rounds as you can. line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

place the dough rounds on your baking sheet. you can use two baking sheets if you have them, or you can bake your galettes by the dozen.

in the middle of each dough round, place a teaspoon of ricotta in the center of your round. top with 3 slices of peach, 3 slices of red onions, season with the salt and pepper and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

fold over the edges of your dough rounds containing the filling.

bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges of your galettes are golden.

sprinkle them with thinly slice basil.

serve hot or at room temperature.

xo, a

peach + red onion & ricotta mini galettes

serves: 24 mini galette

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 10 minutes

bake time: 25-30 minutes

total time: 45-50 minutes

ingredients: 1 large yellow peach, quartered and sliced thin. 2 frozen pie crusts, thawed (usually you can purchase them in a pack of two). .25 of a red onion, thinly sliced. ..5 cup whole milk ricotta (you can make it yourself or purchase from the store). 2 tbs balsamic glaze. 5 large basil leaves, thinly sliced. 5 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp freshly ground pepper. 1 cup of all purpose flour for dusting. parchment paper. baking sheet. rolling pin. large round cookie cutter (mine was 4 inches in diameter).

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. dust your working surface with flour and roll out the dough to about an eighth of an inch thick. use a large round cookie cutter to cut out 24 rounds. you may need to roll out the excess dough a couple of times to get as many rounds as you can. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. place the dough rounds on your baking sheet. you can use two baking sheets if you have them, or you can bake your galettes by the dozen. in the middle of each dough round, place a teaspoon of ricotta in the center of your round. top with 3 slices of peach, 3 slices of red onions, season with the salt and pepper and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. fold over the edges of your dough rounds containing the filling. bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges of your galettes are golden. sprinkle them with thinly slice basil. serve hot or at room temperature.

cinco de mayo may have come and gone, but lucky for us, taco tuesday comes once a month to this here blog. don’t let the wide variety of ingredients on these tacos deter you. they are all easy to come by ingredients, many of which you may have on hand and they all come together to make one BOMB ass taco.

these quick pickled onions and avocado cream are great on shrimp tacos, but they are also great on tons of other things. i like to use the pickled onions in quesadillas or on my breakfast eggs and the avocado cream is great on this delicious corn or as a salad dressing.

now, if you aren’t a crispy taco fan, by all means, skip that step and enjoy the soft tortilla. but if you like them crispy, i have a sure fire way to make the most delicious at home crunchy tacos.

crispy shrimp tacos with quick pickled onions & avocado cream

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp. .5 cup orange juice. .5 cup greek yogurt. .5 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup olive oil. .25 crumbled or grated cotija cheese. 2 limes, each sliced into 6 wedges. half a ripe avocado, diced and smashed. 1 cup chopped romaine leaves. 1 green onion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced. half a red onion, thinly sliced. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp dried turmeric. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 8 flour tortillas. 3 tbs vegetable oil or other oil wit a high smoking point. handful of cilantro leaves for garnish. large cast iron or non stick pan. tongs. paper towel or dish towel lined drying rack or baking sheet.

start by making your quick pickled onions. in a bowl, combine half the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, the honey, half the salt and pepper and stir it well to combine. add in your sliced onions and set them aside to pickle. then, combine the remaining salt and pepper with the turmeric, chili powder and cayenne and stir well to make a spice blend. dry your shrimp well and place them in a bowl. add in the green onion. season with half the spice blend, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and pour in the orange juice and the juice of 3 of the lime wedges.

stir well till the shrimp is evenly coated with spice and liquid. heat your pan over medium high heat till it’s nice and hot and then add in your shrimp. cook the shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. remove the shrimp to cool slightly and continue to reduce the liquid from your marinade in the pan for another 3-5 minutes till it thickens and reduces by half.

while the marinade reduce and the shrimp cools a bit, make your avocado cream. mix together the greek yogurt, the rest of the spice blend and the avocado. mash up the avocado as best you can into the greek yogurt.

pour in the juice of 3 more limes and 1 tbs of the liquid from the pickled onions. and stir well till the mixture is nice and creamy and set it aside.

roughly chop up the shrimp and pour the reduced marinade over the shrimp.

now, if you prefer a soft taco, you can skip the next step. but if you like a nice crispy taco shell, wipe out your pan and add the vegetable oil to the pan. allow it to get nice and hot, shiny but not smoking. add in one tortilla at a time. cook for about 20 seconds on one side before flipping and frying up the other side for another 20 seconds. flip the tortilla one more time and then use your tongs to fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shell. cook for 10 seconds then flip. 10 more seconds and then remove the shell to a paper towel lined rack or backing sheet to dry. set them down upside down so any extra oil drains off. complete with as many tortillas as you intend to eat at that time.

once your tortillas are crispy, layer up your tacos. serve each with a layer of romaine, shrimp, avocado cream.

top with a couple pickled onions, cilantro leaves and cotija cheese. use the remaining lime wedges for those who want a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top. serve and enjoy.

xo, a

crispy shrimp tacos with quick pickled onions & avocado cream

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp. .5 cup orange juice. .5 cup greek yogurt. .5 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup olive oil. .25 crumbled or grated cotija cheese. 2 limes, each sliced into 6 wedges. half a ripe avocado, diced and smashed. 1 cup chopped romaine leaves. 1 green onion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced. half a red onion, thinly sliced. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp dried turmeric. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 8 flour tortillas. 3 tbs vegetable oil or other oil wit a high smoking point. handful of cilantro leaves for garnish. large cast iron or non stick pan. tongs.

start by making your quick pickled onions. in a bowl, combine half the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, the honey, half the salt and pepper and stir it well to combine. add in your sliced onions and set them aside to pickle. then, combine the remaining salt and pepper with the turmeric, chili powder and cayenne and stir well to make a spice blend. dry your shrimp well and place them in a bowl. add in the green onion. season with half the spice blend, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and pour in the orange juice and the juice of 3 of the lime wedges. stir well till the shrimp is evenly coated with spice and liquid. heat your pan over medium high heat till it’s nice and hot and then add in your shrimp. cook the shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. remove the shrimp to cool slightly and continue to reduce the liquid from your marinade in the pan for another 3-5 minutes till it thickens and reduces by half. while the marinade reduce and the shrimp cools a bit, make your avocado cream. mix together the greek yogurt, the rest of the spice blend and the avocado. mash up the avocado as best you can into the greek yogurt. pour in the juice of 3 more limes and 1 tbs of the liquid from the pickled onions. and stir well till the mixture is nice and creamy and set it aside. roughly chop up the shrimp and pour the reduced marinade over the shrimp. now, if you prefer a soft taco, you can skip the next step. but if you like a nice crispy taco shell, wipe out your pan and add the vegetable oil to the pan. allow it to get nice and hot, shiny but not smoking. add in one tortilla at a time. cook for about 20 seconds on one side before flipping and frying up the other side for another 20 seconds. flip the tortilla one more time and then use your tongs to fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shell. cook for 10 seconds then flip. 10 more seconds and then remove the shell to a paper towel lined rack or backing sheet to dry. set them down upside down so any extra oil drains off. complete with as many tortillas as you intend to eat at that time. once your tortillas are crispy, layer up your tacos. serve each with a layer of romaine, shrimp, avocado cream. top with a couple pickled onions, cilantro leaves and cotija cheese. use the remaining lime wedges for those who want a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top. serve and enjoy.