despite this RIDICULOUS heat we have been having, i love summer. summer parties, summer weather and of course, summer food. let's get real. summer produce CRUSHES all other seasons.

yeah, yeah, i love me some citrus and all. but give me that watermelon, those big fat tomatoes and buckets of stone fruits over anything. 

last saturday, we celebrated my youngest brother's birthday at a classic santa monica restaurant, michael's. my dad ordered this insane duck dish served with gorgeous plums and crisp mint that inspired this summer salad. it's perfect to wow for dinner or a big party and you don't have to cook a damn thing. NO ONE wants to stand next to the oven, stove or grill when it's this freaking hot out. 

stay cool and enjoy friends!

heirloom tomato & plum salad + pistachio vinaigrette

serves: 2 dinner servings or 4 side servings

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 3 medium heirloom tomatoes (about 3 cups), chopped. 3 plums, roughly chopped. 1 celery rib, sliced thin. 8 mint leaves, finely chopped or chiffonade. .25 cup pistachios, finely chopped. .25 cup olive oil. 3 tbs apple cider vinegar. 1 tsp honey. 1 tsp whole grain mustard. 1 garlic clove minced. 1 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp pepper.

start by combining the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, half the salt and all the pepper in a medium bowl. add in half the pistachio and whisk the mixture together. set it aside. 

on a platter or in a bowl, combine the tomato, plum and celery. 

sprinkle the salad mixture with the mint leaves.

drizzle the pistachio vinaigrette over the salad. top with the remaining pistachios.

serve and enjoy. 

xo, a

heirloom tomato & plum salad + pistachio vinaigrette 

serves: 2 dinner servings or 4 side servings

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 3 medium heirloom tomatoes (about 3 cups), chopped. 3 plums, roughly chopped. 1 celery rib, sliced thin. 8 mint leaves, finely chopped or chiffonade. .25 cup pistachios, finely chopped. .25 cup olive oil. 3 tbs apple cider vinegar. 1 tsp honey. 1 tsp whole grain mustard. 1 garlic clove minced. 1 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp pepper.

start by combining the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, half the salt and all the pepper in a medium bowl. add in half the pistachio and whisk the mixture together. set it aside. on a platter or in a bowl, combine the tomato, plum and celery. sprinkle the salad mixture with the mint leaves. drizzle the pistachio vinaigrette over the salad. top with the remaining pistachios. serve and enjoy. 

for the last two and half years, when people would ask me what i do for work, it was really COMPLICATED to answer. basically, i did anything food, yoga or swim related that people would pay me for. but now, i feel confident answering the question with, "i'm a caterer." 

now, catering has never really been my dream. but feeding people is. and doing that is a priority, even if the situation is not ideal. catering is hard. lots of shlepping. loading and unloading and loading and unloading again. and MANY people tried to deter me. family, friends and plenty of strangers have told me along the way it is too much work. but you know what? even though it is freaking hard, i LOVE it.

people invite us into their homes for their most important celebrations. i will NEVER forget who catered my twenty-first birthday fiesta or our wedding. funny side note. wes's stepmom now works (and i've worked some jobs for) the people that catered my twenty-first birthday. such a small wold. ok.... let's get back on track. 

basically, we get to be apart of people's special moments. and that is a gift. sunday, we catered the sixtieth wedding anniversary of my childhood neighbor's parents. this family has lived next to my parents for thirty+ years and my brother's and i grew up right along side their kids. it was a crazy time warp to celebrate such a momentous occasion with such long time friends. 

in the end. all the shlepping is worth it. and these damn crab cakes were delicious. they are perfect for special occasion or an easy dinner at home. you can make them in advance and store them in the fridge for a few days until you are ready to fry up and eat. 

crab cakes

serves: 6 medium crab cakes

prep time: 10 minutes

inactive time: 30 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 50 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb lump crab meat. 1 bell pepper, diced small. 1 shallot, diced small. 2 green onions, white and green parts halved and sliced. 2 tbs parsley, finely chopped. 1 egg. .5 cup panko bread crumbs. .5 cup italian bread crumbs..25 cup mayo. 1 tbs worcestershire sauce. 1 tbs garlic powder. 1 tsp paprika. 1 tsp chili powder. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. .25 cayenne pepper. 3 tbs vegetable oil. lemon wedges for garnish. arugula for serving. 

in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the oil.

using the best tool nature gave you (your hand) combine the mixture until you have a pretty dense, kind of wet mixture.

make cakes about the size of your palm and about 1 inch thick. place the cake on a platter and set aside. continue the process until you have used all the crab mix. 6-8 cakes. place them in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes. you can store them in an airtight container if you aren't ready to use them right away.

when you are ready to cook. heat your oil in a heavy skillet. when the oil is hot (test a little piece of cake, the oil will bubble rapidly when it is ready) add in your cakes. be careful not to over crowed the pan. if you have too many to do in one batch, cook the cakes in two batches. fry the cakes for 4-5 minutes a side for nice, crispy cakes. when the cakes are cooked, remove them from the pan onto a paper towel or drying rack to remove some of the excess oil.

plate on a bed of arugula. squeeze with some fresh lemon and serve. 

xo, a

crab cakes

serves: 6 medium crab cakes

prep time: 10 minutes

inactive time: 30 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 50 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb lump crab meat. 1 bell pepper, diced small. 1 shallot, diced small. 2 green onions, white and green parts halved and sliced. 2 tbs parsley, finely chopped. 1 egg. .5 cup panko bread crumbs. .5 cup italian bread crumbs..25 cup mayo. 1 tbs worcestershire sauce. 1 tbs garlic powder. 1 tsp paprika. 1 tsp chili powder. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. .25 cayenne pepper. 3 tbs vegetable oil. lemon wedges for garnish. arugula for serving. 

in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the oil. using the best tool nature gave you (your hand) combine the mixture until you have a pretty dense, kind of wet mixture. make cakes about the size of your palm and about 1 inch thick. place the cake on a platter and set aside. continue the process until you have used all the crab mix. 6-8 cakes. place them in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes. you can store them in an airtight container if you aren't ready to use them right away. when you are ready to cook. heat your oil in a heavy skillet. when the oil is hot (test a little piece of cake, the oil will bubble rapidly when it is ready) add in your cakes. be careful not to over crowed the pan. if you have too many to do in one batch, cook the cakes in two batches. fry the cakes for 4-5 minutes a side for nice, crispy cakes. when the cakes are cooked, remove them from the pan onto a paper towel or drying rack to remove some of the excess oil. plate on a bed of arugula. squeeze with some fresh lemon and serve.