as a kid, i was not an adventurous eater. i had a very standard order at every restaurant we ever went to. caesar salad, a diet coke and cheesecake for dessert. everywhere i went. it wasn't that i didn't want to try new things, it was that i never wanted to be disappointed. and even though i can't remember the last time i ordered a diet coke or a caesar salad at a restaurant, homemade caesar salad was the first thing i ever learned to make. it was the only thing i wanted to learn to make because then i could snack on it while i was preparing it. 

this recipe is the salad i grew up eating for most special occasions and family dinners at our house. my absolute favorite. the cheese and croutons have gotten a bit fancier but it is still the same old salad. a salad so good that my former roommate lish often serves it at her holiday table. it's a winner.

lemon caesar salad serves: 2 prep time: 5 minutes active time: 5 minutes total time: 10 minutes ingredients: 4 cups mixed greens or romaine lettuce (you want a lettuce mix that has some good crunch to it). .25 cup fresh grated parmesan. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 1 egg. 1 tbs worcestershire sauce. 2 tbs lemon juice. .25 cup olive oil. 1 cup seasoned croutons. pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. 

start by getting your garlic and oil soaking together for the dressing. 

in a bowl or jar, combine the minced garlic and olive oil. set it aside until right before it's time to dress the salad. you can do this step up to a day in advance. i often keep garlic olive oil on hand in the kitchen to use for all kinds of dishes. 

when you are ready to eat, toss your lettuce with a pinch of salt in a large bowl. 

top the lettuce with the parmesan and croutons. 

to finish the dressing, combine the egg with the olive oil garlic mixture, the worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice. 

whisk or shake until completely combined. 

lightly dress your salad to your taste. toss, season with fresh pepper and serve. 

xo, a

lemon caesar salad
serves: 2
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
total time: 10 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups mixed greens or romaine lettuce (you want a lettuce mix that has some good crunch to it). .25 cup fresh grated parmesan. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 1 egg. 1 tbs worcestershire sauce. 2 tbs lemon juice. .25 cup olive oil. 1 cup seasoned croutons. pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
start by getting your garlic and oil soaking together for the dressing. in a bowl or jar, combine the minced garlic and olive oil. set it aside until right before it's time to dress the salad. you can do this step up to a day in advance. i often keep garlic olive oil on hand in the kitchen to use for all kinds of dishes. when you are ready to eat, toss your lettuce with a pinch of salt in a large bowl. top the lettuce with the parmesan and croutons. to finish the dressing, combine the egg with the olive oil garlic mixture, the worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice. whisk or shake until completely combined. lightly dress your salad to your taste. toss, season with fresh pepper and serve. 

after a night away in palm springs, i'm feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. wes and i cooked our fist plated dinner party saturday night and it was AWESOME. since i left my former career in fashion for a life of cooking, it has definitely been a shock to my system. every event has been something brand new that i have never done before and i am TERRIBLE with nerves any time i do something new. 

basically i've been a nervous wreck for almost a year now. 

but saturday, for the first time since i started cooking professionally i actually FELT like a professional. the meal came out flawless, wes and i were in sync and the clients and their guests were thrilled. it was a home run. and there was no stress. i new we had it handled from prep to final clean up. and that feeling, is priceless. 

with my new found piece of mind, i'm getting back in the kitchen to whip up one of my favorite dishes from saturday night's meal. 

shrimp cakes + parsley aioli
serves: 4
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
inactive time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: 1 lb shrimp peeled, deveined & tails removed. 2 tbs garlic herb butter. 1 celery stalk, finely chopped. 1 shallot, finely chopped. 2 green onions, finely chopped. 2 tbs finely chopped bell pepper. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 3 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley. 1 cup panko (japanese bread crumbs). .25 cup mayonnaise. .25 cup greek yogurt. 1 egg. juice of .5 lemon. 1 tsp worcestershire sauce. 3 dashes hot sauce. 1 tbs salt. .5 tbs pepper. 3 tbs vegetable oil. mixed greens for serving.

start by patting your shrimp dry and seasoning it well with .5 tsp of the salt and .25 tsp of the pepper.

in a large pan, heat the butter over medium heat.

when the butter has melted, add in the shrimp in an even layer. 

cook, flipping once about 2 minutes aside. just till the shrimp is pink.

remove the shrimp from the heat and allow to cool to room temp. about 10 minutes. while the shrimp is cooking, reserve 1 tbs of the green onions and 1 tbs of the shallot. also reserve 1 tsp of garlic and 1 tsp of parsley. in a small bowl, combine the greek yogurt and mayonnaise and set it aside.

in a large bowl, combine the remaining green onions, shallots, garlic, parsley, the celery, the bell pepper and half the panko.

roughly mix everything together, season with 1 tsp salt and .5 tsp pepper and set it aside. in a food processor, chop the shrimp till it is in small chunks. you can always do this step by hand if need be.

add the shrimp, into the veggies and roughly mix. finely, add in the egg, half the greek yogurt and mayo mixture and stir till combined.

lay some parchment out on a baking sheet. using your hands, make eight equal sized cakes. 

pop the shrimp cakes into the freezer for them to chill for 10 minutes. while your shrimp cakes chill, make your aioli. add the remaining garlic, shallots, green onions and parsley to the remaining greek yogurt and mayo. stir in the worcestershire, hot sauce and lemon. season with remaining salt and pepper. 

set it back in the fridge till you are ready to serve.

once your cakes have chilled, heat the oil in a large cast iron or heavy skillet. while the oil heats, sprinkle the tops of all of your cakes with the remaining panko.

when the oil is hot (you will know it is hot enough if you drop a piece of panko in the oil and it sizzles), fry your cakes in batches, careful not to over crowd your pan. cook each cake until dark brown and crisped on both sides.

about 5 minutes a side.

when your cake is cooked, remove it to a drying rack or paper towel lined plate to dry off the excess oil.

serve hot with some mixed greens and parsley aioli. 

xo, a

shrimp cakes + parsley aioli
serves: 4
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
inactive time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: 1 lb shrimp peeled, deveined & tails removed. 2 tbs garlic herb butter. 1 celery stalk, finely chopped. 1 shallot, finely chopped. 2 green onions, finely chopped. 2 tbs finely chopped bell pepper. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 3 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley. 1 cup panko (japanese bread crumbs). .25 cup mayonnaise. .25 cup greek yogurt. 1 egg. juice of .5 lemon. 1 tsp worcestershire sauce. 3 dashes hot sauce. 1 tbs salt. .5 tbs pepper. 3 tbs vegetable oil. mixed greens for serving.
start by patting your shrimp dry and seasoning it well with .5 tsp of the salt and .25 tsp of the pepper. in a large pan, heat the butter over medium heat. when the butter has melted, add in the shrimp in an even layer. cook, flipping once about 2 minutes aside. just till the shrimp is pink. remove the shrimp from the heat and allow to cool to room temp. about 10 minutes. while the shrimp is cooking, reserve 1 tbs of the green onions and 1 tbs of the shallot. also reserve 1 tsp of garlic and 1 tsp of parsley. in a small bowl, combine the greek yogurt and mayonnaise and set it aside. in a large bowl, combine the remaining green onions, shallots, garlic, parsley, the celery, the bell pepper and half the panko. roughly mix everything together, season with 1 tsp salt and .5 tsp pepper and set it aside. in a food processor, chop the shrimp till it is in small chunks. you can always do this step by hand if need be. add the shrimp, into the veggies and roughly mix. finely, add in the egg, half the greek yogurt and mayo mixture and stir till combined. lay some parchment out on a baking sheet. using your hands, make eight equal sized cakes. pop the shrimp cakes into the freezer for them to chill for 10 minutes. while your shrimp cakes chill, make your aioli. add the remaining garlic, shallots, green onions and parsley to the remaining greek yogurt and mayo. stir in the worcestershire, hot sauce and lemon. season with the remaining salt and pepper. set it back in the fridge till you are ready to serve. once your cakes have chilled, heat the oil in a large cast iron or heavy skillet. while the oil heats, sprinkle the tops of all of your cakes with the remaining panko. when the oil is hot (you will know it is hot enough if you drop a piece of panko in the oil and it sizzles), fry your cakes in batches, careful not to over crowd your pan. cook each cake until dark brown and crisped on both sides. about 5 minutes a side. when your cake is cooked, remove it to a drying rack or paper towel lined plate to dry off the excess oil. serve hot with some mixed greens and parsley aioli.