it may be early in the season, but spring in california is in full bloom. the heavy (and rare) rain we had this winter created a "super bloom." which in my little secret garden means my marjoram has grown out of control. and i have the perfect solution for extra herbs. 

whether you can't possibly use all you are growing in your own garden, or you just purchased an overpriced pack of thyme at the market and you only used three sprigs for your recipe, drying herbs is simple. 

start by trimming and washing your herbs well. if you are cutting the herbs fresh from your garden, it is best to do it in the morning before the bright sun has a chance to wilt them. 

after washing the herbs well, pat them dry. 

remove as many of the leaves as you can from the stems. this could be a quick process for herbs like basil or parsley that are larger. for smaller herbs like thyme, oregano and marjoram it may take you a bit longer. if you have kids, this is a great task for little hands to help with. while you are removing the leaves from the stems, preheat your oven to 200 degrees f. 

once all your leaves are removed from the stems, once again pat them dry. 

place your leaves on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. 

place your baking sheet in the oven and use a rolled up dish towel an oven mitt to tent the oven (keeping it slightly ajar so air circulates). dry the herbs for 1 hour (might take a bit longer for larger herbs like basil). 

when the herbs have dried, allow them to cool. remove any remaining large stems. 

using your hands, a food processor or spice grinder, grind the herbs up into almost a powder. 

pour your freshly dried herbs into an airtight container. label and keep on hand for up to six months. 

xo, a

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.