i know, i know. i've been missing in action the last week. all good problems. busy, busy catering weekends. it seems that wes and i now do 90% of our business thursday-sunday. and then we still have to, you know, clean our house, clean our clothes, feed ourselves. we basically go into recovery mode. 

but that is not what i want to talk to you about today. instead, i want to wish you all a VERY happy valentine's day. i LOVE love. even when single, love is ALL around. i know, i know. every single person reading this just did an eye roll. half the attached readers were eye rolling just the same. but it is TRUE. sure, i love my husband, but i also love the sun on my face. i love driving by the ocean with the windows down. i love my parents, my brothers and a list of friends so long you would stop reading. i definitely love my cat junior.

and i'll say it and you should too. the thing i love most, is me. i wake up with myself every day, and go to bed with myself every night. so tomorrow, show love to whatever, whoever it is that you love. even if the only person is yourself. 

happy valentine's day. you deserve it. 

lemon + raspberry scones

serves: 8-12 scones

prep time: 15 minutes

bake time: 12-15 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 3 cups all purpose flour. 1 tbs baking powder. .5 tsp salt. 8 tbs cold unsalted butter, cut up. .5 cup sugar. .66 cup whole milk. 1 tsp lemon zest + 1 tbs lemon juice. 10 raspberries roughly chopped up. 

start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees f. then, in a medium bowl (larger than the one i used since i have such terrible spacial awareness) combine the 2.5 cups of the flour, the salt and the baking powder.

add in the butter and using your hands or a pastry cutter, massage the butter into the flour till your flour has become thicker and heavier with the butter and there are no longer any big chunks of butter, just little tiny sand grains of butter and flour.

add in your zest and sugar and mix to combine.

pour in the milk and begin to mix using a wooden spoon or your hands. when the dough starts to come together into a lost, sticky mixture, cover a clean surface with the remaining flour and turn the dough out onto it.

start to knead your dough just until it starts to come together.

gently fold in the chopped raspberries and form your dough into a big disk. slice the dough into 8-12 scones depending on how big you like them.

place them on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. until starting to get lightly golden on the edges.

remove of the oven. cool till you can handle and enjoy warm or at room temperature. 

xo, a

lemon + raspberry scones

serves: 8-12 scones

prep time: 15 minutes

bake time: 12-15 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 3 cups all purpose flour. 1 tbs baking powder. .5 tsp salt. 8 tbs cold unsalted butter, cut up. .5 cup sugar. .66 cup whole milk. 1 tsp lemon zest + 1 tbs lemon juice. 10 raspberries roughly chopped up. 

start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees f. then, in a medium bowl (larger than the one i used since i have such terrible spacial awareness) combine the 2.5 cups of the flour, the salt and the baking powder. add in the butter and using your hands or a pastry cutter, massage the butter into the flour till your flour has become thicker and heavier with the butter and there are no longer any big chunks of butter, just little tiny sand grains of butter and flour. add in your zest and sugar and mix to combine. pour in the milk and begin to mix using a wooden spoon or your hands. when the dough starts to come together into a lost, sticky mixture, cover a clean surface with the remaining flour and turn the dough out onto it. start to knead your dough just until it starts to come together. gently fold in the chopped raspberries and form your dough into a big disk. slice the dough into 8-12 scones depending on how big you like them. place them on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. until starting to get lightly golden on the edges. remove of the oven. cool till you can handle and enjoy warm or at room temperature. 

this week i decided that if i could only live with one fruit for the rest of my life, i'm going with blood orange. now, i really hope that doesn't happen since i use a plethora of fruit year round (thank you southern california & globalization). but if it did happen, blood orange would be my best gal. 

unfortunately, they are seasonal and i can only get them for a few months out of the year. but for those few months, i go big on blood orange. and today is no exception. check with your local grocer or produce store and see if you can get your hands on some. they are less tart and less sweet than a regular orange but have amazing orange flavor.  if you can't get your hands on some blood orange (or you don't dream about them at night like me), you could make this light and delicious olive oil cake with regular oranges, grapefruit or any other favorite citrus. OR, you could even skip the citrus if you are looking for a tasty treat thats not too sweet, but still feels very indulgent. 

blood orange olive oil cake + blood orange glaze

serves: 8-10

prep time: 10 minutes

bake time: 30 minutes

cool time :20 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 3 blood oranges (or sub 1 grapefruit or pomelo, 2 larger oranges, 3 lemons or 5 limes) zested and juiced. 7 tbs melted butter + 1 tbs soft butter. .75 cup olive oil. 3 tbs milk at room temperature. 4 eggs at room temperature. 1 cup sugar. 1.75 cups all purpose flour, plus 2 tbs extra for dusting the pan.. 1.5 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp kosher salt. 2 cups powdered sugar. 1 bundt or an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan. hand mixer or stand mixer. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. combine the 1.75 cups of flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside. then whisk together the olive oil, 7 tbs of melted butter and the milk. set that with the dry ingredients.

then in a bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl with a hand mixer, combine the eggs, zest and 1 cup sugar. start on a medium low speed to combine your ingredients and once combined, turn the mixer up to high and mix until the it turns light yellow in color and is thickened a bit. about 2 to 3 minutes. 

while your beating the sugar and eggs together, butter and flour your baking pan so that the cake will easily slide form the pan after baking. when our batter has thickened, alternate adding your dry and wet ingredients both starting and ending with your dry ingredients.  blend until just combined. 1-2 minutes.

pour your batter into your prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 - 30 minutes depending on the depth of your pan. start checking your cake at about 20 minutes. when a toothpick comes out of the cake clean it is done.

remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. while the cake is cooling, make your glaze. if you make your glaze in advance, cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin on the top from developing. it is just the wet sugar drying when it hits the air, so if a skin does form, just recombine and it should be worked right back into your glaze.

to make your glaze, combine the blood orange juice and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and whisk well till all the lumps are out. about 2 minutes. if your glaze is a bit too dry, you can add in water 1 tsp at a time till you get a nice consistency.

you want your glaze to ribbon back into the bowl when you pull it up with the whisk. if the glaze is too wet and runny, you can add in some powdered sugar 1 tbs at a time till you get the desired consistency.

when the cake has cooled, turn it out onto a wire rack.drizzle the cake with your glaze.

serve or store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

xo, a

blood orange olive oil cake + blood orange glaze

serves: 8-10

prep time: 10 minutes

bake time: 30 minutes

cool time :20 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 3 blood oranges (or sub 1 grapefruit or pomelo, 2 larger oranges, 3 lemons or 5 limes) zested and juiced. 7 tbs melted butter + 1 tbs soft butter. .75 cup olive oil. 3 tbs milk at room temperature. 4 eggs at room temperature. 1 cup sugar. 1.75 cups all purpose flour, plus 2 tbs extra for dusting the pan.. 1.5 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp kosher salt. 2 cups powdered sugar. 1 bundt or an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan. hand mixer or stand mixer. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. combine the 1.75 cups of flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside. then whisk together the olive oil, 7 tbs of melted butter and the milk. set that with the dry ingredients. then in a bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl with a hand mixer, combine the eggs, zest and 1 cup sugar. start on a medium low speed to combine your ingredients and once combined, turn the mixer up to high and mix until the it turns light yellow in color and is thickened a bit. about 2 to 3 minutes. while your beating the sugar and eggs together, butter and flour your baking pan so that the cake will easily slide form the pan after baking. when our batter has thickened, alternate adding your dry and wet ingredients both starting and ending with your dry ingredients.  blend until just combined. 1-2 minutes. pour your batter into your prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 - 30 minutes depending on the depth of your pan. start checking your cake at about 20 minutes. when a toothpick comes out of the cake clean it is done. remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. while the cake is cooling, make your glaze. if you make your glaze in advance, cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin on the top from developing. it is just the wet sugar drying when it hits the air, so if a skin does form, just recombine and it should be worked right back into your glaze. to make your glaze, combine the blood orange juice and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and whisk well till all the lumps are out. about 2 minutes. if your glaze is a bit too dry, you can add in water 1 tsp at a time till you get a nice consistency. you want your glaze to ribbon back into the bowl when you pull it up with the whisk. if the glaze is too wet and runny, you can add in some powdered sugar 1 tbs at a time till you get the desired consistency. when the cake has cooled, turn it out onto a wire rack. drizzle the cake with your glaze. serve or store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.