i am pouring my drink extra tall and extra stiff today my friends. what a crazy day. 

this week was pretty much planned downed to the second due to a full week of teaching at two different studios, three different pools and my new class at volcom. to cap it off, i had seven cakes on order for the weekend. starting off strong with three on friday. 

last night, i was up into the wee hours of the morning getting lemon, chocolate and carrot cakes baked off to fill todays orders. i woke up around seven-thirty this morning to get all my frosting, decor and chilling done before my cakes were off for a three pm pick up and a seven-thirty pm drop off. or so i thought. 

until i got THE call. i was enjoying my morning coffee, setting up my cake, station when an unknown number called. i had a gut feeling to answer even though i usually let unknown calls (they are way to commonly solicitors) go to voicemail. it was my seven-thirty client. calling to ask me where i was. because the delivery was actually for seven-thirty in the MORNING. as in, about forty minutes ago. 

luckily, she was amazingly understanding and we chuckled at the miscommunication. i was able to bust the cake out and get it to her by their lunchtime celebration, but it sent my whole day into a downward spiral of rushing, stress and flying frosting. 

but i made it to the finish line. and so did you. so let's celebrate with a drink that tastes good, requires little effort and will get you buzzed. we earned it. 

blackberry gin rickey
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 6 oz club soda. 1 juicy lime, halved. 1 tsp sugar. 5 blackberries. strainer. 1 cup ice.

start by cutting one half of your lime into 4 wedges. with the remaining half, slice off a wheel for garnish and reserve. place your ice in a tall glass. pour in the gin and squeeze the limes into the glass. 

place your blackberries and sugar in the strainer and use your fingers, a spoon or a muddler to smash the blackberries. throw in two of the lime wedges. place your strainer over the glass.

press the blackberry juice through the strainer till all the liquid has stained through. 

top the drink off with club soda. 

garnish with the lime wheel and serve. 

xo, a

blackberry gin rickey
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 6 oz club soda. 1 juicy lime, halved. 1 tsp sugar. 5 blackberries. strainer. 1 cup ice.
start by cutting one half of your lime into 4 wedges. with the remaining half, slice off a wheel for garnish and reserve. place your ice in a tall glass. pour in the gin and squeeze the limes into the glass. throw in two of the lime wedges. place your strainer over the glass. place your blackberries and sugar in the strainer and use your fingers, a spoon or a muddler to smash the blackberries. press the blackberry juice through the strainer till all the liquid has stained through. top the drink off with club soda. garnish with the lime wheel and serve. 

a while back, i spent a thursday tips & tricks focused on the value of having a serrated knife in your arsenal. but when it comes to knife knowledge, we were just scraping the surface. so today, i'm diving a bit deeper on all you would need to know when it comes to your knife options. 

one of the best things my professionally trained husband has instilled in me is using the right tool for the right job. and no where in the kitchen is that truer than when it comes to your knives. before we dive in on the different types of knives and what you need them for, there are a couple important things you need to know before you bust out the sharp stuff. it is CRUCIALLY important to keep your knives SHARP. more people cut themselves with dull knives after trying to force the knife through the intended slicing and dicing subject. it is recommended to use a honing steel or rod as often as you use your knives (with the exception for the serrated, that will need to be sharpened). if you use your knives regularly, you will also want to get your knives sharpened professionally every 4-6 months. less if you don't use them often. ALWAYS wipe and store your knives after use. and NEVER put your knives in the dishwasher. good knives are an investment. wes has had is first set in great working shape for almost twenty years. alright. 

now that that is covered, on to the knives!

now, the above labelled knives are just a wee bit of what is actually out there in the way of knives, but these are the knives i think are the most valuable for the home cook who really wants to crush it in the kitchen. remember, the right tool for the right job is vital to safety and ease. now some of the above knives are really specialty. the main knives you want to prioritize having on hand are the paring knife, chef's knife and the serrated knife. with those three, you should be able to accomplish any task. but to make things even easier you could invest in the following knives

• slicing knife - amazing for slicing larger meats like prime rib and brisket or slicing cake layers like butter.

• santoku - a smaller alternative to a chef's knife. a great all around knife that is also great for scraping things from a cutting board due to it's wide blade. i was personally very drawn the santoku knives in the beginning because i have small hands and it was much more manageable when i my knife skills were not yet up to snuff. 

• steak - perfect for giving to your guests when serving steak, chicken or pork. a butter knife just won't cut it and you don't want to be handing or passing around your paring knives. 

• fillet - long, slim blade that has a bit of flex to it. ideal for filleting or removing skin from fish. 

and now, on to the main event. the three work horses of the kitchen. 

• chef's knife - a larger, long blade with a pointed end. ideal for breaking down poultry or trimming up beef or pork. the rounded blade makes it ideal for the rocking motion required of chopping lots of herbs, vegetables and fruit. your most versatile, every day knife. great first knife. 

• paring knife - basically the baby version of your chef's knife. it has the capabilities of the it's larger brother, but it is necessary for more delicate tasks. great for garlic, and smaller fruits and veggies. 

• serrated knife - for the full break down of the serrated knife you can read it's own blog post HERE. but it is ideal for tomatoes and slicing bread. if you do not use an insanely sharp knife or a serrated knife, you will smash tomatoes while slicing them and all the delicious insides will squirt out. there is also no other way to cut bread. any other knife will smash your bread beyond recognition. 

i hope this helped shed some light on the ins and outs of kitchen knives. sharp knives and the right tool will make cooking fun and enjoyable instead of challenging and stressful. 

xo, a