it is amazing what a difference just twenty-four hours can make. sunday, wes and i catered for one of my besties lish. we were celebrating her daughter's first birthday and baptism. it has been in the works for months and we had a full plate (pun intended) as far as what we were handling. lunch for thirty-five, four cakes (all different flavors), and a few dozen painted and dipped cookie favors had us prepping for days in advance. 

after months of planning and days of prep, the morning of the party shit was hitting the fan. yeah i said it. nothing was cooperating. i was STRESSED. level 10 stressed. we were in the weeds. luckily, wes has MUCH more experience than i do and was able to calm and focus me to power through to the finish. the party was beautiful, the food delicious and our little birthday girl had a blast. 

twenty-four hours later (eleven of which were sleeping), i felt more calm, relaxed and rested than i had in months. thankfully, come thursday the cakes and catering ramp back up, but i'm soaking up every moment of calm before the storm. and i'm going to savor all the leftovers i have from one of sunday's best dishes. 

balsamic stewed berries & ricotta toast
serves: 12 toast
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: .5 cup ricotta (you can make your own HERE which i promise is worth it and very easy, OR you can purchase some at the store. it is worth it to spend a few extra dollars on a good quality ricotta for anything you will be eating it straight up.). 12 slices from your favorite baguette or other bread you like. 6 oz blueberries. 6 oz raspberries. 6 oz blackberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup balsamic vinegar. pinch of kosher salt. edible flower petals for garnish (i used geraniums from my garden). 

start by making your stewed berries. combine the berries, sugar, vinegar and salt in a medium sized sauce pot. cook the berries over medium, low heat until the berries have broken down to half their sizes and all the liquid has cooked down. 

the consistency should be similar to that of a jam. it should take about 45 minutes and you should stir it every 5-7 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly. while your berries stew, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. 

when your berries are done and cooling, toast your bread. on a baking sheet, spread out the bread evenly and toast for 7-8 minutes till lightly toasted. 

remove the toasts and allow to cool till you can handle. 

spread each toast with a bit of the ricotta. 

top each with a spoonful of stewed berries. garnish with flower petals and serve warm. 

xo, a

balsamic stewed berries & ricotta toast
serves: 12 toast
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: .5 cup ricotta (you can make your own HERE which i promise is worth it and very easy, OR you can purchase some at the store. it is worth it to spend a few extra dollars on a good quality ricotta for anything you will be eating it straight up.). 12 slices from your favorite baguette or other bread you like. 6 oz blueberries. 6 oz raspberries. 6 oz blackberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup balsamic vinegar. pinch of kosher salt. edible flower petals for garnish (i used geraniums from my garden).
start by making your stewed berries. combine the berries, sugar, vinegar and salt in a medium sized sauce pot. cook the berries over medium, low heat until the berries have broken down to half their sizes and all the liquid has cooked down. the consistency should be similar to that of a jam. it should take about 45 minutes and you should stir it every 5-7 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly. while your berries stew, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. when your berries are done and cooling, toast your bread. on a baking sheet, spread out the bread evenly and toast for 7-8 minutes till lightly toasted. remove the toasts and allow to cool till you can handle. spread each toast with a bit of the ricotta. top each with a spoonful of stewed berries. garnish with flower petals and serve warm. 

i took a few days off from EVERYTHING this week to go visit my brother in vancouver, bc. he has been living there for closing in on two years and wes and i were FINALLY able to take some time off to go see him. and man oh man, what a city. 

obviously, seeing my brother and his life there was the highlight of the trip, but vancouver has A LOT to offer. the city nestled up against the mountains and the water is physically stunning. but more than that, the people were so kind, friendly and helpful. and the FOOD. THE FOOD!!!!

we had some seriously beautiful meals in vancouver. top five meals of all time kind of meals. there were many great restaurants and dishes, but none more inspiring than our dinner the last night at kissa tanto. i am a sucker for a fusion restaurant because i'm greedy. but a place that combines my two favorites, japanese and italian? now that is just a set up for heaven. and heaven it was. 

i'm back, i'm inspired, and i'm cooking all weekend long. we are catering for my good friend lish this weekend and i'll be using that stockpile of food inspiration i accumulated over the trip. and today's cocktail is no exception. 

the best food, has the best ingredients. so for happy hour i'm using the freshest things i've got. some beautiful golden pears and thyme picked fresh from my garden make a clean, herbaceous drink that goes down dangerously easy. be prepared, you will likely want a second. 

pear + thyme fall classic
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin (or vodka if you prefer). 1 oz triple sec. 2 tbs diced ripe pear. 5 oz lemon soda. 3 sprigs thyme. shaker. 2 cups ice. 

start by filling your shaker with ice. reserve one sprig of thyme and pull the leaves from the other two. smash the leaves between your hands to release the oils. 

place the thyme leaves, gin, triple sec and pears in the shaker. shake well to combine. 30 seconds.

fill your serving glass with ice and your remaining sprig of thyme. pour in the contents of your shaker. 

fill the glass with the lemon soda. 

give it a stir and serve.

xo,a

pear + thyme fall classic
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ngredients: 2 oz gin (or vodka if you prefer). 1 oz triple sec. 2 tbs diced ripe pear. 5 oz lemon soda. 3 sprigs thyme. shaker. 2 cups ice. start by filling your shaker with ice. reserve one sprig of thyme and pull the leaves from the other two. smash the leaves between your hands to release the oils. place the thyme leaves, gin, triple sec and pears in the shaker. shake well to combine. 30 seconds. fill your serving glass with ice and your remaining sprig of thyme. pour in the contents of your shaker. fill the glass with the lemon soda. give it a stir and serve.