before i was given a vine, i don't think i even knew what a passion fruit looked like let alone that they produce like crazy!

wes and i were given our purple passion fruit by his dad and stepmom for a holiday (i can't remember which) and when we received it, it was a vine maybe three feet tall. a year later, that same vine's roots busted through their plastic pot, expanded into the ground and proceeded to grow to cover a ten by twenty foot section of our side yard as well as growing up the side of our building. it got so crazy it was blocking the light into our neighbor's window and we had to cut it back. 

it's given us so much privacy, and even more than that, it provides us with passion fruit (also called lilikoi) 8 months out of the year. 

and the best thing to do with a passion fruit besides eating them as a tasty snack, is popping them into your favorite cocktail. 

watch out, this drink is dangerously smooth and easy to drink. 

passion fruit martini

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz passion fruit. .5 oz lime juice. .5 oz simple syrup. 1 cup ice. shaker.  martini glass. 

in the shaker, combine your ice and all of the ingredients. shake well till frothy and combined. about 30 seconds.

strain into your martini glass.

serve and enjoy. 

xo, a

passion fruit martini

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz passion fruit. .5 oz lime juice. .5 oz simple syrup. 1 cup ice. shaker.  martini glass. 

in the shaker, combine your ice and all of the ingredients. shake well till frothy and combined. about 30 seconds. strain into your martini glass. serve and enjoy. 

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.