last night, wes left for three weeks of work. he's headed to indian wells to work at the nobu pop up restaurant they have at the big tennis tournament. the restaurant is literally on the court. it is a great opportunity and he is super excited. 

i can't lie, i'm going to miss him. when i traveled fifty percent of the time for work for a few years, we weren't married and i was far less codependent. but it has been YEARS since we have spent more than two nights apart. i'm sure i'll get plenty of work done and spend time with friends and family, but i'll miss my best buddy. my kitchen copilot. the best coffee maker in town. 

but my first and last love is me. so i'm going to indulge in my favorite things while he is gone. starting with this cocktail. i've been anxiously waiting for the lavender plants to pop up at trader joe's and they have finally arrived. i love lavender. probably because it's so calming, and i could always use a bit of that. looking for an easy drinking, relaxing cocktail to prepare for the weekend? this is your jam. be careful. it goes down nice and easy. 

lemon + lavender whiskey smash

serves: 1 cocktail 

prep time: 3 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 4 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz rye whiskey. 1 oz fresh lemon juice. .5 oz simple syrup. 3 oz club soda. handful of lavender leaves. 1 cup crushed ice. 1 cup ice. lavender flower + lemon twist for garnish. shaker. 

start by filling your shaker with the regular ice and your serving glass with the crushed ice. in the shaker, add the whiskey, lemon juice and simple syrup. smash up the lavender leaves to release their oils and add them to the shaker.

add your twist and lavender garnish to the glass. shake your cocktail till well combined. about 30 seconds.strain the cocktail into your glass.  

top off with club soda and give it a good stir. 

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

lemon + lavender whiskey smash

serves: 1 cocktail 

prep time: 3 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 4 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz rye whiskey. 1 oz fresh lemon juice. .5 oz simple syrup. 3 oz club soda. handful of lavender leaves. 1 cup crushed ice. 1 cup ice. lavender flower + lemon twist for garnish. shaker. 

start by filling your shaker with the regular ice and your serving glass with the crushed ice. in the shaker, add the whiskey, lemon juice and simple syrup. smash up the lavender leaves to release their oils and add them to the shaker. add your twist and lavender garnish to the glass. shake your cocktail till well combined. about 30 seconds. strain the cocktail into your glass. top off with club soda and give it a good stir. serve and enjoy. 

deviled eggs have ALWAYS been one of my favorite snacks. they were one of the first dishes i ever learned to make. every year on easter, once the egg hunt was over, all i could think about was the deviled eggs. so i had my mom teach me so i wouldn't have to wait. i'm sure she was just happy to have one more task off her plate, but i was happy to whip up the eggs and then gobble up so many that i felt sick and ate little for dinner. worth it every time. 

but now, my eyes are open to all the amazing things that a deviled egg can be. sure, the classic version is pretty tasty, but imagine how much tastier they could be with spicy garlic sauce in the filling and covered with sweet and salty bacon, tomato and arugula. i know it doesn't sound possible, but they are even better than you imagine. 

spicy blt deviled eggs

serves: 16 eggs

prep time: 20 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 8 eggs. 3 tbs mayonnaise. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 tbs chili garlic sauce.  2 pieces brown sugar bacon, roughly chopped. 3 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced. 2 tbs roughly chopped arugula. .5 tsp kosher salt. large pot. colander. 

start by hard boiling your eggs. place the eggs in the large pot and cover with one inch of water. bring to a boil over medium heat. once the water boils, cover and let sit for twelve minutes. place the eggs in a colander and run them under cold water to stop the cooking and allow them to cool. halve your eggs and put the yolks into a medium bowl.

smash up the yolks well and then stir in the salt, chili garlic sauce, mayonnaise and dijon. make sure the mixture is well combined.

spoon or pipe your egg filling into the center of your eggs.

top with bacon, tomato and sprinkle with arugula.

serve room temp or cold. 

xo, a

spicy blt deviled eggs

serves: 16 eggs

prep time: 20 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 8 eggs. 3 tbs mayonnaise. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 tbs chili garlic sauce.  2 pieces brown sugar bacon, roughly chopped. 3 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced. 2 tbs roughly chopped arugula. .5 tsp kosher salt. large pot. colander. 

start by hard boiling your eggs. place the eggs in the large pot and cover with one inch of water. bring to a boil over medium heat. once the water boils, cover and let sit for twelve minutes. place the eggs in a colander and run them under cold water to stop the cooking and allow them to cool. halve your eggs and put the yolks into a medium bowl. smash up the yolks well and then stir in the salt, chili garlic sauce, mayonnaise and dijon. make sure the mixture is well combined. spoon or pipe your egg filling into the center of your eggs. top with bacon, tomato and sprinkle with arugula. serve room temp or cold.