the spring gods are shining down on us. it’s supposed to be in the high seventies/low eighties all weekend long in orange county and i am foot loose and catering free. so i will be enjoying this glorious weekend with an easy drinking, warm weather cocktail. and what says sunny weather more than a margarita?

nothing.

cooling cucumber makes this margarita go down really SMOOTH. be careful, the first one will practically drink itself, so you may just need to make two.

cucumber & cilantro margarita

serves: 1 cocktail

pre time: 3 minutes

active time: 2 minutes

total time: 5 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz tequila. 2 oz cucumber juice (i juiced 1 cucumber and got about 6 oz of cucumber juice. if you do not have a juicer, you can purée the cucumber and strain the juice with a mesh strainer. it took me about 2 minutes). 1 oz triple sec. .5 oz orange juice, small orange wedge for garnish optional. .5 oz lime juice. 15 cilantro leaves + an extra sprig for garnish. 2 cups of ice. shaker. muddler.

in the base of your shaker, combine the tequila and the cilantro leaves.

muddle until the cilantro is smashed to bits and the tequila is green in color.

pour in the triple sec, the juices and pour in half the ice. shake well till everything is well combined and chilled.

fill your serving glass with ice and strain in the contents of the shaker. into the glass.

garnish with orange and cilantro.

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

cucumber & cilantro margarita

serves: 1 cocktail

pre time: 3 minutes

active time: 2 minutes

total time: 5 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz tequila. 2 oz cucumber juice (i juiced 1 cucumber and got about 6 oz of cucumber juice. if you do not have a juicer, you can purée the cucumber and strain the juice with a mesh strainer. it took me about 2 minutes). 1 oz triple sec. .5 oz orange juice, small orange wedge for garnish optional. .5 oz lime juice. 15 cilantro leaves + an extra sprig for garnish. 2 cups of ice. shaker. muddler.

in the base of your shaker, combine the tequila and the cilantro leaves. muddle until the cilantro is smashed to bits and the tequila is green in color. pour in the triple sec, the juices and pour in half the ice. shake well till everything is well combined and chilled. fill your serving glass with ice and strain in the contents of the shaker. into the glass. garnish with orange and cilantro. serve and enjoy.

there are few times of the year more exciting than when spring starts to show her colors. even the slightest spike in temperature has people racing to their tank tops and sandals. and i am no exception.

our yard work is nearly complete and we have replanted ninety percent of our small but mighty side yard garden space. and while i am anxiously waiting for all my strawberries and tomatoes to start producing, all the green things in the garden are going wild.

i have been on a bit of a pasta kick lately. it truly is my first culinary love and i’ve been working on new shapes, flavors and colors to bring to all of our spring menus.

our gorgeous garden greens (nasturtium leave, kale and arugula) bring flavor, color and nutritional value to a simple and delicious spring spaghetti.

garlic & spring green spaghetti

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs spaghetti (fresh if you can get your hands on it or want to make it yourself). 8 oz mixed spring greens (i used nasturtium leaves, kale, chard and arugula that we had in the garden but you could do any combination of your favorite greens). 2 tbs olive oil. 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced. zest and juice of 1 lemon. ..5 cup parmesan cheese + extra for garnish. 25 cup bread crumbs. 1 tbs + 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by filling a pot with water and 1 tbs of salt. you want to cook your pasta with water like the ocean. bring your water to a boil. cook your pasta to your package instructions. if you are cooking fresh pasta, it should only take 1.5-2 minutes to cook. if you are using fresh, wait to cook it till your greens are cooked. if you are cooking dried pasta, start it as soon as your water boils. while your pasta cooks, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. once your oil is hot, add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant. about 30 second to a minute.

add in your greens and your lemon juice, season with the salt and pepper and cook until they wilt down. 3-5 minutes depending on how hearty your greens are.

turn off the heat and add in the lemon zest.

add in your cooked pasta, .5 cup of paremsan cheese, half the bread crumbs.

stir well till everything is combined.

serve hot with with extra parmesan and bread crumbs and enjoy.

xo, a

garlic & spring green spaghetti

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs spaghetti (fresh if you can get your hands on it or want to make it yourself). 8 oz mixed spring greens (i used nasturtium leaves, kale, chard and arugula that we had in the garden but you could do any combination of your favorite greens). 2 tbs olive oil. 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced. zest and juice of 1 lemon. ..5 cup parmesan cheese + extra for garnish. 25 cup bread crumbs. 1 tbs + 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by filling a pot with water and 1 tbs of salt. you want to cook your pasta with water like the ocean. bring your water to a boil. cook your pasta to your package instructions. if you are cooking fresh pasta, it should only take 1.5-2 minutes to cook. if you are using fresh, wait to cook it till your greens are cooked. if you are cooking dried pasta, start it as soon as your water boils. while your pasta cooks, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. once your oil is hot, add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant. about 30 second to a minute. add in your greens and your lemon juice, season with the salt and pepper and cook until they wilt down. 3-5 minutes depending on how hearty your greens are. turn off the heat and add in the lemon zest. add in your cooked pasta, .5 cup of paremsan cheese, half the bread crumbs. stir well till everything is combined. serve hot with with extra parmesan and bread crumbs and enjoy.