i have said it before and i will say it again. wes is a badass.

sure, he drives me crazy like any good spouse, but he earned insane brownie (see what i did there) points this week when he pulled up all our nasty old carpet and replaced the flooring. for less than the price of a good rug, he was able to transform our living space into a lighter, brighter, cleaner space. right in time for our bun to come out of the oven.

if you ask me, he DESERVES a big, FAT cocktail for all his hard work. he loves a sweet, spicy marg, and this cocktail is exactly that.

el jefé honeydew margarita

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 oz tequila. .5 oz fresh lime juice. .5 oz triple sec. 1 cup chopped honeydew melon. 3 small slices of jalapeño. here is where you have control over the spice level. if you want it spicy, leave the membrane and seeds in. if you want it more mild, remove the seeds and membrane. 2 cups ice. blender or food processor. shaker. strainer. optional edible flowers and basil leaves for garnish.

start by making your spicy honeydew purée. in the bowl of your blender or food processor, blend up the melon and jalapeño. add half the ice to your shaker along with the tequila, lime juice and triple sec.

pour in 4 oz of your melon purée (you may or may not have a little extra purée left over). s

hake the mixture vigorously until frothy and well combined. fill your serving glass with ice. strain the contents of the shaker into your serving glass.

garnish with basil leaves and edible flowers if you are using them. serve and enjoy.

xo, a

el jefé honeydew margarita

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 oz tequila. .5 oz fresh lime juice. .5 oz triple sec. 1 cup chopped honeydew melon. 3 small slices of jalapeño. here is where you have control over the spice level. if you want it spicy, leave the membrane and seeds in. if you want it more mild, remove the seeds and membrane. 2 cups ice. blender or food processor. shaker. strainer. optional edible flowers and basil leaves for garnish.

start by making your spicy honeydew purée. in the bowl of your blender or food processor, blend up the melon and jalapeño. add half the ice to your shaker along with the tequila, lime juice and triple sec. pour in 4 oz of your melon purée (you may or may not have a little extra purée left over). shake the mixture vigorously until frothy and well combined. fill your serving glass with ice. strain the contents of the shaker into your serving glass. garnish with basil leaves and edible flowers if you are using them. serve and enjoy.

over the years i have made no secret about the fact that i am in love with tomatoes. fresh summer tomatoes from the vine are unparalleled as far as i’m concerned. and now that my friend’s and family’s tomato plants are pumping out plump summer gems, i’m getting many texts and emails asking me what to do with them.

and my best advice is to keep it simple. don’t put them in your fridge. don’t cook them. don’t marinate them. try to eat them in their rawest forms as soon as you can. each different variety (try as many as you can from your market or produce store while they are in season and at their best) has it’s own unique flavor. i like to enhance those flavors with a little salt on the tomato itself and rich, bold, but cooling flavors to enhance the sweet, tangy flavor of tomatoes. pistachios, sharp stilton blue cheese and peppery arugula really increase the glory of summer tomatoes in this dish.

the best part is, no cooking required (no one wants to turn on the stove or oven right now) and can be made up in a matter of minutes.

stilton & summer tomato salad with chimichurri

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lb mixed summer tomatoes, sliced about one fourth an inch thick. 4 cups arugula. .5 cup sliced stilton cheese. .25 cup pistachios, roughly chopped. 1 tbs chopped fresh chives. 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley. 1 tbs chopped fresh basil. .5 cup olive oil. .25 cup red wine vinegar. 1 tbs honey. .1 tsp minced garlic. 5 tsp red pepper flakes (you can leave this out if you don’t want your dish to be spicy at all). 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by making your chimichurri. combine the herbs, oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, half the salt and pepper and the pepper flakes together in a bowl. stir well to combine and set aside.

layer your tomatoes onto a platter. season with the remaining salt and pepper.

top with arugula, stilton and sprinkle with the pistachios.

drizzle your chimichurri over the salad.

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

stilton & summer tomato salad with chimichurri

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lb mixed summer tomatoes, sliced about one fourth an inch thick. 4 cups arugula. .5 cup sliced stilton cheese. .25 cup pistachios, roughly chopped. 1 tbs chopped fresh chives. 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley. 1 tbs chopped fresh basil. .5 cup olive oil. .25 cup red wine vinegar. 1 tbs honey. 1 tsp minced garlic. .5 tsp red pepper flakes (you can leave this out if you don’t want your dish to be spicy at all). 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by making your chimichurri. combine the herbs, oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, half the salt and pepper and the pepper flakes together in a bowl. stir well to combine and set aside. layer your tomatoes onto a platter. season with the remaining salt and pepper. top with arugula, stilton and sprinkle with the pistachios. drizzle your chimichurri over the salad. serve and enjoy.