Writing this one quickly because I’m in an uber to one of my favorite restaurants in DC - Ox + Olive - for their restaurant week dinner.

They have an appetizer that I order every single time - mini hot dogs served with caviar on top.

This recipe can be elevated in the same way as you’ll see in the photo.

Ingredients

• ¾ box of pasta - shells or pipe rigate would be my shape of choice

• ½ block of velveeta (or 3 of the individually wrapped fresh packs)

• 2 tbsp butter

• ½ cup milk

• 2 30g tins of Imperial Caviar - I love Ossetra and Kaluga

• salt + pepper to taste

• Optional: bread crumbs, sharp white cheddar

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook your pasta until al dente, read the package instructions and subtract 1-2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest

2. Cut the velveeta into small blocks. Put the cooked pasta back in your pot and turn the heat to low. Add in velveeta, milk, and butter. Stir then cover for a few minutes to let it melt. Stir again and add a splash of pasta water.

3. Once cheese is fully melted turn the heat off and season with salt and pepper to taste. Split into plates and serve unless you want to bake it!

4. Optional baking instructions: Mix 1 cup of panko bread crumbs with garlic salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Preheat oven to 400° F.

5. Transfer to an oven safe baking dish and shred cheddar cheese over the top of the mac and cheese. Measure with your heart. Then sprinkle seasoned bread crumbs over that.

6. Bake for 5-8 minutes, until the cheddar is melted and the bread crumbs are golden brown.

7. Remove from the oven and serve!

To take things up a notch: serve with a couple tins of Imperial Caviar! This is a fun way to make my favorite comfort food a little more couture because life is too short to not be a little silly when we can. The creamy melty cheese pairs so well with the salty briny caviar.

Perfect for comfort food, dinner with friends, date night at home, a little celebration, or just because!

You can use the code HONEY15 for 15% more Imperia Caviar in your order.

My favorite hack for taco night is making a quick sauce using mayo, sour cream, milk, and a ranch seasoning packet. Don’t mess with a good thing!! Hidden Valley even sells their ranch seasoning in bulk… Kris and I learned that from the chef at one of our favorite restaurants who uses is it for his mashed potatoes. Mind blown.

This ranch dressing has canned green chiles, hot sauce, and cilantro. It adds flavor without being overpowering.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayo

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1 packet of ranch seasoning

• 2 oz (1/2 can) of green chiles (use the other half in your tacos + side dishes!)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon of your favorite Cholula hot sauce (I use original for this)

• 1/3 cup cilantro

Instructions:

1. Add everything except the cilantro into your blender, blend until smooth and fully combined. Add the cilantro in and pulse a few times.

2. Serve immediately OR refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors mingle, then serve.

3. Pour into a jar and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Two of my friends visited this past weekend and I knew to save space for dinner at home in our itinerary. While I’ve known Corey and Baylee for 18 and 11 years respectively, it’s been over 5 years since I last cooked something for them. So dinner at home was our whole plan for Friday night!

When it comes to menu planning, I’ve learned to stick with the things I know really well. Cooking for a group introduces complexities with timing, plating, serving sizes etc so I usually try to test out new recipes or methods when it’s just me who has to suffer the consequences of a flop.

Have you ever tried something new when you have friends coming over and even though you researched and planned and followed the recipe, something still goes awry? It’s a very stressful. It feels awful. Everyone is nice about it but you reach for your phone to order a pity pizza.

Still I always get an itch to try something new and impressive. This time, I scratched. Corey and Baylee were around when I first started @honeyibaked (aka the steepest part of my learning curve) so I’m sure they tasted a few questionable things back in the day. And luckily everything worked out beautifully!

This beef barbacoa was so good that I immediately made it again (three days later). It’s all I’ve been eating for several days now and I’m not sick of it.

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The reactions I’ve gotten have been the best part:

“Holy smokes!! This looks AMAZING”

“DID YOU TRY THIS??? Oh my god!!”

“It could be a controlled substance”

“This is so good. I’m mad. Should have had a baby so long ago”

Center Stage: Beef Barbacoa

Braising meat in the oven is so simple and yet I’ve always had a weird mental block stopping me from trying. I love braised short ribs and I’ve watched so many videos, I just assumed because it’s such a special dish that there must be something difficult about it. But the beauty of cooking is that it’s an art not a science and sometimes that doesn’t translate well in videos and written recipes. This barbacoa is forgiving, you can cook it a little longer or use extra onion and it’s still beautiful.

So far we’ve used it for tacos, rice bowls, breakfast tacos, and grilled cheese. Maybe enchiladas next? Or a topping for a bowl of queso, OMG.

Side Characters

These are my favorite side dishes for taco night. Also great for burritos, fajitas, rice bowls, a plate of nachos, etc. I worked on these while the barbacoa was in the oven. There’s a lot that can be done ahead of time - from prepping ingredients to making all of it a day in advance.

They also make fantastic leftovers.

Toppings

I’ve gotten in a habit of using ranch dressing seasoning packets to make a quick sauce with mayo, sour cream, milk, and a few other easy ingredients. Here are two tried and true and yummy versions I’ve made in the past! This time I made one with hot sauce, green chiles, and cilantro - should I post that one too?

A few more for good measure

• Pickled Red Onion: I am working on updating my recipe because I’m about to make a new batch!

• Onion + Cilantro Stems: finely dice 1/2 of a white onion and about 15-20 cilantro stems. Add in a squeeze of lime juice. You can also add finely diced jalapeno.

• More cotija… sprinkled on everything!

Last week I wrote about the art of trying and learning new things and challenged myself to try/ learn/ do a few new things. Other than the barbacoa we just yapped about, here are a few things that were new to me!

• I went to Mount Vernon for the first time and love learning more about our first (my favorite) President, George Washington. If you’re in DC I highly recommend taking the time to visit and sign up for one of their tours!

• I dropped off chicken noodle soup last week as part of a meal train for our friends who just had their first baby. This is something I’ve always wanted to do but my friends with babies live in other cities. I loved knowing that whatever I was dropping off was easing some sort of burden, even just a little bit. I loved it so much I dropped off this whole taco night menu on Monday.

• Dirty martini… hear me out! I’ve tried sips of my friends’ martinis before but this time I actually really enjoyed it and ordered my own. Baylee even let me eat her olives which was a selling point.

I still need to try the Fishwife basil mussels in my pantry… maybe for lunch tomorrow? We’ve had so many leftovers in our fridge I haven’t needed to pull them out! My dear friend Mackenzie said they’re great and I should eat them out of the tin with crackers but I’m still thinking a quick pasta.

And here are a couple of things I want to learn or try over the next week:

• Something on the grill: I’m thinking either pizza or scallops. I ordered scallop shells last week and am looking for a good pizza stone online right now.

• More about Salt: I’m ‘reading’ the Salt book that went viral on social media but I haven’t picked it up in a couple of weeks. It’s time to put down my phone and pick up the pages (something I say to myself every week). Kris is probably laughing reading this, he knows that as much as I love talking about Salt, the book is on my nightstand waiting for attention.

• VIKINGS. They come up in the Salt book and my lack of knowledge made me want to go down a rabbit hole. I’ve found a couple documentaries to watch and I’ll report back if they’re worth watching.

As always, thank you for reading. I hope you got something out of it.

xoxo,

Anna

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We’re using 2 cheeses: manchego for a melty creaminess and cotija for a crumbly saltiness.

Serving: you can use this as a side dish, a topping for tacos + bowls, or even a dip (see notes).

Logistics:

• Serves 2-4

• Time: 20 minutes

You’ll need

• 4 ears of corn, shucked

• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves

• 1 teaspoon chipotle or chile powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic/ onion salt

• 1/4 cup shredded manchego (pecorino also works)

• 2 tablespoons diced jalapeno, seeds

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• Optional: a few teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce (green pepper cholula)

Instructions

1. Slice all of the corn off of the cobs. I like to lay them down flat like a hot dog and slice (with a really sharp knife) from on end of the cob to the other. Then you turn it so that the flat edge is on the cutting board and repeat until all the corn has been cut off.

2. Add a tablespoon or two to a skillet and heat over medium. Add in the corn with chile poweder, onion or garlic salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Let it sit for 3-4 minutes then stir. Wait for another 3-4 minutes. You should start seeing some charred bits! Do this until about 1/2 of the corn has a nice char on it. Add in the cilantro, give it a final stir and then pour into a mixing bowl or serving dish.

3. Add in the manchego and sour cream while it’s still hot! Stir until the manchego melts. Taste for salt + pepper, add more if needed. Now is also a good time to add hot sauce!

4. Pour into the dish you’re serving it in and then top with cotija and diced jalapeno.

Notes

• If you want this to be more of a dip, double the sour cream + manchego in step 3. Then, instead of step 4: Pour it all into a baking dish and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Then top with cotija and jalapeno and serve!

Refried beans are still my favorite treat at Mexican restaurants. I’ve dabbled with making them at home every once in a while and figured it was time to get a recipe on paper. While lard is traditional, this recipe uses avocado oil because that’s what I have on hand and for weeknight purposes, it’s a healthier option. Lard is of course more flavorful! You could easily swap the avocado oil out and use beef tallow instead.

Ingredients

• 2 cans pinto beans

• 1/2 of a vidalia or yellow onion

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 3 tablespoons avocado oil

• 1 cup beef broth

• 1 tablespoon chipotle hot sauce OR 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (if you want some actual heat) **See notes.

• 1/2 of a can of green chilies

• 1/3 cup sour cream

• Toppings: finely diced raw onion, jalapeno, cilantro. Either cotija, white cheddar, or monterey jack cheese.

Instructions

1. Slice or dice the onion and garlic. Add about 3 tablespoons of avocado oil to a pot and heat over medium heat, add in the onion and garlic.

2. Drain both cans of bean but don’t rinse! Fill one of the cans about halfway with water. Once the garlic has softened (3-5 minutes), add the beans into the pot. Add the water from the can as well. Bring to a low simmer.

3. After about 10 minutes, it should start thickening up as the water evaporates. Add in the beef broth, green chilies, and hot sauce or chipotle pepper. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

4. While the beans are simmering you can prep your toppings. Finely dice about 2 tablespoons each of jalapeno and onion, and 1 tablespoon of cilantro - I actually prefer using cilantro STEMS for this, very finely diced. Crumble or shred 1/4 cup of cheese.

5. Use an immersion blender or transfer everything in the pot to a regular blender and blend until smooth. If you like a chunkier refried bean, you can leave out 1/4 cup of beans and then stir them back in. Transfer back to the pot.

6. Over low heat, just to keep them warm, add in the sour cream. Taste for seasoning and add salt + pepper as needed. You can also add more hot sauce.

7. Transfer to a serving dish and top with fresh jalapeno, onion, cilantro, and either cheddar or cotija cheese.

8. ENJOY!!

Notes

• Hot Sauce vs Peppers: If you don’t want any heat, just add a chipotle style hot sauce (Cholula + Tabasco both have their own versions that are widely available). If you want a bit of heat, add in a whole chipotle pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. You can also add a couple spoonfuls of the adobo sauce. Different grocery stores have different brands but it’s always in the Mexican food specialty section.

• Cheese: I like cotija for the salty crumbliness but it’s not great if you want a melty cheese. If you’re going for more melty, use shredded white cheddar or monterey jack!

This recipe goes really well with my beef barbacoa! If you’re making both, add a little bit of the fat/ sauce from the barbacoa into the beans at the end with the sour cream.

You can use it as a side dish for taco night, Mediterranean inspired skewers, jerk shrimp, or a base for a yummy bowl.

Logistics

• Total time: 50 minutes

• Makes: 3.5 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked jasmine or thai rice

• 1 cup beef or chicken broth (optional)

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 2 teaspoons of your favorite everyday seasoning blend

• 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons mint, thinly sliced

• 3 green onions, thinly sliced

• 3/4 cup cotija or feta cheese

• 1 lime, juiced

Instructions

1. Add the butter and rice into your pot and toast over medium heat for 3 minutes, stir to coat and prevent any burning.

2. Add in 1 cup of broth and 1 cup of water into the pot. Bring to a boil then cover with a lid and turn the heat down to medium low so its at a simmer.

3. After 20 minutes turn the heat off but leave the lid on to let the rice steam for another 20 minutes.

4. Prep you tomatoes, onion, and mint! Crumble the cheese into small pieces

5. Add the rice into a mixing bowl, then add in the cheese, green onion, mint, and tomatoes. Squeeze in the lime juice then give it all a big stir.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Here are a few ideas for what to serve this with

I made this for dinner with friends on a Friday and then again three days later for dinner at home + a meal train delivery for our friends who just had a beautiful baby girl! They can’t go to our favorite restaurant for steak quesadillas just yet so this was meant to be a replacement in the meantime.

The reactions I got have been the best I could ever hope for:

“Holy smokes!! This looks AMAZING”

“DID YOU TRY THIS??? Oh my god!!”

“It could be a controlled substance”

“This is so good. I’m mad. Should have had a baby so long ago”

So lets get into it!

Logistics

• Serves: 4-6 people

• Time: 5 hours honestly

• Equipment: 4 quart Dutch Oven or cast iron Braiser (or larger!)

You’ll need:

• 2.5 pounds of chuck roast

• 3 tablespoons of a steak rub seasoning

• 1 tablespoon of chile powder

• 1/2 of a vidalia or white onion

• 4-6 cloves of garlic

• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (won’t use the whole thing)

• 1 cup beef broth

• 1 cup orange juice

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

1. Cut the chuck roast into 2-5 pieces, large pieces. Keep them at least the size of your fist or they will overcook. Preheat your pan over medium heat. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. Mix the steak seasoning with the chile powder and season all sides of every piece of chuck roast. You might end up needing more than 4 tbsp, be generous with the seasoning!!

3. Chop the onion into wedges or large slices. Slice the garlic cloves.

4. Add the chuck roast pieces into your dutch oven or braiser and sear each side for 2-3 minutes. Rotate until all sides have been browned. Remove the meat and place it on a plate.

5. Turn the heat down to medium low then add in a drizzle of olive or avocado oil, then add the onion and garlic and stir. Add in the tomato paste, stir. Add in 1-2 chipotle peppers from the can, also add in 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce in the can. The peppers add smokiness and spice so if you want some heat, you can certainly add more! Stir again. The onions should be starting to soften.

6. Add the meat back into the pan, nestled on top of the onions. Pour in the beef broth, orange juice, and soy sauce. Put the lid on your dish and make sure it’s fully closed. Transfer the dish into the oven.

7. Let it roast for 4 hours! After 4 hours, very carefully pull the dish out of the oven and use tongs + forks to start breaking apart the meat.

8. There should still be a good bit of liquid/ moisture in the dish, but different lids let out moisture at different rates. We want it to be If it’s already getting sticky or the liquid has cooked down so you’re mostly just seeing meat, add a splash of beef broth! Then, take the lid off and place the pot back in the oven for another 30-45 minutes. We want it to be saucy but not runny!

9. Turn the oven off and keep the dish covered until you’re ready to serve! Ideas for side dishes are listed below the notes. ENJOY!!!

Notes:

• I put 2.5 pounds of chuck roast in the ingredients, you can do a little more or less and it will be fine! This size fits my pan really well and is typically what my grocery store has pre-cut. If using less, check on it after 3.5 hours and maybe add 3/4 cup each of both/ orange juice rather than a full cup of each. If using more, the liquid is probably fine but it may need to cook a little longer, but still check on it at 4 hours!

• For the steak rub I use the ‘Steak Dust’ from B Xtreme BBQ - my mom found this while on the hunt for the perfect spicy chex mix seasoning. It has salt, brown sugar, garlic, black pepper, guajillo pepper, paprika, MSG (yay), chipotle, jalapeno, and cayenne. Basically - use something with salt, pepper, brown sugar, and some chile pepper spices!

• I’ve been using my Staub 4 quart Dutch Oven for this recipe and it works beautifully. The lid is designed to keep moisture in the dish, making sure it stays juicy and tender! I’m considering getting a braising pan or a larger dutch oven specifically for making larger batches of this recipe.

Ideas for side dishes (recipe links coming Aug 19, 2027)

• Summer Rice Salad

• ‘Refried’ Beans

• Off-the-Cob Elote

And for a sauce:

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb skirt steak

• 2 packets of Momofuku Noodles (any flavor!)

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 2 scallions (green onions)

• 1/2 cup peanut sauce

Instructions (Grilling)

1. Preheat your grill, you’ll need 1-2 burners over medium heat.

2. Coat your steak with the sauce packets that come with the noodles (see notes for alternative option). Cook your noodles and set aside, keep them covered to stay warm.

3. Add your scallions onto the grill, cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Grill the skirt steak for about 2 minutes on each side. No more than 6 minutes total because it’s a thin cut and we don’t want to overcook it.

4. Let the steak sit for about 5 minutes then thinly slice it against the grain. You might need to cut the flap into a few shorter pieces first. Cut the scallions into 1-2 inch chunks.

5. Add the steak, scallion, cilantro, and peanut sauce into the bowl of noodles and toss to combine.

6. Separate into bowls and serve! See notes for side ideas.

Instructions (Stovetop)

1. Thinly slice the skirt steak against the grain and toss with the sauce packets that come with the noodles (see notes for alternative option). Cut the scallion into 1-2 inch pieces (both the white and green parts).

2. Using the same pot you’ll cook the noodles in, sauté the scallion for about 5 minutes over medium heat then add in the steak and cook for another 3-4 minutes, remove from heat immediately. We don’t want to overcook the skirt steak! Just make sure the outsides of each piece are brown. Put it in a large mixing bowl to rest.

3. Add your noodles into the pot and cover with water. This will soak up extra flavor from the steak + scallions. Turn the heat to medium high and stir/ untangle the noodles as they cook. This only takes about 6-8 minutes. Test the noodles as you go to keep from overcooking.

4. Drain the noodles and add them into the same bowl as the steak. Add in cilantro and peanut sauce and toss until combined.

5. Split into bowls and serve! See notes for side dish ideas.

Notes:

• You can use any type of ramen or squiggly Asian noodles. If they don’t come with a sauce packet, just marinate the steak with a dash of soy sauce, lime juice, salt, and fresh garlic. You can get more complicated than that if you like! But the peanut sauce brings in most of the flavor anyways.

• I like to serve this with some sort of veggie on the side to balance it out. Here are a few ideas:

  • Grilled/ sautéed asparagus

  • Grilled/ sautéed shishito peppers

  • Grilled/ sautéed snap peas + onion

  • Chilled cucumber salad

  • Carrot ribbon salad

• Steak + Scallion Peanut Noodles (pictured below)

• Steak + cucumber salad or rice bowl

• Chicken + zucchini skewers over rice

• Dipping sauce for summer rolls

• Protein (chicken, shrimp, etc) w/ peanut sauce + coconut milk over rice

• Really wide rice noodles, stir fried w/ chicken + veggies, tossed w/ peanut sauce

Now on to the recipe - this makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce which means you can use it for 2-3 recipes or one really large serving.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter

• 1/4 cup avocado oil

• 3 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp gochujang

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 lime, juiced

• 2 inches ginger, peeled

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

1. Add everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate. Keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

• I used to add cilantro into the sauce and you CAN but it has a shorter shelf life than other ingredients so now I just add it into the recipe of whatever I’m making rather than the sauce. If you’re using it all at once, go ahead and chop it into the sauce! I would add it after you’ve blended all other ingredients so that the sauce doesn’t turn green, just pulse it a couple of times at the end.

• If you’re like me and you love all things spicy, add more gochujang! Or even a spicy pepper or chile flakes.

As we know, two things can be true at once. Stubbornness aside, I’m mostly very good about trying new things and I often seek them out. I pick up a new hobby every 6 months or so, I love visiting new places, and my favorite thing about cooking is that I am always learning new things.

I find that when I’m not learning something new in the real world, I spend way too much time in the online world trying to fill that void.

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Here are a few new things I’ve learned or tried recently

• Grilled fish over lemon slices. I’d been wanting to grill a piece of fish but was certain it would stick and fall apart (unless I put it in foil which is less pretty). Then, I saw a video of someone grilling fish on top of lemon slices and I thought “brilliant, I have to try this!” And it turned out perfectly, which is never guaranteed but such a joy when it happens.
  

• Kris doesn’t like feta, and no I’m not going to call off the wedding but I do find it baffling. The signs were there but I didn’t know not liking feta (perhaps my favorite cheese, top 5 for sure) was even possible. More for me heheh.

• Needlepointing! I’ve been following the craze but I wasn’t sure I wanted to participate, I felt like I was jumping in too late, past some imaginary saturation point. As many of you already know, it’s a great hobby and so easy to work on while watching tv in the evenings or sipping coffee in the morning. The prices are insane though which still gives me pause.

• Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice: my favorite thing to order at sushi restaurants. We tried making it at home and I’ll be honest! It was far from perfect. The rice stuck to my hands and was either over or under crisped. Still, we had so much fun and it was yummy. Presentation doesn’t matter when you’re laughing and trading bites at home.

• Kiwi with the skin on. No thank you!

• Gardening: I’m not under any delusion that this year will be the year I learn it all. But it will be the year I start learning enough. Tiny garden this year, a couple of garden beds next year. Maybe a decade from now I’ll have it all figured out, but I hope I’ll still have things to learn. Roma wasn’t built in a day.

A few things on my list to learn next

• Lobster. I started liking it last year and I’ve never made it at home but I’ve seen so many mouthwatering recipe videos this summer. Colette if you’re reading this - please can we make lobster over labor day weekend? Grilled, mac + cheese, rolls, I don’t care!

• Scallops on the grill: I bought little shells to put them in and I’m thinking I’ll top them with miso butter, corn, and scallions. I have high confidence this will work out beautifully.

• Mahjong. Don’t tell my mother because she’s been trying to get me to play for years. Now that people my age are in the game, I’m ready. I just need some really cute tiles, a crisp glass of Sancerre, and someone who can explain the rules in under 120 seconds.

• Planning a wedding!! If you’re sick of hearing about this, tough luck because we’ve got eight months to go. There are so many new things involved in planning and honestly it can be a bit overwhelming to feel like I’m constantly out of my depth (spoiler alert I’ve never done this before) but luckily I have a planner who’s done it over 200 times, a sister who just got married, a mom who planned her wedding, and many friends who were brides not too long ago. One thing I’ve learned to love: outsourcing.

• Needlepoint 2.0 - I’ve mastered a couple of basic stitches but I’m excited to learn more. No promises but this might just be a hobby I stick with for more than 6 months!

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And a few things I’ve learned about learning

• Almost nothing is ever as daunting as it seems

• Trying something new doesn’t mean you have to be good at it, like it, or ever do it again

• Still, most things are worth trying twice just in case

• Learning something new today might not come in handy tomorrow but it likely will at some point and you’ll at least be more interesting in the meantime

• Your brain will be happier

As little kids we were exposed to new things every single day through school, trips, friendships, books, and just leaving the house. Kids’ brains are constantly expanding and these experiences help them build confidence and a sense of self. I don’t think our brains ever stop searching for that sense of newness and accomplishment, building new skills and acquiring new knowledge. It teaches us that we’re capable.

My challenge to you is to learn one new thing this week and try to make it something that at least involves your hands or a physical object that isn’t your phone.

In the next week I’m going to

• Tour Mt. Vernon. George Washington’s home is just south of DC and as much as I love all things HAMILTON, I’ve never made the trip to see it.

• Participate in my first Meal Train for our friends who just had their first baby!! I’ve been looking forward to this for months. Everything I cook is eaten at home so packing something to drop off that can be reheated later is new. All of the babies I know live in other cities so I didn’t get to drop off dinner for their parents. While I don’t anticipate it will be particularly challenging, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be helpful in this way. I’m going to make this:
  

• Cook something I haven’t cooked before. There are a few things you’d think I would know how to cook that I’ve never even attempted because I find them a bit intimidating. To name a few: braised short ribs, lobster, sourdough, bagels, butter from scratch. It’s not that the foods themselves are scary, it’s that they require a whole new process of cooking that I’m not familiar with. Making a new sauce, pasta, marinade, cookie, or soup is easy because I’m very familiar with the underlying process. Making bread from scratch and understanding the timing and folding and rising etc. requires a lot more focus.

• I have a tin of Fishwife Mussels in Basil Pesto sitting in my pantry that I’ve been meaning to throw into a pasta. I’ve never tried tinned mussels before but I like them fresh and I love basil so I have high hopes.

As much as our brains LOVE and THRIVE off of routine, it’s so good to get out of our comfort zones. Like the workout class you’re dreading that completely turns your mood around. On that note I need to go for a walk.

That’s all for now folks!

All my best,

Anna

This was also my first time grilling swimmy fish, I’ve only grilled shellfish up until now.

The seasoning for this couldn’t be simpler - seasoned salt, pepper, paprika, dijon, and honey. I use this “shallot pepper seasoning” from Penzey’s Spices. But really anything that has salt and alliums (onion, chive, shallot, garlic) will do the job. The one I mentioned has tarragon, so you can also sprinkle in a bit of tarragon!

This takes about 20 minutes and serves enough for two people

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cod, skin cut off is my preference

• 1 lemon, cut into 1/2 centimeter slices

• 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 tablespoon dijon

• 2 tsp seasoned salt (like Trader Joe’s onion salt)

• 1 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Mix the avocado oil, honey, dijon, and spices in a small bowl. Brush or pour on to both sides of the fish until covered. It should be more of a paste than a marinade.

2. Cut your lemon into slices, about 1/2 centimeter thick.

3. Heat the grill to about 400°F, the burners you’re using for the fish should be at medium heat.

4. Place the lemon slices on the grill, try to match the shape of your piece of fish. Lay the fish on top of the lemon slices. Close the grill hood.

5. I cooked mine for 5 minutes on the first side then 3 minutes on the second side. 7-8 minutes seems to be the sweet spot depending on how thick your piece of fish is. After you’ve flipped it and let it cook a few minutes on the second side, use a fork to check the thickest part of the fish and make sure the inside looks white and opaque rather than glossy or translucent. It should easily break into big flakes. Any longer than 10 minutes and your fish will start to overcook!

6. Remove from the grill and serve immediately!

Ideas for side dishes:

Note: most of these will take longer than the fish to cook, start them ahead of time!

• Grilled snap peas and squash tossed with feta and basil

• Fingerling potatoes or peewee potatoes cooked in foil

• Grilled asparagus, pesto pasta or rice

• Greek salad, toasty bread

If you’re in California you might not know what I’m talking about but those of us with seasonal changes are feeling it. Kris gave up San Francisco summers and year round “seasonal” stability to live on the East coast with me. I wonder if daily summer storms and 80% humidity make him question that decision.

I live for the churn of seasonality. The anguish and the excitement. The few weeks of each season that feel perfectly how you imagine them in your head. The nostalgia of summers, falls, winters, and springs past.

The transition from summer to fall is my favorite time of year and usually I get ahead of myself. This year I’m trying to sit still, to stop imagining all of the butternut pastas I’ll be making soon, to enjoy the last few weeks of heirloom tomatoes and toasty summer sun.

I spent last week inside, not because of the heat but because I caught some awful virus that stole all of my energy and left me horizontal on the couch. My symptoms were exhaustion, headache, chills, a slightly elevated temperature, and muscle aches. I tested negative for all the usual suspects but showed signs of improvement so didn’t end up going to urgent care. Treatment included lots of water, couch time, and advil.

The one thing I knew would make me feel better: Chicken Noodle Soup over Mashed Potatoes. Which I am now calling “Extra Strength Penicillin Soup” because that’s the effect it has on me.

This is a multi-generational dish. My dad’s mom made it for him growing up. She passed away before I could meet her but he told my mom about it and she made it for me and my siblings growing up. I borrowed it for a hangover cure in college (sorry grandma!) , I would pick up a tub of mashed potatoes and a bowl of chicken noodle soup from Central Market and heat it all up at home. Chicken noodle soup on its own is great, but on top of mashed potatoes? Divine.

I got to make it for Kris for the first time last week! And even though he’s not big on soups (I think most guys are lying about this btw), he loved this one.

You might not need this soup today but you absolutely will in a couple of months so go ahead and save it now!

Rearview Mirror:

Dallas: Highlights include coffee and breakfast tacos at Sadelle’s every morning. High fives and peekaboos and giggles with my 15-month-old best friend Crew (Al - thank you for letting me spend so much time with your baby). Dinner at Catch - we ordered probably everything on the menu, the crispy rice cake was my favorite. And seeing Sam’s new apartment!! Her newsletter about moving is still stuck in my head.

“There’s a fantasy we all indulge in when life is about to change: that the change itself will change us.”

Speaking of change: I need more babies in my life!! Luckily we were in Dallas for Caroline’s baby shower so we’ll have a new little guy to celebrate in a couple of months!!

Hill House in Georgetown: Recently opened and as a HH girly, I’m so glad to have a store in my city. I bought this black and white striped dress which is so so flattering and can be worn year round. I also have my sight set on this rainbow fish set for bridal purposes.

Beans: If I’m ever home alone for dinner, I usually make something that is mostly beans. Typically it’s saucy beans with a toasty baguette. One of my favorite renditions of this dish is Vodka Saucy Beans. This time I topped it with dollops of Boursin cheese which really took it over the top.

Lessons in Chemistry: I finally watched it. And cried my eyes dry. Life is too short. If you haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil anything. While I sat on my couch needlepointing and cursing the virus that kept me there, I was amazed by Elizabeth Zott’s self assuredness and commitment to purpose. We spend so much time chasing a final product (I do this every day with recipes), that we often forget that the beauty is in the process. If I only enjoyed eating yummy food, I’d go out for every meal rather than spend hours grocery shopping and cooking at home. And for me, it’s not just about cooking, it’s about learning something new - I use cooking as a means to do that. More on this next week.

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Coming up:

Grilled Cod: In the spirit of always trying new things, I am grilling a piece of cod today on top of lemon slices! The only seafood I’ve grilled so far is shrimp. I don’t make fish often at home because it’s just not my favorite but I have a good feeling about this.

Highlands, NC: My sister is getting married this weekend!!!!!!!! We’re flying down to Asheville tomorrow to get dinner with a friend then driving out to Highlands on Friday. If you’re not familiar with the area, it’s mostly trees and a few people.

We got to pick our own bridesmaids dresses and I will be wearing this dress from Staud. I have a dress for the rehearsal but I don’t LOVE it so I will be going over to Georgetown for a bit of shopping today.

Wedding Planning: We’ve booked our big three: venue, band, and wedding planner. My next big thing is trying on dresses which I’ll be doing in New York in a few weeks! If you’re on the fence about whether or not to get a planner, or deciding between a part time and full time planner: my full time planner, Ricki, has already saved me so much time and we’re only a few weeks in!! I am not a good project manager so having someone else to play that role for me is making the process so much more enjoyable.

Peach Malva Pudding: My first test of this (pictured below) was too heavy on the peach and too light on the pudding. Which is why we test!! Malva pudding, if you haven’t had it, is a very moist almost caramelized cake topped with cream sauce that is a staple in South African cuisine. I had it almost every day when I went to South Africa 10 years ago and didn’t appreciate it enough at the time. Kris and I recently had a slice at Elmina in DC and have considered going back just for dessert. My next batch will feature peach slices rather than chunks, a different baking dish, and double the cake batter.

If you’re still here, I am glad I have managed to keep your attention. Thank you for reading! Recipes have been slow this past week but we’re picking up the pace again shortly.

Until next time,

Anna

My mom continued the tradition of making this for me and my siblings. To me it’s about comfort and nutrients. Simple ingredients that are designed to make you feel better.

In college this became my hangover meal which sounds silly (because it is) but again: comfort and nutrients! What more do you need for a quick recovery? I would pick up chicken noodle soup and mashed potatoes from Central Market’s ready made section and bring it all home to heat up. I was in no position to be cooking a whole meal.

This past week I caught a nasty virus that kept me couch-bound and exhausted for most of the week. While it’s still summer, today is gloomy and rainy and I am still in recovery mode.

Recipe measurements for two people. This comes together in under 30 minutes.

Soup Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast (from a rotisserie chicken is best)

• 1 1/2 cups egg noodles (dried)

• 1 celery stalk

• 1 medium or small carrot

• 1/2 of a vidalia or sweet onion

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 carton low sodium chicken broth

• olive oil, salt, pepper, italian seasoning

Soup Instructions

1. Dice the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. I like to cut these pretty small but it depends on how chunk you like your chicken noodle soup.

2. Turn your burner to medium low heat. Add a glug of olive oil to your soup pot then add in the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and sweat on medium low heat for about 5 minutes. Everything should be softened and sweating.

3. Add in the full carton of chicken broth and turn the heat up to medium high. Once it begins simmering, add in the noodles and Italian seasoning.

4. While the noodles cook, shred your chicken breast into small pieces. If using a rotisserie chicken, I like to add in some of the chicken skin and the ‘chicken jelly’ from the bottom of the bag. This is fullllll of flavor and collagen!

5. Once the noodles are cooked (about 5 minutes), add in the chicken and stir. Turn the heat back to medium low. After about 5 additional minutes, your soup is ready!

Mashed Potato Ingredients:

• 2-3 large yellow potatoes (about 1.5 lbs total)

• water, salt

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1/4 cup milk

• 2 tbsp boursin cheese (can replace with sour cream)

Potato Instructions

1. Peel your potatoes and cut them into large chunks of similar sizes. Add to a small pot and cover with water. Add in about a tablespoon of salt then bring to a low boil.

2. Boil potatoes until fork tender meaning you can easily stick your fork through the thickest potato. Turn the heat off and let them sit for another 5 minutes before draining.

3. Drain all of the water but keep the potatoes in the pot. We’ll use the residual heat to keep cooking. Add in butter and milk then use a masher or a whisk to break everything up until its mashed.

4. Add in the boursin and keep mashing. If you like your potatoes to be super fine with not even tiny chunks, run them through a fine mesh sieve. I don’t do that for this dish because it’s meant to be low effort and a bit rustic.

5. Add a dash of pepper and you’re all set!

   

Serving:

• Split the mashed potatoes between two bowls.

• Top with chicken noodle soup!

Save this for the next time you’re feeling under the weather or in need of some extra cozy, hydrating, nutrient dense recovery!

This recipe is a special one, I’m so happy I get to share it with you so that it can live on forever.

This comes together in about 20 minutes and I usually have a bit leftover. If you want a really smooth sauce, you’ll need a blender but otherwise only a skillet, knife, and spoon are needed for this recipe.

If you would like to serve this as a side instead of a main dish I totally understand and love your creativity and dedication to putting beans on the table (they’re good for your heart….). I recommend pairing with an arugula salad and crispy chicken cutlets or a nice steak!! A seared fish (sea bass, halibut, trout, salmon, etc) with a side of broccolini or asparagus would also be so yummy.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of white beans (Navy, Great Northern, and Butter beans all work!)

• 1 roma tomato or small heirloom tomato

• 1/2 of a vidalia or sweet onion

• 2 garlic cloves

• about 1 cup of chicken broth

• 1/2 cup tomato paste

• 3 tablespoons vodka

• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated is best!)

• as needed: olive oil, salt, pepper

• toppings: basil, basil oil, red pepper flakes or calabrian chile peppers, boursin cheese

Instructions:

1. Roughly chop your garlic, tomato, and onion. If you’re not planning on blending the sauce I recommend finely chopping these ingredients. Once chopped, add the onion and garlic into your skillet over medium low heat with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

2. Once the onion is wilted, add in the tomato and give it all a toss. If things are sticking to the skillet, add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze and add moisture.

3. Once the tomato has cooked and is getting mushy, add in the tomato paste and stir. Cook until the tomato paste has turned from bright red to more of a brick red color, about 2 minutes. Add in the vodka and stir until combined.

4. Transfer everything from the skillet into a blender (immersion blender works too!). Add about 1/2 cup of chicken broth. If we were making pasta we’d use pasta water. Blend until smooth then transfer back to the skillet on low heat. Add in the heavy cream and stir. Give it a taste for salt and pepper, add more if needed.

5. Rinse and drain your beans. Add into the skillet and stir into the sauce. Turn the heat up to medium low. If the sauce is too thick, add another splash of chicken broth.

6. Grate in the parmesan and stir until melted. Turn the heat off and then top with little pieces of boursin, thinly sliced basil, red pepper flakes or calabrian chiles, and a drizzle of olive oil (or basil olive oil) if you’d like. You could also just add more parmesan and call it a day but the basil and boursin really add a nice flavor.

7. Serve with a baguette or toasty bread. Enjoy!!

You can put this in a bowl to serve or you can just eat it out of the skillet. I guess it depends on if you’re sharing or not!

Perfect for elevating toast, eggs, butter noods, and a nice ny strip.

Best part? Once the butter is softened, it only takes 5 minutes and 5 ingredients.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons of butter (1 stick), room temp

• 1 tablespoon diced chives

• 1 tsp chile flakes

• 2 tsp onion/ garlic seasoned salt

• 1 tsp lemon zest

Instructions

1. Cut your butter into tablespoon sized chunks and add to a bowl. Let the butter come to room temp so that its spreadable. This may take up to an hour.

   1. If you’re in a hurry or your butter isn’t getting to a spreadable point, microwave for 5 seconds then check the texture and microwave for another 5 seconds as needed. You don’t want the butter to melt!

2. Add chives, chile flakes, garlic/ onion salt, and lemon zest into the butter and fold it in until combined.

3. Use right away or store for later usage.

Notes

• Seasoned Salt: Trader Joe’s Onion Salt would work great here! My favorite is a seasoned salt from Penzey’s Spices called “shallot pepper seasoning” but that’s trickier to come by.

• Storage: You can use a butter bell for countertop storage - this is great for keeping it at room temp and spreadable. For fridge storage you can spoon the butter into the center of a sheet of plastic wrap, then roll the plastic wrap over and press/ roll the butter into a log shape.

I pulled out all the produce we had on hand so I could visualize my options and then added things one by one. The sweetness of the peaches and corn, the crunch of the baby gem, pistachios, and snap peas, the tartness of the pickled red onion, and the savoriness of the basil dressing and stilton cheese all come together so beautifully.

It is truly a GEM!

Ingredients

• 2 heads of baby gem lettuce

• 1 peach

• 1 cup snap peas

• 1/4 cup pistachios

• 2 ears of corn

• 1/3 cup apricot stilton cheese

• 2-3 tablespoons basil aioli

• pickled red onion

Instructions

1. Prep your produce:

   1. Pull off and discard any dirty outer leaves of lettuce. Then cut off the butt of your lettuce and start separating the leaves. I usually discard the core where the leaves get tiny and bitter. Rinse and gently dry.

   2. Carefully pinch the ends of your snap peas and pull off the thread that runs along the center seam. Then thinly slice each snap pea at a slight angle.

   3. Slice your peach around the pit and pull apart (like an avocado) then remove the pit and thinly slice each half of the peach.

   4. Cut your corn off of the cob, I like to do this by laying the corn down on its side and just slicing from top to bottom then rotating until all sides have been cut off.

2. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop the pistachio nuts (shells off!!!!) into small pieces.

3. Add all ingredients (except pickled red onion) into a salad bowl and gently toss until combined. Plate it however you wish and then top with pickled red onion.

I didn’t think too much about this salad when I started making it, didn’t think to film the process at all. But once everything was in the bowl, I knew I was on to something great. I filmed the final step of plating it and adding pickled red onion on top then proceeded to demolish the whole thing (jk I shared some of it with Kris).

1. Whole Foods sells 12 oysters for $12 on Fridays and

2. They’ll open them for you and send them home on a bed of ice.

Now that we have a grill (#HotGrillSummer) I’ve been wanting to make grilled oysters and while no meal could ever outshine my ring but I thought this would be a cheeky little bite to celebrate with. Typically Oysters Rockefeller have spinach on them, I prefer to just cut to the chase with butter, panko, and parmesan.

Start by making a compound butter

• 1 stick of salted butter

• 2 tablespoons diced chives

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp chili flakes or chili powder

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 2 garlic cloves, grated

Cut the butter into chunks and let it come to room temp, then microwave it for 5 seconds at a time until its softened and spreadable. Add in the seasoning, herbs, etc. and mix until fully incorporated. I like to wrap it in plastic wrap and roll it into a little tootsie roll shaped mound then put it in the fridge for 15 minutes to set.

Now time for the oysters! I bought mine from Whole Foods and the guys at the seafood counter will open them for me BUT if you’re going to shuck them at home - here’s a little tutorial video I found. Even though the ones I buy come opened, they leave the top shell on to keep them fresh so I still had to cut the oyster from the top shell to fully shuck them.

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Now that we have our oysters shucked we’re ready to grill. Turn the grill burners to medium heat.

Oyster assembly - you’ll need wine, compound butter, panko, and parmesan cheese.

1. I like to toss my panko with a little bit of olive oil or melted butter, salt, and pepper, and garlic powder. This add seasoning and will help the panko brown and crisp evenly! Plain dry panko will also work.

2. Cut a few lemon wedges for serving, I also like to have a hot sauce option.

3. Optional: add a splash of white wine to each oyster. I used Chablis!

4. Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter to each oyster then top that will 1/2 tablespoon of the seasoned panko.

5. Grate parmesan cheese on top, enough to cover the panko.

6. Place each oyster directly on the grates (shell side down, I shouldn’t have to say that). Close the grill for 3 minutes. The butter should be bubbling at this point, that means they’re done!

7. Remove from the grill and set on you serving platter.

8. Serve while HOT! It’s helpful to have little forks. I like to add a squeeze of lemon and a dash of tabasco (original flavor).

I made this batch just for Kris and myself on Friday. They were shockingly easy to make - it’s such a fun party trick that feels way fancier than it is. I’ll be making them again this coming Friday when we have friends in town! And since now we’re planning a wedding, grilled oysters will probably be on the menu for cocktail hour!

Our dearly beloved Kris was out of town this weekend for a board meeting - Mr. Fancy Man! And as much as I wanted to go to Kansas City and hopefully run into our best friends, Taylor and Travis, I needed to stay home for something much more important: GIRLS WEEKEND.

As you, my readers, are mostly women (except for my dad, hi dad!), you’re all familiar with the concept. Also the name makes it pretty clear, no? There’s something euphoric and nostalgic about spending a weekend with two of your best friends, even before it begins you know that you already cherish the memories.

I’ve spent a lot of weekends with these two over the past 10 years. From Dallas, to Asheville, Nashville, La Paz, Aspen, Destin, and beyond. Even DC right after I moved 5 years ago and knew nothing about anything. Mary Charlotte moved home to DC almost a year ago and Caroline flew in from Dallas for the weekend. The plot twist: Caroline is very pregnant!!

We went into the weekend with the following outline:

This girls weekend itinerary feels quite different from what we would have planned 5 years ago. I wanted to include plenty of built in flexibility and time to just sit and yap. We didn’t want to eat every meal out or be over-booked and chasing timelines.

Highlights of our weekend:

Getting to make dinner for two of my favorite people (more on that later!). Picking up a bottle of non-alcoholic rosé for Caroline beforehand. Sitting at the table and yapping about what’s changed and feeling happy that so many things have but the important things have not. Life in two different cities, hardships, celebrations, hopes for the future, and random things we’ve learned on the internet. Kris surprising us with a floral arrangement delivery topped with a “welcome little one” balloon which prompted Caroline to give me permission to marry him (phew!). Telling a restaurant that we need a booth because ‘my friend is very pregnant.’ Picking up coffee and browsing around Crate + Barrel deciding how we’d decorate hypothetical rooms and asking why chairs are so low to the ground. MC discovering that both Caroline and I had not seen “The Princess Bride” and then promptly fixing that.

It reminded me of the saying “Joy shared is doubled, sorrow shared is halved” and how true I’ve found that to be in my adult life.

To have friends who have seen 10 different seasons of your life and are excited to be part of the next 10 is as rich as a person can get.

Before I sign off, here’s a peak into what I made for dinner on Friday night - I will be sharing full details over the next week or so!

Chicken skewers: chicken breasts cut into chunks and marinated with honey, paprika, ras el hanout (a Moroccan seasoning blend), dijon mustard, avocado oil, and lemon juice. Grilled over medium high burners for about 12 minutes.

Baby potatoes: tossed with avocado oil, pepper, and a garlic onion salt blend. Double wrapped in foil and cooked on the grill over medium low burners for 30 minutes, flipped at the 15 minute mark.

Tzatziki: Standard recipe with greek yogurt, shredded and strained cucumber, dill, olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.

Cucumber + Tomato salad: roughly cut persian cucumber, heirloom tomato, very thinly sliced red onion, mint, olive oil, lemon zest, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes.

Carrot Ribbons: carrots peeled into ribbons, tossed with homemade ranch dressing and extra dill.

Coming up this week:

• Salad I made on a whim that turned out to be my new favorite salad

• I want to grill salmon over a bed of lemon slices, or maybe tuna steaks

• Instagram has a new “series” feature and I need to learn how to use it

• Hopefully signing a contract with our venue and wedding planner!!!

• A trip to Dallas for Caroline’s baby shower

So if you’re not subscribed, now would be a good time to change that.

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I hope everyone has a wonderful week!!!

xoxo,

Anna

ps: if you saw my BLT w/ Basil Aioli recipe in your inbox yesterday, I meant to post it but not email it so SORRY but I hope you enjoyed it anyways.

Per each sandwich you’ll need

• 1 ciabatta roll (or your bread of choice)

• 4 pieces of crispy bacon

• 2 thick heirloom tomato slices

• 2 baby gem lettuce leaves (romaine works well too!)

• Basil aioli

• Garlic, olive oil, salt + pepper

Instructions

1. If you haven’t made the basil aioli yet, now is a good time to do so. Let it sit in the fridge while your bacon cooks, or make it a day in advance.

2. If you want your bacon to stay flat while cooking, line a baking sheet with parchment paper then lay out your slices. Put the sheet in the oven while its still cold, then preheat the oven to 400°F. Check on your bacon at about 15 minutes to see how close it is to being done. This will take about 20-30 minutes depending on how thick the bacon slices are.

3. Cut your tomato slices somewhere between 1/4” and 1/2” then drizzle with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Do this on both sides. Thinly slice a garlic clove and add those on top of the tomato slices. Let this sit for 10 minutes (longer works too!)

4. Toast your bread! Wash your lettuce!

5. To assemble: spread basil aioli on both pieces of bread. You can stack your sandwich whichever way you like, if you’re eating them right away order matters less. Do what makes you happy! I like to do bacon on bottom, tomato in the middle, lettuce on top. If you’re making these ahead of time and they’re going to sit for a while, you should to lettuce on bottom, tomato in the middle, bacon on top to avoid a soggy sandwich.

voila!! a summer staple!!

Ingredients

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup avocado oil (or other neutral oil)

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1 cup basil leaves

• 1 small garlic clove (or 1 tsp of garlic powder)

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp peperoncini juice (can replace with lemon juice)

• 1 tbsp peperoncini peppers (optional if you don’t have them)

• 1 tsp honey

• salt + pepper

Instructions

**Note: I used an immersion blender, a food processor also works with these instructions. Whisking will not work because the basil, garlic, and peperoncini need to be blended.

1. Roughly chop the basil and garlic clove.

2. Crack the egg into wherever you’ll be blending things. Then add in the basil, garlic, and all other ingredients except for the oils.

3. Blend those ingredients together until there are no more large pieces.

4. Slowly add in the oil while still blending. It will thicken up and have a similar texture to mayo but a bit thinner. Pour into a jar, bottle, or deli container to store in the fridge. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using - this gives the flavors time to mix and the aioli will thicken.

Perfect for BLTs!!!