Avocado Smoothie
If you love avocados as much as I do, then you’re going to go gaga over this smoothie. My best friend Estelle came for a visit over Memorial Day weekend and made one for me. I listened to her talk about this avocado smoothie for weeks; she discovered it on her recent travels to Mexico and has not shut up about it since. Now that I’ve tried it, I get what all the fuss was about! It’s delicious!
Avocado Burrata Salad With Radishes
A beautiful meal doesn’t have to be a fancy meal. All you really need are fresh ingredients, creativity, and love. Making this little summer salad was all about passionate artistic expression. I had so much fun composing the ingredients on the plate—slicing the avocados and placing them just so, adding a dollop of burrata on top of a tiny bunch of frisée, sprinkling spicy radishes around the plate. I finished it with a drizzle of really good olive oil, some syrupy aged balsamic vinegar, French sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Avocado Deviled Eggs
I remember exactly where I was when I tasted my very first deviled egg. Our next-door neighbors invited us over for a picnic and I specifically remember looking at a plate of halved eggs filled with pillows of yellow cream and asking my mom, “What’s that?” It was love at first bite, a love that only grew bigger as I popped the tenth one in my mouth.
Tacos and Tequila
I love tacos. LOVE. I could eat them all day everyday. I’m a V.I.P. customer at Taqueria in Jersey City, a local authentic Mexican dive. Tacos will always be my first choice and will undoubtedly be my last meal. My favorite are crispy fish with spicy chipotle mayo. Add a little tequila to the mix and I’m a very happy gal. Since I’m always looking for an excuse to eat tacos, Cinco de Mayo seemed like the perfect incentive to do a little recipe tasting, I mean testing.
Homemade Mushroom Ricotta Ravioli
Homemade pasta is a courageous practice. You just have to jump off the cliff and trust that a big bowl of tagliatelle, or spaghetti, will appear to catch you. Pasta dough is simple to make, but lest we forget: just because something is simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. You will make mistakes. The first time I made homemade pasta was a complete disaster. I used way too much flour and then rolled it out with a rolling pin, not nearly thin enough. It looked like a paper mâché project gone awry, but I ate it anyway (of course), which rendered me comatose. I had to lie down for the rest of the day.
Avocado Toast with Poached Egg, Harissa, and Yogurt
Raise your hand if you love avocado toast. You are my people. There’s nothing better, am I right? If you love your avocado toast with a kick, you’re going to love this recipe. It was inspired by an epic brunch I had with Estelle in London at Lowry & Baker, a cute little café in North Kensington. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since!
Curry Chicken Waldorf Salad
When we were little, my sister and I would always accompany my mother to the grocery store. Despite the fact that we didn’t have a choice, our weekly trip to the supermarket was one of my favorite rituals. I loved going to Graul’s. A local family-owned grocery store in Maryland, Graul’s was the backdrop for many of my childhood memories.