Easy but Impressive

An Aguachile (think ceviche) for Cinco de Mayo, a boxed cake mix Mom hack & a decadent breakfast sandwich

This week’s content is all over the place and abundant. But the common thread is dishes to impress without having to quit your day job. I had the sheer luxury of having a slow week that I spent at my lake house. The kitchen there is pretty standard in terms of size but compared to my postage stamp sized Brooklyn kitchen, it feels like a palace. So to have 3 days to cook there was dreamy. 

Aguachile… what is it?

We spent our honeymoon in a very remote place on the Pacific side of Mexico. The property is called Verana . When I say remote I mean you have to take an hour taxi ride from the airport to a tiny port town, then take a 30 minute boat ride to a town only accessible by the water, then load your suitcases onto a donkey and hike up a mountain to get to paradise. But wow, is it worth it. My point is that while we were there we ate a TON of this kind of ceviche called Aguachile. Its bright green color comes from blending chiles, cilantro, lime and garlic into a marinade that gets tossed with raw fish or shellfish to “cook” it. We went crazy for it!!! It’s SO GOOD. I’ve been waiting for the right time to recreate it. Mine doesn't even come close to the stuff we were eating out of this woman’s garage. But it’s not hard to do (totally doable!) and it’s a really fun dish to make for Cinco De Mayo. Chips! Guac! Margs! Party! The absolute key to success here is buy the freshest seafood you can get your hands on. That recipe will be sliding into subscriber’s inboxes later today. 

Olive Oil Lemon Cupcakes

This weekend is Dean’s first birthday. Admittedly, I have been dreaming of the day I get to send cupcakes to school for my child’s birthday. My dad was a single dad and I don’t know if he even sent anything for my birthday let alone homemade cupcakes - that understandably wasn't his wheelhouse. So, I’m absolutely overcompensating now. Boxed cake mix is not something that enters my house, like ever. Sorry if that sounds snobby, but it’s true. But this week with the birthday party coming up, I’m a little pressed for time. Also I didn't think babies ranging from 6 months- 18 months were really going to appreciate my pastry skills. So I caved and I bought a box of vanilla cake mix. But what I discovered was pretty amazing! I swapped out the vegetable oil for straight extra virgin olive oil and added the zest of 1 lemon to the batter. Poured this into a mini cupcake pan. WOW it’s good! Like really good! You totally get the subtle olive oil flavor and lemon throughout. I kind of loathe and love the word HACK at the same time. But that’s what this is. I did make a Swiss meringue buttercream, which is definitely fancy. I put a few scoops of jarred strawberry jam in to flavor it. But you could totally buy pre-made frosting (that’s where I draw my line) and stir in some jam of any flavor. Your kids will be seriously impressed, or least their teachers will :) 

Truffled Mortadella & Cheese Brioche Breakfast Sliders (a mouthful, literally)

Last week on set we had a lot of burger and slider buns leftover and I took a bunch home and froze them. One of which was mini brioche slider buns that were a big sheet that you pulled apart. Like those Hawaiian rolls that we all love. I woke up at my lake house on a beautiful Wednesday morning and thought “fuck it, it’s a sunny weekday morning and no better excuse than being alive to make some buttery, cheesy, decadent pull apart breakfast sandwiches”. And that’s what I did! Here’s how I did it: Turned the oven to 350. Cut the pack of rolls in half crosswise so I was left with a big top sheet and big bottom sheet. They can still be frozen if you have a sharp bread knife. Layered a bunch of slices of mortadella in a pan, turned it to medium and crisped the mortadella up. Transfer those to the bottom rolls. Added butter plus a little truffle butter to the pan and cracked a bunch of eggs in. I like mine kind of “loosely scrambled” so that you really see streaks of yolk and white. Season with salt and add those on top of the mortadella. Laid a bunch of cheese slices on the eggs. Top with the top bun sheet. Dotted each bun top with a little butter. Sprinkled with flaky salt & garlic powder. Wrapped in foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Promise you’ll love these, It’s impossible to not. 

What I’m Loving This Week:

The bottom of Peanut Butter or Almond Butter jar: I saw this Hack (there’s that word again) on instagram and now I’m obsessed. You know when the jar of peanut butter is done and then your heart sinks because you have to wash it out to put it in the recycling? Does anyone hate this oily mess as much as me? Next time do this: add some grated garlic and ginger to the jar. Top with a drizzle of sesame oil, a little avocado oil, some lime juice or rice vinegar and soy sauce. Then shake vigorously and you have a peanut or almond dressing AND the jar is cleaned out! Blew my mind. 

Elk and Friends Smoothie Cups: I’m totally “mom nerding out” here on these perfect smoothie cups. A glass jar that has a silicone sleeve around it with a screw on leak-proof lid and a silicone straw. I have been trying to steer Dean away from his preferred method of eating: anything out of a pouch. This morning I tested out a smoothie in these cups and HALLELUJAH he drank almost the whole thing. Major win over here. There is a color way on their website that really speaks to my Scandi Minimalist self but of course those were sold out. So we’re working with Neons, but I will take it. A big thank you to Dean’s Auntie Kelly who gave us this birthday miracle gift XO

Being naked outside: Maybe my strangest one yet. But bear with me here. When do we really ever get the chance to connect with nature totally uninhibited? To lay outside with your whole body exposed to the sun and the earth. I’m guessing for most of us it’s rarely or if ever. I have the luxury of having a front yard that is pretty private, and distant neighbors who are older women who could care less. Love them! This week I took Dean outside and we both hung out in our birthday suits to get some sun on bits that have not seen the light of day in months. It felt AMAZING. If you have the opportunity and environment to pull it off, I highly recommend shedding your inhibitions and clothing and getting outside. It’s super grounding and a much needed shot of Vitamin D. 

Well I think that was my longest newsletter ever! I was brimming with things to share this week. Thanks for following along. I’m wishing everyone decadence in your food and experiences this week. XO Liv