Watermelon Float Popsicles | #popsicleweek

June is basically the best month of the year:

1. My birthday
2. Summer solstice
3. Popsicle week
4. See number one

While my birthday (which I now share with my friends’ new little guy, Henry!) and the start of summer are for sure reason enough to crown this month a winner, Billy of Wit & Vinegar guilds the lily year after year by adding #popsicleweek into the June lineup. 

Zucchini Quesadillas

A strong case of seasonal nostalgia sits in these warmer days and long, sun-lingering evenings. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about summers growing up at my childhood home. There are, of course, lots of paths I could take down memory lane, but one thing that strikes me most right now, is that we always had people over. 

Passionate Palmer Pops | Popsicle Week 2017

It’s Wit and Vinegar’s WORLD FAMOUS POPSICLE WEEK! The hottest (yet, chilliest/chillest) week of the year! Check out the 2017 popsicle week page for a plethora of pops. Some are covered in toasted marshmallow (!), some are made with pudding, others are boozy and fruity, a few have chunks of cake in them. And this, my friends, is mine: The Passionate Palmer Pop™. 

Tropical Garden Party Cocktail

HI, it’s me! And I come baring refreshing summer cocktails… because it finally sort of feels like summer in Seattle! These are bright and fresh, a little sweet, slightly savory, and super herbaceous, with muddled shiso leaves and cucumbers, gin (I used Hendricks for that extra floral/herbal kick), lemonade and a splash of pineapple juice (though a muddled chunk of fresh pineapple would be the way to go if you have it!), and a sparkly splash of Serrano DRY to finish it off. 

Ready-To-Go TJ Salad

I was eleven or twelve years old, and beyond excited to go to the movie that everyone said made them literally scream and jump out of their seats with fear. Of course my cousin Coco, 13 years my senior, took me. The same cousin who let me watch Candyman four years earlier (I would go on to brag, for years, that Candyman didn’t even give me nightmares, a fact that I wore like a badge of honor and maturity). The same cousin who couldn’t wait to binge on the movie Fear with my sister and me every summer since it came out… in 1990. When I was 5. (While the Marky Mark/ Alicia Silverstone Fear is amazing and the ferris wheel scene taught middle schoolers across the country everything we knew about sex at the time, I’m talking about the earlier movie Fear, starring Ally Sheedy, in which she’s a psychic who uses her powers to track down murderers and ps. it’s the best movie ever). The same cousin who later took us to see The Blair Witch Project… the night before we went on a family camping trip. 

Coconut Nectarine White Wine Spritzers

Summer's not over yet! Sherrie & Renee are hosting a bubbly, sparkly, boozy, fresh, fruity virtual cocktail party, #drinkthesummer! Scroll to the bottom for a complete list of fun summery drinks by other awesome food bloggers! Get your summer drank on!

Ginger Lime Turkey Sliders with Peanut Slaw

Last weekend was my SEVENTH year running Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage, and I have a serious case of the post-Ragnar blues.

July 4th Burger Roundup

A few years ago Serious Eats released this amazing, comprehensive guide called the United States of Burgers, and apparently I was super unhappy with Washington's representative burger. I wrote a post about it when the article was released, and never ended up hitting publish. With the 4th of July just around the corner, there's no better time to resurface a ton of awesome all-American burger inspiration. Aside from Will Smith saving the world from aliens, what's more American than a burger on Independence Day!? USA, USA!

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizzas with Cherries and Corn

I was kind of dreading Father’s Day this year. All of the first holidays and events without him are hard. But the impending punch in the gut of Father’s Day—all of the gift guides in my inbox, the grilling recipes for dad online, the Father’s Day golf/BBQ/fishing/woodworking/drinking themed everything everywhere—it had me in a major funk these last few weeks. Luckily we celebrated in the most amazing way possible, which really helped me (and my sister and mom) get through the day. Rather than having a somber memorial last summer, which he would have hated, we waited until last weekend, and had a big blow-out celebration of life. He loved being a dad, and he loved summer solstice, so there was no better time to raise a glass and toast an awesome man, who lived life to the fullest.

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs with Artichoke Jalapeño Dip

It's Memorial Day and that means it’s officially (unofficially?) grilling season! I’m extra stoked for summer this year, because our place has a tiny little yard, which we’ve spent the last month transforming into a patio oasis (with tons of help from Kyle, Benson, and Kel). 

Mexican-style Pita Cheeseburgers

It’s a cheeseburger! It's a taco! It’s a pita sandwich! It’s a quesadilla! It’s a burgerpitacodilla! Or something. You guys! What is this thing!?

You Never Remember Anything about Our Childhood

I was going through old documents and files on my computer, and found this thing I wrote for Amanda for her 30th birthday. I never ended up giving it to her, for whatever reason. We always joke (in a funny-'cause-its-true kind of way) that Amanda has the worst memory ever, and I exist to be her life historian, because I have a crazy good memory.

Summer Salad Roundup

This weekend is two of my favorite events of the year: Ragnar Relay (my 6th year!) and Burning Beast. Next weekend we’re hiking/camping for Amanda’s birthday, and the following weekend is…wait for it… my bachelorette party weekend! In Sonoma! 

Um, also…did I mention that Evan and my wedding is in 2.5 months!? Where did the time go!? At this point, we mostly just need to pull together some last minute decorations and things. We have each other and we have the food, so that’s really all that matters in the end. Oh, but we’re having a helluva time picking out the aisle song. We love music and want it to be something special, but most of the bands we love sing about the opposite of happiness and love. Maybe you can help: I love classic rock (think CCR, Stones), bluegrass, Lana Del Rey, and Miley (don’t hate). Evan loves electronic music & Elliot Smith. Together, we’re bigtime fans of DCFC, Colin Meloy, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Annnnd, go! 

So anyway, with all I have going on lately, I’ve been living off of quick salads. Not even exciting ones. I know that’s kind of boring, but it’s true. Sometimes I toss some chicken on the grill and then put that in the salad, or maybe I’ll throw the whole thing in a tortilla, and call it dinner. I’ve been so busy and it’s so warm out that I’ve just had no energy to put together a real dinner. I think Evan loves it, because it means he can eat out whatever and whenever and I just don’t care. The Korean place around the corner probably loves it too, because Evan’s been a very frequent customer (sidenote: their grilled pork & kimchi sandwich is insane, and I’ll probably need to recreate it for you sometime soon!).  

Summer’s a busy time, man. If you’re also living off salads, here’s a little inspiration from the archives:

• Warm Potato Salad with Blistered Shishito Peppers
• Spicy Sesame Soba Salad with Tofu
• Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing
• Tuna & Whitebean Salad with Tomatoes & Kalamata Olives
• Wheatberry Salad with Avocados, Strawberries, & Caramelized Shallots
• Fried Green Tomato Salad
• Southwest Quinoa Burrito Bowl Salad

And a few from the interwebz:

• Sweet corn, peach, and cherry salad with creamy goat cheese and a lime dressing from Flourishing Foodie
• Octavia’s Warm Shrimp Salad with Cantaloupe & Feta from Dunk & Crumble
• Grilled Peach and Haloumi Salad from A Cozy Kitchen
• Char-Siu Chicken Bún Bowls from The Pig and Quill (basically a salad...right?)

Raspberry & Basil Bourbon Jam Sours

I have this summer fantasy. Not like, a Fabio fantasy…sillies. More like an idyllic summer in the South kind of fantasy. I'm sitting on a porch swing on a sunny, summer day. There are those big hanging trees around the porch—willows?—and probably bluegrass playing off somewhere in the distance, mingling with the sound of the breeze through the trees. I'm kicking back, without a care in the world. It's basically a never ending Sunday in August. Job? What job? Bills? What bills. Cocktail? Yes, definitely a cocktail. 

This fruity, jammy, lemony, herbaceous bourbon cocktail is exactly what I'd be drinking on that porch swing. Can someone just invite me to their porch swing already? 

Jam and booze is such an amazing, perfect combo. I don't know why I haven't been doing this forever. These drinks are sweet and fruity in a not-too-sweet, summery kinda way, with a bit of tang from the lemon juice, and a nice basil and bourbon finish. So good. So, so good. It's my…jam. Yep. Said it.

Until I find that porch swing and endless summer afternoon, my couch, episodes of Fargo, and this cocktail will have to do. 

Raspberry & Basil Bourbon Jam Sours

Makes 2

These look a bit dainty with their pretty pink hue, but trust me, they are strong cocktails, as bourbon drinks should be. Feel free to lighten it up with a splash of soda water. If your jam is pretty sweet, you may not need the honey. 

2 tablespoons raspberry jam/preserves of your choice*

1 teaspoon honey

1 sprig fresh basil (about 4-5 leaves)

Ice

2 ounces bourbon

Juice from 2 medium-large lemons

Combine raspberry jam/preserves in a small dish, and microwave about 15 seconds, just to loosen it enough to easily stir together. 

Add basil to a cocktail shaker, and muddle/mash. Add ice about 3/4 full, bourbon, lemon juice, and jam/honey mixture. Shake shake shake!

Pour over ice, garnish with a leaf of basil, enjoy!

*I used Trader Joe's Raspberry Fruit Spread.