Beet tartare.  Creamy ricotta with lemon zest and fine diced marinated beets and shallots topped with dill sprigs.

I have these friends.  Oh, they are delicious. The sort of people who are warm and open and throw the best parties ever, ever. And I’m not just saying that. They really do.

Since I was travelling through Utah (wherein they live), I gave them a holler and asked permission to stay at their place for a night. In response, friend Greg slaughtered a pig so there’d be fresh pork for my belly and friend Letti baked Francois Payard’s favorite flourless chocolate cake. The meal was epic. The company divine.

Since I’m not baking this week, I took photos just to share. The basic titles of the recipes are listed below. Obviously, there’s a significant amount of prep for each of these dishes (that’s just how Greg rolls. He’s like Michael Pollan mixed with Alice Waters with the good looks of Jake Gyllenhall) so I haven’t included recipes, but thought you foodie friends might enjoy an inspiring lookie loo at that beauty that is homemade perfection.

©2012 Cheeky Kitchen

‘Tis the season of shimmer! With sunshine and summer on the menu all over the next two months, I was delighted when Chic Mag decided to drop a Shimmer issue, and needed a purty ol’ recipe to go along with it!

After a little brainstorming, a lot of recipe testing, and a little bit of sparkle dust, I conjured the ultimate appetizer! And it starts with pretty little shimmer berries, made ever-so-simply by dusting fresh fruit with edible gold dust. Ready to bling out your next party?

(Yes. Yes you are.)

(Also. THANK YOU for your patience with my sporadic posting schedule over the next two weeks! I’m on the road doing all sorts of exciting stuff, but promise to keep you up to date on the latest at every interim possible!)

©2012 Cheeky Kitchen

My son learned yesterday how to make fried eggs.

He made them for breakfast, standing over the stove, brow furrowed, spatula in hand, openly coaching himself through the cooking.

“Okay, okay, get ready to flip.”

“Don’t let it sizzle! Don’t let it sizzle!”

“Oh man, that was a good one. THAT was a GOOD one!”

He’d then toss a mangled yolk onto a plate, lovingly set it with a fork, then call out to anyone in the near vicinity, “Eggs ready!”

©2012 Cheeky Kitchen

The summer is shaping up to be one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sort of events. The ones where breathing is highly discouraged, lest you mutlitask more into a single minute that you’ve put into the plan.

*breathe*

*exhale*

*run and catch up*

I like when life is busy. I’m grateful when life it’s busy. It means I’ve carved out some semblance of being needed in this wondrous old world of ours. But, it also means I have to be careful to not fall into naughty patterns of comfort eating. That happens a lot when I’m pushing myself. I don’t want to sit down and take time to really care for my guts. I just wanna force-shove whatever childhood candy is within reach at the moment, and keep on running.

©2012 Cheeky Kitchen

I was recently asked by Folgers to create a post about coffee and music. And, whoo-eee. That’s an easy one. Because, you already know how entirely I adore Sunday mornings. But what you don’t know is how Steve and I rustle the kids awake every Sunday, then stand in the kitchen and have this conversation, Steve standing counterside with a coffee in his right hand, me standing at the fridge, pulling Paleo eats out for breakfast…

“Okay, what do we feel like today?” (I shuffle around in for some eggs and toss a bit of bacon on the counter.

“How about….umm….Gospel music? Jazz?” (Steve rolls the words around and considers them momentarily.)

“Reggae? What about reggae? Reggae is always so nice for Sunday mornings…” (I close my eyes and sway to the blissful beat in my head, shaking fake dreadlocks smoothly back and forth).

©2012 Cheeky Kitchen

Blah blah blah. There’s a whole story about how this recipe came to be. But I just got my house cleaned (yes I did. I totally paid for someone else to clean it today). I just got caught up on laundry.  There are no dishes in my sink. And I have the slightest kiss of a sunburn on my shoulders. And the air is thick and rich outside–even as the moon melts it’s light across thy sky.

And, I’m like all….blah, blah, blah. Who wants to hear about food when Zen is attainable? Let’s just suspend ourselves in this moment where all is complete for a single second. All is caught up. All feels…almost do-able.

Let’s just sit here, shall we? The cauliflower can wait.

©2012 Cheeky Kitchen

Life is so good. The weather is warm. The weekend felt luxuriously long. Today, a midafternoon rainstorm poured down all tropical like for nearly an hour.  I sat with the window open, that sweet smell of clean water and wet dirt seeping into the windowsills. Lily Allen hummed in the background about all sorts of worthwhile things. The kitchen sink was almost clean. Dinner ideas sat scrawled on scrap paper. Everything just felt suspended in aliveness and I wished I could hold it, but recognized immediately the absurdity of such an idea. For, it’s only in the fleetingness of this perfection that it can be so utterly, and blessedly enjoyed.

©2012 Cheeky Kitchen

It’s 6:22 a.m. and I’ve already been nudged awake three times by four different children. I roll over and ask them for five more minutes–just five–because I’d been up ’til midnight, finalizing assignments and folding neat fresh piles of laundry. And five more minutes of sleep sounds just too, too good to give up. It’s 6:23 a.m. and my tween yells from the bathroom, “m-aaaaaaahhhhhhm! can you come help me curl my hair?” I squeeze my eyes hard, suck in a big breath, then swing my feet over the edge of the bed. Boom. They’ve touched the floor and the day is officially off and running. Forget the extra five minutes for snoozing. People need me, there’re places to go, and we’ve gotta rush from here to there on a wing and a prayer, hoping we’ll accomplish all the day’s duties–from school work to sports. All this awaits. And it’s only 6:24 a.m. Life as a mom is awesome. It’s awesome rewarding. It’s awesome fun. It’s awesome challenging. And, all the time, it’s awesome busy. Rush rush rush, go go go. Someone always needs to be here, or go there, or do this. Carving out time between all of these must-haves to assume a little normalcy isn’t always easy. But, it is possible.

Continue reading: 3 Easy Breakfast Bentos

©2012 Cheeky Kitchen

Guys, guys. I’m so excited. I can FINALLY introduce you to my Real Cheeky vlog, which kicked off last month, and has a slew of fun new episodes arriving this month…that you are gonna LOVES. Check in monthly for all sorts of 3-ingredients approaches to cookin’, decoratin’, and bigass life livin’!

This first 3-Ingredient recipe is divooooon. It’s chicken. With brie melted all up in ‘ere. And spicy berry jam melted on top.

Your mind wilt be blown.

Your heart wilt be happy.

Your mouth wilt be zestified.

Ready? Nab the episode after the jump, and start coookang!!!

©2012 Cheeky Kitchen