blubarb muffins

blubarb muffins

This post was created in partnership with Kroger. All opinions are our own.

Somebody please send help. We may have just set a world record for the most muffins consumed in one week by two husbands. The problem first became apparent once we started canceling all our plans just to stay home and continue eating muffins all day. To be honest, we should have known what we were getting ourselves into before making that fateful phone call last Tuesday. We were in a muffin-kind-of-mood and called on the Queen of Baking for a recipe: we knew that Rebecca Firth (www.displacedhousewife.com) would be the one to masterfully mentor our muffin manifestations, and upon regaining consciousness after the first bite, it was clear we had made the correct decision. So please continue reading at your own risk: blubarb muffins are extremely habit-forming and may cause a serious muffin dependency.

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strawberry waffles with balsamic-roasted strawberries

strawberry waffles with balsamic-roasted strawberries

Exactly one year from now, we are throwing a big party. It’s going to be great! Everyone will be invited, and we hope you can come. This week we welcomed some new members to the family: two adorable haas avocado trees—which replaced the feeble kumquat tree that hadn’t grown a single inch in the two years since we planted it. If the weather cooperates, next Cinco de Mayo we’ll be blasting salsa music, sipping margaritas, and mixing guacamole on the front porch, celebrating the first harvest of one of our favorite fruits. Until then, we’ll keep wiping our tears each time we have to fork over five dollars to buy one avocado at the store. Thankfully, there are more inexpensive ways to commemorate spring, and strawberries are certainly a sprightly source of sweet stimulus. And this super-simple breakfast is here to provide just that! Three cheers to spring and strawberries—and to future avocados and outdoor fiestas!

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sparkling dragon fruit margarita

sparkling dragon fruit margaritas

Even though there is an eight year difference between us, we have never noticed. Technically, it’s eight years and three months, but who’s counting? The only time it was an issue was when we first started dating: Ryan was nineteen and wasn’t allowed into some of the shows that Adam’s band was playing because he was still a minor. It’s funny to think that in the mid-eighties when Adam was in middle school, Ryan was just starting kindergarten. We both remember jelly bracelets and garbage pail kids, parachute pants, and the brightly colored neon fashion which illuminated that era. The vibrant color of this glowing cocktail we are sharing today reminds us of those days, and you won’t believe us when we tell you that the hue is all-natural and comes from a tropical fruit. This Cinco de Mayo we are going back… to the future!

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burrata artichoke tartines with roasted lemon mint pesto

burrata artichoke tartines with roasted lemon mint pesto

Last Wednesday we were Husbands That Hike. Traci York, the talented woman behind Vanilla and Bean, invited us to participate in a campaign where bloggers all over the country would post nature photos on Earth Day to help spread awareness about the sale of public lands to private companies. For our contribution, we made plans to take pictures at Point Mugu State Park in Malibu, one our favorite spots in Southern California. Just over an hour’s drive, we wound through canyons and zipped through tunnels, finally arriving at the vista where your breath is taken away by the spectacular greeting of the Pacific Ocean. Adam’s brother Josh rode with us, and the windows were rolled down as we cruised along Pacific Coast Highway, finally arriving at the Ray Miller Trail. The three of us trekked over eleven miles through the beautiful Santa Monica mountains surrounded by wildflowers that blanketed the hillsides and lined the path with every color of the rainbow. It was a perfect day for a hike with pleasant temperatures, cool breezes, and ocean views nearly the entire time. On the way to the park, we picked up sandwiches from a local Italian deli for our lunch on the trail, but next time… we’re packing these babies. This outstanding recipe is from Lily Diamond’s new cookbook Kale & Caramel, so turn on the oven, and let us all say its glorious title together: burrata artichoke tartines with roasted lemon mint pesto!

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spicy garlic edamame

spicy garlic edamame

Our first kiss. September 23, 2001. Los Angeles, California. We had known each other for almost four months. Ryan had just moved back to USC for his sophomore year of college after a summer break in Portland, spent chatting together for hours every night over aol instant messenger. We had been on several casual dates since his return, and the only physical contact was a friendly hug at the end of each evening. But this night was different. Little did we know, as we sat nervously on the couch in Adam’s tiny Los Feliz apartment watching the Ken Burn’s Jazz documentary, that this night would be the beginning of a relationship that would eventually turn into a lifelong marriage. Neither of us ever had a boyfriend before, so this was all new territory and somewhat daunting. Ryan was feeling brave, and before getting together at the apartment that night he proposed a big question over the archaic dial-up internet connection, “What’s the deal with us?” And for good reason: we had been on a handful of dates, and didn’t go a day without speaking on the phone, sometimes for hours on end, but there was still no sign of a kiss. Well, cupid must have had perfect aim that warm Sunday evening, or perhaps there was some particularly romantic jazz music playing in the film, but whatever it was, we found ourselves moving closer and closer on the couch. Miles was wailing on the trumpet and Art Blakey pounded on his drums, while cupid pulled his arrow all the way back, further than he had ever pulled before, and using all his concentration and focus, he let go—never taking his eyes from the arrow as it shot through the air, pierced both of our hearts, and our lips touched for the very first time. Five years after that fateful night, we were married in front of 150 of our closest friends and family, and we have never looked back.

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