Whipping up a batch of these glittering cranberries signals the beginning of the holiday season at Chez Jones. These sweet-tart candied berries are great for snacking, sharing, decorating the table, and – our favorite use – garnishing cocktails like our Holiday Mule or this holiday twist on a French 75. They’re such a surprisingly refreshing…
“Holiday 75” Sparkling Champagne Cocktail
Make your holidays sparkle with this festive twist on a French 75. A French 75 is the cocktail that combines all my favorite components: gin, lemon juice, and a touch of simple syrup topped off with sparkling wine and a twist. This incarnation gives it the holiday treatment by swapping tart cranberry juice and an…
Roasted Butternut Squash and Burrata Salad
Fall is coming. Here in LA it may be in the triple digits but it’s dark when I go to work and the stores are stocked with pumpkin everything, so it’s clear that autumn is approaching. I love fall flavors but when it’s 102 outside it’s hard to get excited about anything heavy or labor…
Salmon Salade Lyonnaise
Salade Lyonnaise is a popular salad from the Lyon region of France traditionally made of frisée, lardons, toasted croutons, and a mustard vinaigrette made from the bacon drippings all topped with a poached egg. It’s like breakfast salad. Because bacon is such an integral ingredient, I’ve long struggled with a way to make this that…
Warm Lentil Salad with Burrata and Basil Vinaigrette
Creamy buratta and a fragrant basil vinaigrette melted into a fresh zucchini and lentil salad is the perfect dish to transition into fall. I first came across this dish in the kitchen of a friend. Brad and I had dropped by to spend a few hours with them over a bottle of wine. She started…
Pineapple Serrano Margarita
We’re in the throes of a triple digit heat wave here in LA but I’m not bothered at all. It’s an excellent excuse to whip up a batch of this sweet and spicy cocktail. Brad and I discovered this margarita while celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary in San Miguel de Allende earlier this year. It’s…
Crispy Tacos de Papa with Roasted Poblanos
Crunchy tacos are stuffed with creamy, cumin-scented potatoes and fiery hint of roasted poblanos in this addictively delicious dish. Traditionally vegetarian and gluten-free, these hearty tacos are built to please everyone. This is a price performer that is an excellent choice when you’re cooking for a crowd. The recipe below easily makes 40-50 tacos depending…
Blueberry, Kale and Quinoa Salad
This has been our salad of the summer: simple and fresh but perfectly satisfying. Torn kale gets massaged with olive oil and lemon juice, tossed with sweet blueberries, hearty quinoa, sliced almonds and crumbled feta. I’ll sometimes use Trader Joe’s honey-roasted sliced almonds for an extra bit of sweetness. If you haven’t fallen in love…
Decadent Cheesecake Bars with Chocolate Ganache Topping
Do you need to impress someone in your life? Do you need a way to show someone how much you appreciate them? Or do you just need to taste the richest, creamiest, most decadent cheesecake bar you’ve ever imagined? Then you’ve come to the right post. my friend. We don’t eat a lot of sweets…
Strawberry Zuccotto with Vanilla Crème Anglais
This cake is the essence of springtime. Here in LA strawberry season starts in April and the sweet smell permeates the produce section of every market through summer. At just a dollar a pint it’s impossible not to load up every time I go shopping. Even more tempting are the vendors along the Pacific Coast…