this shit rocks no. 49: spicy, stuffed olives & skin food

Plus a sheet pan salmon & potato dinner to make ASAP!

Pepper and I are in Colorado with my family for the holidays, and it is very cold here. LA has made me soft. We’ve already gotten a ton of snow which brings me one of my favorite sights—watching my dad rev up his snow blower. He really knows the driveway like the back of his hand.

My brother has asked me an obnoxious amount of questions about cooking (what’s in brown butter? What’s an aioli? Can you eat rosemary? Are you gonna baste this? What are your rates?), and I have returned the favor by asking him a million questions about football (What was the longest field goal ever kicked? Where is the Super Bowl? Are you addicted to fantasy football? Who’s the shortest NFL player and how tall is he?).

We’re going skiing at Copper and I can’t wait to slurp down bloody Mary (more on that below) at the base of the mountain.

Pepper is an amazing flyer.

BTW, what do you think of the new This Shit Rocks banner?! My friend, mentor, toughest critic, and greatest supporter, Sam, designed it and I am eternally grateful. A talent!

I love my new logo, and here are some other things that I love.

Mezzetta Jalapeño Stuffed Olives

I am in the thick of an intense Bloody Mary phase that is starting to feel like more a lifestyle, and I require one with heavy garnishes (preferably spicy). I love to throw a few of these on a skewer with lemon slices, pickle spears, and peperoncinis because it looks cool and it’s nice to have something to nosh on.

My non-negotiables for a bloody Mary are a ton of pickle juice, freshly squeezed lemon, prepared horseradish, hot sauce (Valentino, if possible) and a generous, tajin rim. MMmMmmmMMMm.

These jalapeño-stuffed olives are not only an elite garnish for your next batch of bloody’s, but they’re also a divine snack. Should I be concerned that I could probably take down a whole jar of these in one sitting? IDK! Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Weleda Skin Food

This item was actually featured in one of the first sendings of This Shit Rocks but I’m featuring it again because it is a product that I love and treasure, especially during the cold, dry winter months. It is more of a paste than it is a lotion, and it is FULL of moisture. It is very thick, and it has a fairly mild, herbal scent that is not too overpowering.

I put it on before I go to bed every night because my skin is on the drier side, and the air in LA (and Colorado) is essentially moisture-less. I’ve also found that it’s good for breakouts. For the longest time I would put really aggressive, drying products on blemishes, when in fact, what they really needed was SKIN FOOD. The more you know!

Sheet Pan Calabrian Chile-Honey and Sesame Salmon with Crispy Potatoes 

Serves: 4

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

I asked my dear friend, Sam (the lovely artist who drew my new logo), if she had any recipe requests, and she said she wanted something creative with fish, but not shrimp. Thus, this calabrian-honey salmon was born. I know Sam well enough to know that if I call for more than one pan or an annoying list of steps, I will be hearing from her. This sheet pan dinner is straightforward and comes together in 45 minutes.

The citrusy, calabrian-honey sesame mixture is used on the salmon, the potatoes, and it’s mixed with some Greek yogurt to make a creamy condiment for the dish. I used three different citruses (orange, lemon, AND lime) because I think it adds a nice dimension to the sauce, but feel free to use what you have.

And on that note, you don’t need to draw me a new custom logo (though it doesn’t hurt) to have a say in the recipes that are featured in this newsletter. As always, feel free to leave a comment about what you’re interested in cooking.