The Blender

Practically everywhere across the country, summer weather arrived early with temperate breezes and balmy temperatures. So naturally, we’re already dreaming of summer evenings spent entertaining outdoors—the kind where friends and family gather on porches and in backyards to share in easy conversation and delicious summer foods.

To get you even more excited for the season (not that you need pushing), we’ve put together a Pinterest board of our favorite kitchen designs for summer entertaining. From airy layouts to open ceilings, we hope these images inspire you to think differently about your own kitchen.

And after you browse the images, enter Cultivate.com’s newly launched Pinterest contest, which challenges you to design a Pinterest board with images that illustrate your dream kitchen. Prizes include an All Clad D5 10-piece set (value $1,450), Williams-Sonoma gift cards, and a feature on Cultivate.com. Click here for instructions and rules.

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On a rainy April morning, I couldn’t think of anything more perfect than to stay inside and bake — except maybe to watch someone else do the baking. So I drove across the Bay Bridge to The Bread Project located in Emeryville. The Bread Project produces bread and other baked treats for organizations in the Bay Area. In March, new to Union Square’s Artisans’ Market, they launched the Social Enterprise line of treats for the public.

The Bread Project provides culinary training to people with low income to help get them on the path of self-sufficiency and eventually obtain jobs in the food industry. I wanted to know more, so I donned a hairnet and was given a grand tour by Mark Chacon, Chef and Director of Bakery Production.

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In 2005, fresh from a four-year stint in the Army and a yearlong tour in Iraq, Sung Ahn took a job as a dishwasher at Los Angeles’ Water Grill. Seven years later, Ahn is chef de cuisine at the modern-Moroccan restaurant Aziza, a job he acquired after working at such noteworthy restaurants as Urasawa in Beverly Hills, The French Laundry and, most recently, Benu in San Francisco.

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Finally, a dream come true — I now have an herb and vegetable garden, just steps from my kitchen door. Earlier this year, I planted little starts of cilantro, parsley, oregano and half a dozen other herbs in our new raised vegetable bed.

As a budding urban gardener, I’m taking great pleasure in watching my herbs grow and planning meals around them, snipping off just what I need for a particular dish.

And I’m also discovering I have a lot to learn — starting with cilantro. As the weeks went by, my plant mushroomed, towering over the rest of the herbs. Every day or two, I clipped a few sprigs off the side of the plant to use in cooking, but you’d never know it. That cilantro continued to shoot straight up.

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We hope your weekend is full of delicious meals, homemade gifts and memorable moments spent with the special Moms in your life.

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of all the Mother’s Day menus, tips and recipes this month at The Blender.

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“Food has more love when it’s homemade – it just tastes better. For me, my mom’s cooking is comfort food that’s almost like medicine. All those weeks in the hospital, it helped me heal and feel better.”

My buddy Jack Witherspoon is barely twelve years old – but he knows a lot about secret ingredients for recipes and life. And he says love is the most important of all.

Jack was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two, went through years of hospital stays and chemotherapy – then relapsed when he was six. His mom, Lisa, recalls: “When Jack relapsed, I was devastated. It meant the chances were down to 50% that he’d survive. They weren’t guaranteeing us anything.”

But in a world with no guarantees, Jack and his mom found something they could always count on.

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Spring is the best time for a fresh, sunny brunch shared with friends and family, whether you’re cooking for Mom on Mother’s Day or just relaxing during the weekend. That’s why we’ve spent the past month brushing up on our favorite breakfast and brunch dishes, from eggs and biscuits to fluffy pancakes.

Keep reading to recap our tips and recipes with the step-by-step guides below. If you do find yourself treating Mom this Sunday, she’ll be impressed — and delighted — by what you’ve learned.

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Suzanne Goin, award-winning chef/owner of four Southern California restaurants—and the busy mom of three young children—created this menu especially for us. It combines everything she would want to eat on Mother’s Day.

“When we go out for breakfast or brunch, I always have that battle—do I want sweet or do I want savory?” Suzanne says. “The nice thing about this is you get to have both.”

And she’s right. From a cheesy frittata to rich dulce de leche brownies, these dishes will satisfy all ages and tastes. Set up a self-serve buffet and let everyone help themselves — these tips will show you how.

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Ah, Mother’s Day: a day for dads and kids to celebrate Mom by making a giant mess out of her kitchen. While I’m sure that there’s a goodly percentage of dads out there who pull off a delicious family brunch without flour on the ceiling and eggs in the cabinet hinges, my husband is not one of them.

This is not to suggest that he can’t cook. On the contrary, he’s quite the accomplished chef, at least in one realm – the great outdoors. Give him a set of grill tools or a cedar plank, and he’ll treat our family and friends to a multitude of gourmet delights.

Given my husband’s talents, the only thing made in our house for brunch on Mother’s Day are reservations. After brunch out, we come home to spend the remainder of our day outside in the garden, playing, drinking wine and lemonade, listening to music and enjoying the change in climate. Even our food prep takes place outside.

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Kids and dads, join us at your local Williams-Sonoma store for a hands-on cupcake decorating event just for Mom! Present Mom with a delicious cupcake decorated by her very own children for Mother’s Day tomorrow, while dad shops for the perfect gift.

Event time: Saturday, May 12 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Reservations are recommended; contact your local store to sign up.