Huge thanks go out to Cost Plus World Market for sponsoring this post and making our Easter brunch dreams come true!
[ Photos by Just Destiny Mag ]
Your Custom Text Here
Huge thanks go out to Cost Plus World Market for sponsoring this post and making our Easter brunch dreams come true!
[ Photos by Just Destiny Mag ]
I want more time. The age-old cry of the brand-new parent goes like this, simply......I want more time.
Time spent daydreaming, reading books, creating. Time spent drinking in the sweet realness of my son (who is already not a newborn anymore, how is he already not a newborn anymore?), his warm weight on my lap, all flailing fists and head-swiveling insistence on seeing every bit of the world around him. Time spent drinking in the sweet realness of my husband as well, rather than passing like weary yet affectionate ships in the night. Time spent focusing uninterrupted on work for a whole hour at a time, doing a really great and thorough job for once, instead of rushing from deadline to deadline. Time spent sipping a cup of coffee while it's still hot and steaming. Time spent enjoying my kitchen. I want one hundred hours in a day so that I can squeeze all of these beautiful things in, without one thing crowding out the others, each item on my list jostling the others and desperately vying for attention.
I want more time, but there are dishes, emails, the piercing wail of colic, conference calls, soothing infant backrubs, terrifying trips to the pediatrician, more dishes, laundry and dog walking to get through...and I'm not going to be getting those hundred hours in my day any time soon. The best that I can do--chronically exhausted, shipwrecked on the shores of new parenthood without a compass--is to show love for my little family in the small ways I feel capable of. More often than not, this means some type of food. It may not be a traditional, long-simmered pot of Sunday sauce or an elegant nine-course tasting menu, but avocado toast is one of those humbly sublime dishes that seems to magically transform into something even better than the sum of its parts. It's a favorite for the two adults who live in this household, and while Henry isn't eating anything firmer than breastmilk yet, avocado will almost definitely be among the first foods he tries. Avocado toast will be on the menu for him someday, and I'll serve it just like this: simple bread rubbed with olive oil and toasted on one side, loaded with fork-smashed green fruit and a hefty sprinkling of sea salt and pepper. I may not be able to concentrate on anything for longer than five minutes, but in less time than that, I can put love on the table in front of my family.
No one needs a recipe for avocado toast, but in case you want one anyway, here it is: Brush olive oil on bread, slide under broiler, smash avocado on toast, sprinkle with salt & freshly ground pepper, eat, smile, love.
Awards season is here, it's time to celebrate in style! This year, we're brushing aside the grey skies of winter gloom by hosting a glitzy, fabulous Oscars gala, inviting our sequins-and-black-tie-clad friends & family to fill our living room with raucous champagne-fueled toasts as we cheer for our favorite films and actors. Just kidding......haha! We have an eight-week-old baby at home. The last event we hosted was Christmas morning breakfast for our immediate family, and I have to admit, our tree and holiday decor (and the occasional lone tumbleweed of wrapping paper) stayed up past MLK Day. No, this year, Tim and I are actually hosting an intimate Oscars party for two, at which we will be seated cross-legged at the coffee table and clad in our finest robes and pajamas. Because we are still fancy folk who have so many things worth celebrating, though, our basic party concept remains the same even though the guest list is a little streamlined: elegant little desserts and a sparkling cocktail that brings a much-needed touch of glamour to the living room. The real winner of the evening, though? Lovely little nibbles covered in rich dark and milk chocolate by the legendary chocolate makers at Ghirardelli, one of my all-time favorite treats.
Whether you're entertaining à deux or for an entire crowd, my mantra is usually 'go for simplicity.' Keep the concept straightforward--in this case, bite-sized desserts and minimalist cocktails--and keep the energy of the party focused on fun. Our awards party celebration was the perfect opportunity to reach for the chocolate-covered nuts and fruit treats made by my friends at Ghirardelli. Beautiful bowls of perfectly grabbable snacks make for an easy, yet elegant dessert spread. To coordinate with our Chocolate Covered Snacks, I am planning to make a few two-bite confections of my own, including tiny meringue kisses dipped in chocolate and almonds, a treat that pairs beautifully with Ghirardelli's Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds (our hands-down favorite of the flavors). A crisp, dry sparkling wine or champagne gets a little extra fruity kick from a spoonful of blueberry vanilla compote, making it basically the simplest cocktail ever. A little gold glitter sprinkled around never fails to make things feel festive, either.
Thanks go out to Ghirardelli for sponsoring this post and encouraging me to develop this elegant little party for two (that can easily be scaled up to a party for twenty, if you're so inclined)! All recipes and opinions expressed in this post are, as always, 100% my own. To find out more about Ghirardelli Chocolate (including coupons and shopping options), visit them at their site, or follow along on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Makes 4 dozen kisses
4 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 oz dark or milk chocolate
sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 200 degrees, line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a large, clean mixing bowl and beat with a whisk of electric mixer until the mixture becomes first foamy, then opaque. Add sugar a little at a time and continue beating until it has all been added and the meringue forms stiff, shiny peaks.
Spoon the meringue one tablespoon at a time (or pipe from a pastry bag with a decorative tip for fancier kisses) onto the prepared baking sheets, then place in oven. Bake at 200 for two hours, then turn off heat and let meringues sit in oven for two more hours. Remove, and let cool thoroughly. In a microwave-proof bowl or double boiler on stove, melt the chocolate. Dip the bottom third of each meringue in melted chocolate, then roll gently in sliced almonds. Place back on parchment or silicone mat until chocolate has hardened (you can set these a little faster by placing them in the fridge), then serve!
I didn't grow up in a football-watching family--like, at all--but when I fell in love with a man whose heart beats wildly for the game, I'd like to think that I caught on quickly. One basic truth that I've absorbed over the years is this: Super Bowl Sunday is the last official holiday of the winter season, and deserves its own annual celebration. Most years, this means simply setting out a spread that includes the holy trifecta that is cold beer, salty snacks and creamy dips....tasty, but predictable fare. But what if, just this once, we did things a little differently? This year, I'm imagining hosting a late morning breakfast celebration that spills out into the street or the park for a pickup game of flag football among friends, then finally stretches into an afternoon game-watching party. Who's up for joining me in a game day breakfast party?
Because this is after all a holiday, Super Bowl morning breakfast is no ordinary breakfast. It's a little bit more indulgent than usual, full of treats that combine the wholesome goodness of nuts and dried fruit with the thrill of rich dark and milk chocolates. To bring this chocolate-inspired breakfast fantasy to life, I teamed up with my friends at Ghirardelli, my go-to favorite for finely crafted chocolate with an admirable bean-to-bar ethic. Having just discovered the joys of their line of new Chocolate Covered snacks (seriously, OBSESSED), I made these the centerpiece of my breakfast table, rounded out by a top-your-own-yogurt bar. Available in five delicious flavors, their Chocolate Covered confections include coconut clusters, almonds and cashews, and whole dried blueberries with a hint of Tahitian vanilla, all enrobed in Ghirardelli's famous milk and dark chocolates--perfect for hand-to-mouth snacking all day long on game day!
Inspired by these flavors, I created my own dark chocolate & coconut granola that's equally perfect for snacking on right out of the bowl or for sprinkling over a serving of creamy Greek yogurt, as well as a simple blueberry-vanilla compote that bursts with color and flavor. Want to set out your own irresistible chocolate breakfast buffet on Super Bowl Sunday? Stock up on luxurious Chocolate Covered snacks and set each out in its own pretty bowl...then watch them disappear all day long! Add a simple, serve-yourself buffet of bowls of plain yogurt accompanied by tempting toppings such as roasted cashews, banana chips, dried fruits--and of course, homemade granola and fruit compote--and you have a winning combination for your game day crowd!
Many thanks go out to Ghirardelli for sponsoring this post and allowing me to try each of their Chocolate Covered snacks in order to develop ideas for this fun, celebratory breakfast party! All opinions expressed in this post are, as always, 100% my own. For more on Ghirardelli Chocolate (including coupons and shopping options), follow along on their site, or get social with them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup shaved coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 beaten egg white
1/4 cup dark chocolate shavings
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Heat coconut oil and brown sugar in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat until sugar dissolves, add cocoa powder & salt and stir until these are dissolved as well. Remove pan from heat and let cool slightly, then stir in oats, coconut & almonds until well combined. Fold in beaten egg white, spread granola on parchment (allow large clumps to form).
Bake at 300 for 25-30 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings while still warm. Toss gently to combine, being careful to keep some clumps of granola intact. Let cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container.
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan, bring just barely to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for eight minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract and let cool to room temperature. Serve immediately, or else store in refrigerator in airtight container. This makes a wonderful drizzle for yogurt, slices of freshly baked bread, cake, or vanilla ice cream.
Readers, sit back and I'll tell you a story all about how (as we used to say back in the ol' 90s)...my life got flipped turned upside down. You see, nearly six weeks ago I brought a baby into the world, and ever since then, life around here has been full of heart-fluttering infant smiles and the softest flannel blankies and kissing the tiniest pudgy fingers. Cute as they are, however, babies are also adorably stern taskmasters demanding an insane amount of work, which means that life around here is also now full of colicky screams and baby wipes and three AM feedings and laundering huge piles of impossibly tiny clothes.
Attempts at fine dining (all-day braises? Complicated, twenty-step-process recipes? Yeah, that's a big old temporary nope) are somewhat on the backburner lately, but that doesn't mean we're not still looking for ways to eat beautifully--even while catering to the demands of a tiny human. My solution these days? I'm openly embracing kitchen shortcuts, especially when they involve wholesome, delicious ingredients like fresh pasta with vegetable-infused fillings. We've been experimenting with Buitoni's line of freshly-made filled pastas, a recent discovery and an absolute lifesaver. I'm all for any solution that emphasizes freshness and encourages creativity, while making the most of my limited time and effort in the kitchen. Just the addition of a simply made sauce and a sprinkling of fresh herbs or grated cheese brings dinner together quickly, and in a way that lives up to my (okay, admittedly pretty high) standards. Few things may be able to penetrate through that newborn haze of sleep deprivation and utter wonder at this tender human life we've created, but one of them is the sweet luxury of sitting down to a meal with my husband like real grownups. We may be seated cross-legged at the coffee table, surrounded by a jungle of swaddle blankets, binkies and Boppys, but we're dining like adults once in a while.
This particular dinner--a hearty combination of winter flavors that highlights pumpkin, sage, and savory mushroom filling--comes together in under 20 minutes from start to finish. Creamy pumpkin-based sauce is the perfect complement to tender pasta filled with portobello & crimini mushrooms, while a hint of sage (my favorite winter herb) and a scattered handful of golden toasted hazelnuts adds sophistication with minimal effort. Turns out, that whole twenty-minutes-and-done thing is the key to success--it's exactly the right amount of time that slips easily into one of those magical quiet periods in between feedings, diaper changing, laundry and work. Sign me up for any solution that takes us one step closer to dinner, without sacrificing freshness or flavor......that's a kitchen shortcut I can truly get behind!
Makes two servings
9 oz. package BUITONI Mushroom Agnolotti
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1 tablespoon butter
1 minced shallot
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup pasta water (reserved from cooking pasta)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage (plus extra for garnish, if you like)
Heat a large pot of water to boiling, add BUITONI Mushroom Agnolotti and cook until done, per instructions (about 5-7 minutes). Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water to add to the sauce.
Heat oven to 300, put hazelnuts in a pie pan and place in oven. Toast nuts until lightly golden, about 8-10 minutes, then remove and roughly chop into pieces.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until golden, stirring often, about three minutes. Add pumpkin puree, cream, reserved pasta water and sage, stirring well. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for five minutes to combine flavors. Add a splash of additional water if you would like a slightly thinner sauce. Taste and add salt (more or less if needed). To serve, plate the agnolotti then drizzle generously with sauce and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and fresh sage, if using. Enjoy while nice and warm!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Oh, Christmas brunch, oh Christmas brunch....how I love you.
Christmas morning brunch has been a sacred tradition in my family since the days my younger brother and I outgrew the wake-parents-up-early-and-tear-open-presents age. These days, if anyone in the family is up before the sunrise, it's more likely to do with breakfast prep: brewing a large French press full of strong coffee, slicing English muffins, preparing a poaching bath for eggs, trying to remember how to make hollandaise sauce (and inevitably, a conversation between Dad and I trying to remember how to repair a broken hollandaise sauce, since we only make it once a year). Our annual holiday must-have has been the festive, overly indulgent pairing of eggs Benedict and mimosas for as long as I can remember, along with impossibly goofy family in-jokes, the golden twinkling of lights on the tree in the morning, and holiday tunes playing over the flickering glow of the televised Yule log (my dad's favorite thing about Christmas, and the only other absolute must-have).
All those leisurely-paced holiday mornings are surely all about to go out the window this year with the arrival of our first child (and first grandchild in the family!), bringing with him a return to the days of LET'S OPEN PRESENTS NOOOOOOOOW OKAY ? I say bring on the chaos, we're ready for it. Circle of life and all that. But this year, in the stillness before the storm, my family is celebrating with one more peaceful holiday brunch, and I'm celebrating with another kind of special project...a cookbook!
This particular holiday brunch menu is one I've been playing with for quite a while now; based on my own family traditions, it naturally includes a version of eggs Benedict (you haven't truly experienced happiness if you haven't yet made these on a savory waffle base, in my opinion) and a sophisticated twist on mimosas. I've included the easiest possible version of that notorious hollandaise sauce (it comes together in seconds, in a blender), by the way, so there won't be any broken sauces or need for intense repair attempts. Crispy puff pastry shells cradling hearty bites of garlicky greens threaded with rich cheese are a comfort food like no other, and dead simple to put together. Others, like the Swedish-influenced cinnamon rolls and winter salad of red pears, grapefruit and pomegranate, are there to provide some much needed sweetness and jewel-like color on a midwinter morning.
MERRY + BRIGHT: A Holiday Brunch Menu by Sweet Laurel
Swedish-style Cinnamon Almond Rolls
Greens + Gruyère Pastry Cups
Eggs Benedict Waffles
Winter Fruit Salad
Grapefruit Sage Mimosas
Looking for a little brunch inspiration for your own table this year? You can actually order a printed & bound copy of my mini-cookbook from the good folks at Blurb, and have it on your shelf to treasure and refer to for years and years to come. Or, you can click the link below and receive a PDF copy of the cookbook absolutely free...my little holiday gift to all of you for being Sweet Laurel readers. Either way, may your days be merry & bright!
My huge thanks go out to Blurb for sponsoring this post and allowing me to create such a lovely little book. I seriously can't stop running my hands over the beautiful, full-bleed color pages and lovingly caressing the spine, where my name sits in bold print. This holiday cookbook thing could become a yearly tradition! If you've got a print dream that you'd like to make a reality, head over to Blurb and take advantage of 40% off on photo books between now and December 19th. Trust me, there's no feeling quite like taking all those glowing pixels and turning them into a book that can be given, held and cherished for years--it's an amazing gift to give to someone else, or to yourself! Then settle back, light up the Yule log on television, and start thinking deeply about holiday brunch, because those eggs Benedict waffles aren't going to make themselves, but they are a lot of fun to make with family & friends around you. Happy holidays, everyone!