breakfast at laduree

our third day in paris, we decided to start at the top of the champs-elysees, and work 

our way towards the tuileries garden. we had been waking up so early due to the time change, 

we started almost every day as the only ones walking through the streets of paris. 

this morning was particularly quiet, as it was overcast and the ground was wet from 

rain the night before. i had never seen the champs with so few people!!! 

it must have been 7 or 8am because nowhere was even open for a coffee! 

we had just decided to window shop for a while until the street became more lively, 

when we stumbled upon the flagship laduree - which of course, was open for breakfast. 

it was at the point i decided i had hit the vacation lottery! :)

for those of you who aren't familiar with laduree, they are a french pastry shop with 

the most delicious and delicate pastries, have the most charming marketing and branding, 

AND were made famous by their macarons.

the ground floor had an enormous pastry case, along with a buffet style brunch, 

while upstairs had room after room of charming little nooks for people to nosh on their 

pastries and morning coffees. we quickly ordered our coffees and a variety of pastries, 

and of course, didn't take off before carefully selecting a to-go box of macarons.

one of my most favorite memories from our trip!

ignore how blurry this picture is and just focus on how happy my heart is!

pumpkin pecan granola

i love granola, but just can't justify the super high calorie, high sugar stuff you buy at the store.

for those of you that have tried your hand at homemade granola, you know it's super easy, 

tastes delicious, and is much healthier than the store bought stuff.

i know it's not the time of year you're normally thinking about pumpkin pie spice 

and pumpkin puree, but you'll change your mind as soon as you smell this baking in your oven!

the recipe is easy and delicious.

i've been eating this on top of my oatmeal and yogurt all week.

{this first made an appearance at marcy's baby shower this past weekend!}

recipe via sprouted kitchen

makes about 3 cups

ingredients

2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup grade B maple syrup

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup raw pecan pieces

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/2 cup crimson or golden raisins

directions

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. in a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt,
the pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree and whisk to combine.

3. add oats, pecans, and sesame seeds and stir until evenly coated.

4. spread mixture on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, 

keeping some of the clusters of oats intact.
bake granola until dry and light brown in color, 35-45 minutes,
stirring every 10 minutes, making sure no spots getting extra toasted.

5. remove from oven and allow granola to cool a few minutes. add raisins and toss to mix. 

add another pinch or two of salt if needed. cool completely before storing. 

can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

gluten free five spice muffins

i can't say that i've had much experience with gluten free cooking,
but because i have lots of friends with food allergies
AND i'm always up for trying something new,
i tried my hand at these gluten free muffins this past weekend.
they made an appearance at my dear friend's baby shower,
which you'll see on the blog tomorrow :)

i have to admit, i was skeptical...
a sweet potato? olive oil? maple syrup?

you guys - they were pretty freaking good.
in fact, i thought they were delicious!

would make them again in a heartbeat, and would double the recipe next time.

recipe via it's all good

yields 12 muffins

ingredients

1 large sweet potato

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

3/4 good quality maple syrup, 

plus 2 tablespoons for brushing the muffins

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups gluten free flour

(if the flour doesn't include xanthan gum, add 1 teaspoon)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 tablespoons chinese five-spice powder
you can buy this pre-made or mix it up yourself

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

directions

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees

prick sweet potato 7-10 times with a knife.

bake until soft (when a knife can cut through with zero resistance), about 1 hour.

set the sweet potato aside until it's completely cool.

2. peel sweet potato, discard skin and mash in a mixing bowl.

whisk olive oil, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla into the sweet potato.

3. in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 

five-spice powder, and salt. fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

4. line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and evenly distribute the muffin batter among the cups.

bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, 

brushing the tops with the extra maple syrup during the last 5 minutes of baking. 

let the muffins cool before serving

 

 

balsamic broiled citrus

so i'm minding my own business, grabbing lunch at the market,
 and end up in the express checkout lane.

a young man comes and stands right next to me and asks if i am in line.
i look up briefly to tell him that yes (obviously) i am in line
before looking back down at what was likely my instagram feed.

he proceeds to stand there for another minute or so
until he says 'will you go to prom with me?'
(wait, i'm sorry, WHAT???)
i look up and say 'ohhh, uh, are you in high school???'
(didn't know what to say obviously!)
before he says anything else i say 'i'm too old for you...'
he proceeds to ask how old i am - as if that's really the problem (LOL).
then i say 'oh, and i'm married!"
(first time i've used this line! perks of marriage - hello!)

at this point he runs off to some friends standing in the corner
waiting for him while i hear him say 'she's married!!!!!'

totally ridiculous and simultaneously made me feel SO old and SO young all at the same time.

in other news, my mom and i tried these balsamic broiled
grapefruits and oranges alongside our breakfast bake a couple weeks back.

they were decent. definitely had no complaints,
but i can't say they blew my socks off either.
next time i might increase the honey a bit and make sure i'm
drizzling the citrus right before placing them in the oven

recipe via simply real health

for other grapefruit recipes,
click here, here and here

ingredients

1 grapefruit, sliced in half
precut for easy scooping is best!

1 orange, sliced in half

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

directions

1. set oven to broil.

2. add vinegar and honey to a small saucepan over low heat. whisk to combine.

(can also place in a microwave safe container and heat for 30 seconds)

3. place citrus face up on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
drizzle with warmed vinegar and honey mixture.

4. broil until browned and bubbly on top - about 1-2 minutes

after drizzling...

after broiling...