Apple Cherry Crumble Bars

Last night I had so much fun when my good friend and I decided to spend the evening baking up some goodies. One of our successes was this recipe for apple cherry crumble bars - which I highly recommend serving warm with some vanilla ice cream or a cool glass of milk.



Ingredients

3 C dried apples (no sugar)
1 C dried cherries (no sugar)
1/4 C dried cranberries (no sugar)
1 3/4 C apple cider
3/4 C + 2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 C almonds / walnuts
2 C almond meal
10 tbsps coconut flour
1 C coconut oil
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Recipe

In a saucepan, simmer cherries, apples, cranberries and apple cider. Bring to boil and simmer for approximately 5 minutes - you want to liquid to begin to rehydrate and soften the fruit. Then, drain the fruit and reserve 2 tbsps of the cooking liquid.

Chop the fruit and toss with 1 tsp of cinnamon, cooking liquid and 2 tbsps of maple syrup and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse almond meal, coconut flour, nuts, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and the remainder of the cinnamon. Once you've broken up the nuts, add in the coconut oil and pulse until the dough comes together.

Take 3 cups of the dough and press into a casarole dish, spread until it covers the base of the dish in an even layer. Place in a 375 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, until it starts to brown. Take out the dish and the fruit - spread evenly over the dough layer. Then crumble the remaining batter over the top of the fruit. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the crumble browns. Cut out the bars with knife.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Celebrating Wednesday night with a little something chocolate.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C almond meal
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 C maple syrup
1/2 C chocolate chips
1/2 C all natural butter

In a large bowl sift the almond meal, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Then in a mixer, cream the maple syrup and butter until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the creamed butter with the mixer on low. Fold in the chocolate chips and using a large spoon, spoon even cookies and place on a greased cookie sheet. Use the bottom of a 1C measuring cup to press the cookie dough balls down evenly. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Almond Honey Muffins

A quick, simple muffin -- that makes the house smell pretty awesome!

Recipe:

Ingredients
2 C almond meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 C unsweetened, all natural applesauce
1/2 C honey
pinch of salt, nutmeg and all spice

Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor pulse the almond meal, salt, nutmeg, all spice and baking soda. Then add the vanilla, eggs, applesauce and honey. Pulse until the batter is smooth. Spoon into a muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes; until a toothpick comes out clean the tops of the muffins become golden. enjoy! This is a great muffin to nibble on with a cup of tea before bed, or a go to for a quick and healthy breakfast.

Marbled Muffins

Tonight I was inspired to put a twist on a classic. I can't tell you how many mornings I took my sister to grab a slice of a marble loaf for breakfast and snacks. Tonight, I decided to try the marble batter in another form, a muffin, and just for fun I threw in some chocolate chips.

Recipe for Chocolate Batter

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 C almond meal
1/4 C + 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C unsweetened, all natural applesauce
3/8 C maple syrup (1/4 C and then 1/2 of a 1/4 C)

In a food processor pulse the almond meal, cocoa powder and baking soda until smooth (almond meal can get clumpy). Then add the eggs, vanilla, applesauce and maple syrup and pulse until smooth. Set aside.


Recipe for Vanilla Batter

Ingredients
2 eggs
3/4 C almond meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 C unsweetened, all natural applesauce

3/8 C maple syrup (1/4 C and then 1/2 of a 1/4 C)

In a large bowl whisk the almond meal and baking soda until smooth. Add in the eggs, vanilla, applesauce and maple syrup and whisk until smooth. 

the view while in my oven...they smelled so good!

Assembling the muffins...

note: you will need chocolate chips for this part

Spoon the batter into a muffin tin alternating the batters (use two separate spoons for the vanilla and chocolate batter). Sprinkle in a few chocolate chips between layers. Have fun with this, there is not wrong way to do it - worse case scenario you end up with chocolate, chocolate chip muffins. Bake in the oven at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (try not to aim for a chocolate chip...those will be nice a gooey!). Cool (optional) and enjoy!

Lemon blueberry muffins

While the food in New York was absolutely delicious, the access to fresh, local ingredients in my new neighborhood has really made my recipes better. This morning I stopped at our local fruit stand and picked up some fresh blueberries and lemons and decided to build a breakfast from this ingredients. These muffins came out tasting so fresh and yummy. 

Recipe:

2 1/2 C almond meal + 3 tbsp for dusting the blueberries

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 C all natural applesauce

zest and juice from 2 lemons

2 eggs

1/4 C maple syrup

1 quart fresh blueberries 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer, add the almond meal and baking soda and whisk until there are no lumps in the almond meal. In a separate bowl, whisk the applesauce, lemons, eggs, and maple syrup until everything is well combined. While the mixer with the almond meal and baking soda is on low, slowly incorporate the wet ingredients. Mix until everything is just combined (be careful not to over mix). Toss the blueberries in the 3 tbsps of almond meal. This will keep the blueberries from bleeding into the muffins too much and will help them from sinking to the bottom of the mixture. Then, using a rubber spatula, fold the blueberries into the batter. Using a quarter cup measuring cup, spoon the batter into a greased muffin tin. Using a measuring cup will ensure that the muffins are all the same size and will therefore bake evenly. Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (don't poke the blueberries - they will dirty the toothpick!). Cool and enjoy!

Making a house feel like a home

Over the past few weeks, in addition to unpacking, I've been collecting little things here and there to make this new apartment feel homier. Here are a few things that are really making me happy!

New oven mits - from Target! 

New spoon rest - also, Target! 

Amazing local sunflowers that brighten up the room

Hot Cocoa on a chilly night

I am loving this California weather. Even more so, I am loving the ample opportunities it is giving me to try out homemade hot cocoa (given how delightfully chilly it is outside). I made this mix last night and it really hit the spot and warmed my soul.

Recipe:

4 C Milk
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
3/4 C maple syrup
3 ounces 60% chocolate squares
1 tbsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour all the ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat and stir constantly until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Such a wonderful simple way to have a bit of sweet before bed, or anytime of day.

Our cross-country journey continued…

After a wonderful start to our cross-country drive, we continued to travel west. We stopped in South Dakota to explore the Badlands and Mount Rushmore and continued on to Wyoming where we ventured into Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole. This part of the trip unveiled some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. While this is not my first trip to Yellowstone, the mountains and glassy lakes took my breath away.

The Badlands

The Badlands

On the road... the Mississippi River in Minnesota

Mount Rushmore

Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone Geysers (Old Faithful on the left)

Yellowstone

We now continue on through Idaho and Nevada for a quick stop in Squaw Valley, by Lake Tahoe, and finally arrive at our new home in Northern California. I couldn’t be more excited! More pictures of the last days of our trip to come soon.

The start of our cross-country adventure

We have started our cross-country road trip and covered some serious ground in the past few days. On our first day we drove from Manhattan to Toledo, OH (with a stop for lunch in this adorable town: Grove City, PA).

Grove City, PA

After a home cooked meal at my aunt and uncle's house near Toledo, we got a good night's sleep and an early start towards Chicago.

Chicago and the open road

Trying to stay dry in Chicago. Umbrella (Marc Jacobs), Dress (JCrew), Purse (Louis Vuitton),  Sneakers (Converse)

While in Chicago, we got to enjoy the architectural boat tour (which we had been unable to do during our last visits) and then continued our drive to Milwaukee. We checked into one of our favorite hotels, The Iron Horse Hotel, and enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Honeypie. 

I love Milwaukee with its unique, family owned shops and restaurants. We decided to spend the day re-exploring this wonderful city (this is surprisingly not our first visit here) and had lunch at the Comet Cafe, which was also spectacular. We also spent time at the Milwaukee Museum, which was beautiful. With the help of the Food Network and a little personal exploration, this trip has provided us with some fantastic and unique foods. Tomorrow we have an early start to our next destination. More pictures of our adventure to come...

A peak at one of our favorite hotels - The Iron Horse Hotel

Alterra Coffe Shop, Milwaukee, WI

Milwaulkee Museum

Honeypie, Milwaulkee, WI - the pie in the top corner is banana caramel, amazing!

Comet Cafe, Milwaukee, WI - top corner is turkey dinner in a fried ball, below that is bacon wrapped meat loaf sandwich and last, but certainly not least a chocolate, raspberry cupcake

Historic District of Milwaulkee, WI 

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Milwaukee, WI - great apple pie ice cream

Snack Time

We are currently in a holding pattern waiting for the movers to come pick up our stuff so we can get a start on our cross country road trip. In the hopes of making our cozy car feel a little like home, I have baked some dried fruit and nut bars to pack as a snack. I created a variation of the not so oatmeal raisin cookie recipe and added in sunflower seeds and maple syrup.

Recipe:

Ingredients
2 1/4 C raw almonds
3/4 C walnuts
1 1/2 C pitted dates
1 1/2 C shredded coconut
3 eggs
1 C apple juice infused cranberries

3/4 C sunflower seeds
pinch of nutmeg

pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 C maple syrup

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor blend: almonds, walnuts, dates, coconut, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon. Empty the blended ingredients into a bowl. Pulse half of the sunflower seeds a few times just to break them up and the add them to the rest of the mixture in the bowl. Add the remaining whole sunflower seeds and the cranberries into the bowl and incorporate them evenly into the mixture.  Add in the 3 eggs and maple syrup to the bowl and mix with your hands -- make sure the eggs and maple syrup are incorporated. Put the mixture into a greased casserole dish and push it down to spread it evenly. Cook at 350 for 30-40 minutes - until the edges start to brown the middle feels firms. Let cool and then slice the bars and enjoy!

I am excited to have a little taste of home while we are on the road!

Goodbye New York New York

Because of the upcoming move, I have been trying to explore new things about the city I've called home for the past three and a half years and say my final goodbyes. First I ventured out to a brunch place I had been dying to try, Egg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The food was delicious and the restaurant is so close to the Brooklyn Flea Market. After brunch, I took a stroll with friends to enjoy the beautiful weather and gaze out at the amazing view from the flea market out across the East River. After a fun day in Williamsburg, I finally got the opportunity to ride the East River Ferry from Williamsburg down to Dumbo, which not only had spectacular views of many of New York's bridges, but also downtown Manhattan. (I also bought some new white Converse for all the walking and I have been LOVING them).

In addition to exploring I have been doing in the city, we have also branched and begun to explore the area outside the city. We bought a car (something that is unheard of to most New Yorkers) and have been exploring what the area outside of the city has to offer. We drove up to Woodstock, NY and got to explore this amazingly artsy town and all of the nature it had to offer. I can't believe all I missed while I was living here!

San Francisco Exploration

On our way to the airport in San Francisco, after a busy week of apartment hunting, we decided to try an ice cream joint I have heard so much about: Smitten. The ice cream here is made to order using dry ice and the texture of this ice cream amazing; so smooth and creamy.

Striped long sleeve T-shirt (Gap), Leather Jacket (Free People), Jeans (J Brand), Purse (Louis Vuitton),  Shoes (Toms)

I'm back!

I'm sorry for the long break. It has been quite the month (or so). I am picking up and moving to Northern California. I can't wait for the adventure, which will include a once in a lifetime drive from our current home in New York City to California. I can't wait to share our exploration of the food and excursions we have planned.

My other half and I spent the last week in California finding a new apartment there and explored just a little of what our new area has to offer (see below the beautiful pictures below). More on our adventure to come...

Shortbread Cookies

The baking education continues as I make my way through Cooking with Chocolate. I made a very large batch of shortbread cookies, which were a huge hit. It makes me so happy to bake and feed people. I find it is really the perfect end to a long day to come home a whip up a little something sweet. I hope you all go out and bake a little something special!

Chocolate Macaroons

I have always wanted to master the perfect macaroon. Knowing this (and fully aware of my love for all things chocolate), my wonderful boyfriend bought me Cooking with Chocolate for our anniversary. I'm sure there will be many more recipe attempts to come, but this is the first one.

Below is my first attempt at chocolate macaroons that are filled with a little Nutella. I can't wait to keep going!

Orange Cranberry Muffins

I tried out this recipe while I was on vacation and it was quite a hit. A citrusy way to enjoy some baked goods by the pool and not worry about adding on the pounds. I hope you enjoy!

2 1/2 C almond meal

1 C apple sauce

juice / zest of one medium orange 

2 tbsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

1/4 C maple syrup

1/2 C dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend the almond meal, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add in the apple sauce, orange zest, orange juice, eggs and maple syrup. Pulse the food processor until the batter is smooth. Fold in the cranberries. Spoon into a greased muffin tin and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean). This should make about a dozen muffins. To help the muffins baked more evenly, try using the 1/4 C measuring cup to spoon the batter and this will help you keep the muffins consistent and delicious. 

Orange Spice Cake

The baking continues and as a going away gift to my family, my sister and I made this orange spice cake from the new cookbook. It was really nice to try something a little different (ie not chocolate).

One Piece Wonder

While on vacation, I've been truly enjoying being able to pull an entire outfit together with just one piece of clothing. In this case, this really cute romper, paired with a simple pair of silver sandals, made a put together look easy.

Romper (Club Monaco), Sandals (Tapeet Vicini) - Toenail Polish (Essie: To Buy or Not to Buy)

Raspberry Tart

I got to enjoy a wonderful dinner with family tonight and decided that my contribution would be another recipe from my new baking book. On the menu tonight was a raspberry tart!