soft banana oat bars

you know how toddlers can quickly get obsessed with one specific food and then latch on like there is no tomorrow? nixon has been mildly (ok, not so mildly) obsessed with belvita brand banana bars lately, and though they are a decent snack (low in sugar, high in fiber), i felt like i could save a little money and make a copy of them that had a better texture and a more pronounced banana flavor.

and i did!

zucchini-carrot bread

i am going to go ahead and say this--i think this is the best zucchini bread i have ever made. 

and now i am going to say that i feel more than a little guilty saying that since i love (LOVE) my mama's zucchini bread. and i still do (i promise, mama), but this bread made me feel all virtuous since i had managed to add in not only zucchini but also carrots, i used white wheat flour (via trader joes) and i cut the sugar back by 1/2 cup. the resulting loaf was a slightly sweet, dense (in a good way) bread that was seductively spiced throughout with all-spice and cinnamon and still manage to have a tender crumb.

(this is where you hear angels sing, if you believe in that sort of stuff).

avocado toast, a little slice of happy

this.

oh, this little slice of happy in my mouth. its amazing to me how something so basic, so simple, so quick, can be so satisfying and tasty with minimal effort.

sweet, sweet sugar rush

when you waltz into donut rising, the first thing you notice is the bright, cheery and fun interior. well, after you notice the intoxicating aroma of maple icing, bacon and fresh cake donuts.

 

pork + turkey breakfast sausage

i have made this sausage recipe before using just ground pork, but in order to cut back on the fat, i decided to try using half ground pork and half ground turkey breast. i'm pleased to say that the sausage turned out just as flavorful as the full pork ones. i was a little worried that they would turn out dry since the turkey has so little fat in it, but it wasn't a problem.

success!

orange + olive oil cake with a buttermilk-orange zest glaze

i've had this cake tucked into the back of my mind for a long time, and i'm so glad that i finally pulled the trigger and made it happen.

strawberry coconut milk smoothie

this smoothie hits the spot for a healthy and quick breakfast or afternoon snack!

gluten free apricot-raspberry crumble with honey + vanilla bean mascarpone

i made this as a gluten-free dessert for book club and then i realized there is a hot debate about whether oats are truly gluten free, due to risk of contamination from neighboring wheat fields or machines that process oats and wheat, amid other reasons. you can purchase gf oats but mine weren't so i will call this delightful dessert gluten free with the fine print that in order to make it truly gf you must purchase specially labeled gf oats.

phew! now that that is out of the way...

roasted herbed potatoes

i don't know about you, but on weekend mornings all i want is coffee, my comfy couch and an easy breakfast. none of this standing at the stove all morning, covering, uncovering, stirring, lowering and raising the temperature to try to give the potatoes a golden brown crust on the outside and get them perfectly fluffy on the inside.

my favorite summer berry

if you have been following my facebook page, you know that i am more than slightly obsessed with strawberries right now. they are, for certain, my most favorite summer berry. don't get me wrong! i adore blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, but the sweet strawberry truly owns my heart (and belly).

balsamic strawberry + orange sauce

i am a strawberry-obsessed woman. 

i will shout it loud and proud from the rooftops. well, i would if i had a roof to climb up onto. and if it wasn't so damn hot out there. plus, i'm not too fond of ladders. since it is brutally scorching outside, i guess i will just stay inside my cool, air-conditioned house and consume mass quantities of this sauce. 

on ice cream.

in a milkshake.

on ricotta or plain yogurt.

on a toasty little slice of bread with some tangy, creamy goat cheese.

on a spoon or finger.

got any cardboard?

sweet tooth

buttermilk biscuits in your face

see that image above? that was a lovely way to start my morning- a cup of steaming hot french press coffee, my current favorite reading material, and a flaky, cheesy buttermilk biscuit with some local + organic scrambled eggs.

i'm pretty sure you need to get on this recipe and get some buttermilk biscuit action, all up in your face!

buttermilk coffee cake

remember this cake i just baked last week? remember how i applauded it for being easy, delicious, fluffy and versatile?

get ready to live, my friends, because this coffee cake was, in the words of the mister (this is a direct quote)- "the best coffee cake i have ever had. ever."

strawberry buttermilk cake

i have said it before, and here i am saying it once again- deb from smitten kitchen knows whats up. all the recipes i have made from her blog have been so right, plus it doesn't hurt that she is funny and sarcastic (and i respond well to sarcasm). she also has her first cookbook coming out in late october. 

i will be all over that.

waffles with berries and honey ricotta cream

this is a total cheat of a breakfast, but oh mama, it was good.

asparagus + goat cheese quiche

the mister was out of town this week. the lucky so and so went to san francisco for a work thing and so i was on my own for meals for a couple nights. 

i don't know about how things work in your house, but around here, when one of us is absent for dinner, the other takes full advantage of that and eats the stuff that we like (and the other isn't a fan of). for me, that means that when the mister is not here, i like to eat mushroom laden food, goat cheese, foods dotted with olives and quiche.

glorious, lovely, silky quiche.

apple galette, a birfday poy

our sweet little nephew has a 2nd birthday fast approaching, and so we headed to redding today to celebrate it with our immediate family. i offered to make dessert and i decided to make this apple galette. it was a big hit with everyone- the crust was perfectly done, flaky, crisp and tender and the apples were perfectly tart with just a touch of sweetness.

the birthday toddler gobbled it down, intently watching his lola's (tagalog for grandma) hand as he happily chewed, waiting for her to get the next forkful to make its way to his mouth, and showing extreme displeasure if it didn't get in there fast enough. he loved his "birfday poy".

 *(translation if you don't speak toddler-birthday pie)

buttermilk + honey pancakes

what is a girl to do when she wakes up at 4:30 a.m., stares at the ceiling for an hour and then finally, very grudgingly, gives in and gets out of bed?

why, she makes buttermilk pancakes, of course!

bourbon + peanut butter banana bread

i'm pretty sure this is one of the most balanced breakfasts that i have consumed in a long time...fruit? check. booze? check. coffee? check.