Summer Fruit Crisp

Pin It Now!

One of the best things about summer is the fruit.  We have been going through nectarines and peaches like they are going out of style!  My Tiny Human likes to share a nectarine with me for dessert.  Sometimes waiting for his turn doesn't happen.  :)

Making a crisp is pretty much my lazy way of achieving a pie without the pie.  A crisp can easily be put together in just a few simple steps and cooks up quickly.  Like a pie, you can use essentially any fruit you have on hand, and of course serve it up a la mode if that's what suits your fancy.  I would have but we didn't have vanilla ice cream and Trader Joe's was out (wha?!).

Most times a crisp will call for brown sugar; I swapped that out for the low-glycemic coconut sugar so I could feel a bit better about dessert.  Coconut sugar tastes very similar to brown sugar (to be honest, it tastes exactly the same to me) but has trace amounts of some nutrients and vitamins, and more importantly is not going to spike blood sugar levels like refined sugars do.  It does not taste like coconut at all, and it can be swapped for brown or white sugar 1:1.  It can easily be found in most grocery stores these days (I get mine at Trader Joe's.)

This is a great dessert to make for summer parties or barbeques.  Grab your favorite fruit and get to crispin!

XO

Summer Fruit Crisp
| Prep: 10 mins. | Bake: 20-25 mins. | Serves: 6-8 |
3 Peaches, peeled and pitted
1 Nectarine, peeled and pitted
4 oz raspberries
1 c rolled oats
1/3 c coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease the bottom of a baking dish with coconut oil.  Slice the peaches and nectarine into 1/4" thick slices and place in the baking dish.  Sprinkle raspberries over top.

In a small bowl, combine the oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Add in the coconut oil and mix with your hands (topping will be dry-ish and crumbly.)  Top the fruit with the oat mixture and lightly press down into the fruit.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until oats are lightly golden brown.  Or a little extra golden brown in my case.  :D

A {One}derful Birthday Weekend

Pin It Now!

Long post alert!

My baby is ONE!  How did this happen?  His birthday was Friday the 13th this year (kinda rad, I think) and I took the day off of work so we could spend the day as a family celebrating our sweet boy.  We drove up to Avila Valley Barn, about an hour away, and had the best time!  Ayden got to meet and feed lots of animals.  He got a kick out of the goats and one patient goat even let him yank on his ear.

Avila Valley Barn is an adorable spot and has a beautiful market full of local honey and produce, fresh pies and bakery items and lots of fun trinkets like vintage-style kitchen stuff and kids' books.  Also on-site is a deli/bakery/candy and ice cream shoppe.  After feeding the animals we ordered lunch from the deli and sat outside watching the farmer drive the tractor along the fields, which Ayden totally loved.  Lunch was so yummy and Ayden enjoyed sharing my caprese sandwich with me.

We're the parents that let their kid stick his hands in the goat pen.

After lunch we decided to hit the road and work our way back south.  We stopped in Los Olivos at Enjoy Cupcakes and got Ayden his very first cupcake for his birthday.  :)  Outside the shoppe was the cutest little picnic bench that was just his size.  He looked so darn cute sitting there like a big boy chowing down on his cupcake!  He threw the frosting on the ground but definitely liked the cake part.

On Saturday we had a little party for him at Steven's Park.  It was a gorgeous day out and even though he was a no-nap-ninja he had fun playing on the playground with his friends.  He was pretty pooped out by presents time, so Momma got to do most of the un-wrapping ;)

Party details

We didn't really have a "theme," per se, but kept everything green and blue.  I'm a sucker for the little details, so I had fun with the little things.  I put together some simple favor bags for the kiddos: glow stick necklaces and mini bubbles for all, superhero bandaids for the boys, princess mini purses for the girls, and for the older girl I found some mini nail polishes and damage-free hair ties.  The bags were finished off with green and white kitchen twine and personalized thank you tags.

Dessert was provided by Enjoy Cupcakes and we had three cuppie flavors: chocolate with cream cheese frosting, raspberry cheesecake and mini salted caramel.  They were a hit all around!  Lunch was chicken, tri-tip, rice and beans from Chicken Ranch and I grabbed a big fruit salad from Whole Foods.  (Ya like how I listed dessert first??  ha!)

I made a little smash cake for A, (recipe here) and made a basic buttercream frosting which I tinted blue with a couple drops of food tint gel.  Although he loved his cupcake the day before, he gagged on the frosting on his smash cake and then was over it.  Womp.  Apparently Momma's bakery isn't as good as the pros. My favorite cake detail was the adorable cake topper I got from Alexis Mattox Design.  It's too beautiful to toss, so I'm going to keep it in his baby book.

We had such a great weekend celebrating our sweet boy.  I can't believe he is already a whole year old.  I cried my eyes out tucking him into bed on the eve of his birthday but surprisingly was okay on his actual birthday.  We are so proud of our sweet, inquisitive boy and are excited to see what the next year brings.

Happy birthday, Ayden Lucas.  You are the light of our lives.  We love you more than all the stars in the sky.





<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/9184723/?claim=mtxxjnrqr66">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Individual Pear Crumbles

Pin It Now!

For once my knack for impulse purchasing has paid off...  I was hurrying through Trader Joe's the other day while Hubby waited in the car with a not-so-happy/teething baby and for no reason at all I grabbed a couple of pears with no idea what I was going to do with them.  I like pears but I have a bad habit of buying them and then forgetting them on the fruit tray until they are too far gone.  Doh.

We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year.  Ayden's first!  Yay!  Inspiration hit me during nap time and I got to experimenting in the kitchen.  End result was not too shabby, if I say so myself!  Hubby even said I should make these for Thanksgiving dessert. :)

On another note - Happy Veteran's Day!!  Today is not about having a day off from work or school so you can prop up your slippered feet while you sip tea/coffee.  Today is about recognizing those who have selflessly given of themselves so that we may continue to know the freedom we take for granted.  While we sip our tea in our bathrobes in our comfy homes, there is a heroic soldier a world away staring down the barrel of a gun or gingerly navigating a road littered with explosives, all in the name of a stranger's freedom. I'm so very thankful for all who have and continue to serve, including my spectacular parents, who served in the US Army.  So get out there and hug a vet today!  And make them this dessert.

Individual Pear Crumbles
| Serves: 4 | Prep: 5 mins. | Bake: 30-40 mins. |
2 pears, any variety
1 c rolled oats
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c pecans, chopped
pinch of salt
1/3 c coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut pears in half lengthwise and scoop out core/seeds with a spoon, creating a little pocket for the crumble goodness.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, pecans and salt.  Pour coconut oil over mixture and stir until everything is coated.  Spoon the oat mixture into the pears and bake, covered for 30 mins.  Uncover and continue to bake for another 10 mins or so, until pears are tender and crumble mixture is slightly golden.

Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, if desired.  These baddies are just begging to be served a la mode.

Spiced Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Pin It Now!

Happy Fall!  I know that's a repeat statement, but fall has finally (FINALLY!) hit here in Southern California and I couldn't be more excited.  I've been on a scarf & boot jag like nobody's business.  I love me some scarves & boots, kids.  I've got it bad.

Another little something I've got it bad for lately is butterscotch chips.  I'm sure these have been around forever, but I am just getting around to discovering them and now I'm hooked.  I may or may not have several pounds of butterscotch chips in my freezer.  (Do you not remember the great pumpkin shortage a couple years ago?!  I'm not about to fall victim to another situation like that.  Call me Crazy Butterscotch Lady all you want.)

This year was my first time hosting Thanksgiving dinner.  With my parents-in-law the officially guests of honor, I took my title as Hostess very seriously and was determined to make everything from scratch. Thankfully everything turned out great (according to my in-laws ~ SCORE!) but I'm going to be honest and confess that I didn't make the pumpkin pie.  Every hostess has her secrets right?  Well this year my little secret was Costco's $6 pie.  Don't judge.

I did, however, throw together a quick festive dessert from scratch that I must share with you.  It's another one of those super easy ones, and surprisingly tasty.  Enjoy these babies with a cup of hot tea or coffee, a pair of cozy slippers and a fire in the fireplace!

Spiced Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookie Bars

| Yield: 12-18 cookie bars | Prep: 10 mins. | Bake time: 30 mins |

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 c AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

1  1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

3 c rolled oats

1 1/2 c butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy and fluffy.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three stages, mixing until just combined.  Stir in oats and mix well.  Finally, add in the butterscotch chips and mix until evenly incorporated.  Spread into the baking pan and bake approx. 30-35 minutes. 

Stay tuned for another yummy butterscotch recipe coming up!

Stone Fruit Frozen Yogurt in Coconut Crisp Cups

Pin It Now!

You all know that I'm a sucker for the fall and winter months, but I have to admit that summer has some pretty great characteristics as well.  Summer fruit is at the top of that list.  Peaches, cherries, nectarines and avocados are some of my favorite things in the world, and I kinda go stone fruit crazy when they are in season.  

Every summer for the past several years, we have tromped through carefully stepped over smooshed fruit on the walkway, never bothering to take a few seconds to figure out what kind of fruit tree we were dealing with.  Here's the funny/embarrassing truth: we have had a beautiful peach tree outside our door and never realized it!  What a bunch of goofs!  Now that we've figured out that useful little tidbit of info, I'm in a peach frenzy.

I've been looking for excuses to use our new ice cream maker since last month when mom & dad brought us those gorgeous cherries.  Instead of your typical sugary ice cream, this time I went for a much healthier frozen yogurt.  Oh, and did I mention it involves only three ingredients??  Okay, well, five if you include the two needed for the coconut crisp cups.  Fruit, yogurt and agave nectar are all you need to make this delish frozen yogurt, and if you're feeling fancy you can go the extra step (and the extra two ingredients) and make the coconut crisp cups.  Deceptively simple and delish?!  I'm in.

Everything you need for this recipe can be found at Trader Joe's.  Their Toasted Coconut Cookie Thins are so darn yummy, and make the perfect crumb for the coconut crisp cups.  The light coconut flavor is a great compliment to the tart and sweet peaches.

Stone Fruit Frozen Yogurt

2 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and diced

2 ripe nectarines, peeled, pitted and diced

1/3 - 1/2 c agave nectar (sweeten to taste)

2 c plain greek yogurt*

*Note: for a more ice-creamy/less tangy flavor, try making this with vanilla yogurt.  

Once you have the fruit diced, put about half of it in a food processor and process briefly, so that some of the fruit remains in tact and some is pureed smooth.  Transfer to a medium bowl.  Add in diced fruit, yogurt and agave nectar.  Stir until thoroughly combined.  Adjust the amount of agave to your taste.  Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

This is fabulous at the soft-serve consistency.  If you'd like it a bit more firm, place in a freezer-safe container and freeze in 30 minute increments.  Careful, cuz it will freeze solid pretty quickly.  If storing in the freezer, transfer to the fridge to soften for about two hours prior to serving.  

Coconut Crisp Cups

1 sleeve Trader Joe's Toasted Coconut Cookie Thins

1 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Pulse cookies to a fine crumb in a food processor.  Alternately you can place in a resealable bag and crush with a rolling pin.  Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the coconut oil.  Press crumb mixture into muffin tins, forming little cups.  Bake 5-7 minutes.  Cook completely before removing from tin.  (The best way to do this is to turn the tin over and lightly tap the back.)

Nutella Shortbread Bites

Pin It Now!

Who doesn't love cookies?  Nobody I know.  There's something so comforting and homey about warm cookies and a glass of ice cold milk that makes everything in the world disappear for just a bit.

For as long as I can remember, my mom and I have made shortbread cookies at Christmastime.  Tiny little bites of shortbread perfumed with almond extract and then rolled in powdered sugar... so delish.  I decided to tweak the recipe and bit and turn it into a chocolatey treat.  It was a great decision, I have to say.

These Nutella shortbread cookies are little bites of Heaven.  Don't believe me?  Make 'em.  I dare you not to love them.  I rolled half of them in powdered sugar, and half of them in a combination of powdered sugar and cocoa powder.  These babies are dangerously yummy.

Nutella Shortbread Bites
| Yields: approx. 48 cookies | Prep Time: 10 mins | Bake time: 15 mins. |
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c Nutella
1/2 powdered sugar
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
Powdered sugar
Cocoa powder

Beat butter and Nutella until light and fluffy.  Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into butter mixture and mix thoroughly.  Add in the egg yolk and vanilla, beating until smooth.  In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.  Then add to the wet mixture and mix until a soft dough is formed.  (Dough will be a bit crumbly.)  Knead the dough lightly.  Chill for several hours.

To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Form the dough into teaspoon sized balls.  Note to self: take off your wedding rings prior to ball forming.  Bake for 15 minutes.  While the cookies bake, prepare two small bowls for rolling the hot cookies.  In one bowl pour about a cup of powdered sugar and set aside.  In the other bowl, pour 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1/2 cup of cocoa powder.  Stir until completely mixed.

The hot cookies are extremely delicate.  Gently roll the cookies a couple at a time in the powdered sugars, then set the cookies out on a baking rack to cool completely.  Store cookies in an airtight container.

{Dairy Free} Cherry Ice Cream

Pin It Now!

Wait - dairy free ice cream?  Isn't that an oxymoron?  Nope!  This really is dairy free.  Not only is it dairy free, it's really, really good.  I mean really good.

Last week my mom and dad came to visit and brought with them a big bag of the most beautiful tart cherries from the cherry tree in their backyard.  This tree, planted decades ago when my grandpa built the house, is so special to our family.  I have wonderful memories of climbing in the tree with my cousins and swinging on the tire swing when I was a kid in Santa Fe.  Every time I eat cherries I am taken back to that very spot.

Aren't they gorgeous??

Believe it or not, I've never made ice cream.  Not ever.  So I wasn't confident in experimenting and coming up with my own recipe this time around.  I happened to have coconut milk in the pantry and found a recipe for coconut milk ice cream on the Whole Foods website.  Now that I know how easy the whole process is I have a feeling you'll be seeing quite a few ice cream recipes pop up on the blog this summer.  Do I hear any complaints?  I thought not.

I actually made the ice cream base and let it chill overnight before churning in the ice cream maker.  The coconut milk tends to separate a bit as it sits, so give it a quick stir before you get started.  While you're making this one I'll probably be in the kitchen messing around with new flavors...  Mint chip anyone?

Cherry Ice Cream
| Serves: 6-8 | Prep time: 5 mins. | Cook time: 8 mins. |
4 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
(2) 13.5 ounce cans coconut milk (light or regular)
2 tsp vanilla extract (or whatever other flavor you are in the mood for)
Giant handful of fresh cherries, pitted and quartered

In a good sized mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow.  This takes some elbow grease (if you're a weakling like me) and a couple minutes.  Shake the coconut milk well and then dump it into the egg yolk/sugar mixture.  Whisk until combined.  Pour into a medium pot and cook on low/medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 8 minutes or so.)  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Transfer everything to a bowl and chill thoroughly.

When the mixture is chilled and your cherries are ready, it's time to rock and roll.  Process the ice cream mixture according to the instructions that accompany your ice cream maker.  When it's just about done churning, add in the cherry pieces and process until they are thoroughly mixed in.  At this point the ice cream will be the consistency of soft serve.  If you'd like it a bit more firm, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze prior to serving.

Lemon Cake with Strawberries and Almond Buttercream

Pin It Now! I have one word for you - Yum.  And summer.  Okay, so two words.  You are going to love today's recipe.  The cake comes from Cooking Light and is moist and fluffy.  The lemon flavor is not overdone, which makes for a great springtime or summertime dessert.

I wanted to spruce up the cake a bit, so I filled it with a layer of lemon curd and fresh strawberry slices.  Lemon and strawberries are the perfect combination.  Like chocolate and peanut butter.  Like strawberries and chocolate.  Like - well, you get the idea.  They're a match made in dessert heaven.

The grande finale in this whole story is a light and decadent almond buttercream frosting.  Are you familiar with almond extract?  It is wonderfully fragrant.  Try it in your next recipe in place of vanilla.  My mom makes these amazing almond shortbread cookies at Christmastime and when they are warm from the oven and rolled in powdered sugar they are melt-in-your mouth delicious.  I just may have to make a batch so you can see the deliciousness. 

Anyway, back to the cake...  Head's up - when it comes to the lemon curd filling, make sure to leave a bit of room on the edges.  I spread lemon curd all the way to the edge of the cake and it started to ooze out a bit after I put the second layer of cake on top.

Lemon Cake
2 c AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (that seemed like a lot to me, so I did 1/4 tsp)
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 c nonfat buttermilk
zest of one lemon
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon curd (you'll need a bit less than a jar)
Fresh strawberries (a handful, just depends on the size of them)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans: butter pans, line with parchment paper, butter and flour parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Finally, mix in lemon zest and juice.  Divide batter among prepared pans.  Bake approx 30 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pans for five minutes, then invert onto baking racks and remove parchment to cool completely before filling/frosting.

Almond Buttercream
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp pure almond extract
zest of one lemon

In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy.  Slowly mix in powdered sugar, mixing well.  Add in almond extract and lemon zest and beat until thoroughly mixed.  Make sure you lick the paddle attachment.  It's what all the pros do.