ROLLED OATS + FRESH FRUIT

We love experimenting with breakfast foods and rolled oats are on the top of our list of favorites. Rolled oats are filling, delicious and one of the healthiest breakfast foods out there! The best part about them is that you never have to eat them the same way more than once... unless of course you're obsessed like we are!

Here's what you'll need for our super easy Rolled Oats breakfast:

rolled oats recipe

1 cup water
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons almond milk
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup of fresh fruit (we used raspberries, strawberries and blueberries this time around)
handful of walnuts

Bring water to boil in small sauce pan. Stir in the oatmeal. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat until it thickens. Stir and remove from heat. Add the almond milk and chia seeds. Cover for a few minutes. When the liquids are fully absorbed, it's ready to eat.

Stir the cinnamon and honey into the rolled oats. Top with your favorite fruits and nuts. (We love to mash our fresh raspberries and strawberries into the rolled oats so they turn almost into a jam.) And enjoy!

SWEET + GOOEY CINNAMON ROLLS

After a few days of deliberation between which sweet we were craving more - donuts (always, always a fan of donuts) or cinnamon rolls - we decided to venture into our first sweet and gooey cinnamon roll creation! Growing up, it was common for our family to pop open a can of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, bake, ice and eat before jumping into the car for school. So making everything from scratch felt like a daunting task.

Luckily with a little research and some personal modifications, we found a perfect Cinnamon Roll recipe that isn't extremely time consuming and still absolutely delicious (Husband approved!). Here's what you'll need for our Sweet & Gooey Cinnamon Rolls:

sweet & gooey cinnamon rolls

dough
1 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 1/4 cups cake flour (or all purpose flour) 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 envelope rapid rise yeast (make sure to get the rapid rise packets!)
1 egg

filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)

icing
1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/4 cup cream cheese (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk

We start with the dough. Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Put aside. In a small saucepan heat the butter and milk on low until the butter completely melts.  Turn off heat and add rapid rising yeast. Add the egg to the flour mixture and beat on low. Slowly add the milk/butter/yeast mixture to the bowl. When the dough begins to form around the whisks, stop and place dough onto a lightly floured surface.

We always like to add a little flour to our hands to prevent sticking. From here you'll knead the dough for roughly 3-5 minutes. If it becomes sticky, just lightly add some more flour to the surface. Once kneaded, placed a damp towel over the dough for 10 minutes while you mix the filling.

Make your filling by whisking the sugars and cinnamon together in a medium sized bowl. We made ours a little differently by adding the softened butter directly to the sugars and mix for 2 minutes. This creates a light and fluffy cinnamon sugar mix, perfect for spreading on the dough.  We prefer this filling because the texture is absolutely delightful!

After 10 minutes, spread the dough with a rolling pin - about the size of a rectangle - 13x9. Spread the sugary mixture across the dough and begin to roll, starting with the long side.

Once dough is tightly rolled, cut 1.5 inch pieces with a sharp knife and place into a well greased pie pan.

Cover the pie pan again with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for the next 25 minutes as the dough continues to rise. While the dough is rising, you can make the icing for the rolls.

In mixing bowl mix butter, cream cheese and milk until well combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar, continuing to stir until it is thoroughly mixed. Feel free to add more milk if you want the icing thinner. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 and bake the cinnamon rolls for 30 to 35 minutes. Make sure that you test the center rolls to prevent any undercooking or doughy centers. When the rolls are golden brown, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Add the icing on top and serve immediately! Don't forget to pour yourself a big glass of milk served with a side of napkins! Enjoy!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 11-13

GNOCCHI WITH A SAGE BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

gnocchi with a sage brown butter sauce

2 pounds russet potatoes
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water for about 30 minutes until they can be easily pierced with a fork. When completely cooked, remove from the water, but save the water for later. Let the potatoes cool slightly before peeling so that you don't burn yourself. Once peeled, mash in a large bowl. Let cool until only slightly warm, then mix in the egg. Combine the flour and salt, then add this to the potatoes and stir to combine. Bring the potato water back to a boil. Lightly flour your working surface so that the mixture won't stick, and roll out a handful of the dough into a long log, to a width of about 3/4"-round. Slice into pieces about 1" long, and add to the boiling potato water. You can continue to roll out the dough and slice into pieces while the gnocchi cooks in the water. When the gnocchi rises to the surface, it is done and can be removed from the pot with a slotted spoon and collected in a separate bowl away from the heat. Once you have rolled out the last log and added the sliced pieces to the boiling water, begin to make the sage brown butter sauce. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Stirring every once in a while, let cook until the butter begins to foam. Turn down the heat to medium-low and let cook until brown flecks appear on the bottom of the pan. At this point, add the dried sage and let simmer for a couple more minutes. Then add the cooked gnocchi to the pan and stir to coat evenly. Serve warm with grated parmesan cheese on top!

I served the gnocchi with roasted sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and brussels sprouts and a wild rice soup (the soup was absolutely amazing.. I'll have to post that recipe soon!)

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT MOUSSE

Although this is absolutely amazing on it's own, I actually made it as a filling for the chocolate cake that I posted back in October. That cake was amazing as I posted it, but adding this filling makes it absolutely unparalleled. I can honestly say that I think the cake I made yesterday was the best cake I have ever tasted. But, like I said, I would definitely eat this mousse on its own any day! It's very rich, but a little bit of this mousse in a sweet little bowl would make the perfect dessert after any meal!

chocolate hazelnut mousse

5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup hazelnut liqueur (you could substitute water here if you'd like!)
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup Ghirardelli dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 cup heavy cream, chilled

Heat water to boiling in the lower half of a double boiler. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and sugar together in the top bowl of the double boiler until the mixture is uniform and light in color. Place over the boiling water and whisk until slightly thickened. Add the hazelnut liqueur and then continue to whisk over the simmering water until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Stir until the mixture becomes cool to the touch, about 5-10 minutes. In a separate, larger bowl, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the chocolate into the cream. Cover and chill for 4 hours. You can serve this alone, with some cocoa powder dusted for garnish, or use it as a filling in chocolate cake!

CAMPANELLE AND SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS

campanelle and sautéed mushrooms

1/2 cup campanelle pasta (or another variety of your choice!)
2 tablespoons butter
4-5 baby bella mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
pinch of rosemary
Asiago cheese, for garnish

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-low heat. Then add the sliced mushrooms and rosemary, and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms have released all of their juice. Turn the heat down to low while the pasta finishes cooking. When the pasta is done and has been drained, add one more tablespoon of butter to the mushrooms and increase the heat back to medium-low. When the butter has melted and begins to foam, pour the butter and mushrooms over the pasta and stir to combine. Garnish with freshly grated asiago!

A VERY BERRY SMOOTHIE

a very berry smoothie

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 banana
~6-7 strawberries, stems removed
~10 blackberries
1/2 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon chia seeds

Combine in a blender and blend until your desired consistency!

SPICY KALE SOUP WITH CHICKEN SAUSAGE + SWEET POTATO

Lately we've been feeling pretty inspired by the best dark leafy green around : kale. Yesterday we put it in our vase and today we're putting it in our bowl. We stumbled upon this delicious Spicy Kale Soup recipe awhile back, made some modifications and voila - created what we think is a gluten free, spicy masterpiece!

Trader Joes has all the ingredients you'll need to make this soup. Here's the hit list:

spicy kale soup recipe

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

4 spicy chicken sausages (gluten free if you prefer)

2-3 sweet potatoes

1 large golden potato

14-oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes

32 oz  low sodium chicken broth

1 bag kale

option to add:

1 jalapeño, diced

14 oz can black beans, drained

In a large pot (we love our le creuset)  heat olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes (and jalapeño if adding to the mix) Heat for about 1 minute. 

Slice the chicken sausages and heat in the pan until browned, around 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, sweet potatoes, golden potato and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 12 minutes.

When the potatoes are tender, add the kale (and black beans if using). Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes until the kale is tender. 

Serve with salt and pepper and a spoonful of sour cream. Enjoy!

TUBEROSES + SNAPDRAGONS + KALE... OH MY!

The weather shifted from sunshine to storm clouds last weekend and while we loved the change (and let's be honest, California was in dire need of some rain showers) we felt the need to brighten up the house with some stems. We stopped by the local market and fell head over heels for the long stem selection : Tuberoses, Snapdragons, Ornamental Kale and more. We went for the rich, soft and romantic palette and got to work!

We started with the ornamental kale, a stem we haven't used before and absolutely love - not only for the unique look and purple to green gradient, but also because of the delicious smell. It's always best to build a base with greenery if you've got it. And these guys were the perfect filler.

We then added tuberoses and snapdragons. We kept the tuberose stems long and filled them around the kale. We cut the snapdragons shorter and placed around vase making sure there were no gaps or odd empty spaces. We're really happy with how it turned out! And the best part about these long stems? They typically last a bit longer than more delicate flowers - giving us something pretty to look at all week long!