when it comes to the bacon vs sausage debate, most of my life i have been strongly on team bacon. my love for bacon runs real deep. but in the last few years i have grown a real appreciation for the breakfast sausage in all it’s glorious forms. and one of my favorites is a boldly seasoned, sweet and savory sausage that makes the perfect compliment to a good fried egg.

apple + sage breakfast sausage

serves: 12 small sausage patties

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb ground pork. 2 tbs grated apple (something sweet and crisp like honeycrisp, pink lady or gala). 2 tbs grated yellow onion. 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage. .25 cup maple syrup. .5 tsp dried fennel seed. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. 1 tbs vegetable oil. parchment paper.

start by combining the salt, pepper and fennel seed. smash them up using whatever you have on hand to do the job (spice grinder, mortar & pestle, mallet). in a medium bowl, combine the pork, fennel mix, sage, garlic, apple and onion together. drizzle with the maple syrup and stir or mix with your hands till everything is evenly combine. try not to over compress or pack the mixture.

using soup spoon or ice cream scoop, portion out 12 sausages and roll them into patties. lay them out on the parchment paper. pop them in the fridge for a few minutes to harden while you heat your oil over a medium high heat till it is nice and hot.

cook the patties (careful not to over crowed the pan) for 4-5 minutes a side. until nicely browned.

remove from the pan to a paper towel or drying rack and allow any excess oil to drain off.

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

apple + sage breakfast sausage

serves: 12 small sausage patties

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb ground pork. 2 tbs grated apple (something sweet and crisp like honeycrisp, pink lady or gala). 2 tbs grated yellow onion. 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage. .25 cup maple syrup. .5 tsp dried fennel seed. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. 1 tbs vegetable oil. parchment paper.

start by combining the salt, pepper and fennel seed. smash them up using whatever you have on hand to do the job (spice grinder, mortar & pestle, mallet). in a medium bowl, combine the pork, fennel mix, sage, garlic, apple and onion together. drizzle with the maple syrup and stir or mix with your hands till everything is evenly combine. try not to over compress or pack the mixture. using soup spoon or ice cream scoop, portion out 12 sausages and roll them into patties. lay them out on the parchment paper. pop them in the fridge for a few minutes to harden while you heat your oil over a medium high heat till it is nice and hot. cook the patties (careful not to over crowed the pan) for 4-5 minutes a side. until nicely browned. remove from the pan to a paper towel or drying rack and allow any excess oil to drain off. serve and enjoy.

pregnancy cravings are real ya’ll.

never before have i had food stick in my mind and loop over and over like i have in the last seven months.

and sometimes, a craving becomes so strong i just have to give in. and in the case of the sticky bun, i gave in HARD. like, i have eaten five buns in twenty-four hours, hard.

now i am not going to lie to you, sticky buns are a labor of love. nothing about making them is particularly challenging, but since this recipe requires time to rise, it is a good one to plan in advance for.

pistachio sticky buns

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 3-4 hours

bake time: 35-40 minutes

total time: 5 hours

Ingredients: dough - .25 cup warm water (105-115 degrees). 1 packet (.25 oz) package active dry yeast. .25 cup sugar. .75 cup room temperature whole milk. 4 tbs unsalted butter + 1 tbs for greasing the bowl. 3 egg yolks. 1 tbs orange zest. 1.25 tsp salt. 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting.

filling - .5 cup brown sugar. 1 tbs ground cinnamon. 4 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese.

topping - .5 cup brown sugar. 6 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese. 3 tbs honey. 1.5 cup coarsely chopped pistachios. .5 cup heavy cream.

tools - stand mixer + dough hook. 9 x 13 baking dish. rolling pin. sauce pan.

start by combining the water, 1 tsp sugar and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. stir well to agitate the yeast and allow it to sit for five minutes until it foams and bubbles up. if the liquid doesn’t thicken and foam, it was inactive and it will not work. try again with different yeast.

once the yeast is active, add in the milk, 4 tbs butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups of the flour.

combine on a low speed with a dough hook until the dough begins to come together. about 3-5 minutes.

slowly add the remaining cup of flour till the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. about 2 minutes. remove the dough for a second as you grease the bowl with the remaining tbs of butter. cover the bowl with a towel and set it in a warm place to rise. let the dough rise till it has doubled in size. 1-2 hours.

while your dough is rising, make your filling and your topping. to make the filling, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl. stir well till it makes almost a paste. to make the topping, combine the butter, cream cheese, honey, sugar and pistachios in a sauce pan. melt over medium heat, stir well to combine and set it aside.

when your dough has doubled in size, cover a working surface with some flour and roll the dough out till it is about .25 inch thick.

spread the filling all over the dough.

roll the dough up to make one long roll. slice into 12 equal pieces.

use parchment to cover the baking pan (f you don’t have any, no problem, you can skip this step it just makes more mess). spread the topping mixture onto the parchment and top with the rolls. cover the rolls and allow them to rise until they have puffed up and filled the baking pan, 1-2 hours. now, you can do all this prep in advance and then place the buns in the fridge over night and bake in the morning. or, after the second rise you could go ahead and bake them off. whenever you are ready to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 375 degrees f.

melt the remaining butter and the cream over low heat, just until butter is melted and the liquids have combined. pour the butter & cream mixture over the top of the buns and bake for 35-40 minutes.

until bubbly and golden brown.

to serve, scoop out a bun and flip it over onto a plate. scoop up any ooey gooey topping bits left behind and spoon it on top of the sticky bun. serve warm and enjoy.

xo, a

pistachio sticky buns

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 3-4 hours

bake time: 35-40 minutes

total time: 5 hours

Ingredients: dough - .25 cup warm water (105-115 degrees). 1 packet (.25 oz) package active dry yeast. .25 cup sugar. .75 cup room temperature whole milk. 4 tbs unsalted butter + 1 tbs for greasing the bowl. 3 egg yolks. 1 tbs orange zest. 1.25 tsp salt. 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting.

filling - .5 cup brown sugar. 1 tbs ground cinnamon. 4 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese.

topping - .5 cup brown sugar. 6 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese. 3 tbs honey. 1.5 cup coarsely chopped pistachios. .5 cup heavy cream.

tools - stand mixer + dough hook. 9 x 13 baking dish. rolling pin. sauce pan.

start by combining the water, 1 tsp sugar and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. stir well to agitate the yeast and allow it to sit for five minutes until it foams and bubbles up. if the liquid doesn’t thicken and foam, it was inactive and it will not work. try again with different yeast. once the yeast is active, add in the milk, 4 tbs butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups of the flour. combine on a low speed with a dough hook until the dough begins to come together. about 3-5 minutes. slowly add the remaining cup of flour till the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. about 2 minutes. remove the dough for a second as you grease the bowl with the remaining tbs of butter. cover the bowl with a towel and set it in a warm place to rise. let the dough rise till it has doubled in size. 1-2 hours. while your dough is rising, make your filling and your topping. to make the filling, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl. stir well till it makes almost a paste. to make the topping, combine the butter, cream cheese, honey, sugar and pistachios in a sauce pan. melt over medium heat, stir well to combine and set it aside. when your dough has doubled in size, cover a working surface with some flour and roll the dough out till it is about .25 inch thick. spread the filling all over the dough. roll the dough up to make one long roll. slice into 12 equal pieces. use parchment to cover the baking pan (f you don’t have any, no problem, you can skip this step it just makes more mess). spread the topping mixture onto the parchment and top with the rolls. cover the rolls and allow them to rise until they have puffed up and filled the baking pan, 1-2 hours. now, you can do all this prep in advance and then place the buns in the fridge over night and bake in the morning. or, after the second rise you could go ahead and bake them off. whenever you are ready to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 375 degrees f. melt the remaining butter and the cream over low heat, just until butter is melted and the liquids have combined. pour the butter & cream mixture over the top of the buns and bake for 35-40 minutes. until bubbly and golden brown. to serve, scoop out a bun and flip it over onto a plate. scoop up any ooey gooey topping bits left behind and spoon it on top of the sticky bun. serve warm and enjoy.