over the weekend, i had a bit of a pinch me moment. sunday, wes and i did a thirty minute cooking demo at an athletic apparel store at a major mall. we drew a small crowd of people, and it was an athletic apparel store, but it was still AWESOME. 

seriously pinch me. is this my life now? 

we had two awesome volunteers come up and work with us, we gave out a ton of tasty brunch samples (it was a how to step up your brunch game demo) and chatted with a bunch of people about possible future business. including a possible second cooking demo. let's just say two full days later i'm still feeling the emotional high. 

one of the recipes we demonstrated was the signature granola i've been working on for our future restaurant. yes, you read that right... i'm just giving the recipe up. but the best part about this granola, is that it is a pretty simple base that you can easily adjust to your taste, what you have on hand or what is seasonal. you know... customize it! 

orange blossom granola
serves: 4 cups
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
cool time: 10 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 3 cups rolled oats. 1 cup slivered almonds (you could sub whatever nuts you prefer here). 3 tbs butter, melted. .33 cup honey. .25 cup orange juice. 1 tbs orange zest (you could sub other citrus). beans from .5 vanilla bean. 1 tsp salt. 

start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees f. 

in a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, and the orange zest. 

mix well and set aside. 

then in another medium bowl combine the butter, honey, orange juice salt and vanilla bean together. 

whisk until completely combined. 

drizzle your liquids over the oat mixture. 

dig in and use your hands to combine well. 

spread your granola over a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer. bake, stirring the granola about halfway through, until lightly golden brown. 

pull the granola out of the oven and allow it to cool. 

you can cool it till it's cool enough to eat and enjoy it warm, or you can store it in an airtight container for a week or two. 

xo, a

range blossom granola
serves: 4 cups
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
cool time: 10 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 3 cups rolled oats. 1 cup slivered almonds (you could sub whatever nuts you prefer here). 3 tbs butter, melted. .33 cup honey. .25 cup orange juice. 1 tbs orange zest (you could sub other citrus). beans from .5 vanilla bean. 1 tsp salt.
start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees f. in a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, and the orange zest. mix well and set aside. then in another medium bowl combine the butter, honey, orange juice salt and vanilla bean together. whisk well to combine. drizzle your liquids over the oat mixture. dig in and use your hands to combine well. spread your granola over a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer. bake, stirring the granola about halfway through, until lightly golden brown. pull the granola out of the oven and allow it to cool. you can cool it till it's cool enough to eat and enjoy it warm, or you can store it in an airtight container for a week or two.

um... where is this year going? tomorrow is MARCH? how? 

this year is flying by and it is about to get crazier. somehow i managed to pick businesses that all get busy at the same time. now, i am not complaining. in fact, it feels amazing to see my calendar start to fill in after a solid year of struggle. but man, i need more hours in the day.

and easier, but equally delicious dishes to fit in when i have a moment. with ease and speed in mind, i've been cooking up some galettes with all the beautiful stone fruit popping up in stores. the beauty of a galette (basically a french, free formed cake) is that it requires few ingredients and is very easy to make. it's relative the pie takes additional time and precision. 

stone fruit galette serves: 8 prep time: 10 minutes bake time: 30-40 minutes total time: 50 minutes ingredients: 1.5 lbs stone fruit (i've used plums and pluots, but you could use your favorite or what you have on hand), sliced 1/2 inch thick. 1/3 cup sugar. 2 tbs corn starch. 1/2 tsp salt. 1 tsp blood orange (or other citrus juice). 1 tsp blood orange zest (or other citrus). 1 pie crust sheet (i used a store bought to save time). 1 egg, whisked. pastry brush. baking sheet. parchment paper. whipped cream or ice cream for serving.

preheat your oven to 425 f. 

in a bowl, combine the stone fruit, sugar, corn starch, salt, zest and juice and stir well to combine.

line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out your pie crust on the parchment. 

gently roll or press out your pie crust till it is in a rectangular shape and about 1/8 inch thick. 

pour your stone fruit mixture into the center of the crust and spread it into an even layer leaving an inch or two of space from the fruit to the edges of the crust. 

gently, fold the edges of your pie crust over the fruit working your way around the edge of the gallette until it is all tucked in. 

brush the crust with your whisked egg.

bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. remove from the oven and
place the parchment and gallette on a cooling rack. 

allow to cool a bit and serve warm or at room temp. 

stone fruit galette
serves: 8
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time: 30-40 minutes
total time: 50 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs stone fruit, sliced 1/2 inch thick. 1/3 cup sugar. 2 tbs corn starch. 1/2 tsp salt. 1 tsp blood orange (or other citrus juice). 1 tsp blood orange zest (or other citrus). 1 pie crust sheet (i used a store bought to save time). 1 egg, whisked. pastry brush. baking sheet. parchment paper. whipped cream or ice cream for serving.
reheat your oven to 425 f. in a bowl, combine the stone fruit, sugar, corn starch, salt, zest and juice and stir well to combine. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out your pie crust on the parchment. gently roll or press out your pie crust till it is in a rectangular shape and about 1/8 inch thick. pour your stone fruit mixture into the center of the crust and spread it into an even layer leaving an inch or two of space from the fruit to the edges of the crust. gently, fold the edges of your pie crust over the fruit working your way around the edge of the gallette until it is all tucked in. brush the crust with your whisked egg. bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. remove from the oven and place the parchment and gallette on a cooling rack. allow to cool a bit and serve warm or at room temp.