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.

it is no secret on this here blog or in my real life that my husband and i have every intention of opening a restaurant. it started out as a pipe dream, but six years into our relationship, the vision is really starting to take shape. don't get too exited, we still have some work to do. BUT with out a doubt it will be breakfast heavy. we love breakfast and brunch and pretty much anything with an egg on it. we've spent years in the kitchen working on (and sometimes fighting about) our eggs. but there is no argument about how to cook the perfect sunny side up egg. follow these tips and you will get a great egg every time. 

start by getting yourself a good nonstick pan. if you have one, make sure there aren't any scratches on the pan. if there are, it may be time to get a new one. THIS is the one that wes and i have and it is common in many professional kitchens.
the perfect sunny egg serves: 1 egg prep time: 5 minutes active time: 5-7 minutes total time: 10-12 minutes ingredients: 1 egg. 2 pinches of kosher salt. 1 pinch of fresh pepper. 1 tsp unsalted butter. 1 small bowl. 1 nonstick pan. 

start by setting your pan on a burner turning the heat onto a medium low setting. you want to warm your pan slowly so that it heats evenly. let it warm for 5 minutes. 

while the pan is warming, crack your egg into the bowl, careful to remove any shell pieces. 

season the egg with salt and pepper. 

when the pan is hot, add the butter. the butter should sizzle, but not brown. 

when the butter has melted, gently add in your egg. 

now step back. cook for 5-7 minutes until the white is fully set (no clear left anywhere) but the yolk is still soft. 

remove from the heat and serve. 

xo, a

the perfect sunny egg
serves: 1 egg
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 5-7 minutes
total time: 10-12 minutes
ingredients: 1 egg. 2 pinches of kosher salt. 1 pinch of fresh pepper. 1 tsp unsalted butter. 1 small bowl. 1 nonstick pan.
start by setting your pan on a burner turning the heat onto a medium low setting. you want to warm your pan slowly so that it heats evenly. let it warm for 5 minutes. while the pan is warming, crack your egg into the bowl, careful to remove any shell pieces. season the egg with salt and pepper. when the pan is hot, add the butter. the butter should sizzle, but not brown. when the butter has melted, gently add in your egg. now step back. cook for 5-7 minutes until the white is fully set (no clear left anywhere) but the yolk is still soft. remove from the heat and serve.