it is amazing what a difference just twenty-four hours can make. sunday, wes and i catered for one of my besties lish. we were celebrating her daughter's first birthday and baptism. it has been in the works for months and we had a full plate (pun intended) as far as what we were handling. lunch for thirty-five, four cakes (all different flavors), and a few dozen painted and dipped cookie favors had us prepping for days in advance. 

after months of planning and days of prep, the morning of the party shit was hitting the fan. yeah i said it. nothing was cooperating. i was STRESSED. level 10 stressed. we were in the weeds. luckily, wes has MUCH more experience than i do and was able to calm and focus me to power through to the finish. the party was beautiful, the food delicious and our little birthday girl had a blast. 

twenty-four hours later (eleven of which were sleeping), i felt more calm, relaxed and rested than i had in months. thankfully, come thursday the cakes and catering ramp back up, but i'm soaking up every moment of calm before the storm. and i'm going to savor all the leftovers i have from one of sunday's best dishes. 

balsamic stewed berries & ricotta toast
serves: 12 toast
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: .5 cup ricotta (you can make your own HERE which i promise is worth it and very easy, OR you can purchase some at the store. it is worth it to spend a few extra dollars on a good quality ricotta for anything you will be eating it straight up.). 12 slices from your favorite baguette or other bread you like. 6 oz blueberries. 6 oz raspberries. 6 oz blackberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup balsamic vinegar. pinch of kosher salt. edible flower petals for garnish (i used geraniums from my garden). 

start by making your stewed berries. combine the berries, sugar, vinegar and salt in a medium sized sauce pot. cook the berries over medium, low heat until the berries have broken down to half their sizes and all the liquid has cooked down. 

the consistency should be similar to that of a jam. it should take about 45 minutes and you should stir it every 5-7 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly. while your berries stew, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. 

when your berries are done and cooling, toast your bread. on a baking sheet, spread out the bread evenly and toast for 7-8 minutes till lightly toasted. 

remove the toasts and allow to cool till you can handle. 

spread each toast with a bit of the ricotta. 

top each with a spoonful of stewed berries. garnish with flower petals and serve warm. 

xo, a

balsamic stewed berries & ricotta toast
serves: 12 toast
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: .5 cup ricotta (you can make your own HERE which i promise is worth it and very easy, OR you can purchase some at the store. it is worth it to spend a few extra dollars on a good quality ricotta for anything you will be eating it straight up.). 12 slices from your favorite baguette or other bread you like. 6 oz blueberries. 6 oz raspberries. 6 oz blackberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup balsamic vinegar. pinch of kosher salt. edible flower petals for garnish (i used geraniums from my garden).
start by making your stewed berries. combine the berries, sugar, vinegar and salt in a medium sized sauce pot. cook the berries over medium, low heat until the berries have broken down to half their sizes and all the liquid has cooked down. the consistency should be similar to that of a jam. it should take about 45 minutes and you should stir it every 5-7 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly. while your berries stew, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. when your berries are done and cooling, toast your bread. on a baking sheet, spread out the bread evenly and toast for 7-8 minutes till lightly toasted. remove the toasts and allow to cool till you can handle. spread each toast with a bit of the ricotta. top each with a spoonful of stewed berries. garnish with flower petals and serve warm. 

i'm not going to lie to you. the food coming out of our kitchen lately has been pretty insane. wes and i are really hitting our stride as far as taste and technique go and the results have been magic. and in my world, lots of good food comes with lots of good photos.

so i'm doing that common dance many of us do. deleting things from our phone to make space for new music, photos and apps. so i've been rummaging through old photos, deciding what i need and what i don't, and i stumbled upon this gem. 

we like to bust this recipe out for easy sundays in, or catering brunches. it is easy, a real crowd pleaser and is a stunning centerpiece to any breakfast buffet.

maple + bacon + bourbon monkey bread
total time: 1.5 hours
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 80 minutes
ingredients: 2 16 oz packages refrigerated biscuit dough. 1 cup white sugar. 2 tbs cinnamon. 1 cup butter, divided. 3 slices crispy cooked bacon, roughly chopped. 1 cup brown sugar. 2 tbs bourbon. 2 tbs maple sugar. angel food or bundt pan. aluminum foil.

start by cooking your bacon. you can cook it two different ways. you can place the strips on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 f for 20-22 minutes till crispy. or you can cook your bacon in a large frypan over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes until they are crispy. flipping a couple times. either way, when your bacon is cooked, pat it dry and roughly chop it into pieces. 

while your bacon is cooking, combine bourbon, brown sugar, butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan. cook over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. about 5-7 minutes. set the sauce aside to cool. whatever you do not use can be stored in the fridge for a month or two.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees f. 

slice your biscuit rounds into quarters and lightly butter your pan. combine your white sugar and a cinnamon in a medium bowl. 

a few at a time, dunk pieces of biscuit into the remaining smelted butter. when lightly coated with butter, dump them into the sugar and cinnamon mixture and then create a bottom layer in your baking pan. 

when you have a complete layer, sprinkle one third of the bacon over the top and drizzle with some of the brown sugar sauce. 

continue on with another row of biscuit dough. sprinkle with one third of the bacon and some more of the sugar sauce. 

finish off with one more row of dough, the remaining bacon and an additional drizzle of brown sugar sauce. 

cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes covered. uncover and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes till golden browned and cooked through.
remove from the oven and allow to cool, covered, for about 10 minutes. turn the pan upside down on a cake stand or plate and serve hot with additional sauce for those who like it extra sweet. 

xo,a

maple + bacon + bourbon monkey bread
total time: 1.5 hours
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 80 minutes
ingredients: 2 16 oz packages refrigerated biscuit dough. 1 cup white sugar. 2 tbs cinnamon. 1 cup butter, divided. 3 slices crispy cooked bacon, roughly chopped. 1 cup brown sugar. 2 tbs bourbon. 2 tbs maple sugar. angel food or bundt pan. aluminum foil.
start by cooking your bacon. you can cook it two different ways. you can place the strips on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 f for 20-22 minutes till crispy. or you can cook your bacon in a large frypan over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes until they are crispy. flipping a couple times. either way, when your bacon is cooked, pat it dry and roughly chop it into pieces.
while your bacon is cooking, combine bourbon, brown sugar, butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan. cook over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. about 5-7 minutes. set the sauce aside to cool. whatever you do not use can be stored in the fridge for a month or two.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees f.
slice your biscuit rounds into quarters and lightly butter your pan. combine your white sugar and a cinnamon in a medium bowl.
a few at a time, dunk pieces of biscuit into the remaining smelted butter. when lightly coated with butter, dump them into the sugar and cinnamon mixture and then create a bottom layer in your baking pan.
when you have a complete layer, sprinkle one third of the bacon over the top and drizzle with some of the brown sugar sauce.
continue on with another row of biscuit dough. sprinkle with one third of the bacon and some more of the sugar sauce.
finish off with one more row of dough, the remaining bacon and an additional drizzle of brown sugar sauce.
cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes covered. uncover and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes till golden browned and cooked through.
remove from the oven and allow to cool, covered, for about 10 minutes. turn the pan upside down on a cake stand or plate and serve hot with additional sauce for those who like it extra sweet.