the older i get, the clearer it becomes to me that life just keeps getting crazier. the older i get, the more FULL life seems to become. but all i want to do is sit on my couch and eat delicious food.
my brother albert (the same brother that officiated our wedding) was in town from vancouver over the weekend and it was nearly impossible to get my immediate family all together in one place for even two hours. the only thing we could manage was brunch on saturday morning. after perusing many tasty looking brunch menus of restaurants in la i noticed a common theme. almost every menu featured a dutch baby. ironically, we chose the only restaurant that did not have one. sunday, i woke up feeling remorse over not getting to sample a dutch baby. so after teaching my morning yoga class i whipped up my own version of the breakfast dish. i would call it a cross between a pancake, crepe and popover. it's like nothing i've ever had really, but it is scrumptious. and even better, you can put anything on it to make it your own. 

whole wheat dutch baby
serves: 2-6 (you can serve it for 2 or slice it into wedges and served to many)
prep time: 25 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 55 minutes
ingredients: .5 cup whole wheat flour. .5 cup whole milk. 2 eggs. 1 tsp orange zest. 2 tbs sugar. 1 tsp vanilla extract. .5 tsp salt. 1 tbs butter. .25 cup powdered sugar. assorted toppings of your choice (i had blackberries, maple syrup, nutella and coconut). 8-9 inch oven safe round pan. 

start by preheating your oven to 425 d F.
in the bowl of a food processor, or large bowl using a hand blender, blend together all of the ingredients except the butter, powdered sugar and toppings. 

blend until smooth. allow the batter to rest for 20-25 minutes. 

when you are ready to bake, place your butter in the pan and melt the butter in the oven.
after the butter has melted (should only take a minute or two), remove the pan, fill it with the batter and pop it back in the oven. bake for 16-20 minutes. 

the dutch baby will have puffed up. when you remove it from the oven the cool air will cause it to fall slightly. allow it to cool slightly. top with powdered sugar, your favorite toppings and serve. 

xo, a

whole wheat dutch baby
serves: 2-6 (you can serve it for 2 or slice it into wedges and served to many)
prep time: 25 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 55 minutes
ingredients: .5 cup whole wheat flour. .5 cup whole milk. 2 eggs. 1 tsp orange zest. 2 tbs sugar. 1 tsp vanilla extract. .5 tsp salt. 1 tbs butter. .25 cup powdered sugar. assorted toppings of your choice (i had blackberries, maple syrup, nutella and coconut). 8-9 inch oven safe round pan. 
start by preheating your oven to 425 d F. 
in the bowl of a food processor, or large bowl using a hand blender, blend together all of the ingredients except the butter, powdered sugar and toppings. blend until smooth. allow the batter to rest for 20-25 minutes. 
when you are ready to bake, place your butter in the pan and melt the butter in the oven. 
after the butter has melted (should only take a minute or two), remove the pan, fill it with the batter and pop it back in the oven. bake for 16-20 minutes. the dutch baby will have puffed up. when you remove it from the oven the cool air will cause it to fall slightly. allow it to cool slightly. top with powdered sugar, your favorite toppings and serve. 

yesterday, we celebrated wesley's birthday. because he is slightly sensitive about the subject, i'll do him the kindness of leaving out his age.

we had a pair of pretty awesome days celebrating my favorite person's birth. sunday and monday we spent most of the day at our favorite beach hanging with friends + family, eating delicious food and surfing together. it was pretty much heaven.

while our sunday beach party was a raging success, i have to admit that i am very excited it's over. coordinating your own parties is stressful! i much prefer planning for others.

since most of last week was spent party planning and prepping, everything i whipped up for us was quick and easy.

these glorious figs popped up in my local produce store last week and i knew exactly what do do with them. there is something so luxurious about figs that they instantly fancy up a dish. not to mention, they pair perfectly with salty, flavorful prosciutto.
 

fig & prosciutto crostinis
serves: 16 crostinis
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: half a french baguette, sliced .25 inch thick. 3 figs, sliced thin (5 to 6 slices a fig). 2 oz triple creme brie. 1 cup roughly chopped arugula. 2 oz prosciutto, roughly chopped. .25 balsamic vinegar. pinch of salt.

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.

spread your baguette slices out over a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted. about 7-10 minutes.

while the bread is toasting, crisp the prosciutto. in a small nonstick pan, cook the prosciutto over medium high heat until crispy. about 5-7 minutes. 

remove the prosciutto from the heat and place it on a paper towel. gently blot away any extra grease. roughly chop the crispy prosciutto.

when the prosciutto pan is still hot, pour the balsamic into the pan and let it bubble up. season it with the salt and swirl it until it stops bubbling. remove it from the heat and let the vinegar cool.
 
to assemble the crostinis, spread a thin layer of cheese onto each piece of toast. top the cheese with a few pieces of arugula, a slice of fig and a few crisps of prosciutto. when all the crostinis are assembled, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve. 

xo, a

fig & prosciutto crostinis
serves: 16 crostinis
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: half a french baguette, sliced .25 inch thick. 3 figs, sliced thin (5 to 6 slices a fig). 2 oz triple creme brie. 1 cup roughly chopped arugula. 2 oz prosciutto, roughly chopped. .25 balsamic vinegar. pinch of salt.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.
spread your baguette slices out over a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted. about 7-10 minutes.
while the bread is toasting, crisp the prosciutto. in a small nonstick pan, cook the prosciutto over medium high heat until crispy. about 5-7 minutes. remove the prosciutto from the heat and place it on a paper towel. gently blot away any extra grease. roughly chop the crispy prosciutto.
when the prosciutto pan is still hot, pour the balsamic into the pan and let it bubble up. season it with the salt and swirl it until it stops bubbling. remove it from the heat and let the vinegar cool.
to assemble the crostinis, spread a thin layer of cheese onto each piece of toast. top the cheese with a few pieces of arugula, a slice of fig and a few crisps of prosciutto. when all the crostinis are assembled, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.