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.

being a gourmet at home is not so much about using dozens of ingredients, tweezing your components onto your plate or molecular gastronomy. being a gourmet at home is all about doing small things that make a big impact to your guests, your kids, or just you. 

spiced nuts are an amazing and delicious snack to make and keep on hand. and the best part? anyone can make them. they are even great to make with your kids. there are no knife skills needed. 

now, the spice blend below will be delicious on any nut, but right now i am really loving pistachios. they are vibrant in color, bold in flavor and they are very high in protein making them almost meaty. they are great as a snack on their own, tossed in a salad or chopped up in a tasty cream sauce. 

spiced pistachios
serves: 8 oz pistachios
prep time: 3 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 13 minutes
ingredients: 8 oz salted and roasted pistachios. 3 tbs butter. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp cinnamon. .25 tsp cumin. .25 ground pepper. .25 tsp cumin. pinch of cayenne pepper. 

start by combining all your spices and the pistachios in a medium bowl. toss well so the spices are well combined. 

in a medium pan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted and bubbling. 

pour in the nut and spice blend and stir until all the nuts are lightly coated in spices and butter. 

toast the pistachios until the brown sugar begins to caramelize and your spices begin to smell fragrant. about 7-10 minutes. make sure to stir the pistachio every couple minutes so everything toasts evenly. 

remove from the heat and allow to completely cool. store in an airtight container for up to two months. 

xo, a

spiced pistachios
serves: 8 oz pistachios
prep time: 3 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 13 minutes
ingredients: 8 oz salted and roasted pistachios. 3 tbs butter. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp cinnamon. .25 tsp cumin. .25 ground pepper. .25 tsp cumin. pinch of cayenne pepper.
start by combining all your spices and the pistachios in a medium bowl. toss well so the spices are well combined.
in a medium pan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted and bubbling.
pour in the nut and spice blend and stir until all the nuts are lightly coated in spices and butter.
toast the pistachios until the brown sugar begins to caramelize and your spices begin to smell fragrant. about 7-10 minutes. make sure to stir the pistachio every couple minutes so everything toasts evenly.
remove from the heat and allow to completely cool. store in an airtight container for up to two months.