it's here. IT'S HERE!!!!

citrus season my friends. not going to lie, winter is not my favorite. i am a warm weather, endless summer kind of lady. BUT. i love that it brings all the gorgeous citrus fruits.

i'm not just talking the standard lemon, limes and oranges. i'm talking about kumquats and blood oranges and pomelos! oh my. and citrus fruit are so versatile. not only are they sweet and delicious, they are BEAUTIFUL. they come in half the colors of the rainbow, all sizes and add amazing acid (a key component to most good food and drink) to any dish. 

one of my favorite ways to utilize citrus fruit is segmenting and using the segments for everything from dessert decor to ingredients in a salad. but learning to segment fruit can be a bit intimidating. but with a sharp knife and a steady hand, it is as easy as 1, 2, 3. 

you will need a citrus fruit of your choice and a sharp knife. i can not express the importance of having at least one good, sharp knife. more people cut themselves with dull knives because they have to push SOOO hard to get them to work. christmas is coming, use THIS GUIDE to get yourself the perfect knife this holiday. 

1. start by carefully slicing off the top (the part where the stem is or was connected) and the bottom. this gives you a nice flat surface to work on and shows you where your fruit and your pith (white part of the citrus) are. 

2. starting with a small section, slice the pith from the fruit as you make a curved slice from top to bottom. once you have finished one section, work you way around the fruit to no pith and peel are left. 

3. holding the fruit in the palm of your non dominant hand (the hand you don't hold the knife with) over a bowl so you can catch the juice to use for cocktails, dressings or sauces. you will see each individual segment of the fruit (divided by very thin layers). gently, make two slices , one at each side of the segment, releasing it from its skin. the segment should pull away easily. continue this step all the way around your fruit till all segments are removed. squeeze any juice from the remaining skin and flesh of the fruit and then discard. use segments as desired. 

xo, a

life is funny. 

when i first heard my old studio was closing, my gut feeling was this closure was going to make space in my life for something else. and then for two weeks straight, everything was chaos, emotion and work.

and now, even though my days are still full and hectic, somehow things feel more settled and comfortable. just less hectic. i guess when you cut out a few VERY early mornings and hours and hours of working out that's what happens. whatever. i'll take it! 

even though our holiday catering and dessert season is in FULL swing, i'm using some of my extra moments to make more breakfasts. and i have been craving pancakes. 

toasted coconut & blackberry pancakes
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 15 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup all purpose flour. 2 tbs sugar. 2 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp salt. 1 egg. 1 cup milk. 4 tbs coconut oil, melted and divided. 10 blackberries, roughly chopped. .5 cup shredded coconut, divided  (sugar free, not the kind in the baking aisle coated in sugar, unless you are sugar fiend and like that kind of thing). true maple syrup for serving. electric pan, large pan or griddle for cooking.

start by preheating a hot pan on your stove or a griddle to about 350 degrees or a medium high heat, depending on your cook top. then, in a medium sized bowl, whisk together the half of the melted coconut oil (make sure it isn't piping hot or it will scramble your egg) the egg and the milk. 

when everything is well combined, whisk in your dry ingredients. 

when you batter is well combined, mix in half the coconut shreds and the blackberries. mix till just combined. 

lightly brush your cook top with the remaining coconut oil and use a paper towel to lightly coat your surface completely. depending on the size of pancakes you like, pour out either a silver dollar sized dollop of batter (for smaller pancakes) up to a fist sized dollop of batter for a larger pancake. work in batches and be sure not to over crowed your pan or griddle. cook the pancakes until the side you see has lots of bubbles and most have popped. then flip the pancakes. cook for an additional 1-2 minutes on this side just till set completely. remove the pancakes to a plate. 

top with some more coconut shreds for garnish, drizzle with syrup and serve hot. 

xo, a

toasted coconut & blackberry pancakes
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 15 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup all purpose flour. 2 tbs sugar. 2 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp salt. 1 egg. 1 cup milk. 4 tbs coconut oil, melted and divided. 10 blackberries, roughly chopped. .5 cup shredded coconut, divided  (sugar free, not the kind in the baking aisle coated in sugar, unless you are sugar fiend and like that kind of thing). true maple syrup for serving. electric pan, large pan or griddle for cooking.
start by preheating a hot pan on your stove or a griddle to about 350 degrees or a medium high heat, depending on your cook top. then, in a medium sized bowl, whisk together the half of the melted coconut oil (make sure it isn't piping hot or it will scramble your egg) the egg and the milk. when everything is well combined, whisk in your dry ingredients. when you batter is well combined, mix in half the coconut shreds and the blackberries. mix till just combined.  lightly brush your cook top with the remaining coconut oil and use a paper towel to lightly coat your surface completely. depending on the size of pancakes you like, pour out either a silver dollar sized dollop of batter (for smaller pancakes) up to a fist sized dollop of batter for a larger pancake. work in batches and be sure not to over crowed your pan or griddle. cook the pancakes until the side you see has lots of bubbles and most have popped. then flip the pancakes. cook for an additional 1-2 minutes on this side just till set completely. remove the pancakes to a plate. top with some more coconut shreds for garnish, drizzle with syrup and serve hot.