pumpkin season

{turkey chili}
Fall officially started yesterday, but all it takes is one quick glimpse at Pinterest to see that it's pumpkin season, people! Yahoooo! This weekend we celebrated the start of Fall with not one...not two...but THREE pumpkin recipes. No judgments.
The weather couldn't have been more perfect for some pumpkin noshing. A little rain, the slight chill in the air, and cozy layers all added to the quintessential Fall "feel." Ahhhh! 
{pumpkin pancakes} {pumpkin spice latte} {brown butter pumpkin waffles} {homemade guacamole, organic blue corn chips, and beer}



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recipe: vanilla-brown sugar french toast

  Saturday morning. The best morning for a sweet, decadent breakfast. You get to sleep in (or if you're like us, 'sleeping in' as a parent means 8 a.m.). You've got two full days of no work, no commuter rush, no big plans awaiting you. You roll over in bed, stretch and see that the sun is shining outside and you think how good it feels to not have to rush to get anywhere. That's what weekends are for, after all.  The sole motivation for you getting up is the thought of that freshly brewed cup of coffee with your name on it. And this vanilla french toast just waiting to be devoured. I like to make this breakfast when I want to spoil my family. French toast feels like home to me. It's a comfort food. Back when I was still living at home, I distinctly remember the smell of my mom's french toast wafting up to my second floor bedroom. That would be enough to send my stomach rumbling.  These same memories are what I hope to instill in my son.  That boy loves to eat. And he loves when I make these. Coincidentally, so does daddy.  The only way to serve these are stacked with a very generous drizzle of syrup. I did mention you should spoil yourself as well, right? Coffee, OJ, and bacon are all optional but absolutely recommended! 

Vanilla-Brown Sugar French Toast  | adapted from This Gal Cooks | 
yields approx. 6-8 slices
ingredients: 1 loaf Challah bread, sliced into 1-inch slices (brioche is a delicious option too) 2 large eggs 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon  pinch of salt powdered sugar, for topping (optional) berries, for topping (optional) syrup, to serve
directions: 1. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy whipping cream, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. 
2. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or melt a pat of butter to coat the surface.
3. Dip each bread slice into the egg mixture, individually. Place in griddle or skillet. Cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes. Flip to the other side and repeat. 
4. Serve toast with berries, powdered sugar, and syrup. Enjoy! 

 


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weekend recap

It's Monday again, folks! Hope your day has been easy and productive. How was your weekend? The temps around here were be-au-ti-ful! The perfect weather for some outdoor fun in the sun and clearly there was lots of pizza involved. Yummy! Here is my weekend in pictures. 

• If you live in New York and you haven't been to L&B's in Brooklyn - you. have. to. go. like now! And get their sicilian (pictured above). Let me just warn you now that people line up for these things so get there early. 

• A hot little number I wore this weekend; full outfit post coming this week. 

• We made this BBQ Chicken Cauliflower Crust Pizza and loved it! Only 150 calories per slice - ummm yeah! 

• My accessories for the day included this necklace, a vintage one, and this denim vest. 

• We took our little man to the Queens Farm Museum and had a great time feeding the animals, watching him run around, and picking out fresh produce to bring home. 

As always, thanks for reading! Xo

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happy weekend + links i love

A look back at this week and links I love: 
Long-time fan of Style Me Pretty; SMP Living gives you the same dose of eye candy. They celebrate the inspired life. Sign me up! 
There is no secret that I love food and I love trying new recipes and introducing new variations on how to make simple dishes so when I ran across this site, I wanted to try every. single. recipe. seriously. 
Do you have wire shelving in your home? Check these tips out on how to style them. 
This needs to come to NYC ASAP! 
Need to brush up your blogging and/or media skills? Check out the B Bar. 
One day, I will make it here. Dream vacay, anyone?! 


one. two. three. 



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recipe: lemon garlic linguine

I have a passion for whole wheat pasta. It's so hearty, healthy and just downright delicious. I would have invited you over for some but it was all gone the same night. Larry was disappointed there weren't any leftovers. You know men and their carbs - - the more, the better. I guess they would probably say the same about beer.  And don't even get me started on cheese. My cheese drawer could easily feed a small country and it is sinfully and deliciously stuffed to the brim. It’s crazy but wonderful at the same time because there are always so many ways to make cheese dishes. Which I also consume, on a weekly basis. I add cheese to everything.  As one should.
Lemon Garlic Linguine 2-4 Servings
6 oz. of whole wheat pasta of your choice (i used linguine) 1/3 cup grated parmesan 2 tsp. of olive oil 2 cloves of garlic 1/2 lemon 6 basil leaves, chiffonaded  perlini mozzarella balls shredded parmesan fresh basil for garnish
Prepare water for pasta and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta to cook al dente. Drain when finished.
While pasta is cooking, heat up sauté pan on low-medium. Add in olive oil, then add in garlic and let it cook until the garlic starts to brown slightly. Careful not to overcook them because garlic tastes bitter when overcooked. 
While pasta and garlic are heating up, quickly chiffonade basil leaves. Just a note: fresh is always best. 
Put garlic and oil, lemon juice, and grated cheese in a large bowl. Add in pasta and perlini mozzarella balls and toss until well combined. Once plated, top with fresh parmesan if desired and garnish with fresh basil. Serve immediately.  

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patron pineapple

It is not hard to love pineapple. I love tropical fruits; mango, being my favorite. Pineapples are my husband's fruit of choice. For Oscar night, I opted to satisfy us both. This tequila drink was refreshing and tasty and was very reminiscent of an oceanside siesta on a lounge chair with an umbrella drink in hand. A perfect welcome to this dreary, winter weather. Do yourself a favor (or two) and make this tonight. Cheers! 

Patrón Pineapple

1 oz. Patrón Silver Tequila
1/4 oz. Patrón Cintronge Orange Liquer
Pineapple Juice
Mango nectar
Lime
Ice

Pour Patrón Silver and Cintronge over ice. Fill with pineapple juice and a little mango nectar and finish with a squeeze of lime. Garnish with lime or pineapple slice. Enjoy. 


*Recipe adapted from Patron Spirits




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recipe : red velvet pancakes with cream cheese glaze

Red Velvet. Oh, sweet Red Velvet. Some of you may already know my obsession with it. My husband shares my obsession. So, what better way to celebrate my love of red velvet and pancakes than on Valentine's Day with my love? These pancakes had me at hello. I've been tempted to make red velvet pancakes for awhile, and finally made it happen. I knew these were going to be good as soon as I smelled them cooking on the stove. They were decadent, rich, and tasted just like red velvet cake. The cream cheese glaze added the perfect finishing touch. What a perfect combination. Yum! We will definitely be making these again. 

Add a side of {semi} heart-shaped bacon. 

Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze 
adapted from Cooking Classy

Serving: approx. 6 pancakes

Pancakes:
1 1/2 cups organic white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup organic sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tbsp red food coloring (add more or less depending on desired color)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup salted butter, melted 

Directions: Preheat a griddle on low to medium heat. In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. In a separate bowl, blend milk and vinegar together and set aside. Add in sugar, eggs, red food coloring, vanilla and melted butter. Mix until well combined. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Lightly butter griddle and scoop out 1/3 cup of batter onto griddle. Cook until bubbles form and then flip to other side until cooked through. Serve warm with cream cheese glaze and any garnishes, if desired.  

Cream Cheese Glaze:
4 ozs. cream cheese, room temperature
4 ozs. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk (add more to thin out)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
*refrigerate leftover glaze in airtight container

Directions: In a mixing bowl, blend cream cheese and butter until fluffy, with an electric mixer. Once well combined, add in remaining ingredients for about 1 minute. Add in additional milk if you want to thin out glaze. Serve over hot pancakes. 



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recipe : lemon ricotta pancakes

Sunshine Lemon Coolers. Who can forget these tasty treats? Cookies with that slight hint of lemon flavor and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. That's the taste I was hoping to replicate when I came across this recipe for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. Talk about perfection. They were downright fluffy, with just a hint of lemon-y flavor, but not too overpowering. With a little syrup as an accompaniment, they were exactly what I was looking for to satisfy my lemon cookie craving. 

• Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
• |Adapted from Gourmet Magazine| 
• 4 large eggs, separated

• 1 1/3 cups ricotta

• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• melted butter for brushing the griddle

In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, the ricotta, the sugar, and the zest, add the flour, and stir the mixture until it is just combined. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold stiff peaks, whisk about one fourth of them into the ricotta mixture, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Heat a griddle over moderately high heat until it is hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface and brush it with some of the melted butter. Working in batches, pour the batter onto the griddle by 1/4-cup measures and cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden, brushing the griddle with some of the melted butter as necessary. Transfer the pancakes as they are cooked to a heatproof platter and keep them warm in a preheated 200°F. oven. 

Enjoy. 

*If you try these out, I would love to hear about it. 

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recipe : ragu alla clemenza

It's been a while since I've done a recipe post on the blog. Granted, I wasn't really inspired to do much during my pregnancy; I was lucky enough to appetite anything different. Now that that's all over, I am excited once again to try out new and interesting recipes. Such as Mario Batali's Ragu. The husband is a total steak and potatoes type of man, so needless to say once he knew the recipe called for Hot Italian Sausage and Meatballs he was game. I think what took the longest was searing the meat; but other than that, the recipe is pretty straight forward. 

P.S. Don't forget to ROCK THE VOTE today! Voting is our right; exercise your right to be heard. 

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recipe : buttermilk pancakes with rum syrup

In this household, we don't need a reason to eat pancakes and definitely do not frown upon devouring them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It just so happens yours truly was craving some delicious, buttery pancakes this week and had to have them. I followed this basic recipe and took cue from Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere's quick & easy *rum syrup recipe. I tweaked it a bit & used a 1/4 cup of rum, 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Needless to say, it satisfied my craving and then some.  *Note: When you cook with alcohol, the heat evaporates the alcohol content, leaving the desired flavor without the alcohol. So enjoy without the worry.
HAPPY FRIDAY Follow me on: Facebook | Bloglovin' | Twitter | Pinterest