Raisin, Coconut & Oat Scones with a Maple Glaze

Scones will always remind me of the coffee house that I worked at in college. We always had them & they always sold out. I would always bring some to my mom when I could - she was (& still is) a huge fan of the scones at Immaculate Consumption. I of course ate them but I never made them.

This past weekend I decided I would finally give it a try. I combined a bunch of recipes to come up with mine which I can say I’m proud of. If you’ve never had a scone it’s like the love child of a biscuit and muffin. They can be sweet or savory. The ones I opted to make were sweet with raisins, coconut & a maple glaze. 

Have a great weekend! I hope you make these for breakfast :)

Chocolate Pudding

Sometimes you just need something sweet. Something chocolate. I opted for this chocolate pudding recipe made with some basic baking ingredients I had on hand. I like to think of this pudding like these brownies that you can eat with a spoon. YUM. Oh & I added some chopped almonds, because you know they're good for you & make me feel like an adult.

Grilled Peach, Brie & Basil Pizza

Happy belated 4th of July! Apologies for the radio silence from last week. I am back this week with tons of summer foods you're going to want to bring to your table, starting with this sweet & salty pizza that I will be making again and again and again.

I saw this recipe in Rachel Ray Everyday, but when it came time to make it I misplaced the magazine so I ad-libbed what I remembered the recipe to be.  Rachel Ray's recipe adds bacon - so if bacon's for you - go ahead, cook some up & sprinkle it on at the end.  Or you can skip the bacon & make it like me!

Hot Cardamom Milk

I love the cardamom coffee at Hampton Chutney in Soho NYC.  This year I've resolved to lay off the caffeine for 2013 so the coffee part of this delish beverage is out but I can still have the yummy cardamom warm spices in a delicious drink all thanks to this recipe for milk with cardamom.
It's a great creamy hot drink for those really chilly days.

Ingredients

• Milk - 2 cups (unsweetened almond milk might be tasty too!)
• Sugar - 2 tsp
• Cardamom - 1 pod,crushed

Make it!

1. Pour the milk,sugar and cardamom in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes,or till the milk boils.
2. Close with a lid and keep aside for another 5 minutes.
3. Just before serving,strain the milk and pour into individual cups.
4. Serve when it is still warm.

PS: it's caffeine-free so if you sip some at the end of the night you'll still be able to sleep!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you & your family!

After a great night with one of my favorite couples, Suz & Sam, I was up early to bid them adieu & to make some tried & true recipes: root vegetable stuffing & chocolate chip cookies.

What do you have cooking in your kitchen?

Peter Pan Collar

Necklace (Forever 21), Top (Anthropologie), Skirt (Urban Outfitters), Shoes (vintage from my closet!)

I love this minty green peter pan collar (that was *ahem* under six bucks at Forever 21!).  It adds a lot to a simple top & is quite the conversation piece.  Is it part of the shirt? Is it really metal, or is it soft?  

I'm happy with my purchase to say the least.  Read on for some more peter pan-esque collar necklaces that will make you feel sweet & sassy, & are super affordable (read: you can own this trend for just two bucks!!!).

Sweet & Spicy Party Nuts

The great thing about these nuts besides being addictively sweet, spicy & crunchy all at once, is that they are uber easy to whip up, clean up an & keep on hand.  Yep these only require FIVE ingredients.  If you bake them on parchment paper it makes cleanup almost non-existent.  Make large batches & freeze them for later.

During the holidays I jar these nuts as little gifts.  In the summer I chop them up & add them to salads. Most often I serve them in small bowls for a little nosh at cocktail parties.