Pear+Apple Crisp

sooooo good. ridiculously easy.

This time of year seems to get so busy, I am always thankful for an easy recipe that still feels special for family and friends during the holiday season.  This fruit crisp comes together in minutes and makes your house smell AMAZING while it bakes.  Any fruit will work (think cherries, peaches, or rhubarb), but I love the combination of tart granny smith apples and sweet bartlett pears.  You'll just need the following:

INGREDIENTS
5 small granny smith apples
2 bartlett pears
1 T granulated sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 C quick cooking oats
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t allspice
1/2 C cold unsalted butter (1 stick)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375.  Peel, core and slice apples and pears.  Toss with granulated sugar, 1t cinnamon and lemon juice.  Spread fruit evenly in an unbuttered 2-inch deep baking dish (2 quart).  In a separate bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, salt, oats, cinnamon and allspice.  Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Just keep pressing the butter and whisking away, it's totally ok if there are still a few chunks of butter - just get it as crumbly as possible and then spread evenly over the fruit.  Bake until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling - about 50-55 minutes.  Delicious on its own or topped with ice cream or whipped cream!

(I am freezing this little baby for my father-in-law next week...but I just couldn't help a little sample above)

enJOY...and happy holidays! 

{ drying out }

just got back from an incredible weekend with these amazing ladies...celebrating the 30th birthday of our bestie lindsay. 

we spent the weekend catching up (since too many miles separate us now), all while exploring wine country in gorgeous Solvang,CA

endless laughs...amazing wines...hilarious memories. 

it feels like the holiday season definitely came early for me this year, so special to have the chance to spend time together and celebrate with my amazing friends. 

happy birthday linds...we love you so much!

Salade Niçoise

This recipe is really good and one that I wish I would think of to make more often. It's adapted from Cooking Light, so you even get to feel good about yourself after eating.  The ingredient list can obviously be altered to your liking, but the following is what seems to work in our household.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 individual tuna steaks
Freshly ground pepper
Cooking spray
6 small red potatoes, quartered
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
2 cups lettuce (I like bibb)
2 cups trimmed watercress (about 1 bunch)
2 medium tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
3 hard-boiled large eggs, quartered lengthwise
1/2 cup niçoise olives
2 tablespoons capers

Garlic-Basil Vinaigrette - Ingredients:
1/3 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, halved
Freshly ground pepper - pinch of sea salt
(Combine all ingredients in a blender /w. immersion blender and process until smooth - less than 40 calories per serving)!

To prep the salad, drizzle the 3 T lemon juice over the tuna steaks and season with salt and pepper. Marinate at room temp for 10 minutes, then discard lemon juice.  On med-high heat, spray saute pan with PAM or 1-2 T oil.  Sear tuna on both sides (about 3-4 minutes) until medium.  If you have access to super fresh ahi tuna (jealous) just sear for 1-2 minutes on each side, leaving the center rare. Remove from heat and tent with foil until you are ready to plate.  Next, steam potatoes (covered) for 6 minutes. Add green beans, and steam for an additional 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Place in ice water to cool, drain and set aside.

Combine lettuce and watercress on a large serving platter. Arrange quartered potatoes (seasoned with a little sea salt, cracked pepper and chopped basil), green beans, sliced tomatoes and eggs over the greens. Top with olives, capers, and tuna steaks.  Since this salad serves at least 4, I like to serve family style and allow each individual to drizzle the Garlic-Basil Vinaigrette over their own salad after plating (this also makes saving for leftovers much easier).

enJOY!

Exhausted...

Who knew getting in the holiday spirit could be so exhausting??  I spent the entire weekend unleashing Christmas love all over our little casa.  We're so lucky to be hosting the Reiss family in Ohio this year, and from the looks of our living room at this moment I may be a little TOO excited.  It was honestly so fun to decorate a real house.  I love having a fireplace and couldn't wait to decorate the mantle.  And after falling in love with a little inspiration from Coco + Kelley (a gorgeous design blog put together by a friend of a friend) I had just the right direction to get started. 

We also drove out to the most charming little tree farm to "cut down" our very own tree.  Even little Lambeau got to come.  Here we are trapsing through the acres upon acres of trees:

 

(Beau still hasn't mastered the art of posing for photos, despite my forcefullness encouragement).

Now since I have never been to an actual tree farm where you cut down your own tree, I wasn't aware of  the important guidelines.  For example, DON'T look at the pre-cut tree lot out front first where all the expensive perfectly gorgeous trees are sold.  It's sort of like shoe shopping...once you see the amazing (and really $$$ pair), there is no going back.  Yes, we actually walked around for 2 hours with a saw and still ended up with the pre-cut beauty 3x the cost of cutting our own.  And now I am being punished.  I picked a possessed Christmas tree.  She is beautiful allright, but mean as hell.  I am pretty sure each pine needle is just that - a needle.  Has this ever happened to anyone else??  Jake had to wear his work gloves to hang ornaments and I literally had welts all over my hands after decorating.  That is what I get for abandoning those poor little less than perfect Charlie Brown trees out in the meadow. 

Oh well...someday I will learn.  For now I am going to enjoy a big glass of white wine with a yummy dinner - Salade Niçoise - oiu oiu!  Recipe up asap.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!