Berry-Yogurt Parfaits + Homemade Granola

It's a simple formula: granola and yogurt, but it seems to work so well together huh? In the mornings I just love the creamy-sweet-tartness of yogurt mixed with the crunchiness of homemade granola. I brought home a whole load of fresh berries the other day and I was just inspired to make some granola to crunch along with it. I love summer and it's welcome wagon of sweet berries! 

Anyways, I love my granola simple as can be. I don't like to add in too many add-ins such as dried fruit and nuts because I love adding fresh fruit instead - and why wouldn't I when I have fresh berries as beautiful as these? Making homemade granola is so simple and so easy - it really takes very, very little effort. Using it in yogurt-granola-berry trifles is just how I like to enjoy it, but I imagine it'd be excellent over ice cream or oatmeal as well!

Maple Pecan Granola

YIelds: about 2 cups

Original recipe here.

1 cup pecan halves

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 stick butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and toast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until toasty and brown. Butter a rimmed baking sheet or line with parchment paper, set aside. Toss together the oats, coconut and wheat bran into a large bowl. Crunch up the pecan halves to break them up and add them to the mixture. Add the maple syrup into a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat for 7 - 10 minutes to reduce it by 1/4. Add the butter and salt and stir until the butter is melted. Immediately pour into the oat mixture and mix thoroughly to make sure everything is coated. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the sheets from the oven and scrape the outer edges towards the center and the center to the edges. Repeat this two more times for a total of 30 minutes. Allow the granola to cool completely on the sheets - this will allow clusters to form. Once the granola is cooled, stir in the dried fruit. 

Berry Yogurt Parfaits

Yields: 2 servings

1 cup vanilla yogurt (non-fat or low-fat)

1/2 cup homemade granola

1/2 cup fresh berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)

In two short glass, add 1/4 cup of yogurt to the bottom of each glass, sprinkle with some fresh berries and most of the granola. Top each with 1/4 cup more of the yogurt, sprinkle with the remaining granola and fresh berries. Enjoy!

Tailored Tuesday & Travel

Hellooo summer!

1. Stella McCartney 'Fine-knit cotton polo shirt'

looks comfy!

2. Chloe 'Leather and metal bow belt'

undeniable cute. bows are always a win in my book.

3. Theory 'Lynie stretch-cotton canvas shorts'

i heart mustard yellow oh so much.

4. Bally 'Clemance structured leather bag'

ugh... the perfect nude color.

5. Victoria Beckham 'D-frame acetate sunglasses'

loving the gold detailing!

6. Alexander McQueen 'Studded leather ballerina flats'

badass and practical.

7. Giles & Brother 'Hook 10-karat gold-plated leather wrap bracelet'

my dream purchase...

8. Topshop 'Multi-block stripe blazer'

LOVE.

9. Forever 21 'Leopard-print cosmetics case'

love this! such a stylish way to house your cosmetics.

10. Nars 'Eye shadow in galapagos'

gorgeous much?

11. Muji 'Notebook'

love keeping little notebooks with me when i travel - always handy.

12. Muji ' Gel pens'

i have like 1,000 pens at home. i still keep buying more... it's a compulsive obsession.

13. Ona 'The union street camera and laptop bag'

rustic and will match nearly everything.

14. Ban.do 'Sequin scarf'

cause every girl needs a little sparkle in her life!

15. Canon '85mm f1.2 lens'

crazy fast!

16. Veer 'Woodgrain iphone skin'

nature + technology = win.

{provence, france}

gushing over this gorgeous shade of seafoam.

{wisteria tunnel, hampton court, herefordshire}

unbelievably magical.

{capri}

just dreaming of beach towns like this...

{masai-mara, kenya, africa}

one day i will go on a safari. it's a must.

{biblioteca di bella arti, milan, italy}

um, if i was a student in milan, i would love to live in this library.

{sachuest point, rhode island}

are you kidding me with this photo? rhode island... wow.

{istanbul, turkey}

love rustic cities like this.

{horsetail falls, yosemite national park}

gosh sometimes this world seems so unreal...

{lake powell, arizona/ utah}

i'm going to utah this summer!!!! woop woop so excited for the immense beauty to come.

 {abbey library of st. gallen, switzerland}
and... if i was a student in switzerland, i'd love to live in this library as well.

All images from Pinterest and Net-a-porter.

Images are linked to their sources.

Coconut & Mango Curd Cupcakes

Don't you just love summer? It's starting to get hot in my part of town and even though I live for cold weather, the sun just has this way of making everything seem right in the world doesn't it? My favorite part of summer is all of the seasonal foods that come along with it - bright citruses, light salads and sweet mango! My all time favorite fruit is definitely the mango. I usually resist doing anything to it at all since it's perfect as is, but I wanted to try baking with it at least once before I resumed consuming them 5x a day.

So... I decided to make some lovely mango curd. I'm a big fan of curd - it's velvety, sweet and decadent. Mango curd just sounded ten times better! After successfully making a delicious mango curd, I then decided it would be an awesome idea to stuff some into some light coconut cupcakes. I wanted to try this small batch recipe for cupcakes I'd seen because sometimes you just want cupcakes... without having to eat all 24 of them or having to pawn them off on friends (haha... like that's ever been a problem).


The mango curd recipe yields much more than needed to fill these cupcakes, but I'm sure you'll find many more uses for it. This recipe for small-batch cupcakes is nothing short of amazing! The cupcakes came out fluffy, light and delicious - I could not believe it. The combination of the light cupcakes, velvety curd and fresh coconut on top is beyond. BEYOND! Really, you could use a light shmear of any type of frosting on top, but I just wanted something to moisten the tops just enough so that the shredded coconut would stick. Thinking about it now, you could just smear some curd on top to stick the coconut on and skip making the frosting all together.

Coconut & Mango Curd Cupcakes
Yields: 6 cupcakes

Coconut cupcakes adapted from here. Original curd recipe here. Frosting adapted from here.

For the cupcakes:

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

1/4 cup coconut milk


For the mango curd:

1/4 + 1/8 cup sugar

1/8 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup mango puree

2 egg yolks

1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

1/2 stick (4 tbsn.) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

For the flour frosting:

2 tbsn. flour

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsn. unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup shredded coconut, for topping

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with 6 liners, set aside. In a bowl, whisk the egg and sugar until well combined. Add in the vanilla and melted butter and whisk until combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and combine until no streaks remain. Mix in the coconut milk until smooth, then fold in the coconut flakes. Divide the batter among the 6 liners and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely. 

To make the mango curd, in a saucepan, whisk the sugar and cornstarch to combine. Whisk in the mango puree, egg yolks and vanilla seeds. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thick, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tbsn. at a time until incorporated. Scrape the filling into a glass bowl and press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a film from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. 

To make the frosting, in a small saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of brownie batter. Remove and let cool completely to room temperature. Once cool, whisk in the vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until completely smooth and almost no sugary graininess is left. Add the flour mixture and beat the living daylights out it. If it looks separated, this means you still need to beat it some more. When finished, it should resemble whipped cream. 


To assemble the cupcakes, use a knife to scoop out some of the center of the cupcakes (set aside to consume later). Use a spoon to fill the hollowed cupcakes with 1 tbsn. of curd for each cupcake. Use an offset spatula to smear a thin layer of frosting across the tops of each cupcake. Dip each cupcake in the shredded coconut to cover. Enjoy!

Favorite Video of the Week

Happy Thursday everyone! 

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

Read more about this video here.

Tailored Tuesday & Travel

1. Zimmerman 'Posy floral-print cotton voile playsuit'

for some reason, all of a sudden rompers seem to love me, and i love this one back!

2. J. Crew 'Polka dot bikini top and briefs'

polka dots personify summer for me!

3. Ray Ban 'Round frame metal sunglasses'

shades are necessary

4. Stella McCartney 'Rope and faux leather sandals'

looks uber comf!

5. H&M 'Brown hairband'

for when hair gets in the way of your fun

6. Nina Nguyen 'Endurance white druzy bracelet'

love this! so into coral-red right now it's insane.

7. Nars 'Highlighting/ bronzing blush duo'

have it. love it. the perfect coral shade that works on EVERYONE and a nice bronzer for summer

8. Calypso St. Barth 'Market tote'

seriously the perfect beach bag. want!

9. Zipbuds 'Zip up earphones'

pet peeve: tangled ear phones. problem solved!

10. Essie 'Nail polish in turquoise and caicos'

teal love

11. Jergens 'Natural glow daily moisturizer'

i love this stuff! i don't enjoy laying out but i hate pale legs! when i tan i tend to get ashy looking but this gives me a nice warm glow :)

12. DC Watch 'Plastic camera bag cover'

ummm this is awesome! and would work equally as well in the rain.

{havasu falls, grand canyon national park}

havasu is known as party central. but this makes me re-think it's party reputation. it's so gorgeous!

{phoenix islands, republic of kiribati}

i love snorkeling! one day though, i will learn how to scuba dive!

{jiuzhaigou national park, china}

china?!!? gorgeous.

{the great barrier reef, australia}

one of my top destinations - although i'm a bit hesitant of all the great white sharks lingering around...

{a house on the water, belize}

belize was definitely one of my favorite places that i've visited this far. it's beauty is immense and breathtaking.

{split-view of a waterfall, hawaii}

what an amazing split-view shot! hawaii = lush relaxation.

{bora bora}

one day i will own this hut of a house. must.

{algarve, portugal}

wouldn't it be nice to spend a relaxing day all to yourself here?!

{sun island, south ari atoll, maldives}

there are no words...

All images from Pinterest and Net-a-porter.

Images are linked to their sources.

Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce

Back when I was a novice home-cook, I didn't quite understand the concept of simplicity. Way back when, I would toss as many things I could fit onto a plate. Now, I try to think about how things work and how to value the flavor of a single ingredient. Best example: the famed 'simple tomato sauce with onions and butter.' It's been all over the web and back, making friends and fans all over - and for good reason. It's the simplest thing, but also, the most delicious thing ever. My sister made it one night and I couldn't believe how stunning a tomato sauce could be!

Such is the story of this vodka sauce. Simple ingredients + love = stunningness. When I read about how Xialou of 6 Bittersweets made and loved this sauce, I was intrigued. One day, when I noticed I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand, I gave it a try and well, stunningness. I know that's not a word, but it's the only word that describes the beauty of this sauce. Use good tomatoes, it's the key. And fresh basil? It's a must. 

I just love this vodka sauce. It's perfectly spicy, tangy and delicious. My whole family enjoyed it too! Oh, and I must add... one day, I randomly decided to toss some quinoa in the sauce, add steamed broccoli and slivered almonds and it was pure joy! I'm sure it would be good in many other things as well. 

Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce

Yields: about 3 - 4 servings

Original recipe here.

1/2 lb. dry pasta, of your choice

1 tbsn. olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion or 2 - 3 shallots

scant 1 tsp. salt, divided

1/2 tsp. crushed red peeper flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup vodka

1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup whipping cream

3 tbsn. thinly sliced fresh basil

shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, to garnish

additional fresh basil (optional)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and keep warm. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for about 4 minutes or until tender. Add 1/4 tsp. salt, pepper and garlic; saute for 1 minute. Add the vodka (be careful, because it can catch on fire) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in 1/2 tsp. salt, the broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from the skillet and let cool slightly.

If you have a stick blender, you can puree the sauce in the pan, if not, place the tomato mixture in a conventional blender. Remove the center piece from the blender (to allow the steam to escape) and secure the lid on the blender. Place a clean towel over the opening of the blender (to avoid splatters) and process until smooth. Return the mixture to the pan. Mix in the cream, then cook the sauce for 2 more minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked pasta, scant 1/4 tsp. salt and basil. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately.