 Want to impress your guests at your next brunch? Serve this fancy french toast/almond croissant fusion and casually drop the words bostock and frangipane into your conversation.🤣 Bostock sounds like something sold in the fanciest patisseries in Paris but it's really just the name that's fancy. This is actually an easy dish to make at home but I'm also convinced that making Almond Bostock elevates home cooks to pastry chef status in the eyes of others. 😅 Don't let the fact that you might never have heard of Almond Bostock before stop you from making it either -- I, myself just learned about this scrumptious almond cream topped brioche french toast.🥐🥚🥛🧈 Follow my step by step instructions and you too can master the art of Almond Bostock today.  If you're not a fan of soggy french toast - Bostock is for you. Day old brioche bread soaked in a sweet orange syrup, slathered with almond cream (called fragipane), sprinkled with almonds and baked until crispy and caramelized. A dish so adaptable it can be served at the bougiest of brunches or a laid back dinner party. I was lucky enough to have a half loaf of day old brioche bread to use for my bostock but I'm already anxious to make it again with croissants. Word on the street is that that croissant bostock version is equally delicious. 😋  Almond Bostock 6 (1 inch thick) slices brioche Orange Syrup 3/4 cup sugar 5 ounces warm water 2 teaspoon orange zest 1 teaspoon almond extract Frangipane 8 Tablespoons butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg 3/4 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup almond flour 1 Tablespoon flour 3/4 cup sliced almonds powdered sugar
 Dust with powdered sugar to serve.
 Ciao!
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I've been buying and cooking Chilean Sea Bass for years and I only recently learned how this delicious fish came to get it's name. According to google, the Chilean Sea Bass isn't a bass at all.🐟 It's actually a Patagonian toothfish: a species that can grow up to 6 feet in length, can weigh in at over 200 pounds and live up to 5 years!😳 Popularity over this tasty white fish grew in the 70's and that's when chefs renamed the fish that's caught exclusively off of the coast of Chile to make it more marketable. Well done chefs - I'm not sure I would eat something called a toothfish.  Chilean Sea Bass isn't easy to find in the grocery stores in middle Georgia so when I happen to see it in the freezer case - I stock up. It tends to be a little pricey but if you see it at grocery store, seafood market or on a menu at a restaurant, I recommend that you treat yourself. Everyone deserves to try it at least once. Arguably, Crabmeat Crusted Chilean Sea Bass sounds fancy dancy but I promise - it's not as intimidating to make as it sounds. It's a very straightforward recipe to make. The ingredients are simple, the flavors are bold and the fish is DELICIOUS!!  Crabmeat Crusted Chilean Sea Bass 1 pound sea bass filet 8 ounces fresh crab meat 8 Tablespoons butter 3 ounces panko bread crumbs 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon old bay seasoning 1 teaspoon lemon juice
 Ciao!
 In the world of desserts, I feel like key lime pie is a relatively "easy" sweet treat to make at home. A simple graham cracker crust is used in place of fussy pastry dough, there's no fancy mixer needed, the filling is whisked together in a bowl on the counter and the best topping for key lime pie is a simple whipped cream. (You get to decide whether it's homemade or store bought.😉) It's also a dessert that you can make ahead of time and store in the freezer if necessary. Do you need any more reasons to make key lime pie this summer?🥧🌞
Whether you make key lime bars like me or transform my recipe from bars into a pie - this simple recipe will have you wanting to make it again and again. I like to keep a batch of these in my freezer for last minute summer dessert emergencies. (It's a real thing - don't question it.🤣) As easy as they are though - there are a few nuances to follow to ensure that you end up with the prettiest, tastiest key lime pie bars every single time: 1. Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin. 2. Use the freshest, juiciest limes you can find - key limes if possible. 3. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing and slice when cold or frozen.  Key Lime Pie Bars 2.0 Crust 9 graham crackers, crushed 6 Tablespoons butter, melted 1/4 cup sugar Filling 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk 4 egg yolks 1/2 cup lime juice Pinch salt Topping 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup powdered sugar Zest of 1 lime 3 key limes, halved and cut into rounds (or 2 regular limes)
 Pipe cream onto bars and garnish with lime zest.  Ciao!
 Some of my favorite people gathered together last week for a family reunion and it was amazing. We don't see each other often because we're spread out all over the country but once every 2 or 3 years, we meet somewhere and spend a week together. We laugh a lot, we eat a lot and generally enjoy just being together.  I feel like the older I get, the more I value I place on togetherness. I live 600 miles from my parents and over 1000 miles from my brother and niece. Needless to say, we cherish the time that we get to be together in one place - regardless of where that is.  Our most recent family gathering was in the North Georgia mountains. And since organizing regular meals all 41 of us isn't practical, we decided to divide up into smaller groups for meals. I still brought 6 coolers full of food to feed my crew!😅🧺 I took full advantage of the fact that our reunion was within driving distance from our house and I premade a lot of our meals. Having breakfast foods that were already prepped and ready to pop in the oven was ideal - after all - I was on vacation too.😂 My Hash Brown Casserole was a great, make ahead option for a tasty morning meal to feed my crew. I topped mine with fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes (my Italian flex🇮🇹) but you can top yours with meats (bacon or sausage), fresh veggies (spinach or peppers) or kick up the heat with jalapeños, serranos or hatch green chilies.  Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole 16-oz. package frozen diced hash browns with onions 2 cups shredded mozzarella 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup half-and-half 4 large eggs salt and black pepper 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 1 cup mozzarella pearls 8 basil leaves
 Cover with foil, bake for 30 minutes at 350. Remove the foil, and baking another 30 to 35 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.  Sprinkle with basil before serving.  Just in case you were wondering... I froze my hash brown casserole and defrosted it for 36 hours in the frig before I baked it. It was perfect. A good option for anyone who wants to prep their breakfast a few days in advance.
Ciao!  They're engaged!!!💍
 Our family is growing again and we're thrilled about it.👰🏻🤵🏻 As the parents of the soon to be bride, we've been celebrating the newly engaged couple all month.💍 In our family celebrations involve food which means I've been indulging in congratulatory sweets all month - in honor of the newly engaged couple of course. 😅🎂 So far we've marked the occasion with cake, cupcakes, millionaire bars, coconut key lime tartlets, mascarpone fruit tarts, lemon blueberry bars, sugar cookies and mini chocolate bundt cakes. Commemorating big events requires lots of butter and sugar apparently.😅 You actually don't have to be celebrating a big event to make these mini chocolate bundt cakes though. They're a great way to honor a newly engaged couple but also a nice way to treat yourself on a Tuesday afternoon.
Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 Tablespoon vanilla 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups flour 1 cup cocoa 1 teaspoon espresso powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup warm water 1/2 cup buttermilk Ganache 1/3 cup dark chocolate 1 Tablespoon heavy cream 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon water
 Cool 5 minutes in pan and then invert to remove.
  Ciao!
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