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< all recipes Decadent Chocolate Cake This chocolate cake is quite possibly my favorite thing in the whole world but to be honest I almost never actually make it – as the birthday cake of choice in my family, my mom is the one who has been making 5 of these a year since before I can remember – that would be a nice round 29 cakes just for yours truly (well actually she made me 3 cakes this year but who’s counting). This is my sister (left) and me with my Grandpa clearly excited about the cake. Its been around a while. Decadent Chocolate Cake Serves: 1 9" cake Ingredients 1 cup boiling water 66g/9tbl cocoa powder or 3 oz unsweetened chocolate* 8 tbls unsalted butter 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups granulated sugar 2 egg yolks 3 egg whites 1 tsp baking soda ½ cup dairy sour cream 2 cups less 2 tbls all-purpose flour, sifted 1 tsp baking powder Chocolate Frosting: 3 tbl unsalted butter 1¼ cups semi sweet chocolate chips ½ cup heavy cream 4 cups (1lb) confectioners sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract *the original recipe was for unsweetened baking chocolate but we recently started using cocoa powder out of necessity and there is now a big debate over which is better. the cocoa powder makes a slightly more moist richer cake but both are delicious so use what you have! Print Preparation Preheat the oven to 350° F, then grease and flour two 9” cake pans. In a large bowl, combine butter and cocoa powder or unsweetened chocolate, pour in 1 cup boiling water and whisk or, if using baking chocolate, let stand until melted. Whisk in vanilla and sugar then the egg yolks, one at a time, blending well after each. Mix baking soda and sour cream together and whisk into chocolate mixture. Sift flour and baking powder together and add to batter. With a spatula, mix until just combined. With a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold a quarter of the whites into batter, then gently add the remainder. Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (rotating halfway through) or until edges have pulled away from sides. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, unmold and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. For the Frosting: Place all ingredients into a medium saucepan over low heat and whisk until smooth. Frost the first layer, just on the top. Place the second layer on top of the first and pour frosting over top, push over the edge to frost the sides. Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast

< all recipes Easy Weeknight Veggies If I am having dinner by myself during the week there is nothing I love more than a plate piled high with roasted veggies. I know, it’s not normal. So I usually pair these with sautéed chicken and a tasty bread when others are joining me. With the leftovers, warm them up in the microwave, toss spinach with the dressing and add the warmed Brussels sprouts and sweet potato. I love adding warm things to spinach salad to wilt the spinach slightly. Feel free to add whatever else you have to the salad, such as toasted walnuts and dried cherries. Easy Weeknight Veggies Serves: 4 Servings Ingredients 16oz Brussels sprouts 2 sweet potatoes 2 tbl olive oil 1 tbl salt 2 tsp black pepper 2 tbl fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried) 2-3 tsp red pepper flakes Print Preparation Preheat oven to 450˚F. Cut ends off Brussels sprouts, slice in half, and set aside in a large bowl. Cube sweet potato and add to bowl, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Spread veggies out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, give a quick toss and roast another 10 minutes. Dressing (optional) 2 tbl balsamic glaze 2 tsp dijon mustard 3 tbl white wine vinegar Whisk ingredients together and toss with finished veggies or let people drizzle on their plate. Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast

< all recipes Oatmeal Raisin Scones My Dad is a scone man. It is his breakfast of choice, paired perfectly with butter, jam, and of course a large cup of hot coffee. For years I have been tirelessly experimenting on him in search of the best scone recipe. I believe I have found it, at least my Dad says it is the best he has ever had…perhaps there is a slight bias there but I am willing to overlook it. I like to use rolled oats because they add nice texture and body. As for the raisins, I have found that golden are best because they do not burn (the dark raisins get a bit of a charred flavor). Above is what the combined dry ingredients look like still dry. Below is the damp sand texture you are looking for when mixing in the butter - with a few chunks of butter left whole. Oatmeal Raisin Scones Serves: 12-16 Scones Ingredients 2 cups flour ½ whole wheat flour 2 cups oats 1/3 cup sugar 1 tbl baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 cup golden raisins 8oz butter, cubed and cold 1 ¼ cup heavy cream, plus ¼ cup to brush tops of the scones ¼ cup sugar in the raw (demerara sugar is the “fancy” name – aka the more expensive name) Print Preparation Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine the dry ingredients (everything up to the raisins) in bowl of an electric mixer. Add in cold, cubed butter and mix on low until it looks like damp sand in texture. With mixer on low, pour in the cream and mix just until combined. Fill a small bowl with flour so when your hands get dirty you are not reaching back into your big flour container. This will also be used to flour your cookie cutter as you go (this might seem excessive but trust me the dough is sticky). Generously flour your (clean!) counter, place the dough in the middle of flour and press it into about a ¾ - 1” thick disc – uniform thickness is the key here. Flour the top of the dough and start cutting, reshaping the scraps into a disc. Place scones onto a baking sheet, parchment is optional. Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown. If you are not sure they are done, check the bottom of one and it should be a dark golden brown. *Note: you can do all of this by hand, working the butter into the flour using your fingertips so as not to warm up the butter. And then using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula to mix in the cream. **Note: if you do not have a cookie cutter, press the dough into a rectangle and cut small squares or triangles with a knife. Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast

< all recipes Dark Chocolate Walnut Biscotti The first time I made these it was in a batch about 10 times as big (I could literally sit inside the bowl i was mixing in). It was my first solo task at my first restaurant job. I think I held my breath the entire time...which is a long time when you are cracking 60 eggs! The dough came out perfectly and I was finally taking deep breaths again as i rolled the mixing bowl back over to my work station. What the other pastry girls had forgotten to tell me (intentionally or not is still unclear) was that one of the wheels did not work and there was a drain directly in my path...a deadly combo. The wheel caught, the giant bowl keeled over, I slipped trying to stop the inevitable and biscotti dough went flying. Not one of my finer moments. I am not usually a biscotti lover but these defy the rules of crack-your-teeth, soak-in-your-coffee, ambiguously-kinda-almondy-flavored cookie. But if biscotti made sugary sweet love to a fudgy brownie...this would be the glorious bastard child. Dark Chocolate Walnut Biscotti Serves: about 40 biscotti Ingredients 3½ cups / 360g walnuts, roughly chopped 3½ cups / 420g all-purpose flour 1½ cups / 120g unsweetened coco powder 2 cups / 425g dark brown sugar (firmly packed) ¾ cup / 150g granulated sugar 8oz / 257g unsalted butter, cold and cubef 1 tsp / 4g baking soda 1 tsp kosher salt 6 eggs 1 ½ tbl coffee extract (coffee or espresso work great also) 2 tsp vanilla extract 8oz super dark chocolate, chopped into chip-sized pieces (you can use chips here but I often find the flavor of dark chocolate to be better in bars). Print Preparation Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast the walnuts and let cool completely. Combine the flour, coco powder, both sugars, baking soda and salt the the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cut butter into cubes, add to the dry ingredients and mix on low until butter is roughly the size of peas (about 5 minutes). Add coffee and vanilla to eggs, whisk just to break up yolks. Pour slowly into rest of the ingredients with mixer on low. Add walnuts and chocolate and mix just until combined. Flour counter generously and divide dough in two, dusting top with more flour – the dough is going to be very sticky! Roll into logs and place onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, let cool completely. Preheat oven to 250˚F. Slice biscotti as thinly as possible and place back on baking sheet (you will probably need two sheets lined with parchment). Bake for 30 minutes, turn oven off and let biscotti dry out over night. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast

< all recipes Tequila Lime Chicken Tacos For the past few weeks I have been a part time nurse for my mom who had knee replacement surgery. My very taxing nurse duties have included such things as binging on the Netflix Chefs Table series (which I highly recommend), playing a lot of backgammon, basically being a couch potato you know for moral support. Pretty tough work. One of our favorite guilty pleasures has been tuning into watch Ina every afternoon and discussing what I should make for my next post. This past Wednesday Ina was making a really tasty looking tequila lime chicken recipe for Jeffrey (yes, I feel that i am on a first name basis at this point in my relationship with the Gartens). Also on Wednesday was my Moms first outing into the real world. Where to? you might ask…a tequila tasting! (I hope her doctor isn’t reading this right now or I might lose my nursing license as I have already broken his rule of not letting her take the subway to physical therapy). The tasting was at my alma mater, the Institute of Culinary Education , which has new digs downtown and they are friggin sweet. We were going to this tasting because my Mom gave it as a birthday present to the hubs Chris – but lucky for the rest of us we got to join in the fun. I was a little wary when I saw that the class was 6:30-9:30, I mean 3 hours of tequila seems a bit excessive especially since I don’t really drink the stuff – I was practically drunk as soon as I walked in just from the smell. And then I saw the line up of 15 bottles that we were to try and accepted the fact that I would be on the floor by the end of it. Buuuuuut, it was fantastic. The instructor was a wealth of knowledge and fun facts about pretty much everything alcohol related. And while I may not be sipping tequila on the rocks any time soon, I loved learning the history, science, and process of making tequila. So. Back to the recipe. My Mom suggested we try Ina’s recipe and I thought of the taco part because tacos make everything more fun. And just now looking at the marinade ingredients below I am realizing that I am basically telling you to dunk your chicken in your margarita. Ha that sounds kind of gross but trust me it is deeeeelish. Tequila Lime Chicken Tacos Serves: 4-6 servings Ingredients 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts for the marinade: 2 cups lime juice 1 cup tequila 4 garlic cloves, crushed 2-3 jalapeños, seeds removed 1 tbl kosher salt 2 tsp chili powder 2 tsp black pepper for the tacos: 8-10 small tortillas avocado pickled onion tomatillo salsa Print Preparation Combine the marinade ingredients in a large ziploc bag, add the chicken and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat and lightly oil your grill or a large sauté pan. Remove the chicken from the marinade, making sure no garlic or jalapeños are stuck to it. Grill or sauté over med-high heat until nicely charred and cooked through. Let the chicken cool slightly while you assemble your taco toppings then slice the chicken into thin strips. Assemble tacos or let others make their own. Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast

< all recipes Tomato Goat Cheese Tart w/ a Cornmeal Crust Oh hi there! Its been a while. I have been totally checked out recently. The whole summer really (yikes its august!!). My excuse is that as of last Wednesday, Chris and I are home owners AAAAND Brooklyn residents!! How wild is that! Brooklyn! I am pretty excited about it all, especially now that the process is over and we are moved in…kinda. It still looks like a jumble of mismatched furniture and there was only a minor blip involving our dining table (and most favoritest possession ever) not fitting up the elevator or stairs. But we will get there eventually, slowly but surely. The kitchen has brand new appliances which is fantastic and a giant window with a view all the way to the verrazano bridge. Of course I can’t help but want to make minor changes like knocking out the wall and refinishing every surface and thinking that I could do it all myself. I mean i’ve never DIYed anything in my life but wall demolition seems like a good place to start. I’ll be at home depot if you need me. But I’ll save those projects for the winter when there aren’t delicious tomatoes calling to me from the garden. This tart is nothing fancy but its darn tasty. The cornmeal dough is so good but if you really aren’t up for making it you could use puff pastry instead. And if goat cheese ain’t your thang, use whatever you like – I would only caution against mozzarella because it has so much water that when combined with the tomatoes will make for a very soggy bottom (and we don’t want that!). Tomato Goat Cheese Tart w/ a Cornmeal Crust Serves: 1 9" tart Ingredients 2-3 large juicy tomatoes 4oz chevre salt and pepper fresh herbs of choice (optional) cornmeal tart dough: 1¾ cup flour ½ cup cornmeal (i like a medium to coarse ground) 1½ tsp kosher salt ½ tsp black pepper 8oz unsalted butter, cubed and cold ¼ - ⅓ cup buttermilk, cold Print Preparation Make the tart dough: Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor with the blade attachment and pulse once or twice to mix. Add the cold butter and pulse again until it looks uniformly like wet sand (about 10 pulses if you are a numbers person). I like to stick my hand in there and just make sure there isnt some rogue lump of butter. With the processor on, slowly pour in the buttermilk (remember you might not need all of it!). As soon as the dough catches and becomes a kind of ball/clump, stop mixing and stop pouring. The dough should be very moist but not wet (see pic #2 ). Press the dough into your tart pan - I use my hands at first and then a large, flat bottomed cup measure to get the dough into the corners and up the sides. I like to put the tart onto a sheet pan before going any further so I don't ruin it by putting my hand up through the removable bottom. Let the dough chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes or up to a few days. Assemble and Bake: Preheat the oven to 400˚F and slice the tomatoes - I like thick slabs so they don't become complete mush in the oven (about ¼ inch I suppose). Crumble the chevre into the tart and if using any fresh herbs add them now, under the tomatoes so they do not burn in the oven. Arrange the tomato slices in one layer (they can be slightly overlapping) and season generously with salt and black pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, until the edges of the tart are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temp - I also like to add a flourish of coarse sea salt for look and taste. Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast

< all recipes Honeynut Squash Soup w/ Za'atar and Tahini Yogurt I bought the Honeynut squash trio pictured above at the Union Square Greenmarket last week mostly because they are adorable baby squash nuggets and they were calling to me from behind all those other nubbly, barnacled behemoths that are so big and heavy you need power tools to crack em…not to mention needing a chiropractor after schlepping them home on the subway. Anyway, later that day my Mom and I were watching the third episode of Chef’s Table about Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns and he started talking about Honeynut squash!! Freakaaay. What I learned is that the honeynut comes from years of collaboration between a Cornell scientist (a plant breeding geneticist to be exact), Hudson Valley farmers and Chef Barber. Not only is it much smaller than its fellow squashes, it is sweeter, has more nutritional value (particularly beta carotene), and it is more disease resistant. Oh and it was made the old fashioned way, no frankensquashes here. I think that’s pretty neat. The recipe began based on one from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook Jerusalem. It was meant to be roasted butternut squash but because the honeynut is slightly starchier it needs a higher cooking temp to get some char (probably should have looked that up before they went in the oven). So, when mine came out looking rather sad and pale, I destroyed the evidence in the blender. Voilà! A tasty soup was born. It’s always good to remember that, in the kitchen, nothing is a mistake unless you label it as such – after all Julia Child always said that if you are alone in the kitchen who will know!? Honeynut Squash Soup w/ Za'atar and Tahini Yogurt Serves: 4-6 servings Ingredients 2 tbl olive oil 4 shallots, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbl tomato paste ½ cup white wine 3-4 lbs honeynut or butternut squash, peeled and cubed* 1 tbl za'atar (plus more for dusting) ½ tsp cayenne (optional) 3-4 cups stock or water lots of salt and pepper Tahini Yogurt 1 cup plain greek yogurt 2 tbl tahini paste juice of 1 lemon 2-4 tbl water salt and pepper flat leaf parsley, finely chopped for garnish (optional) Print Preparation In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the shallots, stirring occasionally until they start to release their liquid and become translucent. Stir in the garlic, za'atar, and cayene (if using) and let cook about 1 minute while you stand guard making sure the garlic does not burn. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste and again let this go about 1 minute, allowing the sugars to caramelize slightly. Pour the white wine in a steady stream around the pan, scraping up any bits on the bottom as you go. Add the squash to the pot and give it all a toss before adding 1-2 cups of your liquid. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the squash is cooked through. Puree the soup in a food processor or with an immersion blender, adding the remaining liquid slowly, just until you reach your preferred thickness (my measurement here was an approximation as everyone has different tastes so use as little or as much as you would like!). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, refrigerate up to 5-6 days or freeze up to 6 months (i have eaten soup far older but this is technically frowned upon...what doesn't kill you makes you stronger). Tahini Yogurt Whisk all of the ingredients together, adding more liquid if needed to get something the consistency of honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup with a generous drizzle of tahini yogurt, a sprinkling or za'atar and a touch of parsley. Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast

< all recipes Spatchcock Chicken on the Grill I love summer weekend dinners, when everyone reconvenes in the kitchen, freshly showered after a long day of activites, and dinner becomes a collaborative process. I think this is in part because the abundance of fresh ingredients require less complicated cooking but it is also because of the grill which (if we are honest here) brings the boys into the cooking equation but more importantly it is outside, usually on a nice porch or back yard so once all the prep and side cooking has been done, everyone can sit around on the porch while the designated grillers cook. I mean it doesn’t get any better. Well, until you are eating this chicken because it is so darn good. Spatchcock Chicken on the grill has become a staple summer dish in my fam since we started making it about 5 years ago. I remember the first time I called Iacono (the awesome family farm we like to get our chicken from) requesting that they please be spatchcocked – to which the elderly lady on the other end blurted out “you wanna do whaaaat!?” “ummmm butterfly them?” “oh. well yeah. thats easy. why didn’t you say that in the first place?”. Note taken. We are practically bffs now since we have literally made this once a weekend since Memorial Day (literally). Brining Chicken: If you have never brined your chicken before get ready for this to change your life. And while it may seem like just an extra step that requires forethought, once you start doing it, it becomes automatic – and it takes like 5 minutes so just do and be happy about it. Brining is a salt/sugar solution (much like a marinade) hydrates and tenderizes the meat. The amount of time depends on whether its a whole bird or just pieces – ive listed everything below but just know its all pretty flexible so if you only have 30 minutes to brine well then brine for 30 minutes. To make the brine simply dissolve the salt and sugar in the water. The amount of brine to make simply depends on how much chicken you have. Brining Ratio 1 cup salt + 1 cups sugar + 12 cups water How long to Brine: Whole birds: 4-6 hours Pieces: 2-3 hours How to Spatchcock (or Butterfly) a Chicken: All you really have to do here is remove the backbone. Its best if you have kitchen shears (as opposed to scissors) but if not you will just need strong hands! Cut along either side of the back bone. To flatten the chicken, place breast side up and press firmly in between the breasts (you might need to use your body weight if its a bigger bird). Spatchcock Chicken on the Grill Serves: Ingredients whole chickens, backbones removed fresh woody herbs like rosemary and sage salt and pepper Print Preparation Brine the chicken (see notes + instructions above). Preheat grill - you want two zones, a hot side (burner on high) and a cooler side (burner on med-low). Remove chicken from the brine and pat completely dry with paper towels. Stuff herbs under the skin (optional) then generously salt and pepper the skin. Place chicken on the cooler side of the grill, skin side up and cook, with the lid closed to start but its ok to check it often and just keep the lid up as you get ready to flip. Cooking times on cool side - these are general, if you are unsure it is best to have an instant read thermometer your goal is to get between 125˚ - 145˚F before flipping . < 2 lbs (Cornish Game Hens): 10-15 minutes 2-3 lbs (Roasters and Boilers): 20-30 minutes Flip the chicken to skin side down on the hot side of the grill to crisp the skin and finish cooking. You are looking to get to 160˚F (carry-over cooking will bring it to the req 165˚). Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before serving. Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast

5 < Back Pantry Essentials Checklist A well-stocked pantry is every cook’s best friend, when you have busy work weeks that don’t allow time for grocery shopping, having these pantry essentials on hand means that a delicious and home-cooked meal can be whipped up in no time. Previous Next

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< all recipes Toasted Meringue Almond Tea Cake The other weekend I invited some friends over to be guinea pigs for my first attempt at the sous vide machine my little bro had just given me for my birthday. I was so focused on what to cook, how to cook it, and what time to start (which is not easy when the cook time says 1-4 hours…) that I completely forgot about dessert! Luckily others were not so easily sidetracked – all it took was an offer to run out and buy something (the horror!) to get me back on my game. And lets just say this cake saved the dinner. The very nice farmers market steaks I had painstakingly selected were cooked so far past well done there was not a speck of red left in the meat. The best part about this cake, after the heavenly meringue-like crust, is its versatility. You can make it with any kind of nut and change up the fruit with the seasons. Im thinking it would also be a perfect as an Easter brunch item because its not super sweet and it is just as good if not better the next day which is always a big bonus in my book!! Toasted Meringue Almond Tea Cake Serves: 1 9" cake or tart Ingredients 8oz / 227g unsalted butter 1½ cups / 180g slivered almonds, toasted and cooled (or 1 cup almond meal) 2½ cup / 340g confectioners sugar ¾ cup / 90g cake flour 1 tsp / 3g kosher salt 8 egg whites fresh fruit of your choice for serving along with whipped cream Print Preparation Preheat the oven to 325˚F and lightly grease and line a 9" cake or tart pan. Brown the butter: in a small pot, set over med/high heat melt the butter and let it really bubble away until you start to see browned bits on the side of the pot. Let it go a bit further until it smells nutty and when you tip the pot its bottom is coated in browned bits as well. Let cool slightly. Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, grind almonds into a course flour consistency. Combine this with the rest of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg whites, making sure all of the dry ingredients are absorbed. Strain the browned butter and slowly add it to the bowl - slowly because it will slosh a bit and we don't want to waste any! Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway. Let cool and serve with fresh fruit and/or whipped cream Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast

< all recipes Breakfast Bars (DIY Style) I am a bit of a cereal addict. I eat it dry or with milk and always a mixture of several different kinds. Growing up we always had a plethora of cereal choices – most were in the All-Bran / Grapenuts family, so when I moved into my own place I went a little overboard on the sugar cereals, Cinnamon Toast Crunch being a particular weakness. Having since reined it in, I gravitate towards Special K and Kashi that have a nice balance. These bars are great because you can tailor them to your personal preference and what you have on hand. The oats help to bind everything together but if you don’t have any, you could easily smash up some of the cereal. When making my own bars I used PB2, a product I have just recently discovered and am obsessed with. The oil has been pressed out of roasted peanuts, leaving a powder that has all the taste of peanut butter but almost half the calories! It also has about the same amount of protein per serving. Amazing. Breakfast Bars (DIY Style) Serves: 8 bars Ingredients 2 cups cereal – I used 1 cup of Special K and 1 cup of Multi-Grain Cheerios but you can pick your favorites. I think something like Kashi Go Lean would be great for on the go since it is packed with protein and has a nice crunch to it. ½ cup oats ½ cup dried fruit ½ cup nuts ½ cup honey ½ cup peanut butter or any other nut butter ½ tsp salt (if using salted nuts, dont add salt) Print Preparation Line an 8” square cake pan with parchment paper (or if you are like me and don’t have a square cake pan, be creative! I used a square-ish Tupperware container). Spray parchment with oil and set aside. Combine cereal, oats, nuts and dried fruit in a medium-sized bowl, tossing to evenly distribute everything. In a small pot over medium heat, combine the honey and nut butter of choice. While it is heating up whisk the two together until smooth. You just want to warm up the honey to thin it out a bit so when you start to see some bubbles around the sides, turn off the heat. Pour over the cereal and with a spatula, toss everything until all of the dry ingredients are evenly coated. Spread into prepared pan, fold excess parchment over top and press firmly to flatten. Refrigerate for at least an hour, until set. Cut into whatever size and shape you would like! Previous Next hungry for more? Winter Citrus Salad with Toasted Za’atar Breadcrumbs Cacio e Pepe w/ Garlicky Greens Slow-Cooked Prime Rib Roast