The Best Oatmeal

Breakfast is without a doubt my absolute favorite meal of the day. Some days, I start the morning out rather fancy-like. (Full disclosure: This usually happens when I'm having a bad hair day... and scones are the only cure. obviously.) 

But most days? Oatmeal. Yeah. Really. It's uh-mazing. It's simple, healthy, and keeps me going for hours. You can make a big pot at the beginning of the week and keep it in the fridge for a quick meal. 

Can I give you a recipe for my favorite oatmeal? ....does oatmeal even count as a recipe??  

Little Muenster

I must let you know...I understand grilled cheese lovers.  Really, I do.  Grilled cheese sammies.  The kind your mom made you as an afternoon snack every day in fourth grade.  You swore you could eat a grilled cheese every day for the rest of your life.  Cheddar, bleu, gruyère...even the occasional goat. 

A good GC is oozy, gooey, sticky, stringy, crunchy, creamy, buttery, toasty, and messy.  I totally get it.  You're among friends here.

Meet Little Muenster, a superfancy grilled cheesery on Stanton and Ludlow. They use ingredients like prosciutto, pancetta, sage brown butter, bone marrow butter (!!) and pear purée. With a hot cup of tomato soup and crispy sweet potato chips on the side, these sammies are out. of. this. WORLD.  No lie.  You need to get yourself over to LM today.  If you do not reside in the tri-state area, you need to move here.  (Clarification: "here" means NYC, not Little Muenster. Unless you think they'd let me move in underneath the counter. Is this possible??)

 I ordered the asiago, parmesan, and muenster sandwich with butternut squash and sage brown butter.  Holy moly.  Someone in that kitchen knows what he's doing.

Lavender and Toasted Walnut Scones

Let's talk scones.  When made right, they're light, flaky and buttery.  They're little pillows of heaven.  Little pillows that are great as Monday breakfasts to kick off the week, Friday afternoon snacks with tea, and Sunday late night sustenance in the library. I'm pretty sure that 38% of my freshman year was spent eating the warm cinnamon scones in my school library's cafe.

So you're making your own scones.  Don't stress.  You've got this.  Keep the butter cold and work quickly when you cut it in.  Don't over-mix.  You can even pop the whole tray of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes right before you bake them. The tips are endless!

One of the best places to find scone recipes? Joy the Baker's lovely cooking site.  I have a HUGE blog-crush on her.  Is it okay to profess internet love?  At the very least, I'm marrying her lavender and toasted walnut scones.

I was a little skeptical about using lavender buds in scones.  Isn't that stuff used in soap... and potpourri?  But they turned out beautifully.  The lavender gives the scones a delicate, soft undertone of fragrance, and the honey glaze on top keeps them sweet. Read on for the recipe...

Weekend Loves

It's Sunday!  It's time to get all your fun weekend activities in before Monday rolls around.  Need some inspiration?  Check out...

This gorgeous blog and a 2 minute Nutella mug cake recipe. 

Clipboards: an easy way to spruce up a room.

A wonderful gift idea for a special lady in your life. I bought a subscription for my mom last Christmas, and she loves it.

This thought-provoking portrait series.

This!  Sign me up.

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Sweet Treats

Yesterday was Asparagus Thursday.   Today is Cupcake Friday.   We respect all the major food groups here at Little Red.

Ordering a cupcake is not taken lightly around these parts.

Do you see this??   Cupcakes for your dog.   Your dog!   You will never eat cupcakes alone on a Friday night alone again.

Two chow-colate treats, please.

Sprinkles was the cupcakery of choice. 

This little beauty is a Belgian dark chocolate cake with coconut cream cheese frosting.    Take a minute to mop the drool up off your keyboard.   We may or may not have demolished three five cupcakes.   I don't want to talk about it.

   

**Also....Sprinkles has a cupcake ATM??   Someone please fly me to Los Angeles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlLQbL2Rv2I

Asparagus with Sausage

It's been 70 degrees here in New York for the past two days. Which means it's spring. Which means it's totally time to stock up on spring greenies!

So I bought a bunch of asparagus. These little guys are underrated. They're not the prettiest. But when they're paired with some meat and spices, they're glorious! The best part: this meal comes together in less than 10 minutes.

Lunch for Two

1/2 pound (1 small bunch) asparagus, ends chopped off

4 oz spicy sausage

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup shelled edamame

handful of whole almonds

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

*I added a sprinkle of oregano and thyme because I was feeling wild. Get funky.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook edamame in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain edamame and let cool. Heat up your oil in a large skillet until it's extra hot. Slice up your asparagus into 3 or so pieces per stalk. Chop sausage into 3/4-inch pieces. Add all ingredients to skillet with salt, pepper and any extra herbs. Cook over high heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring every so often so that all sides are done. Serve.

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Breakfast at Balthazar

It's Wednesday. It's hump day! I hope you're finding a good way to get yourself through this week. I totally am.

I drank my way through a wall of wine this morning!

Kidding. Tooooootally kidding. But I did go to Balthazar, a  French restaurant and bakery, with two of my favorite lady friends to celebrate our last week of work in the big city.

McNally Jackson

My most favorite bookstore and cafe in New York City.

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