FOOD: MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE

Hi everyone! Lauren from Perpetually Chic, dropping in this month with a twist on a winter classic. With an early snowfall in many areas and frigid temps, there's nothing better than cozying up inside near the fire with a warm cup of hot chocolate. This Mexican Hot Chocolate is a take on a family favorite from growing up. Rich and creamy hot chocolate gets an unexpected, but oh-so-delicious spike from a dash of chili powder, cayenne, and cinnamon. Keep reading for the details!



Seriously--you'll be putting your can of hot cocoa mix away after trying this recipe, because making it from scratch on the stove is surprisingly easy. And you can adjust the spices to your preference, whether you want a subtle hint or a more flavorful kick. For the whipping cream, I like to add that little extra indulgence but not overdo it--I just add a small dollop to top off each cup, letting it immediately melt right into the cocoa.



Mexican Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
4 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 cinnamon sticks, plus more for serving
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of chili powder

Instructions:
Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer, then add the cocoa powder, sugar, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne and chili powder. Whisk until well combined. Cook until mixture is fully warmed, about 2 minutes. Whisk again just before serving. In a chilled metal bowl, combine whipping cream, sugar and cinnamon. Whisk with a hand blender on high speed until peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Ladle the hot chocolate into cups, top with a dollop of whipping cream, sprinkle with a dash of chili powder, and garnish with cinnamon sticks.


-post by lauren craig

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FOOD: Herbed Rice Bowl with Poached Egg & Radish

Hi everyone! Lauren dropping in today with a recipe that's perfect for cozy weekend mornings at home this fall. This hearty and healthy dish was actually inspired by a photo I saw in my Instagram feed of someone's brunch at a restaurant in L.A. Even though I hadn't tasted the original, the combination of ingredients in that photo looked right up my alley, so I knew I had to try recreating something similar. I also love picking up watermelon radishes this time of year--they can be hard to find but basically have the same peppery taste as regular radishes.

They're BRIGHT PINK inside and just way too pretty to pass up. Just goes to show that whether on Instagram, at a restaurant or at the farmers' market, you never know where inspiration will strike!
 


 
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked brown rice
1 cup fresh herbs (parsley, mint, cilantro)
Extra virgin olive oil
Crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon juice
1 large watermelon radish or 2 regular radishes, sliced thinly on a mandoline
2 eggs
Fresh chives, chopped
Fresh feta cheese, crumbled





Instructions:

1. Place herbs in a small food processor. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Puree into a thick pesto, adding more oil if necessary to combine. 

2. In a bowl, combine the warm rice and the herb pesto. Mix well with a spoon to evenly coat the rice with the pesto. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and a quick squeeze of lemon juice. 

3. In a small pot, bring water to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and add a splash or two of vinegar. Crack each egg, one at a time, into a small bowl then gently slide the egg into the pot. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, then carefully scoop the eggs out with a slotted spoon. 

4. Divide the rice between two bowls. Top each with the radish slices, then a poached egg. Sprinkle with the chives, feta, salt and pepper. 

*Photos and recipe by Lauren Craig

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Food: Cherry, Pistachio & Coconut Breakfast Bars

Hi everyone! It's Lauren from Perpetually Chic. Quick show of hands: Who is guilty of skipping breakfast? When you're dashing out the door in the morning to work, school, or to drop the off kids, breakfast can be the last thing on your mind. 

Yes? It happens more often than I care to admit, but these breakfast bars are my new time-saving trick. Just whip up a batch over the weekend, and you're set for the week. Keep reading for the recipe--no baking required! 

To be clear, these bars are packed with some healthy ingredients like raw almonds, pistachios, and dried cherries. And while they may be better for you than many store-bought granola bars, they're certainly not free of sugar. 

That said, they strike that just-right balance of sweet and salty, chewy and crunchy that I love in a snack... 
 

I used almonds, pistachios, dried cherries, and toasted coconut flakes for my fruit and nut mix. You can also change things up using this same basic recipe--try dried cranberries and walnuts or dried apricots and cashews instead.
 

These bars do have a tendency to stick together, so be sure to layer parchment paper in between the cut squares when you store them. 
 

Cherry, Pistachio & Coconut Breakfast Bars

Ingredients

 1 1/2 cups puffed brown rice cereal (I used Kashi brand)

1 cup whole almonds

1/2 cup raw pistachios

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup unsweetened large coconut flakes, toasted

1 teaspoon unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons

1/2 cup brown rice syrup (try Whole Foods if your local grocery doesn't have it)

1/4 cup unsalted almond butter

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Line an 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Leave a few inches overhanging. Grease with 1 teaspoon butter. This allows easy removal later. 

2. In a large bowl, combine cereal, nuts, cherries and coconut flakes. 

3. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together brown rice syrup, almond butter, brown sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix until smooth, allowing to simmer and cook just a minute.

4. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the bowl with the cereal mixture. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything until evenly coated. 

5. Pour the mixture into the pan. Press the mixture evenly with your hands. It will be very sticky! Refrigerate the bars in the pan about 1 hour to set.

6. Lift the foil to remove the bars from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the bars into 2-inch squares (small bars).

7. Place the bars in an airtight container with sheets of parchment paper in between each layer of bars. Store in the refrigerator for a week.

*Recipe and images by Lauren Craig

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FOOD: Curried Chicken Salad

Hi MBG readers, Lauren from Perpetually Chic here! One of my favorite quick lunches is to pick up curried chicken salad and a seeduction roll from Whole Foods. Since our Whole Foods is not close to my work, that curried chicken salad haunts me on weekdays. 

Inevitably my stomach begins to growl, and I'm left wishing I had it in my hands. I finally decided it was time to recreate my beloved chicken salad at home, so I can have it whenever I please. Keep reading for my version...

Like any good restaurant re-creation that happens in our kitchen, I examined the ingredients of the original then added a little twist of my own--Greek yogurt in place of mayo. I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with my recipe! It tastes lighter but still has that great curry flavor. 

This recipe comes together very quickly--it's also a great use for leftover chicken.

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

Salt, pepper and garlic powder

6 tablespoons Greek yogurt

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup finely diced celery

1/4 cup dried currants

1/4 cup minced red onion

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

a dash of ground tumeric

Instructions

1. Season chicken breasts generously with salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder. Cook over medium-high heat on a grill, about 4 minutes per side. Roughly chop into cubes.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, curry powder, salt and tumeric. Add the cooked chicken and stir to coat. Then add the almonds, celery, currants and onion. Mix well to combine.

3. Serve on top of lettuce with bread or crackers on the side. 

-Recipe and photos by Lauren Craig

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FOOD: Strawberry & Vanilla Mascarpone Tart

As we get closer to those warm, sun-drenched days of late spring and early summer, there's nothing I, Lauren, crave more than fresh fruit and lighter meals. One of my all-time favorite desserts is to eat fresh strawberries with vanilla mascarpone--in fact, our wedding cake six years ago was a modern-day take on strawberry shortcake, with layers of "naked" pound cake, mascarpone, and strawberries. 

I really love that combination. So for today's recipe, I thought I'd turn my favorite sweet flavors into super simple, individual tarts that you'll be wanting to make all summer. The recipe yields two servings, but you can easily double or triple it for sharing with friends! 

Macerating strawberries is really easy. Most people just use a bit of sugar and water, but I added orange juice and zest for a subtle citrus kick, and some seeds from a vanilla bean to pick up the flavor of the vanilla mascarpone. 

Remember the spring tarts? I used the same frozen puff pastry for these tarts--that puff pastry is so versatile! In this case, I just added extra strips around the edge of each square to make higher borders for keeping the mascarpone, berries and brandy syrup inside.

Ingredients

1 large handful strawberries, tops removed and sliced in half

1 tablespoon sugar

1 orange

1 fresh vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry, defrosted

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/2 of a small container of mascarpone

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

1 cup water

4 tablespoons brandy

1 cup sugar

Instructions

1. To make the brandy syrup, place the water, brandy and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Set aside and allow to cool.

2. To macerate the strawberries, place sliced strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar, juice and zest of an orange, and half the seeds from a vanilla bean pod. Mix it all together gently.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut two squares from one sheet of pastry dough. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cut 1/2-inch wide strips from the remaining pastry dough and place the strips around the pastry squares to form borders. Brush the tops of the borders with the egg, then bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden. Don't forget to pierce the middle of each square with a fork before baking, so they don't get quite as puffy inside as mine!

4. To make the filling, place the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and remaining half of the vanilla seeds in a bowl. Combine thoroughly with a fork. Set aside.

5. To serve, spoon the vanilla mascarpone into the tarts and top with the macerated strawberries. Finish with a little extra orange zest, and serve with the brandy syrup. Makes 2. 

-images and post by lauren craig

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Food: The Best Egg Sandwich Ever

Hi you guys! Lauren here, with the BEST egg sandwich you'll ever eat (seriously). I'll pre-apologize to any vegetarians out there, because the key ingredient here is bacon. Specifically, bacon jam... We recently came across this magical substance when eating lunch at one of our favorite neighborhood cafes, and my husband didn't waste any time trying to make it himself at home. 

It's nothing short of delicious and a serious upgrade to the regular old egg sandwich. I mean, what's not to love about bacon--in jam form--on an egg sandwich after all? It's surprisingly simple to make (promise!), so keep reading for the recipe... 

First things first, you chop up the bacon and cook it. Then you're going to cook it down with onions, garlic, brown sugar, maple syrup, balsamic and grainy mustard. It's eventually going to turn into a jam as it slowly cooks...  

Bacon Jam Ingredients

1 12-ounce package of center-cut bacon, diced

1 cup sliced onions, half red and half white

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon bacon grease from cooking (discard the rest)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1/4 cup chicken stock, plus 1 tablespoon

Bacon Jam Instructions

1. Cook bacon over medium-low heat, until cooked but not crispy. Discard the bacon grease, but reserve 1 tablespoon of it.

2. Back in the pan, cook onion and garlic in the reserved bacon grease until softened. Add brown sugar and coat the onions.

3. Add maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, mustard and chicken broth. Fold in the bacon and simmer until reduced, about 5 minutes. After thickened and jammy, add the extra tablespoon of chicken stock to thin it back out just a bit.

4. Transfer the bacon jam mixture to a food processor and pulse, just until your desired jam consistency. Store in an airtight jar or container, in the refrigerator, until ready to use.

Egg Sandwich Ingredients

Bacon jam

1 slice of miche (large round loaf of French sourdough bread), toasted

2 slices of gruyere 

1 kale leaf, torn and sauteed until crispy

1 fried egg

Egg Sandwich Instructions

1. Spread bacon jam on toast.

2. Top with gruyere slices, kale and fried egg.

3. Close your eyes and take a big, delicious bite! 

-post & photos by lauren craig

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Food: Spring Tarts

I love the official start of Spring was a couple days ago, but I'm usually ready much earlier, like around March 1st--how about you? Lauren here, and today I'm back with a recipe that looks and tastes like spring. Light and flaky pastry dough, lemon- and thyme-flavored ricotta, asparagus, peas, and mint all come together (quite quickly) to make pretty tarts.

 I know this recipe has me eager to plan a girls' brunch or lunch soon, and I hope you'll be adding it to your to-make list too. Keep reading for the details! 

These asparagus and pea tarts are made easy with store-bought puff pastry (from the frozen section) and made delicious with creamy ricotta, fresh herbs, and generous amounts of lemon zest. I love the flavor of lemon paired with spring vegetables, but you can always scale back on the zest a bit if you prefer.

There's really not much to it...just a bit of layering of this and that, and baking in between. I love a recipe that yields impressive-looking results but isn't complicated to whip up, and this one falls right into that bucket. 

Ingredients

1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry, thawed

A handful of thin asparagus, chopped into 2-3-inch long pieces with stems

3/4 cup ricotta

4 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stems

Juice of half a lemon

Zest of one lemon

Salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Olive oil and white balsamic vinegar

About 10 mint leaves

Fresh parmesan, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray. Place the pastry sheet onto the parchment and cut into 4 squares. Score a 1-inch border around the edge of each square and prick once in the middle with a fork.

3. Mix the ricotta with lemon juice, half the zest, thyme, salt, and pepper. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly inside the border of each square. Note that you may not use it all. Top each square with a few pieces of asparagus on the diagonal. Sprinkle with remaining lemon zest and season with freshly ground pepper. 

4. Brush the borders of each tart with the beaten egg, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

5. Place peas in a small bowl and drizzle with olive oil and white balsamic; toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Top the cooked tarts with the peas, then finish with mint leaves, a bit of grated Parmesan, and additional lemon zest if desired. 

-Recipe & images by Lauren Craig

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FOOD: Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Lauren here today, with a crowd-pleasing appetizer for your next get together. Think of this as the healthier sister to the P.F. Chang's version that everyone loves. 

Yes, there are a gazillion copycat recipes of this app floating around, but my take is a little different and still full of plenty of flavor. The best part is how easy it is--the perfect kind of dish to serve up at a party and let your guests help themselves. Keep reading for the recipe!
 

Let's start with the ingredients. Most recipes call for ground chicken, which happens to include dark meat. Instead, cook a few chicken breasts to shred so you get the lean, white meat only.

 Shredded carrots and radicchio are an easy way to sneak in some extra nutrients and balance each other out (sweet and bitter). The dressing is where it's all at, though. Dijon mustard and minced ginger pack a lot of flavor, and using light soy sauce cuts out some of the extra salt.

To serve, Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves work best as they're naturally curled into the perfect-sized cups. Set out fresh bean sprouts for a low-cal crunchy topping, as well as chopped chives and toasted sesame seeds. 

For the dressing:

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

For the filling:

4 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 small radicchio, shredded 

2 carrots, shredded with a box grater

For serving:

Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves

Fresh bean sprouts, toasted sesame seeds, and chopped chives for garnish

Sriracha for added heat

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine first five ingredients. Whisk in the vegetable and sesame oil.

2. In a large bowl, mix shredded chicken, radicchio and carrot. Add the dressing slowly, tossing to combine. You may not need all of it. 

3. To serve, spoon chicken mixture into the lettuce leaves. Top with bean sprouts, chives and toasted sesame seeds. 

-Recipes & images by Lauren Craig

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