I have a huge sweet tooth, so when I see a new cake recipe online, I am eager to test it out for myself! This blood orange olive oil cake was no exception and after a few iterations, it is a new favorite. This cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, but adding fresh whipped cream will make this cake more sweet than tart. If blood oranges are not in season, you can substitute for tangerines instead. Enjoy! xoxo
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with Bakers Joy. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper and smooth it to eliminate air bubbles.
Slice oranges as thinly as possible, positioned on its side, shaving off rounds that are no thicker than 1⁄8 inch. The thinner the slices, the softer the pith will become while baking keeping the cake from being too bitter. Reserve the ends of the oranges for squeezing juice. Arrange the orange slices in an overlapping pattern across the bottom of the pan and set aside.
Squeeze the reserved ends of the blood oranges into a medium bowl until you have 2 tablespoons of juice. Add 1⁄3 cup of the sugar to the bowl with the juice and whisk until you have a smooth slurry. Pour the slurry on top of the arraigned oranges.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to combine and eliminate any lumps. In a small bowl, stir together the Grand Marnier, orange zest, and vanilla extract and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and the remaining 1 cup sugar starting on low to break up the eggs and gradually increasing to high, until the mixture is very light, thick, and pale, and it falls off the whisk back into the bowl in a slowly dissolving ribbon, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer still on high speed, gradually stream in the oil and beat until fully incorporated and the mixture is even thicker, it will be slightly reduced in volume. (Adding too much oil too soon will overwhelm the eggs and cause the mixture to break.)
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the Grand Marnier mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Gently pour the batter over the blood orange slices, making sure not to disturb them, and smooth the top. Transfer the cake to the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 350°F. Bake until the top is golden brown, and the center is firm to the touch, 35 to 45 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 15 minutes. Remove the outer ring, invert the cake onto a wire rack and remove the circular base, and carefully peel away the parchment. For the best flavor and texture, wrap the cake in plastic and let it sit at room temperature for at least a day before serving.
Winter weather makes me want to eat soup for every meal! This Chicken and Rice Soup is the perfect way to stay warm and get a healthy serving of veggies and protein. I often add peas, bell pepper, or any other extra vegetables I have on hand to the soup. I also often use rotisserie chicken to make this simple soup even easier to throw together. This recipe makes a large serving that is perfect for dinner and leaves enough leftovers for lunch the next day. Enjoy! xoxo
Cook rice according to instructions and set aside. In a large pot, heat olive oil and cook celery, carrots, onion, and garlic until tender. Add roasted tomatoes, shredded chicken, and chicken broth. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add cooked rice and serve warm.
I have to give Alex credit for being the “idea guy” in the kitchen. He is constantly coming up with crazy menus and requesting things, like lasagna, on a whim. After insisting multiple times that lasagna was too time-consuming, I caved and start working on a less time-consuming recipe. Most classic lasagna recipes call for a bechamel and ragu sauce, but I don’t know anyone who really has time to prepare sauces all day long. I cut the bechamel and left the cheese as is and turned the ragu sauce into a modified version of my classic tomato sauce. I prefer beef, but you can easily substitute the ground beef in the sauce for ground pork or a combination of the two. Enjoy! xoxo
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, onion, parsley, and sage)
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lb. ground beef chuck (10% fat)
3 tablespoons triple concentrate tomato paste
15oz crushed tomatoes
8 oz. dried lasagna noodles
1 lb. ricotta
12 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated (about 3 cups)
Purée bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, olives, capers, Italian seasoning, cumin, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes (optional) in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Cook beef, tomato paste, and blended mixture breaking up the meat and stirring often until liquid is evaporated, and meat is starting to brown, 20–25 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes and let simmer on low until lasagna is ready to assemble.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles, stirring often, until very al dente, about 4 minutes (noodles will finish cooking in the oven). Drain noodles and stack them flat in layers, separated by parchment.
Lightly oil a 13×9″ baking dish. Spread a heaping cupful of sauce in the dish. Lay a single layer of noodles over the sauce. Spread 1 cup of sauce over the noodles. Season ricotta with salt and pepper; evenly spread half of the ricotta over the sauce. Scatter one-third of the mozzarella over top. Repeat the layering process. Finish with remaining sauce, followed by remaining mozzarella. Cover with a lightly oiled piece of foil.
Bake lasagna until bubbling around the edges, 40–45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Uncover the lasagna and continue to bake until the top is golden brown, 15–18 minutes more. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.
Sweet Potato Casserole is always a part of our family’s Thanksgiving meal! I know a few people who top their sweet potatoes with marshmallows, but I personally prefer crispy brown sugar pecans as my topping. This side dish could almost belong on the dessert table with the crisp sugar topping but this casserole is too good to pass up. Check out my Cranberry Sauce, Pumpkin Pie, and Pecan Pie recipes to complete your Thanksgiving meal. Enjoy! xoxo
Peel, cut, and boil sweet potatoes until tender. Mash potatoes and mix with sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, butter, lemon juice, and milk until well combined. In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, butter, and pecans until well combined. Pour sweet potato mixture into a casserole dish and top with brown sugar mixture. Bake at 375 for 25-30 mins until the topping is crispy. Best served warm.
Breakfast in bed is a birthday tradition in our house, and I recommend everyone start this tradition! Last year Alex whipped up his own version of mini frittatas and I was very impressed. I love the light airy texture of frittatas and these mini frittatas make serving a crowd effortless. This recipe can easily be altered with different meats, vegetables, and cheeses. I have also tried a version with bacon and sharp cheddar, but nothing beats the lightness of turkey breakfast sausage. Enjoy! xoxo
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 12 muffin tins, set muffin tins aside. Whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and paprika until well combined. Pour egg mixture evenly into the prepared muffin tins. In an oiled skillet, sautee the chopped shallot and mushrooms until tender. Add turkey sausage to the skillet and cook until browned. Evenly spoon sausage mixture into each muffin tin on top of the egg mixture. Top each muffin tin with a pinch of shredded Asiago cheese. Bake for 16-18 minutes until tops are slightly browned. Best served warm.
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London is absolutely my favorite place in the world to visit, I don’t think it will ever get old. Alex and I visited with friends about five years ago and I have been counting down the days until we could go back (thanks to covid we pushed our trip back over a year). I have previously posted reviews for The Georgian Tea Room at Harrods, Pizza Pilgram, and the Mondrian Hotel, which has been rebranded. Below I have included a full London Travel Guide with all of our favorite places!
The Trafalgar St. James London: During our last trip to London, we stayed at the Mondrian Hotel, which has since been rebranded. I found The Trafalgar St. James London and loved the central location. We were able to walk most places on our list and felt we were in a safe part of town. The hotel staff was very helpful and friendly and our room, while the view was not great, was extremely clean!
Westminster Abbey: I was bummed that we did not have time to tour our Abbey during our last trip to London, so that was the very first thing we did on this trip. The architecture, detail, deep history, and religious ceremony were very impressive. I hate audio tour guides, so I opted for the book while Alex listened to the guide. We both left chatting about all the things we learned and saw, I highly recommend this tour for anyone.
Kensington Palace: While I was unsuccessful at spotting a royal family member, I did have the opportunity to see Princess Diana’s wedding dress while on exhibit. The tour of Kensington Palace primarily focuses on Queen Victoria and her childhood at the palace. It was a relatively quick but interesting tour.
St. Paul’s Cathedral: Similar to Westminster Abbey, the detail and history in St. Paul’s were fascinating. We bought tickets to walk (more of a hike) up 529 steps to the very top of St. Paul’s. While we were a little winded and had a few head bumps on the low staircases, the view from the top was amazing! If you are able I would recommend taking the hike to the top of the cathedral for some of the best views of London.
Big Ben: We did not have time to tour Big Ben on our first trip and it was being refurbished during our second trip. While we had incredible views across the Thames near the London Eye, it is still on my list to tour someday.
Buckingham Palace: The palace was not open for tours while we were there, but we did stop by to see the changing of the guards. You can check online to see which days they will be changing guards, but it always happens at 11:30 AM and you must walk to the palace in order to get close enough for a good view.
Churchill War Rooms: This was one of my favorite tours in London that was not related to the royal family, well not entirely about them anyways. The war rooms are just across the street from St. James Park and around the corner from Westminster Abbey. The line moved quickly, we only waited about 30 minutes, and we were able to get discounted tickets without student IDs. We ended up spending about 2 hours touring the war rooms and the museum about Winston Churchill. It is a very fascinating museum and I recommend going through and reading everything.
The National Gallery: Admission to the National Gallery is free for everyone, which was a nice perk. The building is a work of art itself and so is Trafalgar Square, where it is located. We saw incredible artworks such as The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci, Water Lillies by Claude Monet, Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh, and Thames below Westminster by Claude Monet (a personal favorite).
Tate Modern: We spent an entire day exploring Tate Modern, which Alex still complains about to this day. There were so many incredible pieces to see, too many to name. The first couple of floors are special collections and as you go up the names will become more familiar to those who know less about modern art. I also recommend visiting the observation deck on the 10th floor.
The Shard: We booked the “essential” tickets to the top of the Shard. There was no need for the fast pass on a Friday and quickly made it to the top of the elevators. Our tickets included a cocktail at the top, so we were able to sit down and enjoy the view. There were no stairs at the Shard but I would say the view from St. Paul’s was better. The only things different you could see from the Shard were the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.
London Eye: We rode the London Eye in the evening and enjoyed seeing the skyline at night. We purchased our tickets the morning of our ride online and paid the extra $10 for fast track. I would recommend the fast track, we walked up at our designated time and skipped the hour-long line.
Abbey Road: It would not be a trip to England without seeing something Beatles-related, so we took the tube north to St. John’s Wood Station. While you cannot go inside Abbey Road Studios, there is a gift shop/small museum open to the public and a wall for fans to leave notes.
Millennium Bridge: Between St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tate Modern is the Millennium Bridge stretching across the River Thames. It is defiantly worth walking across, even in the cold rain, because the view down the river is incredible.
The Trafalgar St. James Rooftop: I booked the rooftop restaurant at our hotel in advance, I would recommend reservations, and we timed our dinner perfectly with sunset. The view was amazing, we could see all the rooftops from Trafalgar Square to the London Eye, it was like something out of Mary Poppins. The menu was mostly Asian small plates, all of which were delicious.
Bob Bob Ricard: The perfect restaurant for a special occasion, the atmosphere, service, and food were all top-notch. We enjoyed the Jersey Rock Oysters, Degustation of Three Caviars, Truffle & Champagne Humble Pie, Truffle, Potato & Mushroom Vareniki, and BBR Signature Chocolate Glory. Reservations are required and the dress code is enforced.
San Carlo: We booked tickets to see the new James Bond movie and thought we would just stop at a pub for dinner before. Every pub and restaurant we passed was full at 5 pm on a Friday! I had read how great San Carlo was and as we passed by I thought we might as well give it a shot. I wish we had more time to relax and enjoy the delicious food. Everything we ordered was fresh and delicious! I would recommend reservations and reading the dress code, both of which we failed to do on a whim and I hated myself for.
Sketch: During our first trip we booked the gallery room. I was eager to go back and try other rooms at Sketch but we decide to try someplace new. The atmosphere in the Sketch gallery room was wonderful and we enjoyed everything we ordered. Reservations are required and the dress code is enforced.
Churchill Arms Pub: We were on a hunt to watch the Manchester United v Westham match, and thought The Churchill Arms Pub would be a good place to watch. We later found out that it is not very popular to watch a soccer match at a pub, and we ended up eating dinner at their famous Thai restaurant attached to the pub. Our whole group ordered Pad Thai as spicy as it would come and most still had to add chili oil – at someone the bland food does get to you.
Harrods: We spent close to the whole day eating, shopping, and exploring the many floors of Harrods. We enjoyed high tea at The Georgian Tea Room on the fourth floor.
Below are a few photos from our recent trip to London! xoxo
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