Homemade Almond Butter

/
ab4.jpg

Hello there, today I want you to meet one of my favorite foods. Yes, almond butter. Almond butter is a relatively new favorite. Having been allergic to peanut butter my whole life I grew up deprived of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, reese's and just a good ole spoonful of peanut butter. Deprived no more, once almond butter became popular.

The first time I had AB was my freshman year of college. I hated it. I love every kind of nut, especially almonds, but almond butter...yuck! I gave it a couple more tries and somehow I fell in love. Now you can find flavors like vanilla, honey + flax, espresso, and chocolate. It was the fancy flavors that warmed me up to AB, but now I'm just a simple girl. 

I've made almond butter before, but this recipe is a winner. It's really more about the technique this time. My past almond butters have always come out thick and grainy.  When you roast your own almonds then process them while they are still hot, the oils release much quicker and create a super smooth butter.

ab1.jpg
ab2.jpg

Almond butter takes a while. After a few minutes it will just look like ground almonds, but just keep letting the food processor do the work. After a few more minutes the natural oils from the almonds will release and start to form the butter. Once it comes together you can then add in extra flavors! Adding coffee grounds or vanilla extract is one of my favorites! This time I added one tablespoon of coconut oil and it really helped with the smoothness of the butter!

add-ins.jpg

Homemade Almond Butter
makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients: 
3 cups raw almonds
Optional add ins: coconut oil, cinnamon, coffee grounds, vanilla extract, sea salt, honey

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Roast your almonds for 10 to 12 minutes making sure they don't burn. While they are still warm, move directly into your food processor. Process for 7 to 10 minutes. Stop half way through to scrape down the sides. Add in desired additions. I kept it simple with just a tablespoon of coconut oil this time! It made it extra smooth and glossy!

Almond butter enjoyed best with granny smith apples, in my perfect green smoothie, spread on rice cakes, stirred into oatmeal, on birthday toast, and sandwiched between pretzel crisps! 

ab3.jpg
ab5.jpg

I'm just a girl living in a peanut free world!

Annie

Copper Boom

/
If you know where Stars Hollow is, who Amy-Sherman Palladino is and what a Gilmorism is, then stick around. If you can't answer yes to any of these questions, then this blog post probably isn't for you.
After the announcement of Gilmore Girls coming to Netflix October 1st, the Gilmore fan base has really come together and re-established our obsession with our favorite Gilmore Girls. There have been various BuzzFeed's, quizzes, articles and ABC Family marathons getting everyone ready for the brilliance that Netflix is about to bring us.
I grew up watching Gilmore Girls everyday after school at 4 o'clock on ABC Family. I'd sit on the couch eating a pint of Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream, "doing my homework," and having my mom roll her eyes and say, "Annie-I've even seen this episode 100 times, turn it off and do you homework." Then I'd have to assure her, "Yes mom I have too, it's just background noise, I'm not watching, I really am doing my homework." haha jokes on you mom. 
The fact that I'm about to have access to Gilmore Girls 24/7 hasn't really set in yet. My life is about to be filled with numerous Gilmorisms, Lorelai's life lessons, episodes with Jess and Logan on repeat, watching "You Jump I Jump Jack" over and over, skipping most episodes where Dean and Rory were together, wondering if the coffee at Luke's is really that good and finally wishing I could stay the night at The Drangonfly Inn. 
Gilmore Girls was my life all of middle school and high school and it's about to be apart of my life again. I can't wait. GG was so apart of my life, Kathleen and I even dedicated a whole day one summer to pretending like we were in Gilmore Girls. We had coffee at Luke's (our house), took a trip to the video store (Blockbuster), had a cafe lunch at Westin's (McLaren's, for all you Edmonites), and, Kathleen help me if I'm making this up but I'm pretty sure we paid a visit to Grandmother's and referred to her as Emily. 
Did you know you can take a tour of the Stars Hollow set at the WB studies in LA? Ya I want to do that. 
Like most Gilmore-crazed fans, I've taken all the quizzes, read all the BuzzFeeds and taken advantage of all the ways to brush up on my GG knowledge before it airs next Wednesday. 
Some fun facts I've learned along the way...Rory actually hates coffee and would drink Coke out of her coffee cup while filming. There was almost a Jess spinoff show after he ran off to visit his dad in California. And the worst, Paris originally auditioned for the part of Rory, can you imagine?
Kathleen challenged me in the Vultures quiz yesterday, she beat me, wha wha, but we both got "Luke," as our result. I have to be honest, I was never a Luke fan, I was especially never a Luke and Lorelai fan.
Some of my favorites are:
Favorite boy from Lorelai's life...Christopher. Yes, I know, but for the sake of Rory I always wanted them to end up together.
Favorite boy from Rory's life...Jess, ah Jess!
Favortie episode...You Jump I Jump Jack. In omnia paratus.
Favorite gilmorism...Copper Boom! It comes from the episode when Rory moves into college. I just think it's a fun phrase and I surprisingly can find ways to sneak it into everyday conversations. 
In my research for this post I came across quite the collection of Rory and Lorelai pictures. Entertain yourself with seeing how they changed throughout the seasons. 

cute...

cute...

cute...

BAM! weird...what was this photoshoot for??

and this, what?

and again...Rory, you a little tired?
Sing it with me now, 
"If you're out on the road
Feeling lonely and so cold
All you have to do is call my name
And I'll be there on the next train
Where you lead, I will follow
Anywhere that you tell me to
If you need, you need me to be with you
I will follow where you lead"
Annie

What's in My Bag?

/

At work this summer I did a blog series called "Bag in a Bag in a Bag." It was one of my favorite posts, getting to show off SCOUT bags and the different kinds of products you would carry in each bag. Today I'm doing my own version of the bag in a bag post!

whats-in-my-bag.jpg

I carry a big ole periwinkle bag that is slightly obnoxious, but I love it. Inside I keep very simple essentials like sunglasses, gum, a makeup bag and car keys. 

My purse is the Rebecca Minkoff Jules Satchel and my wallet is SCOUT's Cash-N-Carry, it's seriously the best wallet to switch from big purse to little purse, every girl needs one. I got my "I Live To Eat" makeup bag in NYC at Chelsea Market, but found the girl and all of her funny saying canvas bags on Etsy! Inside I keep Revlon's lip stain, Chapstick original and a sample of Bond No. 9 Hudson Yards perfume. My sunglasses are cheap polarized aviators (similar style below) and my camera is a Sony cybershot. The version I have is discontinued but I have a similar one listed below. I recommend it to everyone. My other essentials are Extra spearmint gum, a purse size brush and a huge tassel key chain so I can keep track of my keys in my big bag!

in-my-bag.jpg
bag-bloopers.jpg

Now for what my purse really looks like when I dump it out. Gum wrappers, bobby pins, my Epi-Pen and a mess of other random things. 

Annie

Everyday Essentials

/
I love getting dressed up and playing around with different outfits, but I always have my go-to when I  don't want to put much thought into what I'm wearing. Jeans, chucks and comfy t-shirt is on regular rotation in my span of outfits. Pearl studs and my leather strap watch are also part of my everyday ensemble.
Below are all my favorite go-to pieces. Good chance you can find me wearing at least one of them everyday. 4 out of 5 are on my body as we speak...
1. Basic white t-shirt. My favorite is from Old Navy, but I'm loving this pullover from Anthropologie.
2. White Converse
3. Comfy Jeans. Mother brand jeans are high waisted, so soft and the perfect shade of blue.
4. Pearl Studs. 
5. Leather strap watch. After my 2 year hunt for a watch I finally discovered Miró. The tan leather strap is exactly what I wanted and perfect for everyday.
Do you have a go-to outfit or those pieces you can't go a day without?
xo annie

Few of My Favorite Things: What's Your Flavor?

/
"What's your flavor? Tell me what's your flavor?"  Time for the second installment of my "Favorite Things" series. (Here is the first post about my favorite movies). Today I'm talking about my favorite flavors. I have very specific flavors that I love and you can guarantee I will order if one of them is included on a menu. I'm also posting a link for a recipe including each flavor!

1. Almond: Almond extract, almond butter, almond milk, actual almonds, I love it all. A few local coffee shops have almond syrup and almond milk for coffee drinks and it makes for the best latte. I'm just waiting for Starbucks to jump on board. I was first introduced to almond extract when I started making my sugar cookies. You use the extract in the icing and I promise it's the flavor that sends them over the edge. I add almond extract in addition to vanilla to almost everything. (It's really good in granola, especially when almonds are in the mix)
Recipe: I just discovered the food blog The View from Great Island.  I spent about an hour going through her archives and now these white chocolate almond butter bars are high on my baking list. I'm also a lover of white chocolate.

2. Coffee/Espresso: Coffee is magical by itself, but I love coffee flavored things. I used to be able to finish a pint of coffee Haagen Dazs ice cream as an after school snack. Coffee or mocha flavored cupcakes are usually my go to and I love adding coffee to any chocolate recipe.

Recipe: These coffee bacon sandwiches, I can't even. My sister and I made them a few years ago and I can't believe we haven't made them since. They are the most interesting amazing thing in the world. Such a good way to incorporate coffee.

3. Vanilla: A skinny vanilla latte is always a go to order if I can't decide what to get. And when using vanilla extract I always double or triple the amount the recipe calls for. Vanilla scented candles, vanilla body lotion, mmmm I love it! 
Recipe: Been dying to try chia seed pudding and this one uses almond milk and almond extract.
4. Ginger: This is a new favorite, but I feel like it hasn't been used much until recently. I love putting fresh ginger in my smoothies and ginger cookies have always been wonderful. I recently had a peach and ginger scone that was insanely good.
Recipe: Shameless plug for my ginger cookies!

5. Lemon: Lemon squares, lemon cupcakes, lemon chicken etc. Once the weather gets warm I like lemon in all forms! I've recently been having the largest craving for lemon squares.
Recipe: My good friend pinned this recipe for skinny lemon bars that seem just perfect enough to feed my craving!

So what's your favorite flavor? This post inspired me to make a board dedicated to my 5 favorite flavors. Maybe one of them is yours too!
p.s. Pumpkin is also a favorite flavor, I'm just trying to stay seasonal! Pumpkin has it's own Pinterest board dedicated all to itself.

xo annie