Coming soon to Cocoa & Hearts

Stay tuned for more paintings being added to the Cocoa & Hearts gallery soon! Are you following my twitter? That's where I'll be announcing the sale.

-image by jen ramos

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

The Very Stylish DADS

Growing up I never saw thought of my DAD as a cool & stylish. He was 'just' dad. A very strong, disciplinarian and extremely out-spoken.
But men nowadays, well dads, are looking very stylish. They're dressed to impress & look super cool carrying their babies! 

This Father's day I'm pulling out a few BLACK & WHITE gift ideas for the coolest looking dads. Is that you??

Happy Father's day!

-image above copyright: Insight News and Features, Inc.

 A. bose' headphones/nordstroms

B. lanvin watersnake crest tie/barneys

C. fendi card case/barneys

D. leather iPhone case/jcrew

E. salvatore ferragamo briefcase/barneys

F. tom ford noir eua de parfum/barneys

G. carrera eyewear/nordstroms

H. oxfords/nordstroms

I. adidas

Food: Kale Salad

I love salads - especially during the summer season. At our place - salads have been very popular lately, especially kale salad. Kale salad is super easy to make - a great alternative to lettuce because it holds its texture better. 

Strip the leaves from the woody stems and then chop them well. Add any normal extras - goes great especially with fruit such as pears or peaches, and some nuts like pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Toss it well in a simple, sweet dressing - mix 3 Tbs olive oil, 2 Tbs honey or agave, 2 Tbs balsamic or lemon, 1/2 tsp poppy seeds, 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt.

My version

His version - so much fancier than mine, I know.

Here we added some easy-to-make polenta chips. 

How do you make polenta chips?? Well, go to your local market & buy pre-formed polenta (in a tube) and using a very sharp, thin blade knife to cut very thin slices (about 1/8" thick). Deep fry in vegetable oil over medium heat - allow to crisp but don't burn. Drain the oil. While still hot, sprinkle with garlic powder or fine sea salt.

Did you know that Kale is healthy for you?
Kale’s health benefits are an excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K.  Kale is a veggie which is also known as borecole, & is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet! They say it also helps lower cholesterol levels....now if i could only get my dad to start eating it!  So, there you go!

Do you eat kale? How do you like it?

-images by jen ramos
-recipes from Mat

SERIES: My Home, My Space

What is your favorite area in your home and why?

Hi This is Dana! I live in an old railroad-style walk-up building on New York City's Upper East Side (we are neighbors!).  The apartment layout requires you to walk through one room to get to the next.  So, the "final" room is the master bedroom and my favorite room in the apartment.  

I love the contrast of the all white bedding against the moody blue walls and the mirrored accents. Similar to your style, I'm obsessed with the Greek key rug!  A previous tenant built a closet over half of one of the windows, so I tried to create as much symmetry as possible with the pair of gray and white chevron chairs. 

The room is simple and serene, yet a bit glamorous at the same time!  I just love ending every day in this space!

-images by dana

Your Weekend

-image by jen ramos

Updating in all Places

Thank God it's Friday right?? It is like the rainiest day here in NYC. With so little sun, I'm seriously in need of Vitamin D!!

On another note, do you sometimes feel like updating a 'little bit' of everything from your 'home TO your wardrobe'?!?!? That's how I'm feeling lately, so of course I decided to pick a few pieces to - so let's get started. I'm pillow obsessed and although my new sofa doesn't have cushions (only bolsters) it doesn't mean I can't LOVE these right?? 

What pieces could you see adding to your wardrobe & home??

1. les touches arianna belle
2. greek key border arianna belle
3. leopard velvet arianna belle
4. channels arianna belle
5. salad bowl barneys
6. salt & pepper cellars jayson home
7. gold flatware DWR
8. cococozy throw
9. gold scallop pillow caitlin wilson
10. jonathan adler meurice table lamp
11. tibetan rug calypso st. barth
12. 'slow fade' art calypso st. barth
13. michael stars maxi dress
14. leather sandal calypso st. barth
15. women's panama hat jcrew
16. rocco satchel alexander wang
17. 24k goldplate double-skull bracelet MadeByGirl
18. pour la victorie veronica heel