these were a cute little addition to our brunch menu. working in layers made these mini "fruit cup" extra special.

see how simple? i made these mini trifles using my orange olive oil loaf that i cubed into bite size pieces, mascarpone vanilla bean whipped cream, and blueberries (my favorite!)

last up on the brunch menu is something i have been dreaming about for awhile, and all that dreaming paid off because the almond toast was hit!

each slice of thick bread gets a generous helping helping of the almond mixture

sprinkled with almond slivers before a quick trip in the oven.

voila! sprinkle with some confectioner sugar and it's done. to me this is the american version of an almond croissant, you capture all the rich buttery almond flavor but in half the time. if there is any interest i may do a recipe blog post for it, but for now the recipe remains in my heart.

i'm a sucker for almond desserts, and pastries. almond croissants, bear claws, marzipan..yes please!

anyone else out there a sucker too?

xox

rita