Ricotta Pancakes

This past weekend was my church's General Conference.  Basically, it is a semiannual meeting with speakers, singing, and inspiring messages.  It is one of the highlights of my spring.  

Typically I try to do something to make it special, so a fun breakfast seemed appropriate.  I had made these ricotta pancakes before, remembered them being really great.  They definitely didn't disappoint. They were a delicious start to a terrific day.  

They would also be a great Easter breakfast, because they are pretty fast, and quite simple to make (although you do have to whip the egg whites).  

Ricotta Pancakes: 

Yields 15-20 pancakes

from Food and Wine

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs, separated

1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbs milk

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs ricotta cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbs pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  

In a stand mixer, take the egg whites, and whip them until soft peaks form.  

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, the milk, the ricotta, the sugar and the vanilla.  

Add the flour mixture and stir until smooth.  Add the egg whites and mix until no streaks are left.  

Heat a griddle until piping hot.  Pour 1/4 cup or so onto the griddle.  Once bubbles form on the top, flip and let cook for another 15- 30 seconds, then remove.  Eat while hot.  

Top with fresh fruit and yogurt or whipped cream, or butter and maple syrup (my personal favorite).  

Freeze any leftovers for up to 2 weeks.  

Read More

Raiding My Sister's Closet: Dress it Up/Dress It Down

Valentine's Day is a low-key celebration in our house.  We don't make loads of heart-shaped sugar cookies, or buy hundreds of dollars of red roses, and expensive jewelry, but we definitely celebrate.

Adam often gets me the $4 flowers from the grocery store (which I totally love receiving), and usually there is a sweet and sappy note or two received.  I usually get him something thrilling like a $3 bar of dark chocolate (can you tell we are on a student budget?).

We also usually have a special dinner at home, and make a fancy dessert together (we are making these this year).  In fact, two years ago, Adam and I both got dressed up (fancy shoes included), to go into the kitchen to eat a heart-shaped pizza together while our baby slept.  Totally romantic.

These clogs were a post-Christmas purchase, and I am loving them, but struggle to dress them up, despite the fact that they are a heeled shoe.  This dress it up/dress it down was a challenge to see if I could really dress them up for a date.  The fancy combo isn't actually my favorite, but after 15 outfit tries, this was the best I could do with the clothes in my closet.

The casual outfit on the other hand is basically what I wear every day.  I am wearing button downs with skinny jeans and cute shoes 3 or 4 times a week right now, and totally loving every minute of it. These shoes fit in perfectly, but can be worn with a skirt if need be.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 White winter legs... 

 Gosh, I love these shoes!

 Dress it up: dress (similar)//shoes//necklaces (a gift)

Dress It Down: shirt//pants (via ThredUp - $10 off your first order through this link)// scarf (old)//shoes//earrings

Janssen and Merrick are probably better at getting fancy than I am currently. Check out their gorgeous Valentine's Day ideas! 

      

SaveSaveSaveSave
SaveSave

Read More

Christmas Card Outtakes

With Christmas being tomorrow and all, I have gotten quite reflective about past Christmases and what makes Christmas time so special for me.  

I am sure many people can cite a dozen different things that make Christmas special like how people are nicer this time of year, service to others makes you feel warm and fuzzy, you can load up on tons of holiday treats, fun holiday parties to attend, buying presents for others, and receiving presents, to name a few.  

I have had many wonderful Christmases including the year my parents gave me an American Girl doll (one of my most loved gifts ever), the year we went on a cruise instead of getting presents, the Christmas when the presents flowed out from under the Christmas tree and filled the entire dining room, and the year my dad and sisters and I participated in a live Nativity.  

This year, the best part and most memorable part of our Christmas Season has been the time we have spent together as a family.  We are staying in Texas this year, so it is just Adam, Fox and me, but Adam took this entire last week off (he is mostly researching and writing right now, so he doesn't go into work currently), and it has been heaven.  

This school year has been his busiest year yet, and he has been working many, many hours every week, and then last week, he was in South Korea for a conference, where it was hard to coordinate video calls because of the 15 hour time different and spotty wifi, so having him home to play, go on outings, and talk has been so wonderful.  

I keep telling Adam that he didn't need to get me anything else for Christmas, because this week has been a gift.  It has been full of wonderful and festive moments that have brought the Christmas Spirit into my heart and home.

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas, and that you get to spend it with the ones you love.  

*These photos are the ones that didn't make it onto our Christmas card this year.  We had so many that I loved that I wanted to share them here!  

Get your baby to cooperate for family photos by letting them play with the camera remote.  

SaveSave

Read More

My Favorite Holiday Recipes

Here we are just days away from Christmas, and I am finally posting this.  You probably already have your menu all planned out, but in case you don't, here are a few of my favorites that I think would be amazing for Christmas or New Year's.

Sadly, we are observing a month of no-sugar (from December 20th- January 20th), and I will be skipping all of these items, but you can revel in your stretchy pants, and make them all.

clockwise from top left: double chocolate peanut butter cookies//lemon spice muffins// angel food cake//chocolate lava cake

Great Recipes for Great Holidays: 

Honey Bran Muffins - I mentioned these on Instagram the other day, because they are so dang good!  They are the kind of thing you wouldn't make everyday, but they are SO great for a holiday!

Orange Crumble Muffins - Muffins don't come much better than these...  I always love a good crumble on my muffin.

Lemon Spice Muffins - These are so pretty, and would make a great Christmas Morning snack.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies - I may have just posted these earlier this week, but these easily make it into a favorite category in my mind.  They were incredible.

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies - These are amazing.  If you haven't stuffed your chocolate chip cookies with nutella, you are seriously missing out.  They are amazing.

Caramel Apple Pie:  This is basically my favorite pie recipe of all time.  Last year, my brother-in-law requested I bring it to Thanksgiving dinner, and my father-in-law (who was in the restaurant business for 40 years) said it was the best apple pie he had ever had.  I take that as a win.  Try it out.  I promise it won't disappoint.

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles - This one is almost healthy.  Great for people avoiding refined sugar, or trying to avoid a lot of the junk around the holidays.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pie - This one is quite a lot of work (although none of it is hard), but it is rich, and very, very delicious.  And gluten-free.

Angel Food Cake - I always thought angel food cake was kind of a weird cake.  Then I made it my own, it has become one of my favorite cakes out there.  It is SOOO good.

Chocolate Lava Cakes - I can't ever have too many of these.  They are simple, delicious and are tiny serving sizes, which I love!

Brioche Praline - A lot of work, but SOOO worth it.  It is just like being in France.

Creamsicle Ice Cream - Dreamy, creamy and orangey!

My Favorite Brownies - They are my favorite.  Enough said.  You should just go make them now....

Read More

Mini Brownie Peppermint Cake

I saw this amazing brownie cake on Instagram a few days ago, and then I ended up needing a birthday treat for a friend just a few days later.  I realized I had all the things to make a delicious peppermint cake.  And delicious it was! So much better than most chocolate cake.  I don't even like most chocolate cake, so using brownies was a welcome change.  

Mine is certainly not as pretty as the one from isntagram, but there is something lovely about a mini-cake.  Also, using brownies means it doesn't have to be quite as perfect looking as a regular cake (I just made that up, but I will stand by it!).  

AND, I got to eat all the edge bits on the brownies, and I will never say no to those, because YUM! I hope your Christmas season is loaded with tasty baking, gentle snow falling, and brownie edges.  

Mini Brownie Peppermint Cake:
Makes 2-3 two layer cakes

1- 6x9" or 8x8" pan of brownies (boxed or homemade, but mine had chocolate chips baked into the brownies which was a delicious addition)
Peppermint Icing  (see recipe below)
Crushed candy canes
Chocolate chips, melted, then spread on wax paper and cooled until hard

Peppermint Icing:
2 Tbs softened butter
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar (more for a stiffer icing)
1 -2 drops of peppermint flavor
2 Tbs milk

Combine all icing ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk for a minute or so until the mixture is smooth.  Set aside.

Cook your brownies.  Once they have cooled, use a biscuit cutter (or 2 1/2" diameter glass), remove 4 or 6 rounds.  Spread a layer of icing on the top of one brownie round.  Put a second brownie round on top, then spread icing on the top, then around the sides with a stiff spatula.

I did my icing 'naked cake' style, where you skim off the icing so you can see the cake underneath.  The icing is a little runny, so this is the easiest way to do it.

Freeze for about 10 minutes, until the icing is set.

Top with a dollop of soft icing, then add the chocolate pieces and peppermint pieces.

Enjoy!!!

Read More

One of my favorite Christmas Traditions

*This post was done in collaboration with TinyPrints, but all the opinions and photos are my own.  Thanks for continuing to support the brands that make this blog possible! 

Christmas time has always been a magical time of year for me.  There is something very special about putting up the Christmas tree, stringing twinkle lights and pulling out the scarf and coat to go caroling (which I actually haven't done for years... I just like the idea of it).

One my favorite Christmas memories from my childhood was the Christmas cards that we received.  It was always fun to hear my mom talk about who this or that person was, and how she knew that person, and to see cards from friends and family.  We had a specific place that we would always hang Christmas cards, so anytime a new one would arrive, one of us kids would rush to get the tape and hang it up next to the other ones.  I loved watching the collection grow and was always a little sad to take them down after New Year's.

After we got married, it felt like so much work at the busiest time of the year, so I didn't do it.  And didn't do it.  And didn't do it.  Finally, when I was pregnant with Fox, I got my act together and we sent out this card to some close family and friends (and here is last year's card).  I was thrilled with the result and am so glad we did it. 

For me, there are a few great reasons to send out christmas cards: First, it gives me a reason to take family photos, which is always a pain, and hard to get done, but I treasure those photos.  And second, it felt like such a lovely gesture to send out a holiday greeting and something with part of you in it. Third, it definitely helps you stay connected to family and friends that you don't have occasion to see or connect with very often.  My parents had people that they had sent Christmas cards to for years, that they hadn't seen, and I thought that was really cool.  

I always get my cards from TinyPrints, and they do such a phenomenal job.  They have tons of interesting and fun options for customizing your card (like laser cut outs, custom foil work, and a year in review cards), the paper they use is really high quality, you can choose to have a pattern on the back of your card, they have envelope liners (I think there is something really classy about having a nice reverse side of your card and a pretty envelope) and they have even added the option of having them address your cards for you! 

They also have partnered with Baby2Baby that helps provide low-income babies with necessities of life, so for every holiday card, or birth announcement you buy from that collection, they donate some of the proceeds to Baby2Baby.  I really wanted to use a card from that collection, to support that mission, but couldn't find one that worked with our photos this year, but I think that is such an amazing way to give back at this time of year.  

The last two years, I have had so many photos that I liked of Fox (he is just the cutest with that little pull-along pony!), that I just had to do a card with multiple photos, so we chose this card, that felt so clean and modern.  We are so looking forward to sending out such a beautiful card to friends and family this year! 

TinyPrints also has a ton of gorgeous stationary that would make a great holiday gift or thank you notes for after Christmas (it is great if you order them with your Christmas cards, because then they are ready to go after Christmas).  I used to think it was a huge hassle to send out thank you cards, but now I realize what a gracious gesture that is, and I always try to send one after receiving a gift from someone, and love keeping a stack of pretty notecards on hand (slowly, slowly I am becoming an adult...).  I am pretty obsessed with the set I got this year.  I might ask Adam to put them in my stocking for me so I have something lovely to unwrap on Christmas morning.

All of TinyPrints Holiday cards are 50% off this week, so if you are in the market for some gorgeous Christmas cards, head on over and check them out!
SaveSaveSaveSave

Read More

Giving a Meaningful Christmas

I have debated about doing a post like this, because there are dozens of gift guides every Christmas, but I have been wanting to do one for years, so I figured, why not?  So here it is.

Being a minimalist presents certain challenges around the holidays.  You might receive a ton of gifts from family and friends, you might be married to someone who loves giving and receiving gifts.  You might love getting/giving gifts yourself, so what should you do during the Holidays?

We live in a society that loves stuff and wants to give it all the time, but most especially during the Holiday season (at least marketers would have you believe that you should give stuff all the time), so here is my take on it.  Give something non-tangible, something meaningful, or something useful.

Wüsthof Vegetable Knife // Succulents// Mrs. Meyer's Lavender Laundry Detergent//Floral Painting// Pacifica Lip Tint

1.  A Houseplant - It cleans the air and looks pretty.  Bonus points if it is an edible plant like a rosemary or basil plant!

2.  A meaningful piece of art - One of our friends is an amazing artist, and he just gave us an incredible original piece that he did.  It hasn't arrived yet (it is coming from Germany), but it will be a treasured item to add to our small collection of art.

We already have a gorgeous painting that Merrick did for us one year, and a number of pieces collected from our travels (a metro map from Lyon, fun touristy posters from Chamonix, and a gorgeous photo that Adam took in Denmark this summer year that we got printed).

Even if you just print a beautiful photo from a favorite vacation, or a print from a favorite artist or calligrapher, that can be a wonderfully meaningful, and a true gift from the heart.

3.  A item for the kitchen.  Everyone has to eat, right?  Grab something beautiful and useful for the kitchen.  I have a few favorite items to recommend this year.
A really nice knife. So many people own terrible knives these days.  Cheap, dull, ugly, etc. We have gotten a number of friends sharp kitchen knives for their birthdays over the last few years, and they have been a great gift! We just got two Wusthof Knives earlier this month, and they have been life-changing (we have the Vegetable Knife and the Bread Knife)! It is basically a transcendent experience every time I chop vegetables and bread now.  I can't recommend them highly enough! High quality does make a difference!

We also got rid of all of our tupperware when we moved last summer, and I have been embracing life with jars.  A few Weck Jars, some Glass Canister Jars, or the like could be a very fun and useful gift, especially if you filled them with a freezer jam, a cake mix or something they can easily use up.

4.  Tickets to a show/class or event - This is a harder gift, because you have to do research, and you definitely want to make sure they can actually attend the event you are buying tickets to, but giving a memory is such a special gift.  I think it is worth it.  Some of my favorite gifts have been memories.

5. A bottle of Lemi Shine or Mrs. Meyer's Laundry Detergent - Janssen mentioned a few days ago that most people don't want another plate of cookies around the holidays, and I have to agree with them! Give something useful and wonderful! They will remember that you gave them laundry soap for 64 loads, which is probably longer than they would remember some cookies. As a side note, I have used the Mrs Meyer's Lavender Laundry Detergent for about a year, and it brings so much joy to laundry.  They sent it to me as part of my Mrs. Meyer's Semi-finalist prize, and it has been my favorite of all the items they sent.

6. A natural skincare product that they might be afraid to try out on their own.  I have been wanting to try out natural skin-care for several years, but didn't know where to start.  I finally had to dive in (I got spurred on by a natural skincare post I am working on), and I have been trying out a bunch of new skincare products.

A few that I am loving include:  SheaMoisture Argan Lotion (this is really the most amazing lotion!),  Pacifica Lip Tint, Acura Face Wash and if you want to give them a sampler of a bunch of natural products, this sample size pack from Credo Beauty has some great stuff in it. I have about 15 others that I am and will be testing out, but those are my picks for now.  More to come on that in a few weeks.

7.  Gift a night out, or a babysitting swap.  My husband is currently in school, and we are trying very hard to be careful with our money, so we rarely spend money on a babysitter.  This fall, one of my friends and I have been doing a monthly swap, and it has been so awesome.  If someone gave this gift to me, I would be ecstatic!

8.  Give of yourself.  At Fox's baby shower, one of my dear friends gifted us a newborn photo shoot.  She is a remarkable photographer, and took the most beautiful photos of Fox when he was two weeks old.  I cherish those photos and the time she took to take and edit them.  Maybe you are a great at photography, have a decorators eye, or are a talented quilter.  Think outside the box and consider giving a gift of yourself.

Are you trying to have a more minimalist Christmas?  What are you giving your loved ones?
SaveSave

Read More