(A+) Blackberry, Lemon And Thyme Muffins

If I had to make a list of my favorite foods in the whole wide world it would start with 1. Chocolate Chip Cookies 2. Muffins 3. Grapefruit. This post picks up at #2; a quite outstanding #2. 

If you eat as many muffins as I do, you begin to appreciate a really good muffin when you eat one. When I say really good, I don't just mean flavor. Of course that is a major component, but as any muffin connoisseur knows, there is so much more to it. Like muffin top quality, density, moistness, proper sweetness, etc.

It is in light of this muffin grading scale that I present to you an A+ muffin: Blackberry, Lemon And Thyme Muffins to be exact. Is it any surprise that the recipe comes from LA's famed Cake Monkey? The lovely store front-less bakery that sells their delicious treats at places like Intelligentsia and Umami Burger. Known for their perfect execution of every element of their desserts and high quality ingredients, you can't not love them. And the same is true of these muffins; they bare the same high quality seal as their sister treats. 

Do me a favor and please enjoy them for yourself.

Blackberry, Lemon And Thyme Muffins

adapted from Bon Appetit

Crumble
1 cup cake flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk


Muffins
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen, thawed, drained) blackberries (about 6 ounces), halved lengthwise
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
special equipment:
Eight 4-ounce paper muffin molds, or 12-16 standard muffin liners


Crumble Directions
Whisk first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add butter. Using your fingertips, rub in butter until pea-size lumps form. Add egg yolk; stir to evenly distribute and form moist clumps. (Crumble should resemble a mixture of pebbles and sand.) Chill for at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.


Muffins
Preheat oven to 325°. If making standard-size muffins, line 12-16 1/3-cup molds with paper liners. 


Whisk 1 cup all-purpose flour and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat until well incorporated, 2–3 minutes longer. Whisk eggs and vanilla in a small bowl to blend; gradually beat into butter mixture. Continue beating until light and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Combine buttermilk and lemon zest in a small bowl; gradually beat into butter mixture. Add dry ingredients; beat just to blend (do not overmix).


Toss blackberries and thyme with 2 Tbsp. flour in another small bowl; fold into batter, gently crushing berries slightly to release some juices. 


Spoon about 2/3 cup batter into large paper muffin molds, or divide between prepared muffin pans. Top each large muffin with 2 Tbsp. crumble or each small muffin with 1 rounded Tbsp. crumble. Sprinkle tops with extra chopped thyme.


Bake until tops are golden brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted into center, about 20-30 minutes for standard-size muffins. Let cool in pan at least 20 minutes, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store cooled muffins airtight at room temperature

Magazine Monday: Corn Griddle Cakes W/ Sausage And Orange Honey Butter

I don't know about you, but whenever I receive one of my food magazines in the mail I flip through it, dog ear some pages and toss it in a drawer never to be utilized. What a waste! Huh?


Well not this month dear readers. I have already made two recipes from February's issue of Bon Appetit and both have been amazing. The first, The Fried Chicken recipe featured on the cover, I will not expound on much here because it is a savory recipe (and I actually didn't make it, my husband did), but I will say it was the best fried chicken I have ever had and you are dumb if you don't try it. Recipe here.


The other is a Southern dish I made for breakfast on Monday: Corn Griddle Cakes W/ Sausage And Orange Honey Butter.

If you are a savory-sweet fan this recipe is for you. Though the unique mix of sausage and chives with the sweet taste of corn and honey might alarm you, the flavor is as comforting and smooth as a southern drawl. Definitely worth your time and calories.



So shuffle through you drawer of old magazines or click this link and try it out for yourself.

Galette Des Rois (Kings Cake)

The Galette des Rois is typically a French tradition to celebrate l'Epiphanie: the day when the three kings came to pay their tribute to baby Jesus. In French those wise men go by Les Rois Mages (the Magi).


On the day of the Epiphany, families share a Galette des Rois, a flaked pastry pie filled with frangipane, a smooth buttery mixture of almond cream and pastry cream.

Some families celebrate with the Galette des Rois on the 6th and some on the first Sunday in January. But it's mostly considered fine to celebrate it all through the month of January, which is why I am celebrating now.


Another fun thing about the Galette des Rois, apart from how delicious a warm buttery almond pastry tastes on a rainy morning, is the traditional game that goes with it. Because hidden inside the Galette is a small little trinket or dried bean, I actually used a dried banana chip because it is what I had on hand, that when found bestows upon its owner the rights to the throne, aka they get to be king for a day! Paper crown and all.

Galette des Rois

*adapted from Chocolate Zucchini 

Ingredients

Pastry:

• (17 2/3 ounces) all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen

Crème d'amande:

• (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 125 grams (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
• 130 grams (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) almond meal
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• good pinch sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 drop almond extract
• 1 tablespoon liquor of your choice, such as Grand Marnier or rum

For the eggwash and glaze:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar

Accessories:

- 1 porcelain trinket or dried bean

- Paper crown

Directions

1. Prepare the crème d'amande.
Beat the butter until creamy, but avoid incorporating air into it. In a bowl, combine the sugar, almonds, hazelnuts, corn starch, and salt. Stir with a whisk to remove any lump. Add to the creamed butter and mix until smooth. Add the almond extract and orange flower water, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.


2. Roll out the puff pastry.
Divide the puff pastry in 2 equal pieces, and roll each one out to form a rough circle a little larger than 12 inches in diameter. Use a sharp knife and an upturned plate of the right dimension to cut a neat 12-inch circle out of one, and a slightly larger one with the other, adding, say, 1/4 inch all around the edge of the plate.


3. Assemble the galette.
Place the smaller of the two circles on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk with a tablespoon water (or milk, if you have it handy) until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush the outer rim of the dough lightly with the eggwash by a width of about 1 inch. Make sure not to wet the actual edge of the dough, or it will impede its rise.


Pour the crème d'amande in the center and spread it out inside the eggwash ring with a spatula.


Place a dried bean, or the trinket of your choice, in the crème d'amande -- not in the center but closer to an edge, or your knife will keep running into it when you divide the galette. And if it is an elongated shape, make sure to orient it straight toward the center of the galette, again, to minimize the possibility of you hitting it with your knife. Press it down gently to bury it.


Transfer the second round of dough precisely on top of the first, smooth it out gently over the crème d'amande to remove any air pocket, and press it down all around the sides to seal.



4. Score the galette.
Using the back of the tip of your knife, draw a decorative pattern on top of the galette. I chose to make a sun pattern: you start from the center and draw an arc to reach the edge of the galette in a single, smooth gesture, exercising just enough pressure to score the dough without piercing it. You then turn the galette ever so slightly, draw a similar arc nested in the first one, and repeat until the entire galette is scored.


Holding your knife upright, blade down, and using the dull side of the blade, push the dough inward where each sun ray ends, to create a festooned pattern.


Brush the top of the galette lightly with the eggwash: again, make sure it doesn't drip over the edges, or the eggwash will seal the layers of the puff pastry in this spot and it won't develop as well. Let it rest a minute then brush it lightly again with the eggwash. (As you can see on the picture below, my eggwash pooled a bit around the bulge of the crème d'amande, which resulted in a darker coloring around the sides; I didn't mind, but I'll be more careful next time.)


Using the tip of your knife, pierce 5 holes in the top dough -- one in the center, and four around the sides, piercing through the pattern you've drawn -- to ensure an even rise.


Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet or a tart pan with a removable bottom, and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.


5. Bake the galette.
Preheat the oven to 360°F. Insert the galette in the middle of the oven and bake for 30-35 min, until puffy and golden brown.


In the final minutes of baking, combine the tablespoon of confectioner's sugar with a tablespoon very hot water. When the galette is done, remove it from the oven, brush it across the top with the syrup, and return it to the oven for a minute; this will give it a shiny finish.


Place on a rack to cool completely (it will settle as it cools) and serve at room temperature or still warm out of the oven.

LOVE,

A Sticky Christmas: Sticky Toffee Cheesecake & Sticky Toffee Sour Cream Pancakes

There's something about Sticky Toffee Pudding that makes me want to watch this scene over and over again...

shout Cheerio and watch 7 straight hours of EPL soccer with a Santa hat on.


But since I made Sticky Toffee Pudding last year around the Holidays, I wanted to try a twist on the British classic. Make that two twists: Sticky Toffee Cheesecake and Sticky Toffee Sour Cream Pancakes.

The great thing about these two recipes is that a lot of ingredients you use for the first (including the Bourbon Caramel sauce), you can use in the second. Less waste and more deliciousness= a win, win. 


Both are pretty sweet, but tis the season eh? The cheesecake is rich, full and warm with a little bit of bite from the gingersnap crust. The Sour Cream Pancakes are super moist and delightfully satisfying on a cold winter morning. Not to mention, the Bourbon Caramel Sauce that goes on top of both is through-the-roof. 


Please enjoy one if not both this Holiday Season.


Sticky Toffee Cheesecake
Makes one 9-inch cheesecake
adapted from spicy ice cream


Ingredients


Cheesecake 

• 1 x 250g packets gingersnap biscuits 
• 125g butter, melted 
• 2 x 250g packets cream cheese at room temp 
• 200ml sour cream 
• 100g brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 eggs at room temp


Sticky Date Mixture 


• Melted butter, to grease 
• 1 cup chopped de-seeded medjool dates 
• 1/3 cup bourbon 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 


Bourbon Caramel Sauce 


• 1 cup pouring cream 
• 60g butter, chopped 
• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 2 tablespoons bourbon 
• Big pinch sea salt 


Directions
1. Brush a 9 inch spring-form pan with melted butter to lightly grease. 


2. Place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add the butter and process until combined. Transfer to the prepared pan and press firmly over the base. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. 


3. Place the dates and bourbon in a saucepan over low heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Place into a food processor with 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and pulse until it becomes a smooth mixture. Set aside. 


4. Preheat oven to 320°F. 


5. Place the cream cheese, sour cream and brown sugar in the bowl of stand mixer and mix until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. 


5. Pour half the cream cheese mixture onto the prepared biscuit base, then spoon in the sticky date filling. Swirl with a skewer and then pour the remaining cream cheese mixture on top. 

6. Bake for about 40min - 1 hour or until just set. Turn oven off and cool inside with the door ajar, for 1 hour. Place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to chill. 


7. To make bourbon caramel sauce, place the cream, butter, sugar, bourbon and sea salt in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, bring to the boil and cook for 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Set aside and allow to cool.


8. Serve with caramel sauce on top. Save the rest of the caramel in the fridge for the pancakes. Reheat the sauce before serving.

Sticky Toffee Sour Cream Pancakes
Makes 8-10 pancakes
adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/ 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chopped Medjool dates to taste, about 1 cup
• Butter
• Caramel Bourbon Sauce from recipe above

Directions
1. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat; you want it to slowly get nice and hot.


2. Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in the bottom of a medium bowl. Dump the sour cream in on top and stir it together very gently; it’s okay to leave the texture a bit uneven. Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and stir them into the sour cream mixture until just combined. Add in the chopped dates to your liking and fold to incorporate, once again, being careful not to over-mix. 


3. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your skillet or griddle and pour the batter in, a scant 1/4 cup at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles appear all over the surface, flipping them carefully and cooking for about a minute on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.


4. Serve in a stack, topped with the Caramel Borubon sauce. No need for syrup, really.

The Sweatshirt And Jeans Recipe: Blueberry Biscuit Monkey Bread

David Lebovitz compared my last dessert to a "tailored Armani suit," as opposed to a "sweatshirt and jeans" type of dish. Well friends, this week it's time to pull out the ol' sweatshirt and jeans cause this recipe comes straight from Paula Deen straight to your thighs and mine. 

Some things you need to know about Paula Deen recipes if, for some reason, you are still alien to the empire she has created on the Food Network. 1. Her recipes are very southern (thus the use of buttermilk biscuits in this one) 2. There is bound to be an overabundance of butter in them 3. They are usually very easy, because who has time to slave over a meal when all 100 hundred of your extended family members are in the backyard waitin' for sum grub! 4. Because of the prior 3 points, they are always pretty dang delicious. 

This recipe is no exception to the rules; Blueberry Biscuit Monkey Bread is a rich, sweet, sticky hot mess of a breakfast dish that is sure to please you and your own until the last bite. Check out the recipe here. And if anything I wrote here has guilted you into not trying this recipe, just remember: you have to throw on the ol' sweatshirt and jeans every now and again :)

Jelly Filled Donut Muffins

It's a muffin that tastes like a jelly filled donut. Need I say more? 

Just follow this recipe and add your favorite jam or jelly in the middle of the muffin batter and roll in sifted powder sugar instead of cinnamon sugar. The butter coating is optional.

Enjoy!

Vern's

Howdy gang! (I stole that one from my Grandpa) I am out in Fort Collins Colorado for a little r&r and a work conference and boy has been it refreshing. The skies are huge, the living is simple, the fish are plentiful and thunder storms roll in faster than you can say cinnamon rolls... did I say cinnamon rolls? What the heck is that? Well... since I did, I might as well roll with it (pun intended).


Ok, so cinnamon rolls. Well, I guess there are a lot of them out this way and they are not limited to a traditional bakery setting. They sell them anywhere from diners, to bait shops to dingy little gas stations; most of them claiming to make the best, but by the rules of logic we know that's not true. That's what makes the best the best; there is just one and it truly is better than the rest. The best is what makes a tied baseball game sit so uneasy in our souls and the the loss of the US Women's Soccer Team hurt so bad. But as far as cinnamon rolls go, I will not claim to have found the best in Colorado simply because I have not tried them all, but I will say that Vern's C.roll is pretty damn good.

So what is Vern's? It is a diner/bait & tackle shop/taxidermy emporium that holds a special place in the heart of my husband and his family and now mine. 

You see, every 2 years the organization we work for holds a 10 day conference in the Fort Collins area, so every other year a Vern's cinnamon roll becomes a delicious nostalgic must have.  

So here she is. Isn't she a beaut? Fresh out of the oven too! Properly served up with a side of butter and extra frosting (key elements of a great cinnamon roll). The roll itself is big, the inside is gooey, not dry, and the cinnamon-sugar is pervasive. You drooling yet?

Oh, and just for fun I will include some pics of our horseback riding trip we were headed to when we detoured to Vern's(or since it was preconceived is it a pretour? No, I think it's a Star Tour). Anyways, the cinnamon roll was great, the horseback riding was great and my family is great.

Easy Parcheesy Breakfast: Chocolate (Crescent Roll) Croissants

I stand in front of the crescent rolls at TJ's for literally 5 minutes. Dang, why do there have to be 8 in a package. I love crescent rolls but with just Josh and I eating them I know I am going to waste at least 4.


Ding! Revelation! I can just save the leftovers for the next morning, shove some bittersweet chocolate chips in them, brush them with an egg wash, bake according to the directions and have fantasmal Chocolate Croissants! Well, Chocolate Crescent Rolls I suppose, but no less genius. 

Ooey-Gooey-Disgustingly Good & Easy: Peanut Butter Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

Beyond the title and picture, need I say more?


Here are the details...


1. Go to Trader Joe's and buy one can of Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls, a container of Peanut Butter Cream Cheese and a package of bacon.


2. Cook the bacon crispy and the cinnamon rolls according to the package directions. (If you want them extra ooey gooey, put a pat of salted butter on top of each cinnamon roll before putting them in the oven)


3. Mix the icing package with 4 tbsp of the peanut butter cream cheese in a small saucepan over low heat until the mixture is a combined and a little warm.


4. Place the finished cinnamon rolls each in its own bowl(this allows for the icing to pool around the roll which is so choice) then pour the icing over the cinnamon rolls and top with little pieces of bacon. Drool.


* Note: In my opinion Trader Joe's does not give you enough icing (does anybody ever?). This recipe, in my opinion, makes enough icing for 3 out of the 5 rolls. However, you could easily mix some powdered sugar with some milk and the peanut butter cream cheese in the same manner as above and make enough to cover, or should I say drown, all 5 rolls.

Pancakes, Cheetahs and Eggs, Oh My!

I knew that title would catch your attention and I bet you didn't know those are a few of my favorite things. In fact, if I could wrap them up in brown paper packaging and tie them up with string, I totally would. But you try and wrap a cheetah and let me know how it goes.


Anyways, there is a method to my madness and it is such.... I have had two amazing pancakes since I've last posted, I have visited the Academy of Sciences and also have made lovely baked eggs for breakfast.


Let's start with the pancakes. So my parents came to visit my husband and I a couple weekends back, besides being a total blast it was also a great opportunity to try out Mission Beach Cafe for brunch, a spot that usually deters me by the size of its wait list, however when you are making a day of it with your parents the wait seems totally worth it.


Good news, this time was there was no line! On a Saturday, at like 10AM! The better news was how amazing the pancakes were. So light, yet substantial with delicious bourbon syrup and vanilla creme on top. Mmmmm, to die for! I highly recommend getting them. There are pancakes and then there are PANCAKES, these were PANCAKES. You know what I mean ;)

On to cheetahs. I love them. They are fast, strategic, vicious and beautiful (kind of like someone I know:)and no animal can beat them in an awesome contest. However, the one I saw at the Academy of Sciences was not fast because it was dead and stuffed. Still beautiful though, as was the rest of the Academy. My family and I had a great time messing around there for an hour or so and even got to eat Space Ice Cream! I had been craving that stuff ever since I had it in Washington D.C. in one of the museums on my fifth grade field trip. It was glorious. 


Back to pancakes again. You thought eggs would be next didn't you. Well maybe you should work on being less presumptuous. 


Like I said, back to pancakes. So I made some really amazing oatmeal currant orange pancakes the other weekend. You should try them. Basically you just add some orange zest, cinnamon and currants to your favorite oatmeal pancake recipe, and whallah! instant yumminess.

Now for some protein. Like I mentioned earlier, I love eggs. 

Especially runny yolk eggs. In fact, to loosely quote Portlandia, this is my motto for eating, "Put-an-*egg-on-it!" This egg in particuar is a good egg, unlike Veruca Salt, and fairly simple to make. In fact, the recipe is right here. The only things I changed were to sprinkle some thyme on top and reduce the cooking time to 18 or so minutes to maintain a runny yolk.

So there you go. A method to my madness but still a random post nonetheless. If you remember anything from it, remember this... do not try to wrap a cheetah.

Homemade Kick: PopTarts

Ok, so maybe I'm on a homemade kick, but after you try out these pop-tarts you won't blame me. They are light, buttery and fantastic. Plus I got to use up a lot of my homemade Nutella from last post.


I made three flavors in all: Nutella (of course), brown sugar and rhubarb jam. The brown sugar was my fave, which may have to do with my love of the original brown sugar PopTart, but the the others two were equally as tasty. Not to mention, it was pretty easy if you have the patience to cut out 18 little rectangles out of pie crust dough.


Take a look at the recipe here.


P.S. Excuse the photo, I am trying to get my camera fixed right now so I will be using my crappy camera phone  for a while.

Oscar Gold Granola: Maple Bourbon Granola with a Muscovado Clove Simple Syrup

Ok, so I kinda skipped Valentines Day and went straight on to the Oscars, but I promise to make up for my lack of holiday enthusiasm and heart shaped treats by posting a recipe this time! That's right, this Maple Bourbon Granola and Muscovado Clove Simple Syrup was so good it would be a crime to withhold the how-to from my lovely readers.

So back to the Oscars...I usually don't get that excited for award shows, but this year I got invited to an Oscar party, so I have little golden men on the brain, in a non-creepy way of course. The idea of dressing up and theming my food to Oscar nominated movies really excites me. Do I smell Black (and White) Swan Cookies, I think I do. 

So maybe this granola recipe won't make it to the Oscar party, but it was so golden I couldn't help but give a nod to the Oscars. How gold you might ask? Or you might not ask, but I'll tell you anyways. So picture this... the scene opens on a perfectly golden brown mix of oats, cashews and almonds that have been tossed in pure golden maple syrup and muscovado sugar coming straight out of the oven. A beautiful young starlet tosses in some golden raisins and banana chips and douses the whole lot of it with a couple shots of sweet golden Bullet Bourbon. *The audience gasps!* But wait, the shot fades into a scene taking place over the stovetop where rich golden muscovado sugar is being made into a simple syrup, picking up subtle hints of the cloves that have been a faithful companion to the sugar as it reduces. The film finishes with the young starlet generously pouring the granola onto some plain greek yogurt and then delicately drizzling the simple syrup all over it. She devours it all. The end.

That's pretty golden right? So before you see The King's Speech, Black Swan or even Toy Story 3, give this granola a shot. I promise it will provide you with the strength and energy to withstand the emotional roller-coaster all 3 films will take you on.

Maple Bourbon Granola

Ingredients

• 3 cups quick oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cashews, low or unsalted
• 1/4 cup (plus some to taste) packed muscovado sugar
• 1/4 maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 3/4 cup dried banana chips chopped
• 3 tbsp bourbon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250
2. Combine the oats, almonds, cashews, sugar and maple syrup in a large bowl.
3. Spread your mixture between two baking sheets and put them both in the oven for 30 minutes turning the mixture over every 15 minutes with a spatula to ensure even browning. 
4. At the 30 min mark, turn the heat down to 225 and bake the mixture for 30 more minutes, or until a deep golden color is achieved, turning the mixture over every 15 minutes like before.
5. Transfer the granola to one big bowl. Add the raisins and banana chips and mix to combine. Then pour each shot of bourbon over the mixture, mixing after each shot. 
6. Let the granola cool and dry, then store in a ziploc or tupperware.

Muscovado Clove Simple Syrup

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed muscovado sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 6-7 cloves

Directions

1. Heat all the ingredients together over medium low heat until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens. 
2. Take it off the heat, take out the cloves and store it in a airtight jar at room temp.

Eating: Pour the granola over some plain yogurt, like greek yogurt, and drizzle the simple syrup all over it and devour.

My New Years Resolution: Eat More Pancakes, Spend Less Time Blogging

Happy New Year! Don't you just love new beginnings? I do! I feel fresh, ready for adventure and the freedom and motivation to begin something new. 

However, despite my love for new beginnings, I tend not to make New Years resolutions, not because I don't like them, but because the Holidays are so busy that I simply don't have the time to think that hard about what I really want to begin, change, improve, etc. That's why I quickly scrambled and came up with my first resolution that has no rhyme or reason behind it, EAT MORE PANCAKES!

Which is just what I did January 1st. Josh and I went to Hash House A-Go-Go in San diego and I gorged myself on a Banana Brown Sugar Pancakes the size of Montana. See evidence below...

It's funny, because when I say gorged I mean I ate about a 1/4 of the thing, which, trust me, still counts as gorging. It was absolutely delicious though, I highly recommend stopping by if you're in the San Diego area. 


My second New Years resolution is a little more serious, and took a little more thought and prayer then the first, which is why I didn't come up with it till the 3rd of January, blog less.


Now if you follow my blog, you might be wondering why this is the case, because it appears as though I don't blog that often. And you are right, I don't. But it still takes a significant amount of time to format it right, come up with the content, proof read the content and type out word for word recipes; time I want to spend on more important things and more important people.


Exhibit 1: Jesus Christ

(I realize He probably didn't look like this, but it was the best Google image search had to offer.)

I have come to the conclusion that I need to take some things out of my schedule in order to make more time for the person who should take number one precedent in my life, Jesus. Simply put, the time I spend blogging = less time to be in the Word, be in prayer and simply enjoy Him. And that's simply one equation I don't want to get wrong.


Exhibit 2: My Husband

Isn't he cute? So Josh and I will be moving to San Francisco soon and our schedule is going to be getting much crazier then it is now. So when I come home from a long day, I want to make sure he gets good time with me and my full attention
instead of me telling him to shut his mouth, because I am writing or being short with him because stupid blogger won't format right.


Therefore, from now on, my blog will only contain pictures of my yummy creation, references on where to find the recipes and short captions (oh, also larger fonts and pictures to make up for the lack of content:) At least this will be the case for this season of life, who knows what the future will hold.


So I hope you are not mad; I still love all my faithful readers! I just love Jesus and my husband more. And if you are dying for a recipe, shoot me an email and Ill send it to you. It's a lot easier to do in email then on this frustrating platform, trust me.


Happy New Beginnings!


Love,
Sweet Lady Sass