Archives for January 2011

a few of my favorite things…

Just for fun, I thought I’d do a “favorite things” post. It’s awfully cold out today (and will be ever colder tomorrow), so I am spending the morning under a cozy blanket watching dvr’ed episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. A very perfect Saturday morning in my humble opinion.

Here goes it…

Current Favorites…

eating dove milk chocolate valentine’s promises
lands end canvas winter sale
snow days and weekends
retro camera and hipstamatic phone photos

Things I want to do…

take a photography workshop
travel to Paris, the Greek Islands, and New Zealand
make PW’s brownie bites
my very own DIY project

Books I want to read again…

Harry Potter (1-7)
The Red Tent
Clan of the Cave Bear
Peace Like a River

Movies that I love…

A Little Princess
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Miracle on 34th Street
Little Women
The Twilight Saga (Cheesy, I know, but I love it all the same)

Fictional characters I want to be friends with…

Anne of Green Gables
Angela Chase
Veda Sultanfus
Julia Salinger
Ron Weasly

Real life people I wish I could meet..

Ellen Degeneres
Michelle Obama
Ann Curry
Taylor Swift
Dave Matthews

What are your favorites? I’d love to hear ’em!

Have a nice weekend!!

sale of the day at garnet hill!

I have a small (i.e. large) obsession with bedding. Specifically, with quilts.

Today I discovered the above Lilly Pullitzer quilt and shams, in the EXACT colors of my bedroom, for $300 dollars (!!) off via the Garnet Hill “Sale of the Day”. $36 for the quilt and two shams. I am not lying to you. I am bringing you the best news of your life.

Sale of the Day happens every day and the Friday sale lasts all weekend. This means that you have two more days to pick up this fun quilt for yourself. So bold and summery. I love pink and orange together.

joy the baker’s chocolate buttermilk pancakes

Hooray for another SNOW DAY! I can hardly believe it, it’s almost too good to be true.

I actually started to get ready this morning. I got up and checked the school closings, did NOT find my school on the list, and so I preceded (drudgingly) to get ready for my day. On my way to the kitchen to get my morning coffee I thought I heard the sound of my cell phone ringing, so I stopped dead in my tracks, waited, and when I heard the ringing again, I BOLTED back to my bedroom in a giddy frenzy. I WIN! I WIN! I thought with excitement as I jumped back into bed with the most satisfied feeling.

When I did eventually wake up, 3 and a half glorious hours later, I decided to make Joy the Baker’s delectable milk chocolate buttermilk pancakes. These pancakes are divine. My choice to make these was a last minute one, and to my lucky surprise I still had buttermilk in my fridge from my buttermilk biscuit adventure (and a successful one at that).

For my milk chocolate buttermilk pancake adventure, I did not have any milk chocolate chips. Or semi-sweet for that matter. I was chocolate chip-less and at first very disappointed about it. But then I remembered I had just impulsively picked up a bag of dove milk chocolate promises, which I have been eating incessantly since I bought them… about a day ago. Oh jeez. Chocolate, you complete me.

So, in order to get some chocolate into my pancakes, a requirement since I was a little girl, I cut some of these wonderful little chocolate promises up and threw them right into the batter. GLOrious.

Great idea, right?? I thought so.

Don’t forget to read the promises! I love this one because it’s true:

The best things in life are chocolate.

And snow days too, of course.

These are the fluffiest, most delicious pancakes. You should make them. I’m serious. Don’t wait any longer! Make them RIGHT NOW!

Joy the Baker’s Milk Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes– YUM!

2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips (Dove milk chocolate promises work perfectly!!)

oil or cooking spray (for cooking)

Step 1: In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and let batter set for a few minutes.
Step 2: Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, if or when the drops start to dance its hot enough.
Step 3: Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Happy Friday!!

stripes!

Stripes, stripes, and more stripes! Loving all the styles, each found at j.crew!

Love this scarf too! Stripes aplenty, stripes galore.

Today is the start of the weekend factory sale online– hit it up! I wonder if they will have any stripes?!