Perfect Pancakes

So I have finally found the perfect pancake recipe: sour cream pancakes via smitten kitchen via pioneer woman cooks. I've tried all sorts of recipes: traditional buttermilk, whole wheat, yogurt, with fruit inside, but this is my favorite. Airy and light on the inside, buttery golden with a little crisp on the outside, with a hint of tangy sweetness. So good you can eat them on their own (a la little k) or piled high with fruit and maple syrup. The batter is just the right consistency, something I've struggled with in other recipes, so that it spreads when ladled onto the pan but isn't too runny, making the perfect round pancakes with just the right thickness. I also like keeping the fruit separate from the pancakes, often putting fruit into the pancakes messes with the consistency and I have trouble cooking them perfectly. Only change I made to the recipes is using part whole wheat flour. Makes me want to keep a container of sour cream in the fridge at all times, nothing better than impromptu Saturday morning pancakes. Only complaint is that this recipe barely makes enough for the three of us!

Sour Cream Pancakes (adapted from smitten kitchen / pioneer woman)

• Heat up a non stick pan over medium low heat and butter the pan
• In a medium bowl, sift together 4 TB of AP flour, 3 TB of whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 TB of sugar
• Fold in 1 cup of sour cream until just combined and no dry flour
• Separate small bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs and 1/2 tsp of vanilla (sometimes I grate lemon zest too)
• Fold into medium bowl, careful not to over mix
• Turn the stove up to medium and make sure the pan is well buttered (I have really small burners and use a large 12" pan to maximize the # of pancakes, so I turn the heat higher than most recipes)
• Ladle scant 1/4 cups of batter into the pan. Usually I fit about 4 on a pan. Flip after about 3 minutes when you see small bubbles in the batter. Should flip easily and should be golden brown. Cook for another 2-3 mins on the other side

Kitty Flats

I almost died from cuteness overload when I saw one of little k's friends wearing these kitty flats at library storytime the other day. I've been obsessed with Charlotte Olympia's Kitty Flats for forever now and tried really hard to find a pair this sale season (for myself) but came up empty handed. I couldn't believe this pair from Old Navy, just adore the black (faux) suede and gold embroidery details. Sadly, these shoes are pretty much all sold out online and in stores, I called a bunch of stores this morning. I bought this pair on the promenade but they are just a bit too snug for little k, so sad! I also bought the mouse and fox versions, but they just aren't as cute, but for less than $7, they are keepers.

Charlotte Olympia version. Image from www.netaporter.com

Wednesday Wine Day

I recently decided that I need to keep better notes on my wine drinking as right now, tis the season for wine mailers. I am only on the mailing list for a few of my favorite wineries (mostly pinots): Kosta Browne, Rivers Marie, Sea Smoke and Carlisle, but those are enough to keep us well stocked and satiated, plus they all consistently make great wines. While I would love to purchase my full allocation, my budget and wine fridge space dictates that I must edit, but it's hard to remember annually exactly which single vineyards are my favorite. So to make sure I was making the right choices on the Rivers Marie mailer, we opened a bottle of 2011 Summa Sonoma Coast to go with the latest Downton Abbey. And I am glad we did because we are going to order a few more bottles for 2012, it is a beautiful wine. Lovely nose that you just want to dive into, with that distinctive cherry Pinot character. The taste is a little more delicate than the bigger Rivers Marie wines, but beautifully delicate, with decent acidity and structure and even just a little pepper at the end. Not the longest finish but still lovely. Way too nice of a bottle for an ordinary weekday but a nice way to indulge.

Back to the Future: Fur, Fringe and Zig Zags

Isabel Marant x H&M black and white silk blouse, Isabel Marant x H&M fringe boots, Lanvin x H&M fur vest, Lululemon denim leggings, Prada sunglasses

A casual brunch outfit for Sunday, when we had the P family over. A bit more of a 70's (60's?) vibe than my usual style, with the patterned peasant blouse, fringe and bucket bag, but comfortable and easy. It's actually sorta chilly (in the 60's) so the fur vest was a cozy and necessary touch. Actually both the Lanvin x H&M fur vest and Isabel Marant x H&M black and white silk blouse are borrowed from my mom, not sure I want to give them back!

Italian Date Night Outfit

Isabel Marant x H&M embroidered beaded jacket, Isabel Marant Prescott boots, Chanel purse and Zara Mini Skort

I enjoy any opportunity to dress up, so a last minute date night dinner at Bucato was the perfect occasion to wear my Isabel Marant x H&M embroidered jacket and knee high Isabel Marant Prescott boots. We went to Bucato in Culver City, in the Helms Bakery complex near Fathers Office and Lukshon. Our favorites were the gnocchetti with rabbit, sausage and sprouting broccoli spicy pasta and peas and proscuitto ravioli, as well as the fried squash blossoms with goat cheese. I like the texture and heartiness of the smaller handmade pastas versus the longer pastas like the papperdelle and spaghetti. It was unusually bright in the restaurant, which was a little weird. Any night out for just the two of us feels special, so it was a lovely way to spend an evening.

The Zara Skort: the Reverse Mullet

Black Zara Mini Skort, Helmut Lang tee, Isabel Marant x H&M boots

That's not a typo, I've actually embraced the comeback of the skort. I don't think I've worn a skort since middle school, but leave it to Zara to come up with this versatile update of the reverse mullet of clothes, party in the front, business in the back. Love the origami style folded front, set of pockets and best part is, they are shorts! It's a touch polyestery, with a little bit of shine and wrinkles, which is my only complaint. I guess it's been pretty popular in various blogs, although I haven't really kept up with fashion blogs since little k's arrival. It's the perfect piece of clothing for chasing after a toddler, worry free while sitting on the floor reading books or running around a playground. The black goes with everything and I can even wear it now in the middle of winter here in LA. It's easy to dress down with a sweatshirt and flats or dress up with a structured jacket and boots or heels. This will be a nice replacement for the slightly too big black Vena Cava shorts that I wore to death last summer simply because they matched everything. Update: I picked up the white version for $15.99 today. I like the black better, the white reminds me of a tennis skirt, but at that price, I will figure out how to make it work.

Pockets!

Winter Lite: Layers of Grey

Etoile Isabel Marant Lexy Jacket, Helmut Lang tee, Isabel Marant x H&M kids sweatpants, H&M x Maison Martin Margiela heels, Prada sunglasses

First blog post of 2014! My go to comfortably loose look lately, based around knit sweatpants and a t-shirt. In the absence of true winter weather and being able to embrace my typical winter attire, I haven't been able to muster the effort in getting dressed up; been gravitating towards lots of greys, whites and blacks lately. This bag however is my latest obsession... Been a great start to 2014, lovely family time, tons of shopping, tasty home cooked meals, even some yoga and exercise!