Pancakes for breakfast - good coffee, but no cake.

This morning started with buttermilk pancakes. Georgia and Wylder requested them as soon as they opened their eyes.

It is our favorite pancake recipe and if I ever try to vary from it,  even a bit (I attempted to introduce an oatmeal pancake recipe from the lovely Orangette lately), everybody complained fiercely.
I highly recommend giving this recipe a try, especially if you have kids,
Georgia and Wylder are the mixers and tasters.  As we stand crowded over the bowl they dip their fingers in the sugar, and try out the batter many, many times before it hits the griddle. So if you like it's a family affair. 
Recipe adapted from David Rosengarten. enjoy!
 Best ever Buttermilk Pancakes. 

Dry ingredients:
11/4 cup all purpose flour.
1/4tsp baking soda
1/4tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients.
In the pancake pan, melt 3 Tbls of butter (even let it burn a little, smells so good) and set aside.
In a bowl whisk together.
1 large egg
11/4 cup of buttermilk.
2Tbls sugar.
1tsp Vanilla
add the melted butter while whisking.

Now add dry ingredients, once brought together let sit for 5 minutes before scooping onto the hot griddle.
I usually use 1/3 cup size measuring cup as a scoop, this makes  for medium size pancakes. .
Although they are made with butter we always smear on more before we drizzle the honey.
Yes, honey. myself I'm a maple syrup girl, but for some reason (Daniel) everybody else takes honey on their pancakes - not me. . . .

If I have any batter left over(I usually do) I make them all and warp in aluminum foil to keep in the refrigerator.
They can be warmed up in the toaster anytime, up to a week later,  and they taste fresh and delicious.

For lunch it was simple chicken soup.

I had made it two days ago and am still enjoying it, as such soups get better a few days in. 

I added Cannellini beans while I was warming up a portion for myself today. I love their rich creamy texture and it went very well with the soup. There aren't too many soup justifying days in LA so I'm making the most out of what little winter we got here before the heat strikes yet again.

Chicken soup is always a soul comforting food for me as well as supposedly being a very nutritious food choice. 

Shortly afterward it was a perfect cup of coffee to that carried me through the afternoon. Sometimes I think I enjoy the choice of cup and the way it looks next to my computer, more than the coffee itself. I leave it on the desk a long time afterward just for the whiff of atmosphere it exudes.

I am trying hard to abstain from baking something this afternoon, as we still have some oatmeal muffins left, and no one in this household is as keen on baked goods as myself. 

I always feel that cooking of any sort needs justification beyond just me and I don't want to over feed my family members especially not with cakes and muffins.  That said, I need to bake, or at least cook something very soon and it will probably be on my next post if not tonight.
A good cup of coffee in the afternoon is always a mini celebration though, even without cake. 
You might have noticed it's been mainly soups lately,
and no lovely sex to report either.
Yes, it's not just the lack of cake, but funny things go together.
There has been nothing sweet about our financial woes lately and these have not brought on a romantic mood.
Daniel has had to take on a job that he hates and while I'm hoping that some of our designs will be ready for a Baby show in Las Vegas next year (and that we'll be able to afford making them) Right now things are dire.
But things can change in an instant sometimes. It starts with something small and then before you know it there's hope and joy and sweet things too.
Next time you're here, if you see a cake . . . .
This is Mrs. Butterfly and Mr. Caterpillar made by Georgia this afternoon.

Down in Little Tokyo.
A favorite restaurant of ours in little Japan is a simple unpretentious dive that serves up a mix of Japanese and Chinese favorite dishes.
We ordered Pork Ramen a beef chow main with vegetables and a side dish of vegetable Gyoza.

It's been a rough start of new year.
My new cell phone fell into the washing machine and died.
And all the prototype designs we were waiting on were delayed for what seemed like forever.
Nothing had began with the New Year and again we scrambled for rent.
But going out to eat in another world of food and culture made me feel new to myself and forget about my troubles completely (almost).
Finally today some of our designs arrived and they look so pretty that I got my hopes all up and going once again.
It amazes me how just what goes on in your head can make one day sunny and the other hopeless and gray. But then again, I even love gray days, so it's truly all how you look at it, right?



When we got home I made dessert,
I had made Olive Oil Yogurt cake the day before and now I added a quickly whipped a sauce from frozen blueberries and sour cream - delicious.














I'm determined to keep it sweet.
So what if things did not start at all gloriously,
They could still turn around and this will prove to be a good year after all, right? Right.