my first mother’s day with strawberry pancakes!

I couldn’t have asked for better first mother’s day.  My hubby was so sweet and surprised me with the BEST pancakes!  Buttery and slightly sweet with finely chopped strawberries.  Plus every single one he cooked were delectably golden brown, uniform sized and perfectly round!  His recipe is definitely and keeper!  The best part was spending time with my new family of three.  Little S was such a good girl who followed an exact schedule, was bright and cheery and slept like a baby 🙂  She even let us pose her and take he picture.  AND she gave me a smile 🙂

My Hubby’s Strawberry Pancakes

Yields 8 Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg

couple finely chopped strawberries
2 tablespoons butter, melted
cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS

Set griddle temperature to 275

Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to “sour”.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into “soured” milk. Then add strawberries.  Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

 

happy birthday dad!

Dad way in town for us to celebrate his birthday with him.  According to mom, he and his new iPad are inseparable!

give us paper!

We thoroughly enjoyed an excellent dinner at Red Marlin Saturday night. We were especially impressed by the moist and perfectly cooked swordfish

Our real anniversary was spent at Island Prime. We splurged on cocktails and the 5 course tasting menu. I had ordered red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles to sub in for the top tier of our wedding cake which was eaten on Day 1 of our marriage!

I didn’t know what it would be like being married. At first it felt different even though we were together all the time before. I would come home, and I felt that there really was someone there for me. We coasted through our first year, enjoying our new neighborhood on warm summer nights, celebrating holidays with the family, work was bearable. B still looks at me and smiles as he tells me that I’m so cute just watching TV. I’m still excited when he comes home from work.

I have this overwhelming sense of content and didn’t really think about it until I spent time with my friend who feels like she is so far from settling down. When she purchased her first home, it was a place far from being a somewhere to settle into….so that she would stay young at heart. She feared turning 30, so she trained for a half marathon. She recently broke up with her boyfriend and her friend just announced that she was engaged, so she says that she’s not ready for kids and responsibility. And as a part of this quarter life crisis, she buys a new car, with not even a consideration for a car with more than 2 doors because that’s a family car.

I’m finding that the happier I am, the less material things I need. I can enjoy my evenings in our beautiful home…no need to go out- we can entertain here! No need for a fancy car and the frequent shopping trips just to pass the time. Such a lucky girl am I!

welcome to the ‘forever 29’ club!

My good friend dreaded turning 30 for a good portion of this year. Fearing the inevitable reality that cannot stop growing older, she was a couch potato turned half-marathoner. I was so proud of her for setting and accomplishing her goal of crossing the finish line of a 13.1 mile race!

Despite her recent athletic triumph, her body still turned 30 today! To her surprise, 30 wasn’t as bad a she thought it would be! We celebrated at work with Sprinkles cupcakes of many flavors.

We also joined her downtown on a Saturday night at a wone bar club. It was very apparent that B and I are no longer the downtown types that used to be during our ingle years. B complained that we had to wait in line to get inside. We couldn’t figure out where the entrace door was once we were allowed downstairs. The casual talks we had with vrtual strangers at the top of our lungs were not that enjoyable. And to top it off, we complained about how much parking and the drinks cost! I guess after spending the year builing our home, I think we are happier staying home in our PJs than dressing up for a night on the town!

in sickness and in health

Two weekends ago, our friends from LA came to visit for the weekend to celebrate a birthday and a year of survival. It had been a very difficult year for the couple, with P battling cancer at the young age of 35. It was very touching to hear her toast her devoted husband who had supported her through her illness. He had abided by his vow to love her and support her in sickness and in health. She was thankful for her friends and let us know that they would be there for us through thick and thin, understanding how difficult life can be. She broke down in tears when they brought her birthday cake with the candles lit, reminded that she may not have lived to this birthday had she succumbed to her disease.
P’s profession of gratitude and thanks to D really was a fine example of how strong love in a marriage can be. P and D’s love was tested, P’s mortality challenged, and I think it made them stronger in the end. Although it was the first time really spending time with P, she put life back into perspective, highlighting that family and loved ones are the center of happiness. She inspired me to reflect on the the vows I made to B, and I am more thankful for everything that I have.

They say it’s your birthday!

Today is my B’s birthday, and we are having our siblings over for dinner to celebrate. I set the table for 6 for a night of Seafood Fair! I prepared a Crab Stack with Avocado and Mango, Seared Scallops and Salmon with Pomegranate Balsamic Glaze.

I didn’t have a whole lot of time to prepare and cook since I worked that day, so I thought seafood would be the way to go. No long marinating or cooking time! The first course was served around 8pm. Dinner was lively and I think that B had a good time.

Dessert was highly anticipated since I ordered Sprinkles cupcakes for dessert. This Beverly Hills phenomenon just arrived to our hometown maybe about a month or two ago. The lines are out the door UNLESS you order a dozen or more ahead. I took advantage of our big group and ordered 4 different flavors so that each couple would have 4 different flavors to share. The cupcakes were very cute, decorated with their signature modern designs, each flavor having its own design or color scheme. Everyone really liked the red velvets. The banana and carrot were also favorites.

Would I wait in line to pay over 3 dollars for these little bites of heaven? Hmmm, probably not. Although they are very tasty I would rather do something more useful with my time. And why wait over 30 minutes to eat something that you’ll finish in less than 5 minutes?!

What did I get B for his birthday? A Keurig single cup coffee maker that he has been using for the past 3 weeks. Why did he start using it so early, you may ask…well because I’m a terrible hider, and B found it when I asked him to help me put some things away in a closet! Luckily, he didn’t find the jacket I also got for him that was hiding in the other closet!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

To avoid the crowds, we decided to celebrate on Sunday the 13th. I had to work that day, so B searched his favorite online review site to find a great neighborhood place for dinner. He made reservations for us at Pomodoro. What a great find!

The cozy restaurant was buzzing with people. The inside looked like a converted living room. We were seating in the covered patio and was greeted by our Italian waiter. B started off with a glass of red, I had the Proseco.

Looking at the menu, there were so many delicious things to ponder over. We decided to have the pork osso bucco with risotto and a pasta dish. Both were excellent, especially the osso bucco! It was a little intimidating at first, given that the plate was HUGE! We decided to save room for dessert and enjoyed the left overs later that week. We decided to try the strawberry napoleon, which was absolute heaven! We finished off the entire thing, really not like us.

As we got into bed that night, we both agree that it was a very great meal. We will definitely go back again! Thank you for taking me out for our 1st Valentine’s Day as Mr and Mrs!