Sunday, October 30, 2011

Happy Halloween! Almost...

Halloween falls on a Monday. Boo. So we celebrated all weekend by watching Halloween movies and for breakfast today I made Pumpkin Waffles.


Seriously, maybe the best waffles I have ever had. They're a little sweet once you get the whipped cream and syrup on top but that's why you make ham and eggs to balance out with some saltiness right?


I don't know what I'd do without my ipad! Its the best cookbook.


Everything's all mixed up, egg whites folded in and the waffle iron is hot!


If you're interested in making them here's the recipe with my additions in (parentheses).

Best Ever Pumpkin Waffles

INGREDIENTS
makes 4 round “Belgian” style pumpkin waffles or 8 small square waffles

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg*
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk ( I subbed in Vanilla no sugar added almond milk)
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin

(• 1 vanilla bean scraped in (add to the milk/egg/pumpkin mixture).........)

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm

*Grated and lightly packed into the spoon, use 1/2 tsp. Grated and loosely scooped, this is about 1 tsp. of nutmeg. If you have to use pre-grated, dried nutmeg, use 1/4 tsp.

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil, and set it to the desired temperature.

2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend.

3. Separate eggs: yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.

4. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside.

5. Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form – about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Set aside.

6. Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine.

7. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added.

8. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.

9. Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter! I continued to cook them until they were a nice golden brown color and a little crispy. They are much more moist and do take a little bit longer.

Yum.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Wedding Venue

We've finally picked our wedding venue! It took a lot of going back and forth but in our hearts we knew we'd only be happy having our wedding at the Marvimon in Downtown LA.

It is exactly what I have always envisioned for what my wedding would be!

Beautiful greenery and exposed brick walls but with lots of kitschy areas.


*all pictures borrowed from all over the web



Monday, October 10, 2011

Weekend Round Up

I might have had the laziest weekends of weekends. I did manage to make it out of my house for Zumba, a manicure and the farmers market but that is about it. For some reason I needed to catch up on some major z's. It was actually really nice to relax at home for once!

This picture is the only proof I made it out! Taken in front of our favorite little french restaurant having an iced latte while waiting for a friend to hit the Mar Vista Farmers Market! I'm stoked to go to this farmers market! They have organic, sustainably farmed seafood, beef, poultry, goat, lamb, eggs and raw milk! Plus lots of organic/sustainable fruit and veggie farmers! It feels good to shop local and support my farmers.