Birthday Cake Pancakes

With my birthday a day away, I wanted to start off my birthday weekend with something sweet and delicious.  I was in the kitchen  and whipped these up  in no time! These pancakes have amazing flavor and they really do taste like birthday cake.  The sprinkles make the pancakes very festive and colorful and  so fun! They are so delicious on their own, they almost don't need anything on them, but they are scrumptious with glaze or a dollop of whipped cream. 

Even if its not your birthday these are amazing for breakfast!

Whipped cream and sprinkles. Doesn't just looking at it 

make you smile?

Some things are  impossible to describe

These pancakes are one of those things

But if you want to see how amazing these are...

Cake Batter Pancakes

makes about 12 pancakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour or Bisquick

2/3 cup yellow cake mix or funfetti cake mix

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 cups milk

assorted sprinkles

Combine flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix. Add 1 cup of milk, egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. The batter should be the consistency of regular pancake batter, you may need to add  more milk if batter is too thick.

Preheat a skillet on medium heat . Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter. Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet and let cook until bubbles form on top, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more. Serve with vanilla glaze or whipped cream.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon softened butter

assorted sprinkles

Mix milk, extract and powdered sugar until glaze forms. You may need to add a little more sugar or water/milk to reach desired consistency. Mix into glaze and drizzle on pancakes.

 I don't need an excuse to have sprinkles and whipped cream. You don't need one either and if you want to know just how good they are?

Well, you just have to try them:-)

Varga Boutique

Varga is an amazing boutique hidden in the community of El Segundo, California. This is one of those hidden gems you almost want to keep to yourself, but it would have been selfish of me not to tell you about such an amazing clothing boutique. The selection is fantastic! And the price point is affordable with a great mix of trendy and classic pieces of clothing.  

What I love about this store just as much as the super cute clothing, is the friendly staff that works here.  I am always sold when a store has great customer service, and the young ladies that work here not only pleasantly greet you, but they will grab cute clothes that they think fit your style and set up a dressing room for you while your browse through their diverse selection of clothing, jewelry and other accessories. The personal service almost feels like having a great stylist at your disposal for a few minutes. I loved having someone look at me and say: "I've got something that would look amazing on you" and then bring me an item that made me fall in love at first site:-)

It is that type of service that makes me return to an establishment. The personal touch goes a long way.

Vintage and Girly

 The store has prints of style icons adorning the walls and a cute shabby chic vibe

How cute is this!

They have an amazing selection of scarves to 

complement your outfit

 

Cute Jewels and Shoes !

Great selection of affordable and stylish clothing

The icing on the cake are the adorable Audrey Hepburn 

inspired dressing rooms

 

And there is a great spot for lounging if  you nee to relax from looking at all of those pretty clothes:-)

You can even check out your favorite fashion and lifestyle magazines while you lounge

A unique shopping experience and great personal attention make this store a great place to shop! And if you live in Southern California, there are three other locations available to you. If you don't live in Los Angeles, check out the 

Varga website at: /http://www.vargastore.com/store/

Varga Boutique

730-C Allied Way

El Segundo, CA

310-640-0700

Romano Bread Puffs with Basil & Garlic Infused Oil

 These are do delicious that like a great potato chip, you won't be able to stop at just one. A Light fluffy bread puff is a great prelude to a delicious meal or is a great as a snack any time of day. What takes this delicious bread to the next level is the garlic and basil infused dipping oil, which is the perfect costar for this flavorful romano bread. Try the dipping sauce with other breads such as your favorite crusty baguette, or drizzled over vegetables. It is amazing!

You know you want to try one. Don't you?

Romano Bread Puff Ingredients

  1           Cup  Warm Water -- (110-115 degrees)
  2 1/4     Teaspoons  Yeast
  2           Tablespoon  brown sugar
  2           Tablespoons  milk
  1           Tablespoon  Butter -- melted
  1           Tablespoon  Olive Oil
  1           Teaspoon  Olive Oil
  1           Teaspoon  salt
  1           Tablespoon  corn meal
  3            cups  flour

Instructions
Add water, brown sugar, and yeast to a bowl and stir. Let sit 5 minutes until creamy.

Add milk, butter, oil, salt and corn meal to yeast mixture and mix with wire-whisk 30 seconds.

Add 2 1/2 cups of flour and mix for 5 minutes

Scrape the sides of the bowl and form dough into a ball. Pour remaining flour (1/2 cup) around the outsides. Mix for 5 minutes on speed 2.

Remove dough from mixer and place in a well greased glass bowl big enough to allow the dough to double in size. Place damp towel on top of bowl, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size. (for best results, place bowl on top of the stove with the oven on and keep the towel damp)  

 Once dough has doubled in size, roll out dough until it is approximately 1/8 inch thick. Roll into 2 inch balls and fry in 360 degree F oil. and 180 degrees C for  3-5 minutes (they will puff up and turn golden brown) Allow them to cool just enough so you can handle them. Place in a clean paper bag with romano cheese and shake gently or use a shaker to generously coat with the cheese.

 
Basil Garlic Oil
 
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup extra virgin oil oil
1 pinch sea salt 

For the basil garlic oil, bring  a small saucepan with water to a boil. Add the basil leaves and boil for half a minute. Drain and rinse quickly with cold water. Add the basil leaves and garlic to a food processor or blender. Pulse until finely minced. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and with the food processor or blender running, add the oil and continue processing until the oil takes on a green hue. Strain the mixture and pour onto serving plate or in a condiment dish. You can also stir in a tiny bit of the solids that have been strained for more flavor and texture. 

Bon Appetit!

Flirty yellow, black and white dress

Happy Monday loves! How was your weekend? I had a blast! Me and my little one went on a fun foodie adventure, you can read about that here. And I attended one of the most elegant and cutest baby shower's ever. I will share some of the photos towards the end of this post. There are a lot of photos, but the baby shower was just too cute not to share some of the details.

Last week, I posted something every single day and although that was a challenge, I really loved being able to give you a 360 degree experience and post something fashion, food and lifestyle related. How did you like seeing a post every day?

My ensemble from yesterday is the perfect day to night outfit. this is a very feminine and flirty dress, which I wore with a sweater and ballerina flats for the baby shower. I transformed the look for an evening outing by adding heels and a motorcycle jacket. Presto Chango!, LOL

I am starting to love dresses that have a little POUF to them, LOL

Ready to paint the town red!

I love the vibrant yellow in this dress

 Don't you love a great pair of heels?

 

 I thought these lanterns were such a nice touch at the amazing baby shower I was honored to be a part of

Meet Chloe, a beautiful and radiant mommy to be and certainly one of the most stylish mommies to be I have seen. Isn't she gorgeous?

Sweet treats for guests

Dots and stripes in shades of pewter and yellow. Gorgeous!

So many cute details including these cure purses filled with candy. Perfect for such a stylish mommy to be:-)

Bottled water for guests to enjoy

Mother and daughter, but they look like sisters. I love it!

Our mom to be Chloe and one of her beautiful friends

Chloe and yours truly:-) It is a coincidence that I match the decor, LOL

Isn't this the cutest cake? It tasted as good as it looks. Guess who had two big ol slices, LOL

Panera Mac n Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods. I grew up eating southern baked macaroni and cheese loaded with an obscene amount of cheddar cheese, but this creamy white macaroni and cheese is every bit as flavorful.  I was thrilled to find this recipe up for grabs on the Panera Bread website and couldn't wait to make it at home. 

My son and I love eating lunch at Panera, and this mac n cheese is one of our favorite items on the menu. This stove top mac n cheese is creamy with a hint of Dijon and plenty of  white cheese. Although it is not listed as an ingredient, I love to add a tiny dash of nutmeg to white sauces. It adds an incredible depth of flavor. There is nothing like simple comfort food to bring a smile to your face:-)

Panera Bread’s Signature Macaroni & Cheese
Adapted by Head Chef Dan Kish

Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) package of rigati pasta (or other small pasta shells)
¼ cup butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups milk or cream
6 slices white American cheese, chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) shredded extra-sharp white Vermont cheddar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon hot sauce

Directions
1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

2. Melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly.

3. Gradually whisk in milk (or cream); cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat.

4. Add cheeses, mustard, salt, and hot sauce, stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.

5. Stir in pasta and cook over medium heat for 1 minute (or until thoroughly heated).

Serves 4 to 6