MORNING MUSTS: COFFEE AND PANCAKES

Good morning! Danny and I had some time this morning to sit down and make coffee and breakfast. He's more of an egg and avocado guy, which I do love, but I can always go for some decadent pancakes. These pancakes are cinnamon raisin after my love for cinnamon raisin bread. It has a comfort food taste with a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon and sugar on top. I don't even think they need syrup! I've placed the recipe below for any of you that are craving them :)

Coffee is also always a must in the morning. My mom surprised me with this antique coffee grinder. It's such a beautiful piece and still functions. Danny brewed us some Kauai Blue Mountain Peaberry Coffee his mom brought back from Hawaii. It's got some sweet notes and tastes really smooth. 

I hope you all take some time to enjoy your mornings, even if it's once a week. It's the perfect time to reflect and rejuvenate!

Cinnamon Raisin Pancake mix:

Batter:

-1 cup pancake mix

-1/2 cup of almond milk

-1 egg

-1 tbsp. vegetable oil

-1/3 cup raisins

-Dash of cinnamon

-1 tsp. vanilla extract

Toppings:

-Sprinkle confectioner's sugar and cinnamon on top

-Garnish with a few raisins

-Use real maple syrup if desired!

Have a wonderful day!

<3 Annalise 

Favorites of the Week

This week has been full of little surprises and awesome stuff that reminds me how grateful I am for everyone and everything in my life. I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite things from this week, and I'm hoping you all had some memorable moments too!

1. Amy and I went to this awesome event in New Haven called "Love Haven". It has vendors for small businesses, bloggers and artists to share their creativity. We were totally overjoyed at how awesome the people are and all the things they're doing. One vendor we stopped at was the Cornwall Beard Oil table. This husband and wife duo make the coolest all-natural products including beard oil, birch balm, and mustache wax from their farm in Cornwall, CT. Amy and I had to snag the birch balm (seeing as we don't have beards or mustaches), and I'm in love. Also, my mom gave me this gardener's soap since she knows I love natural scents/bar soap! 

2. Danny surprised me this week with a mug I have been wanting for a while. I recently ordered a mug online that, well err, turned out to be more of a shot glass. In hopes to revive my happy morning coffee addiction, he graced me with this enamel camper mug.  Now I'm a happy lady with warm coffee all morning long.

3. This was actually my gift to Danny for Valentine's Day, but I have a feeling it will be shared. We have both been looking to invest in a Pendleton 100% wool blanket. This particular one I found in a vintage shop in pristine condition. The color pallet is also great, and I'm so happy on this find!

4. Lastly, this painting is one of the Valentine's Day gifts I got from Danny. He's always making me paintings and cards, especially on holidays. I loved this cute painting he did for me, and can't wait to hang it on my wall next to all the others.

I hope everyone's week has been awesome and fun! Let us know if you had any favorites of the week:) 

<3 Annalise 

VALENTINE'S DAY HEART PANCAKES

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I had to bring you a cute treat! I'm typically one for cookies, brownies, and cakes (pretty much any dessert)! Instead, I wanted to bring you guys a yummy breakfast treat this fun holiday. Whether it's a serving for one or two, these pancakes are sure to start off your day right! Plus, they give you something to swoon over before taking on the day <3

For this specific recipe, I used my favorite pancake mix by Maple Grove Farms of Vermont as the base mix. I then added ingredients to complete my desired taste. 

Ingredients:

-1 cup Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Buttermilk & Honey Pancake mix

-1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

-1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

-11/2 tsp. Red Food Color

-1/2 cup Almond Milk*

-Confectioners Sugar

-Strawberries

-2 tbsp. Canola Oil*

Yields about 12 heart pancakes.

*I substituted the water and egg with a touch more canola oil and almond milk so that I would not have to use eggs in this recipe!

Directions:

1. Preheat greased griddle on a medium-low setting.

2. In a large bowl, mix together vanilla extract, almond milk, and oil. Add more almond milk if too thick for your liking.       Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, mix Maple Grove pancake mix and ground cinnamon. 

4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to wet in the large bowl until smooth.

5. After everything is smooth, add the red food coloring. Mix until fully blended.

6. When the pan is heated, pour a thin layer of pancake mix and cook until puffy with bubbles. Do this for each side.

7. Once cooked, remove from griddle and set on a cutting board. Use the heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes.           Place shapes on desired platter. Repeat until amount desired.

8. Garnish platter of hearts with cut strawberries and a sprinkle of confectioners sugar. (Or add anything that your                   favorite!)

9. Share and enjoy!

This is a great dish for Valentine's day because everything is already pre-cut and ready to share! Cuddled up with the perfect cup of coffee and you're all set. What's better than a good breakfast and coffee? I already shared these with Danny today because we love that breakfast time together. I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day! And remember you can treat just yourself to these pancakes Friday morning to remind yourself how awesome and great you truly are :)

<3 Annalise 

DIY WINTER MEMORIES

It's officially really snowy today in New England, and I'm in love with it. Having a snow day means trying to find great ways to entertain myself while trapped in doors. Although it's easy to hang and watch movies all day, sometimes I feel like being productive and creative! For anyone looking for a way to be creative and keep busy, I suggest you make your own memory/keepsake box! I LOVE having this box because I can store old photos, cards, and random items from places I've been. The box I used was from a Christmas gift. I bought some white crackle paint, and used other household items to assemble this. Some great around the house items you can use are:

-Old Books

-Wire

-Scrap Paper

-Old cloth towels

-Ribbons

-Clothespins

-Buttons

-Dried Flowers

The best part is you can make this unique to your taste! I love anything vintage and antique-y, so I designed my box around that style. Hope this helps inspire you on your snow day!

<3 Annalise 

Pretty Pyrography

As much as I love thrifting for clothes, I truly love going antiquing and picking up unique items. One of my latest finds is this pyrography wooden box. To be honest, I had never come across anything like this piece before (although now I've spotted a few!). It spoke to me because I love painting and drawing girls from vintage post cards alongside collecting cameos. This also reminded me a lot of my boyfriend, Danny, because he makes amazing flash paintings. These flowers and this girl look so similar to something he'd do. What I love about finding pieces like this is that they look beautiful, but are also very useful! I decided to use this box as a jewelry holder displayed with picked sea shells from Fire Island. I felt like the wood vibe went really well with the rustic feel of the items it's placed with. Just the style of this box reminds me so much of why I love to paint and be creative with fashion! I believe it's important to surround yourself with the things that inspire you and make you feel good. 

<3 Annalise