Back to School...before and after

Just like about every other kid, Callie had her first day back at school this fall! When I say "school," it's really a once-a-week Mother's Day Out program that she goes to. She is such a little extrovert that she LOVES to go and play with the "kids."

We took some pictures outside our house before she left.

I was comparing these pictures with one year ago before her first day. Wow, the difference a year makes! Callie, you are growing up so fast! You are such a beautiful little girl. We love you so much!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Wow, I feel like it's been a really long time since I've posted a recipe on this blog. I have quite a few in my head that I want to share with you all, so today I will start with one of my new favorites. Do you ever make something and then think you want this to be one of your "classic" recipes? That was the case with these pancakes.

I'm getting ahead of myself. We recently went on a trip to Napa Valley and I noticed a theme with the breakfast menus. Ricotta Pancakes were everywhere. One little diner we visited had Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. I found a perfect recipe online (Williams-Sonoma) and made them just about as soon as we got home. Twice.

They did not disappoint (full recipe below).

I love lemon zest. I need to find more things to put it in. I've noticed the price of a whole bag of lemons (at Super Target) is about $2.50, while one lemon is $.66 I think. That's a no-brainer- buy the whole bag. they look pretty on the countertop, anyway!

Here's the ricotta, milk, eggs, and lemon zest. Egg yolks, that is-

-the egg whites go in a separate bowl so they can be frothed. I just did this with a for.

There's about a cup of ricotta in the pancakes, which makes them nice and dense...but the frothy eggs make it nice and fluffy, all at the same time.

Don't burn the pancakes. Oops.

And makes sure to have plenty of help in the kitchen! :)

Come visit our Bed and Breakfast sometime, and I will make you some Lemon Ricotta Pancakes! :)

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes (from Williams-Sonoma)

1 c ricotta (I used whole milk ricotta)
1 c milk
3 eggs, separated
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 c cake flour (I found this in a box at Super Target)
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt

In large bowl, whisk ricotta, egg yolks, milk, and lemon juice/zest. Add remaining ingredients, minus the egg whites, and stir until just together. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Fold into batter. Cook pancakes on medium heat and flip until done.

Enjoy!

Napa & Recipes To Come...

How do you even begin to describe how wonderful a kid-free trip was? It was. Wonderful, that is. I surprised my husband with a long weekend in Napa Valley. I'm not sure if he was more surprised that I planned a trip without him, or that I didn't bring along my (8-month-old) baby.

I had a blast playing around with my camera. Enjoy the pics and a peek into our trip...

Pretty much what you do in Napa is eat and drink. And relax. We visited a couple of wineries each day, and then made reservations at a restaurant each night. Life is tough, huh? :) Some wineries we visited (for the friends who told me they also are planning a trip to Napa)~

• Robert Mondavi (pictured above) - a good tour
• Cade - amazing views, really good, expensive wine, by appointment only - loved this one
• Frog's Leap - our favorite (pictured below), by appointment only {thanks Steph!}
• Beringer - not the greatest wine or experience
• Domaine Chandon - a sparkling wine/champagne tour - nice views and service

I think we ended up enjoying the boutique wineries the best - more personal and better service. However, we didn't realize until we got there that many of the boutique wineries require appointments.

One thing I am so inspired by from visiting Napa is all of the beautiful gardens! Everywhere we went, it seemed, there were the most beautiful and peaceful gardens, flowers, vegetables, growing. This is one domestic aspect I haven't quite grasped, but am totally inspired by this after visiting this place. I couldn't stop commenting on (and taking pictures of) the foliage, as you can tell. :)

Oh, and the food... My new favorite thing is California cuisine. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure exactly how to describe California cuisine, so I looked it up (thanks Wikipedia):

"California cuisine is a style of cuisine marked by an interest in fusion cuisine (integrating disparate cooking styles and ingredients) and in the use of freshly prepared local ingredients. The food is typically prepared with strong attention to presentation."


We also had the most amazing breakfasts. Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Dungeness Crab Omelets, Mini Apple-Ring Donuts... I have some recipes for these things coming up in my next post, so stay tuned.

We stopped in San Francisco for the day too. Except the hustle and bustle made us miss Napa, so we actually headed back early and had another dinner there instead of the city (Bottega and Market were two of our favorite restaurants. And Boone Fly Cafe in Sonoma. Oh and the Fremont Diner).

(I liked the molding and photo arrangement in the pic below)

Okay, a few breakfast recipes to come! Don't miss them. :)