Double Take.

JCrew blouse & boots//Gap skimmers

Here's to a beautiful weekend at the beach - rain or shine. The view along the way is enough to make you do a double take. Absolutely incredible. Happy Easter! xo

Pineapple Upside-Down Pancakes.

I could kick myself for not stopping for my favorite pancake spot in Colorado during our recent road trip. I've never had anything so good in my life (and I don't even like pineapple). Let me just break it down for you - pineapple pancakes with vanilla creme anglaise and topped with cinnamon butter = heaven. It takes forever and 3 days to make, but the end result makes for a delicious breakfast (or breakfast for dinner).

Pineapple Upside-Down Pancakes

Ingredients:

For the pineapple:

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 1 large pineapple, peeled, cut into eight 1/2" rounds, cored
• 3/4 cup dark rum
• 1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

For the pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp bourbon vanilla extract
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Directions:

For the pineapple, melt butter with cinnamon stick in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook until butter begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add pineapple slices and cook until light golden brown, 4-5 minutes per side. Remove skillet from heat; add rum and brown sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until juices are thick and syrupy. Transfer pineapple to a plate; let cool. 

For the pancakes, preheat oven to 325°F. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, egg, butter, and bourbon vanilla extract; whisk until smooth. Heat a griddle or large heavy skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Working in batches, pour batter by 1/4-cupfuls onto griddle. Cook each pancake until golden brown and bubbles form on top, about 2 minutes. Top each pancake with a pineapple ring. Flip; cook until pancake is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place pancakes on prepared rack and bake in oven until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Bourbon Vanilla Creme Anglaise

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups milk

1 1/2 tsp bourbon vanilla extract

Directions: Fill a large bowl with ice water and keep nearby. Separate the eggs, only keeping the yolks and discard the whites. Beat the egg yolk with a whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and whisk until the sugar is fully incorporated and the yolks are a pale shade of yellow, about 2 minutes. Heat the milk in a double-boiler until almost simmering; do not let come to a boil. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture, mix constantly and return the custard into the double-boiler. Gently hear, stirring continuously. Remove the top part of the double-boiler and sit over the bowl of ice water to cool. Stir in the bourbon and stir mixture every-so-often until fully cooled.

Cinnamon Butter

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 oz granulated sugar

2 oz brown sugar

4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions: Mix and beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon together, until smooth. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy!

Bombs Away.

FAY jacket, $108,610 / Burberry Brit metallic jacket / Alexander Wang jacket / rag & bone colorful jacket / Scotch & Soda summer jacket, $155 / Dorothy Perkins printed jacket / Topshop college jacket / Oasis printed jacket, $91

I'm not gonna lie - I love a good bomber jacket. No matter the fabric, pattern or cut, a bomber jacket offers clean lines derived from a more utilitarian purpose. 

I attribute my fathers influence to this love as I would dress up in his uniform as a little girl....

 Cute bangs, huh?

Perfect Fit.

Gap

Feeling a little like Goldie Lock here - most skinny jeans are too tight in the legs or the rise is too low, but these Gap skimmer jeans fit just right. Obsessed.

On the real though, the lighter denim is a bit too see-through for my taste. So unless you are willing to part with your pockets ie cut them out, I wouldn't recommend. Sad, because I love, love, love the highlighter yellow pair.

3 Things.

Time really does fly when you're having fun, but feel that I got a lot of "me" things accomplished this weekend including (but not limited to) a big haircut, indulging in my favorite blood orange lemonade from Purple Onion Cafe, checked off some older movies I've wanted to watch off my list, caught up on my March magazines, and took a Sunday drive along the coast, and most of all enjoyed the beautiful California sunshine. Spring is in the air.

1. Loving my freshly cut locks and equally as excited to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths (again).

2. Enjoyed the last driving views from Devil's Slide (the new tunnel opens today)

3. Preserve Jalapeno jelly - it's unbelievably delicious.