Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.

Last year, I ate at a cute little bunch spot in Santa Barbara called Scarlett Begonia and had the best lemon ricotta pancakes. Since then, I've been trying these pancakes from other brunch spots and I have yet to find one that was as good. Obviously, I can't be going to Santa Barbara every weekend for brunch so I decided to try to make these pancakes on my own. My lemon ricotta pancake recipe was so delicious and I'm very excited to share it with you all!

These are the ingredients I used. I like using Kodiak Cakes pancake mix because it has a hint of honey in it, which just adds a little extra flavor to pancakes. I also like using fresh blueberries rather than frozen, I think it makes the pancakes taste fresher. Most recipes suggest using whole milk ricotta cheese, but let's face it...summer is coming and even though I'm eating pancakes, a girl's gotta cut calories somewhere, so I used low fat ricotta cheese.

When adding the ricotta cheese, the batter will look a little curdled. Do not panic, this is normal! The cheese makes it a little lumpy. It's important to not mix the batter too much to make it smoother.

A griddle is the best way to get the perfect pancake.

Short stack of delicious lemon ricotta pancakes!

Ingredients:

Makes 6 pancakes

• 1 cup of Kodiak Cakes pancake mix
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest 
• 2/3 cup of blueberries

Directions:

1. Mix 1 cup of pancake mix with 1 cup of water.
2. Then, mix in 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese. Do not over mix it. The consistency should be a little lumpy.
3. Wash and fold in the blueberries.
4. Heat a griddle to 325 degrees and butter the griddle. I like using cooking spray instead, but either one works. 
5. Ladle a spoon of the batter onto the griddle. Let it cook until bubbles start forming at the top (about 1 minute).
6. Flip the pancake and let the other side cook for about another 30 seconds. 

Voila!!

Dinette.

A couple weekends ago, my girl friend and I went to the Renegade craft fair in Downtown LA and afterwards we went to brunch in a little pop up place called Dinette in Echo Park. From the owners of Bar Stella, I had heard about it and how they had great brunch dishes so I decided to try it out. 

The food was really yummy! If you're looking for a type of place that you sit, have your order taken and food brought to you, this isn't the place for that. Dinette is a place that is outdoor. You order at the counter and all the tables are outdoor on the sidewalk. They have a menu which you order from, but also pre-made pastries and quiches that they heat up for you. Everything we had that day was delicious, but I definitely need to come back for their Croque Monsieur next time!

This is the little counter you order from. 

Various quiches.

Sweet pastries and Croque Monsieurs. 

Rose soda pop. 

Our yummy brunch. 

Avocado toast here was perfection. 

Breakfast pizza, white sauce, Parmesan cheese, ham, and an egg on top...not that amazing to be honest, I'd go for the breakfast sandwich or Croque Monsieur instead. 

Eveleigh.

I'm still on an LA brunch tour finding the best places to go to brunch, and Eveleigh was on my top 5 places to try. I was actually debating on celebrating my birthday there this year. I went to Eveleigh with a couple of my friends for brunch and I was very pleased with the food and the ambiance there.

Outdoor patio seating. 

It's located on the infamous Sunset strip in LA and has such a cute little garden patio. You almost forget your in the city when you eat here...almost.

My friend and I were meeting our other friend there, but we arrived a little early so we had a drink at the bar while we waited. I started with their Bloody Mary, but my second drink, the Eveleigh Lemonade was my favorite. It had chamomile infused tequila, lemon, and honey.

Floating bones at the bar.

Our Bloody Mary's. 

For my meal, I ordered the Baked Eggs with prosciutto, heirloom tomatoes, chevre cheese, and arugula. It was SO good. The Avocado Toast was delicious too.

This was a cute spot for the occasional brunch. It's a good spot for brunch with girlfriends. 

Camilo's California Bistro.

Yet again, I am on a constant search for the best brunch spots in LA and I came across Camilo's, which definitely ranks high on my list! Camilo's is local, found in Eagle Rock on the main street, Colorado. It's very homey and has a clean, classic atmosphere.

I am a huge fan of Eggs Benedict in general, and the "bennies" here really good. The hollandaise sauce is really lemony and adds a really complimenting flavor to the dish. 

My boob shaped Eggs Benedict :P.

My girlfriends I came here with ordered sweet breakfast dishes, which included Bananas Foster Waffles and French Toast dipped in Grand Marnier. This isn't your average IHOP french toast and waffles! 

Bananas Foster Waffles.

I loved the selection of AM drinks here too. My go to drink is a Bloody Mary and I liked that Camilo's kicked it up by adding soju instead of vodka.

Array of brunch cocktails. 

There is an entire section of the menu dedicated to Mexican style breakfasts like Huevos Rancheros and Chilaquiles. I really need to come back here to try these...I couldn't help but glance over to the other customer tables to look at these south of the border dishes and they were all mouthwatering. Needless to say, it may take a while for me to go through my list of hot brunch spots, but I will be coming back here!

Canelé.

Over the weekend, my friend Natalie and I decided to hit up one of the brunch spots on our list of restaurants we must go to, Canelé in Atwater Village. They open at 10am and the wait was already a bit long so while we were waiting, we walked across the street to a local farmer's market, which had the most delicious looking things. I was extremely tempted to start eating here.

But I had to control myself because we were off to brunch, which was crazy delicious. This place is know for their "egg in hole" and bowl of berries and créme fraiche. I'll have to come back for the berries, but the eggs were amazing! The French Toast was unfortunately nothing to write home about, but still a good basic brunch meal.

Egg in hole.

Pumpkin French Toast.

I really, really love breakfast foods...I could eat it for lunch and dinner if I could! I love French toast especially, and because its fall I thought I could put a spin to it by making it with pumpkin puree. Guys, I don't like to brag about the foods I make, but this recipe turned out amazingly and I urge you all to try it just to have this flavor party in your mouths.

The recipe is super simple. I used a loaf of challah bread...I find that this bread is the perfect bread to use for French toast because it has a hint of sweetness to it, but you can use any bread you like. I found my challah at Trader Joe's. Be aware, using another type of bread that's not sweet will call for a tablespoon or two more of sugar.

This breakfast makes me happy, I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground ginger
• Pinch of salt
• 1 loaf challah or bread of choice cut into 1 inch slices

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
2. If you're making a lot and want to keep the bread warm before serving, preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and transfer both to oven.
3. Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat and brush surface with butter or vegetable oil. 
4. Place a slice of bread in the milk mixture allowing it to soak for a minute. Flip it over and allow to soak for another 30-40 seconds more.
5. Quickly place the soaked bread onto the griddle or skillet and cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
6. Transfer the French toast slice to the oven to keep warm and continue the same process with the rest of the bread slices.
7. Serve with warm maple syrup. 

(recipe courtesy of acozykitchen.com)

Breakfast in a Cup.

The other day, I was feeling inspired by some Pinterest pictures of breakfast foods and I came across an egg cup picture I thought was so adorable so I decided to attempt making it. What's better than bacon and eggs for breakfast all rolled into a cup sized treat? They turned out very good...both for the tastebuds and the eyes!

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter
• Eggs
• Bacon
• White or wheat toast
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Cupcake or muffin tin

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt the butter on low heat and lightly butter a cupcake or muffin tin.
3. With your hands or a rolling pin, flatten the toast.
4. With a large cup or cookie cutter, cut out circles from the toast (about 4 inches in diameter).
5. Then cut the circles in half and press the halves into each cupcake pan overlapping slightly (1 circle per well). Fill any holes with leftover pieces of bread.
6. Brush bread with remaining melted butter.
7. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until almost crisp. 
8. Lay 1 bacon slice into each bread cup and crack an egg over each.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Bake until egg whites are just set 15-20 minutes. 

Donut Friend.

Donuts are one of America's classic desserts. It's not only police officers who love them. But donuts have kind of been put on the back burner in lieu of more popularized cupcakes and macarons. I mean let's face it, donuts haven't really made a comeback since Krispy Kreme came around and introduced a whole new level of decadence to the glazed donut. Anyway, since I love donuts, I've been on a search for some good donut shops. A lot of the places I've tried going to, however, have had long lines, ran out of their products, or just send their products to other bakeries. That's pretty snobby if you ask me...in fact, one of those places was named "Donut Snob".

Last week, however, I found out about Donut Friend...a quaint, new donut shop in Highland Park with some pretty amazing combinations of ingredients in their donuts and even a build your own option! The donuts were to die for and what I love about this place is that its not....well, snobby. They don't pride themselves on selling out of their products and they want to serve everyone who enters the store.

My friend opted for the build you own option, which was great. I indulged in Nutellavision and Walnut Voodoo. Both were amazing and I will definitely be back there again!

Nutellavision: Nutella and a dash of olive oil inside a traditional donut, topped with a sugar glaze.

Walnut Voodoo: a traditional donut stuffed with cream cheese, toasted walnuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Labor Day Fun in Palm Springs

Labor Day is coming up this weekend and I know a lot of you out there are going to want to get out of town for some R&R. Palm Springs is a hot spot for many Los Angelites and the city, which I used to think was boring and monotonous, is becoming more and more trendy and fun. If you're going out there for the weekend, there are a few spots I want to share that are a definite must go!

Checked in at the Saguaro Resort.

Dinner at Birba restaurant.

Burrata salad. 

I wish I took more pictures of our food here, but the Tricolore Salad is to die for and I've tried to recreate it at home many times. Also, they make the ricotta cheese fresh in the restaurant and is a great cheese to add to pizzas.

Then it was onto dessert at Crave Dessert Bar...

Creme brulee in a chocolate shell.

Blossoming hibiscus berry tea. 

Then it was onto breakfast the next morning at Cheeky's...

Two fried eggs on top of an heirloom tomato and arugula sandwich.

Sourdough french toast with salted caramel and bananas. 

Eggs Benedict with a twist. Poached eggs and hollandaise on top of bacon on top of buttermilk biscuits.

The menu at Cheeky's is seasonal and changes all the time, but these dishes are amazing and are greatly paired with honeydew mimosas and, of course, a bloody mary.