by Mere

into the woods

So it happened. We moved.

I am still feeling very unsettled about everything – probably because we’re still in stage of unpacking where we can’t find the silverware. I usually love this stage of a move but right now I can’t manage to get excited about it. Why do we own so much stuff? Where am I suppose to put stuff? If I could just blink my eyes or wiggle my nose and have everything magicked into its rightful place, I’d be the happiest girl in the world.

We did manage to find a pretty great place in Felton, a tiny town(?) a few miles from Santa Cruz. It’s in the redwoods which is nice and close to nearly everything which is nicer. I miss our old neighborhood a lot but am trying to look on this whole thing as an adventure. It’s adventurous to live less than a mile from a state park and a Bigfoot museum, right?

The hardest part of this whole thing was when we dropped off our keys yesterday. We got there early so I could mop and clear up some cleaning supplies. Before the landlord came, I walked through all of the rooms and thought about how big and empty and sad the house felt. If I knew for sure that the landlords would accept our offer, I’d feel better. It was painful to listen to the landlord go on and on about how great the house was and how we kept it in great condition. Duh, buddy, we love that place.

On the other hand, the new apartment is steadily winning me over – windows that open? Overhead lighting? Granite counter tops? A complete lack of insanity-inducing wallpaper? Am I delirious? Can such a place exist?!

One bonus of the move is that I got rid of my terrible old car. I decided to donate to the rescue where we adopted Remy and Violet. I’m excited about the prospect of buying a new one. It’s funny, six months ago the thought of it would have given me a panic attack but now that we’re officially trying to buy an entire house, I feel totally capable of buying a car.

by Mere

Big Baby Pancake with Bourbon Blueberry Compote

Today on Instagram I posted a picture of my breakfast – a big baby pancake with bourbon blueberry compote. Since so many people commented, I’d thought I’d share this super easy recipe with you.

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The BBP is something I grew up eating and it’s a good lazy weekend meal since it’s so easy to prepare that a person who is recovering from pneumonia can do it. The BBP looks pretty unassuming when you put it in the pan but then transforms in the oven. The result is a puffy, custard-y pancake that you can serve with anything. I usually dust it with confectioner’s sugar and serve it with freshly made compote.

For the BBP (sometimes called a Dutch Baby), you will need:

  • 1 c. flour
  • 1 c. milk (I prefer whole or 2% for this)
  • 6 eggs
  • 6 T unsalted butter
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 t. vanilla extract (optional)

To make:

  • Preheat oven to 450 F.
  • Once the oven is warm, place butter into a 9×13 baking pan (you can also use an oven-safe skillet, this recipe will work for a 10 inch skillet) and put the pan in the oven. You want the butter to melt and brown.
  • Mix together the flour, milk, eggs, salt and vanilla. I usually use a blender since the batter is super thin.
  • Once the butter is nice and brown, remove the pan from the oven and pour in the BBP batter.
  • Bake for 18 minutes until the BBP is super puffy and golden brown.
  • Let cool before serving – the BBP will deflate a little as it cools.
  • You can dust it lightly with confectioner’s sugar before serving. This recipe makes 6 servings.

For the compote you’ll need:

  • 1 package blueberries (frozen is fine, fresh is better)
  • 1 T. sugar (more or less depending taste)
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 T. Maker’s Mark bourbon (100% optional, the alcohol will cook out as you cook the compote. If you skip it, you will need to use 1 T. of water in the compote instead)

To make:

  • Combine ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook on a medium heat until the fruit cooks down and is syrupy. Let cool before serving with the BBP.