pretty plain janes

waffles and roasted balsamic strawberry sauce

March 20, 2014

Before our wedding last year, I posted on facebook about registering for the wedding and my dreams of owning a fabulous waffle maker. (I truly have been obsessed with these thick, belgian waffles for as long as I can remember!) A week before our wedding a waffle maker appeared at my door, and in the last year we have become pretty aquainted with it. Waffles are a common breakfast, lunch and dinner in our home- and to be honest this is the only recipe I have tried, because.. well… “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.

This recipe has been called “waffles of insane greatness” all over the internet, and they truly are insanely great. (So great you’ll never need another waffle recipe!) The only downside to their perfection would be that the batter has to sit for 30 minutes, which is annoying if your patience level is as low as mine is. (I’ve learned to plan ahead. Make them before you get hungry.) Even with the wait, they are so worth it!

waffles of insane greatness

Ingredients

¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp sugar
½ cup whole milk
½ cup buttermilk
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
¾ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a seperate bowl, and then combine the two. Mix well until no lumps remain, and then let the batter sit for 30 minutes to rest before pouring into waffle maker.
Fill waffle wells and cook until lightly golden. Serve warm!
(A few tips- If you dont have buttermilk, simply combine ½ cup whole milk and ½ tbsp white vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes.
This recipe makes about two large waffles, so double if feeding more than 2 to 3 people!)

Perfect, golden, crisp waffles every time. A new addition to this favorite was the sauce- which we have now determined is the very best way to eat them!! Simple to make, with a perfect savory sweet flavor.

roasted balsamic strawberry sauce

Ingredients

8 oz strawberries, hauled and sliced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F. Chop and haul your strawberries, and place them in a baking dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, and mix well. Bake for 45 minutes, and then mix in honey upon taking them out. Allow to cool completely before transfering sauce to jar or container. Store in refridgerator for up to a week.

Cheers to “doing brunch” more often!

Posted in breakfast, brunch, recipes, something sweet | Tagged Post by Shan | 2 Comments

asparagus, spinach and feta frittata

March 20, 2014

We finally brunched again and it felt so right. Why we wait so long in between these casual get togethers and delicious food I will never know. This time around Shan made dangerous waffles with an even more dangerous sauce while I went a little lighter with a green packed frittata. Full of asparagus, spinach and mostly egg whites this dish just feels good to eat. And let’s not forget about the feta. Salty bits of goodness packed into every single bite, oh my. It’s a must try for all of you egg lovers out there.

Frittatas are basically a quiche without the crust. They are incredibly versatile and can be made a million different ways. If you have eggs, veggies and cheese you have what you need for a frittata. It is important to make this dish in an oven safe pan. Also please note this particular recipe only serves 4 so if you are making for a crowd you will want to double or even triple the ingredients.

This bad boy can be served warm or room temperature (2 of my favorite words when entertaining). If you want to be extra fancy you could pour the egg and veggie mixture into mini muffin tins and bake in oven making bite size frittatas. It is brunch however, no need to go overboard with the fancy if you are not up to it.

I know what you are thinking. “Nice and healthy frittata and all but what about those waffles and strawberry sauce?”. No worries, Shan will be posting later today (and oh my goodness they are not to be missed).

Happy Brunching!

asparagus, spinach and feta frittata

Ingredients

6 egg whites
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ red onion, diced into small pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
8 asparagus spears, tough ends removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
⅓ cup feta cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and whole eggs. Add a little salt and pepper and set aside.
In a small frying pan, heat up the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for and additional 1-2 minutes. Add the asparagus and spinach. Cook until the asparagus is tender and the spinach is wilted.
Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus, spinach, and onions. Sprinkle on half of the cheese. Cook for about 5-6 minutes on medium low heat or until eggs are mostly set.
When the eggs are mostly set, sprinkle the fritatta with the rest of the feta cheese and minced parsley. Put the pan into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the fritatta is firm and the cheese is melted.
Cut fritatta into wedges and serve.

Notes

* Be sure to use oven safe pan.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4

recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

Posted in breakfast, brunch, recipes, what's cooking | Tagged Post by Brandy J | Leave a comment

popcorn balls

March 19, 2014

Yesterday was a big day in our house- Frozen arrived!!! I’m sure the post man has never been greeted with such enthusiasm- those little hands could not rip open the package fast enough. This week, it was indeed “the little things”.
A special movie release called for a special snack for movie time, so popcorn balls it was! (Jazzed up with some blue sprinkles, of course.) The great thing about these popcorn balls is that they are a cinch to make, and they are soft and marshmallowy, perfect for little teeth. (I’m not sure that “marshmallowy” is a word- but it should be.)

popcorn balls

Ingredients

½ cup unpopped popcorn (12 cups popped)
2 tsp cold water
1 tsp salt
¾ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
2¾ cups powdered sugar
1 cup mini marshmallows
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Pop popcorn and place it in a very large bowl.
In a medium saucepan, combine the corn syrup, water, butter, powdered sugar, marshmallows, vanilla and salt. Over medium heat, stir until combined.
Pour mixture over popcorn, and use a large spoon to fold in, being sure to evenly coat all of the popcorn.
Line a large baking sheet with wax paper.
Once cooled enough to handle, rub a dab of butter between your hands and quickly form the popcorn into balls. Place them on the wax paper to dry, and sprinkle immediately if desired.
*A few tips- be sure your popcorn is cool before attempting to form balls- it's easy to burn your hands!
If the popcorn is sticking to your hands and not forming well, wash hands, re-butter them and try again. Working quickly helps as well!
You could add M&M's, pretzels, toffee, anything you would like to this recipe! It's great alone, or as a base!

Posted in recipes, something sweet | Tagged Post by Shan | Leave a comment

six easy ways to wear head scarves

March 18, 2014

You know that girl who throws a scarf in her hair and looks fabulous without even trying? Yeah, we all know that girl. We secretly admire and fill with green envy over her effortless style. You know who can easily be that girl? YOU! Yes, without a doubt you can tie your unwashed hair up in a silky floral number and voilà – you’re Carrie Bradshaw (ok, no one is that fabulous). While there are many different ways to utilize head scarves, I decided to put together the easiest, fastest and most fantastic options a girl could think of. Whether you are retro, bohemian, prim and proper or a combination of all three there is an amazing head scarf option for you.

To start you will need a few fun scarves. Here are my favorite types:

Large square for a more substantial head piece with long tails for tying big knots or bows. Small square scarf, same purpose except with shorter tails for knotting and tucking. Long Sheer scarf, less bulky look with long and flowy tails.

Shan and her friend Hannah graciously offered to model some looks off for me. One has thinner, very fine hair while the other has thick (hello pregnancy hormones) textured hair. Both easy to incorporate scarves with proving there is really no reason not to try.

1 Pull hair into a high messy top knot bun (use pins to secure unwanted strays). Open small square scarf flat and fold in half corner to corner making a triangle. Fold lengthwise repeatedly until you achieve desired width (ours was about 2.5″). Wrap around bun once and tie in knot or bow at the bottom. 2 Grab top part of hair and secure out of the with a clip. Take a long sheer scarf (or one made of a thin material) and fold lengthwise achieving desired width (around 4″ for us). Place middle of scarf on forehead, angling tails down to bottom of head (make sure ears are cover). Tie scarf in a knot at bottom. Remove hair from clip, tease a little and pin pieces back making a messy half up do. 3 Pull hair into a low neat bun. Fold scarf same as style #1 above. Wrap around bun (starting from the top) and tie into a knot or bow above the bun. 4 Style hair into a loose messy top bun. Fold small square scarf similar to above style #1. Place middle of scarf around nape of neck and tie up into a knot at top of head (ears covered). Tuck tails underneath scarf, one on each side. 5 Fold long sheer scarf lengthwise similar to style #2. With hair down place scarf one side of head and start wrapping (how many times will depend on length of scarf – Hannah’s was wrapped twice). Secure into a knot at opposite side of head. Twist each tail, wrapping around knot and tuck into the first layer of wrapped scarf. 6 Pull hair into a low bun. Fold large square scarf like style #1. Wrap around head, securing into a knot at one side, towards the bottom.

Alright ladies, let’s grab those pretty scarves and have some fun this spring and summer!

Posted in beauty, hair, pretties, style | Tagged Post by Brandy J | 1 Comment

their saint patrick’s style | the maxey family

March 17, 2014

The most adorable family agreed to show off their green for this Irish holiday. Or maybe I should say Josh purchased green Vans and we decided a festive shoot was in order. No matter these guys look amazing in today’s color with graphic accents. Shan made such smart choices in putting these looks together. While they fit the theme of St Patty’s they could be worn all year round without looking like a Christmas sweater in July. The best part though – there isn’t a massive mound of snow behind them. Gorgeous family and day, can’t beat that. Thank you Shan, Josh and Adelynn – love you guys!

|WEARING|josh white oxford button down similar/Retreez tie/Gap jeans/Vans shoes adelynn grey blazer similar/striped top similar/Old Navy pants/gold shoes similar shan green cardigan similar/polka dot top similar/skinny jeans similar/Sam & Libby for Target booties/Forever 21 headband

P.S. (Shan here) Pinch me, we’re having the luckiest of St. Patty’s days! We are so happy to announce..

Adelynn can’t wait to be a big sister!
XO,

Posted in holidays, outfits, style, the maxeys | Tagged Post by Brandy J, Post by Shan | 4 Comments

waffles and roasted balsamic strawberry sauce

asparagus, spinach and feta frittata

popcorn balls

six easy ways to wear head scarves

their saint patrick’s style | the maxey family

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