this weekend we settled into our new place.
our two days consisted of many trips to target and costco for various needed items (christmas lights of course being one of them ha) and hosting our first dinner party! it is starting to feel like home and i really love that feeling.
saturday morning started off with an early morning donut run to stan’s donut shop in santa clara (less than 2 miles from our home which could be dangerous). it was actually my first time going to stan’s and it won’t be my last. the line was a bit long for 8am on saturday but it was worth it! we tried old fashion, buttermilk and sprinkles. they each tasted so fresh. i loved watching the baker prepare the donuts to be cooked.
what is your favorite donut flavor?
i have been in a complete baking mood as of late and decided to make these pumpkin cookies. and although mine did not turn out as pretty as hers they were just as delicious. b is pretty particular about his cookies and he kept on coming back to them so i know it was a recipe to save for future use. we ended up giving away most of the cookies to our neighbors as a way to introduce ourselves and not gain 5 pounds ha. warning lots of butter and shortening in these babies!
then sunday morning i was craving these pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes. emily of cupcakes and cashmere has never steered me wrong with a recipe before and this time was no exception. the pancakes were heavy and rich. i couldn’t eat more than two but i enjoyed every bite. b said it was like eating cookies for breakfast in pancake form.
so i totally forgot to take a picture with all the amazing food on the table but wanted to document our first dinner party in some way. there are still some items i need in my kitchen to be the perfect host (like charger plates and more of one type of place mat) but that will all come in due time.
it was the first time i got to use my table runner from the oh joy christmas collection and i think it may be a staple for all dinners in the next coming months. i love the neutrality of the piece but paired with the right decor can look holiday-esque.
it was a lovely evening full of laughs, pumpkin cornbread and homemade jeni’s ice cream.
yes, pumpkin cornbread. made from the box a la trader joe’s. you just add eggs, milk and oil and you have yourself some delicious pumpkin cornbread. it does not have a strong pumpkin flavor – the spices are what really sets this apart from your traditional cornbread. i usually make cornbread by scratch but i just had to try this trader joe’s creation and it was a gem. everyone was asking me for the recipe so i had to spill the beans. it had more of a cake like consistency than corn bread but it was wonderful. no butter or honey needed.
how was your weekend?
