Mother's Day Festivities + Outfit Post

Today was a great but tiring day. We began with a Mother's Day Brunch with Chris' family that was at a quaint hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Glendale called Bashan. I didn't know what to expect when walking in but oh my goodness the food was amazing! We had our choice for appetizer, main course and dessert. These were some of our selections:

 

Pork Belly “Teriyaki”  

Crispy Rice Cake, Togarashi, Braised Scallions, Pickled Apples

 

 Chilled Sweet Pea Soup

Crunchy Wasabi Peas, Crème Fraiche, Chives, Smoked Paprika Oil

 

 Chocolate Bread Pudding

chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, cocoa nibs

 

 Crème Fraiche Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Walnut Streusel, Dulce de Leche, mocha almond fudge Ice Cream

One of my all time favorite stores is Anthropologie. Their latest looks for spring are nothing short of gorgeous, from their brightly-hued dresses to their whimsical printed tops such as this one, I'm in love. I went a little crazy the other day during their one-day only 15% off sale and picked up a pair of the most comfortable pants on earth. AG's are the best brand ever. They fit like a glove and never stretch. I couldn't help but also grab this silk blouse, as well. Naturally I paired this cheery outfit with my yellow flats, and my new floppy hat. Today was a good day, indeed!

I was trying to collect some of the purple flowers to throw in the air, and ended up looking funny in the process!

Outfit Details:

Blouse: Anthropologie   |   Jeans: Anthropologie

Flats: Halogen/Nordstrom   |   Floppy Hat: Forever21

Strawberry Milk Cake

 I'm always looking for fun new ways to spiff up basic vanilla cake. I came across this recipe the other day for Strawberry Milk Cake, which sounded heavenly, and knew I had to try it. What makes it a strawberry cake is the use of strawberry milk instead of regular milk for the cake batter. The original recipe is pretty much spot-on, but for me personally, I had to adjust the temperature and baking time. I baked the cakes at 325 degrees, and let them bake for 22 minutes in a convection oven. If you are baking in a regular oven, I would say to stick to the 350 degrees/35 minute rule, but check on the cake five minutes early. I also added red holiday sprinkles to give it a festive touch, and fresh strawberries and blackberries on top for added freshness. The frosting was more of a whipped cream, as it didn't need powdered sugar. The result was lighter and not as sweet, in fact it was a bit tangy from the cream cheese. This is easily the best cake I have ever made, and next weekend I'm going to play around with the recipe so you may just see a similar cake post soon :)

 

[my boyfriend's nonna is amazing! just look at how much fun she was having while we were baking!]

 

Western Flair

Lately I've been obsessing over this simple denim jacket (they're everywhere lately!) that I bought recently. It goes well with pretty much everything in my closet, and it was really affordable. Today, I decided to pair it with one of my all time favorite Anthropologie dresses (complete with a tulle skirt underneath), ankle boots, and tights that have cute studs adorning them. I also had to add in the mint green crossbody bag, because mint is popping up everywhere and it's the best color.  What do you pair your denim jackets with?

Outfit Details:

Denim Jacket - Forever21

Dress - Anthropologie

Tights - Urban Outfitters

Boots - Aldo via Nordstrom

Butterfly clip - Anthropologie (not on the website but currently in stores)

Bag - JCrew