Tropical Trail Mix Pancakes

These pancakes have a mouthful of a name.  I chose the name because I added tropical nut and fruit trail mix to the batter.

I am a fan of pancakes.  I have made many pancake recipes and posted them on this blog.

Coconut and Raspberry Chocolate Pancakes

Raspberry, chocolate, and coconut are a wonderful combination of flavors.  I don't think I have given this group of ingredients their proper due.  I deserve more of my attention.

Raspberries grow on perennial bushes.  They are usually planted during the winter as a cane.  They lay dormant until spring.  Raspberry flowers are a major source of nectar for honeybees.  

Toasted Coconut Pancakes with Chocolate Chips

Don't these pancakes look incredible!  They tasted pretty great too.

Coconut is one of my favorite things.  It has such a wonderful flavor.  I was an adult before I tasted fresh coconut, but I think even dried coconut tastes great.

Chocolate Coconut Pancakes with Mini Cadbury Eggs

Another Easter themed recipe! I'm on a roll!  It will also be the last Easter recipe I post this year.

My Easter plans this year are pretty low key.  I'm going to go to Church, and afterwards I am going to a friends house for a late brunch.  It's in the afternoon, but we are eating breakfast food so I think it still counts as brunch.

Samoa Pancakes

I'm posting another pancake recipe.  I'm in a pancake state of mind.  I recently posted about chocolate turtle pancakes, chocolate cherry pancakes, and red velvet pancakes.

I recently posted a Samoa brownie recipe as well.  A couple of years ago, I posted a recipe for a Samoa pie.  The pie didn't turn out that well actually.  The chocolate filling didn't set up well.  I might need to give it another go in the future.

Samoa Brownies

We finally got some snow this year.  There was a little snow flurry earlier in the year, but there was no accumulation.  Last Monday night and early Tuesday morning it was a certifiable snow storm.

Work wasn't canceled, but I had a three hour delay.  I slept in, did some laundry, and even cleaned the bathroom.  Most of my coworkers worked from home that day, and the office was as quite as a tomb.

Cowboy Cookies

I am typing this from home.  I haven't gone home for Thanksgiving for seven years.  I have only been here for a couple of days, but it has been really enjoyable.  

I usually just come home for Christmas, but this year I am doing both.  It has been wonderful to see family and see how much my nieces and nephews have changed in less than a year.

Caramel and Coconut Chocolate Pancakes

For a few years, I have been trying to learn Mandarin.  It has been a slow process.  Sometimes my enthusiasm wanes.  Sometimes I take classes, do language exchanges, meet with a tutor, or use a computer program to study.

Last Saturday I went to a Chinese conversation meet up group.  The meeting lasted two hours.  It was a kick in the pants.  It was very humbling.  My brain was tired afterwards.

Tropical Fruit Salad

I'm getting  back into my normal routine.  I went to San Diego last week for a conference.  Over the fourth of July weekend, I went to San Francisco.  It was fun, but it is nice to sleep in my own bed too.

The first thing I noticed when I got off of the plane in Virginia is the sweltering humidity.  San Diego was perfectly temperate, and San Francisco was brisk.  The summer heat is nice, but it wilts my enthusiasm for outdoor activities.

Banana, Coconut, and Mango Muffins with Chocolate Chips

For unclear reasons, I decided to take a calculus class this summer.  It has been a good experience for the most part.  It is good to know that I  can still think quantitatively.  

The negative aspect of the class is that it has been a huge time drain.  I have class twice a week for three and a half hours each class.  On the days I don't have class, I often have a few hours of homework to complete.  

Alfajores

Two summers ago, I went to Peru with my parents and a cousin.  It was a blast.  I enjoy traveling with my parents.  It is meaningful to create memories with them in new and exciting places.  We went to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca, among other places.

We also ate delicious food.  I walked so much that I think it was one of the few vacations where I didn't gain weight.  I also got food poisoning and threw up multiple times.  Being ill was also memorable.  I threw up all over the inside of a taxi.  We gave that taxi driver a pretty big tip.

Coconut and Blueberry Banana Bread

I didn't see Pope Francis.  I'm a little sad.  I planned on seeing him, but work got in the way.  I enjoy my job, and I really enjoy having money, but sometimes work can really cramp my style.  Now I'll have to go to Italy to see him.  What a shame.

In other exciting news, I went to Walmart today for the first time in months.  I have heard bad things about how little they pay their employees, but that place is cheap.  Apparently they are cheap for a reason.

Coconut Lime Pancakes

I have a badge that I use to get into the building where I work.  Late last week, a security guard took a second glance at it and confiscated it because it had been expired for three months.

The process of getting a new badge is a pain.  There are several steps, and each step takes much longer than it should.  I'll be lucky if I have a new badge by the end of this week.

Coconut Banana Pancakes

After posting two pancake recipes in succession, you might think I have had my pancake fill.  That's not the case.  I seem to have an unending appetite for pancakes.

Work was delayed today because of icy conditions.  What did I do with my extra couple of hours?  I slept in and made another batch of pancakes.

German Chocolate Muffin

I have an insane and possibly impossible goal of losing weight over the holiday season.  Like most Americans, I usually gain weight over Christmas.

It would be more reasonable to try and maintain my weight this month, but there is a reason to my madness.  

Lime and Coconut Muffin

Well hello winter!  It was so cold today in DC.  I wore a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, and a scarf.  Pretty soon I'll start wearing tights under my pants.

In other news, I used ten pounds free weights in my gym class today.  It was a first for me.  When I started taking this gym class, I used 5 pound weights.  I moved up to 8 pounds about a month ago.