I was checking out one of my favorite blogs today and came across this adorable video advertising mini Oreo cookies. This video is too cute not to share with everyone and I can never resist an Oreo. Maybe I'll have to make a stop at the store on my way home--for the baby of course...
We have three weeks to go....
Before I know it, I'll be spending many, hopefully, quiet evenings, nights, and early mornings in this chair getting to know our new little one. It still seems intensely surreal. Like, at any moment someone will say, just kidding, that's just a huge burrito in your belly.
I really can't even begin to explain the excitement I have inside. We had wanted to have a baby for awhile and to think that it's just around the corner is amazing. I can't wait to share our life with a new member of our family.
Some things I'm excited to share with the baby...
Adventures in the our van
Our dog Hank
Christmas traditions
A sense of family through the eyes of a child
Quiet evening walks
Lots and lots of cuddles...
I noticed something interesting... lately, all of my posts have been dessert related. At first I thought that was a bad thing, and then I came to my senses. If there is one thing that I noticed has changed since getting pregnant, it's my sweet tooth. Normally, we don't keep many sweets in the house. I'll bake the occasional cookie or sweet bread and pick up some ice cream at the store, but it's not an every day thing for us. But recently, all I can think about is a new dessert recipe to try.
Last summer I got the Loveless Cafe Dessert cookbook and have been slowly making my way through some of the recipes. I don't know why it's taken me this long to get to the pudding section. Pudding is one of my favorite things. I love the texture, the flavor, everything and every kind. I also love all of the other pudding"esque" desserts like panna cotta, creme brulee, mousse, you get the idea... Without fail, when we go to Trio for dinner, I order the bittersweet chocolate pudding. And it never disappoints.
Anyway, back to the recipe. I adapted the chocolate pudding recipe from this cookbook and then made up a graham cracker crust and whipped cream. Everything about this recipe is pretty basic and simple, but still has so much flavor. The only thing I changed was the amount of chocolate for the pudding--I almost doubled the amount used.
Graham Cracker Crust
you're gonna need...
12-15 graham cracker
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
5-6 tablespoons of melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Crumble the graham crackers into a fine dust. I did this by putting them in a Ziploc bag and rolling over it with my rolling pin. After those are good to go, put the graham cracker dust into a bowl and add the melted butter, sugar and salt. Mix together with a whisk, fork, your hand--whatever. After it's combined well, put it in a baking dish. I used a normal spring-form pan, but you can use a pie pan or whatever is convenient. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides with your hand or the back of a wooden spoon. After it's been pressed thoroughly, stick it in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool while you make your pudding.
Chocolate Pudding
you're gonna need...
2 cups of half and half
2/3 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
4 egg yolks, at room temperature
4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces
In a small heavy saucepan, combine 1 3/4 cups of the half and half and the sugar. Slowly bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Place the cornstarch in a heatproof bowl. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of half and half to make a smooth paste. Add the egg yolks and whisk until blended. To temper the egg yolks, gradually whisk in about 1/3 of the hot half and half in a thin stream to warm them. Slowly whisk the warmed egg yolk mixture back into the remaining half and half in the saucepan. Return to a boil over the medium-low heat, whisking constantly; continue to boil, whisking, for 1 minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk gently until the chocolate is melted and smooth, making sure to scrape down the sides of the pan so that no streaks remain. Pour into the graham cracker crust and cover with plastic wrap, pressing right onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate the pudding for 2 to 4 hours, until completely chilled.
Whipped Cream Topping
you're gonna need
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Whip together in a bowl using a whisk, hand mixer, or standing mixer until it forms stiff peaks. Don't over mix this, or you'll create a tasty butter...
Spread over the top of the pudding before serving and shave some chocolate over the top if you wish.
Enjoy!
A couple of weeks ago my parents visited us. It was going to be five days of getting ready for the baby by organizing, cleaning, painting, and moving furniture around. But, luckily, we managed to squeeze in plenty of fun stuff as well.
Colby and my dad finished painting our stairs and ended up painting the entire concrete floor in the basement. We also went through pretty much everything we had and sorted out what we needed and what we didn't need and gave that away. That is the best feeling--just a purge of things collected over the years that we thought we needed, but realized were just taking up space. We had the furniture moved into the baby's room and also moved our room into the family room downstairs so we can be closer to the baby's room. I was surprised at how emotional I was our first night in the "new" room. Clearly, my hormones are at an all time high, but I never realized how much I loved our room upstairs. I love the natural morning light and the crisp white floor (and how close it is to the bathroom...). But after a couple weeks downstairs, I've come to realize that our new room has many good qualities as well. It stays much cooler in the summer, I can sleep forever thanks to the small basement windows, and our room is now nearly twice the size.
After a few days of getting stuff in order, I feel much more prepared for this baby to get here.
Now for the fun stuff... My mom and I weren't much help to the boys. We filled our time with shopping for things for the baby's room, swimming laps at the pool, riding our bikes to tea, gardening, and cooking yummy food. Saturday, the four of us went to Red Butte Gardens to walk around and take some time to, literally, smell some roses. After that, we headed to Taqueria 27 for some yummy tacos. Then we went home and took Hank to the school by our house to run around get out some energy. Obviously, after all that exercise, we needed some dessert. So, we went to Gourmandise Bakery and picked up a few (ok, five) desserts. We split them all up between the four of us and ate them with some coffee and some of the Buttermint ice cream my dad and I made the night before.
I was so sad to see them go, like I usually am, but they're coming back this weekend and then I'll be off to Boise for a week for some relaxing and time with friends while Colby is away on a river trip. It seems like time is flying by so fast, and yet I can't seem to wait another day for this baby to be here. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to share this special time with those that I love so, so much.
1. Tea at the Tea Grotto
2. We made a new feline friend
3. Picking up some supplies for the boys
4. Salsas at Taqueria27
5. Tacos at Taqueria27
6. Desserts are my faaaaavorite
7. Pretty plants before
8. Pretty plants after
9. Dinner on that patio
10. Laps at Steiner's
11. We can't wait to meet this little one
12. Colby and my mom taking in Red Butte Gardens
So, I hate all things lipstick. I also hate lotion, but as I get older I realize that it might be a good idea to use it. But, that's another story. My mom always had a purse full of different lipsticks and I would try them on but then immediately try to wipe it off and then put on some chapstick. I just hated that dried out, waxy feeling on my lips! But lipstick has come a long way since then. Now, they actually feel good and some even help to moisturize while you wear them. I still mostly just reach for my natural ice, but I recently picked up this lip stuff and fell in love. It's super subtle, feels great on my lips, and makes me feel extra feminine. I don't wear makeup usually, so this helps to dress up an otherwise casual outfit. And then I started thinking, "What other pretty summer shades could I try?" So, here are a few that I found...
