Sing a Song of Sixpence.

Awakening this morning to a dreary mist of rain outside our windows for yet another day, I felt that something warm and cozy and delicious was needed to counteract the gloom.

It didn't take much effort to come up with the answer: pie.  What is more comforting than a warm, tart, drippy berry pie?

I loosely based my on this recipe from Food & Wine, but I'll share my version here, as it turned out to be really lovely.

Crust

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. white whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3 tbs. sugar

1 c. vegetable shortening

5 tbs. cold water

Filling

1 pint blackberries

1 pint blueberries

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 tbs. flour

1 tbs. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375°.  

Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Add the shortening and cut it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water and stir with a fork until the dough is moist enough to gather into a ball.  Roll out dough and place in pie plate.  

Mix together the berries, sugar, flour, spices, and lemon juice, and then pour into the rolled out pie crust.  Place the top crust over the filling and crimp edges. 

Bake the pie for 50 minutes to an hour, until the fruit is bubbly.  

Eat whenever you want (the original recipe wanted us to wait 4 hours?  Nonsense!).  It will be delicious no matter what.  

my makeshift rolling pin.

the little sprigs of green peeking out in the previous photo are the delightfully whimsical tendrils of our rosemary plant.  

                   

oh, so perfectly drippy.

33 going on 34.

Well, here we are at around 33.5 weeks!  Phew.  Comparing my stomach with the 21 week bump, I am so amazed at how much Evangeline has grown.  Not that I haven't noticed of course (my general response when my family asks how she's doing is "she's huuuge"), but I'm amazed at the fact that my body just hasn't gone kerplunk yet.  While I would like to be able to bend over and move without pain again, I do feel reassured in that our sweet girl is healthy and is growing at a perfectly normal rate.  She is very active, has a fine, strong heart-beat, and is apparently in "the perfect position" (according to our wonderful midwives).  Hurrah!

33.5 weeks.

I'm delighted and painfully excited to think that she could be here in a month or so...our beautiful little one with whom we are already so in love!...but at the same time I'm terrified.  I feel less and less prepared as each day passes, with every book I read, with every labor prep exercise I practice, with every piece of advice I'm given.  I'm so lucky to have Alex there for me, never telling me not to worry (my biggest pet-peeve at this point--"don't tell me how to feel!!"), but listening and encouraging and loving.  It's strange, this conflicting mess of emotions.  I don't feel at all like those 'empowered' women I'm apparently supposed to feel like.  But I suppose that's ok.  I'll just keep taking it one waddle at a time.

P.S.  What dost thou think of the new blog set up?  I spent a freakish amount of time on it today, but am pleased with the final product...I figured if I don't look so glam, there's no reason my blog shouldn't! 

Jubilate Deo!

Our first married Easter (!!) was so lovely.  Having gone to Easter Vigil Mass, we spent the morning at brunch with some dear friends (which featured caviar deviled eggs and St. Germain....oh my!).  Later on we went to have dinner with Brian and Sara, and Sara's family, which was truly wonderful (I always regret not taking pictures at these beautiful family gatherings).  It was such a blessing to be able to spend this special time with family and friends.  I rejoice to think that Easter lasts for another 48 days (plenty of time to make all the special desserts I was drooling over during Lent...)!  Vere resurrexit!

The Simmons.

32 weeks!

Elderflower-Champagne cocktail. 

Natural dyed Easter eggs sneaking in the wheat grass...

I loved you from the get-go.

On April 9, Alex and I celebrated our first "engage-aversary".  I suppose I saw it coming when three months previous (New Years, 2013) he told me that he was going to hike from Georgia to Maine and "slip a ring" on my finger.  So much has happened since that he asked me that Very Important Question under the rose canopy, and thinking of it all, I cannot express how blessed I feel that God was so good to put such a wonderful man in my life.  I am so happy that I will experience everything life has to offer standing side by side with this amazing husband of mine--the truest, kindest, most intelligent, handsomest man the world has ever seen. 

Such Sadness.

Reading this interview with Jennifer Trapuzzano (the widow of Nathan Trapuzzano who was senselessly murdered a few weeks ago) reduced me to tears.  I am completely incapable of understanding her incredible suffering.  As a newly married, expectant mother myself, I cannot even begin to fathom losing Alex in any way, let alone one such as this--it kills me just to imagine such a thing.  

As painful as the article is to read, Jennifer's words on her husband's life, final evening, and death are so amazing and beautiful.  Please continue to keep this woman and her little one (and the young man who killed Nathan) in your prayers.  

+ May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. +

Culinary Disappointments.

I really loathe making a recipe that looks pretty delicious (and has the plus side of being super easy), and then eating the finished product and finding that it's just awful.  This doesn't happen that often thankfully, but when it does I just feel so let down, hurt, betrayed...

I'm sorry, too. 

This Raspberry Ginger Chicken Stir Fry (which I made for dinner) nearly tops my list of gustatory offenders at the moment. It's only beaten by this spaghetti squash pad thai, which was literally the worst thing I have ever eaten.

I guess I'll comfort myself by watching Foyle's War and thinking about all the desserts I'm going to make when Lent is over.

Pretties for Baby.

In my recent sewing craze, I made this quilt/blanket for Evangeline, and am quite pleased with the way that it turned out.  I just love the look and feel of all the different fabrics together (thanks, Mom Burch!).  I cannot wait to wrap our sweet little one in such a soft, pretty blanket!

Easy Peasy Dry Shampoo.

I'm not usually one for those "make at home beauty hacks" that are all the rage these days.  Mostly just because I don't really use bronzers or face scrubs, so I have no need to make them for myself.  Also, I'm probably just too lazy.  However, when I saw this DIY dry shampoo (something I've been meaning to pick up for weeks now), and saw how ridiculously easy it was, I had to give it a shot.  (You can this for both light and dark hair--obviously, I made the brunette recipe.  It's the nearly the recipe as for blonde hair, but substitutes cocoa powder for a portion of the cornstarch.)

Ingredients

1/8 c. cornstarch

1/8 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 c. cinnamon

3-5 drops scented essential oils

You will need measuring cups, a little bowl and spoon to mix, an airtight container, and a makeup brush.  

Mix together your dry ingredients, stirring in at the end a few drops of essential oils (I used peppermint).   

To use, apply the shampoo with a makeup brush (taking care not to rub it into the scalp--nobody likes itchy scalps).  Brush your hair, and let it settle for 5-ish minutes before styling so it has time to absorb the extra oils from your hair.  

I really love how it works and smells, and apparently cocoa powder is full of good things for your hair (such as magnesium--something that prevents hair loss--vitamin A, and protein), so I'm all for it.  (I have a feeling it will be especially helpful when sweet Evangeline comes along and I no longer have the time for leisurely showers...)

Firecakes.

Alex and I are huge doughnut fans, so much so that we've made it an objective to visit every artisanal doughnut shop in Chicago (you say "impossible," I say "easy").  A few weeks ago we tried out Firecakes.  And I'm still dreaming about those doughnuts.

I love the shop itself.  It's not so small as the Doughnut Vault, but still only has a little counter and no seating--fine by me!  Outdoor doughnuts are the best doughnuts.  (They apparently serve fresh blood-orange juice which sounds just lovely with a sweet doughnut.)

We ordered the basics, an Old Fashioned Buttermilk and a Classic Jelly, because if they can't get those right, I refuse to trust them. The Old Fashioned was lovely, sweet (perhaps a little too sweet for me), and crispy on the outside; perfectly soft on the inside.  They somehow achieved a light and fluffy doughnut without forfeiting any of that delicious denseness that makes me adore the Old Fashioned.  The highlight of the Jelly was the jelly: thick and sweet, but a little tart, with actual berries.  So so delicious.  

I'm already looking forward to our next visit there.  To try next time: Pistachio Old Fashioned and the Meyers Lemon.