Phew. Here I am, finally back to this little blog. It sure has been a while, and as I try to climb back up on the blogging wagon it definitely seems a little bigger than I remember. But here we go.
Just two weeks after Evangeline was born, we made a spur of the moment trip to Balboa to spend the 4th of July with Alex's parents. As we were going out for the Family Vacation (#balboaburchlife) at the end of July anyways we just pulled a switcheroo with our outgoing flight (thanks Southwest), and were blessed enough to be able to stay at the beach for an entire month.
Our days were filled with hours of cozy time, cousins, long walks, Dad's, games, and plenty of beach time. Such a dream!
cozy time with GG.
festive for the 4th.
our friends, Mary Elizabeth and Danny, who are getting married in November came out for a weekend! what a blessing to see them!
// Fun Things To Do (Even with a Belly of Monstrous Size) //
40 weeks.
Get nails did.
I snagged a sweet groupon which got me a manicure/pedicure with lavender paraffin wax (which was just heavenly).
I've never been good about caring for my feet, but I think I may start seeing as when the lady who did my toes saw mine she sighed and remarked, "I can see you haven't gotten this done in a very long time..."
Go to Millennium Park for free outdoor concerts.
Alex and I went to their first concert on Wednesday evening and I was so happy we went (he'd been so excited about it). The highlight of the concert was Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2, and it was phenomenal.
Master the Art of French Baking.
I made this chocolate almond cake courtesy of Julia Child, which, let's just say, is sinfully delicious.
4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons rum or coffee
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (132 grams) + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
3 large eggs, separated
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup (35 grams) almond flour/meal
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup (57 grams) cake flour, sifted
For the icing:
4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons rum or coffee
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Slivered almonds, for garnish
Instructions
To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
Combine the chopped chocolate and coffee or run in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir as the chocolate melts and remove from heat as soon as it's smooth. Set aside to cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until pale and creamy. Add the 3 egg yolks and beat until thick. Add the cooled melted chocolate. Stir in the almond extract and almond meal/flour and mix until just combined.
In a separate bowl and with a whisk attachment, whip the 3 egg whites and salt on high speed until foamy. Slowly add the tablespoon of sugar and whip to stiff peaks.
Add 1/4 of the whipped egg whites to the batter and fold gently until combined. Add and fold in the remaining whites in 3 additions, alternating with the sifted cake flour. Fold only until the streaks of egg whites disappear, do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles when the pan is bumped, about 25 minutes.
Let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to remove cake from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing:
Combine the chopped chocolate and coffee or run in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir as the chocolate melts and remove from heat as soon as it's smooth.
Add the butter a tablespoon at a time and use a whisk to beat it into the chocolate. Whisk until smooth.
Let the icing cool to a spreadable consistency, stirring it every 5 minutes or so. It should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Spoon the icing on top of the cooled cake and spread it to cover. Garnish with slivered almonds.
These days we've been trying to keep busy to distract from the fact that, no, Evangeline has not yet decided to be born. I've been awfully impatient. The waiting game has been made worse because we definitely thought she might be born last weekend...an exciting day which turned out to be merely 5+ hours of false labor. No fun, sir, no fun.
So we spent Saturday on Lake Michigan, reading The Moviegoer, and luxuriating in our still pre-baby lives. Very lovely. I cannot complain!
Perhaps it is the fact that my in-laws are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in France (!!!), but I have been so longing for France these days...longing for the food, the people, the atmosphere...Oh, I miss it so!
Here's a recipe for a deliciously light, summery peach and blackberry galette which I made to console myself...
Crust
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbs. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
3-6 tbs. cold water
Filling
2 ripe peaches
8 oz. blackberries
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
**Note: I should have made an egg wash for the crust (as you can tell in the picture), but I was a wee bit too lazy...
Preheat the oven to 375 F. 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 on a cast iron skillet.
Slice peaches and place in bowl with blackberries. Add lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch, and mix to combine.
Pour the filling into the centre of the dough, and fold the sides of the crust over the fruit. Bake for 40-50 minutes.
//
And forgive me if I photographically reminisce about my trip to France a few years ago with my sister...
This past weekend, Alex and I tested out Dinkel's Bakery (within walking distance from our apartment!), a little Lakeview treasure which has been open since 1922. A full on bakery, they have far more than just doughnuts, which definitely complicated our decision making somewhat...in the end we ordered a raspberry "kolacky," a maple bacon doughnut, and a regular old old-fashioned. Mm. A+. The maple bacon was divine--better than Glazed and Infused's(which definitely skimped on the bacon a little...). The old-fashioned was lighter than both those from the Doughnut Vault and Firecakes (as I've mentioned, I'm a sucker for super dense doughnuts), but it was less sweet than it's competitors, which I enjoyed. And the kolacky...well, it's hard to go wrong with a fruit filled pastry. Yum yum.
Ambiance-wise, it doesn't have the same "cool kid" appeal as the downtown doughnut shops, with its pink signs and fondant-covered cakes in the window. However, the delicious doughnuts and nice sunny outdoor seating definitely will be bringing us back.
Ugh, I've been so behind on this blogging thing these days. My excuse is, no, not that I've had Evangeline, but that the trackpad on my computer has officially mutinied. It is literally impossible to write a blog post with the mouse randomly moving and clicking and backspacing everywhere and on everything. So I'm borrowing Alex's computer to write this post as many posts as I possibly can in order to catch up.
I really dislike overhead lighting (or at least the overhead lighting in our apartment). I much prefer natural lighting and, when necessary, lamps. However, lamps are expensive (at least, the ones I like), and because they're not exactly high priority on our list of things for the apartment, we just haven't gotten around to picking any up. Until last weekend that is, when we picked one up...out of a dumpster. There was no doubt about the fact that it had previously made it's home in a tween girl's room, with it's hot pink lampshade and it's faux-Grecian stand.
But it was free.
And we really needed a bedroom lamp.
And it's really not that hard to re-do a lampshade.
So I did.
I had a bunch of leftover duck from the fabric Alex's Mom had given me to re-upholster our dining
room chairs, which exactly suited my purposes. Oh, and E6000 is magical.
It was a little odd when I went to my most recent midwife appointment and they said, "well, if you're not in labour by then, we'll see you again in a week!"
What?
No...
Yes.
Hearing something like that for the first time was so strange. To think that we could actually have Evangeline any day now! While most of the thoughts that run through my head when I think about this fact are focused on sweet Evangeline and how excited I am to meet her, there are assuredly quite self-centered thoughts which lurk behind the good ones. I'm just very ready to not be so physically uncomfortable when I sleep, or walk, or stand up, or bend over...or even sit for goodness sake! I'd really like to begin to fit into my old clothes again. I'd very much like to stop constantly talking about being pregnant. I'd also very much like to stop being asked constantly about being pregnant.
Wah, wah, wah.
Anyways, on to some more interesting things.
Alex and I are still reading The Moviegoer, which continues to delight with it's mottled yet loveable characters. I really should start reading The Book Thief so that I can finish it in time for Balboa, but I just haven't found the time yet.
//
My sister-in-law, Sara, threw me and Evangeline the most lovely Baby Shower (I wish I had pictures to prove it, but you'll just have to take my word for it). Eve made out like a bandit that night. I'm pretty sure her wardrobe is bigger and more fabulous than mine is at this point. A few of our favourite things:
This little Gap lobster romper.
I can't even handle thinking about it on her at the beach!
Blueberries for Sal, which remains one of my favourite children's books.
The illustrations are perfectly charming (as is the story), and I love the fact that it's set in Maine.
Teething beads (thanks, Jessica!). I'm so excited to use these. I'll look so hip.
//
Fact: Alex and I both really like Alexander Calder. (You know, the guy that made hundreds of kinetic sculptures--which, interestingly, Duchamp dubbed "mobiles"--and built the Flamingo in Downtown Chicago?)
Calder, Flamingo, 1973.
We really want to build a Calder-esque mobile for Evangeline. I really like this one:
I love how it looks like leaves...but it's also perfect, because high contrast colours
(black and white) are especially stimulating and helpful in visual development.
I really don't think it would be that difficult to create one yourself, as long as you get the equilibrium right. He used wire and sheet metal, but I bet you could use wire and thin wooden slabs if you couldn't get the sheet metal... (Technically, you can buy onehere for a hefty price, but it would just be way cooler to make your own.)
The Millennium Park concerts are beginning again! Hurrah! I'm so excited for The Planets, which is being performed on July 12. I was always a huge fan of Holst, but he is so much more meaningful now, because the theme from Jupiter was our wedding march.
The march begins around 2:55 if you care to know...
As well as being free and outdoors (and byob--awesome!), these concerts have numerous showing times throughout the week. Babies, champagne, and music on summer evenings are exactly my cup of tea.
