Dear Baby,

We're about to enter our 3rd trimester. Holy freaking cannoli. That's crazy.


Can't say I'm having many cravings, though sugar has hit a new all time favorite level.


Can't say I'm feeling miserable, so far, so good.


Can't say I'm really feeling the nesting bug either.


I can say that we see you moving every day. That's weird, but much cooler than just feeling it.

I can also say I'm being taken over by this strange urge to cook. And keep on cooking. I'm talking breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's right, I'm actually waking up early to do things like cook oatmeal with berries and honey, or omletes with cheddar and yellow peppers, or make an all natural smoothie with only fruit (of various kinds) and a teeny bit of milk to liquify. This is unheard of for me. As a matter of fact, I believe I can say this has never, ever, ever happened to me. And your pops is thrilled I'm sure, as he was previously coming home at 7 pm to start cooking dinner.

So a couple of recipes I've recently found and DO NOT WANT TO LOOSE. If you're looking for something yummy to make, try either of these. If I can do it heaven knows anyone else in the world surely can too.

These are both from a new-to-me blog called Pinch my Salt



Blueberry and Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries
heaping tablespoon of raw sugar (demerara, turbinado or Sugar in the Raw)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan (or spray with Baker’s Joy or equivalent).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about two minutes. Add vanilla and egg and beat well. With the mixer set to low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Add half the buttermilk and continue beating on low speed until incorporated. Scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, beat in another 1/3 of flour mixture then remaining buttermilk. Finally beat in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined.

3. Scrape batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Scatter blueberries and strawberries evenly over the top of the cake batter then sprinkle with raw sugar.

4. Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool until warm. Invert onto a plate. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries on the side.

Yum yum fake apple pie. I finally made a pie crust right!



Galette Pastry:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces (one stick)
3 tablespoons ice water

Put flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until the largest butter pieces are the size of peas. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing to mix. The mixture won’t look like it’s holding together, but pinch it, and it should stick together.

If you don’t have a food processor, put the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and toss with the flour mixture. With your fingertips, quickly rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles very coarse crumbs and there are still some small chunks of butter left (you may also use a pastry cutter). Add water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing and tossing with a wooden spoon. When the mixture just starts to clump together, continue to the next step.

Dump all the flour and butter pieces out onto the floured counter or board, and gather it and press it together into a disc shape. At this point, the dough can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to a couple of days. But we are going to roll it out immediately. If you do refrigerate it, let the dough sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes before continuing to the next step.

Roll dough out into a large circle, making sure to add a bit of flour on top and underneath the dough occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the counter. Try to roll the dough as evenly as possible to about 1/8 inch thick. The circle doesn’t have to be perfect and if the dough starts splitting and tearing, just patch it together as best you can. Most importantly, work quickly and make sure to keep the counter underneath lightly floured to prevent sticking! The circle will get big! That’s what you want.

Now gently wrap the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it to the sheet pan. Try to unwrap the dough so that it is somewhat centered on the pan. The pastry circle will overlap the sides of the pan by quite a bit, that’s what you want. Now dump the apple right into the center of the circle and spread them out a bit.

At this point I usually drop a few little pieces of butter over the tops of the apples. It’s up to you.

Next, just fold the edges of the pastry over the apples, sealing any holes that appear along the edges as you go. You want to seal the holes and cracks so that the juices don’t escape while it’s baking. The pastry shouldn’t cover the apples completely in the center.

If you want to try to make it look fancy, go ahead. I don’t. I just fold it up and hope for the best!

Finally, I beat one egg with a splash of water and lightly brush the pastry with the egg wash. Then I sprinkle a bit of sugar over the whole thing. This is optional, but it looks nice!