Williams-Sonoma chocolate croissants

These frozen chocolate croissants are seriously magic! My sister sent me this fabulously clever gift by the Williams-Sonoma gods for my birthday last month, and I finally pulled out a few from the freezer. Just let them rise for 9 hours overnight (they puff up several inches!) and bake in the morning at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. I promise your home will smell like a true French bakery!

{ straight from the freezer, let rise }

{ magic puffs! }

{ aerial view of magic puffs }

{ the finished product, before consuming }

{ bon appetit! }

 

Stone fruit cobbler

I was delighted to find I had all the makings for an easy, impromptu summer fruit "cobbler."

Mix together 1 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 stick cold (unsalted) butter cut into pieces, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and cinnamon. 

Chop up whatever fruits you like, along with some fresh basil! The basil provides a nice contrast to this sweet dessert. I love stone fruits so peaches and pears went into the first cobbler to celebrate summer, and green apple and Fuji apple for a tart and sweet autumn version in the second!

Layer the fruit and basil at the bottom of a buttered, non-stick baking dish. Top evenly with the oatmeal crumble. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Serve warm with a scoop of classic vanilla ice cream!

My first prenatal yoga class

A girl friend introduced me to Bump Club and Beyond, who happened to be offering a free prenatal yoga class on Saturday. I signed up for it, although I'll admit that much of the appeal was really the free breakfast and snacks that came with the class...

It was an interesting experience. Being in the first row, I had a full view of all the pregnant bellies in the room. I couldn't help but smile at all the pregnant ladies on their backs, struggling to turn from right to left, in itty bitty increments, when the instructor had us switch sides. It's good to know I'm not alone in this! Even The Fella has taken to calling me "Turtle," because I tend to get stuck on my back in bed these days. 

Then there were three women who were most likely in their first trimester. They could lean forward all the way on their bellies. I was jealous. Those smug bitches, just you wait until the third trimester! [Insert evil laugh]

I also met a nice expectant mom––her husband just so happens to be the executive pilot for a wealthy family in Chicago (they basically have their last name plastered on everything downtown). She happened to be from Miami, too! We reminisced about South Beach and I helped prepare her for her first winter.

Final consensus? I would take another prenatal yoga class, if it was free. I also left with some free pacifiers, so that was cool. (And if food was involved, this would be even better!) Obviously, a regimented class structure will force you to stick to a regular routine, and the overall mind and body benefits from yoga are great. However, my home routine consisting of simple ballet stretches (from my dancing days) should be enough to keep me limber and help alleviate growing body pains. Now I just need to stick with this...

Lollapalooza, Topshop style

This is the only reason I will ever go near the masses of people and traffic on Michigan Ave caused by Lollapalooza. To score a free, exclusive scarf and gift cards from the Topshop fashion truck as it promotes the store's upcoming opening during this weekend's music fest. 

Not to mention, I roughed it on the Red Line to get downtown, waited 45 minutes for the truck which never showed, gave up and headed five blocks empty-handed back to the Red Line... where the truck seemingly appeared out of thin air! Score!

Ain't it lovely??

Baby's Crib

I love the classic lines and design of this crib. More importantly, I really love that we were frugal-minded enough to choose one that cost $149.99. (In the grand scheme of baby cribs, this is a steal! Trust me.) It was just what I wanted for Baby's nursery, which is overall going to be modern and streamlined. I even pieced together the baby's bedding separately, practically on a dime––4 fitted sheets, 1 crib skirt, and 2 all-weather purpose blankets––for wayyyyy less than a pricey 3- or 4-in-1 bedding set (of which, two pieces are useless, like the crib bumper and comforter*). Beyond that, however, I did indulge in registering for an awesome sheet and crib skirt set––black linen with white skulls & crossbones! It was still cheaper than other 3-in-1 sets, pix coming soon! 

Baby is going to be a Halloween baby, after all!  

*Crib bumpers and comforters in cribs are not recommended as per updated safety regulations.

The weekend, succinctly

The last two weekends past, have been all about eating out as we indulge in the last bits of freedom that remain (according to some very wise couples we know who have gone through it all). Coming in the next month or so, I am told to expect not wanting to do anything besides: 1) sit pregnantly and uncomfortably on the couch, and 2) lay pregnantly and uncomfortably on the bed. Not even to go out to eat! Sounds dire.

So last weekend, we got brunch at Aria in the fancy-schmancy Fairmont Hotel Millennium Park. We had five tasting plates of sweets and savories, and four cocktails at 11 a.m. (Fine, The Fella had two cocktails and I had mocktails.)

{ chicken and waffles with orange glaze; croque monsieur, stuffed brioche poppers }

This weekend, we stepped it up a notch by dining out twice. Friday night consisted of an impromptu dinner at the neighborhood French Vietnamese resto. Pho noodle soup, Vietnamese spring rolls with shrimp, and papaya salad with shrimp...

And Saturday night, we chillaxed on the sidewalk patio of Corner 41 Bar and Restaurant in the heavily-German neighborhood of Ravenswood. The menu is vaguely German-inspired, and we had excellent fried calamari, Shrimp Neuberg, Beef Stroganoff, and Bread Pudding. And, right across the street, was the German Bavarian House, so we also got to reap the free musical entertainment coming from their sidewalk cafe!

Notice the wrap dress I'm wearing in the photo above? Well, as it turns out, there's only so many times one can wear a crazy-print dress like this to the office, or out and about. (Not to mention laundering, which is another good reason not to wear the same thing over and over, even though I've been doing just that, tsk tsk.) This weekend I finally gave in to my good sense and went maternity shopping, a little. I've been delusionally thinking I could somehow get away with wearing my normal wardrobe throughout the entire pregnancy, but as Mother Nature would have it, this is not the case. Mostly for bottoms. So off I went to GAP, doing the whole kit and caboodle––strapping on a fake belly and sizing up for bottoms. Maternity sizing really confuses me. Furthermore, I'm pretty sure the fake belly is meant to be used over a barely showing belly, as opposed to over my 6 months pregnant belly. It didn't look realistic at all, but heck, what do I know? It gave me some giggles in the fitting room although I'm sure I won't be laughing in another month when I'm unfathomably ginormous.

There was also some time spent at my office over the last two weekends, picking up packages and doing some odds and ends. The Fella made himself right at home, as you can see.

{ a dress from my pre-maternity wardrobe }