Friday Fifteen

Another week come and gone! Henry is starting to transition into his 3-6m clothes and has graduated to size 2 diapers. He's also started to play a game called "let's escape from my swaddle" so we're trying to figure out how we can make those last a little longer. This morning I went in to his room at 5:30 and the swaddle was to his waist. He looked at me and smiled as if to say "look, ma! no hands!"

Last weekend my parents were in town which always means there's fun to be had. On Saturday my mom and I took a stroll through the park while my dad made a visit to his favorite magic shop. Then we headed over the bridge (another first for Henry!) to check out Elyse's new apartment and spend the evening in Oakland. Right near my sister's new place (which has AMAZING views) is a great little rose garden where we took a stroll and I took a million photos. We enjoyed a tasty dinner at The Grand Tavern before heading home. Sunday my dad needed to work (he finished his thesis!!) so we hung around the neighborhood and Scott and I had date night at Foreign Cinema. Monday was lunch at Zazie and another trip to The Ice Cream Bar before taking my folks to the airport. 

This weekend we're looking forward to a few brunches with friends, some relaxing, and a few home improvement projects. I can't believe it's Labor Day weekend already! Next week we're looking forward to a visit from Scott's parents. 

Here's a few things putting a smile on my face this week:

The aforementioned visit from my parents and a new mustache pacifier for Henry from Uncle Robert and Aunt Jeannie. 

A new sweet discovery - the Twirl and Dip Soft Serve truck in Golden Gate Park! I enjoyed a vanilla/chocolate swirl, dipped in Tcho dark chocolate and sprinkled with Maldon sea salt all in a handmade sugar cone. It was super tasty.

Family photo in Morcom Municipal Rose Garden:

My sister's dog, Whiskey, cautiously checking out the small creature who invaded her space over the weekend (don't worry - this is the closest she got):

Roses from the rose garden:

"Eggs a la Henry," Scott's new favorite thing to make me for breakfast:

Henry's first Giants jersey (it's #55 - Lincecum) courtesy of the McNairs:

Though it pained me, I decided to get rid of my houndstooth Toms since they never really stretched out as promised and were just too uncomfortable. I replaced them with these Sperry Top Siders (photographed on the houndstooth rug of course):

Lots and lots of Henry smiles!

Cuddle time before bedtime.

Henry is working on fitting his whole fist in his mouth:

A little sweet treat from Cako during a trip to the mall:

 Date night @ Foreign Cinema (the drink is a Nojito, or a virgin mojito):

Henry's pathetic face just before bedtime (he's not into hats lately):

Also - I've officially started using Instagram (before I just used the editor and didn't post any photos). My username is jessluls if you're there too!

Lemon Melting Moments

Back in July I put together a baking list and while I've tackled a few of the items, I seem to have strayed into other baking adventures as recipes have caught my eye. I got a bunch of lemons last week so I decided to get back to the list and tackle the Lemon Melting Moments from Itty Bitty Kitchen. 

These cookies are super simple to whip up. I was a little unsure about the recipe since it calls for powdered sugar instead of granulated and cornstarch in addition to flour but they turned out quite delicious. I also decided to wing it with the frosting since "juice of one lemon" isn't exactly a very scientific measurement. I just kept adding sugar until the flavor and consistency seemed right.

Overall, a simple, delicious cookie with a nice, refreshing, lemon flavor.

Lemon Melting Moments
(from Itty Bitty Kitchen)

Cookies:
14 tbsp (7/8 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one lemon

Filling:
1 cup confectioners sugar [Jess's note: I ended up using closer to 2 to get the right consistency]
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
juice of one lemon

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius / 300 F.

In a large bowl cream the butter, salt and sugar until light and fluffy on a medium setting, roughly 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and incorporate the vanilla and lemon zest, scraping down the sides as you go. Sift the flower and cornstarch into the mixture and beat on a low setting until just combined.

Take small portions of the mixture and roll into balls, continue until you have 25-30 pieces. If you want them to be as even as possible, roll out the mixture until it forms a log then use a clean knife to section into 30 pieces.

Place them on a baking tray lined with wax paper, gently press on each piece with a fork until it has left an imprint. You can also press on them gently with your fingers, if you do not wish to leave an imprint. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

*

As a side note, we call this photo what happens when you ask Andrew to remove your cookies from the oven since you're in the other room breastfeeding but he doesn't and you come into the kitchen an hour later to find this in the oven:

Thankfully the last batch was only 2 cookies!

Henry's Room

I finally got around to taking photos of Henry's room this weekend. I had a lot of fun putting it together when I was pregnant and I'm so happy with how it turned out. Scott and I decided on robots as a theme pretty early on (it was between robots and monsters) and I knew the other important elements would be color, geometric patterns, lots of books, and Henry's name on the wall.

Welcome to Henry's room!

This room is at the front of our house and has 3 big bay windows. We painted it this bright turquoise before we moved in. At the time I thought this would end up being a nursery and figured this color could be used for a boy or a girl. Because we had such a bright color on the walls, I wanted our big nursery pieces to be neutral so they are all white and gray. But my love color (see also purple dining room) meant I couldn't resist adding pops of yellow, green, and orange.

The two pieces I obsessed over the most were the crib and the rocker. I did a lot of research (mostly with the help of Baby Bargains, which I highly recommend to anyone having a baby) to determine what was most important to me. I ended up deciding on El Greco as my manufacturer of choice because their cribs are solid wood and have never been recalled. As an added bonus, they are an American company. One of the major retailers of El Greco furniture is The Land of Nod, Crate & Barrel's kids line, and that's where I ended up finding our crib. It was expensive, yes, but my plan is for it to be the only crib we ever buy.

I had a really hard time selecting a rocker because everything I saw online was either very expensive, very ugly, had terrible reviews, or all of the above. I fell in love with this one, also from Land of Nod, but had a hard time committing. I ultimately decided to go for it and it took 12 weeks to be delivered thanks to my deciding on a non-standard fabric. I decided to skip the matching ottoman and instead chose this one from CB2. Scott thinks it looks like a virus, but I love it.

I knew I wanted to spell Henry's name on the wall but I wasn't sure how until I saw another nursery with Scrabble letters on Pinterest. I ended up buying our letters from this Etsy shop.

Our dresser was an accidental find from Ikea and I am obsessed with it. The line (Edland) was being discontinued when we bought it so it was marked down almost 50% so it was a steal too! We'd gone to Ikea with a particular dresser in mind but as soon as I stood next to it I knew there was no way we could get it since I planned to use the dresser as a changing table and that dresser was super low to the ground. Well, I'm tall, so it seemed that way to me anyway. 

The little bookshelf is also from The Land of Nod. One of my favorite things about kids books is their gorgeous covers so I like that this shelf allows you to display them.  It doesn't really handle board books all that well, though, so I may take a page from another Pinterest inspiration and add some Ikea spice racks to the wall for extra storage.

The wall shelves are also from Ikea. They are filled with more books and toys from various sources. Some are robot related, others we just liked. The bugle is a joke because that was Henry's in utero name (long story).

The dresser top holds our changing pad, a wipe warmer, a couple of stuffed friends, diapers, and other random items we use every day.

One of my favorite things about the nursery is all of the personal touches we were able to add. The giraffe painting on the wall shelves is by my grandmother. It breaks my heart that Henry will never get to meet her so this is my way of bringing a little bit of her into the room. The nightstand next to the rocker was made by my great-grandfather (who I never met) and was is from great-grandmother's bedroom. The robot painting to the left of Henry's crib was painted by my sister.

We also included photos of each of us as babies (above the bookcase) and I created a simple print with a quote we love for that wall as well ("If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - AA Milne)

Like I said, I really love the way Henry's nursery turned out. It's bright, colorful, and fun with a lot of special touches. I imagine the decor will evolve over time and I look forward to seeing how it changes as Henry grows up!

Source List:

crib, bookcase, rocker, robot poster, robot pillow, crib sheet, changing pad cover (Land of Nod) | rug and laundry basket (Crate & Barrel) | ottoman (CB2) | dresser and shelves (Ikea) | elephant bank (Tiffany) | baskets and boxes (Target) | mattress, bugle, wooden cube robot, wipe warmer (Amazon) | Scrabble letters (15 Tangerines) | fan (Home Depot) | paper pom poms (Michael's) | robot print (Matt Spangler)

Favorite Things: Baker's Edition

As a baker and lover of food, I'm fairly regularly asked for food-related recommendations - from restaurants in SF to recipes to favorite desserts to kitchen tools. I decided to do a few posts about my favorite things, starting with my favorite things as a baker. 

Favorite Kitchen Gadget

Hands down my favorite tool in the kitchen is my KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer. It's not even a contest. As Scott says, "it's not a gadget, it's a way of life." If I could only keep one item from my kitchen (I'm not sure under what circumstances this would be required), it would be my KitchenAid. When I think back to when my baking obsession started, it was sometime around when I got my first stand mixer. It was Scott's grandmother's and I likely would still have her if my wonderful in-laws had not offered to get me a new one for our new house. My sister happily adopted the old gal, named Bertha, and I got Bertha Jr. She's lime green and she's beautiful. If you're considering getting into baking, invest in a stand mixer. It's possible to bake without one, but why would you want to? 

Other awesome kitchen tools I would rather not live without: Cuisinart Food Processor (if for no other reason than it's the easiest way to make pie crust), Microplane Zester, 24 cup cupcake pan, silicon baking mats, lemon and lime juicers (also useful for the home bar), angled spatula, cookie scoop (aka disher, useful for both cookies and cupcakes), lots and lots of cookie sheets (I use jelly roll pans and I have 4; it's barely enough), and lots and lots of bowls (I have 4 sets - ceramic, melamine, glass, and metal - and yes, Scott, I use them ALL). There are a lot of other things I love but I'll stop here.

Favorite Cupcake Recipe

Some people might think I'm crazy, but my favorite cupcake recipe involves boxed cake mix. Yes, there is something to be said for making from scratch, but I get the most compliments on my cupcakes when I use the recipe below.

Perfect Cake-Mix Cupcakes

(from Hello, Cupcake!)

1 box (18.25 oz) cake mix (any flavor except angel food and those with pudding in the mix)

1 cup buttermilk (in place of the water called for on the box)

Vegetable oil (the amount on the box)

4 large eggs (in place of the number called for on the box)

Mix everything together. Fill cupcake liners. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. 

If you were paying attention, you'll notice that this recipe basically takes boxed cake mix and makes it fattier (no water, add buttermilk and an egg) and therefor more delicious. The result is perfectly moist and delicious cupcakes. 

Favorite Frosting Recipe

Obviously I'm not opposed to the semi-homemade approach, but frosting is something I ALWAYS make from scratch. I find canned frosting to be delicious, yes, but also too artificial tasting. Once I found the following recipe, which is super easy, it never seemed worth it to go back to the can. 

Tattletail's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

(from I Like You by Amy Sedaris)

In a bowl combine: one box of powdered sugar, one stick of unsalted butter, one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup of milk or light cream and beat for awhile. Really whip it, don't be afraid to get in there. 

That's it. Easy peasy. No sifting, 4 ingredients, no nonsense. 

Favorite Non-Cupcake Recipe

I love chocolate chip cookies. I love caramel. I love simplicity. Put those three things together and you have my favorite go to, non-cupcake recipe:

Caramel Surprise Chocolate Chip Cups (aka Caramel Cookie Cups as I call them)

(from A Baker's Field Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies)

2.5 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips (or regular size, which is what I usually do)

60 rolo candies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat tops of four 12-cup mini-muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray; line with mini paper liners.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-size bowl.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. 

Add granulated sugar and brown sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, and scraping down bowl once or twice. 

Beat in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl. 

Add about one third of flour mixture an dmix on low speed. Gradually add remaning flour mixture, mixing until just blended.

Stir in chocolate morsels. Fill each muffin well with about 1 tbsp of dough.

Bake until cups begin to turn light golden brown, about 8 minutes. The insides will be soft. Press one Rolo candy, narrow side down, into the cup. Leave top or Rolo showing; it should be flush with top of batter. 

Bake until batter is an even golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Place tins on racks to cool completely before removing the cups.

These are just the basics of my baking repertoire. Clearly I often venture beyond these 3 recipes and am always up for trying something new! 

And stuff and everything.

A brain dump of random thoughts and stuff from the interwebs...

* I reinstalled the Twitter app on my phone (because clearly I needed more time wasters) and my reentry into the Twitterverse has lead me to a single conclusion: Twitter needs a +1 button. How do I express my positive feelings about the funny musings of friends and celebrities?

* I'm so looking forward to trying the Sprinkles ATM and Sprinkles Ice Cream Shop when I visit LA in October. Red Velvet cones? Cap'n Crunch Ice Cream? Peanut Butter Pretzel Chip Cookies?? Sign me up for all of the above please.

photos

* This week I learned, thanks to SFoodie, that a girl I swam with in high school is now a judge on Top Chef Masters. Pretty awesome. Go, Krista!

* These illustrations by artist Timothy Anderson re-create Star Wars movie posters in the style of the spaghetti western. I think I need to buy one. Or two. Or three.

photo

* No matter your political opinions, can we all agree this is a dumb article? Just when I thought political discourse couldn't get any worse.

* Question: is The Dipr brilliant or just totally ridiculous? I'm leaning towards totally ridiculous.

photo

* I love that ah ha moment when you realize something that was probably obvious to everyone else but you. Like when I realized the Muni logo says Muni. Or when I realized this week that "ten-hut!" is short hand for "attention!"

* Scott and I have been cracking up over this video, which was made in San Francisco.

* On Thursday Henry and I trekked to the Department of Public Health to pick up copies of his birth certificate. While there I learned that you can pick up birth certificates, death certificates, and your medical marijuana card all in one convenient location. Unless you need a certificate pre-2010, then you have to go somewhere else.

* Last week I was reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day to Henry. I hadn't read this book since childhood and I was cracking up reading it as an adult because it's very Alexander and his #firstworldproblems. Which I get is kind of the point. It's particularly fun to read these too pages in a very over-the-top, whiney voice:

The "but they can't make me wear them" gets me every time.

* Some people may call it graffiti, but I love public art, and these rainbows, created by the Rainbow Warrior in Albuquerque are a lot of fun.

photo

* Somebody created a triceratops tractor. Because why not?

photo

* Loving these colorful robots from EBK Robot. I think Henry needs one. Their blog is also amusing.

photo

* Pip and Pop are Australian artists who create elaborate (and awesome) art installations using candy.

photo

photo

Friday Fifteen

This week we had Henry's 2 month check up. He is a whopping 12 lb 2.5 oz! Which is 2.5 pounds more than he weighed at 1 month. My little dude is getting chunky. He's in the 50th percentile for weight but 75th for height (surprise surprise). 2 months did mean his first round of vaccinations which was a bit traumatic for everyone involved. Well, probably not the doctor. He took one in each thigh and voiced his displeasure with the situation. Loudly. He was cranky for the rest of the day but the upshot was he slept through the night that night! Almost made the shots experience worth it. Almost. We have not had a repeat performance of his excellent sleeping skills though he has been going a little bit later than usual before waking up the past couple of nights. 

This weekend my parents will be in town so I'm looking forward to some SF adventures. 

Here's a few things bringing a smile to my face this week:

On Sunday my sister and her boyfriend watched Henry while Scott and I had a little outing. We got mani/pedis. Nothing wrong with a little pampering every once in awhile. My sister was SUPER STOKED to carry Henry in his front carrier to the dog park. 

Henry has started grabbing at things, though not with intent yet. He's been grabbing onto this ring on his play mat all week and I snapped a photo of his achievement.

Scott got a whole series of smiley face Henry last Saturday while they were hanging out on the couch.

He also snapped this photo at Trader Joe's. Note the spit bubble. He seems to be thinking "seriously, more photos?"

Another great Scott and Henry shot. 

Henry clearly super pleased with himself after sleeping through the night. Love the half smile.

This is part of a mural on Haight and Webster. I love that the bear/raccoon is shooting rainbow lasers from his eyes. Like ya do.

A hilarious onesie sent to us by Lindsay and Rob.

Waffle face.

Profiles in cuteness.

Bell pepper love.

Henry shaking his fist at the camera.

We're getting lots of smiles in our weekly photo shoots! I'm also in love with this fabric.

Sleeping with daddy.

Another smirk. This onesie was perfect for the day of his weigh in. Though he pooped all over it before we went to the doctor. Guess he's not a fan!