The Cronut Has Arrived in Seattle!

Have you tried the new big thing in desserts, the Cronut? I guess it's a cross between a croissant and a donut and is supposed to change your world. They were invented by Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City and are slowly migrating across the country. I'm excited to announce that they have finally arrived in Seattle and at one of my favorite restaurants, Ba Bar! I'm so excited to try them, especially since the pastry chef at Ba Bar is already serving up my favorite French Macarons in the city. I'll report back!

Have you had one? Are they overrated or as amazing as they sound?

(Image)

Eating Dates to Ease Labor?

At our birth class this week we heard about a study that showed a correlation between eating six dates a day during the four weeks leading to one's due date and a significantly shorter and easier labor. Patrick went out the next day and bought a bunch of dates for me to start munching on all day. :)

I like dates, don't get me wrong, but six dates a day is actually quite a commitment! I had no idea that six dates is actually about 330 calories and nearly 90 grams of sugar. I'm trying to space them out throughout the day to make it more manageable. Definitely not ideal but I'm willing to try almost anything for an easier labor!


Have you heard of any techniques to prepare for a better labor? With delivery day just around the corner I'm open to suggestions.

Satiating Foods

I've been thinking lately about the glycemic index and foods that satiate versus spike blood sugar and leave you tired and irritated. I am on a "no sugar" kick, trying to eliminate sweets for a bit and focus on eating healthy fruits instead. I thought this chart was incredibly interesting. I copied a bit of it below showing fullness scale and sugar crash scale... who knew that eating an orange was a better choice than a banana? 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Thanksgiving...

What are you doing for Thanksgiving? This year, I'm hosting some family and friends at my house so I've had different ideas bouncing around in my head for a few weeks in terms of recipes, traditions and table decorations. 

Thanks to our Thanksgiving Pinterest board, I'm really inspired to try a few new recipes this year and am inspired to decorate. I have a set of Thanksgiving dishes I inherited from my parents, the leaf plates are my favorite part. So the goal with decorations, is to use those and get creative with other things I already have: doilies, leaves and branches, etc. 

We seem to celebrate Thanksgiving at a different place every year, so creating traditions that can be kept anywhere are a fun way to have consistency, despite the location. Last year, Teresa and I decided to make a tradition of baking together the day before, something I hope we still do when we're old and grey. 

Another tradition I've decided to start, is doing a craft project after everyone is stuffed. Last year, we made t-shirt scarves. This year, I'm thinking about making these. I love how they smell. Or we could really celebrate Thanksgiving elementary school style and make these!

"Discovering" Wonderful Foods

Happy day after Columbus Day!

Yesterday afternoon, quite possibly due to lack of sleep, I found myself pondering Columbus and his "discovery" of America, a land that had been inhabited by people for centuries and oh ya, the Vikings had already made it here too.

Columbus got me thinking about all the things I've "discovered" (which, if we're going by Columbus' definition, seems to mean that you were the first of all of your friends to find something).  While none of these things are quite as big as America, here are a few of my favorite "discoveries." I've decided to keep this food related, since Columbus was searching for a new spice route after all.

Beechers Flagship The best cheese in the world. I promise. It's good on EVERYTHING. The day I discovered this cheese is sold in bulk at Costco was glorious and deserving of it's own holiday.

Jaques Torres' chocolate chip cookie recipe This was featured in the New York Times few years back. Yes, I "discovered" this one by being smart and reading a newspaper.

Fisher's Fair Scone Mix  If you've been to a fair in Washington, you know how amazing these are. I was thrilled to find that a mix is available in grocery stores so I can eat them year round!

The Cravings Place Brownie Mix I "discovered" this one by having dinner at a friend's house. These brownies are really good and also vegan (therefore dairy free) and gluten free! The perfect thing to serve when you have friends with dietary constraints. The best part, your friends who are used to normal brownies won't even guess that these are different.

The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook The lasagna in here is one of my go to recipes, something that is super easy but get tons of complements. Everything else I've made has been wonderful as well. This book also makes a GREAT gift for wedding showers.