white apples . a blog

Merry and Bright

We are spending this Christmas cozied up at home, while an uncharacteristically severe and persistent rain storm blows through the area.  So far, Juniper has been a little angel baby.  She eats well and often, fusses only on occasion, and is usually content to nap or chill out on a lap or in a sling.  However, last night she decided that she wanted to wait up for Santa to arrive, so we didn't get to sleep until around 4 am.  After that little wave of fussing, we did get to sleep late and indulge in some fantastic Ricotta Pancakes with Banana-Pecan Syrup this morning, courtesy of Charlie.  Delicious.  We're now working on dinner and more night time snuggling.

I hope you're having a warm and cozy holiday as well.  Merry Christmas to all!

chocolate interlude

If you're not a serious chocoholic, you might as well skip this post.  Made with deep, dark Valrhona cocoa and bittersweet chocolate chips, these brownies are intense.  These are postpartum-mama-recovery brownies.  These are get-me-through-long-nights-of-newborn-feedings brownies.  These are the ultimate in chocolate-therapy brownies.  And to top it all off, they are also loaded with cacao nibs, or bits of roasted cacao bean.  Cacao nibs are essentially the crack of the chocolate world.  In addition to adding pure dark chocolatey intensity, they also bring a nice little crunch to the party.  Either way, don't say I didn't warn  you.  Proceed at your own, bittersweet risk. 

Cacao Nib Brownies
from Apartment Therapy

1 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 cup sugar (460 g)
1 1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
4 lg eggs
1 1/2 cup (6 1/4 oz) AP flour
2 cup (12 oz bag) chocolate chips (the darker the better! - I used Ghiradelli 60%)
1/2 cup cocoa nibs (I used Scharffen Berger)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9" x 13" pan with parchment paper so it comes up each of the shorter sides (butter the two other sides)

Melt the butter over low heat. Add the sugar and heat up both just until it's just about to boil. This will give the brownies a crispy top crust. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

With a wooden spoon, stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating until smooth and shiny. Add the flour, mix gently until it's almost completely incorporated. Add the chips and the cocoa nibs until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes. Brownies are done when the top is firm and slightly puffed and set on the edges.

And for something equally delicious, I give you yummy little baby fingers:

a climate of perpetual wonder

Juniper had another appointment at the pediatrician's office today.  It looks like her jaundice is slowly getting better, although she gets to snuggle with her glow blanket another couple of nights until they test her bilirubin levels again on Monday.  Other than that, all is well here in new-baby land.  June dozes most of the time, though she never misses an opportunity for a meal every two hours.  She loves snuggling with Mom and Dad but is also content to nap in her bassinet for now.  She also loves being swaddled, even though her squirmy little arms manage to pop out most of the time.  Charlie and I are having tons of fun hibernating together and getting to know our baby girl.

And the saga continues...

First of all, look at those cheeks.  I have serious cheek genes.  There's no escaping them.  Second of all, the story didn't end with the hospital discharge.  No, our little girl had more drama in store for us.  She had her first pediatrician visit on Wednesday.  The doctor noticed that she was slightly jaundiced and ordered up some blood work to test for bilirubin levels.  We headed back to the hospital so June could get her little heel poked again.  

Small Beginnings or The Birth Story

Ah, so much has been happening over here and I know that everyone is waiting for more photos.  But I might as well start at the beginning.  Friday was my last day at work - a full two weeks before the due date.  I had visions of lazy, Oprah-filled afternoons and long, late mornings with pancakes and good books.  I was going to finally finish the nursery.  And figure out how to install that car seat.  Oh yeah, and pack a hospital bag.

However, nothing went according to the plan, so at 6:15 am on Sunday morning - a Sunday morning that was supposed to involved freshly baked pumpkin bread - my water broke.  The doctor told us to leisurely start making our way into the hospital.  Leisurely?  We had to pack and read car seat directions and do laundry and locate paperwork and pretty much do all the things that people warn you must be done well in advance of the due date.  We finally arrived at the hospital around 9 am and got settled into our labor and delivery room. 

June in December!

Welcome to the world, Juniper Grace!  She was born on December 14th at 4:15 pm, 8 lbs, 1 oz, and 20.5 inches long.  We are so excited that she is here!  Many, many more photos and details about the birth will follow.  For now, Charlie and I are having a great time cozying up with our new little bundle of joy!  Thanks for all your support and well wishes!

thirty-seven weeks and counting...

How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn.
- Dr. Seuss



We are just past thirty-seven weeks now... three more weeks until the due date, although the the little bug is officially "full term".  As of last Thursday, I was 1 cm dilated and, according to my doctor, the head is down and "in position" though not actually pushing against things yet.  I have no idea what that means.  She was also so concerned with the levels of swelling in my already sizeable feet that she almost sent me to the hospital.  However, while swelling can be a sign of preeclampsia, all of the other tests were negative (blood pressure, protein levels, blah, blah).  So apparently I'm just one of those people who happens to swell.  Fun. 

Charlie and I are still in the process of choosing a pediatrician, figuring out how to install a car seat, training the cats to stay out of the bassinet (electric shock therapy... we're cruel like that...), and deciding where to store the mountain of laundry that is currently residing in the baby crib (this is why there haven't been nursery photos yet... don't worry, they're coming...). 

This is my last week at work before my maternity leave begins.  I'm scrambling to finish things up and transfer all the necessary information to my co-workers before I leave.  I stress out a little about leaving projects unfinished and making sure all my records are in order and whatnot.  However, I also do a little Snoopy dance of joy every time I think of not having to pipette anything for four and a half months...

All the world is a birthday cake.

For my birthday in July, Charlie baked me the best chocolate cake I've ever had, using this fantastic recipe - two rich chocolatey cake layers separated by an oozy, delicious raspberry puree filling and covered with a deep dark chocolate ganache.  Raspberry and chocolate is one of my all time favorite flavor combinations.  So, since Charlie's birthday was last Thursday, I had to repay the baking karma by making him a birthday cake that aspired to an equal level of decandance.  Since, Charlie is a peanut butter fan, I used Smitten Kitchen's irresistible recipe for chocolate peanut butter cake.  This creation consists of two layers of sour-cream chocolate cake (supposed to be three, but my third cake pan is trapped beneath my oven...) frosted with a peanut butter cream cheese frosting (yum, yum, yum) and topped with peanut butter chocolate ganache.  That's right.  I just said that.  Chocolate ganache.  With peanut butter.  My favorite part is the the drippy effect from the ganache...  Doesn't it make you want to stick your fingers in it?

We've been so busy with work and baby preparations and general nesting, that we didn't get a chance to do anything elaborate for Charlie's birthday this year.  Dinner and cake.  Nonetheless, happy twenty-ninth birthday, Charlie!!!  I hope your wish comes true...