Strawberry Basil Sorbet

Strawberry Basil Sorbet was the next frozen treat I wanted to try with the ice cream maker. I first enjoyed the combination of Strawberry and Thai Basil in Charlottesville. Jam According to Daniel makes the most delicious jams EVER- my favorite being the Strawberry and Thai Basil. If you are wondering what the difference is between basil and Thai basil, I think the Thai Basil is sweeter or has a flavor that better compliments sweet dishes. I've only seen Thai basil in a supermarket in Houston and I actually saw some in Rouses this year but it was looking pretty sad. Also, I wasn't ready to use it anyway. 

I looked online for Strawberry Basil Sorbet recipes but most of the ones I saw used a simple syrup and I  wanted little pieces of basil in my sorbet. I also wanted it to be as simple as possible and making a simple syrup wasn't in the cards.

So I got adventurous. I used Annie's Eats' Strawberry Sorbet. I didn't have kirsch so I used 1 teaspoon of vodka. I believe the alcohol has something to do with the texture of the sorbet? In the last 15 minutes of the strawberry macerating process I added 1/4 cup of chopped basil. I didn't strain it because I like the seeds. Michael requested that next time I strain it. We both found it a bit too sweet so next time I will cut the amount of sugar. Annie's Eats said she would double the recipe next time, and if you want more than a pint of sorbet you'll want to do the same.

I was nervous that the flavor of the basil would be lost, but it turned out to be everything I was hoping it would be. It's definitely important to use strawberries that smell like strawberries (I agree with Annie's Eats to use organic) and basil that smells like basil- sometimes it just doesn't smell right.

I Made Ice Cream!

I bought the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer. 

Then I made Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream from Annie's Eats. I was intimidated, but it wasn't so bad. The only scary part was when I added the heavy cream to the hot butter and it spewed the cream back at me. I kept calm and carried on and it turned out just fine. I left the cream out for a bit while I fixed myself breakfast and then ate, but I guess it should have been closer to room temp.

Stay tuned for Strawberry Basil Sorbet!

Four Years

The twelfth was four years since we said "I do." We decided to go to the movies to see Moonrise Kingdom instead of going out to dinner. It was only playing in the theater downtown, and when we got there it was sold out. On a Wednesday. Booo. So we did the next exciting thing- we went to Sucre for a sweet treat.

And then we went to the grocery store! Wooo

                                       

Fortunately my parents were more than willing to babysit Will on Saturday so we could try again. This time I bought tickets in advance. I didn't realize the theaters were so small. There are maybe 100 seats. You have to be 18 to go to this theater. It's really neat. The seats are super comfortable and there's in-theater dining. We weren't there at a meal time so we just got some yummy zebra popcorn (caramel popcorn drizzled with white and milk chocolate).

The movie was excellent. Hands down my favorite Wes Anderson film. There were some great previews, too. I'm really looking forward to Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Christolph Waltz is in it as well as Leo. So I'm thinking it's going to be good. Speaking of Leo, he's in The Great Gatsby, which is another one that looks like it will be good. I need to read the book again because I totally didn't get it when I read it in high school. And the third preview was for Les Miserables, which I haven't read but want to. 

Will Before and After

I haven't really decided how much I'll be sharing on the blog as far as pictures of Will go. I know there are people reading or at least viewing the blog that I don't know, and minimizing his exposure on the internet is how I'm currently leaning.

That being said, I do have to share the finished products of the Before and After photos I was telling you about. The after shots were taken last week when he was a couple days shy of two weeks old. It was difficult to keep his head up but I figured at the rate he's growing I had to take the pictures ASAP. My favorite is the first one, but I really like the "after" picture in the second collage. Also, those booties were snug when I put them on when he was a week old.

There's Someone We'd Like You to Meet

Two Monday's ago we went to the doctor. I was still making progress, but we scheduled an appointment for the following week (the week after my due date) just in case baby decided not to arrive on time. This made me grumpy. Michael was on vacation, and we spent Tuesday hanging around at home then we caught a matinee of Dark Shadows and went to Izzo's for dinner. I had been having contractions all day, but they weren't anything to get excited about. Still kind of grumpy and a lot uncomfortable. I made a mental note that I needed to take a 39 weeks belly photo.

Around 3 in the morning the contractions got stronger and I couldn't sleep through them. I wasn't entirely convinced that this was it. I had had some intense contractions for a few hours the week before and I had gone as far as baking the cookies for the Labor & Delivery nurses. This time I only had enough dough in the freezer for the real deal. I also was determined not to go to the hospital too soon. My body was giving me signs that told me baby boy was intending to meet us so I preheated the oven like any normal woman in labor and got to baking.

Michael got up around 5 and showered and shaved so he could look good for photos, and around six I got up the nerve to call Labor & Delivery to tell them I was pretty sure I was in labor. We got to the hospital around 6:30 and I was very happy to learn that I was past the halfway mark. I did not want to show up and only be like 4 cm. Needless to say I forgot about the belly photo. Luckily my mom wanted to take pictures of me in labor.

We got a room with a super sweet view of the Mississippi River. The ships were a nice distraction for a while, but I was already using my Lamaze breathing pattern for the more intense contractions and a few hours after arriving at the hospital the scene started playing out more like this:

You know, when Dumbledore was begging Harry for water in the sixth movie. Yeah, that was me. Begging my husband to make it stop. It also made me feel better to beg for some kind of medicine to help with the pain even though I knew I didn't want it, but my coach stayed strong and convinced me I could do it. I didn't get angry like you see people do in movies. I might have said the "f" word once or twice, and I did shed a tear of frustration.

They decided to break my water around 11:45. At 12:20 I was telling Michael to get the doctor. It's really incredible the feeling that you have when your body is ready to push. Everything was set up and ready to go at 12:30 and at 12:45 I was holding our baby boy.

We named him William Lafitte. Both are family names. He weighed 7 lbs 13 oz, and he has strawberry blond hair. We'll see if that lasts. I hope it does.

I am in complete awe of what my body accomplished. I am also struggling to put into words how incredible my husband was at getting me through it. His confidence in me and his encouragement were more powerful than any pain medication they could have given me.

We are head over heels for Will. He is the sweetest, snuggliest baby, and I can't get enough of him.

Big brother also approves.

Booties

I made Ysolda's Tiny Shoes for a friend who is having a girl. It was a bit of a complicated pattern, but then again I haven't knitted anything challenging in a while. I think they turned out pretty cute. I hope they stay on baby girl's feet.

Then I had to make my own little bundle of joy some booties. I have always loved this pattern on Ravelry. It probably took me around 6 hours to make these. Super easy pattern. I know the buttons are just plain buttons, but they are old buttons from my grandmother's house. So I think that makes them extra special. Also, I love this yarn. It is super squishy and soft. Even if these turn out just to be good for a couple photos, it'll be worth it. 

When to Say When