Heart Shaped Strawberry Hand Pies

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought I would make Vivian and I a special treat.  I've had a major sweet tooth lately...maybe because I have my glucose test coming up on the 25th and my high risk Dr says I'll be diagnosed with gestational diabetes again...so I'm getting in all the sweets I can.  Not great for the growing waistline, but I want to enjoy yummy treats while I can.

I did make B some Valentine cookies so he wouldn't feel left out.  I did an easy recipe of 1 cup butter, room temp, 1 cup sugar, 1-1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 egg, 1 tsp water, 3 cup self rising flour.    

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla

Add egg and water

Add flour and blend

Divide dough in half and wrap in saran wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Roll dough on a lightly floured surface and cut them using your cookie cutter.  I used a heart shape since I wanted Valentine cookies.

Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes, take them out just before the edges are brown.  I like to like my cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy removal and clean-up.   

Use your favorite icing or make your own. 

Now, back to the hand pies.  These were so good and so incredibly easy to make.

The recipe makes 4 hand pies, but you can make 8 if you use 2 frozen puff pastry sheets.

Heart Shaped Strawberry Hand Pies

Ingredients 

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farms)
4 - 8 Tbs of strawberry preserves.  The original recipe called for cherry jam if you prefer cherry over strawberry. 
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup powered sugar
1-2 tsp water

Directions

Thaw your pastry sheet either overnight in the fridge or at room.
temperature for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven at 425

Lay your thawed pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll out your pastry sheet to at least 12 inches long.  If there are any cracks in your pastry, add a little water to smooth it out.

Cut out 8 hearts.

Place 4 hearts on a rimmmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. My heart cookie cutter was small so I was able to cut out an extra one.

Add a tablespoon of your preserve or jam to your heart cut out.

After filling your heart, go all around the edges brushing your lightly beaten egg.

Top with your remaining heart cutouts.  Seal your hearts by pressing a fork all around the edges.

Pop in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.

You may have some hungry beavers trying to wait patiently :)

While your pies are baking, mix your powdered sugar and water.  Mix until smooth.  Drizzle on top of warm pies.

You can double the recipe by using both pastry sheets if you want.  This also makes for a nice after school treat for your kiddos or indulge them for yourself.

Sunday Morning Breakfast

I'm really digging this whole making a yummy breakfast on Sunday's. Lasy Sunday I made crepes. Since Vivian has a hard time going to church, we stay home and watch Dr. Charles Stanley instead.  Vivian is terrified of church nursery, they page me everytime or I end up sitting in nursery with her, and she is too wild to sit in 'big' church.  Even sitting in the very back, I hate distracting everyone.  If I can't listen to the sermon, I know no one else can.  This will only last for a short time...hopefully.

I'm going to attempt to try out a new breakfast each weekend.  I want to improve cooking skills!  Even though its me just eating it...B is more of give me an cheese omelette, sausage and toast kind of guy.  I'm more sweet and savory.  

I love oatmeal.  I eat a bowl almost every morning for breakfast.  I've tried the overnight oats before, but didn't care for the texture.  I liked the idea of not having to make breakfast, just grab and go.  When I found this oatmeal bake on Pinterest I thought I would give it a try.  It was really good!  Even better the second and third day.  I was able to eat on it longer since it was just me gobbling it up.

    

 

Baked Honey Berry Oatmeal recipe adapted here

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

Dry Mixture:

2 cups oats

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

⅓ cup packed brown sugar

Wet Mixture:

2 cups nonfat milk

2 eggs

½ tbsp vanilla extract

3 tbsps honey

1½ tbsp melted butter

2 cups frozen mixed berries

¼ cup pecans, separated.  I would have used walnuts but I was out.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar. Set aside.

In a seperate bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, honey, and butter.

Layer half the berries in a 2 quart baking dish and top evenly with the dry oat mixture. Pour on the wet mixture, then add the rest of the berries on top along with the roughly chopped pecans or walnuts.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the oats have absorbed the liquid. Serve hot or cold!

^^Mine took longer to bake, more like 30 - 45 minutes.  Honestly, I'm not sure what size baking dish I used and I think that's why it took longer to absorb the liquid. 

   

Life According To My Phone

Two peas in a pod

24 weeks and 1 day

Vivian kissing Joanna Grace

The night before getting that nasty 24 hr stomach bug.

Tropical Smoothie date

Sleeping beauty 

Play-Doh fun!

Rearranging Targets shelf

Daddy time

Playing in the sink while mommy bakes

These two

Love her oh so much!!!

7

Where's your tongue Vivy?

New friends at the park

24 Weeks and 1 Day

How Far along are you: 24 weeks and 1 day 

Weight Gain:  11 lbs.  Started at 114.6, weighed 128.8 the other day.  So, 14 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: I only wear maternity tops, no bottoms yet.

Food Craving:  I've been eating a lot of fruit lately and salads.

Food Aversion:  Nope.

How Are You Feeling:  Great! 

How Are You Sleeping:  Descent.

Miss Anything:  Nope.

Any Discomforts:  Nope.

Any Movement: Some days she's more active than otherd.

Symptoms:  Just my oh so fun nose bleeds in the mornings.

Labor Signs:  No

Gender:  Girl!

Mood:  Happy and tired

Excited For Anything:  We finally decided on a name for baby girl.  Also, Valentine's Day will be here soon.  I already have all of Vivian's goodies :)  I still need to get a gift for B :/  

Sunday Morning Breakfast

I love crepes!  My favorite breakfast treat.  They are light, doesn't leave you over stuffed and just plain delicious.  I usually go to Our Crepes and More  for the yummy treat.  I always, always get the Versailles...crepe filled with strawberries, bananas, nutella, dollop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.  So good! Costing almost $9, I thought I would attempt making it at home.  I did leave out the ice cream and whipped cream, which worked out really well.  

I'm not the greatest cook and I am the worst at making pancakes.  I somehow have the hardest time flipping them and they become jumbled up pancakes.  For me, crepes were a lot easier to cook.  Very easy to flip.  

I halved the recipe since it was just me eating them.  V doesn't care for the texture of crepes.  She did take one bite and that was it :) B isn't a crepe fan either.  Surprise, surprise!  I did eat all, but two.  Blame the pregnancy hunger :)  

You can use whichever filling you would like, or you could make it a more savory crepe vs sweet.  I prefer sweet!  

I mixed the batter by hand vs using a blender.  Add flour little by little to make the batter lump free.  You do not want any lumps!! After mixture is too thick to mix, add your milk while whisking.  The batter will be runny which is what you want.  

Recipe adapted here for more detailed instructions on making crepes.

Skillet sizes you can use and batter amount:

8″ skillet: 2 1/2 Tablespoons batter (I used this size)
10″ skillet: 3 1/2 Tablespoons batter
**YOU WANT THE CREPES THIN, NOT THICK LIKE PANCAKES.  USE LITTLE BATTER FOR EACH ONE** 

Coat skillet well with butter.  I used the suggestion of leaving the butter in the wrapper and coating the bottom by rubbing it with butter.  I coated the bottom after making each second crepe.

Basic Crepes Recipe by Our Best Bites
Full Recipe:
  
2 eggs
2 Tbs canola oil
3 Tbs sugar (omit if making savory crepes)
1 C flour
1 1/3 C milk

Half Recipe:

1 egg
1 Tbs canola oil
1 Tbs and 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/c cup and 2 Tbs and 2 tsp milk 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed until combined, or whisk by hand until there are no lumps.  

If whisking by hand, combine your egg, oil and sugar first.  Add flour little by little while whisking.  Once batter is too thick to whisk, slowly add your milk while whisking together. Remember, no lumps!  The batter will be runny which is what you want.  Not a thick pancake batter.  

Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat.  Hold pan with one hand while you pour the batter with the other hand.  Twirl the pan in a circular motion pouring just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan.   

Place on cooking surface and cook until edges are set and you can easily run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pan, 30 seconds.   Flip crepe and cook an additional 15-20 seconds.  Remove crepe from pan and either keep warm in the oven or cool to room temperature.

Fill with your choice of savory (meat, cheese, vegetable) or sweet (pudding, mousse, pastry cream, fruit) filling.  Top sweet crepes with  with Strawberry Sauce, Buttermilk Caramel Syrup, Hot Fudge, or just a dusting of powdered sugar and sweetened whipped cream.
Unfilled crepes can be stacked between sheets of waxed paper and refrigerated or frozen.  To thaw, leave at room temperature.  

 Like I said earlier, B isn't a crepe fan.  He wanted sausage, egg and toast.  What the boy wants, the boy got this morning.  I was in the mood to make a good breakfast.  

Side note:  I have one silly girl.  Loves wearing anything but a hat and bow on her head.  Also, she wanted to wear these clothes over her pj's.

19 Months Old

Happy 19 months to this sickly, flower eating little girl.

You are growing up way too fast young lady.  We are 20+ lbs...haven't weighed you in several weeks...wearing 18-24 month old clothes with a few 2T tops in the mix.  Still can wear you 6-12 months jeans, but leggings are 12-18 months.  You have 12 teeth with two more on the way.  

Bedtime is still 7pm every night and naps last anywhere between 1-2.5 hours.  You still nap on mommy on the couch.  Not sure what we are going to do when my tummy is too big, or better yet, when your little sister arrives.  Your naps may become non-existent. 

We are going through a "I will only take a couple of bites of my food and then I'm done" stage.  You will eat the majority of your breakfast.  You'll eat oatmeal, pancakes, scramble eggs or cereal.  You always have some kind of fruit as well.  Lunch is barely anything.  You'll eat a few bites for deli turkey or ham or I'll give you an entire cucumber.  Dinner I feed you what we eat, yet again, you'll only eat a couple of bites.  I pray this is just a phase.  You do love orange juice, yogurt and fruit.  Everything else is rolling the dice.

You have become terrified of taking baths.  Started Christmas night when we used bubbles in the tub.  Baths had become pure torture.  Screaming, crying, trying to climb out, hanging onto me for dear life.  This has lasted up until a day or so ago.  Memom the "bath whisperer" has calmed you down after working with you for 2 weeks. I think you became petrified of having your hair rinsed.  She has discovered we need to lean you back and gently rinse the soap out.  You actually played and had a great time last night.  Crossing fingers this will continue after she leaves tomorrow.

You try saying words if we ask you to repeat.  Too cute!  Our vocabulary is getting better.  We'll see what Dr. Jackson says when we see him next month.

You love cleaning up spills.  If there's a single drop of water on the floor, you will go straight to the drawer with the dishtowels and clean it up.  You also love throwing trash away.  You'll take your dirty diaper and throw it away or if you finish your yogurt pouch, you know exactly where it goes.  Such a great little helper.

You are obsessed with washing your hands and playing on mommies phone or daddy's Kindle.  

You love waving "bye" and giving kisses.  

You are little miss independent.  Want to do everything yourself. Walk, feed yourself with a spoon or fork, attempting to put your clothes on. You have zero patience though. You get frustrated very  easily. 

You love to pretend play.  Whether having a picnic or feeding your baby doll.    You love strolling you doll around the house.  You also love coloring.  So cute watching you.

Being outdoors is still your happy place.  You love to slide.  We go to the playground often if the weather is nice.    

You are the sweetest little thing and I know you're going to be an awesome big sister.  For right now, I'm going to enjoy our time of only us for now.

I love you baby girl, more than you'll ever know!!          

22 Weeks

How Far along are you: 22 weeks.  

Weight Gain:  11 lbs.  Started at 114.6, weighed 125 yesterday thanks to my slice of pizza, garlic knot, black & white cookie, Red Robin's grilled chicken sandwhich and fries and a caramel macchiato ice cream cone from Boombalatti's.

Maternity Clothes: I only wear maternity tops, no bottoms yet.

Food Craving:  Every morning for breakfast I have two slices of cinnamon toast on whole wheat bread and every night I have strawberry yogurt with strawberries and granola.  

Food Aversion:  Nope.

How Are You Feeling:  Great! 

How Are You Sleeping:  Lots of tossing and turning lately. 

Miss Anything:  Nope.

Any Discomforts:  Nope.

Any Movement: I feel baby girl bumping around in there, especially at night.

Symptoms:  Just my oh so fun nose bleeds in the mornings.

Labor Signs:  No

Gender:  Girl!

Mood:  Happy and tired

Excited For Anything:  Our house is officially on the market!  My Mom and B think I've gone a little overboard with the cleaning, lol.  We had our first open house today and house hunting has begun.  I also have my next prenatal appointment on the 28th.