For Dad

Happy Father's Day to all the dads (and dad's to be)! I hope you get to spend with weekend with your favorite bad-joke-telling dad. Here are a few things he might like:

Mega Matchstick BBQ Lighter
Friday Sock Co.
Serious BBQ- My brother has made us a couple of things from this book and Charred and Scruffed and it's some of the best BBQ I've ever had!
Shinola Runwell Chrono
J Crew Pajamas

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Once spring rolls around, strawberry rhubarb anything is my favorite. When my brother invited us over for a BBQ last weekend, my dessert choice was a no brainer.

When it comes to crisps, I always like a little extra topping. I've left the recipe below in its original form, but when I made it, I increased the topping by a third and finished it off with a big scoop of vanilla gelato.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
from Bon Apetit

3/4 c. all purpose flour
2/3 c. plus 
1/2 c. sugar
Large pinch of salt
6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 c. old-fashioned oats1/2 c. husked hazelnuts*, toasted, coarsely chopped
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 c. strawberries, hulled, halved 12 ounces rhubarb (preferably bright red), ends trimmed, stalks cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces

*I used pecans because I had them on hand. I think you could use any nut and it would be delicious.

Combine flour, 2/3 c. of sugar, and salt in a medium bowl; whisk to blend. add butter. Rub in with fingertips until mixture sticks together in clumps. Mix in oats and nuts. Topping can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Place 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; whisk to blend well. Add strawberries and rhubarb to sugar in bowl; toss to coat well. Scrape fruit filling into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle oat topping evenly over filling.

Bake crumble until filling bubbles thickly and topping is crisp, about 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Spoon warm crumble into bowls. Serve with ice cream.

Pregnancy Favs

Only 3 more weeks to go (hopefully) until we get to meet this little one! My pregnancy has been really great overall, but here are a few of the things that have made it even better.

Dry brush- I've dry brushed on and off for years, but I was a lot more consistent with it throughout pregnancy. It's great for dry, itchy skin and circulation. It can be a bit intense at first, so I started with a dry brush for sensitive skin from Rocky Mountain Soap Company and then progressed to a normal one.
Sweet Almond Oil- again, the dry skin! I mostly used coconut oil in the beginning, but the smell and the mess started to bother me. Almond oil is scent free and seems to absorb faster.
Wiggy Winks Body Pillow- I'd seen people rave about the Snoogle, but a friend of a friend gave me this one and I love it. I like that it's supportive without being too much to maneuver in the middle of the night. Plus, the shape of it serves as a constant reminder of how you ended up needing a pregnancy pillow in the first place ;)
Lululemon Wunder Under Roll Down- unless I missed something, the leggings maternity stores try to pass off as 'workout wear' are not even close. At the same time, my usual Lululemon pants were too low rise to be comfortable. These high-waisted ones cover the belly while still providing all the good sucking in and smoothing support of actual workout leggings. An added bonus is that they'll hide the post-baby paunch.
Water bottle- now more than ever (thanks swollen feet) I'm drinking water like it's going out of style. It's nice to have a reusable bottle to keep track of how much you've had throughout the day- the nice colours don't hurt either.
Cute shoes- while maternity clothes have come a long way, there have been times where I've felt like I've had to compromise my usual style to accommodate my changing bod. I've never been much of a shoe person, but I've found that a fun pair a shoes can go a long way in making even the most basic maternity clothes a little bit more personal
Prenatal massage- Greatest. Thing. Ever.


Honourable mentions go to:
Oatmeal, all of the Popsicles, any and all of the make your own frozen yogurt bars and whichever hormones are in charge of making your skin awesome.