Favorites of the summer

Summer's over, but......

Here were some of our summer essentials:

1)Re-useable swim diapers- originally I had planned on ordering some of the cute colored/designed ones, but realized that the white swim diapers are better because they pretty much match all the bathing suits
This one is a the iplay diaper which I bought at Target, but you can get some super cute girl ones on Amazon here

 The second swim diaper was ordered from Target, it is Charlie Banana brand, PC is pretty small still so I got the small. What I like about this swim diaper is that there is a draw string inside so that if it's a little big you can tighten it up.

2)Cute sun hats(gotta shield the eyes, head, face and neck)- also a super cute Target purchase

This pink polka dot one goes with her Old Navy bathing suit.

3)Swim Hat(overboard??) I dunno I don't want her white hat to get all water stained, so why not invest in a hat made out of swim material? Purchased from Target, it is Speedo brand and has a UV50+ protection...gotta protect her cute lil cranium.

4)Sunglasses(she's not the biggest fan of these) I'm a little worried she'll pull them back and snap them on her little face.

5)Sunblock-I purchased Neutrogena pure & free baby SPF 60+

6)Baby Pool- which I scored for FREE! BOOOYA!

7) Swim Suit: I originally invested in a super cute pink polka dot one from Old Navy, but realized that a two piece makes more sense because PC will wear the swim diaper on the bottom and then just wear the top, that way it's a lot easier to change her
I purchased this bathing suit from Zulily- a website I love. Such CUTE stuff! It's soo dangerous too, dangerous for the wallet- LOL

8) I also invested in a long sleeve rash guard for PC- We used it a lot this summer! LOVE! Nothing like extra sun protection for precious baby skin

9) This baby floaty from Target, but you can also purchase it on Amazon. They are on super sale right now at Target though. Clearance!

Good Eats and Good Times!!

So the hubs and I celebrated 8 years of marriage the other week, June 24th to be exact.  Amazingly it has taken me one whole week to post about it. You'd think I would have TONS of time, this being the summer and not working and all. I have no excuses really. 

We decided to introduce PC to a local "beach." In a couple of weeks we will be spending a whole week at the beach...of course this will be a whole new experience and probably not as relaxing as we are used to.  But....it will be another memory to add to the books, so for that I am definitely excited! PC had her first experience of a "wave." As well as her first taste of sand - blech! I'm hoping that the sand was a negative experience.  

 Sunglass Friends!

" I'm not eating the sand I promise!"

For dinner we decided to eat in, we typically do, usually G makes dinner, but this year we decided to co-make the dinner. I made bruschetta (the appetizer) and dessert (creme brûlée). G made homemade gnocchi with a brown butter sage sauce and grilled asparagus! DELISH!

Brushetta recipe:
2 tomatoes diced up
2 garlic cloves (you can add red onion instead, but I am not a fan)
freshly chopped basil
salt/pepper to taste
1 tbs of EVOO
2 tbs of balsamic vinegar
diced up mozzarella
sliced up and toasted baguette sprinkle with EVOO before toasting

The "snakes" that's what G called them....

 Waiting to be boiled

 Brown Butter flakes sticking to the gnocchi perfectly- I almost licked my bowl clean, but I stayed classy!

 Ohhh and the vino was from our 5 year anniversary trip to Italy- it was amazing(both the trip and the wine...mmmm......)

 See the specks?! Not pepper! Fresh Vanilla bean   

       Topped with white sugar

 Mmm...the sugary crust

Fresh strawberries- shoulda made homemade whipped cream, next time! 

Creme Brûlée for Two!
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean

1) Mix white sugar and egg yolks with whisk until light yellow and creamy
2) bring heavy whipping cream and vanilla bean to a slow boil
3) Add the cream a little at a time stirring continually
4) Pour mixture into two ramekins
5) Place ramekin in a large cake pan, or I used my pyrex casserole dish- pour hot water all around until the water comes up half way
5) Bake @ 325 F degrees for 40-45 minutes until creme brûlée is set, but still trembly in the middle
6) Place in fridge to set 2-3 hours, or overnight
7) Remove from fridge add white sugar to the top spread evenly (I kind of shake the dish around-let sit out for 20 minutes)
8) Broil the creme brulee @ 500 degrees F for 1 1/2- 2 minutes- monitor to avoid burning