So I’m a list maker. Type A on most days of the week. With Lucy’s arrival just around the corner, Ryan and I have been trying to savor these last few days. “Trying” is the operative word. Because even though I know we won’t ever have this time again (just him and me), I’m also plagued with practicality. So when Friday night rolls around, I’m often torn between going out to see a movie with Ryan…and organizing my bedroom closet.
This simply can’t be.
So with a little more than 30 days to go before my due date, I came up with a list. A list of fun (and even a few practical) activities I’d like to do before Lucille Amelia is born. Now, of course, I realize that she could come at any time, and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t care if the list is completed. But having these goals motivate me to leave the house, to enjoy time with my husband, and I’m happy to say we’ve already been crossing items off our list.
1. Dine at two NICE restaurants. This means at least 3 dollar signs on Yelp.
2. Go to a show. Ryan and I met at an Architecture and Helsinki show many years ago. We’re hoping to catch David Ramirez at the beginning of June!
3. Go see a movie. Maybe Great Gatsby? There aren’t too many good films out right now…but we need to do it while we can!
4. Hike in the mountains. We live in Colorado. No excuses.
5. Finish reading a novel. I’m about 100 pages into the Marriage Plot. Totally attainable.
6. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Adam’s Mountain Cafe. Already done!
7. Go to Boulder’s Farmer’s Market and pick up doughnuts from Dizzy Doughnuts.
8. Invite my sweet niece Halley over for a sleepover.
9. Host a dinner party.
10. Go out to eat with friends (at least twice). One down, one more to go!
11. Finish Lucy’s baby book. I told you there were some practical items on this list.
12. Print and organize pictures from Paris. Another.
13. Host a party.
14. Hang pictures and shelves in nursery.
15. Work in the front yard with Ryan. Pick out flowers and bushes.
16. Write. Daily.
17. Spend time with our siblings. Even if it means a long phone date!
18. Spend time with our parents. We have great ones.
19. Paint rocker with mom.
20. Go on a picnic.
As you saw above, I really want to go on a picnic. The weather is perfect right now in Colorado, and I can’t imagine a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Picnic fare is fun to make, fun to eat, and fun to share. I love strawberry shortcake, and I wanted to make tiny sandwiches we could take with us on our expedition (because bowls of whipped cream don’t travel well. The result were these pretty little tea sandwiches. Perfect for picnics or for parties or for a lazy afternoon.
If you want to be ambitious, you can make pound cake from scratch. I’ve shared a REALLY GOOD recipe. One that won’t disappoint. But I promise I won’t judge if you pick up a loaf from the store. We’re all busy (and as I approach motherhood, I realize this more and more!). I spread a thick layer of mascarpone cheese whipped with honey over one piece of pound cake and layered cut strawberries on top. The mascarpone is just slightly sweet, adding ideal balance to this summer treat. If you’re not traveling with the sandwiches, you could serve them open-faced. But, if you’re going on a picnic I recommend you place that top layer over the strawberries and cream.
Strawberry Shortcake Sandwiches
Poundcake (see recipe below)
1 carton strawberries, sliced thin
1 cup mascarpone cheese (softened…allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes)
2 TBSP powdered sugar or honey (I prefer honey, but powdered sugar would also add the right amount of sweetness)
Whip together the softened mascarpone cheese and either honey or powdered sugar. Add more sweetener to taste. Cut standard shortcake (loaf pan size) into 1/2 inch, uniform slices. Cut each slice in half. Spread a thick layer of mascarpone cheese over one slice. Arrange cut strawberries over cheese. Place another slice on top. Repeat with remaining slices. Yields around 20 tea-size sandwiches.
Best Poundcake Recipe (From Epicurious)
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for pans
3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
7 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
Put oven rack in middle position, but do not preheat oven.
Generously butter two standard loaf pans and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.
Sift together sifted flour (3 cups) and salt into a bowl. Repeat sifting into another bowl (flour will have been sifted 3 times total).
Beat together butter (2 sticks) and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour, then all of cream, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become creamier and satiny.
Spoon batter into pans and rap pan against work surface once or twice to eliminate air bubbles. Place pans in (cold) oven and turn oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs adhering, around one hour. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around inner and outer edges of cakes, then invert rack over pans and invert cakes onto rack to cool completely.
PS. You’ll only need one of two pound cakes for the the shortcake sandwiches.
I love your before-baby list, Monet! Everything sounds so fun and it’s so nice to hear that you’ve been making progress. I bet, after a while, you’ll find that you’re able to do these things again, once you all get into a comfortable routine. These shortcake sandwiches look divine… perfect for serving at your next spring party! Have a great weekend!
LOVE the idea of strawberry shortcake-turned-sandwich. Yum! That’s one of my all time favorite desserts, and with strawberry season right around the corner, I may have to try this.
Love your list! I’ve heard about nesting pregnant women getting even more Type A, wanting to get lots of projects around the house done. Enjoy your last bit of time before Lucy arrives! And have a wonderful weekend.
Love these little sandwiches!!! So girly!!! Would love to see your Paris photos.. We leave on wednesday!! So exciting
I love your list! There are so many fun things on it. Made me smile thinking about it, and I started creating a list of things in my head I’d like to do feeling inspired by yours. Have a lovely, weekend!
I absolutely love your before Lucy arrives list! And cheers to already crossing things off! These strawberry shortcake sandwiches look to die for my friend! yum!
Hahhaa I’m a total list maker too!! (The boyfriend tends to go towards spreadsheets but the moral is we both are Type A’s :P) I love your list and I recommend Iron Man 3 (although maybe too many violent noises for lil unborn Lucy?)
That sounds like a perfect list of things to do before Lucy is born! I have had picnics on the brain lately too–egg salad sandwiches and sparkling lemonade to go with the strawberry shortcake, perhaps? 🙂
“Finish a novel” has been on my list since I graduated college. Nah, that’s an exaggeration. But not much of one. I finally want to read again after getting burned out in all those Lit classes. Turns out, it’s more fun to read when nobody’s making you.
I’ve wanted to go on a picnic for such a long time – we even got this adorable picnic basket as a wedding gift that we’ve NEVER used! I think we just need to do it. These sound delicious by the way : )
Hi Monet! Your list is perfect and I hope you get to do every single thing on it before your little bundle of joy arrives on the scene!
The strawberry shortcake sandwich is a lovely picnic food 😉
You have a great list here and I hope you get it all in before Lucy comes, but if not remember they make baby backpack carriers and they are so great to use when hiking! Cute cakes, I’m going to see the Great Gatsby myself this weekend.
-Gina-
Strawberry Shortcake is my absolute favorite dessert! I used to always ask for it on my birthday! I love that you’re making the most of every moment.
Enjoy your weekend!
A perfect list for a perfect time to come my friend 😀
And I absolutely love this delicious recipe!
Cheers
CCU
I need to make a to-do list like that and I don’t even have a baby coming in a month! Love it. Also – I read the marriage plot and really enjoyed it! I’ll be interested to hear what you think!
I love that these shortcakes are smothered between pound cake slices! So fun.
what a lovely list! I hope you get it all done though a picnic with your beautiful new baby sounds just as good as one just the two of you! these little cake sandwiches are gorgeous!
Monet,
Strawberries are my absolute favorite fruit, but I have never made Strawberry “sandwiches”. I will remedy this ASAP.
Your pre-baby list is very ambitious. You will be very busy:) I too, am a list maker, for everything.
That’s such a great list and I would definitely encourage you to tick off as many of those things before the birth as possible. We didn’t get out much after the birth of our children. And you just might have a bit of extra time up your sleeve – my earliest arrived eight days late xx
Dear Monet, my goodness! God bless you…you sound awfully energetic for being nine months pregnant! Please, put on that list. Rest, rest, and more rest!
The strawberry shortcake sandwiches look beautiful. Hope you had a fun time on your picnic. Blessings dearest, Catherine xo
I’m loving your to-do list. Yes, get out there and do whatever your heart pleases you before Lucy’s arrival. My hubby and I even took a “babymoon” before my first kid’s arrival. (Babymoon is like a “honeymoon” but it’s for parents-to-be to take a short trip so they can enjoy some sweet and quiet time before the chaos). hehe….not trying to scare you, but with an infant, we didn’t do many of the things we, as a couple, really enjoyed. Such as watching a movie/play, go to find dining restaurant, etc. So, I’m happy to see that you have it covered on your list. Have fun and enjoy. And get more rest and sleep too whenever you could. Take care.
mhm strawberry shortcakes reminds me of summer in Europe. =) I never had a sandwich made of strawberry shortcake, so that should be on my to do list. Your list until the arrival of your daughter is huge but sounds like fun.
Btw I like your blog and your personality shines through, which makes me feel very comfortable being here and reading your words. Glad I discovered your space. Oh and thanks for reaching out. 🙂
What a beautiful idea for a picnic. I’d love to serve these!
And enjoy that list. This definitely is a special time, and I hope you can make the most of it.
Such a cool idea! And perfect for strawberry season, love it!
Awww seriously obsessed with this post!!
LOVE that you made a pre-baby list, so cute & totally smart. I’m reading the Great Gatsby right now and can’t wait to see the movie.
Thanks for sharing that epic poundcake recipe! I can’t wait to try it.
xoxo Chels
Strawberry desserts were my favorite growing up!
That’s quite a list! I do hope you get to do all of those before Lucy arrives 🙂 I love those strawberry sandwiches.
This is my kind of sandwich! These look so cute and very yummy. I love when it’s strawberry season.
I love the list you made! I’ve done almost everything I put on my unofficial/in-my-head list, EXCEPT go to a big blockbuster movie in a movie theater – I haven’t done that in over a year, and SO want to do it before Fearless Baby arrives. =) Now, if I could just smuggle in one of these sandwiches while I do it, it really would be a perfect afternoon! =)
This looks INCREDIBLE, Monet! With mascarpone cheese (which I’ve recently discovered and love) and fresh strawberries and that yummy pound cake – I think I’m in love 😉
I know what you mean about the list-making – I’ve been known to make 1 or 2 (or 20) in my time. I think your goal to spend more time on fun things is fantastic (especially going to the Boulder Farmer’s Market – my absolute favorite market!). I also love how you know a restaurant is nice because it has $$$ on Yelp – we’ve totally done that, too 🙂
Enjoy your week and good luck tackling the list!!
OMG I love this sandwich idea and what a GREAT list…I love the many practical, but also the non-practical ones as well. You should definitely treat yourself before the baby is born 🙂 can’t wait to hear how many you get to!
Monet these look to be the perfect thing for an afternoon tea or a picnic in the park.
You are getting the recipe out just in time, it is berry season here on the East coast and oh man are they delicious and sweet.
I can’t believe it is only a month away from Lucy’s arrival. Here is to you completing your list and soaking up the last days of you all being a family of 2.
I have been wanting to make this cake ever since I bought this cookbook, and that was a while ago. But first I didn’t find kosher mascarpone cheese, then I didn’t have an occasion to bake it for, and then I had a baby who didn’t really allow me to do much multi-step cake baking. Well I baked it. It took a while. I juiced lemons one day, made curd another, worked on the frosting the next morning, and that afternoon finally baked the cakes. So it took a while, but it was done, decorated, and waiting in the fridge to eat. I wanted to skip lunch and just eat cake.To be honest, this cake got mixed reviews. Some loved it for the dense cake and fluffy frosting. Others took one bite and said, “too tart!” I thought it was great. Of course it’s tart, it has lemon everywhere. A lemon simple syrup soaks the cake. There’s lemon curd mixed into the frosting and between the cake layers, then more on top for decoration. So if you don’t like tart desserts or lemon flavor, skip this one. Or make it with passion fruit or oranges. Otherwise, I highky recommend it.
I’ve been a list maker forever. I don’t know how I’d accomplish anything without one, but once in a while it just has to get set aside (like while on vacation!).
What a creative idea to make bite-sized shortcakes…could be used for so many occasions…like showers!
That’s a great list (I’m a list maker, too) and I’m a big strawberry shortcake lover! 🙂
Monet, I’m swooning in delight over these strawberry shortcake sandwiches! I haven’t been able to master biscuit-making yet so this version of strawberry shortcake is totally up my alley. I can’t wait to try this, especially with the mascarpone. I hope you’re able to do everything on your list before baby comes!
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beautiful cake 🙂 i loved strawberry 🙂
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