Disappointed by Martha?!

I have been looking for a vegetarian-friendly stuffed peppers recipe for a while now. Yesterday on the Martha show, she made Greek stuffed peppers that sounded so good. I went to the market and was really looking forward to surprising S with dinner last last. Well, it turned out to be a bust. You use dry couscous (which didn't seem to cook at the way through) and they were very bland. You couldn't taste the stuffing beforehand since it had raw couscous. Next time I think I will either cook the couscous to season it up better or try some rice or other grain...and more seasoning.
Here's the recipe to try it for yourself:

Ingredients
Serves 4
4 large bell peppers
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup crumbled feta (4 ounces)
1/2 cup couscous
4 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions
Slice a very thin layer from the base of each bell pepper so they sit flat. Slice off tops just below stem. Discard stems; chop tops, and place in a medium bowl. Remove ribs and seeds from peppers.
To bowl, add beans, feta, couscous, scallion whites, garlic, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Stuff peppers with bean mixture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 5-quart Dutch oven or ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid; add 1 cup water. Cover; bake until peppers are tender, about 1 hour.

39 weeks today and BGD is the size of a watermelon!

Best Umbrella Holder Ever!

I have to give credit to where credit is due - S found this great umbrella holder at Z Gallerie last Sunday. We went in looking for a dining room table decor with no luck. On the way out, he spotted this little gem.

Turns out, it was only $35! We had to do a double-take because the price seemed so reasonable. We snatched it up and took it to the register right away.

Turns out they have been leaving the store like hotcakes. The saleslady said they get 5-7 in per week and they are all gone ASAP. And no one else can believe the price either. If you don't want to chance it, you can find it on www.zgallerie.com

Babymoon in Bodega Bay

We spent Saturday in Bodega Bay. We had never been there before and decided that it was still close enough in case anything happened with the pregnancy. We were a little sad leaving the city on Saturday - the weather was gorgeous and the traffic was horrendous, but all of that was quickly forgotten.

We arrived about 1pm and got some lunch at a place overlooking the water...got to see a few seals. Check in was at 4pm, but we tried to get in a little earlier. They weren't ready for us, so we just say on the adirondacks by the pool and took in the views while waiting for our massages. We both had massages - mine was a pre-natal and S had a therapeutic one. It was heavenly. We checked in and took naps right away. We had dinner reservations at the on-site restaurant, The Duck Club, which turned out to be delicious. S had Caesar salad and sole piccata and I had farmer's greens and then acorn squash stuffed with Isreali couscous, mushrooms and goat cheese. I am definitely going to try to recreate my entree this fall.

Yesterday, we ordered room service for breakfast. On the way home, we decided to take the scenic route - it was worth the extra half hour. We stopped at West Elm to make a return and then BRU to pick up the final items before BGD's arrival.

A Newborn Political Statement???

BGD will only be two weeks on on Halloween and I keep going back and forth on should I or shan't I? She already has an adorable pumpkin onesie that would definitely suffice, but besides her birth, this seems like a major photo opp. They have some cute bunting-style costumes, like a cute little peapod or even an air freshernener.

S decided maybe we should kick it up a notch...let's dress her as a polar bear in a bikini and call her "Global Warming".

My Last (un)Happy Hour

And the (un) isn't a bad thing...next time I will be getting my drink on. I guess booze has really been on my brain lately, but today especially when I think about all of the delicious cocktails I will not be consuming on this lovely day. I am meeting a few friends at a bar before my "newborn care" class tonight. This bar serves the BEST drink called the California Driver aka the Screwhound (I like the latter better) - it's freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juices with mandarin vodka. Yum, yum, yum.

I need to start blocking sites at work

for my own good. I could look for baby clothes every day.

We love "fancy pants" in our family so when I found a legging version at gap.com for $5 - yep, I had to get them. BGD's little tush is going to look so cute in these!