Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The closing of one book

and the opening of another. 
That's what I see graduation as.

It's that time of the year folks - 
Dads & Grads!

When I graduated with my MA
Speaking of Dads - I gotta start thinking of what to get Hot Stuff.
Any ideas? What are some of the coolest/neatest/weirdest
things that you have given to a Dad??

Monday, March 28, 2011

Cricutting

Amy over at Pleased as Punch Cricuts like a mad woman.

Amy made this cake using a Cricut!


She makes me REALLY want a Cricut.
A Cricut machine from Cricut
 
I wonder how often I would use it though . . .

I think I'll add it to my Christmas list!!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Help! I need somebody...

Help! not just anybody,
Help! you know I need someone, help!




I'm in the process of redecorating and am at crossroads between seating choices.

These are the pieces that I love and are thinking of purchasing and reupholstering:

The simple settee just like pieKnits as seen here
Photo by pieKnits


Ok so here is the problem...

Chairs!

Do I go with 2 rounded cane back chairs similar to

Photo from RossAuction.com

(black frame with velour like grey upholstery already done)

OR

Do I get 2 Bergere chairs like
Photo from OurBoatHouse.com
(I would need to re-cover them. Maybe something yellow with little bit of green)

Which chairs do you think would go well together with the settee?!?!
Any advice is appreciated!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Heart of the Home.

Today, I decided that every Sunday deserves a well cooked meal - including a REAL desert (not just ice cream or a chocolate bar)

Often times, well, ALL the time, I just whip something up. I call it time-to-raid-the-pantry dinner! My poor family eats happily because they don't know any better. BUT - I've been inspired. Jealous really...

Recently, a lovely gal by the name of Kristen, kept updating her FaceBook with mouth watering dishes that she would prepare for her family. Everyday I would log into FB and there it is - another yummy dish that Kristen would be creating. Things like: 

Gouda, gruyere, parmesan, mozzarella, shallots, 
kalamata olives and pepperoni pizza

 Citrus chiken tacos, chipotle gouda, cilantro lime sauce

amazing marinated grilled fish tacos 

Grilled steak with parm butter and balsamic glaze and Arugula. ♥

To top if off, she would post up pictures to go with most of the dishes!!! 
So what's a girl like me to do? I simply will not sit by and let all this yummyness pass me by! I went ahead and raided Epicurious.com and created me own masterpiece! Congratulate me now cuz it was perfect!
On the menu:
Pulled Pork Sandwhiches
Fresh baked corn bread
Arugula & spinach salad topped 
w/ goat cheese & sun dried tomatoes.
~AND~
a New York Cheese cake w/ warm mixed berry compote

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's what I did prior taking pictures:
I took about 7lbs of pork shoulder and sprinkled a bunch of cajun seasoning on it. Then I placed it in the crock pot with 1 bottle of Killian's Irish Red BEER & enough A&W rootbeer to cover most of the pork. I cooked this concoction for about 4.5 hours. I then took out the cooked pork and started to pull it apart.

OK ok! Here are the pics....

This is my pulling station. In the foreground, you have large chunks of pork
and then the pulled pork in the mid ground. The background is a container for 'unmentionables'. I think that is self explanatory.



Here is my crock pot - or as my 5 yr. old called it: my CRACK pot

After cooking the pork, I saved about 2 cups of the liquid and dumped the rest. Then, I rinsed out the crack pot cuz I'm just weird like that.
I placed the already pulled/shredded pork back into the clean crack pot.
That's the photo you see above :)
Somewhere in between crack potting and shredding,
I made a thing of corn bread. I used Trader Jose's corn bread in a box mix.
It never fails!


At some point, between crack potting, 
pulling and corn breading,
I prepped a salad. 

Ingredients: Arugula, baby red leaf, spinach, pea sprouts, sun dried tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, carrots and goat cheese.


And there ya have it folks. A dinner of champions!



The finish line - Cheesecake w/ berry compote.

This was truly a satisfying meal for me because I made it.
AND
everyone loved it. 

That, my dear, is what makes a kitchen the heart of the home.


It was SO good, it put my daughter
into a food coma. 
Here she is falling asleep at the table.

Bon Appetit!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

For the love of shoes...

A couple of weeks ago, I got these:

Jessica Simpson's DANY

Then yesterday I picked up these lovelies:

Jeffrey Campbell's FOXY

I had to! They were only $40!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood

"So, let's make the most of this beautiful day.
Since we're together we might as well say:
Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Won't you please, Won't you please?
Please won't you be my neighbor?"
Lyrics and photo from PBSkids.org
Yes, today was a beautiful day. Close to 80 degrees, which has been rare lately. Ah yes, it was a much needed change from the arctic blast that we had been getting these past few weeks. If you are not from California, you would be laughing at this - we are spoiled with perfect weather; but we pay dearly.

To celebrate such a beautiful day, Hot Stuff and I went to 'trade' in some old furniture.
Yes, you heard it right - TRADE.

Once there was this dastardly handsome man - Francesco (he even has a sexy name!) who wanted my old furniture and in return, he was going to give me something lovely!! Here's what I gave him:
An Ikea patio table that had seen better days.



4 matching Ikea patio chairs
and a plain old boring dresser!
for something a little grander!

Ladies and gents, meet my highboy:

I cannot begin to tell you how awesome this piece is!!!!
Or how awesome it was for Francesco to give it to me!!!
What kind of man would want my old junk for this truly awesome antique piece?!?! A lawyer who's moving to the beach and wants patio furniture and a dresser to shove into his closet!
Anyway...

Follow me as I take you on a tour of my Big Boy!
Bottom row - my stuff
2nd from the bottom - my stuff
3rd from the bottom - my stuff
4th from the bottom - my stuff
5th from the bottom - my stuff


and the two rows that are left on top: Hot Stuff's stuff!

This is the only 'improvement' that I've done to it:
~ Pretty paper that nobody is ever gonna see ~
Here's a little detail that nobody is ever gonna see either:
 It's a piece of wood that acts as a support brace for the top part of the dresser. I guess whoever made the dresser used a scrap piece with ornate flower carvings on it. Pretties!!

So I made chicken and broccoli alfredo for dinner and rented a movie.
I'm off to watch said movie so;


"Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?"