Big News (coming soon!)

I know I've not been a good blogger lately but part of that (a very big part) is because I am working on a new project (the other part os the cough that will not die). I'm super excited about it and trying to get all the details worked out at least enough so that I can begin to tell you about it. It's something that combines bunches of the things I'm most passionate about and that make me happy so obviously it's a jumble of fun.

Also I promise it has nothing to do with my pets.

In other exciting but not secret news I had a review at Sur la Table recently and one of the things I brought up was wanting to help design some vegetarian classes. I never follow recipes so it will be a new experience to write recipes. I also think I'll learn a lot about how I cook and become really aware of what I do and the reasons I make food the way I do. What I'd love from any of you that want to help me out are suggestions for vegetarian meals. I have tons of things I like to make but the reason we don't do a lot of vegetarian classes is people don't sign up for them. Soooo...I need to know what people want to make. If you're a meat eater even better. Also, what do you not want to learn how to make? I'm pretty big on leaving tofu and tempeh out of my cooking because I think you can make so much better food without it so those are probably out but anything else you're tired of seeing or think sounds gross or whatever the reason is let me know. I'm pretty sure the world doesn't need any more nut loaves.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Remember how I said I was going to cover every spare bit of wall space in my apartment with some sort of art? Well, progress has been made.

I've been staring at these flowers on the Urban Outfitters site forever. There's something I like about them but then every time I look at them I decide they're actually sort of dumb and not worth the $40 they cost. Then I'm drawn back and go through the whole thing again. Until all of a sudden it occurred to me that I could paint them.


I went to the craft store and bought a bunch of acrylic craft paint, the kind that's sold near all the unfinished wooden things you can paint, and some cheap brushes. I didn't really have a plan but I started by painting the backsides of the flowers. I left those to dry and came back the next day to do the fronts. I can be impatient so I was pretty stoked that this paint on this material dried really quickly.

Next I had to put them on the wall. The kit comes with these tacks and you basically just hammer them into a wall then snap the back of the flowers on. Not using a hammer is not an option, they aren't like thumbtacks, and you'll likely bend some of them. The kit comes with one extra pin but that wasn't enough to make up for the four tacks I ruined so I ended up super gluing a few to the wall. For those familiar with my past home projects this won't be a surprise. I also have a chandelier super glued to my ceiling and small rugs super glued together to create a large one.

Trust me, it's not as ridiculous as it sounds. And no, the chandelier is not going to fall down.


At this point I had super glued flowers to the walls, had a more than a few plaster mishaps being hidden by flower petals, and figured I was already in for a repair and paint job when I leave my apartment so, why not just go for broke and paint leaves on the wall too?




I can't tell you how happy it makes me to round the corner in the morning and see this. Especially with the recent sun.

I made some more art. Sort of.

I bought these really fantastic frames at Z Gallerie a few weeks ago. I wasn't really sure what to do with them or where to put them but I fell in love and they were 25% off so I pretty much had to buy them.



See?

So now I needed to decide what to put in them. I have a whole wall of photos in my living room so I wanted to do something different. I decided these were going to go in my hall and I wanted to put wallpaper in them. Except I didn't really want to buy rolls of wallpaper and I also didn't really feel like finding a wallpaper store and flipping through books and pretending I was going to buy something so they would give me samples and then get the wrong sizes and...the whole thing seemed like too much work. Know who has beautiful wallpaper though? Anthropologie. And their samples come in exactly the size I needed, 4"x6".

On their site you can request up to 13 samples of wallpapers so I decided to go big or go home and request the maximum 13. When I got them I was quite impressed.




The samples came in this really adorable envelope that someone had written on in very loopy letters with hearts and it was really just too cute. I wanted to photograph it but I also don't want to post my address and have all of you coming over for snacks and to look at my walls and all the things I super glue together.

Anyways, the samples came with this very handy and informative little card full of info. If I actually intended to buy wallpaper this may have sealed the deal. Also each sample had all this important stuff that I'm sure would be very helpful if you knew about wallpaper and were trying to map out how to hang it.

These are the samples I got.



I only had eight frames so I knew I needed to cut out five of the options. I decided I would use these ones somewhere else.



Then I mixed and matched to my heart's content.



And then two weeks later I got around to hanging them.

A Month of Photos: Day 2

So day two of this little adventure calls for a photo of "you and the person you have been closest to the longest."

This is a difficult one for me. I'm not close to my family and while I have friends I'm close to I'm in my mid twenties which means it hasn't been until fairly recently that my friends stay in the same place for long given college, jobs, etc. Then I realized the person I've been closest to the longest isn't someone I can call when I have a break up or who takes me out to drinks on my birthday, it's this little munchkin of a girl who I've taken care of since birth. I've re-discovered the awe of the ocean, building forts, mixing colored water to make new colors like magic...and so much more with this girl. And for as many times as I've kissed her owies and made her feel better she's done the same for me tenfold. I know, don't barf okay?

A Month of Photos

So, there's this thing going around on the internet among people who blog (remember when that word was still new and you were like what the hell is a 'blog'?). It's a month of photos. Here's how it works:

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with 10 facts
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of your day.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of somewhere you've been.
Day 07 - A picture that shows your true self.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of someone you see yourself marrying in the future.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of your favorite pastime.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone you've been friends with the longest and still feel connected to.
Day 17 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 18 - A picture of your favorite place.
Day 19 - A picture of a habit you wish you didn't have.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of you last year and how you've changed since then
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Shall we begin?


This picture is an older one but one of my favorites of myself. One of the girls I nannied and I were playing with a camera and taking pictures of each other. She took this. She must have been three at the time so I'm not really sure how she managed to not take something blurry and off center but she did and we were having fun and it reminds me of a time I felt really happy.

I love strawberries and blackberries and pretty much all the kinds of berries there are. Except I cannot handle raw blueberries. I love them frozen though. Especially in milk.

I used to wear the necklace in that photo a lot. I had bought it in the BP section of Nordstrom but without fail every time I wore it someone would ask if I had just gotten back from Hawaii. I'm pretty sure I still own it although I can't for the life of me imagine wearing it now.

I also used to be super blonde (duh). After awhile I hated how people treated me for being blonde and I hated how much I felt I had to wear dark serious clothes to be taken seriously. After I dyed my hair dark again I resolved to never be blonde again although I'm coming dangerously close again these days.

I'm not allergic to anything with the exception of one kind of Neutrogena makeup. I once tried it and it made my face red and bumpy. I started a new job the same week and was mortified but after time and tragedy mixed and things became funny I confessed to my employer how embarrassed I had been. She claimed she had never noticed but I still doubt the veracity of that.

I sleep with the windows open year round. When I woke up this morning it was 27 degrees Farenheit but I still love the feeling of waking up and things being fresh and how cozy my bed feels with all the covers and pillows and Javier when there's just a bit of a chill in the air.

I have scars on my knees from playing basketball outside when I was in high school. One time I was team captain against this big six foot tall guy and his team. My team was winning at one point so he shoved me. I got gravel in my knees and they were pretty gross for awhile but I also feel proud of them.

I eat quiche with soy sauce on it. It's weird and I don't know why but quiche is never as good without soy sauce. I don't even know what prompted me to try it but I've eaten it that way since I was a child.

In general I always keep my Monday nights to myself. I love alone time and find myself frantic if I don't schedule some for myself. I also love sort of easing into the hectic week by leaving my Monday evenings free of plans.

One of the things I'm most proud of is the fact that I have sold some of my paintings as well as had some commissioned. One of the things I regret most is not thinking highly enough of my work and myself to have photographed them before selling them.

Tiny Food in Tiny Jars

I'm pretty much the best ever at picking gifts. I have this unique ability to remember an offhand comment from months before and then seek out the exact thing someone wants. It's pretty amazing actually. But I do have one person in my life who really seems to have everything. She's terribly difficult to find a gift for and ended up purchasing the one idea I had for herself earlier this month. I was at a total loss as to what to give her and her family for Christmas this year until I stumbled upon an article online about making little mini pies in shallow half pint canning jars. I loved the idea but didn't really have any need for making dessert pies so I decided to use the idea to make meals that I could then gift to this person who has everything but hates cooking.

I decided I was going to make chicken pot pies, chili and cornbread, quiche, and lasagnas. I used half pint canning jars that are short and squat rather than the traditional half pint ones most people use for jams and such. Because my gift receiver's family has six members I made six of each meal.


I started with the chili because I wanted to be able to freeze it long enough that I could put the cornbread on top without it just sinking to the bottom. I used some of the black beans I had made the other night with onion and green pepper. I also put in a couple diced tomatoes and extra onion.


I cooked that down for a bit while I waited for Craig to bring me a can opener because I apparently lost mine in my move. I fed him pizza and wine though so I think it was an even trade. Once he arrived I was able to add kidney beans. I also added corn and zucchini.


Next thing to go in was some grated cheddar cheese, cumin, salt and garlic powder. After that melted I took the chili off the heat and Craig and I tried it. This is where I have no shame in bragging about how awesome I am at making food because this chili was amazing. Craig wanted to eat more of it but I hadn't made enough so I promised him I would make it again soon.


I put the chili into the jars leaving enough space to top them off with cornbread batter once they had frozen a bit.


Javi was very loud during this project. Because whenever I am in the kitchen it must mean he gets something except he doesn't like any treats or human food with the exception of ice cream so mostly it's just obnoxious and pointless. He is soft and cute though so he's forgiven.


After they had frozen just enough for there to be a "seal" of sorts over the top of the chili I poured the cornbread batter (which I made from a box) on top of the chili and stuck them back into the freezer. Now when they're heated again in the oven the cornbread will bake.




Next I moved onto the chicken pot pies. If you've ever read any of my cooking adventures before you know I don't follow recipes and even though I have never made chicken pot pie I gambled that I could figure it out. Rather than making gravy (which grosses me out to no end) I used cream of mushroom soup as my base. I added peas and corn first.


I sauteed some red potatoes with diced onion, to which I later added carrots. When that was done I tossed it in the bowl along with some celery. I had bought a chicken breast but had totally accidentally bought the wrong thing and there was bone and skin and it was awful so Craig helped me cut the meat off which I then diced and sauteed in a pan. It went in the bowl too along with some salt, pepper and heavy cream.


I had bought refrigerated pie crust to make things easier. I tore pieces off and just pressed them into the jars to form a crust. I did twelve of these because I was making quiche as well. Also that one picture is in my living room because I needed to get my weekly fix of pregnant teenagers on MTV so I moved my crust making station that way.



Next I filled the jars with the filling and made crusts for the top of the pies. To make the tops I just made a lump of dough then sort of pressed it out between my palms. The tops don't fit perfectly which is actually ideal because then you don't have to cut slits or fancy decorative holes in the tops. I also used an egg wash so the crusts would be all flaky and gorgeous when cooked.





Next up were the quiches. I diced up sun dried tomatoes then used the oil from them to saute leeks and crimini mushrooms separately. Then I realized I forgot to buy gruyere for my quiche so I had to improvise. I ended up making a mixture of cottage cheese and gorgonzola along with the veggies, about six eggs (I also used the leftover egg from the egg wash), and some heavy cream. For anyone unfamiliar with leeks, they're a milder veggie in the onion family and they are delicious. They also have a similar structure to onions so you can just slice them and separate the rings.




I wasn't really sure if I should freeze the quiche uncooked and allow it to cook when it would be heated again or if I should cook it and chance the eggs becoming overcooked when it was reheated. So I turned to the internet and the people there said to cook it just until it starts to set then take it out and freeze it. Which seems super logical now that I know it. So I went ahead and did that. Then let them cool before sticking them in the freezer. It was messy.



Now for the lasagna. I love to make this dish. It's so hard to make bad lasagna.

I made a mixture of cottage cheese (this works as a really good substitute for ricotta if you don't have any or are making for people who don't like ricotta as I was), mozzarella, diced red peppers, zucchini, shredded cooked spinach, a couple eggs, salt, and pepper.


I'd bought fresh lasagna noodles because I figured it'd be easiest to cut circles out of to fit the jars. I was planning on using that glass in the photo next to the package of lasagna to cut out the circles but that didn't really work so I used this weird ice cream scoop I have for serving fancy ice cream. If you have just a circle cookie cutter that would work too but I did not.




From there it was a pretty easy routine of putting layers in the jars. I always put sauce down first to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pan/jar. Next I did a layer of noodle and then filling. Repeat, repeat, repeat. When you get to the top you just put a layer of sauce then sprinkle on some grated mozzarella.






Everything ended up in the freezer for the night and then since it was 1am Javi and I went to bed.



In the morning I made these little labels with instructions on them. I made sure to state that the jars should be put into a cold oven that is then heated rather than a pre-heated oven. That will prevent the jars from being shocked and breaking, although these jars are made for canning so I wouldn't worry about that happening too much.


I gave this gift today since I won't be seeing this person again before Christmas and she loved it. I would like to do this again for myself since I don't usually like to make a whole pan of lasagna or an entire quiche. Living alone means that when I make something like that I eat it for a week or end up throwing it out. If I did this again I would make sure I had a ton of food because once you start it really doesn't take that much longer to fill extra jars whereas making and setting up this whole thing again sort of will take awhile. I started this at about 8pm and worked on it until 1am. Which seems like forever but realistically I made four different meals in that time. In an effort of full disclosure though I did do a lot of multitasking and I definitely thought out how I was going to do this before I started. I grouped the photos together for ease of reading but I worked on the chicken pot pie filling while the chili froze, I baked the quiche while I made the lasagna. I made sure that any dish I had down time with was done earlier so I could work on another then finish the previous one.

But, it was really fun. And now I want to eat quiche. Or chili.