The Peanut Gallery

1 thing I have learned this week

2010-10-14T20:38:00.000-04:00

The NBC show Undercovers is about a retired CIA couple who are reinstated when another agent goes missing. Sounds good, right?

Bummer alert: The couple is super young and hot, not in their 70s which I had assumed and would make the show so much more awesome. NBC totally missed the boat on an awesome Leslie Nielson type show!

I think I could write an awesome sitcom about retired CIA agents returning to the agency.

Yo!

2010-09-20T20:38:00.000-04:00

Mike and I started a photo biz! We have been busy! Check it out...

http://www.tallandsmallphotography.com/

Muffins and Bread

2010-04-14T17:56:00.000-04:00

I bought this book at ReStore, remember? It is totally awesome! It has a ton of bread recipes that do not use yeast so they can be made quickly. Get it, quick breads? Anyway, I decided that I will try to make one bread a week. Last week I made a peanut butter banana bread, no picture. It was pretty good but it looked ugly. This week I made blueberry ginger muffins.

yum!! They tasted more molasses-y than gingery, I thought. And I think they would be better with butterscotch chips instead of blueberries. I will definitely be making this recipe again.

I pretty much followed the recipe except I used regular milk instead of buttermilk.

nice

2010-04-13T18:36:00.002-04:00

I love a man who wears pink!

Links I liked today.

2010-04-08T20:21:00.000-04:00

I have always thought I could get super interested in dollhouses, well, now I definitely want to! Check out this blog!

I like party planning. These are beautiful set ups! Especially the aqua and magenta! Yum.

Or even better, just invite me to this party! Best party ever!

Eek! So cute. I'll take the pitcher, please.

I love Johnny Weir. Even though the olympics are over, we should still be celebrating him! Maybe plan this party for my birthday?

I love this embroidery. Very inspiring!

interesting things from today..

2010-04-07T18:29:00.000-04:00

Yes, I love these clothes! And yes, too expensive!

Yikes, this "sandwich" is the craziest thing ever! Could it be worse than the Mc10:35?

I have got to start watching this show!

I have really been interested in this blog and this show. School lunches are crazy!

I want to buy this book.

Sailor Style and Wishful Thinking

2010-04-03T17:33:00.000-04:00

So, remember when my New Year resolution was to adopt a sailor style? Mike and I were at Opportunity House Thrift and he found this amazing sailor jacket!

It fits perfectly and has a cute anchor on the sleeve! Now I have a wish-for-it-and-find-it mentality! Currently, I am wishing for a top like this...

This top is from Leifsdottir and is $288!! Yikes!

These shoes from Roxy.

And I am wishing for an elem. school art job! C'mon universe!

Spring!

2010-04-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

Happy Spring!

I went to Cincinnati!

2010-03-30T19:10:00.001-04:00

Mike has been busy nerding it up with his exams, so I got out of town with a friend for a day trip. We went to Cincinnati, mainly to check out Jungle Jims. It really is as awesome as they say! It was a magical disney-like foodie paradise! I bought weird meat flavored chips, raspberry and cherry lambic, sake, and candy! And some sasparillas for Mike. He is an old man.

yes! Fiberglass animals!

yes! Fiberglass fruit!

And there were weird huge moving things, like this can of soup on a swing. It was awesome.

And a very large and elaborate Sherwood Forest scene over the England section of the store. Robin Hood and Big John moved and talked!

And there was weird bug candy! It was fine to pose with, but we didn't buy any.

There was an extensive wine section. This is where we spent most of our time, mainly checking out the cool looking bottles.

Murdered Out Duck Army

2010-03-28T16:08:00.000-04:00

Rob and Big inspired me to murder out my toys at work. The ducks were work incentives and the skull and m&ms were gifts. They look way better covered in black sharpie.

Happy Friday!

2010-03-26T20:05:00.000-04:00

I made rainbow cake for a work party today. It is definitely more about looks than taste, it just tastes like regular white cake. I used this idea! Thanks.

Octopi Attack!

2010-03-14T14:37:00.000-04:00

Octopuses Attack the Living Room

Octopuses Attack the Living Room II

Octopuses Attack the Bathroom

I listed some paintings from my newest "Octopi Attack" series on etsy!

scarf!

2010-03-01T19:10:00.000-05:00

New scarf in action!

Baby Walter!

2010-02-28T20:10:00.000-05:00

Nichol and Joseph had their baby! He is beautiful!

And pretty alert for only being 5 days old!!

DIY!

2010-02-28T19:17:00.000-05:00

So, I saw this scarf on the J. Crew website and really liked it. I don't consider myself a scarf person, but I think I will be giving them a try! I especially love anything metallic. Anyway, $55 is way too much for a scarf so I made my own from a $.50 thrifted scarf.

I bought the gold paint from JoAnn's fabric for $5.

and painted tiny hearts!

I am considering this scarf a practice scarf because the color and fabric was not ideal. I might wear it tomorrow though! If I decide that I really love this scarf, I think I will make another on a lightweight white fabric and make a small heart stamp to make it a bit more uniform.

This is a DIY I did a few weeks ago...

Bow Sweater!

I followed a tutorial from myvintagesecret.com. It was pretty easy except my sewing skills are a little wonky.

Happy Birthday Valentine!

2010-02-15T10:02:00.002-05:00

super bowl

2010-02-07T18:20:00.000-05:00

So, I could care less about the super bowl. However, since we live only an hour or so from Indianapolis, there is really not escaping it! At work on Friday we were supposed to wear "Colts gear", which I do not have. So, I made a blue bow tie out of felt and pinned it on my "Virginia is for lovers" shirt, so I could support VA too. Not wanting a good bow tie to go unused, I am wearing it again today.

I think I am technically rooting for the Saints. Mainly because I like cheering for the underdog and I like Reggie Bush and I like this guy.

Reasons to have a baby...

2010-02-07T16:46:00.000-05:00

There are a few reasons I should have a baby.

1. Nichol would make the baby this! And I love it! (I totally stole this image from her blog, sorry Nichol!)

She made this for her baby and it is the most adorable mobile I have ever seen!

2. I could dress it up as this for Halloween!

3. It could wear this!!

I found this at a thrift shop outside of Louisville. It is maybe the funniest thing I have ever found at a thrift shop... or anywhere?

None of those reasons are really good enough for such a life changing decision... so I listed the hilarious cowboy face baby outfit on etsy. Check it out here!

pin up girls!

2010-02-02T20:29:00.000-05:00

Mike and I have inherited a ton of things from his grandfather, including a stack of these amazing pin up girl cards! My favorite is the vespa girl!

I think I am in love...

2010-01-27T18:41:00.000-05:00

with google reader! Seriously, it knows me better than I even know myself. I love what it recommends to me! And it has totally revolutionized my work day!

Here are some of the awesome things it has recommended to me...

A look into the past

Mondrian cake!

Crazy digital guitar

Baby shower!

2010-01-25T19:33:00.000-05:00

Mike and I hosted our first ever baby shower last week! It was a success!

We played games...

baby food is weird.

We served food!

I made ham biscuits, a spiced pear cake, assembled a veggie tray with hummus and blue cheese dip, and made grape salad! It is easy to make and delicious...

We played bingo!

While Nichol and Joseph opened their baby gifts.

Albert the dog helped.

The parents to be!

Grape Salad recipe (from my Mother-in-law's friend)

2 lbs. green seedless grapes

2 lbs. red seedless grapes

8 ounces sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup crushed pecans

Wash and stem grapes; set aside to dry.
Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar, and vanilla by hand until blended.

Stir grapes into mixture and pour in large serving bowl.
Combine brown sugar and pecans.
Sprinkle over top of grapes covering completely.
Chill overnight.

The entire recipe serves around 12-15.

When I made this, I only used brown sugar and I did not use 4 lbs of grapes! That is way too much, so I added a little less of everything. It was a big hit!

Sundays are good cooking days.

2010-01-24T17:28:00.000-05:00

I have been cooking/baking up a storm today! This was the second time I made the curried golden vegetable soup. This time I made it a little differently. I didn't use leeks, I used a red onion and this time I didn't measure anything, just dumped it in. And I didn't use raisins either time, I think raisins are kind of gross.

I also used Joy the Baker's recipe for sea salt and poppy seed crackers. Who would think it make homemade crackers?? But, they are very easy and delicious! I might try to make some different types of crackers, pretty fun.

I also made banana bread.. no photo. And I am planning on making some english muffin pizzas. Yummers.

ps. A post is still coming on how my first time ever hosting a baby shower! I made another Joy the Baker recipe for it!

Erin and Mike dolls!

2010-01-18T21:24:00.000-05:00

Nichol made Mike and I in doll form! I love them so much, especially doll Erin's bow tie and acid wash skirt!

I think it is a very good likeness!

The Online Shoppe of Christopher David Ryan

2010-01-10T10:54:00.000-05:00

I love these!!

You can order them here!

Reeboks?

2010-01-10T10:32:00.000-05:00

I kind of want these shoes. I designed them! You can customize your own here! Mike thinks he can design cooler shoes, but we'll see!

Snow Day!

2010-01-08T20:35:00.000-05:00

2010!

2010-01-05T18:26:00.000-05:00

Mike gave me this vintage sailor shirt for Christmas. I love it, especially the bow! So far I am doing awesome on my New Year resolution! I think most of my resolutions for this year are pretty much the same ones I made last year. I feel like I did fulfill those resolutions, so I want to do more of the same this year! This year I would also like to make some major changes, new job and new location! Also, maybe a new haircut.

So.. my 2010 resolutions are:

1. Wear bowties/bows

2. Have more dinner parties, at least one a month.

3. new job! new location!

4. Work more on my etsy shop, list more artwork.

5. Have as much fun as possible in Bloomington before we move!

I got a flip!

2010-01-04T21:28:00.002-05:00

Untitled from Erin Lee on Vimeo.

Oh yeah

2009-12-19T17:28:00.000-05:00

Also, I finished all 50 artomat paintings!

Thanks ReStore!

2009-12-19T17:23:00.000-05:00

Today it snowed like crazy in VA :( So we couldn't start our driving today. Instead, we went to some thrift stores and used my Honeybaked Ham gift card! Yum, ham.

We went to ReStore and they were having a crazy sale $2 for a cloth bags and as many books/magazines as you could fit in the bag! I have to admit, we totally restrained ourselves, I could have fit way more magazines! A few are going to be gifts. I am keeping the Turkish cooking book!

Mike also gave me an early Christmas present...

I am definitely on my way to completing my New Year's Resolution!

cutie cute husband

2009-12-02T20:23:00.002-05:00

Christmas!!!

2009-12-02T19:50:00.000-05:00

I am getting super excited about Christmas. I am more ready for Christmas this year than I ever have been before! My shopping is pretty much done, the house is decorated, I have finished the homemade gifts I want to give! Usually I am making things until the last minute. Here is a sneak peak of what I have been making...

Today I got a present from my work secret santa! A bottle of coke zero and a pack of creme de menthe altoids, the best altoids ever. So, Christmas is definitely here!

I am also soooooo close to finishing up my artomat paintings. Here are the latest completed paintings!

Only ten more to finish!

I listed some new things to etsy.

2009-12-01T19:36:00.000-05:00

Etienne Aigner boots! Size 7.5

Acid wash jacket!

I am totally turning into an old lady...

2009-11-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

I want to start collecting Lladro!! I think these pieces are so beautiful and whimsical.

Swedish Horse shirt!

2009-11-25T18:29:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to celebrate my Swedish heritage lately, this shirt from Modcloth would do it!

Duck shoes!

2009-11-24T19:38:00.000-05:00

Amazing! Maybe they will go on super sale after Christmas! Currently, the price is ridiculous!

Dressing Up

2009-11-12T19:44:00.000-05:00

I picked up this book a few weeks ago at Goodwill. Destiny! It was written in 1984, and I will admit, some of the advice is a bit outdated. But, she says, "There are lots of things in this world that one has to be serious about. I don't think dressing up is one of them. Dressing up is about fun and flirt and glamour- and being a little creative with yourself." -how true!!

I am interested in trying out that bottom left hairdo!

This outfit isn't that impressive, but that chair!! Awesome.

Unfortunately, there are not many color photos, but there are a few fun nuggets of wisdom.

"Dressing up is making the effort and creating whatever illusion you fancy. It's a time to express your moods and whims-it's your chance to make a personal statement. Think of it as a silent way to proclaim, "Here I am!" And dressing up should be fun-otherwise, what's the point?"

Need a diaper bag?

2009-11-10T20:16:00.000-05:00

I totally do not, but I love these bags designed by Eleanor!!

We have two of her prints and love them!

In case you are wondering what to buy me for Christmas...

2009-11-10T20:04:00.000-05:00

These rings are from Metalicious and I love them!!

Bowtie Junior

2009-11-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

I think one of my New Year's resolutions will be to work bowties into my wardrobe. This sweater is a step in the right direction.

Halloween!

2009-11-01T12:34:00.001-05:00

We had a very low key Halloween this year. I dressed up like a majorette. I found the costume in a VA Goodwill and it was too good to pass up!

Mike played a flight simulator game...

But we did carve pumpkins!

Mike made the Reebok Pump-kin. It got a lot of comments from our 50 trick-or-treaters!

We were way more into Halloween last year, but I already have some ideas for next year!

Christmas wish list

2009-10-10T22:12:00.004-04:00

This car! I really love all the mirco cars, but this one is so adorable. I would look awesome in it. However, Mike would probably not fit.

Danger!

2009-10-10T19:33:00.002-04:00

I found this amazing book at Backstreet Misson Thrift shop. It has a lot of good information for preventing injuries and promoting safety. Like..

Kids shouldn't shave their legs.

Kids should be trusted with jigsaws.

wait... they should wear goggles while operating jigsaws.

Yay Goodwill!

2009-10-07T21:27:00.001-04:00

I found 3 of these pink elephant glasses for .49 cents each! Now I am definitely having a Christmas party. I will invite 3 people, and serve egg nog and cheese!

future vacation idea?

2009-10-06T19:51:00.002-04:00

There is really nothing more I want in the world than to be able to taunt a shark through the safety of a metal cage! I guess I'd better start saving my allowance! This website has a lot of cool adventures and then a lot of weird, overpriced ones!

Hmm..

2009-10-03T14:03:00.002-04:00

Maybe I am more of a hipster than I thought! I love a lot of these names!

Yes!

2009-09-29T17:19:00.001-04:00

I need this Stella Scooter!

more artomat art!

2009-09-28T21:12:00.000-04:00

These seem to be going a lot faster than my previous sets!

Yum and starting artomat art again!

2009-09-23T20:21:00.002-04:00

I made this delicious cake last weekend. It is a recipe form design*sponge. It looks fancy and tastes very good, but the recipe is simple! My ideal recipe. I will be making this again and again with different fruit combos.

And I finished my first artomat piece! I started a few peanut rugs, pretty fun.

More vintage!

2009-09-23T19:41:00.000-04:00

More vintage items added to the shop!

Peace Out Summer 2009

2009-09-22T21:44:00.004-04:00

Wah. I am sad summer is over and winter is approaching. I have never loved winter but I have especially hated it while living in Indiana. The sun is gone until spring, it is terrible!!

Here is a look back at a super fun summer...

I grew tomatoes! Hmm, only 2 but they were the most delicious tomatoes of all time.
Ginny came to Indiana! And we had a murder mystery puzzle party.
Josh and Katherine moved to Texas. Sad news, but fun because we visited them in Fort Worth!
First (and last??) experience at the drive-in theater.

love this belt!

2009-09-19T11:51:00.003-04:00

From The Sartorialist

Cutest shoes ever!!

2009-09-16T19:48:00.005-04:00

Orange! Polka Dots! Keds! On sale! 19.99!!

They are being delivered to me next week! Hoooray!

Perfect Weekend!

2009-09-12T18:14:00.007-04:00

Friday: worked lame... then came home and got Subway for dinner and went to see a movie in the park with Mike, and Nichol and Joseph. We saw Sunset Boulevard, I had never seen it before and I liked it very much!

Saturday: got up late, did yoga, showered, went to the grocery store, got Wendy's for lunch, hung out, walked downtown and went to a new antique store and Salvation Army. The antique store had a bunch of good stuff, Salvation Army was kind of crappy. Then we stopped at Sahara Mart and got drinks and started walking home.. then we saw a sigh "Guy Stuff for Sale!" so we stopped by. Guy stuff = random wires and wheels and a portable toliet. We didn't buy anything but it was pretty funny. The guy said there was a lady sale last week so I am sad that we missed that! And then Mike figured out how to attach our computer to our TV so we can watch netflix instantly on the TV. So, we watched a lot of Party Down a very good TV show!

Sunday: had at-home pedicures with Nichol and got caught up on Project Runway. I think I am rooting for Carol Hannah!

Things I love Thursday

2009-09-09T20:02:00.006-04:00

Thanks to Gala Darling for the TiLT idea!

Here are the things I am loving this week...

A shorter week at work! Woo hoo! And looking forward to the weekend!

Luna bars! Especially chocolate peppermint.

Whole fruit bars.

But, mainly having a shorter work week!

The perfect piggy bank!

2009-09-09T19:54:00.002-04:00

From etsy seller johnnyvintage, $10.95!!

Elegant lady hats!

2009-09-08T20:22:00.004-04:00

I am listing these sweet little hats on etsy this week! I found them in VA when I was thrift shopping with my mom. I especially like the blue one!

I need to work on my modeling!

Now that I am a godmother...

2009-09-06T15:22:00.007-04:00

...I have been thinking about baby gifts!

This is my sweet little goddaughter, Sadie Claiborne! I like this picture because it looks like she is telling me a secret.

I have been checking out etsy for some cool baby things. I will start with cute crochet things! I loved this little skirt...

It is from etsy seller, boak tree. It is a cute diaper cover with skirt attached and is $25.

And really, what is cuter than a baby in roller skates??

These are from etsy seller, CrochetHooka. $12.95! She also has some other cute baby booties!

Baby bunny hat!! From etsy seller ToddlerToppers. Totally adorable. $20! Although I do have to admit this baby doesn't looked thrilled to be wearing a bunny hat! It reminds me of The Christmas Story!

Closer to Christmas I will be posting more gift guides for babies and adults!

Things I am happy about!

2009-09-06T14:44:00.007-04:00

1. Fall weather! Yum! This was from a few weeks ago when we were visiting a Lavender Farm in VA! Photo by Mike. He also took a cute picture of a mini horse!

2. Soccer season! We watching IU v. Wake Forest Soccer yesterday. They played in Bloomington, but it was rainy yesterday morning.

Mike took that photo last year.

3. I am starting a new set of artomat paintings soon!! I just ordered a set of blocks to paint on yesterday! I am VERY excited about painting 50 more mini paintings.

4. Um, I am already really looking forward to Christmas!

5. Staying home from work today. Yay Labor Day!

Things I want...

2009-09-06T14:18:00.010-04:00

New jeans! I have been wanting a pair of new jeans, staight leg, dark wash, no fading or whiskering or any of that weird stuff. These seem like a good pair! They are levis!
This is on my wishlist for my future house. And I would want it in pink! But, $479 is to much! I would settle for a knock off.

A new haircut!! I am torn between wanting to grow it out a bit so I could have updos and cutting it pretty short! From Modern-hairstyle.com!

A cozy, sweater! This one is from Banana Republic.

And these peanut butter and bacon cookies from Joy the Baker! The sound very interesting and good!

Vegan Chocolate Avocado cake!

2009-08-09T14:40:00.002-04:00

I made this cake on Friday night to bring to Nichol and Joseph's! I used the Vegan Chocolate Avocado cake from Joy the Baker.

Very Tasty! I really loved the cake, very fudgy and chocolatey! I have to admit that the icing was a little weird, it was good though. I think I might even make it again next weekend for the neighborhood block party!

Vacay pt. 2

2009-08-04T18:15:00.004-04:00

We made it to Texas! We walked around Fort Worth and Mike took our picture! I am the Trail Boss.

We witnessed this epic battle!! I think the snake won. It was part of the restaurants decor.

It is true that everything is bigger in Texas!! I ordered a "spit roasted pig" and it could have made 5-6 sandwiches. I have also never gotten a whole ear of corn as a side dish, but I loved it!

Ghost Katherine and I tried out the pool. It was lovely.

I brought our host and hostess some cookies. I used my Indiana cookie cutter again and Mike made one Texas shaped cookie for Josh.

Vacay pt. 1

2009-08-03T19:35:00.006-04:00

Mike's phone hated central time. It is also very dirty. (edit: The phone is dirty. I have nothing against central time! I love central time!)

We made to Illinois!

We listened to Nelly as we drove through St. Louis...From St. Louis to Memphis, from Texas back up to Indiana...

Angel Cloud!!

We drove through a lot of storms!

If I ever drive through Missouri during the day, I will have to come back to the Precious Moments Chapel to check out their sistine chapel! I had to settle for their sculpture garden and giant billboard!

the starlight drive-in doesn't lie

2009-07-26T13:33:00.002-04:00

the starlight drive-in doesn't lie
Originally uploaded by open mike

Mike took this great photo at the drive in! I love it.

(Best viewed large!)

Weekend Recap

2009-07-26T13:27:00.006-04:00

We went to the drive-in! It was the first time either of us had ever been to one. I thought it was a fun experience, but we both totally feel asleep. Lame-os.

I baked banana bread for the first time! I found an eggless recipe online since we didn't have eggs. We also didn't have the required 3 bananas, so I used 2 bananas and some applesauce. It tastes very good!

And we saw this ginormous buck! I have seen a lot of deer in the wild, but never a buck and not just hanging around in someone's yard eating plants! It did blow my mind. We walked back to the house so we could get the camera and come back and it was still in the same yard! What a weirdo.

Indiana Weekend!

2009-07-18T22:06:00.005-04:00

Today Mike and I went to Indianapolis for Atomic Indy Crash Party. I love seeing the inside of houses, especially Mid century modern houses!

Mike took some photos...

This was my favorite room in the house. The bedroom led out to the screened porch.
Awesome couch!

Love this porch!

To round out my day of enjoying what Indiana has to offer, I made these cookies! They are crunchy brown sugar shortbread cookies from a cook book that Nichol gave me.

They are pretty good cookies considering I picked that recipe because it had the least amount of ingredients. Only butter, flour, salt, sugar and vanilla extract!

New purse!

2009-07-14T21:09:00.001-04:00

I just put this purse on etsy! I think it is the cutest. And yes, I am wearing a Hello Kitty t-shirt.

Derby!

2009-07-12T16:10:00.004-04:00

This summer I realized that I love roller derby! Not playing, I am not a good skater and have crappy health insurance but it is so fun to watch! Here are some shots from last night...

My garden has not been as fruitful as I had hoped! So far we have only eaten one tomato and there is one little green tomato still on the vine.

The tomato we did eat was delicious! Sprinkled with a little salt, pepper and feta! Yum! I think next year I will try a few varieties of tomatoes.

Texas recipes!

2009-06-23T18:49:00.003-04:00

These recipes are from "License to Cook Texas Style".

Bleeding Armadillo Bread

ingredients:
2 c. warm water
2 pkgs dry yeast
1/4 sugar
6 ounces pimientos, pureed (I used a 4 oz can of chopped pimientos)
1/4 c veg oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 t salt
1 T Tabasco sauce
7-8 bread flour
1 egg
1 T water
1/2 t paprika

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar; set aside. After bubbling occurs (about 10-15 min.), add pimientos, oil, beaten eggs, salt and Tabasco. Beat in flour, cup by cup until mixture leaves sides of cowl. Turn onto floured surface and knead in remaining flour for 10 minutes. Dough should feel satiny, like an ear lobe. (that is my favorite description in a recipe ever!)

Let rise in a greased bowl covered in plastic wrap and a towel in a cold oven until doubled, about 90 min. Punch dough down, let rest 10 minutes, and then mold into an armadillo!! Basically, oval body, oval head, rolls of dough along back, tail and 4 legs. ALthough, it will just get enormous and blobby, so I wouldn't try to get too fancy.

After molded, let rise until doubled (goodbye cute armadillo features, hello giant blob) about 45 minutes. Combine the remaining egg, T of water and paprika. Brush the armadillo with the egg wash. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.

This was a pretty fun recipe, I did like trying to mold it and I think next time I would mold it into 2 smaller armadillos and maybe that would be cuter. It ends up the size of 4 regular loaves, so it is definitely a loaf to make for a big bread party!

Also, here is an easy and delicious recipe...

Frosty Texas Citrus Refresher

2 grapefruits
2 c. sliced strawberres
1 c. pineapple sherbet
1-2 T honey

Juice grapefruit. In a blender, combine all the ingredients! Total yum!
When I made these, I did not really measure, I just dumped a bunch of ingredients in a blender and it worked out.

Texas sized dinner

2009-06-22T17:54:00.005-04:00

Eventhough I am very sad my friends are moving to Texas, I was very happy that they brought me a Texas cookbook from their trip apartment hunting! Last night we had them over for a cowboy-themed dinner party. Mike and I dressed like cowboys and I made 3 recipes from the Texas cookbook. One being this crazy thing...

"Bleeding Armadillo Bread" There are a few misleading things about that title, first of all, it does not look like an armadillo- it looks like a ginormous blob. Secondly, bleeding? Gross.

It was pretty fun to make, eventhough it is a very high maintenance recipe!

I also made these delicious cookies!

I got the recipe from We Are Not Martha! Yum!

Armadillo Bread recipe coming soon!

um.. yum!

2009-06-17T18:13:00.002-04:00

I have been seeing a lot of blogs with bacon cinnamon rolls, so I thought this was a perfect week to try them out! My bacon-loving friend was visiting! The bacon was definitely overpowered by the cinnamon rolls, so I think if I made them again I would buy a different type of cinnamon roll that would be easier to unroll and add more bacon! Or, I would probably cook the rolls and bacon separately and then put a strip of bacon on top. Overall, very fun and super easy.

Veggies!

2009-06-09T19:21:00.000-04:00

Birthday!!

2009-06-07T14:02:00.007-04:00

Yesterday we had a backyard summer party! I have been telling Mike that "This is the summer of the yard!" I didn't make a ton of food, only blue/bleu cheese dip, guac and cookies and a lot of cracker/chip things. Mike made a delicious pumpkin pie with walnut strudel.

Mike and I both wore special B-day outfits!

I bought that dress in a Virginia Goodwill when we were there for Thanksgiving and I have been saving it for this special bday occasion! I found Mike's shirt at the Salvation Army in Bloomington. I think it is the most beautiful shirt I have ever seen!

And I got to hold a tiny baby!

I didn't take any pictures of the blue cheese dip but it was a big hit at the party!
Recipe:

Hunk of blue cheese crumbled up
Sour Cream- about a cup
Couple twists of the pepper grinder

Stir up and refrigerate! Super easy.

Pesto Change-o!

2009-06-04T20:55:00.005-04:00

I made "pesto" and froze it last weekend. I don't know if serious pesto people would consider this real pesto. I made it by putting basil and oregano (from my garden!), olive oil, almonds and garlic into our mini mixer. Real pesto uses pine nuts but they are super expensive!

We had "pesto" with brown rice pasta, chicken and veggie dumplings from Trader Joe's, and a salad with tomatoes, avocado and blue cheese.

my job is super boring...

2009-06-04T18:18:00.000-04:00

and terrible news! My work pens are running out of ink!

well, I ate brussel sprouts

2009-06-03T18:00:00.005-04:00

And was super impressed! I had sworn off brussel sprouts since I was a kid and my mom told me they were "candy", she did not have me fooled and I thought they were disgusting. However, I found a good-sounding recipe and tried them out again. Totally delicious!! We also had lemon pepper pasta tossed with olive oil and an aprium ( apricot/plum hybrid). The meal could have been served without the fruit but Mike photographed it for me and said it needed something red or orange.

Here is the recipe, modified from Shutterbean's recipe!

1 bags of TJ’s Brussels Sprouts
butter ( I didn't really measure)
1/2 c. onion
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic

Take sprouts out of their packaging. Soak in water & rinse. Cut the ends off all the sprouts & quarter the sprouts. Set aside. Place butter in a pan on medium heat. Stir in onions & garlic. Cook on medium until onions are translucent. Add sprouts & toss them in the butter/onion mixture. Let sit- stir occasionally. At this point, you are working on steaming them. When the sprouts are softened (about 10 minutes), add brown sugar & remaining butter. Turn the heat to high and brown the sprouts. The brown sugar & butter help caramelize them.

Delish!! I will be making this again!

Happy Birthday Nichol! and avocado soup!

2009-05-30T22:25:00.004-04:00

My friend Nichol's birthday was Thursday, so on Friday we had her and her hubby over for dinner. I made this avocado soup!

The presentation is very fun but the soup was so-so. It was just like eating guacamole, which is good but weird as a soup. I would make it again but would serve it with chips. I got the recipe from Design Sponge - my favy blog.

Here is the recipe I used:

Chilled Avocado Soup in an Avocado Half
Yield: 6 servings
3 ripe avocados 
2/3c. water 
lime juice- about 3 tablespoons
1-2 cloves of garlic 
a fistful of cilantro  (from my garden!!!)
1 tsp. salt

Prepare the avocados: Use the line where the avocado meat turns from light to dark green as a guide to help you scoop out a regular amount from each avocado half (you should be leaving 1/4″ of meat). If you have to prepare the avocados more than an hour ahead of time hold them in a bowl of water with a bit of lemon juice or vinegar, and then drain before serving.
Blend your Soup: Place the avocado meat, water and cilantro in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add garlic, lime, cilantro and salt to taste (do not add all the garlic at once, some garlic is stronger and you want just enough to add an edge to this dish). Also check to make sure that your garlic is incorporating well, not stuck under the blade of your blender. Adjust the amount of water until your soup is just liquid enough to pour (it should still be quite thick). The proper amount of cilantro will make the pigment of the soup match the darker green meat left in the the avocado bowls. Chill for 20 minutes.
Serve: Pour soup into avocado halves. Garnish with sour cream and a sprig of parsley.

more doodles

2009-05-25T19:07:00.002-04:00

This is what I do at work.

Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T18:41:00.004-04:00

I have been reading this blog, http://www.shutterbean.com/, lately and it has been making me super hungry. So, I made 2 recipes from it today!

My food photography is lacking quite a bit! I made Chewy Molasses Ginger cookies.

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies  (recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cookie Book)  Makes about 36   Ingredients: 
-2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) 
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 
-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
-1/2 teaspoon salt 
-1 1/2 cups sugar 
-3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 
-1 large egg 
-1/4 cup molasses
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms. Put dough in the fridge and chill it for at least an hour.
3. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.
4. Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days

I pretty much followed the recipe except I didn't have nutmeg so I used pumpkin pie spice. Yum.

I also made zucchini pancakes. They didn't turn out very pancake like, but still very good! Next time I will chop the zucchini smaller and maybe add more flour/egg to thicken them up a bit. I topped the "pancake" with sour cream and fresh dill.

We also had a salad with spinach, avocado, onion and a dressing I made with olive oil, vinegar, lime juice and zest, whole grain mustard, sugar and pepper!

I love summer dinners.

Almost May!

2009-04-27T19:54:00.004-04:00

Wow, spring is definitely here! Flowers are blooming and it has been hot! We even turned on the AC this weekend.

I listed another vintage purse to etsy....

I think it is so cute and gray is a very nice neutral!

This is the summer where everyone I know is having a baby! Tomorrow at work we are having a baby shower for one of my friends. She doesn't know if she is having a boy or girl, so I embroidered these gender neutral onesies.

Robot and peanut!

Vintage bag!

2009-04-22T19:29:00.001-04:00

I just added this purse to etsy! It is super fun, I love the little mirror inside. Perfect for checking if there is food in your teeth!

Peanut Butter Bread fail

2009-04-18T19:51:00.003-04:00

It fell apart when I took it out of the bread pan! Sad. But, it is still delicious with nutella spread on top!

I used the recipe from...
http://www.cpbgallery.com/2009/04/18/peanut-butter-bread/

more vintage!

2009-04-13T19:34:00.003-04:00

Cutest two tone shoes for sale on my etsy site! I kinda wish these weren't so tight for me, they would be sooo cute for spring!

2009-04-13T18:54:00.003-04:00

This is what I wore to work today.

This was my sneaky surprise under my boots. I couldn't find a matchy pair and these socks feel the same, so on they went.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T12:34:00.002-04:00

Last night we had an Easter dinner party. I love dinner parties. I made brown sugar pound cake cupcakes with brown butter glaze, very buttery! We also made asparagus and mushroom tarts and shrimp bruschetta, but no pictures of those.

Happy Easter!

now selling vintage!!

2009-04-11T11:39:00.002-04:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23543742

Paradise kittens are up for grabs!

I have more items to photo, edit and then upload to etsy! Very exciting!

more from my drawing notebook!

2009-04-10T19:57:00.002-04:00

Fun weekend!

2009-04-10T19:43:00.007-04:00

I went to Boston! Of course the first order of business... eating a boston creme "bomb", basically a boston creme pie encased in a chocolate shell- delish!!!

I also ate a Boston Creme donut!

And cupcakes! Yum. These delicious cupcakes have inspired me to try out a fancy cupcake recipe tomorrow.

So basically I was a fatty fatty boom boom all weekend, it was totally awesome.

Tuesday, I was back to work. Tear. This is what I do at work....

I keep a little drawing notebook at my desk to doodle in while I am waiting for my computer to work or am on the phone or need a break from work!! Somedays I fill the whole page and sometimes I use the same page for 3-4 days, depending on how busy/bored I am.

Bittersweet Goodwill purchase!!

2009-03-23T18:57:00.002-04:00

Ok, so how awesome are those shoes??? I love the name of the brand, PARADISE KITTENS! Adorable. I also love the metallic, the wedge and those sweet triangles at the ends of the laces. What I do not love is that they are too small. Only a tiny bit too small, but small enough that my feet would be a total mess if I wore them for more than 10 minutes. I did find that out the hard way this morning, luckily I had packed my go-to silver Target flats in my purse, so no prob.

I think these shoes have inspired me to add some vintage things to my etsy site. I have been toying with the idea for a while, and thrift shopping is my favorite thing, I think I will enjoy shopping even if it is not for myself! I am going to list these shoes on etsy this weekend!

Right hand ring?

2009-03-19T20:18:00.009-04:00

I have been wanting a right hand ring but I haven't found the perfect thing. I want something fun, sparkly, unique. I can't decide if I want something to wear for "everyday" or "special".

a blinged out panda from anthropologie?

a stacked pearl ring from etsy user, bellabijoujewellery?

a funky sea glass ring from etsy user, meganstelzer?

colorful stacked rings from etsy user, singleBbeautiful?

a YSL ring? I would go crazy for a ring like this at a thrift store, but I can't see myself dropping $200 on it.

I have never been the type that is into butterflies, but I love this ring! It is Juicy Couture.

Any suggestions?

Greatest weekend!

2009-03-16T19:20:00.002-04:00

...and my first time ever in Ohio! At least I think it was, somehow I have missed crossing the border to Ohio all these years!
We went to Ikea!

I had a delicious Swedish Meatball lunch and bought some frozen meatballs to take home! Yummers.

Spring Break Cincinnati 2009!

Oscars!

2009-02-22T18:34:00.002-05:00

In honor of the oscars and wanting an excuse for a "fancy" dinner, I made this...

Black Bean tacos with cole slaw, onions, cilantro and feta! A kind of weird, but very tasty combo. And very quick and easy to make, bonus!

I had another pie crust so I made this again, although this time I also used raspberries. Yum.

2009-02-21T16:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! (and Mike's Birthday)

2009-02-14T16:22:00.006-05:00

Today I tried out some new recipes from epicurious.com- my new favorite website! Last night I made a glazed lime cake, delicious! And the first time I have ever made a cake not using a box! Then today I made Mike a special bday lunch (turkey-cilantro bites, and a spinach salad with avocado and orange) and I just made this....

before...

after...

I need to work on making it look prettier, it kind of exploded everywhere! I haven't tried it yet, just came out of the oven. It is a blueberry gellette.

We celebrated Vday this morning and exchanged presents and ate a fancy lunch. Mike gave me these beautiful earrings..

Tonight we are having some friends over to celebrate Mike's bday. I am making a funfetti cake for that!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yummers dinner.

2009-02-04T21:04:00.002-05:00

I made/assembled this simple, fresh dinner from things I bought yesterday.

"rustic mediterrean bread", tomato basil goat cheese, and tomato slices. This is the kind of food I want to eat all summer. With some avocado thrown in and pineapple on the side. Come on summer!! Bring your sunny, warm weather and delicious in season fruits!

Now that I am a foodie...

2009-02-03T19:42:00.001-05:00

I will be taking photos of food. These onions were smiling at me.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2009-02-01T12:38:00.005-05:00

Last night I went to a Chinese New Year celebration. It was so fun and had free chinese food! Score! Mike played with 2 of his friends, here is the band before their big performance...

The opening act! The cutest little kids singing!

The auditorium before the performances began...

Mike and his friends playing. It was very dark, so hard to get a good photo.

Andrew, playing traditional Chinese songs. It was really neat, the crowd was singing along and waving their cell phones.

Snow. More blah.

2009-01-28T09:16:00.002-05:00

Snow is beautiful, but I don't know what Bloomington's deal about not plowing is about. So, personal day at home it is!

blah

2009-01-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

I hate snow.

"Cheesy" Christmas plates!

2009-01-24T15:26:00.001-05:00

At Goodwill last week I scored these awesome plates!! I actually LOLed in the store when I was looking at them. Now only if Christmas wasn't like another year away!!

I will definitely be using these for a holiday party next year!!