Color Therapy: Emerald Green

How about a little Emerald Green for this month's Color Therapy? Elizabeth asked for it, and she always gets what she wants :)

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Cauliflower Alfredo

I love Alfredo sauce, but never make it much because it's not super healthy (or really healthy at all :). A recipe I found on Pinterest said to use cauliflower as your base, I was a little skeptical at first honestly. But, this is definitely a keeper. Mike suggested to add in some leftover shrimp and top with Parmesan cheese - delicious!

What you need:
1 pound pasta of your choice
1 large head cauliflower
6 cups vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp onion, chopped
olive oil
1/4 cup cream
splash of hot sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
a pinch of nutmeg

What you do:
1. Chop the cauliflower and rinse well in a strainer. Boil the florets in the veggie broth for at least 20 minutes (15 minutes is fine if you're in a rush, but the longer you can wait, the better).
2. While the cauliflower is boiling, start cooking pasta as directed.
3. In a sauce pan, saute the minced garlic and onion for 5 minutes. When the cauliflower is cooked, drain, reserving about 2 cups of broth. Transfer veggies to a blender with 1 1/2 cup broth. Start blending, you may need to add more liquid if the mixture is too thick. Once you've reached your desired consistency, add in olive oil and spices and pulse a few more times.
4. Bring blended mix back to sauce pan, add cream and cook over low heat. Keep warm until pasta noodles are ready, combine both and serve immediately.

*The original recipe the sauce will tend to dry out when you go to reheat it. You can add a shot of water or a little (spray) butter to help make it creamy again.

Momentarily Obsessed With

1. weddingpaperdivas.com  I've been give the job of designing a dear friend's wedding invitations...which I'm SO SO VERY excited to do. Not only because he's a close friend and the bride-and-groom-to-be are such amazing people, but they are fun, down-to-earth, creative people who will have some excitement and twist when coming up with their invites. Wedding Paper Divas has already given me some great inspiration for the job at hand, and (hopefully) many more to come!

2. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail  My sister Adrienne gave me this book for Christmas and said it was the one book I had to read this year (one book, because I really only read about one full book per year). When a book can make you sob like a baby from page 2, I'm pretty impressed. This memoir of a 26-year-old woman hiking the PCT stirs up so many emotions (in a good way) and I have loved every second of it...and second to come!

3. grey nail polish  Not silver, not sparkly, just matte grey nail polish. I loved the idea when I saw it on Pinterest. I loved it when I found a bottle for $1 at the Dollar Tree. And I love it on my nails.

4. mackelmore & ryan lewis  Their latest song is my anthem. You really have to give it a listen a few times to get all the lyrics, but it's hilarious - and so true. Adrienne and I decided we had to learn every word to this song so we could rap the entire time of our next thrift shop visit. I spent some time checking out their other music and it's pretty good as well. Not to mention, they're two cuties!

5. st. ives face moisturizer  Now that I'm approaching my Late 20s I finally made the decision to invest in some skin care. After a few attempts at crappy and expensive face moisturizers I found this one in my mother's bathroom cabinet, tried it and loved it (no wonder she looks so young!). Hopefully I'll keep this 27-year-old Ashley face forever!

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Did you ever eat elephant ears as a kid? You remember that big paper plate overflowing with the layered cinnamon sugar bread? Oh yeah, between those and the funnel cakes we were in heaven at the local Days in the Park. I was pretty excited when I found a recipe for something similar to those elephant ears...cinnamon pull-apart bread. I tweaked mine to use store-bought crescent rolls instead of making my own dough, other than the look, the end result was awesome (mine didn't get super fluffy, you could try using pastry puff - or show me up and make your own dough).

What you need:

1 tube crescent rolls

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla

flour for dusting

 What you do:

1. Roll out your crescent dough and pinch the seams together.

2. Add the sugar and cinnamon. Melt the butter and vanilla together and brush onto dough. Generously sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar mixture. 

 3. Cut the dough into squares, size or shape doesn't really matter.

 4. Stack the squares on top of one another, alternating positioning.

 5. Layer the dough in a pre-greased bread pan. Pour the remaining vanilla/butter mixture and top with extra cinnamon and sugar. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (or until done). Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Sauteed Veggies & Couscous

I made a big batch of this couscous to take to work with me for lunch. It was super simple to make, filling and pretty versatile. Serve with hummus, cheese in a pita, in lettuce wraps or just by itself.

What you need:
1 cup of couscous
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup corn
1/2 cup mushrooms (fresh or canned)
1/4 red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

What you do:

1. Prepare the couscous according to the directons.
2. Saute the corn, mushrooms, onion, and garlic on medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until veggies are tender.
3. Add the cooked couscous, black beans, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix thoroughly and serve hot.

If you want to make some quick hummus, mix together a can of chickpeas, 2-4 tablespoons of the chickpea liquid, 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced and 3 oz low-fat cream cheese.

Reuben Dip

Have you heard of Closet Cooking? It's a blog dedicated to cooking delicious meals in a closet-sized kitchen. Just my kind of blog! However, even if you don't have a tiny kitchen, the recipes and concoctions Kevin, the author, comes up with a to die for. I recently tried his reuben dip, but made a few alterations for the veg-heads out there. It's so tasty and perfect for the Autumn weather we're having.

What you need:

1 cup sauerkraut
4 oz cream cheese (I used low-fat)
2 tbsp chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used a mix of sharp cheddar and pepper jack)
1/4 cup Russian dressing
pumpernickel bread

What you do

1. Combine everything in a oven-safe dish, reserving a few tablespoons of the shredded cheese.
2. Mix well and top with extra cheese.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
4. Toast slices of the bread and serve hot.

Grilled Cilantro Tuna

I jazzed up this recipe a bit by adding teriyaki sauce, extra garlic and green onions. I let the tuna steak marinade for about 20 minutes, then grilled it on my grill pan. A super easy recipe for a quick dinner on a school night :)

What you need:
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
4 cloves garlic
2 green onions
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp water
salt and pepper

Mix everything in the blender and coat the tuna (or chicken, which is what I made for the boy), let marinade for at least 15 minutes. Grill, fry or bake with all the juices and serve immediately! 

Acorn Squash Curry

This certainly does not look appetizing, but it really is, I promise!

I found a Martha Stewart recipe via Pinterest, but had less than half the ingredients it called for. However, I did have an acorn squash that needed to be used, so I made some substitutions and am pretty happy with my results. Plus, I have lunch for the entire week!

What you need:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic
2 tbsp curry powder
2 cups cauliflower (I used frozen)
1 lb acorn squash, cut into 1" cubes
1 cup corn (black beans, or the original recipe called for lentils)
2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice
salt, pepper and a few hits of hot sauce

What you do:

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft.
2. Add the curry powder and stir constantly for 1 minute.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, plus 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 30 minutes or until the squash is tender.
4. Serve with a sour cream, plain non-fat yogurt and/or feta cheese.

Kitchen Updo Part 1

Our cluttered, cluster of a kitchen...

Our apartment is such a great little space with exposed brick, hardwood floors, wooden beams across the ceiling, but the kitchen just sticks out like a sore thumb (above). It's dark, the cabinets are falling apart and storage is abysmal. On a whim, we asked our landlady/friend if we could update our kitchen. To our surprise, she said yes! She's always wanted to do it, but never had the time. We used the fact that Mike's dad is a contractor as leverage and knew he'd help us get the ball rolling and even some great deals on materials.

off-white cabinets with finished wood counter tops.
the photo on the top left is actually dyed cement with a wood stamp!

My first task was to generate some ideas of what we wanted to do with the space. We have a 7.5' wall to work with (the other side is the refrigerator and stacking washer/dryer), so options are limited. I knew we had to do cabinets to the ceiling (which are 8.6' - not normal), a new stove, countertops, a deeper sink and we have to get that microwave off the counter.

bronze hardware and faucet with a pullout sprayer.
"biscuit" sink and glass tile - only $5.98 psf.

I never thought of myself as a white-cabinet kind of girl, but I'm in love with these looks. Especially with the wooden counter tops. Plus, the light cabinets will help to brighten up the tiny space. I want to accent the cabinets with bronze hardware, a glass tile back splash and a "biscuit" colored acrylic sink.

some nice storage options. although i'm not sure our tea cups are cute enough to display!

Since storage is the biggest issue in our kitchen (and the apartment in general), we're going to have to get creative. The taller cabinets will definitely help, but with the additions of a drawer cutting board, under-the-cabinet hooks and a hanging drying rack, it'll definitely help. I showed the designs to our landlady and she really likes the direction I'm heading. Next, we have to take measurements and get estimates. Stay tuned!

#78: Sidewalk Chalk

When I found this awesome little tutorial through Pinterest it was immediately added to the Summer list. I finally got around to try it out, and it's perfect! I tried two different colors, since I'm (hopefully) going to be giving a class at Kitsch for little kids and need to save all the toilet/paper towel rolls I can (#25: Teach a Class).

I was thinking the whole time I was making the chalk that I can't wait for little Thomas to get big enough and we can make chalk together! It's a great little DIY for children, and even better, it'll provide hours of fun to come.

Here's what you need:

disposable bowls

plastic spoons

wax paper

toilet/paper towel rolls

masking tape

scissors

3/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 cup plaster of paris

2-3 tbsp tempera paint

What you do:

1. Cut the wax paper in squares, cover one end of the toilet paper rolls and tape all the way around and twice around the bottom (making an 'X'). You're securing the paper so the plaster won't leak out.

2. Cut squares of wax paper for each of the tubes you're going to fill. Insert the paper into the rolls, it's okay if you have excess paper hanging out, just make sure no cardboard of the roll is exposed.

3. In a bowl, mix the plaster and water, start stirring with your spoon and then add your paint. If the color isn't vibrant enough, add more. You'll have to mix quickly though, because the plaster will set up within 20-30 minutes of that first drop of water.

4. Now spoon the mixture into your toilet paper rolls, gently tapping the bottoms along your work surface. This will ride the chalk of any air bubbles. Within 30 minutes the plaster seems hard, but it really should sit AT LEAST 24 hours. Once you've patiently waited, you can peal away the wax paper and start your chalk masterpiece on the nearest sidewalk.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#84: Upcycle

I seem to inherit a lot of Mike's team shirts to use as "sleep shirts." However, how many "sleep shirts" do you really need? Especially when they look like this ;) After seeing this tutorial for upcycling old cotton tees into workout shirts, I got busy!

All you need is a shirt, scissors and about 10 minutes. I wasn't as generous with my cuts as the tutorial showed, but honesty, do it! I had to go back and make some of the cuts a little deeper. Also, I'd advise using a shirt with low or small logos (away from the necklines), unless you don't mind them being cut away.

1. Cut away the sleeves, neckline and bottom hem.

2. Figure out how low you want your neckline and cut more of the fabric, I cut away another 2-3 inches.

3. Flip the shirt over and cut a "V" into the back neck (here's where mine should have been lower). Also cut into the armholes another 2-3 inches.

4. Using the leftover bottom hem, tie a knot around the two back pieces and wrap down several inches.

5. Once you've reached your desired wrap, tie another knot.

6. This is optional, but you can angle the cut of the shirt so it's higher in the front than in the back.

 I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#30: Throw a Party

Honestly, this wasn't the kind of party I was expecting to throw. Maybe a holiday progressive like we did a few years back or a 4th of July party (which we could still do). But my girlfriends talked me into a Slumber Party. Nevertheless, I hosted this party and all 12 girls (quite the event for our tiny apartment) had a blast!

I made spinach dip, creamy feta dip and black bean dip (recipes coming soon, I promise!). I made this awesome veggie hummus tart and had lots of vegetables and carbs for dipping. I needed to keep the "heavy h'orderves" easy since we were also expecting a baby and a hospital run at any moment (don't worry, not from me, Mike's sister-in-law). Lisa also made delicious Oreo cake.

I also used some old flower vases (which are rarely used as such) as snack decanters. I filled them with banana chips and cranberries, peanuts and pretzels. It's a more hygenic – and cuter – way to present a party mix, thanks Martha. I asked everyone to bring a bottle of wine to share and also made some sun tea with mint ice cubes.

As for the actual content of party, host one yourself and find out! These aren't the typical "toy parties" you watch in the movies, I promise. I mean, it was fun and we spent the entire time laughing and joking, but it's also pretty educational and very entertaining.

So, a party has been thrown! #30 is off the list.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here.

Thrifty Thursdays

I fell in love with this shirt when I saw it on Pinterest. However, the price was not so lovely. So, I decided to make my own version using a shirt from my closet as a pattern. It was so simple and took less than an hour to complete. Here's what you do.

I used this yellow shirt as my pattern (found it at a thrift store for $1). I traced the shirt onto some wrapping paper and omitted the sleeves.

I made a front and back by drawing a deeper neckline for the front of the shirt. I also drew horizontal lines to ensure arm holes and side angles were even.

 

Use your new patter and cut out two pieces in the fabric of your choice. I found this fabric at Walmart for only $2 a yard. Sew the shoulders first, then the sides, stopping about 4 inches from the bottom (so it splits - see the first photo). Turn in and sew the neckline and bottom edges to prevent fraying and you're all finished!