homestretch

Every day we get a little bit closer to finishing the living room & kitchen.  Although, I will probably never really be finished, especially as far as decorating goes.
I had a mostly day off a couple of Fridays ago, so I got some paint and did the whole kitchen by myself before David got home from work.  Bye, bye green.  HELLO Tropical Splash!

I figured I may as well get it done while the appliances were out of the way.  So far, I really like it.  We ordered a rug for the dining area that will hopefully pull everything together.
I was so excited to have the kitchen back together that I have been cooking up a storm.  I tried one new recipe and it came out great:  peanut butter & jelly muffins.

This week, we are putting down the baseboards, shoe moulding, and quarter round.  Then we can put all the furniture back in order.  I hope to have everything back to normal by this weekend.  I will also be making my own curtain rods for the living room windows.  I have not been able to find anything I like online or in any local store.  Check back for updates on that project, plus COMPLETED house project pics!

copycat

I copied my favorite salad from Panzanella in Carrboro... YUM.

Romain with Caesar dressing, goat cheese, tomatoes, bacon, chick peas, roasted eggplant & onions. Pita and hummus on the side, and nice red wine.

cookies

We went to a holiday party at Tamara's house earlier this month. She made some delicious chocolate sugar cookies with little thumbprints of jam on top. I tried making them... and it was less successful. Also, I set some parchment paper on fire in the oven. oops!

I found a different recipe for "hot chocolate cookies" and decided not to give up on baking just yet. These turned out VERY well. The base/dough recipe was similar, but these had more chocolate. Plus, a toasted marshmallow. And more chocolate. The recipe made 5 dozen, so David's coworkers got some, my coworkers got some, and we took some to another holiday party. They were a hit!

pop tarts

I found this cookie-cutter/mold thingy at Williams-Sonoma. We had some money left on a giftcard, and this little purchase helped us use it all up.

I followed the dough recipe from the box. I filled some tarts with Nutella, and the others with strawberry jam. HOLY COW these are good. Bigger than a store-bought pop tart, and soo so much tastier. I barely finished one for breakfast. It was perfect with coffee. I only used half of the dough so far, so I will be making them again on Sunday to have my treats set up for the mornings of the workweek.

we're cookin'

It is almost autumn time in NC... it is starting to get cooler, and it is darker earlier. This means more time to cozy up and try some new recipes. We got a few new cookbooks as wedding gifts and tried some new things already. These were a HIT! Unfortunately, these things were too delicious and we ate everything right up before I thought to snap some photos. I'll let you use your imagination.

*Lemon Chicken Soup

*GOOD Garlic Bread

*Mediterranean Couscous

*Pretzel Tots with Jalapeno Cheese Dip (Smiths: you will be eating this next sports-watching thing we do at your house)

*Sweet CinnaBundt Breakfast Bake (Heise-Fiore house: you will be eating this Halloween weekend)

*Baked Parmesan & Herbed Eggs

Things I look forward to trying again soon when the weather gets even cooler:

-Chicken & White Bean Chili

-Penne w/ Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese

-SandwHich-inspired grilled sandwiches like the B&B (butternut squash, bacon, brussels sprouts, and good Vermont Cheddar)

-Roasted Sweet Potato & Red Onion over Spinach with salt and lime dressing

Holler if you want any recipes & tips!

crock of carnitas

My sister is quite the homemaker... she bakes bread from scratch, tries new recipes, and will be (most likely) making a wedding cake for me this fall. Don't get me wrong, this chick has a JOB. And will be pursuing a doctoral degree in just a few months.
Aaanyway. She tied a recipe for homemade pulled pork bbq in a crock pot, and it was delicious. I've used the recipe a couple of times. Last weekend when we were up in DC, she made a crock full of carnitas. The same method, but the ingredients are a little different.

Here is our take for this weekend:

4 pound pork butt
1 white onion, chopped
1 big dried red chili pepper
1 tiny chile de arbol, crunched up
zest of 1 lime
1/2 packet of low-sodium taco seasoning

Throw all that in the crock pot on low, and let it do its thing overnight. In the morning, pull out the bone and the giant red chili. Shred the pork using forks, and add back to the crock pot. Add a small can of green chilis, and let it simmer for another hour or so.

We serve 'em up on soft corn tortillas with diced tomatoes, cilantro, guacatillo sauce, and a wedge of lime.

Guacatillo Sauce

5-6 tomatillos
1 avocado
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tsp lime juice
1 small/medium jalapeno, chopped
white onion (about 1/2 cup, chopped)

Combine all ingredients (except avocado) in a food processor. Add avocado and "pulse" a few times to blend it in, but still have a thicker consistency.

It is time to get excited about cooking again!!
Sunday's dinner menu: baked chicken on mixed greens with cheese tortellini "croutons" along with roasted Brussels sprouts

homemade holiday

It is almost Christmas!! I spent a lot of time making some gifts this year...
I baked a couple of batches of blueberry oatmeal cookies. YUM. I am going to try cranberry almond next.


I made some aprons for a couple of gal friends too (and one for me). I used the same pattern as my last attempt, but did the half version. It was much easier. I am getting much more comfortable with the machine and gaining a broader understanding of sewing. Hooray!
Next sewing projects: yoga bag, and more jewelry pouches.

one

two

three!

Lowell and Louise have been on the road a lot this Fall, so our etsy shop is looking a little sad. We have new designs and new product though! We will be replenishing our stock and hopefully getting the shop looking good again after the new year.

hard at work:

family dinner

My Grandmother came to NC for Mary's wedding last weekend and is staying with my folks for an extended vacation. They all drove up to Durham for an evening at the Dwyer-Winton house.

The Menu:

breaded & baked eggplant slices with roasted tomato sauce (tomatoes from my garden!)

lemon pepper chicken on top of mixed greens with balsamic dressing

pea & parmesan risotto

baked brie with mixed berry preserves, served with baguette

coffee and chocolate biscotti

I was a little bit behind schedule with cooking times, but everything went well. I was so excited to entertain that I forgot to take pictures!! The eggplant dish was inspired by our recent cooking class at Revolution. The baked brie looked good, and tasted even better. I had fun planning the menu, getting out all my serving dishes, and trying new recipes. It was a lot of fun hanging out and having a relaxing dinner with family. Who wants to be my next dinner party guests?

Plus, Mom and Grandmom showed lots of love for L&L as they tried on jewelry and made some purchases. THANK YOU!! I made some new things this morning and they'll be up in the shop soon.

UPDATE: Mom snapped some pics that evening!

weekend to-do list

*attempt to make fabric flower brooches
*jewelry organization (already started Friday night... will finish and post pictures this weekend)
*visit the Scrap Exchange with Laura
*make ginger-pear tea & try other kitchen experiments
*continue organizing my office/craft room

I tried making spanakopita this week and it was a huge success. Will make again very soon. I also tried making pea pesto, which went on crostini with fresh farmers market tomatoes.


Another huge success! I am very happy to keep expanding my recipe repertoire!

drink & eat

Aahhh... The weather is warmer and I need a drink. In an effort to stretch a buck AND be healthy, I've been buying a ton of seltzer water. It is on sale fairly often at one of the grocery stores nearby. It is fabulous with cran-raspberry juice and a splash of lime (and the cutest little ice cubes). Also, trick yourself into drinking less wine by making a spritzer. And feel extra fancy at breakfast with a virgin mimosa!


And it is getting to be that time of year when the produce is SO good and my plates look so delicious. Here are a few recent dishes:

hard-boiled egg and blanched asparagus on field greens with balsamic dressing

italian mashed potatoes (from scratch! my first time!)


assorted tomato salad with bocconcini and fresh basil


tomatillo & avocado salsa (recipe in Readymade)