Jane of all Trades: New Recipe Edition

I thought I'd go all Martha Stewart on y'all and add a recipe aspect to my blog. I already post about home, crafts and plants, why not add cooking to the mix and make this a real domestic-diva situation.

To set this up, I have been a vegetarian for 10 years and subsequently developed a love of cooking. I make up a lot of my own recipes and devise all kinds of meatless and healthier versions of traditional comfort foods. For this post, I will share with you my newest creation: Healthier Mac n Cheese with Garlic-Parmesan Breadcrumb Topping and Roasted Tomatoes. 

My secret weapon to make this classic dish a little lighter (it's still actually quite rich) is pureed cauliflower. It of course adds a little veggie action (good if you have picky kids), and it eliminates the need for milk/cream or a roux as it creates a thick, creamy base. Yay cauliflower!

Ingredients:
1 package elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups cauliflower florettes, cooked until very tender and pureed in food processor until smooth
1 1/2 cups mild cheddar cheese
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

For the breadcrumb topping, pulse 3 slices good-quality white bread in the food processor until fine. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet and add breadcrumbs. Toast over medium heat until lightly golden. Finely chop or Microplane a clove of garlic and add to breadcrumbs along with some dried or fresh parsley and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Toast another minute and set aside.

Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water until just under al-dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water before draining.

In a large saucepan, melt the 3 tablespoons butter and add the pureed cauliflower, salt and pepper. When heated through, add the cheeses and spices. Stir until well combined, then add to cooked pasta along with a little of the pasta cooking water to further moisten.

Lightly butter a baking dish and evenly distribute the mac n cheese. Sprinkle on breadcrumb topping and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the top is golden.

A nice side to my mac n cheese is some roasted tomatoes. To make them, slice 1 pint of cherry tomatoes in half and toss with a teaspoon of sugar, pinch of salt, and a splash of balsamic vinegar and drizzle of olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees until tender and juicy.

Enjoy!

Not Spring, but Happy Anyway

Well, I thought putting up a spring wreath outside (see last post) would somehow remind mother nature that we need some frickin' sunshine and warmth, but it didn't work. Regardless, I'm continuing to think positive and did a doodle on my kitchen chalkboard.

Thinking positive also means buying new plants. Last weekend we stopped at Lowe's and I picked up a couple beauties.

 This may be an Adenium?

 Rhipsalis "Mousetail" hanging basket. I have a beaded macrame hanger that will be perfect for this guy.

 An absolutely perfect pairing. If this doesn't bring spring, nothing will.

Spring Craft

Dyeing Easter eggs is a fun craft I've enjoyed every year since I was a kid. At 28, why stop now? While perusing various craft blogs and pinterest, I came across Ombre dyed eggs. Ombre is a fancy color-graded (from light to dark) technique that has become very popular. And it turns out to be very easy to do with eggs.

First, prepare your food color egg dye with only 2-4 tablespoons of water (you want the color to be very concentrated to start with). Then carefully place your hard-boiled egg in the color. I used a small spoon to help keep it upright. Let the egg sit for 5 minutes, then pour in a little water to raise the level of liquid no more than 1/2 way up the side of the egg. Wait 2-3 minutes then add another dose of water. Continue until the egg is completely submerged, then take it out of the liquid after no more than a minute.

My next project aims to jazz up a plain planter.

 I found these fantastic plastic planters at Target. I grabbed a whole bunch of various sizes, knowing I could use them for re-potting my cacti and succulents.

I love the modern look of white, but this big pot begged for a little color. With some painter's tape and newspaper, I masked off all but a strip at the top of the pot, which I spray-painted a nice dark orange.

                                                                             Lovely!

To spruce up the front of the house, I fashioned this pretty, colorful and whimsical wreath, all with materials I had around the house.

                                                                       
                                                                      Put a bird on it!

Hip to be Square

There once was a time when I was not a crazed succulent and planter-loving lunatic. But that was before I stumbled upon an article about Molly Quan in ReadyMade magazine. The piece featured her very cool, hip Portland home and revealed her love of cacti and succulents, as well as her shop Life+Limb (now defunct) a source for all things modern home and garden. 

Not long after seeing this article, I visited a local greenhouse and bought my first succulent plant. I was instantly hooked, and simultaneously I was scouring thrift stores for pottery and planters similar to Molly's collection. I particularly was mesmerized by the aqua-glazed and textured pot in the photo above. 

Years later, I still had not come across anything remotely similar to this object despite persistent questing.  Until a couple weeks ago. 

I was casually browsing the shelves of Goodwill, when, there at the very bottom was not one, but TWO pots  remarkably similar to what I have been trying to find all this time. 

For full effect, you know I had to plant a plant in it like the one in the picture. 

So, as if finding two of these beauties wasn't enough, I scored ANOTHER one yesterday for $5 at an antique store. This one is more the color of Molly's but it has a softer more finished texture. Please keep in mind I was not greedily seeking more of what I was already so lucky to have, but the universe kept throwing them at me and I couldn't not do it.... Yeah right, I snatched that pot up like a feral raccoon. 

Design Dreaming

As you know, I have been trying to design and carry out plans for our upstairs and transform it into a warm and inviting master bedroom. I have a small chunk of the horrid pink walls painted a lovely sandy beige, but progress had been halted. Over the last week, we have purchased a beautiful bathroom vanity, uber-modern faucet, and white subway tile. I figured it is easiest to put up the wall tile before installing the vanity. After modifying the wall heating vent and ripping up a small portion of the floor, this bathroom project was clearly becoming a big one. But I'm thrilled and excited and motivated.

With this ever-expanding bathroom project, the upstairs plans have been put on hold. But I am eager as ever to tackle it. Here are my ideas:

image from: freshome.com
This is color and feel I'm going for with the wood ceiling. 

While at our local home improvement store, I scoped out the laminate flooring options for the ceiling. There is major square footage to cover, so budget is very important. I found a medium-tone (not too dark) highly variegated option for like $1.50 per square foot.  

Image from: the-brick-house.com

The only lighting we have upstairs is a tiny wall sconce at the top of the stairs. For some romance and drama I want this sexy beast hanging above the stairs. 

I OWN YOU!!!! Yes, I have had my heart set on this rug from World Market for several weeks. Last weekend was a 1/2 off sale so I splurged and it arrived Friday. I absolutely love it and I think it will provide a nice stepping-off point for the design of the rest of the room. Oh, and I think I got one of the last ones because it is no longer available online. I rule. 

image from: krrb.com

Ikea always has a way of elbowing in any budget-conscious home update. A simple, modern, low Malm bed would be perfect for our bedroom. They have a great new color option too: a medium walnut with a more prominent grain.







One of the last projects will be a divider to separate the closet area from the sleeping area. I really like this wood slat number, and it would be an easy DIY. Unlike these folding screens, I would do a permanent built-in screen, as we have sloping ceilings and a brick chimney smack in the middle. I like the slats because it would let light through from the window on the other side.

We're talking a lot of wood (part of the floor will also be wood/laminate or cork) warm colors and texture. With all the ideas and long wishlist I have, we may very well be still working on this next winter. 

Garden Expo 2013

Under the cover of being a new homeowner planning garden and landscaping this spring and summer, I attended the garden expo here in Madison. But the true reason I went was to hunt down succulents. Now, before you roll your eyes and call me a crazed obsessive-compulsive, I did learn about leaf mulch compost, garden borders and I bought two really cool art-metal trellises. However, my eye was constantly roving for my true loves and I was not disappointed.

I almost bought one of these purple/black beauties but held off until we had seen everything.

 Firesticks. I can't believe I don't have one of these.

There was a whole bunch of really nice (and expensive) mini succulent gardens. Don't you love the carved stone owls?

While stopped in front of a booth selling siding or windows or driveway pavers, I happened to look down and see a little oasis of slightly sad-looking potted aloes. But I freaked when I noticed the Epiphyllum among them. The $4 price tag made the decision easy.

She needs a little TLC--some pruning, a re-pot and a good watering, but I couldn't be happier.

Check out the cool woody stems. It's probably a cutting off a much larger, old plant.

DECAPITATED!

My 3-year old Euphorbia Trigona cutting has been doing extremely well, growing over an inch taller just this last summer alone. However, it became obvious that the lower section was not growing and the plant was becoming top-heavy. So, nervously, I decided to cut off the robust growth at the top of the plant in hopes it will root and continue to grow, while the bottom part will sprout new off-shoots.

Here's my illustration of the situation:

I'm a nerd. Get over it.

 I was pleasantly surprised to see healthy roots which had filled much of the pot.

 Scalpel...

 If you have the good fortune to own any of the varied and diverse members of the Euphorbia family, do be careful, as they will seep a white liquid if cut which can be irritating to the skin and toxic if ingested.

The bottom portion of the plant got repotted in a larger container with fresh soil. The top part will be left to dry and heal over before getting his own pot or joining his mother in her new pot.




Based on how fast this plant has grown in the last year, I am hoping he will look like this soon:

photo from here: http://onthewildslopes.tumblr.com/post/42213704895

Plant Stuff

I got a head start on plant tinkering. I know it's the middle of winter and most my plants are in hibernation, blah blah...but the days are getting longer and I'm a glass-half-full kind of gal.  To start, I divided up my spiny aloe (above). The thing grows in crazy clumps and thought it would look really beautiful by its lonesome. Mission accomplished. 

 

 I found this Arabia metallic black pottery planter recently. I wish I could say the cactus (Cholla??) was not new, but it is.

I've been working at my Jade bonsai. This is probably my neatest, best-kept plant. For a long time, it was bushy with clumpy masses of leaves everywhere. After a serious pruning last summer and periodic plucking, it is looking quite beautiful.

 Instead of using my adorable metal snail votive holder for it's intended purpose, I stuck an air plant in him! In love.

My Etsy shop will be back up and running in the next week or so. Here's a teaser:

New Year, New Projects

 I've been terrible about keeping up with my blog--apologies and excuses. Anyway, as much as Matt and I have accomplished on our house (see past posts) there's more! Our priority has been getting the living areas livable and saving the upstairs master bedroom for this very moment. Exciting, I know. 

 We've broken the project down in 3 parts. 3 parts in 3 months. Sounds do-able. First is to paint. Call me crazy, but the pink is quite ugly. We've chosen a nice earth-tone which will be a welcome change to the all-white downstairs. 

Part 2 will be to remove the horrid ceiling tiles and replace them with some type of wood. We'll know when we see it, but I'm thinking some kind of salvaged hardwood. We're going for a very warm, architectural- modern feel. 

Finally, if all goes to plan, new flooring will go in. 2/3 of the large room will serve as sleeping and closet area while the front 1/3 will be a place for low book cases and a reading nook. We will delineate these spaces with a low-pile carpet in the bedroom area and a cork or hardwood in the lounge area. 

Last will be finishing touches like putting in baseboards, trim around the windows and something to separate the closet from the bedroom, like a Shoji screen or more bookcases. 

The area to the right of the chimney will serve as a spacious
walk-in closet.

I almost forgot the chimney. After painting and before doing the ceiling, we have plans to knock off the drywall covering the chimney to expose the brick underneath. Why cover real brick with fake, I will never understand. Depending on what it looks like, I'd like to paint the brick white. What? I love white. 

Overall, I expect the upstairs to be fairly easy compared to the rest of the house. We don't have floors to refinish, endless hours of paining, and disgusting messes to clean up. Just installing NEW stuff. 

Ok, that was a lot of ugly you had to look at. Here are some nice things to soothe your eyeballs.

This may be my favorite little corner of the house. I have two epiphitic cacti hanging
in a bright window over the kitchen table along with our perfect pendant lamp
and my beloved "yarn painting"

The kitchen cabinets look amazing with my DIY handles. 

Eames chair deserves its own nook

I've discovered that hanging a small textile on the sides of
our Ikea Expedit bookcases adds so much warmth and texture
to the whole thing. 

I found this hand-woven trivet at a thrift store (shocking, I know). It adds
nice visual interest above the sink.