honeysweet

what I've been eating lately

2012-02-08T12:37:00.000-06:00

homemade pasta

egg and avocado sandwich

steak birthday dinner

olive oil crackers

toasted ravioli at Farotto's with friends

lots of citrus fruit and learning what it means to supreme a grapefruit

tiny triscuits in mom's stew

Blake's Frenchie-French toast

pear slices

coffee+milk

New Year Noodle Soup!

noodle soup, up close

pork chops and garlicy greens

tarte tatin (in Wichita, at Christmas)

New Year's weekend

2012-01-06T13:44:00.000-06:00

We spent a relaxing NYE weekend in the Outer Banks with friends. We had the good fortune of having the two most beautiful days of weather imaginable for this time of year. Highs were in the high 60s with a few gorgeous clouds. As we drove home to Alexandria on new year's day, the temperature dropped back down to more normal January levels. But we sure enjoyed our weekend in the sun.

watching the sunset over the bay on NYE -- bye, 2011!

down the beach one morning

view of the ocean from the back deck

B and I doing a polar bear plunge NYE afternoon

I have so many ideas and so much hope for the year ahead. I'm planning to go at it with an open heart and a ready and willing spirit. Here's to this year.

PS: you can follow me on Instagram, as I have now entered the realm of cool

Christmas inspiration

2011-11-27T15:09:00.001-06:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I feel like Christmas is right around the corner.

I'm very inspired by Anthology's Gift Guide today. There are so many great ideas, recipes, DIYs, and pretty things to see.

Anthology Gift Guide

VINTAGE lately: beaded beauty

2011-10-28T07:07:00.000-05:00

This summer, at an estate sale, I found a beautiful bright blue handmade satin dress.

As fate would have it, I found this lovely thing on 50% off day (the typical Sunday discount at estate sales).

Fearing it would look silly on me, I deliberated for a while about the dress before a sweet lady shoo-ed me into the bathroom to try it on.

It fit like a glove except for being a little loose in the bust. Unlikely that I'll fill that out anytime soon, but it may be alterable.

If nothing else, it sure is pretty to look at. Do you think the sequins and beads are done by hand? Amazing, either way.

veggie burgers

2011-10-24T20:07:00.000-05:00

I made these for dinner tonight and boy, were they good. We enjoyed them with sliced avocado and tahini -- and I substituted kale for sprouts (it worked, FYI).

photo by Heidi

And Blake loved them, because I didn't call them veggie burgers. He thinks anything that hints of vegetarianism is unacceptable as a dinner feature.

We're still working on that one.

fifteen eleven

2011-09-14T08:53:00.000-05:00

I'm looking forward to checking out this new paper shop in Alexandria -- it opens tomorrow!

I've been following Suann's blog Simplesong for a while now, intrigued by her eye for great design and lovely color choices. Her paper goods are beautiful -- I can't wait to see them in person at the new store.

BAKED lately: popovers

2011-09-07T14:36:00.000-05:00

I found this Cook's Country 'Perfect Popovers' recipe online via here. You can get the recipe on the Cook's Country website only if you have access to the premium content. Being a huge fan of Cook's Illustrated (much thanks to my wonderful in-laws), I went straight to them when I decided to make popovers a few Saturday mornings ago.

As per usual, the scientifically precise, tried-and-true guidance of Cook's did not let me down. I borrowed the Smith popover pan, mixed up some batter, let it sit for about 15 minutes instead of (at least) 60, and they turned out just about perfect. Just as the recipe promised.

Let me know if you try these! They're amazingly good and are fun to fill with great things like butter and jam. We kept our leftovers in a bag in the fridge and reheated them in the microwave, which worked surprisingly well.

MADE lately: paperbag skirt

2011-09-05T14:56:00.001-05:00

I've found a lot of great treasures at thrift stores and estate sales this summer (I hope to share some more finds soon), and I've come to think of myself as a fairly good assessor of the value of others' discarded things. Weird, but useful.

Earlier this spring, I found a not-so-cute homemade skirt that had been made from vintage-chic cotton lawn fabric. So, I bought it for $2, brought it home, ripped out its wonky stitch lines, and (after some pinterest inspiration) made it into this elastic-waisted paperbag skirt.

It has been an easy to wear summer staple and almost looks like a dress when I wear it up high on my waist with a coordinating tank top. I'm also fond of throwing a button up shirt over the whole shebang, but my taste in fashion can be questionable at times, so don't take my word on that being cool or anything.

I'm glad the beginner seamstress who sewed the original skirt gave it up to Goodwill -- take two now has a very happy home in my closet.

top it off

2011-09-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, B and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. We ate lots of great food, explored the city of Charleston, SC, and spent a bit of time reminiscing and looking at our wedding pictures. There is so much happiness, friendship, and love that overwhelms me when I think back on those days. We were and are very blessed to be surrounded by people in our lives who love and support us.

I DIYed much of our wedding items like decor, invitations, etc, etc. And I would not have been able to do HALF of it without the gracious help of those close to me.

I've been following Heart of Light for a long time now, and her recent post about her customized cake topper reminded me of the cake topper refurb that my SIL did for us. She sweetly repainted hair colors, reveiled the bride, refurbished, and added flowers to a vintage cake topper and it turned out so well. Thanks, Mary Ann! It remains a sweet memory of all the love and hours and stick-hauling that friends and family put in to making our wedding day wonderful.

crochet aspirations

2011-07-31T07:59:00.000-05:00

I'm always planning my crafts out. Like when I'm supposed to be studying, I'm thinking of what fabric I'll line my clutch with, or when really should be finishing a paper, I'm here on blogger telling you all the things that I want to crochet this winter. :)

Here are some things from my Pinterest that have been inspiring my crochet aspirations for the cooler months ahead....

some fun bracelets, designed by Wren Handmade

Source: purlbee.com via Katie on Pinterest

some crocheted trivets in lovely colors with gray borders

Source: flickr.com via Katie on Pinterest

a giant doily rug to go on out (hopefully) hardwood floors sooooooon

Source: etsy.com via Katie on Pinterest

a big crocheted lion head, the pattern for which was made up in the amazing mind of Anna Maria Horner

Source: annamariahorner.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

and neon-accented crochet granny afghan? yes, yes indeed. from Purl Bee

Source: None via Katie on Pinterest

Click on the images to see them on my Pinterest, where there may be more info. If not, the lovely thing about Pinterest is that it always links back to the original source!

friday favorites

2011-07-22T10:15:00.001-05:00

Source: google.com via Katie on Pinterest

due to excessive amounts of summer session studying and clinical-going and paper-writing, I have been severely neglecting the old blog. I have not, however, been completely neglecting the internet. I do make time to decompress by taking in all that the interwebs have to offer and posting lots of pretty and inspiring things on my pinterest.

and so, here are some things I've been loving lately:

blasts from the past

dinner dates with my love

new line of neon straps for Sseko sandals

hours of free (and ad-free) music listening -- move over, Pandora! I'm over you and your loud ads

inspiring interiors to fuel dreams of a new place for B & I soon

stacks of summer reading, untouched, that I hope to squeeze in during my August break

evenings out with DC friends to celebrate birthdays

stay safe and hydrated in this crazy summer heat, friends! #sweatceiling lolz

Friday favorites: pinterest

2011-06-24T14:20:00.000-05:00

some favorites I've been pinning lately....

Source: grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: moodboard.typepad.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: rosylittlethings.typepad.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: shop.creaturesofcomfort.us via Katie on Pinterest

Source: burdastyle.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: honestlywtf.com via Katie on Pinterest

summertime

2011-06-21T21:25:00.000-05:00

Happy first day of summer!

This summer, you'll find me...

sitting on the back porch with my love

sewing and fixing up some thrift-store finds (which I hope to share here)

writing letters to this guy

enjoying refreshments *withatwist

eating dinner from the garden [arugula with balsamic + OO, et cetera]

in addition to lots and lots of nursing textbook reading and test-studying and care log-writing. :)

What's on your summer list?

everything's up to date

2011-06-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

I visited Kansas City a few weeks ago to see my brother in law graduate from William Jewell, visit with family and friends, and relax during my short break from school.

happy family: Judy, Clark (the graduate), and Ross

chatting

cozy graduation celebration @ Mark and Nancy's

drinks at Harry's with Christina, Mary Ann, Kelsey, and Bob

the DISH with my pledge class -- such a great evening!

candied ginger, beet&goat cheese, and fleur de sel caramel at Glace

ice cream at Glace with Kelsey

looking out on downtown Kansas City after a great dinner with great friends at The Westside Local (photo by the talented Mr. Palmer)

All in all, a fabulous visit! I miss you, Kansas City! Most of all, I miss the wonderful people there :)

2011 books: part 2

2011-06-03T14:17:00.000-05:00

[[I began this book an embarassing length of time ago, but since I finished it in this calendar year, I am going to count it.]]

Like many Julia-lovers, I went to see Julie & Julia in theaters eager to see the hilarious, curly-haired chef portrayed by Meryl Streep. Between the movie and the novel, I couldn't bring myself to love the character of Julie (she was a whiney lady, am I right?). I did, however, love learning more about the life of Julia Child and her husband, Paul. Since their love story was, in my opinion, the best part of the movie, I knew I had to read Julia's account of it all, on which that portion of Julie & Julia is largely based.

And I loved it. I like to think that it took me so long to read because I was savoring it. Julia actually wrote it with the help of her great nephew. Her voice shines through so beautifully, telling the happy love story of her life with Paul and the start of her love for France and food.

It's a must read -- especially if you love food!

fit for a king

2011-05-29T22:16:00.031-05:00

B and I had dinner at home a few Saturdays ago. In typical fashion (thank you, Blake), the steaks we enjoyed were out. of. this. world. good. Somewhat owing to the price we paid for them at W**** F****, and partly owning to the expert steak-grilling skillz of my husband.

vermontucky lemonades on the back porch (can you spot the crazy collie?)

clean tomatoes and a radish

tomato filling

tomatoes, stuffed

summer salad (radishes from the garden!)

Saturday night dinner

The steak, a New York Strip. The couscous-stuffed tomatoes, from this book (thanks, Judy!). The radishes, from the garden. The salad, inspired by Aunt Nancy and her wonderful dressing-making. The company, fabulous.

2011 books: part 1

2011-05-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

One of my goals for this year was to read more non-school books. A book a month has not been my practice, and considering the girth of my textbooks last semester and this summer semester, I decided not to be too hard on myself about it. Here's what I have been into, though....

For January, I read Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen. It and a few of her other books were recommended to me by my mother in law, Judy, when Blake and I were in Wichita for Christmas.

Ms. Colwin wrote mostly fiction, but this particular book is a collection of some of her essays on food and cooking for friends and family. I found it hilarious and entertaining (especially for those interested in cooking and how good food brings people together). It was warm and personable and reminded me of some of my own misadventures in front of the stove.

Laurie Colwin died at the young age of 48, leaving her husband and young daughter and many fans of her prose saddened and wondering why. You can read more about her story here.

I highly recommend this -- it's a quick read and very culinary-ly inspiring!

jumping on that

2011-05-25T17:39:00.000-05:00

Come follow me on Pinterest, if you'd like. It's strangely addicting and lots of fun (plus, a very useful way of organizing ideas and pictures)! Let me know if you would like an invite.

pinterest love

grey sweatshirt kind of day

2011-05-04T09:12:00.000-05:00

Today is a grey day; steady, cold rain has been raining all morning. I managed to drag myself out of the house to get coffee and some studying done after throwing on Blake's grey Sports Illustrated sweatshirt.

((I got my hairs trimmed yesterday -- don't they look fresh!?))

Which, after a funny email from my sister this morning mentioning something about 5th grade, reminded me of one of the most traumatic experiences of. my. young. life.

I was sitting next to Kyle H. in a "twosome" desk arrangement (you know, where you're in twos and it's awkward, especially when you end up next to the weirdos -- and ALL boys are pretty much weirdos at this point, let me remind you). Kyle H. was a special kind of desk-mate. Let's just suffice it to say that, in addition to his bad attitude, the rat tail/buck teeth combo made him quite my 5th grade antagonist.

So one day, I decided to wear a stylin' outfit, grey sweatshirt and jeans, to school. I walk into my classroom that morning and lo and behold, Kyle H. is wearing THE EXACT SAME OUTFIT. I think our jeans were even the same hue. I was mortified. I considered doing a quick-change but couldn't take off my sweatshirt because I didn't have a t-shirt underneath! I remember locking eyes with him, looks of horror in both our eyes, before he crossed his arms and looked away toward the window, leaving me with an excellent view of his rattail. Also (very) embarrassing is the fact that I was almost definitely donning a ponytail and hot dog bangs. yeesh.

So here's to grey days, grey sweatshirts, and the awkwardness of being an almost-middle schooler. We've all been there.

bury me in...

2011-04-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

Sprinkles Cupcakes popped up in Georgetown, DC this spring in an area already home to at least two other cupcake bakeries, Georgetown Cupcake and Baked and Wired.

Sprinkles duo

The line at G-town Cupcakes is almost always to daunting to even consider getting in, as it regularly wraps out of the store and down the whole block when the weather is decent. I'm no fanatic when it comes to cupcakes, but I do love a really good one every once and a while. There's just no way that I would stand in like for more than about 90 seconds to buy one.

carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

So, during a recent afternoon jaunt in G-town, B and I stopped by Sprinkles. And, boy, was it good.

yum!

We tried the PB Chip and the Carrot Cake (in honor of the approach of Easter). I have to say that my favorite of the two was the PB, but they were bother pretty out of this world.

peanut butter chip

Have you tried Sprinkles yet?

spring-y pasta

2011-04-18T06:38:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make: (if you hadn't already noticed) I cannot get enough of 101cookbooks.com. Everything we make of hers, I love! So I apologize if this seems repetitive, but here's another B+K dinner courtesy of my favorite foodie site. We made this last night, and it was a wonderful, quick late Sunday night dinner.

[asparagus & avocado & parmigiana, oh my]

Spring Pasta. If the picture is unconvincing, believe me, this is definitely worth making. Muy bueno.

And it just so happens that Heidi (the genius behind 101cookbooks) just released her second recipe book. Isn't it beautiful?

[super natural every day]

denim on denim

2011-04-12T06:45:00.000-05:00

So, I hear denim on denim is cool now. Which I love. I've always had a thing for the borderline clashing, mis/match look. You know, wearing brown and black together without thinking twice about it, two to three simultaneous shades of turquoise like it's going out of style (ok, maybe the turquoise cord pants/sweater combo was a bit much -- thanks for calling it, C). So, I gave this trend a whirl for our date to the thrift store Saturday afternoon...

[B poking fun at my self-timed self-portrait session]

In other style news, I was told that I should start acting as if my hair is intentionally ombre instead of facing the truth, which is that I've been neglecting it for months now.

Dear Trends,

Thanks for letting me to dress like the Midwestern girl that I am while also allowing me to forget about my gnarly tresses.

Love,
A girl who only needs a trim now

lively lentils

2011-04-09T20:38:00.000-05:00

This is the second time I've made this lentil soup. Last time I skipped the saffron yogurt bit since I didn't have the time or the saffron. However, I now realize how amazing saffron yogurt is, and I highly recommend taking the extra effort to make it. It is delicious.

I followed Heidi's recipe to a t. We even splurged ($3.35!!) on the brand of crushed tomatoes that she recommends: San Marzano. They were good. Also, French green lentils are my favorite lentils and really make a difference in this recipe. Unlike plain old green ones, they really stay together and are a beautiful deep, dark green color.

[101cookbooks-recommended San Marzano crushed tomatoes]

[french green lentils cooking]

[saffron brewing]

[30ish strands of saffron + 1tbs boiling water + 1/2c greek yogurt = saffron yogurt]

[Lively Up Yourself Lentil Soup]

[Corniest Corn Muffins from Smitten Kitchen]

This was the perfect meal for the end of a dreary, cool Saturday. I'm looking forward to trying variations of this recipe a few more times this spring. Let me know if you try it, too!

oh hi, spring.

2011-04-04T18:52:00.000-05:00

It was (finally) 81 degrees today in the D.C. metro area, and I couldn't have been more glad. Right now it smells like hamburgers in our house (in a good way)... the combination of that and the weather is taking me back to last summer. We ate heaps of good food, spent time with wonderful friends, drank Boulevard beer, and lived our first married summer in Kansas City up as much as we could.

And I'm missing those days today.

hex nut bracelets

2011-04-02T14:23:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the hex nut bracelet tutorial on Honestly...WTF yet? Super fun and easy -- you really could go a lot of ways with this one.

don't mind the crazy cousin face, we are doing some serious crafting.

finished products

We made some a few weeks ago while my mom was in town for the weekend. And I finally got around to wearing mine today. I think I'll be sporting it a lot more now...

sheesh

2011-03-25T18:39:00.002-05:00

It's been a while, I know. Sorry, blog. I'll be back for you this weekend.

happy heart day

2011-02-14T06:52:00.000-06:00

so pretty and romantic, she looks like an oil painting -- the black label from ban.do

white and dark hearted brownies from Smitten*Kitchen

a table for two from house of brinson

heart-y breakfast from martha via say yes to hoboken

diy glittery heart banner from say yes to hoboken

butternut things

2011-02-12T12:12:00.000-06:00

Last night, Blake and I went out to dinner. While dining, we realized that they last time just two of us went out on a dinner date was the week before Thanksgiving. Romance FAIL. jk, we manage to keep love alive in spite of the fact that our actual 'dates' are rare these days. We do other fun things like go on walks, sit next to each other on the couch with our laptops on each of our laps, and do the dishes together. whew... HOT!

So, back to dinner. Blake ordered roasted duck (typical) and it was awesome! I ordered butternut squash ravioli, and it was similarly amazing. It was served in a cream sauce with big shavings of salty parmesan cheese, caramelized onions, and what (at first) looked like craisins sprinkled over top. Luckily, they were NOT craisins, but actually dried cherries -- mmmmm. The flavor of the cherries worked well with the butternut/cream/parm/caramel-onion goodness. I quite enjoyed it.

So, this morning I ran across a recipe on Sweet Paul with the same flavor idea. And a pretty picture to go with:

Butternut squash soup with cranberries and pumpkin seeds

Head on over and chup it out.

And do share... what are you eating this weekend?

an apron for a friend

2011-02-03T15:18:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine got married the week before Christmas, and due to my nursing school finals, Blake and I weren't able to attend the wedding. I wanted to send her an extra-special gift to celebrate her new married life, so I decided to make her an apron!

Jenny is a teacher and loves books, so the Anna Maria Horner fabric with the stacked books motif was perfect for her. I stretched even my own comfort zone of color matching with the combos here (multiple patterned fabrics, lavender ric rac), but I really liked the way it turned out.

I hope you love it, Jenny! and thanks for letting me model it before I sent it off to you -- I hope you and B are loving married life!

Keep an eye on my etsy shop for more apron creations. I'm always up for doing custom aprons, too! If you're interested, just email me at kphollander [at] gmail [dot] com

SIL's 30 for 30

2011-02-01T06:55:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law, happy lightning, is doing Kendi Everyday's 30 for 30 Remix and posting her outfits each day of February! Woohoo -- go MA :)

MA's sweater selections

Kendi's remixes seem like such a great way to see new life in your wardrobe by forcing yourself to make new combinations from the things you already own. Talk about a challenge! I can wait to see what Mary Ann comes up with! Go root her on over at happy lightning.

PSSt: Happy 100th post, honeysweet!!!!

look alike: timex watch

2011-01-29T15:04:00.000-06:00

birthday watch

Blake gave me this watch for my birthday so that I'd have a way to watch the seconds tick by while I'm at the hospital taking patients' blood pressure. I first saw simple watches like it on Jcrew's website and was intrigued by the simple, "army" look of them. And I loved how you could buy different colored straps. So, when I saw what seems to be an incredibly similar, if not exactly the same, watch on amazon.com, I was super excited. PS: it was less than half the price, too!

Kids TIMEX camper watch from Jcrew

These are some of my solid watch strap favorites from Jcrew. Do you think the blush stone color on the left could be a nod toward the Pantone color of the year? Not that I'm anything close to resembling a fashonista, but you know, a girl can try.

Solid watch straps from Jcrew - $15 each (blush stone and birch)

happy day

2011-01-13T16:36:00.000-06:00

I had a very happy birthday this past Monday -- thanks for all of the sweet wishes! I feel very loved.

clockwise from top right: early morning pastries+coffee from Blake, AMAZINGly yummy homemade cupcakes from cousin Millie, one of many sweet birthday gifts, and a post-pastry walk with the dog.

all around, it was a great day! I'm so thankful that I had it free, because as of yesterday, I'm back in school for the semester. I have 100 pages of my Med-Surg book to read.... over & out.

on the eve of the new year

2011-01-11T09:51:00.000-06:00

Blake and I were visiting my family in Carlisle, MA for New Year's, and instead of playing scrabble and watching the ball drop on the telly (though I am in no way saying that this is lame), we headed into the city with my brother for the eve of the big day to see the fireworks set off from Boston harbor.

fireplace in the bar -- Blake mean muggin, Elliott smiling big, per usual

walking across the icy pond in the Boston Common

light up hula hoops, anyone?

snacks

icy pond

party people

getting my craft on

2011-01-02T19:30:00.000-06:00

I've been knitting some yellow things this Christmas break. It's so nice to just knit knit knit to my heart's content. Plus, it is an excellent way to pass the time on our multiple plane flights these last few weeks!

new day, new year

2011-01-01T09:30:00.000-06:00

I have some resolutions.

I've never really formalized any of them before, but I figured that sharing them here might cause the two of you who read this to help hold me accountable for actually pursuing my resolutions this time around. So, here goes.

1. Read the written word. I picked up my Pathophysiology and nursing textbooks from time to time last semester, but those don't count here. I hereby pledge to read one book per month and share a mini review of it on honeysweet. I also want to read Psalms as I continue my intention to read the Bible start to finish. Embarrassingly, I didn't even finish Genesis last year. In my defense, there is a LOT going on in Genesis! But I digress....

2. Exercise more faithfully. I know, I know... so cliche, the exercising bit. But I really want to push myself harder this year. In order to get better at something, you really have to be consistent about it. My goal for this year is to attend a class (yoga, bike, etc) once per week or, if that is not possible during a given week, to do something for my own personal strength, like getting outside and doing sprints up hills or holding planks for hours on end (we'll start with a minute).

3. Create more. Although Paper Source has driven me crazy in the past, I do love their motto to "Do something creative everyday." I'm certainly not pledging to bust out a masterpiece every day of 2011, but I do commit to giving myself the space to be creative each and everyday. I've learned that this is what I thrive on, so it's important. And I'd like to bring my etsy shop back from the grave, so keep your eyes peeled for some cute honeysweet aprons on the horizon.

4. Learn as much as I can. I have one semester of nursing school behind me and three to go. I have a renewed motivation for learning now that I am working on a degree which will directly impact the quality of care that I can provide once I am an RN. More than being about getting a great grades, this year is about learning as much as I can both in the classroom and in the clinical setting, so that I can be the best graduate nurse I can be when I start working full time NEXT January-February.

So here's to a great year.
Bring it, 2011.

upholstery, anyone?

2010-12-12T17:07:00.000-06:00

As if I needed any more inspiration, these chairs are making me REALLY want to learn re-upholstery. Any suggestions on how to get started?

D*S chairs

some more beauties

There are so many great old chairs on craigslist dying to be given new life!

Check out design*sponge for more great before & afters.

such a happy season

2010-12-09T13:47:00.000-06:00

["You Are Loved" - Happy Holidays! from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.]

oh, how I want to sew.

2010-12-05T19:26:00.000-06:00

I've been studying like crazy lately. In my first semester of nursing school, I've studied almost every day (at least a little bit) and most days a LOT. This has left little time for hobbies I love.
Where are you, sewing machine? Where are you, knitting needles?!?

[the one apron I've sewn since july]

I've made time for lots of things during this time to help keep some balance. Blake and I have gone on a few dates here and there. We've met up with new friends and old friends. And I've (tried to) kept up a fairly good workout schedule in order to maintain some semblance of sanity and health.

[one of Gertie's sewalongs]

But as the semester draws to a close, I realize how much I've missed CRAFTING! There's something special about making things with your own hands -- being creative and letting yourself invent. Or just relax to the repetitive clicking of the knitting needles.

[great fingerless glove pattern from knitty.com]

So I'm so looking forward to a three week Christmas break full of friends and family and down time and some creating. It'll do my heart good :)

fall surprise

2010-12-02T11:02:00.000-06:00

MA sent us a fun fall-themed package a couple weeks ago. It was such a great surprise, and it's contents have been decorating our space ever since. Hothands, little gourds, a fall 2010 mix CD!, caramel tootsie roll pops (yum), and a sweet note. The leaves and gourds were perfect inspiration for our Thanksgiving festivities last week!

[fall mail from the SIL]

Thanks, sweet sister-in-law!

apple cake

2010-11-06T11:09:00.000-05:00

To me the title 'apple cake' sounds a little silly. Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of cake (unless it's a really amazing homemade birthday cake or a perfectly proportioned cupcake -- picky about cake? perhaps). But then again, this recipe isn't really for apple bread, either. It could possibly be called bread in the sense that banana bread is bread. A sort of breakfast bread, if you will.

I used apples from our apple picking adventure last weekend, and I think that really made the finihsed product all the better. They were tiny little Fujis. There's just something about apples you once saw on a tree. It's nice not to have to wonder how many months they've been sitting in storage waiting to go on grocery shelves. I made a few adjustments to the recipe, which I've noted...
Enjoy!

Ruth's Famous Apple Cake Recipe from the recipe vaults of my Aunt Christine.

1 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar (the recipe called for 2, but I like things less super-sweet)
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon (I used a combo of cinnamon and Baking Spice from Penzys)
3 cups chopped apples
(optional raisins and pecans -- I omitted these)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a bundt pan or two loaf pans (I also lined them with a parchment paper sling). In a large bowl, mix together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking spice, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in apples (and anything else you're adding). Pour batter into pans and bake for 50-60 minutes or until done.
These would also make great muffins.

happy halloween.

2010-10-31T22:26:00.000-05:00

Now that it is Halloween, I feel like we're really in the swing of things re: fall.

a cousin-carved pumpkin on the festive front porch

What a lovely season.

apple cider donuts... incredibly good!

Hope you're enjoying the beauty of it as much as we are!

my sweet sister's leaf collection

wishing these came in my size...

2010-10-21T09:14:00.000-05:00

from a favorite shop of mine, freshlypicked.

celebrating 22

2010-10-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

My cousin turned 22 last weekend, and we celebrated with great food and a '22' cake. Isn't it cute? My other cousin (his sister) made him a carrot cake with amazing cream cheese icing and green sugar sprinkles.

She's a sweet sister.... and also a burgeoning Martha Stewart.

Make a wish...

ginger fried rice

2010-10-01T15:10:00.000-05:00

When I need a quick, filling, feel-good meal, I often end up making some ginger fried rice. All it takes is leftover rice (I prefer brown for nutrition reasons and for flavor!), a little fresh ginger, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and an egg.

Smitten Kitchen has a great little recipe here, but honestly, it's something that I usually just wing. Sometimes I add different things depending on what's around or what I'm in the mood for...

Today I made it for a late lunch/snack and ended up breaking the yolk of my egg and smushing it all up into the rice. It still tasted great, though. I also cut the ginger instead of grating it -- but I really like a strong ginger flavor.

Never fail comfort food. gotta love it.

Oh, and happy October! We have beautiful, cool, sunny, breezy weather today here in DC :) How about you?

what's in your pockets?

2010-09-23T10:40:00.000-05:00

Design*Sponge is doing a mini post series about what is in the 'pockets' of some popular bloggers.

I am particularly taken with this picture of Jamie Beck of From Me To You -- her hair, her purple jacket, her uber-cute, fallish purse. The mix of vintage and modern is just perfect.

And... check out the contents of her pockets:

images via D*S

Anyone know where you can find such cute twisty hairpins?

Have a lovely Thursday!

garlicky greens

2010-09-16T13:51:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite healthy side dishes to make as a quick companion to just about any meal is 101cookbook's garlicky greens. Besides being nutritious and full of goodness, they fit our bill by being flavorful and fast.

I start by washing the kale really well -- it can be sandy. Then I peel off the leaves by hand (they come right off the stem, as you can see in the picture!

A whole bunch of kale will cook down to be generous helpings for two . If you like less, it could serve four. But just prepared to be amazed with how much the stuff reduces.

You add a handful of freshly chopped garlic right at the end, which gives very fresh, spicy garlic taste, which I love. The garlic only stays on the heat for about 30 seconds.

And, voila! Delicious, nutritious garlicky greens to go with your meal.

Head over to 101cookbooks for the full recipe and LOTS of other delicious and healthy recipes to explore! I am especially a fan of Heidi's awesome cookie and dessert recipes. Happy cooking!

beachy beach

2010-08-28T16:09:00.000-05:00

We've been beaching it up a lot lately in order to take full advantage of our vacation. I'm more a fan of the warm sunny beaches, myself. But I must say, there were some pretty awesome waves that afternoon in Newburyport, Mass. Blake and my mom were pounced upon by a rogue wave and were soaked with sandy cold sea water up to their knees. It didn't keep Blake from smiling, though :) he loves those crazy waves.

love from the east beaches.

what a catch

2010-08-21T08:56:00.000-05:00

Blake and I are spending some lazy days on Lake Winnipasauke with my family. Sleeping in, catching some rays, late dinners, and some choice beverages = perfection.

And my fish-loving husband caught a big lake bass without even really trying. He's something of a fish whisperer, really. He looked yummy, but B made sure he found his way back out to the lake bottom without too much trauma.

We're happily soaking up these last days of summer.... hope you are too :)

symbols and signs

2010-08-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

When stopped at a gas station in the middle of Illinois, we saw this sign...

and on the other side....

Hey, east coast, what's up?

home is wherever I'm with you

2010-08-08T23:46:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow, B and I drive out of Kansas City with all of our belongings in a Penske truck to set off on a new adventure together. We've spent the last few weeks saying goodbye to places we love, friends we've made, coworkers and classmates who have made this journey memorable, and family we've grown closer to and love so dearly. Kansas City is where we fell in love, and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend our first year of married life here in the city surrounded by people who mean so much to us both.

But setting out is something that has always been in our hearts and on our minds. Tomorrow, we start to fulfill that dream together. And I couldn't be more excited.

Thanks to all of our friends who have been so supportive of our move. We will miss you all so much and are looking forward to staying a part of the adventures that lay before you as well.

We are headed to Washington, DC. I'll be attending nursing school in September and Blake will be working on the hill for a bit. During this month of transition, things might be a bit sparse in the world of honeysweet. But stay tuned! Because we just got a new camera, and I'm sure we'll have lots to share about the excitement ahead :)

Thanks for being a part of this with us.

it's Simplicity, but I wouldn't call it simple

2010-08-04T07:48:00.000-05:00

In the month of July, one of my favorite sewing blogs, Presserfoot, took on the project of the Cynthia Rowley knit tank dress. In my great over-ambitiousness, I had also taken on this project earlier in the spring after I found some pretty royal blue knit fabric on clearance at the fabric store and the pattern on sale for $1. I had experienced moderate to great difficulty in finishing it up (over girls' weekend -- thanks for all of your help, Judy!), resulting in there only being one pocket on the poor dress instead of two :) pocketFAIL.

All in all, I learned a lot from the trial and mishap, and the dress just needs a bit of finishing before being fit for wear. I'm looking forward to following along with the last bit of the Presserfoot dress to try and figure out where I went wrong with the pocket/zipper combo.

Have any of you followed along with a sewing blog or sew-a-long? Any good ones to share?

granola bars, MIL-style

2010-07-29T15:01:00.000-05:00

I found another granola bar recipe over on Summer Harms' blog. I felt a special connection to her post because we both have mother-in-laws named Judy -- and it was her m-i-l, Judy, who invented this great recipe!

These bars are nice and chewy and can be kept in the fridge or freezer (cold = so great during the summer heat). I made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand. And, what I really liked about them is that you just toast the dry ingredients, mix with the wet, and then NO baking! Which is great for the summer, when I loathe turning on the oven in our little house.

homemade granola bars
adapted from summer's mom judy's homemade granola bars
my notes are in italics

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 c. flax seed, milled

1/4 c. quinoa

3/4 c. shelled sunflower seeds

1 c. chopped nuts (I used pumpkin seeds.)

1 c. shredded coconut (I used more like 1/2 c., which was all I had left.)

1/2 to 1 tsp. cinnamon (desired amount)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. brown sugar or organic agave nectar

1/2 c. honey

2 tsp. molasses

(In the sweet department, I used what I had on hand, which ended up being 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup, 1/3 cup honey, and 1/3 cup brown sugar. I'll probably leave out the brown sugar next time.)

4 T. butter

2 tsp. vanilla

4 T. peanut butter

1 c. dried, chopped fruit (and here, I used 3/4 c raisins.)

And here's how it goes together:

1. mix the first 8 ingredients together and place on a rimmed baking sheet. toast in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. stir and let cool at least 15 minutes.

2. bring next 4 ingredients to a simmer, stirring continuously. stir in the vanilla and peanut butter and cool for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. put the toasted ingredients and dried fruit in a large bowl and pour the liquid ingredients over it. mix very well.

4. place parchment or wax paper in the rimmed baking sheet and butter the top side, then place the granola bar mixture in the pan. put another butter sheet of paper, buttered side down, on top of the mixture and press down. roll with a rolling pin to make it very tight, smooth, and even.

5. let set for 2-3 hours and cut into desired bar size. makes about 20-24 bars. package in snack size bags or an airtight container (I wrapped each individually in Saran). if not using within next few days, store in freezer. they keep very well, and thaw quickly. (really yummy frozen, too!)

Thanks for sharing, Summer! We've already eaten this first batch at our house and are ready for round two.

birdkage aprons

2010-07-28T07:59:00.000-05:00

you can click on

the images for a link

Have you checked out SWIRL, DailyCandy's online sample sale? They have some pretty cool duds, including these classy aprons from a place called Birdkage.

dream pantry

2010-07-23T18:05:00.000-05:00

I am awe of and in love with this pantry I saw on Design*Sponge. It is the pantry of the lovely Emerson of Emersonmade. And is it amazing. It would be like having a bulk food aisle attached to your very own kitchen. Take a look...

PS: check out Emerson's creations, too.... here are some of my faves:

is there such a thing as too many scissors?

2010-07-18T11:41:00.000-05:00

my scissor collection, with two new thrifted additions
(stainless steel WISS -- one set of pinking and one set of regular shears -- one dollar each!)

honeysweet treasury feature!

2010-07-16T11:24:00.000-05:00

Some of the new honeysweet headbands have been featured in an etsy treasury by Leigh of Imoss with other ikat-inspired finds!

Etsy treasuries are user-curated collections of fun finds on etsy. You can find more here.

Thanks, Leigh!

to Blake

2010-07-15T08:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my love.

picture from our wedding day, by our amazing photographer, Claire Ryser.

bits of our weekend

2010-07-12T07:43:00.000-05:00

It started off with a wedding Friday night (forgot my camera... : / ), where we got to hang out with good friends, catch up on each other's lives, and celebrate. I took a CPR class Saturday morning to get ready for nursing school this fall, and then Kelsey and I headed for the pool.

relaxing afternoon at the pool (yes, I am STILL reading My Life in France. It is a lovely to read slow.)

Then Kelsey and I stopped by d'Bronx for a slice of my favorite pizza in the world! And we also went to a sidewalk sale at Donna's Dress Shop. Donna's is located on 39th street in Westport and is a combination of vintage and new dresses. She does a wonderful job of curating her things, which are always clean and nice and well-displayed on darling hangers.

cute logo for Donna's

Blake studied all day Saturday, so after his brain couldn't take any more law factoids, we went on a date to see Toy Story 3 and get a milkshake at Blanc. TS3 lived up to all the hype -- I found it a little darker than it's prequels, which made it all the more heartwarming and real in the end. I highly recommend it.
WARNING: grown men (and myself) have been know to get misty-eyed during the viewing of this movie.

Blanc was amazing, as always. We ordered fried cheese curds (curds from Shatto -- local! love it!) with chutney and a chocolate malt milkshake.

Then, Sunday was church, lots of rain and a microburst fairly near our neighborhood, and an afternoon of sewing with my sister-in-law, Mary Ann. Despite the weird weather, MA and I got a lot done! I sewed up some honeysweet aprons and she worked on a linen shirt. Psst... look out for a shop update later this week.

Hope you had a happy weekend, too!

Saturday mornings: eggs in the basket

2010-07-10T12:08:00.015-05:00

This was from a while ago, but I do love Saturday morning breakfasts a la Blake.

toad in the hole, originally uploaded by honeysweet-KPH

I won't bore you with the details of it in this post.... but you can find out what an egg in the basket is here.

sweater love

2010-07-07T23:22:00.000-05:00

I'm a little bit in love with these machine-knit sweater tanks from all for everyone.

CM Sticker Stripe Tank

I know I shouldn't be dreaming of anything sweater-like when we have 99.9% humidity and 90 degree days. But the stripes.... oh the stripes :)

found via for me, for you

Glace ice cream

2010-07-06T09:30:00.000-05:00

On Friday evening, Blake and I and a friend stopped in for some :: artisan :: ice cream at Christopher Elbow's new ice cream shop: Glace.

It is presented much like gelato, but is actually ice cream..... very very good ice cream. With uniquely interesting flavors. I ordered the Venezuelan Spiced Chocolate and the Salted Pretzel (both amazing), and also tried the Goat Cheese with Honey, which was delicious -- just the right amount of sweet and tart.

If you're in KC, it is a must on the ice cream stop. We'll be stopping by a few more times before we head out of town, I'm sure.

I almost forgot to mention! THE Christopher Elbow took our cash at the cash register when we were in! You know that someone truly believes in their product when they're a well-known choclatier and they are the actual ones in the store, selling their wares, watching people oooo and aaaah at their delicious creations. Pretty cool, I think.

happy independence day!

2010-07-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Fourth of July!

We'll be spending the holiday with family and my friend Kelsey, who is a true patriot.

Kelsey linked to this video in a recent post; it's kind of a goofy video, but it still fills me with gratitude and pride (and makes me laugh).

Also, check out the google homepage today for a double tribute to the birthday of America and of Rube Goldberg.

happy lightning does chambray!

2010-07-02T07:43:00.000-05:00

My crafty SIL (sister in law, if you didn't know) cropped off a funky-wonky chambray dress into a darling, wearable blouse! Hop on over to her blog, ha ppy lightning, to check it out!

bits of our weekend: Austin

2010-06-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

We took a weekend trip to Austin with Blake's parents and aunt and uncle, who were all fabulous traveling companions. The few pictures I'm sharing here won't do the trip justice, so I'll be sure to share a bit more throughout the week....

refreshments

the famous Continental Club -- right across the street from where we were staying!

succulents of all shapes and sizes

the prettiest white sangria at the hippest hotel on S. Congress

hey, cupcake!

real margaritas at guero's

cow rugs in our amazing hotel rooms

the fruits of a sewing Saturday

2010-06-23T09:09:00.000-05:00

I mentioned last week that I was planning on making a romper over the weekend. And so I did. Instead of buying fabric new for it, or making it out of a vintage bed sheet, I sliced up a skirt of my mom's. I'd been dreaming up something to do with this skirt for about five years now, and a romper seemed to be the ticket.

My mom was an avid seamstress during college and after, making my dad pants and shirts to woo him during their courtship (that's how it went. right, mom?). :) Well, it worked! She also made herself lots of nice things and is a plethora of knowledge on sewing for one's own closet.

She made herself a cotton plaid, elastic waisted skirt in this pretty pink, purple, orange, and blue fabric at some point. And although the elastic waist skirt is coming back into style, the mid-calf length doesn't seem to have caught on. Enter: romper pattern.

I have thought this after the last two garments I've made myself, but why didn't I add pockets?!? There were large, square outside pockets on the pattern that I decided not to add -- what I'm actually pining for is some built-in pocket like the ones I've done in the past (as in this tutorial from Freshly Picked).

All in all, a sewing success, I say. Even though I'll likely only wear this as a swim suit cover up or a Saturday morning uniform, I really do like it and may even make another...

NOT frock and fathers' day (bits of our weekend)

2010-06-20T09:14:00.003-05:00

We had a really great weekend -- I sewed a bunch with some of my sorority sisters, we relaxed, went out with friends, Blake celebrated a friend's bachelor party, and then we spent a lovely Sunday afternoon celebrating father's day with Blake's parents in Lawrence.

On Thursday night, Blake made an amazing glazed beer can chicken. If you've never roasted chicken impaled with a beer can, you're missing out. It is amazingly tender and flavorful -- and we (ok, Blake -- entirely) even did it vertically in our oven. He found the recipe for the glaze on Cooks Illustrated -- we had seen them make it on their PBS show a few weekends ago.

Blake amazing beer can chicken, cut

Blake, chicken roaster extraordinare

Fathers' Day gift for Ross, a wonderful father and FIL!

And I finished sewing this dress last week and ended up wearing it pretty much all weekend. It is a great pattern/diy that I found on a sew-along blog called presserfoot. The instructions were easy to follow and, with a little patience, yielded a super-cute, easy-to-wear dress. I'm hoping I can take it past summer into fall with some tights and boots, too.

dorky, full-length view

....and a very Happy Fathers' Day to my own dad, whom I love so very much.

This is one of my favorite pictures from B's and my wedding day. My dad was cool and composed (although not entirely unemotional!) right before the big entrance. He helped me keep my composure and really be able to take it all in. What a special memory :)

rompers

2010-06-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

The issue of rompers seems to be a bit of a polarized one. I used to rule them out entirely, assuming they were weird and juvenile, not to mention unflattering. But then my beautiful friend, Christina, wore one to an afternoon barbecue that I hosted... and my thoughts started to change. Not only did she look glamorous (per usual), but she also looked really comfortable. Perhaps I could start by rocking one around the house... you know, a little Saturday lounging outfit (Lounging, what? I don't really even remember what lounging feels like, but you know what I'm talking about.)

rompers (clockwise): penelope's, topshop, modcloth, topshop

Then, when I was pattern-shopping over girls' weekend, we happened upon a $1 per pattern sale at Joann's! the perfect justification for trying out a romper had arrived! I could sew my own for $1 + the price of fabric (which in my head at the time was negligible, because I intended to make it out of a vintage bed sheet.... currently rethinking that plan, since even in the privacy of my own home, I don't want to look like a loony-cake).

and so, this is my sewing mission for the weekend: a romper.

etsy find: secret pocket

2010-06-17T07:59:00.000-05:00

Secretpocket on etsy has some awesome (apparently very strong) vintage-covered magnets. Aren't they great? I wish my fridge were covered with these instead of bills and chip clips and clutter. Bonus: they're on SALE right now.

via SeeSaw.

simply color.

2010-06-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

This past Monday, Lauren Willhite debuted a column called Simply Color on Design*Sponge. It features colorful home scenes (from real Sneak Peeks on D*S!), and Lauren matches elements in the scene to actual paint colors that you can buy at the hardware store, etc. It seems like a great jumping off point for someone trying to decide what color to paint a particular room.

I'm mostly just a sucker for pretty color combinations and sweet kitchen scenes like the one below. It's interesting, because I think one of the reasons this kitchen looks so cheery to me is that it contains a surprising variety of color. But if I were to pick a color scheme for a room, I probably wouldn't grab these paint swatches below. Maybe that's why I studied Chemistry in college instead of Art. :)

image from Design*Sponge

thanks a million

2010-06-11T08:07:00.000-05:00

Check out Leah's blog, where she hilariously expresses daily gratitude for things in her life.

antique store finds

2010-06-09T08:25:00.000-05:00

When I was in Wichita a few weeks ago, we stopped by a really great antique store called Juliana Daniel. Although I wanted to make off with much much more, I did come home with these treasures...

The yellow and white striped pillowcases are cotton percale and look just perfect all washed up on our bed. Bonus*** the box they came is quite vintage-chic and has gold edges. Sometimes it's nice to have some fresh, bright pillowcases to sub-in for your plain (but comfy) white ones. Especially when they're soft, vintage, and meet the house standards of being 100% cotton!

The rectangular, cut-out doily caught my eye because... 1. it it beautiful, and 2. it has grey stitching around the edges, and grey is my favorite, second only to yellow, of course. It has yet to find a permanent home, but then again, we won't be here for too much longer.....

birthday calendar

2010-06-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

Speaking of birthdays.....

I spotted this new Linda & Harriett birthday calendar today over on Design*Sponge (I know, I know, I can't get enough D*S in my life :)). I've always been intrigued with the idea of birthday calendars -- they seem like a great way to keep track of important birthdays in your life, obviously. But I've never seen one as pretty or classy as this one.

It is definitely something that I'd hang above my desk or in the kitchen. Then again, who can really resist a monthly rotation of beautiful letterpressed pages that have function too?

birthday wishes

2010-06-07T09:14:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday and much love to my amazing friend, Kelsey. I am so thankful for the adventure, love, and support that our friendship has been and continues to be. And I'm so excited to see what the future holds for you -- you are one of the most passionate and talented woman I know.

PS: I can't even tell you how glad I am that we're in the same city this summer :)

the culinary adventures of a girls' weekend

2010-06-01T08:52:00.000-05:00

I spent the holiday weekend in Wichita for a little girl time with my sister-in-law, mom-in-law, and aunt-in-law. It was a wonderfully relaxing weekend and included lots of great food! And antiquing and fabric shopping, and sewing and laughing and more eating. Completely amazing.

Saturday morning, we stopped by the Donut Whole for some gourmet donuts.

(L-R) coconut, classic buttermilk, honeybee, and orange

MA and our (obviously shared between 4) Tang-y slushie. The straws were a bit OOC.

After searching for treasures at the antique and fabrics shops, we stopped by Sport Burger for an early lunch.

If you can't tell from the picture, it was the best 99 cent hamburger I've ever had. YUM!

summer sewing shirt

2010-05-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

I posted about sewing up this summer shirt a few months ago, but never got around to posting the final product. Apart from various defects that I could list off and point out, I'm pretty happy with the end result. I learned a lot while making it, and it is the first garment I've made that I actually wear without it being so obviously hand made.

Sometimes, I belt it up with this skinny hot pink Jcrew number...

image via polyvore.com

More sewing updates and some girls weekend pics coming up soon.....!

tiny basil

2010-05-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

Since the those pesky squirrels dug up my last attempt at planting basil, I went small-scale this time.

tiny basil

If you put potting soil in pressed paper egg cartons (bottom half), scatter some seeds, and water them daily, with enough sun, they'll spout sweet, tiny basil plants. Every time I pass those $5 live basil plants at the grocery store, I do look longingly, dreaming of the instant gratification fresh pesto would bring. But I resist. Once these little guys get going, we'll have more basil we know what to do with.

That is, if I can continue to keep the squirrels away.

falafel and friends

2010-05-26T22:38:00.001-05:00

Last night, our friends Sara and Kelsey came over for dinner. I set out to make this baked falafel recipe... everything was going fine until I decided that frying it sounded way better than baking it. Mostly, it sounded better because it didn't require turning on the oven and heating up our already hot and steamy house (the AC is broken even if we wanted to turn it on -- thank God for attic fans).

The little patties fell apart a bit in the pan. Round one was pretty crumbly, but round two stayed together fairly well (which round was which seems pretty explicit from the picture).

If you try these fried instead of baked, here are some tips:

add a bit more flour than the recipe calls for. like a "dash." or whatever looks right :)
if using a non-stick pan (like we did), don't use more than about a tablespoon of oil (we used olive)
form them into balls, not patties before they hit the pan -- they will naturally slouch down into patties as they cook, but they seemed to stay together better if they were round initially.
make sure to drain the chickpeas completely
OR bake them like the recipe says!

We ate them in whole wheat pitas with tahini, cucumbers, and spinach. We also squeezed some lemon/lime over it all. VERY yum. Blake did a stellar job grilling the chicken drumsticks that accompanied. Good eats. Great friends :)

You can find the recipe here at chowvegan.com.

a lovely weekend: pictoral review

2010-05-24T08:55:00.000-05:00

Friday night drinks at home...

and spaghetti and meatballs and Cranium! with friends

Saturday afternoon, we took our picnic blanket to the park

... and Blake took some pics with his new Canon

Sunday after church, we stopped by the Nelson to see the new Egyptian galleries, which I really liked, and then headed further north to check out Fresher Than Fresh for ourselves.

Snowie the snowcone happily greeting guests


mmm.... Strawberry Rhubarb (Daredevil of the day)

the line at FTF -- they're becoming quite a Sunday afternoon destination.

B tried the Watermelon Basil (this was amazing -- not too sweet, with little bits of basil)

Then we took a stroll down Summit St. to admire the pretty, old houses...

...including this one, completely covered with greenery!

Sunday evening, we ate cold cabbage salad with buttermilk dressing from S*K and caught up on BONES.

All in all, a lovely weekend. Here's to a whole summer of weekends with NO homework!

fresher than fresh

2010-05-22T17:01:00.000-05:00

Has anyone in KC been to Fresher Than Fresh Snowcones yet?!? I just heard about them the other day via OhJoy! Eats and cannot WAIT to try out one of their 'cones. They have amazing-sounding flavors (all natural) and a really cute snowcone mascot, Snowie.

You can find out where they'll be in KC via their calendar, and support their growing business via Kickstarter.

easy-peasy granola bars

2010-05-20T18:31:00.001-05:00

This granola bar recipe has been waiting in the wings for a few weeks since I first saw the recipe in a GOOP newsletter. And this past week, I've made them three times. Two of my sibs were here last weekend for the graduation celebration, along with lots of other friends and family, so chewy granola bars were perfect to have on hand. This was the first "chewy" recipe I've found that I like, and it seems to be very versatile.

press in parchment-covered pan

add wet to dry

It calls for maple syrup AND brown rice syrup in the sweet category, but other than that, the rest of the ingredients are pretty standard. This was my first time using brown rice syrup, and it seems to be the secret ingredient that makes a truly chewy homemade bar. Corn syrup would likely work, too, but it would be much much sweeter tasting than the brown rice syrup.

wet ingredients

Without further adieu.....

Easy-Peasy Homemade Granola Bars
(adapted from GOOP newsletter )

1 1/3 cups quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats, divided
a pinch each fine salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground ginger {I used about 1/2 tsp. cinnamon + dash of cardamom, which is AMAZING in granola! a la nytimes}
1/4 cup flax seeds {I ground mine in a coffee grinder and then added a few more whole ones for texture}
1 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped (or any combination of roughly chopped dried fruit and/or nuts) {I used 1/4 c. sunflower seeds + 3/4 c. dried cranberries}
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup high quality maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup (mine was Lundberg brand -- available at Whole Foods or lundberg.com)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a 8” square baking pan, make a sling with parchment paper, letting some paper hang over the sides.
Grind 1/3 cup of the oats in a food processor until powdery {I skipped this the second time, and they turned out fine -- just fell apart a tiny bit more. In a large mixing bowl, add powdered oats to remaining oats, add the salt and spices, flax seeds, and fruit+nuts. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then stir them into the dry ingredients.

Turn the mixture out into prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula or your hands. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until evenly browned -- don't let them get too brown around the edges. Remove pan from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes, then move to a cutting board by pulling out the the parchment paper sling. Cut into individual granola bars -- makes about 8 bars.

I wrapped ours individually in foil. I can't attest to how long they might keep (longer in the fridge of course), because ours have all been eaten almost immediately! Let me know if you try them...

so very proud

2010-05-17T19:44:00.000-05:00

Blake graduated from law school yesterday, and I couldn't be more proud. I loved seeing him walk across the stage and be hooded as an official JD. After so much hard work, it was a very happy moment. :)

Blake, Juris Doctor and me

Afterwards, we had pizza and cupcakes with friends and family to celebrate. My friend Christina made some AMAZING cupcakes that had KU jayhawk and gavel toothpicks to commemorate Blake's big day.

red velvet JAYHAWK cupcakes -- SwirlCupcakes makes the very best!

It was a very good weekend all around -- full of friends and family and good food and much celebration of years of hard work (and LOTS of studying!).

Congrats, B. I love you.

grey stripes for a grey day

2010-05-10T18:52:00.000-05:00

I'd like grey stripes with mustard yellow edges, please.

Angela Hardison(of SeeSaw)'s sneak peek on Design*Sponge

saturday thrifting

2010-05-08T17:45:00.000-05:00

B came thrift store and estate sale shopping with me earlier this afternoon after we finished running a few other errands. All in all, it was a very sucessful and efficient trip. We were out for a little over an hour, and I brought home hoards of sewing notions (thread, sharp, gold-eyed needles, elastic thread, snaps, hook&eyes, and a bunch of elastic) AND five embroidery hoops of various sizes -- ALL for $5. booya.

2010-05-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

breakfast Café lady (to B): I'm liking those shorts!
B: You know, it's just that kind of day.
Café lady: It was that kind of night last night, too. ::eye brow raise, wink::

Awkward. And that's what she said.

spring cleaning: paperwork

2010-05-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

After B and I finished our taxes (confession: I didn't really do a thing -- he happily did them all from start to finish!), I suggested that we wade through our paper records, consolidate things, get rid of old records that we didn't need, etc. In the process, I did a bit of research on exactly what we should keep in case we were ::gasp:: audited.

With the help of this lovely article, I learned the following:

The statute of limitations for an audit is just three years.
Unless the difference in reported income is >25% of your gross income, in which case the statute of limitations is six years.
For any rule breakers out there, there's no statute of limitations for complete tax fraud; so basically infinity years.

The experts recommend that you hang on to your tax returns and related documents (W2, 1029, deduction receipt, etc.) for the duration, or at least for 6-7 years. In addition, you should hang on to bank statements for the window of time that the bank allows you to challenge charges.

Here's some technical talk on the kinds of records to keep.

Moral of the story: set yourself free from unnecessary financial records -- shred 'em, baby.

Liberating, huh?

ginger chocolate chip cookies

2010-05-03T08:50:00.000-05:00

I love a good homemade chocolate chip cookie. I've been trying my hand at the Tollhouse recipe for just about as long as I can remember. My sister and I used to beg my mom to let us get all of the ingredients down from the cabinets, lug out the mixer, and make the recipe from the back of the Toll House bag. For a long time, our cookies were always flat when we made them with butter. Then, my mom got on a Crisco kick (gross, mom!), and bought those Crisco sticks that they made as an attempt to get us to use partially hydrogenated oils as if they were butter in our recipes. But, as anyone who has stirred up cookie dough made with Crisco knows, it just isn't as good. Butter wins. And in my humble opinion, butter always wins.

But butter also needs a bit of care. Throughout my CCC (choc, chip cookie) making years, I've learned a few tricks. First of all you need to use unsalted butter. The reason for this is that unsalted butter has a much different water content than salted butter and thus can effect the texture and taste of your final product. Salted butter also has a longer shelf life, so it can sometimes be made with older cream or be kept on the self longer, which often means that unsalted butter is fresher when you buy it at the grocery store. It also means that unsalted can spoil more easily (3 month shelf life, generally), but you can always freeze it! And I've never had a problem with butter going bad. Anyone else?

Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from the back of the Tollhouse Chocolate Chip bag)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (I like to take mine straight from the fridge and put it in the microwave for 10 seconds per stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) chocolate chips
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped (you can increase or decrease this depending on how much you like ginger)

Heat the oven to 350F and cover one or two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat. In a stand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy; add sugar and beat again until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Add vanilla and mix that in, too.

In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture while mixing. Then add the chocolate chips and the chopped ginger, stir until combined and spoon onto cookie sheets.

Bake @ 350F 10-11 minutes (this can vary between ovens -- keep an eye on them!) until golden brown and set around the edges. After removing from oven, let cookies sit on the hot cookie sheet for just a minute before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. You can store them in an airtight container at room temp for a few days, or in the fridge or freezer for longer.

outdoor dining

2010-04-29T18:40:00.000-05:00

B made dinner last night (burgers on bread with caramelized onions and oven fries with Sriracha mayo) and we ate it on the deck alongside Boulevard beer in juice glasses. I love beer out of tiny glasses.

Did I mention that my husband is pretty much the best?

And that this spring is so beautiful? It is amazing to sit outside for dinner when it the air is the perfect temperature and you don't have to worry about bugs yet. I suspect they'll be here soon, though :)

PS: I caged my lettuces and they're growing quite nicely now (sans squirrel holes):

I'll take one of each...

2010-04-26T07:06:00.002-05:00

I'm dreaming of these pretty wool+cotton rugs from Anna Maria Horner decorating a home of our own.

weekend wrap up

2010-04-25T18:43:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a weekend full of friends, family and good food. I can't think of a better combo, myself. You?

Lulu's Noodles on Friday night (always a hit)...

Then, on Saturday I met my friend Megan at Urban Arts and Crafts to pick out some fabric for the custom clutches I'm making for her bridesmaids! It was so fun to mix and match and find the perfect combo. Megan's getting married in Mexico this summer, and she wants her bridesmaids to have a fun little bag to carry with them when they're hanging out at the resort. I'll be sure to post pictures after I finish them!

Saturday afternoon was super rainy and cool, which was perfect because I spent the afternoon crafting with some friends, including my friend Christina (who has the cutest baby things in her etsy shop -- check it out!).

This afternoon, I went to Megan's bridal shower at a cute crepe place in Liberty. The crepes were amazing -- and the company was wonderful too. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera battery, so no pics.

Now it's time to hunker down for some studying. B and I are in the home stretch with spring classes -- just a few more weeks until we're done with studying for a while.

I hope the summer doesn't come too fast... I'm really enjoying the spring right now.

purple ~~weeds~~ flowers in our backyard

birds and doilies

2010-04-22T07:04:00.000-05:00

I am in awe of this hand-carved doily stamp. What an amazing idea! It looks really pretty with that white, chalky ink.

Geninne's other art (available for purchase in her etsy shop) is beautiful as well. My favorite is these three little birds.

and I also love the wood pile.

She has gobs of other cute stuff, too! She also posts on her blog about her art process, which is fun to see.

container "gardening"

2010-04-19T07:34:00.000-05:00

Continuing with the spring theme, I thought I'd share a pic of our sprouting greens! Thanks to some inspiration from B's Aunt Krafty, I planted some butter lettuce, chard, and arugula. Basically, you just fill a large container (that has drainage... i.e. holes in the bottom) with good dirt/potting soil, sprinkle some seeds in, and water every day. Lettuce is thirsty.

Just a few hours after I took this picture, squirrels decided to bury their nuts in my little garden. They rummaged through the whole thing digging up almost all the tiny lettuces. I refrained from getting out the BB gun and instead topped the metal container with the mesh lid to our fire pit.

Voila.

Squirrel ~~proof~~ deterrent.

I'm looking forward to having a full grown salad bowl in a few weeks. So lay off, squirrels.

{garden markers from Hammerman on etsy}

If we can manage to keep 'em away, we're going to plant herbs again too. Basil is my favorite to have on hand in the summer, but we'll do sage, cilantro, and parsley too. In my dream garden, I'd have giant, painted planters (a la Nan-Z) with these happy markers in them, just in case anyone forgot which was which.

Happy gardening!

PS: isn't Hammerman's tablecloth/backdrop great? such pretty colors.

the lone ranger

2010-04-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy that spring is here -- and that we actually have a spring this year! It seems like some years in the midwest, we go straight from chilly frost to blazing hot humidity in a matter of one week. However, these last few weeks in KC have been lovely. Intermittent spring rain, breezy, warm days; it's been great.

There is one lonely tulip living in our yard among the weeds and ivy and mint. And it's a pretty tulip -- bright pink with razor-edged petals. We had a few daffodils that were beaten to a pulp by the hail storm a few weeks ago, but this beauty showed up two days ago and is just so happy.

waiting for Madewell...

2010-04-15T07:03:00.001-05:00

When, oh when, will Madewell come to town?

Perhaps we'll just have to go to them...

In the meantime, I'm admiring their comfy, refined, tomboy looks from afar.

Mad Men: season 3

2010-04-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

B and I have Mad Men season 3 queued up on our Netflix and took a break from studying the other night to watch the first episode.

In addition to a great storyline, I really enjoy seeing what costumes they'll come up with next. Such great attention to detail!

new Mrs. Meyer*s

2010-04-13T07:09:00.004-05:00

I l-o-v-e Mrs. Meyer's products and wish I could afford to buy every single one of them to clean our little home. While fancy schmancy dryer sheets seem like a bit too much of an indulgence on our budget, I do splurge for some of their perfectly scented hand soap every once and a while.

Can't wait to try out the new Honeysuckle and Apple scents! I'm sure they're just as heavenly as Basil, Geranium, and their other friends. A Honeysuckle candle sounds pretty great for spring (although I don't think the new scents are available in candle form just yet...)

Has anyone seen these in stores?

Pattern+Shape

2010-04-12T07:29:00.000-05:00

super cute (and comfy looking), artist-designed tees at Pattern and Shape

found via mint

summer skirt

2010-04-08T11:33:00.002-05:00

With some inspiration from my sweet sister-in-law, I made a stretchy skirt just in time for spring.

I used this tutorial from Freshly Picked. She has hoards of great tutorials (mostly sewing, but some others). In addition to her fresh take on projects, I am also a huge fan of her tag line: "So hip it hurts." Love it.

Here's my attempt at "hip":

This was my first time sewing with elastic, and let me tell you, this project hides a multitude of errors! But with mistakes come lessons learned. Also, wonky pockets.

The wide elastic was about $3.50 or so for a yard; (super-sweet-sale) fabric was just $1.50 for two half yard pieces at Urban Arts and Crafts. Hooray for being thrifty.

easter weekend

2010-04-07T22:18:00.000-05:00

B and I spent a relaxing weekend with his family for Easter. It was full of food, great conversation, amazing desserts, lovely drinks, good music, and lots of love.

My amazing MIL made SmittenKitchen's icebox cupcakes in festive Easter pastels.

Beautiful and delicious! These cupcake/cookies are little homemade chocolate wafers stacked with fresh whipped cream in between. After a day in the fridge, the cream softens the cookies and you have the perfect cookies and cream sandwich. yum.

We enjoyed Easter dinner at a beautifully set table (and no, we really weren't at Martha's house).

It is a blessing to celebrate the saving grace that Christ freely gives with those we love :)

happy easter eggs!

2010-04-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Big kudos to not martha for making such amazing Easter eggs: sweet little eggs filled with sweet little treats. There is even an easy version. Her colors are beautiful, and luckily for us, she gives her exact mix of food coloring to make the perfect hues (her magic ingredient seems to be neon food coloring!).

easy eggs from notmartha

lovely, more labor-intensive eggs

she + him

2010-04-01T20:41:00.002-05:00

Could Zooey Deschanel be any sweeter? I really love her voice, too. I can't wait to pick up the new She+Him album.... She wrote all the music with M.Ward and it has a great retro/modern feel.

You can listen to the whole album for free on npr.org :) gotta love that npr.