NaBloPoMo: Day 11

…AND WE HAVE A REFRIGERATOR!

The Sears Outlet comes through again! There’s a small scratch on the front but I’ll live with it since it knocked 60% off the retail price! Holy savings batman.

Thanks to my friend, Rachel, for recommending the Samsung stainless steel refrigerator. There’s so much storage! The water spigot inside the refrigerator allows for additional shelf space and the bottom freezer with double trays is awesome. My model is slightly different than the picture though. I also have a digital panel towards the top of the refrigerator to control ice dispersion and temperature. Tres cool. I absolutely LOVE it!

I’m telling you. If you need an appliance, check out a Sears Outlet near you. “You’ll be glad you did.” <– Who says that punchline? It's bugging the crap out of me!

Next up? I got my eye on a Dyson vacuum. Huzzah!

NaBloPoMo: Day 10

I’m not a good packer. I’ll even goes as far as to say that I HATE PACKING!

Cupcakes by Martha Stewart

Case in point. I pretty much had a nervous break down packing my books the other day. My Hubs and I are big bibliophiles which is great for mental stimulation but packing… Eh. Not so much. Of course being a packing newb (which seems strange since I’ve moved more than 10x) that you shouldn’t try to pack all your books in one HUGE box.

Hello, Cupcake by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

I learned that the hard way. When I tried to move it, the box pretty much ripped down the crease and all 200+ books came crashing out in one big book burning heap. I swear I started bawling right then and there. It was not pretty.

Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

But maybe it was a blessing in disguise. At first I was just kinda throwing all the books haphazardly from the bookshelves into the box. I wasn’t paying attention to what the books were or anything. Since I had to basically pick them up one at a time from the floor, I was able to look at them and make decisions about keeping or donating the second time around.

Great Food Fast, Martha Stewart Magazine

And you know what I realized? I think it says something when I decided not to pack 5 books “just in case” I’d need them. I was almost panicky about not having them readily available. So I thought I’d share with my fellow foodies.

Ways To Cook, Cooking Light

What are your “must have” books?

But I’m a great unpacker though. Just saying.

NaBloPoMo: Day 9

Ok folks… It’s official!

I signed my first born child away today. It only took 2 hours and about a zillion signatures. If I didn’t know my name before, I do now.

Friday is the walkthrough and hopefully soon after I’ll get the keys to my new house.

I’m in the “home” stretch. (Pun intended)

*squeal*

NaBloPoMo: Day 8

I promised my husband I would wait.

I promised him I’d wait until we were moved into our new home and settled in.

*rocking back and forth on toes and heels, whistling, looking around innocently*

His name is Moose.

He is an 8 week old cocker spaniel-poodle mix. His rescue explained that he’s not available to be adopted until beginning of December. Which is actually kinda perfect. They called it a puppy pre-caution. I call it fate!

Remember that promise to husband? Well… I figure by December we’ll be “moved in and settled” so I filled out an application with his rescue today. Keep your fingers crossed that his rescue thinks we’re a good pooch match for Moose.

How could you not fall in love with that face? I know I did.

NaBloPoMo: Day 7

Eyes bloodshot. Room spinning.

Having difficulty aligning fingers on QUERTY keys.

Starting to regret liquid diet choice.

But UCLA won. So it’s all worth it.

Have a nice day, University of Washington.

Hello, Mr. Toilet.

NaBloPoMo: Day 6

I love my Hubs. He will pretty much eat whatever I cook/bake with little to no complaints. I’d say he’s more adventurous than me. He loves all kinds of ethnic foods. Mexican, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Ethiopian, Italian, German etc… The boy is not picky!

But when it comes to burgers… Hubs is more of a “meat and potatoes” burger man. Meat=beef and potatoes=fries. So when he requested a “manly burger” for dinner last night, I knew there would be no Hubert Keller’s Truffle Burger for us. No blue cheese (or cheese that he can’t pronounce for that matter), no weird sauce, no mystery meat and bacon not being a part of the burger was not up for discussion. But with so many recipe options out there I decided to ask my twitter friends for some recommendations.

I got blue cheese, feta cheese, bison, turkey and heart attack suggestions. All of which sound amazing and have since starred to try someday very soon. But the one that jumped out at me was The Juicy Lucy Burger from Bianca which she described as an “inside out cheeseburger”. Um. Yes please!

After a quick google search, I found a version of the Juicy Lucy from Serious Eats. I was quickly sold when I read the recipe about the cheese. “Only those orange squares of vaguely plastic texture will achieve proper fluidity.” Can you say ghetto fabulous? I love it. HA HA

The Juicy Loosey Burger and Oven Steak Fries
Recipe from A Hamburger Today, Serious Eats and 30 Minute Meals by Rachael Ray

Makes 4 burgers + fries

INGREDIENTS

For burgers
1-1/2 pounds ground chuck (recommends no leaner than 80%)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp garlic salt*
1 tsp black pepper
4 slices American cheese (NOT cheddar)
4 buns**
Your favorite condiments and toppings (ex: lettuce, onion, tomato, ketchup, mustard, bacon)

* I substituted 1/8 tsp garlic powder+7/8 tsp salt and just measured out 3/4 tsp
** I used whole wheat Oroweat Sandwich Thins b/c they are only 100 cals for both slices. I get my bread fix but not all the calories. Win-win!

For fries
5 russet potatoes (I used 3 big potatoes)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp steak seasoning blend or salt and pepper (I used good ol S/P)

INSTRUCTIONS

To make burgers—
Combine beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and pepper in a bowl; mix well. Portion into eight servings. Shape each portion into a thin round patty that’s slightly larger than the cheese slice.

Fold cheese slices in half twice so you have a little stack of quartered cheese slices. Place a folded cheese stack on 4 the patties, covering cheese with remaining 4 patties. Tightly crimp the edges of the patties together to form a tight seal.

NOTE: Did you make a tight seal? I hope so, because it needs to be TIGHT to avoid a blowout as the cheese melts, creates steam, and tries to find its way out. Cheese blowout = bad! I learned that the hard way on my first 2 patties.

Preheat a cast-iron skillet, grill pan or outdoor grill to medium heat and cook burgers, about 3-4 minutes on one side.

NOTE: Burger may puff up due to steam from melting cheese. This is normal. Do not be alarmed.

Flip the burger patty and using toothpick, poke top of burger in a few places to allow for steam escape. Cook burger about 3-4 minutes on 2nd side.

Remove patties from pan. Add some bun-age (not bondage. HA!), condiments and eat!

To make fries—
Preheat oven to high. (Oh come on, Rachael! Ambiguous much? I set mine to 500F)

Cut potatoes into wedges (skin on or off) and spread the potatoes evenly on the cookie sheet. Coat potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil, dried herbs and steak seasoning or salt and pepper. Bake potatoes for about 20-25 minutes. Turn potatoes once, half way in the cooking process. Serve immediately so they are hot.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
He LOVED this burger. I always know something is a winner if he barely talks during dinner. Like he’s trying to give the food his full undivided attention to savor each bite. He’s pretty cute.

Wifey rating: A
If you are looking for a no frills uncomplicated burger then you can’t really go wrong with this one. The oozy cheese is such a yummy surprise. And everything’s better with bacon IMO.

NaBloPoMo: Day 5

This is my blog.

This is my blog on house.

Most first time home buyers already anticipate buying new appliances and furniture (ie refrigerator, washer and dryer, sofa, TV, bed etc) but one of the things we don’t really think about when planning for our house is… wall decor. At least it’s at the bottom of *my* list. I’d like to think I’m a little ahead of the game b/c I’ve at least been scouring Etsy for vinyl stickers. You all obviously remember this gorgeous thing. I’m thinking either bedroom or down the stairway wall right now.

Image via Etsy artist StudioJK

But of course I don’t want my house to look like a Lisa Frank sticker book so I’m trying to keep the vinyls to a minimum. And while I love Van Gogh’s Starry Night, I have a feeling that one is a tad out of my price range. But I don’t wanna get all artsy fartsy either. I want my wall decor to reflect my fun (not-so-much sophisticated) personality. And if it’s functional. Even better.

So you can imagine when I saw this idea on my friend, Natalie of The Bobby Pin‘s blog, I flipped out! It’s a photo collage calendar! How FRIGGIN adorable is that?

Image via Etsy artist Little Brown Pen

While I am sure the $49.00 price tag is worth it b/c they include all the materials you’ll need, I decided to google “photo collage calendar” to see if there was a DIY version. Google to the rescue. I figure this could be a fun project to walk around my new town, get to know the area and take pictures for myself. We’ll see how it goes. Then again maybe $49.00 sounds a lot easier. hehe. Also the Etsy artist has a how-to video here which I think is uber cool of them.

Question for my readers: What is on your walls?

*********************************************************

Sorry my last post was melodramatic. But hey! I’m a girl. We do drama. HA HA! Thanks for the comments and emails reassuring me I wouldn’t be homeless. And those that even offered up their couch. I love you.

NaBloPoMo: Day 4

Lately I’ve been getting alot of “Wow you’ve lost alot of weight. What diet are you on?” comments from family and friends.

First of all. Thank you! Who doesn’t wanna hear they’ve lost weight right? I’m not a size 2/4 mind you. (Yeah you know I’m talking to you.) Second of all. It’s not intentional. Currently I’m on the In-The-Process-Of-Buying-House-So-I’m-Too-Stressed-To-Eat diet. I don’t think it’s endorsed by Nutri-System (Is Maria Osmond looking good or what?) or Weight Watchers though. So don’t try this at home, readers. I’m a professional.

I keep telling myself that all the stress will be worth it in the end. I’m sure I’ll be singing home ownership’s praises (and packing on the happy pounds) in a couple weeks. But if you ask me right now. It’s not. I’m barely eating (which explains my lack of food posts) and having nightmares about being homeless. That can’t be good. Is this normal? Please tell me this is normal.

Ok don’t answer that. I’m far from normal. House buying or no house buying. HA!

But this semi-normal-slash-crazy girl NEEDED a damn cookie. Thank you Martha Stewart. You saved my sanity. At least for today. No promises for tomorrow though.

Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn Cookies
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes 36 cookies (I got 13 cookies)

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
About 36 candy corns (I used 13 caramel candy corn)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine butter and sugar in a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater. Mix until combined. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Add flour and mix until a dough forms.

Scoop out level teaspoons of dough (I used a tbsp instead) and roll into balls. Place balls on baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are firm and cookies are dry to the touch, about 10 to 12 minutes. (I baked for 12 minutes)

Remove from oven and gently press a candy corn into center of each cookie (surface of cookies may crack slightly). Let rest on cookie sheet for about 1 minute before transfering to a rack to cool completely.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A/A-
He really loved the chocolate cookie but he’s not a huge fan of candy corn. He’s obviously cuckoo.

Wifey rating: A/A+
This recipe was quick and easy to put together. You can’t go wrong with chocolate and caramel. I give this the Cookie Monster seal of approval. Its just what the crazy doctor ordered. *Nom nom nom*

NaBloPoMo: Day 3

Damn. House is expensive.

The Hubs and I have lived in apartments for the last 10 years, all of which did not have washer and dryer hookups so we never had to buy one. It’s actually one of the things that I am looking forward to with our new house. Being able to wash and dry my clothes in my own house instead of walking down the hall, down a flight of stairs, all trying to remember to bring my laundry card. You have no idea how many times I’ve forgotten my laundry card AND locked myself out of my apartment.

Now you’ll have to visualize that if I’m doing laundry, all my new-ish clothes are probably being washed so hunting down a maintenance guy to get me back into my apartment while wearing my sweats that have a hole in the crotch and stained tshirt isn’t a good first impression. Unfortunately my maintenance guy has seen my crotch. More than once. That’s apartment living for ya.

Ahem. Moving right along.

I’ve been eye-ing the Samsung HE gas front load washer and dryer for weeks… maybe even months now. But I got sticker shock looking at the prices. Two thousand dollars for a washer and dryer? Does it clean your clothes and print money too?

Thank goodness for friends who know how it’s really done.

A few weeks ago I was telling my friend about my W/D woes. She looked at me, patted my head and this is how it played out.

M: “First time home buyers are so cute. But they’re so naive and stupid.”
CB: “Geez, thanks for vote of confidence!”
M: “Ok here’s what you do. Go to the Sears outlet off of Bristol and Warner. I bet you’ll find the W/D you want for 40-60% off. As long as you are ok with some minor cosmetic damage and you don’t care about certain color or style.”
CB: Well… I kinda wanted the red one.
M: (exasperated) “Clara, red, white, black, gray. Who cares!! You wanna pay $1000 more for red?”
CB: Um… HEY! Stop hitting me!

The thing about Sears outlet is that you have to be conscience of the product availability and range of damage. Some damage is so minor that I didn’t even notice it until salesperson pointed it out whereas others are huge dents and that’s why the price is reduced SO low. But I can get over some minor scratches and dents on the side where they won’t show especially if it saves me thousands of dollars. Also you might find the washer you want (I found my red one!) but then they don’t have the matching dryer (poopy!) or vice versa. Sorry my OCDness would not accept an unmatched pair. But stalking the store everyday patience eventually won out and a week later I found a matching set (white one) for 50% less than the retail price. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the set (no dents or scratches) accept that it was an overstocked item and Sears Outlet guarantees it for a year. Win-win!

Anyone in the market for a new appliance, definitely check if there’s a Sears Outlet near you!

Next up: Stainless Steel Refrigerator!

NaBloPoMo: Day 2

To be honest, I am not sure how much cooking I’ll be doing in November besides the obvious Thanksgiving. I mean. There’s no way around “not cooking” during Thanksgiving. I’m always in charge of dessert. Go figure!

But other than that. I make no promises. It’s hard to get motivated to cook when all I wanna do is pack up my dishes, pots and pans, spoons, knives and forks and just get the heck out of my apartment already. My upstairs neighbor’s midnight vacuum sessions aren’t helping either.

I swear I’m going bat sh!t stir crazy.

No one tells you that part of buying a house.

I knew I’d have to come up with this paper and that paper. Heck I was even ready to give blood and turn over my first born child. But I wasn’t prepared for the waiting. In the wise words of Tom Petty “…waiting IS the hardest part.”

Until I get the keys, I guess I’ll occupy my head with sectionals. Yes, readers. I’ve moved on to furniture now. I’m thinking a lighter shade of this gray. Maybe with more of a blue-ish tint.

Geebus help my bank account.

NaBloPoMo: Day 1

She asked me, “Wanna do National Blog Posting Month with me?

I replied: IT’S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!

Thanks to my friend and blogging buddy, Rebecca, for the fabu NaBloPoMo badge. Also help me cheer on my “donkey kong” partners in crime this month:

Ezra Poundcake
Love Big Bake Often
That’s The Way The Cookie Crumbles
Emerging of the Bombshell Within
The Bobby Pin
Cookie Love

HR: The crystals made me do it.

Yes, I’m still on my lamp kick.

And I made the BIG mistake of clicking the “crystal” link on the Lamps Plus ceiling lamp section and found this >>

Possini Crystal Sphere Pendant Chandelier via Lamps Plus

I don’t know about you but it looks like a sparkly dandelion to me. And it’s got a price tag that will make my husband go blind compared to the other dandelion one. Eep! Me and my champagne tastes. I can’t even say I have a beer budget. It’s more like kool-aid. Le sigh…

PS Maskros Pendant lamp via Ikea

I wish money were no object. I’d go for the one that sparkles. I am easily amused by shiny objects. Don’t judge me.

HR: Moving right along to Lamps

You know I’m obsessive right?

Well…then it shouldn’t surprise you that I am obsessed with arc floor lamps right now. Wanna see the 2 contenders for my living room?

I love the polished look of the all silver one from Lamps Plus but it’s arc(h) rival *snort* from CB2 is $150 less and the contrasting white shade against the silver pedestal is growing on me. I wonder how easy it would be to change the shade…?

Which one is your favorite?

What if I told you that money was no object (I wish!) would you switch your answer?

George Kovacs Chrome Arc Floor Lamp via LampsPlus

Big Dipper Arc Lamp via CB2

Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza w Caramelized Onions & Fresh Rosemary

Doesn’t the title just roll off the tongue?

Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Fresh Rosemary.

As if the name wasn’t long enough. It doesn’t even mention the garlic, feta cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Are you drooling yet?

I mean. What’s not to love? It’s pizza. That’s all you need to know.

When I saw this fall inspired pizza on Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod‘s blog a few days ago, I was intrigued. Usually when I read food blogs I can tell right away if I’m gonna make it or not. But this one had me a little stumped.

Don’t get me wrong! I knew if Maria made it, it would be awesome (although I’m not sure ANYONE could make bananas taste good) but I can’t remember the last time I ate butternut squash… if ever. I couldn’t even conjure up a taste memory so I had no idea how it would taste with all the other ingredients. But I was feeling daring tonight and decided to give it a go. I figured if anything I could cross “butternut squash” off my foodie bucket list.

PS- No one told me that peeling and cutting butternut squash was so damn hard! My hand muscles (muscles I didn’t even know I had!) are sore and I still can’t seem to wash off the “orange” from my fingers!

Recipe from Two Peas and their Pod

INGREDIENTS

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (I used whole wheat french bread instead)
butternut squash (I used 2/3 of a BIG squash)
red onion slices, caramelized (I used 1 whole medium red onion)
olive oil, to taste
garlic, minced (I used 2 cloves)
feta cheese crumbles (I used a 4oz container)
mozzarella cheese, shredded (I used about 4 handfuls. Is that precise enough?)
fresh rosemary, chopped (I used about 3 tbsp)
balsamic vinegar (Just a dab will do ya.)

INSTRUCTIONS

To roast the butternut squash, place peeled, diced squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 40-50 minutes, at 400 degrees. Stir occasionally.

Caramelize the onions. See this post from Simply Recipes for directions.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, or as hot as it will go, with a pizza stone inside. (My oven was at 400F b/c I forgot to change it from roasting the butternut squash.)

Make your pizza dough. We used our favorite whole wheat crust. You can use store bought crust if you wish. (I sliced some store bought whole wheat french bread in half horizontal and vertical to create 4 “pizzas”.) Roll out your pizza crust. We sprinkle our pizza peel with corn meal and make the pizza on the peel. Drizzle the crust with a little bit of olive oil and spread it around the crust.

Add the garlic, butternut squash, onions, cheeses, and rosemary. Slide the pizza onto the stone that is in the hot oven. Cook the pizza for about 12-15 minutes. (I cooked for about 20 minutes.) Just watch it. You want the cheese to be melted and the crust to be golden brown.

Cool and slice. Sprinkle balsamic vinegar on slices of pizza if you wish. (I couldn’t wait for the “cool” part and burned my tongue but it was worth it! HA!)

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A/A-
Even though my husband is always willing to eat anything I make I can always tell if he likes something or he’s being polite. Tonight he was in the middle. But it’s not Maria’s fault. He loved the feta cheese, rosemary and butternut squash but I think I went a little nuts with the onions. I love onions but my husband isn’t a big fan. So I’m sure when I make it again, I’ll go easy on the onions for my little onion hater.

Wifey rating: A/A+
I admit I was skeptical but after one bite I was hooked. The butternut squash is SO FRIGGIN tasty with the rosemary, feta, onions and garlic. Put it all on a pizza and it’s the perfect food. Next time I’ll have to try Maria’s whole wheat pizza dough but whole wheat french bread is a yummy alternative for this lazy cook.

HR: Window treatments

Let’s talk window treatments.

How necessary are they? Really?

I completely forgot about window treatments.

(Image via www.hgtv.com)

I have these 3 huge 47″w x 70-1/2″h windows in my livingroom that really open up the space and is one of the main reasons why I fell in love with this townhouse. Yeah well… Those suckers are gonna cost a lot to dress. Personally I’m thinking that naked windows is a new trend I’m gonna start. It’s not like I walk around nude in my house so if someone wants to be a peeping tom, they are just gonna see me chilling in my favorite fat pants (elastic rules!) and tank top. I may or may not be wearing a bra though. The girls like to be free from restriction at home ya know?

Unfortunately my husband isn’t feeling my avante garde window treatment-less concept. He has concerns about TV glare. Lord help me.

Fine husband. Fine.

In my search for cheap inexpensive window treatments I realize there are a lot of options out there. Curtains, panels, roman shades, vertical blinds, horizontal blinds, wood, vinyl, faux wood, valance, cornice etc. Seriously what’s a cornice? That sounds like a sore you get on your foot, no? Eewww! Now I usually like choices but all these choices are making my head spin. Help?

1. How did you dress up your windows? why?
2. Where did you purchase it?
3. What material is easier to clean?
4. What material lasts longer?
5. What window treatment is pet safe/friendly? (I’m hoping to adopt a doggy at some point. *smile*)

Any advice (esp budget friendly) appreciated.