diy glass cups (or recycling glass bottles)

Between the two of us, my boyfriend Bob is more willing to try his hand at the seemingly more complicated crafts and diy projects (I'm a simple girl myself). A while ago, on a major diy kick, he created cups out of glass beer bottles.

It sounds like something that's difficult, but I assure you, it's simple. I even made a couple. And that's saying a lot.

What you'll need:
a beer bottle with the label peeled off (unlike shown in the photos)
bottle cutter
sand paper
lighter or a match

1.) Take the cutter and position the blade around the part you want to cut. With a firm and steady grip, rotate the bottle, only going around the bottle once. You will see a thin, white score line form.

2.) Hold the lighter on the score line and rotate around, slowly. The heat will cause the glass molecules to expand.

3.) This step is important: Quickly, hold the bottle under cold running water, until the bottle breaks along the line. It will break apart easily because the shock of the cold will cause the molecules to rapidly contract. Be sure not to tug or pull on it, as this will cause an uneven and jagged break.

4.) Dry off the cup. Sand down the rim with the sand paper until smooth and even. This will take a few minutes.

5.) Clean and enjoy your new drinking glass/vase/toothbrush holder/etc!

sandwich idea: bacon, bleu cheese and pear

This is a quick, easy and super delicious sandwich for anyone that loves a little sweet with their salty.

All you need is:
a few thin slices of pear
2-3 strips of cooked, crispy bacon
some bleu cheese, melted
a whole-wheat English muffin, toasted

Enjoy while still toasty and warm. Take pleasure in the contrasting flavors. Appreciate the different textures. It's divine.

adventures in weekending: wandering, thrifting, meeting

I was perfectly content:
spending my free time eating breakfast at my new favorite cafe, accompanied by several cups of coffee,
thumbing through old and used books (especially ones with that lovely, dusty book smell),
perusing through racks of cheap clothes,
capturing beauty in the mundane,
and meeting a furry little guy named Oscar for the first time (and getting along swimmingly, might I add).

That was my weekend, in a nutshell. It flew by, as it tends to do, a little too quickly.

mushroom and kale gratin

There are very few things I enjoy about the winter. Snow days, getting to wear my riding boots, an excuse to stay inside and kale. Its leafy green goodness begs me to bake them into salty chips, but once in a while, I like to change it up; include them in a hot dish as opposed to making kale chips or tossing a few leaves into a salad. It is, after all, an extremely versatile vegetable and a superfood (bonus!).

Mushroom and Kale Gratin (adapted from  The New York Times via Pink of Perfection)
serves 4

1 1/2 pounds kale (I eyeballed it)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Gruyère cheese, grated (2 oz.)
1/4 Parmesan, grated (1 oz.)
3-4 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt abundantly and add the greens. 
Cook for 3-5 minutes or until just tender. 
Transfer to a bowl of ice water, then drain and squeeze out water. 
Chop coarsely.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet
Add the the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender, about eight minutes. 
Add salt and pepper to taste, and the rosemary and garlic. 
Cook for another minute. 
Add the greens, and stir together for another minute or two.

Whisk together the eggs and milk. 
Add salt and pepper, and stir in the cheeses and mushroom/kale mixture. Scrape into the baking dish. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until browned and sizzling. Serve hot, warm or room temperature. 

 I'd also like to honorably mention the other star players in this dish: 
rosemary - you lend such a nice hint of flavor; mushrooms - you soak up garlicky flavors like nobody's business; cheeses - you know I love you; eggs - this wouldn't have been the same without you.

how to organize your spices in 1 minute or less

When cooking, one of the most annoying things is to frantically search for the spice you needed to add to the food about three steps ago with sticky hands, only to find it way way waaaay in the back of a cluttered cabinet, after you've dirtied up all the other containers you picked up in an effort to find the right one.

Story of my life. All the caps on my spices have greasy or sticky fingerprints on them.

But I found a way to make my life about 10x easier.

With this.

Place the spices, label side out, on a spinning turntable.

It fits neatly inside the cabinet and opens up a few more inches of space. It's a life-changer! And it only set me back $5.

Need more ideas? Try using a tiered shelf or diy magnetic spice holders.

adventures in weekending: busy days, lazy days

I can honestly say that not one minute of this weekend was wasted.  Whether I was at my sister's annual After Christmas party drinking mimosas, feasting on Mexican food, going on a bit of a home-shopping spree or watching a marathon of 24, it was well spent. I could definitely get used to these rare three-day weekends.

There were times when my feet were going to fall off from walking so much (and with heavy bags in tote).
There were times when I felt like me and the couch were one from sitting on it for so many hours.
There were times when I wanted to explode from from eating too much steak, cheesy potatoes and creme brulee.
And it was all so so good.

weekend plans

{This was shot in the Creative Little Garden}

I'm in a very good mood today. This is the first weekend in quite a while when I'll actually have time to organize and do weekendy things without having to rush or keep a strict timetable. And some of us,
including myself, have the extra day off for President's Day, woohoo! I might even take advantage of the extra day to get started on some Downton Abbey-watching. Oh, the possibilities...

So I'll leave you with some links to flip through today. There were quite a few things I came across this week that were worth sharing:

~  DIY paper flowers. Pretty, unique and they won't wilt!

~ I've had chocolate on the brain (thanks to chocolate week on the Cooking Channel),
so it seems appropriate to share sexy salted hot fudge with you. And the best hot chocolate. And milk chocolate pudding with cream and raspberry sauce. You're welcome.

~ I've been turning to this blog for organizational and general home ideas for teeny tiny apartments.

~  Brooklyn Fare's statement packaging is unpretentious, straightforward and part smart-ass. I'm liking the little jab at Starbucks.

~  How to organize your fridge.

~ Can we just take a step back in time and admire the beauty that is '90s fashion?

Enjoy! And a happy weekend to you!

things i just don't get

When people care too much about their cars. This was an actual conversation I had with a guy friend a few months ago:

"That car is sweet!". He pointed to some shiny sports car.
"It's alright, I guess", I said, disinterestedly.
"What do you mean 'alright'? That's 1967mumbojumbosomethingorother Mustang!".
"It's not better-looking than my Honda".
"You're kidding, right?"

Brad Pitt. Overrated. Just way overrated.


Math. My brain just doesn’t work that way.

That column  in one of those gossip magazines called, “Stars! They’re just like us!”, where they take shots of celebrities like Gisele Bundchen buying toilet paper at Target (she's got a bangin' body, married to a handsome star quarterback, has the sexiest accent and can pretty much get away with never having to work another day in her life and still live comfortably. Yep, she’s just like us!)


People who wait hours in line for [insert designer name here] handbags. Why not just order it online? Or better yet, spend $500 less and buy a handbag at Burlington Coat Factory or a thrift store?

How some women can comfortably walk all day in heels and not want to throw their shoe at someone's head by the end of the day. I envy you.

baked tortilla chips

 If you follow me on Twitter, than you probably know I have a weakness for snacking. Mostly sweet stuff, but salty and crunchy does the trick too. I don't much care for greasy bagged potato chips or pretzels, but a nice crispy tortilla chip I can get behind. Something with natural corn flavor.

Baked Tortilla Chips (adapted from AllRecipes)
serves 1-2

1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cut each tortilla into wedges and arrange the wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Combine the oil and lime juice. Mix well and lightly brush or spray each wedge on both sides (you can also try this step before cutting the tortilla into wedges).
Combine the cumin, chili powder and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle on wedges.
 Bake for about 5-7 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 5-7 minutes or until the chips are crisp (the ends will slightly turn up)

Like many things, I've decided that I prefer these homemade tortilla chips. over the store-bought kind The flavor possibilities are so easily made to one's preference, so it's difficult to mess up. If you like something more classic and simple, then you can simply leave out the cumin and chili powder and they'd result in something as equally delicious.

*The guacamole I used in the above photo is my own improvised recipe that includes avocado, cumin, chili powder, lime juice, salt, pepper and fresh cilantro (always fresh cilantro).

**If you want a slightly sweeter option: I tried these baked cinnamon-sugar chips and they were pretty amazing as well.