Tuesday: Cooking at Home with Team Waspi/Wiles

There are definitely perks to working in a school, the obvious one being: summer break!!! This, I have discovered, is especially a perk when several of your good friends and your boyfriend enjoy this same perk because they also work in schools. Now, as much as I don't mean to complain about having my summers off, I have also noticed, as summer is winding down, that there are a couple of downfalls to having your summer off with your friends. Namely, I spent waaaayyy too much money on food and drink because I have all this crazy free time and, due to said food and drink, I have also gained a bit of "fluff" (if you know what I mean) .

It is for these reasons that my boyfriend and I (aka Team Waspi/Wiles) have decided to spend a lot more time in the kitchen this year. In order to make this "fall resolution" stick, we have decided to create a bi-weekly menu, where we will map out what we will make for dinner for two week time periods and then we will do our grocery shopping based on this menu. We've decided to rotate every two weeks so that we each get a chance to pick out some dishes we'd like to try while also splitting the grocery costs.

Sounds like a good idea, right? Well, here goes nothin'...

I had the opportunity to plan the first couple of weeks which started yesterday. Bascially, here's the plan:

Week 1:
Monday: Spicy, Garlicky Cashew Chicken & Asparagus with Cashews and Bacon (Clark, 2010)
Tuesday: Lasagna and Garlic Bread
Wednesday: Left-Overs
Thursday: Date Night, Eat Out
Friday: Not-My-Grandma's Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Oregano (Clark, 2010)
Saturday: Flank Steak on the Grill with Lime Marinade & Grilled Corn on the Cob (Martha Stewart Living Magazine, 2007)
Sunday: Left-Overs and/or Homemade Pizza

Week 2:
Monday: Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce (Martha Stewart Living Magazine, 2007)
Tuesday: Brats on the Grill and Mixed Greens Salad
Wednesday: Left-Overs
Thursday: Date Night, Eat Out
Friday: Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes & Green Beans (Martha Stewart Living Magazine, 2007)
Saturday: Garlic Marinated Chicken Cutlets with Grilled Potatoes (Martha Stewart Living Magazine, 2007)
Sunday: Left-Overs or Homemade Pizza

Basically the idea is to cook at home as much as possible while still being realistic (aka, we probably wouldn't survive two weeks without eating sushi, hence Date Night). Also, with all this cooking we assume some nights are going to be left-over nights (as much as I truly detest left-overs). Creating the menu made grocery shopping much easier, as I knew exactly what I needed and therefore, I hopefully won't end up wasting a bunch of groceries like I normally would. All things considered, our ten meals at home (not including drinks) ended up costing about $10/meal, or $5/person (or less considering most nights we will probably be accompanied by a friend or two and of course one hungry dog named George whom I may, or may not, allow to lick my plate occasionally).

Here is a little glimpse into the inaugural meal:

Spicy, Garlicky Cashew Chicken (recipe adapted from Clark, 2010)

1 cup roasted salted cashew nuts
2 T chopped fresh cilantro, with some stems
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper roughly chopped
2 T water
Salt & Pepper
8-10 chicken drumsticks

1. Blend nuts, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, and jalapeno, and water in food processor till smooth.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and smear on the cashew mixture, just enough to coat the pieces. Set aside the remaining mixture. Let marinate while you prepare the grill (we ended up starting on the grill and ending with by roasting them in the oven at 450 because the grill was a little slow).
3. Grill and/or Roast the chicken turning frequently until crisp and golden on the outside and done on the inside, cut a piece to check if it is done. Because we used both the grill and the oven we ended up with the chicken on the grill for about 15-20 minutes and then we roasted them for another 20-30 or so.
4. Garnish chicken with lime wedges, extra chopped cilantro and use extra mixture for dipping.

Teammate Waspi also whipped up some asparagus with cashews and bacon (see below) while the chicken cooked (he is truly more the cook in the Waspi/Wiles team, which to be honest, I quite enjoy).


The final result!


Yum!


Of course we polished off a bottle of vino while we cooked and ate... cooking tends to take us awhile...


All in all, night one was a huge success. I wish I could waft the smell of the sauce through my computer to yours; it was fantastic. We are definitely still beginners when it comes to cooking, but we are having a blast, saving money and hopefully becoming a bit more healthy in the process.

References:

Clark, M. (2010). In the kitchen with a good appetite: 150 recipes and stories about the food you love. New York: HarperCollins.

Martha Stewart Living Magazine. (2007). Everyday food: Great food fast. New York: Clarkson Potter.

Monday: DIY Project

Sing it with me now, "Everybody who's a slacker raise your hand, woo woo, everybody who's a slacker raise your hand!" I know, I know... I've been very neglectful of the good ol' blog lately... but I will try to do better, starting with today's post about my most recent (I say that like I do things like this a lot) DIY project! Yay!!!!

I was inspired recently by something that was being sold on etsy.com (if you don't know what this is, go there IMMEDIATELY). It was a cork board covered in fabric and framed by an antique painted frame. Needless to say, it had my name written alllll over it. The more I thought about though, as uncrafty as I am, I figured I could try to make it myself. And that's exactly what I did (with a little help of course).

So, here's the supplies we used:


1. An old frame
2. Off-white spray paint in a satin finish
3. Burlap, which we bought at Hobby Lobby (Beware: this is a dangerous store when you are in a DIY mood). You could also use other fabrics if you wanted a different look.
4. A somewhat heavy duty stapler
5. Cork board.... or cardboard will do really as we quickly discovered that all cork board is nowadays is cardboard covered up with a thin sticky sheet of cork board look-a-like (ahh, what is this world coming to??)

Not pictured: X-acto knife, scissors, marker, some sort of measuring device, little nails, a hammer, and pretty push pins :)

So, basically, it was a fairly simple project (I say this because my partner in crime quite honestly did most of the work). So anyways, we spray painted the old frame earlier on and let it dry. Then we took the frame off the "cork board" and cut it to size. Next we cut a piece of burlap the size of the cork board with about an extra two inches each way.


Then, we laid down the burlap on a table with the cork board over it (upside down) and pulled the fabric taught, one edge at a time, and stapled the burlap to the back of the board (being careful to make sure we weren't stapling into the table, haha). Finally, we laid the board, which was now covered in burlap, into the back of the frame and used 4 small nails to nail it into place in the corners. All that was left to do then was to nail a small nail into the wall in the desired location and hang that bad boy.

And, voila!!


It's a great addition to my new "office" area in the living room.

Friday: Song of the Week

My favorite girl...



Missy Higgins, Scar

Happy Friday :)

Friday: Song of the Week

Great lyrics...

Wednesday: Mid-Week Inspiration

I recently read a book after my beautiful and amazing friend Suzie recommended it to me... A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by the ever-so-talented Donald Miller. I literally read the majority of the book over the course of two days (during which I was mostly stuck in my bed due to a not-so-fun bout with the chills/fever/sore throat/weakness/sore muscles/headache sort of the flu this past weekend).


This book.... whew... it's one of those "Oh my goodness... oh my goodness... this stuff is going to change my life" sort of reads. Incredible. The book focuses a lot on the idea of "story" and what makes a good story and what makes OUR lives good stories and why good stories are worth pursuing.

Anyways.... I may just be hosting a book club this summer (and maybe beyond that, who knows) and this book will no doubt be the first book we read (I'm the founder of the club, I get to make these sorts of decisions, you see).

Today I'll share just a few of my favorite passages from the book with you, my friends.

"I've said before, the main way we learn story is not through movies or books; it's through each other. Your become like the people you interact with. And if your friends are living boring stories, you probably will too. We teach our children good or bad stories, what is worth living for and what is worth dying for, what is worth pursuing, and the dignity with which a character engages his own narrative." p.160

"I've wondered, though, if one of the reasons we fail to acknowledge the brilliance of life is because we don't want the responsibility inherent in the acknowledgment. We don't want to be characters in a story because characters have to move and breathe and face conflict with courage. And if life isn't remarkable, then we don't have to do any of that; we can be unwilling victims rather than grateful participants." p. 59

"The ambitions we have will become the stories we live. If you want to know what a person's story is about, just ask them what they want. If we don't want anything, we are living boring stories, and if we want a Roomba vacuum cleaner, we are living stupid stories. If it won't work in a story, it won't work in life." p. 125

"... I realized how much of our lives are spent trying to avoid conflict. Half the commercials on television are selling us something that will make life easier. Part of me wonders if our stories aren't being stolen by the easy life." p.186

"People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain." p.100

Until next time...

Saturday: Je ne sais quoi

My mom and I made a pilgrimage to glorious IKEA this past week in order to fill my new home with some awesome design and essentials at some not-so-steep prices. And honestly, I wish you all could have seen us... my mom broke her ankle not too long ago so she is in a wheel chair. Imagine... woman in a wheelchair + shopping cart + more stuff than fits in a shopping chart + 3 floors of goodies + lots of elevator rides + lots of strange looks from other shoppers = lots of laughs on our part even though we looked a bit like a circus.

Here are just some of the goodies we came home with:

Gislev rug, $19.99

365+ 18-piece Dinnerware Set, $24.99PS Svarva Floor Lamp, on sale $49.99

Hemnes Bed Frame, $199.99

I really would have preferred to get the white version of this bed, but it cost an extra $80! Nothing a little paint can't fix at some point down the road.

Hemnes Nightstand, $59.99

Svalka Wine Glasses (Red and White), $4.99 for six

Thursday: Wishful Thinking

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: ROCKFORD NEEDS AND WOULD SUPPORT A TRADER JOE'S!!!!!

I cannot tell you how many times I have wished that Rockford had more in the way of specialty grocery stores. I believe that if a Trader Joe's were to invest (it is not a franchise) and open up a store in or around the River District in Rockford that a few things would happen: 1) It would be massively successful, 2) it would do wonders for the area's redevelopment and 3) it would create jobs for the area... oh and 4) I would be a very happy lady.

And for those of you who have not had the pleasure of shopping at a TJ's, let me fill you in. On their website they answer the question, "How is shopping at Trader Joe's different from what you may be used to in a supermarket?" this way:

"At Trader Joe's, you won't find a lot of branded items. Instead, you'll find unconventional and interesting products in the Trader Joe's label as well as everyday basics. We buy products we think are winners and that'll find a following among our customers. Sometimes it's a product we intend to stock as long as it sells well; and sometimes we buy a product which is in limited supply, sell through it, and you won't find it again. It's all part of the shopping adventure at Trader Joe's."

What do you think?

Sunday: House Announcement

Well, it's almost official... I will be a homeowner this week at about 10 am on Wednesday! It's been a whirlwind of a process and I'm so excited about what lies ahead.

My house was built in 1920, so it's got amazing character and charm, but it's been very nicely updated. I can't wait to blog updates along the way as I decorate and make it my own. More to come!


Oh and here's a cutie of me and the fam' in my living room from this weekend. These people mean the world to me! Spending time with them in the Dells this weekend was amazing!

Friday: Song of the Week

Hoping I get to see one of my favorite gentlemanly friends this weekend... he's this kind of guy. We're like tight.

Griffin House: The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind

Wednesday: Wishful Thinking

Today's version of Wishful Thinking will require a bit of self-revelation on my part. If you know me, you know that I work as a school social worker and that this is something I totally love most days.

But then I get these.... ideas. Ideas about doing something for a living (or more like on the side) that would satisfy that creative/entrepreneurial side of me. The side of me that appreciates design and believes that feelings can be experienced through the beauty we see around us or the things we taste and hear.

At the risk of being laughed at or otherwise judged, here is my latest (and I believe greatest) idea. I think it would be sweet to be wedding consultant/creative director for engaged couples in the greater Rockford area, with a specific focus on nontraditional/unconventional/creative/interesting couples!

And here's why I think this is actually a GOOD idea:

1. I love weddings and I love people. I love the idea of a couple sharing a day with all their loved ones, a day that is completely personal to who they are as a couple and the beautiful love they have for each other.

2 (This one's a doozy, so I needed to break it up into parts):

A. The world of weddings is absolutely busting at the seams with new ways of doing things. Weddings are no longer cookie-cutter events filled with red roses and enough tulle to fill a barn. More and more, couples are embracing their own personal style and letting their wedding be a reflection of who they are and what they love. Nowadays, everything from the dress (and the groom's attire for that matter), to the flowers, to the photography, to the venue, to the decorations, to the food, to the invitations, to the music, to the cake can be done in very unique and nontraditional ways.

B. Rockford, as in so many other areas, is waaay behind in this arena. There just aren't (or at least don't seem to be to the average Joe) a lot of options for couples in Rockford who want to shake things up a little and do their wedding day with a little pizazz and creativity. But the exciting thing to me is that those creative people, venues, and possibilities are out there... there just isn't a lot of organization and most people just don't have the time to seek out all these unique people and places and ideas... that's where I would come in!

C. I want to be a holder of the vision, you could say. It would be my job to figure out what it is that the couple wants for their special day, to translate what they have told me into a vision/inspiration, and to then go out and work with all the various members who would make up the team for this couple's event. It would also be my job to bring everything together in a way that reflects who the couple and is and do this in an aesthetically pleasing and cohesive way. Then there would be the weeks leading up to the wedding and the day before and of the wedding when things can get a bit wacky... this is where #3 comes into play.

3. I am, if I don't say so myself, fairly talented (okay, let's just say freakish) in the areas of organizing and coordinating things. Making lists and schedules and using spreadsheets are fun activities for me (insert laughing here). I'd also like to think that I would love (and maybe even be good at) meeting a couple and getting to know them and figuring out what they envision for their special day... and then helping them get there!

4. I scour over wedding blogs like Once Wed, Green Wedding Shoes, Ritzy Bee, 100 Layer Cake and Snippet & Ink for fun... daily. I am so often inspired by the millions of ideas that can make a wedding day special and unique to couples. DIY projects, out-of-box ideas, vintage details... you name it, I will find it and I will love it. I want to bring a fresh vision to what planning a wedding could look like for couples in this area.


5. I believe there are couples out there who would want what I have to offer. Maybe you're one of those couples... if so, let's talk. Seriously!

PS... I'd probably offer my services for about zero bones (and maybe a slice of cake at your reception) since it would be my first time doing this. We've all got to start somewhere, right?

Monday: Question of the Week

Hellllllooooo out there. The question of the week this week is fairly selfish, just going to throw that out there right now. Here's the deal... I may or may not be buying a house in the next couple of months. Additionally, I may or may not be in need of a lovely roommate (if you love cooking and cleaning and shoveling snow, this could definitely work in your favor).

Therefore, the question this week is: Do you need a place to live in Rockford?

Oh, you do, do you? Well then, why don't you just sit on down and tell me a little about yourself and when it is that you would like to move.

Peace out lovely people.

Saturday: Je ne sais quoi

Part of becoming a big girl will require me moving on out of my parents' house (as lovely as my parents are) and getting a place of my own.... as my winter-long house sitting job is about a month and a half from over, I find myself waffling back and forth about what I will do next for a living situation. Sometimes I think about getting an apartment (though where that would be is totally up in the air too with my job location, etc) and sometimes I even daydream about buying a house of my own.

I can't wait to have a place of my own, mostly because I would LOVE to decorate it. Today's post includes inspiration for my future kitchen. Yum!

Winking Wisecracker Jar, $68, Anthropologie

Capri Blue Mercury Glass Candle, $25, Anthropologie

White Lace Coasters, $19, Gretel

Salt & Pepper Cellars, $22, Terrain

Sunburst Wire Wall Art, $49, West Elm

Maggie's Harvest Cookbook, $125, Terrain

Striped Washcloths, $16, Terrain

Wood Grain Pitcher, $58, Terrain

Tiki Flatware, $54, Gretel

Handlebar Mustache Wine & Bottle Opener, $13.95, Paper Source

Dining Room Measuring Spoons, $24, Anthropologie

White Bozza Bowl, $98, Gretel

Two Liqueur Glasses by Rikki Hagen, $54, Gretel

Amidst Routes Letterpress Print, $16, Pearl & Marmalade

Fine Dining Placemats, $24, Anthroplogie

Festival Rug, $168, Anthropologie

I love the idea of having a couple of comfy chairs in the kitchen area if space allows. Kitchens should be a gathering place as well as functional.

Cozy Chair, $798, Terrain
Distortion Candlestick, $24, Gretel

Recycled-Glass Drinkware, $6, West Elm

Fleur De Lys Dinnerware, $10-38, Anthropologie

Perforated Wooden Silver Leaf Placemat, $42, Mothology