Found today: Cool industrial looking lighting from onefortythree. I really like the look of the group of multicolored pendant bulbs.
let there be lights
1 Reply
Author Archives: Chelsea
first week of fresh 20
Last week, we used one of the weekly menus from the Fresh 20 cookbook. We tried out one of the summer weeks, since we are in the middle of summer obvi.
Everything we made was pretty tasty. We generally eat fairly low carb and higher protein, so we made a couple modifications. We also only made 4 of the meals, since the guy was out of town one evening, and I just ate leftovers.
Dinner number one- turkey, salami, and cheese pita sandwich, with cut up veggies. Simple and classic, and super fast.
Dinner two- pizza with polenta crust. This was a new experiment for me, and I think it turned out pretty good. I added some leftover salami to the pizza to add a little something extra.
Dinner three- salmon salad pita sandwiches and some berries. This was super yummy, and surprisingly little work. I bet this would be pretty good cold for lunch the next day too.
Our fourth dinner was stuffed turkey burgers, but we used lean beef instead, and omitted the bread. I failed to take a picture, probably because I was extra hungry that day.
We missed out on what looks like a deconstructed spring roll recipe, but we will try it next time, and probably add shrimp to it.
All in all, we enjoyed it very much! I sometimes worry about trying new recipes on weeknights, because they always seem to take longer than planned. But these were all actually pretty quick and easy. We are trying one of the spring menus this week. We’ll see how that goes!
mocha chip meringues
This was something completely new for me, which is always exciting, but also makes me a little nervous that I might mess up. The guy told me that he loves meringue cookies, so that didn’t put any pressure on me at all. So after sweating away in the kitchen, the guy and I devoured a half dozen of these in one afternoon. Addictive little crunchy and fluffy buggers.
I used this recipe from Martha Stewart. I think next time I will try smoothing them out a little more on top, but I also kinda like the DQ swirls on top of them.
time for a sewing break
I put all these guys plus a whole bunch more into a big box together. I am sure they had a huge party. My shop is a little empty and lonely now, but I am looking forward to adding some new friends soon!
And if you are in Austin, you can find these little guys at the coffee/gift shop inside St. David’s near 8th and San Jacinto!
the start of a week
I like when a week starts off fresh. The to-do list from last week is all scratched off, and you start the next week with new goals and activities. I am looking forward to a change of pace this week, and taking a tiny break from sewing.
Does anyone else doodle while they are on the phone?
Dinner for one from my new cookbook. Super yummy, and I had the leftovers for lunch.
I always end up with way more than 24 pencils in the box. 
Drawing and coloring was a very nice way to spend an evening.
roasted brussels sprouts
We made roasted brussels sprouts the other day. Pat ourselves on the back, these are pretty yummy veggies.
We did the basic cover in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and stick them in a hot oven until they looked good enough to eat.
I am thinking of planting brussels sprouts in our (still imaginary) garden. They are some crazy looking plants. Delicious, but crazy.
a new toy
I am really nerdy about grocery lists. I plan out our meals for the week and optimize our ingredients. Every week, I make our list and email it to my guy for approval and revisions. I think it is a skill that may come in handy someday, especially once we have a growing family.
I have been anxiously awaiting my new cookbook all week. I am really excited to take my hobby to the next level.
non-stop sewing
In between work, obsessively checking Twitter for updates about that royal baby, and watching live streams of hospital doors, I have been sew, sew, sewing for a local wholesale order. My favorite part is sewing their little eyes on and watching them come to life.
wedding project: wedding bells
My ma has this really big bell. So big it is mounted on a big post. We decided that when we said I do, someone needs to ring the “wedding bell”. GET IT??
So we also made little miniature versions for all the guests to ring. They are just little scraps of leftover fabric and ribbon, tied onto wooden dowels. It took me some hunting to find some suitable bells that weren’t too big, still made noise, and didn’t cost a fortune. Once they were done, we stuck them all in a little flower pail and added a sign. We saw lots of the little ones running around with them after the ceremony, and at the end of the night, everyone rang them as we drove off together.
dark chocolate pecan cookies
I got my hair cut yesterday. I have some wavy/curly/puffy hair, so they always blow it out all nice for me. BUT, it was raining when I left the salon, so it immediately got curly in some bits. Like washing your car, and then it rains. So anyway, COOKIES.
About wheat flour- the cookie dough doesn’t always taste the way you want, but the resulting cookie has a nice chew. Helps cut down on the cookie dough eating without compromising the results.
I used this recipe here, and added dark chocolate chips and chopped up pecans (aka the only mix-ins we got at the moment). They flew off my desk at work.
guy and his girl 