losing steam...

well, as you can tell my crafty drive and kitchen experiments have slowed down.

mom was in town this past weekend, and we had the perfect girls' weekend! full of eating, talking, and shopping! i got to take her to my grocery stores around town, and then we went to Jacksonville to get some serious shopping in. i even got an early bday gift which is perfect for the first football game of the season tomorrow! it's the Dooney & Bourke Mini Flap Crossbody in Bordeaux. It's the PERFECT maroon color!

Zach started his pediatric rotation this week. he's enjoying it but his heart still belongs to surgery.

i traveled again for work the beginning of this week, but i'm more than happy to make the quick turnaround... i'm flying to memphis tomorrow!! yay!! i'll get to cheer the bulldogs on as we dominate memphis in the liberty bowl! i'll be sitting with my parents at the game! i'll get to spend friday with my in-laws and my baby niece! i'll be spending the weekend with the one and only, mary renfroe! pumped! (and that doesn't even begin to describe it!)

i'll be back next week with a newspaper basket i'm currently weaving and pics from the weekend!

sewing projects: maroon friday!

i'm so excited for football season, i decided to make a couple tops! this first one is basically like the classic "pillowcase dress" for little girls. i'm very new to sewing clothing and haven't quite mastered fitted styles. but i like a nice draped top! the tie is a satin fabric that had some nice maroon hues in it!

my inspiration for this game day top came from Anthropologie's Diverse Density Tank. the one i made is a little more fitted than this style, but i'm really happy with the way it turned out!

...and while i was taking pictures, we decided to have some fun with Nora, too! zach fashioned this toy for her... it's a duck... on a string... i wish it was a colonel reb... she is pretty ferocious! alright, that's all for today. GO STATE!!!!

jambalaya

LOVE this recipe!! it is soooooooooooooo yummy!! ok- so i picked up some wonderfully fresh and local veggies and got to chopping!

::ingredients::

3c onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2c scallions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1c parsley, chopped
1 Tbs oregano (used an italian blend)
1 tsp thyme
3 bay leaves
2 pinches of cayenne pepper (use more if you like spicy)
1.25c white rice, uncooked
4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste (did not have, so i used tomato sauce and a little corn starch)
3.75c water
1/3c lentils, uncooked
1 tsp sale
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
20 olives, pitted (did not use these- i hate olives)
S&P

::directions::

heat some oil or chicken stock or butter in large stock pot. add onions, peppers, scallions and saute for 10 min. add garlic and spices and saute for additional 2 min. mix in rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, lentils and salt. increase heat and bring to a boil. stir until everything is mixed well, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 min. add corn and olives and cook another 5 minutes until lentils and rice are cooked. season with pepper and serve.

oh, boy was it delicious!
zach loves meat, so i added some sausage to his and ate mine vegetarian. i will definitely be making this again! it would be great to take to a tailgate later this fall! (can you tell that i've had collge football on the brain this week?)

microwave applesauce

this turned out to be the perfect snack! i had 4 apples that had been in the fridge over a week. so i decided to make some quick applesauce! i've seen other recipes that involve slowcooking and a lot of time. but this is super quick and perfect if you just want to make a small batch!

peel and cut up apples into tiny pieces. place in a bowl and mix in cinnamon and agave to your liking. microwave about 6 minutes on high until softened. send through your food processer and voila! applesauce!
we enjoyed it as an appetizer before dinner, but i'd love to make a larger batch to snack on throughout the week!
note: 4 small red delicious apples made a little over 1 cup of applesauce.

slow oats

i love making this for breakfast! basically, you just mix 1 part oats (rolled, steel cut, etc), 1 part milk, and 1 part yogurt. you can also add fruit, nuts or granola- skys the limit! got this amazing yogurt from the co-op! so yummy!
Nora was super intrigued by the yogurt!

mix it all together... and put in the fridge until morning

it gets thicker overnight. i wanted to take it to work, so i just transferred it over to a different container.

YUM! Can't wait to try some other combinations!

vegan alfredo sauce & zucchini noodles

me: i'm going to make alfredo this weekend.
zach: oh, great- i love your alfredo!
me: well, it's not exactly the kind of alfredo you're used to with butter, cream, and cheese...
zach: ... then don't call it alfredo.

if you couldn't tell, zach was not excited about this. he has been open to me adding vegan and vegetarian dishes to our meals, but he has been vocal is expressing his skepticism also. you know, if he wants to get in the kitchen and cook, he is more than welcome! until then, i'm going to keep experimenting =)

here we go...

::ingredients::

3 large zucchinis
1 cup raw cashews
3/4c water
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg (this is SUPER important to get the right flavor)
1 tsp thyme
2 garlic cloves
S&P

1. soak raw cashews in water for 20 minutes. i was able to find these at my local grocery store (read: not Publix). you might need to seek them out at a whole foods or somewhere like that.

2. while cashews soak, pull zucchinis and discard skin. then starting from one end of the zucchini, peel a long ribbon down to the other end. this is your "noodle". turn and repeat until you're left with a core that is difficult to peel. the recipe i followed actually had you leave the noodles just like this, raw. but i decided to boil them for a few minutes to soften them up! your choice!
3. to make alfredo sauce, combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. that's it!!!

these are my boiled zuchinni noodles waiting for sauce

4. combine sauce and noodles. top with basil. season to taste. ENJOY!!

me: so, what do you think?
zach: (munch, munch, munch) this (munch, munch) is (munch) amazing!
...so, needless to say, the skeptic LOVED it!

we had some of the sauce leftover, so i boiled up some regular pasta. it was even delicious on that!

while it did not taste like traditional alfredo sauce, it is a delicious alternative and SO MUCH better for you! you'd be surprised by the creaminess of the sauce. hard to believe it's only cashews and water!

sewing projects

look at what i just got in the mail! i feel like i'm on project runway! i've really been sewing up a storm lately! just trying some things out... some patterns... some original ideas... a few things have turned out... but most have not...
i'm particularly pleased with this newborn dress! i can't wait to give it to my new niece, Korbyn. i just hope it fits... we'll see! the straps are adjustable, so that's a good start!

i also made this camera strap cover. and i ruffled for the FIRST time! i think i'm addicted! but silly me, i put it on the strap, and now i can't really take a good picture of it. oh well.

then i made this SUPER EASY skirt! it's one piece of fabric, 2 seams, one piece of elastic. done.

i've also made an infinity dress which i'm super pleased with! the only problem is... it's see-through, so no pictures right now. it's an awesome dress, and i can't wait to make more! especially since it's super easy (only 4 pieces of fabric and one seam)!