Currently.

August 18, 2014February 7, 2017Leave a comment

READING…The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri I know…stiiiiiiiillll? I have been extremely busy and not reading as much as I normally do. I promise that The Lowland will not be on the next Currently post.

LISTENING…Jack White, Lazaretto. HE.IS.THE.MAN.

EATING…tomatoes from my garden like crazy. My Sun Gold cherry tomato plant has been extremely fruitful, so I have roasted tomatoes, made one pan pasta, eaten them raw, and added them to salads. Thank goodness we heart tomatoes.

DRINKING…actually this should read, “WISH I WERE DRINKING” the delicious raspberry jalapeno margarita I had this weekend. I also wish I had a recipe for it. It was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Maybe give this strawberry jalapeno margarita recipe a try.

SUCCEEDING…in getting organized at home! I am using my clipboard calendar to get on track with home projects and am feeling great about it. I’ll share more later this week.

FAILING…at hanging my outdoor lights. Don’t fret, they will be up soon!

LOVING…being home. I just got back from a quick weekend trip, and although it was a ridiculously good time, I love being home with my hubby and pets. Being home with the ones you love really is the best thing in the entire world.

WAITING…for my Dad to come for a visit. His visit is one of my favorite parts of summer, so we are really looking forward to having him here.

WEARING…new shorts today! I am loving my brand new Target clearance rack shorts. I am 100% on board with the printed short trend. They are comfy and so easy to wear, all while being fashionable. Also, I spent a whopping $14 on these beauties.

Happy Monday!

Printed Jogger Pants

August 10, 2014February 7, 20174 Comments

I’ve been sewing! I took these wide leg pants…

and transformed them into jogger pants!

I’ve been wanting a pair for a while now but decided that I needed to make them if I wanted them that badly.

My sewing skills are, for the most part, self taught, and I do a lot by trial and error. This is why I’m not providing a tutorial, and I hope you forgive me for that. I simply started pinning and cutting until I reached the desired silhouette. Here is my finished look!

Don’t laugh, this was my first go at using a timer and taking photos of myself. Let me tell you…it’s not easy!

This project cost me a couple bucks because these are sample sale pants and I already had the thread. It was a really fun project, so now I’m looking at other clothing to see what I can make it into.

Taco Tuesday: Lentils & Cotija

August 6, 2014February 7, 2017Leave a comment

I’m sad to report that this Taco Tuesday was not among the best. I was winging it and managed to save it in the end, but it wasn’t easy.

I didn’t keep very good track of the water needed, since I just watched the beans to ensure they were cooked all the way. Below is a rough estimate of you’ll need for the lentils, but feel free to customize it however you want.

4 oz lentils
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 white onion chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 stalk of celery chopped
1 medium size zucchini chopped
1 handful of spinach
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

I decided to use Cotija cheese and corn tortillas.

For the lentils, begin by sauteing the garlic for a few minutes, and then add your onion and saute for another few minutes. Add your lentils, and add 2 cups of water to start. You will gradually add more as they cook. Add your spices. You could use half a packet of taco seasoning instead if you wish. Put the lid on and let it cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. While it’s cooking, you can chop your celery and zucchini. After 30 minutes, take a look. You will most likely need to add more water. I suggest adding water in 1/2 cup increments. Add your celery now. Put the lid on and let it cook for another 20 minutes.

Take a look and see how they’re doing, most likely they are almost done. Add the zucchini and really stir it in there, so it can get all that flavor. Next, add a big handful of spinach, turn the heat down to low, and stir that in very well. You’re done with the lentils!

This is where my plan went awry. I normally heat corn tortillas in the microwave with a damp paper towel, so that’s what I did. Then I added the filling and the cotija crumbles, aaaaaaand it was boring. It tasted good, but it was missing something. Hot sauce?! Yes, a little hot sauce helped but something was still not quite right.

My husband got home later in the evening, so I offered him a plate of boring tacos. I decided that this was an opportunity to try again. I heated the tortillas on the stove top this time, and I melted the cotjia right on the tortilla. Then, I added the lentils, and lastly, a little hot sauce. The verdict? And I quote, “that melted cheese is money, babe.” I think by crisping the tortillas and melting the cheese, I got the texture I was missing before.

There you have it, what to do and what not to do in this week’s Taco Tuesday…on Wednesday.

Life in Photos: Summer Smiles

August 3, 2014February 7, 20172 Comments

Generally speaking, I’m a pretty happy person, but here are some of the things that are making me smile lately. For instance, I feel so lucky to live here in the PNW and have views like this.

Being silly. I was so excited to use my “cheese or die” tote (gifted by my girl, Keely), so I asked my hubs to snap a pic. Just to clarify, Keely and I feel very strongly about cheese, and yes, she has one too.

My garden continues to provide delicious produce and endless elation.

Some friends of ours had visited Flatstick Pub for a round of mini golf and sang its praises. On a whim, we checked it out on Friday night and loved it. I mean…mini golf with a local brew in hand = amazing!

And, this guy. I have no shame. I take a ridiculous number of photos of my pups and don’t care who knows it.

Happy weekend!

Summer Bucket List Progress

July 30, 2014February 7, 2017Leave a comment

This summer, as per usual, is flying by and I want to make sure that I get the most out of it, so it’s time to see how I’m doing. I made this list back in the beginning of June, and here we are, quickly approaching August.

1. Outdoor movies, obviously

We have not gone to a single outdoor movie, buuuuut we have one on the calendar for August 6th.

2. Outdoor concerts (did I go to any last year?! Shaaaaame)

Again, we have not gone to any outdoor concerts, but I am going to one on August 15th.

3. Host a party (grilling, outdoor lighting, music, the whole shabang)

My hubby and I have been talking about a little party, maybe at the end of August.

4. Finish our backyard projects (hanging chair, benches, lighting)

FAIL! Ugh, I don’t know what my deal is…aside from buying lights, there has been no progress here.

5. Eat outside a few times a week, EVERY week

I would say that we have eaten outside probably more like once a week, every week. I’ll call that success.

6. Go for more bike rides (and buy a basket for my ride)

My basket arrived last week, and we have a bike ride planned for tonight! We have actually been really great about bike riding once a week.

7. Outdoor yoga (did it once, and it was awesome…not sure why I haven’t done it again)

I have done this once…MUST.TRY.HARDER.

8. Be spontaneous (said the planner)

I would say that I have been really good about this, but perhaps I should ask my husband.

9. Plant flowers, beautify the house!

Flowers, not so much. However, we did pull weeds and my veggie garden is looking great. The pic above is of my tomato plant…starter plant on the left back in May, monstrosity on the right as of a week ago.

10. Read more books (the goal is 9 – 3/month)

Yeah, about that…it’s looking more like 1 book/month, which is normal for me.

11. Re-apply sunblock (I’m great at putting it on, not so great at remembering to re-apply)

Apparently I don’t learn. I have insane tan lines from camping last weekend. Why you ask? Because I never re-apply!

12. Float a river (or two or three)

We floated once already, for the 4th!

13. Hike more (camping hiking counts, but I need to get out there more)

So far we have only hiked while camping. There’s still hope though!

14. Try paddleboarding (I know my hubby is on board, so we need to make it happen)

We have plans to try out paddleboarding this weekend!

15. Make three summer dresses (they’re my favorite in the summer, and I know how to sew…no brainer)

I’m working on a sewing project now, but it’s not a dress. I’ll post about it next week.

16. Take the pups for more walks (they should benefit from the SBL too, right?)

I’m failing those poor pups. They are spoiled, but we have not been out for more walks.

Summer is such a great time of year. Summer Bucket List completion or not, this has been an amazing one already.

Today’s BGD // 7.28.14

July 28, 2014February 7, 20172 Comments

There is no better cure for negativity, exhaustion, and bad energy than being in the great outdoors, soaking up rays for a weekend. We hopped on a ferry and camped on Orcas Island this weekend, and I have returned refreshed and re-energized. We spent time with friends, turned off our cell phones, and frolicked on the beach, without a care in the world. Being away in that atmosphere does something for me, at my core, that is so important to me, and I don’t ever want to lose the ability to let go like I do when I’m camping. On Friday evening, while sitting on a rock, listening to my husband and his friend play “baseball” with a log and my pup’s tennis ball, I took in a huge breath of beach air and realized that I had not thought about work all day long. There are days when I struggle to put work out of my mind, good thoughts and bad, and in my quest for balance, I know how unhealthy that is. Being out in nature, my mind is clear with no effort at all.

Today’s BGD, coming back to the grind with a refreshed outlook and feeling refocused.

What does the trick for you?

Taco Tuesday: Fried Avocado with Corn Salsa

July 22, 2014February 7, 20171 Comment

I know what you’re thinking? Fried avocado?! I hear the chorus of angels singing too. I looked at a few recipes and landed on this one (with my own changes, of course), inspired by The Beeroness. Check it out here. It’s delicious and naughty, so get ready.

Okay, here’s what you need:

Avocados – 1 large Hass avocado will make 6 tacos

Beer Batter – 2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 12 oz of light beer, canola oil for frying

Corn Salsa – 1 ear of white sweet corn, 1 half of a tomato, 1 small jalapeno, 1 half of a red onion, a couple green onions, 1 lime

Black Beans – optional, but it added some heft to the all veggie tacos. I added a pinch of cumin and topped with cotija

Corn Tortillas – fresh is always best, but in a pinch, use a good quality, thick corn tortilla

Begin by preparing the corn salsa, so it can chill in the fridge while you do the rest. Simply dice the veggies, cut the kernels off the ear of corn, squeeze the lime juice, add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and the salsa is done. Once that’s in the fridge, add oil into a medium sized pot, a few inches worth (sorry, didn’t measure). You want enough oil so that the avocados will be covered and so that you can measure the temp without the thermometer touching the bottom of the pot. It will take a bit of time to reach the desire temp, 375 (about 10 minutes).

Now, it’s time to prepare the batter. Add all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk it together. Next, slowly add the beer and whisk together until you have the consistency of pancake batter.

Slice up the avocado and you’ll end up with 8 slices. (Each taco will get one large slice, but the smaller slices can be combined for a “beefier” taco.) Dunk the avocado slices into the beer batter and make sure that they are getting a really good coating. By now, the oil should have reached 375. Go ahead and pull the first avocado pieces out of the batter and put them into the pot. Everything I read says to only place a couple pieces in at a time so they fry up evenly. I abided by this rule. Each round took only a few minutes, so this will move quickly. Once you put the first couple pieces in the pot, I’d suggest setting up a plate with a couple layers of paper towels. That way you have a place to put the avocados after they are done frying, and the paper towels will soak up the grease.

Heat the beans and tortillas.

Now, it’s time to assemble! I did about a teaspoon of beans, 1 large avocado piece, and a generous helping of salsa.

You could add some hot sauce or crema, if you’d like, but I feel like this was the perfect combination of crunch from the beer batter, creamy richness from the avocado, and freshness from the salsa.

Enjoy!

Currently.

July 15, 2014February 7, 2017Leave a comment

READING…The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri I have read amazing reviews, and so far am really enjoying this tale of two brothers.

LISTENING…Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme My husband’s friend is in this amazing funk band. The music is so perfect for summertime, and they just make you want to move. If you live in the area, go to a show!

EATING…cheese and fruit plates for dinner. It has been pretty hot here, and because it never gets hot here, most of us do not have an air conditioner, so definitely no central air. For the last couple weeks I have come home to an 85 degree house. Would you want to turn on the stove or the oven? I think not. I have been improvising for dinners with simple cheese and fruit plates. It’s light, delicious and requires minimal effort…cheese and fruit FTW.

DRINKING…iced Americanos in the AM. I try to keep my coffee buying habits under control, but there’s something about the heat and the sunshine that makes me want to enjoy an iced coffee. My order…a 12 oz iced Americano with light cream and a pump of almond syrup. I’d love to experiment with making my own syrups. Check out these recipes here.

SUCCEEDING…in clearing out some room in my linen closet to make way for some of my closet overflow. I realized that with the linen closet just outside the master, I had some valuable real estate there and I wasn’t using it properly. It was home to guest bath towels, and poorly organized linens. I moved all of the guest towels and a ton of travel size toiletries to…wait for it…the guest bath. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? Anyway, I have freed up some space and made finding clothes and putting laundry away much easier for myself. And I would imagine that guests will like having all of these things at their fingertips, in case they forgot something.

FAILING…at working out. So, this was my failing last month too. I have a couple good days here and there and bam, the lazy monster takes over. I could blame it on the heat, I suppose. Nah, I’m lazy. We have been going for a bike ride once a week, and I have consistently done yoga once a week. So, let’s call this, slowly improving?

LOVING…the weather! The PNW is just gorgeous right now. You cannot beat these summer days. I’m eating it up, wearing my summer clothes, opening windows and getting outside as much as possible. You have to cherish the sunny days here.

WAITING…for my first girl trip in many, many years. Me and a bestie have a trip planned to visit a girlfriend who just moved out of state, and I can’t wait. I never do this sort of thing, so it feels extra special.

WEARING…my gardening gloves! I have been picking green beans and zucchini from my garden and pulling weeds in the backyard, so we can make the backyard beautiful.

That’s it for me. Make a today a great one!

Life in Photos // 4th Fun

July 7, 2014February 7, 2017Leave a comment

We spent the 4th with dear friends and had a great day, filled with food, floating and fireworks.

First and most important, let’s talk s’mores. Our friend, Mel, is a bit of an evil genius when it comes to the culinary arts. She specializes in delicious food that is rarely good for you…case in point, s’mores for the 4th. She knew that we could do better than the traditional s’more. Sure, some people use peanut butter cups instead of regular milk chocolate squares, and we have heard of cookies instead of graham crackers, but aren’t the best things in life homemade? Yes!

Sooo, we crafted homemade marshmallows, peanut butter and coconut flavored. Mel found the recipe here, but as usual, we made some adjustments to the recipe we found. (For the coconut marshmallows, we replaced 1 tsp vanilla with 3/4 tsp natural coconut extract + 1/4 tsp artificial coconut extract and replaced peanut butter powder with 4-6 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut.)

Mel made homemade grahams, coconut and chocolate flavored. Mel found the recipe here (and photo is courtesy of Mel.)

Mel bought Theo Chocolate bars in assorted flavors like dark chocolate coconut, milk chocolate chili, and the list goes on. Side note: Theo chocolate not only tastes amazing but they are fair trade and organic.

And then, for the real kicker, Mel made caramel sheets. Those caramel sheets really sent it over the top and made these s’mores into an experience. Sorry for the bad pic, but I was more focused on devouring this ridiculous treat. You are looking at the chocolate grahams, peanut butter mallow, dark chocolate coconut bar square, and a sheet of caramel. It was insanely rich and I could only eat half, but as my bestie would say, “go big or go home!”.

Luckily, the s’mores came at the very end of the night because I spent the first half of the day in a swimsuit. We began our day by floating the Skykomish River for a few hours. We tie all of our rafts and tubes together and let the current take us for a calm, relaxing float. We have mastered the float so that we have a cooler full of beverages, snacks and we even have music. It’s a great time and it’s a true sign that summer is here.

Lastly, here are some of my favorite shots of the fireworks. This first one includes my–impossible to see– red, white and blue Jell-o shot and fireworks. The rest of the fireworks shots are courtesy of my hubby, Marv.

I hope that you all had a safe and fun holiday. Happy Monday and welcome back to the grind. Although we have a full week ahead of us, let’s make it a good one. It’s summer!

Today’s BGD // 7.2.14

July 2, 2014February 7, 20172 Comments

I love writing this blog. I love pushing myself to be better each day and striving to find the best in each day. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, I have not been writing as much lately. Call it being lazy, distracted, or having lack of inspiration. It doesn’t matter though, we can call it whatever we want, but really they are just excuses. Last night I laid awake thinking about ideas to share and in my fit of inspiration, drafted this post. I also thought about how great it is to decide that I’m going to make a change, and then make it happen. We have that opportunity each day. It could be some thing small like, I’m going to eat more vegetables today, or it could be something huge like, I’m going to be positive today. I woke up with the thought that today, I’m going to make more of an effort to make time for my passions. I’m sure that I will be here again, saying the same thing down the road, but isn’t this moment great? The moment you decide to make a positive change in your life is a powerful thing.

Today’s BGD, making time for what you love. One has to make an effort for the things that matter most.

beauty in grey days

Category: Archives

Currently.

Printed Jogger Pants

Taco Tuesday: Lentils & Cotija

Life in Photos: Summer Smiles

Summer Bucket List Progress

Today’s BGD // 7.28.14

Taco Tuesday: Fried Avocado with Corn Salsa

Currently.

Life in Photos // 4th Fun

Today’s BGD // 7.2.14