One Pan Pasta, It’ll Change Your Life…

March 6, 2014February 7, 20176 Comments

I make one pan pasta a few times a month, and it is probably one of my most favorite recipes. I found this recipe on Pinterest –I know, where else?– this dish is easy, inexpensive, and easy to customize. You can get all of the details here.

This dish has graced our table on numerous occasions and both, my husband and guests, make yummy noises and tell me that it’s delicious. Anyone can make this, trust. Although I write Kitchen Fun posts, I am no chef. Think of me as a novice in the kitchen, and a fan of providing tasty, healthy dishes for anyone sharing a meal with us.

Here it is, the line up. If you have pasta, garlic, onion, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, you can make this dish. On any given day, I have all but the fresh basil, so guess what, make it using dried basil, and it will still be delicious. You don’t have grape tomatoes? Dice the Roma tomatoes in your fridge. Really, it’s fine.

Once you have all your ingredients ready, dump it all in a pan, add 4 1/2 cups of water, turn on your burner and give it a good 15 minutes to cook, stirring often. That’s it.

Like I mentioned, you can customize this, so get creative. Sometimes, I’ll throw some Canellini beans in there, or veggies, lots of veggies like spinach, zuchinni, peppers, mushrooms; whatever you like, or whatever you have. I normally add these sorts of extras in the last 5 minutes of cooking, since I don’t like the veggies soggy or cooked down too much. For this particular one pan pasta dinner, I remembered that I had shrimp in the freezer, so I added an extra pinch of red pepper flakes, and it became spicy shrimp one pan pasta.

Obviously I am in love with one pan pasta, but I just have one more thing to add, and then I swear, I’m done. This makes the best leftovers for lunch the next day. Okay, I’m done. Go make one pan pasta!

Life in Photos: Special Deliveries

March 4, 2014February 7, 2017Leave a comment

Looking back on last week, it’s easy to see that it was a week of special deliveries.

I got these beauties in the mail from Shoedazzle.com and am in love. Now, if only the PNW weather would cooperate so I could wear them.

As you know from Sunday’s post, I received a very special gift from my sis this week, a Whitney English Day Designer Planner. I am still filling out all of the worksheets, but am getting used to having such a comprehensive tool in my everyday routine. Learn more here.

Last but certainly not least, we were able to drop off a little care package to a very special person. Our friend’s daughter recently received a heart transplant a little over two weeks ago and is already at home resting and getting better everyday. We are absolutely amazed and inspired by Micaela and her family. If you want to hear her story and show some love on Facebook, you can find out more here.

Make it a great one.

Today’s BGD // 3.2.14

March 2, 2014February 7, 20172 Comments

Being tucked away in my cozy and warm home, on this cold and rainy day is just one part of Today’s BGD. I’m feeling so fortunate to have the support and push from the people I love and admire most. When I first began writing this blog, it was largely to have a creative outlet, to document all of our home projects, to share in our camping and hiking adventures, and to promote that one can have a full, satisfying life without having to spend a lot money.
I spent my afternoon listening to the rain fall, coupled with John Coltrane on my iPad, reading Blog Inc, and making notes and dreaming up plans in my new Day Designer.

The iPad was gifted to me by my husband. After watching me blog on my phone and seeing how dedicated I had become, he wanted to show me he was proud and to make it easier for me to write.
Blog Inc was gifted to me by my friend, Keely. Without her, I don’t know that I would have ever started this project. She has been a consistent source of encouragement and inspiration.
The Day Designer was gifted to me by my sister, Domonique. I’ve always wanted to set a good example for my little sister, but sometimes she’s the one pushing me to do better and be better. This new tool has motivated me in a whole new way.

I know that these people believe in me, and that makes me feel like I’m in the right place, doing the right thing. The second and most important part of Today’s BGD, is having supportive and loving people in my life.

Framing Some L-O-V-E

February 27, 2014February 7, 20173 Comments

As a part of the Apartment Therapy January Cure, one of the last assignments is for participants to frame some artwork and get it hung up. Although, I’m well out of my own personal January Challenge, this assignment was important to me, so I say better than never on this one. Here’s how it all turned out.

Now, let me go back and explain how it could possibly take me forever and a day to hang up a couple frames. I had purchased two white frames and black matting, with the intention of hanging up some photos of the hubby and I, in our master bedroom. I printed off a photo and placed it in the frame with the matting, and I hated it. My friend suggested painting them, and I decided that sounded way more fun than exchanging them. I didn’t get to this project until last weekend just because life has been hectic –and one has to be in the mood to be crafty. I am happy to report that once I started working on this project, I enjoyed painting so much that I decided to create some art for the other frame.

I knew I didn’t just want to paint them, and the idea of texture was on the brain, so I found some mesh in my fabric drawer and placed it over the matting. I just taped it in place on a piece of foam core board. Then I began painting, just using some basic white acrylic paint. After maybe ten minutes, I peeled the mesh off, and this is the outcome.

Once I saw how the white turned out, I knew that a little touch of gold on the matting border would be nice. I love that the matting has dimension, and I really like its imperfections and variation.

For the second craft, I pulled out my letter stamps for a little touch of personal art.

I did not have a black ink pad, so I used black acrylic paint and this required a lot of testing. Also, I just liked this photo.

I chose two lines from our wedding vows for this piece. The top one is from my vows, and the bottom one is from his vows. Now, this little reminder lives over our bed, so we can see it every morning and every night.

I am really pleased with the outcome, and I love that with each day our home becomes more complete and more us.

Ice Cave Hike

February 26, 2014February 7, 20174 Comments

Here we go again, I have another snowy hike to share with you! A few weeks ago we went to the Big Four Ice Caves, and we brought sleds and friends, which equals a perfect day. Because it was an easier hike, we got a bit more interest from friends, and knew that we wouldn’t be dead tired afterward, so we made a whole day of it. We loaded up our vehicles with sleds and gear, and caravanned all the way there. When embarking on a car ride over an hour long, one must be sure to bring the proper provisions, ie coffee, water, snacks and walkie talkies. Walkie talkies, brilliant.

Upon arrival, we suited up and began the trek. Mia led the way!

There were beautiful mountain views everywhere you turned. Looking back on these photos, it’s pretty amazing that we lucked out on the weather. Not only was it dry, but the blue skies were just gorgeous.

This photo was taken from a good distance, and the size of the ice caves is so deceiving.

I love this shot because it shows off the icicles and the texture of the interior walls of the cave. It may be cheesy but nature is very, very cool.

Of our group, no one was brave enough to go into the caves, but you can see in this photo that people were venturing pretty deep into the caves. (Click on this photo to enlarge it and see how far inside the others went.) You could hear water dripping into the caves periodically, and that was enough to make me nervous and keep me well outside.

After taking in views, it was time for some sledding.

And, time to get a cute shot of Mia wearing her backpack in front of the caves.

And top off the day with a group photo.

After our fun day, we were ready for some hot food and a drink or two, so we stopped off at LJ’s Bistro & Bar on the way back. We enjoyed happy hour, a cozy atmosphere, and some laughs.

Have I convinced you to go hiking in the winter time yet?

Taco Tuesday: Spicy Black Bean

February 25, 2014February 7, 20171 Comment

I love tacos, and one of my favorites is any variation of the black bean taco. I found this recipe on Pinterest a while back and have been making them, or at least a version of them, pretty regularly since finding the recipe. This recipe is easy and can be adapted to what you have or don’t have.

The only essentials are:

Corn tortillas –I use a whole wheat/corn blend
Black beans
Cheese

If you have those things, reach into your pantry for spices, and into your produce for any yummy add ons. I used cumin, sea salt and minced garlic in the beans for this recipe. Give the beans a good stir and mix all the yummy flavors together, and then right there, beans are done. Okay, on to a very important ingredient…cheese. I happened to have a giant bag of shredded Monterey jack in the fridge, so Monterey jack it is. I minced some fresh jalapeno up and added it to the cheese. Cheese is done. Next, I added some olive oil to a large pan and got it nice and hot. Place a tortilla in the pan and coat the bottom of the tortilla with the oil, flip it and add some cheese to one side of the tortilla first, then some beans on top of the cheese, and then some more cheese on top of the beans. Then, using tongs, gently pull the other side of the tortilla over, covering the beans and cheese, forming your taco. Now, place another tortilla in the pan, so you can have two cooking at once. Allow each side to get golden brown and crispy.

For taco toppings, sour cream, hot sauce and cilantro are perfect for this dish. Also muy importante…VEGGIES! I added some lightly sautéed veggies on the side for some color and a healthy spin on this indulgent meal.

Life in Photos: Weekend Snapshots

February 24, 2014February 7, 20171 Comment

Weekends are what dreams are made of, or at least that’s how I felt about this weekend. I went out on Friday night with my husband and his work friends, and as DD, I was able to enjoy a colorful evening, felt fantastic the next morning and received countless thanks for driving. Good times.

First stop was Red Hook Brewery, so I had a Hale’s Cream Ale and a salmon burger…delish!

Since Friday was a late night, I enjoyed sleeping in, and I find sleeping in the most luxurious think in the whole wide world. I was able to get in some light cleaning and handled grocery shopping, and since I did not buy flowers on Friday, I picked up some gorgeous white hydrangeas on Saturday. I spent Saturday afternoon/evening on the couch, eating takeout and dark chocolate walnut brownies, drinking red wine and watching some of the best reality TV I’ve watched in a long time…via on demand…with my favorite girls. It was the perfect night in with girlfriends.

Some things are meant to be…like this brownie mix being in my cupboard on a girl’s night.

Sunday morning was dreamy. I made a yummy poached egg and finally tried making hash browns in the waffle iron (here’s the recipe), sprinkled some Mediterranean sea salt, pepper and green onion on top, and it was just perfect. I turned on Songza and found the best station, –Tina Turner aaaand The White Stripes?!– sipped my coffee, read my new book and just relaxed. Afterward, I felt so energized and inspired, ready to dive into a project, and so I did (more on that later this week). After I got my craft on, I made a veggie lasagna, and the hubby and I snuggled up for some Game of Thrones.

Today I feel rested and ready for the week. Busy and action-packed weekends are great, but sometimes being home feels so good and I think you just need that every once in a while.

Today’s BGD // 2.20.14

February 20, 2014February 7, 20171 Comment

Some days are just better than others, and today is kind of a blah day. In this blah state, I’m choosing to think about a better day, this past Monday. I’d like to preface this by saying, I’m not a huge shopper, and it’s not because I don’t like it, but my frugal side usually takes over. Monday, I allowed myself to indulge a little because I was with one of my favorite shopping buddies, my bestie, Jackie. We hit HomeGoods, and it’s always an adventure with Jackie, Monday was no different–complete with road rage (not the scary kind, the kind you can laugh about), crazy hair (neither of us cared to put ourselves together on Monday, apparently), and a trip to Home Depot (where they looove Jackie and her vast knowledge of all things hardware and DIY). Anyway, it was a really fun day with a friend I don’t spend nearly enough time with, and here’s the loot from our magical Monday.

My favorite item of the whole day is this mirrored tray. It looks so perfect on my dining room table with a vase full of flowers.

I found these great note cards too. I love a good card.

Last but not least, I got a new sketch book and colored pencils. I’m very excited to put it to good use.

January Challenge: For the Love of Friends

February 19, 2014February 7, 20174 Comments

As the big finale to the Apartment Therapy January Cure (I dubbed it January Challenge), we threw our friends a cocktail party. For the first time ever, we did not ask our friends to bring drinks or an appetizer, so I really went for it, providing a good variety of appetizers, a signature cocktail and the basics for the bar. Side note, of course, they all brought a bottle of wine, or a fun treat regardless. Anyway, this was a big undertaking for me, as I always have timing issues when preparing big meals, but it went off without a hitch (with the help of a couple friends in the final hour, how fitting, right?). Truly, I am shocked at the success of the food and drinks, and am so pleased that everyone had a good time. We kept the party fairly small with around 20 people, I put together a little candy bar for favors, complete with mini waters for the road, and we had a photo booth because they are always so much fun. We saw friends, both old and new, and it was a fantastic night. It felt wonderful to host our friends in our home that has come such a long way. Here are some snapshots from the evening.

I used a paper table cloth and a gold pen to show what was being served.
A little close up of that green chile and artichoke bread — get the recipe here. Oh and next to the bread, bacon covered pineapple. All of my carnivore friends loved it. Just wrap pineapple chunks in bacon and sprinkle a little brown sugar on top, bake at 375 for about 25 minutes. There are recipes all over Pinterest.

Since you cannot see the crab puffs in the photo at all, here’s a little pre-bake shot I took. These were delicious, get the recipe here.

Oh and these caprese skewers were so light, tasty and easy to make. I drizzled a little balsamic glaze over them right before serving.

So, clearly, everyone hated the food…kidding. Please excuse the crumbs and such, but this is real life, it happens.

My lovely friend, Angie, pictured in the back there, brought these adorable heart shaped sugar cookies, and they were delicious. Here is a not so great photo of the candy bar favors. Those strawberry Pocky are so, so, so good.
I couldn’t talk about the photo booth and not share a photo. They are so fun and so easy to put together. We used my iPad and found a free app called PhotoBooth. We were able to prop up my iPad, using my painting easel, and then you just had to hit the button to take 4 photos in a row. You got a little countdown, and then if the pics were good, you click on Share and then Save. If the photos weren’t keepers, just move on to the next. We put a little sign on the top of the easel with those easy instructions, and it worked really well. For the backdrop, I just hung a black sheet and then a large white sheet in front of it, and I bought some polka dot balloons. I strongly urge you to have props on hand as well because well, this happens.

SO.MUCH.FUN.

Have a great day!

Lake Serene: Snowy Edition

February 17, 2014February 7, 20172 Comments

A couple weeks ago we went on a little adventure to Lake Serene (learn more here). Given the time of year, we were able to enjoy quite the winter wonderland. Lake Serene is not for the faint of heart, with a 2000 ft elevation climb in only 3.6 miles, and it features endless switchbacks and stairs. The hike is an out and back, so in total it is 7.2 miles.

The start of the hike is this incredible mossy, green, rich forest, and it’s calm and flat–the complete opposite of the next 2 miles. Everywhere you look, moss is strewn from branch to branch, and moss blankets the fallen trees.

Out with the green, in with the stairs and snow!

This photo was taken back in September of 2009 when we first visited Lake Serene. It’s amazing to see what it looks like without the snow, and you get this gorgeous mountain reflection on the water.
This is a similar point of view as above, but it is just a sea of white.