Shout Out to One Beautiful Street

I've always known there was something special about Swann Street.  Seriously.  In years past I've made a point to walk down this street when in the area, just to admire the cute houses or walk along the extra-wide sidewalks.  There's just no denying it -- it's a cute street!

Truth be told, the last apartment I was in was on a super cute street too.  If you're ever in Georgetown, it's worth a walk down Avon Place and the surrounding side streets. 

They have similar feeling, both are one-way street, with pretty ginko trees along the sidewalks.  They attract young families that enjoy being within walking distance of parks and restaurants but still has a bit of a neighborhood feel to it.

So today, when Will sent me think link from a DC area blogger, noting the gorgeousness of Swann Street yesterday, I could only smile.  It really is a gorgeous street.

Also, a small, but quick apartment updated:

I moved the tall lamp over to one side of the sofa, like Jose suggested, and changed the lampshade from a beigey-turned-gray coolie style shade to a crisp, white drum shade, which dad gave to me.  I also (finally) bought a pillow form for the C. Wonder beetle cover, and bought some cute flora from Whole Foods.

So here's are some befores...

And here's an after (slightly different angle)...

This is what the old lamp shade used to look like (in the Adams Morgan apartment)...

You can't quite tell when the light was on/in this photo how discolored the lamp shade was, but trust me.  It needed to be replaced.

And I like it so much better!

Bagging the Schedule (Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Soup)

I'm going off script.  I started the schedule to get me to write, and I think, for the most part, it has worked.  But I find often that I don't want to write about the subject I am supposed to.  I want to write about my life and what I'm doing.

I know there are comedians that make fun of people who take photos of the minutiae of their lives, but at the moment, I am really enjoying it.  So that's what I plan to keeping on doing.  (The comedian I'm speaking of is one of my favorites, Jim Gaffigan, who about a year ago did his show, Mr. Universe.  Definitely worth the $5 download to watch. Seriously.)

You see, a couple of days ago, I received a daily email from the Glitter Guide (more on that in another post) which had this recipe for a soup that looked too good not to try.

But like most times I cook, I altered the recipe a bit, to make use of some things I already had in the pantry.

Here's what you need (plus a head of cauliflower, which was already chopped up and in the oven when I snapped this shot, so I peeked inside):

The cauliflower was seasoned just as the recipe suggested, which I was excited about.  I have garam masala, which I never really use, so this was a great use to find.

The original recipe called for 7 cups of water and 7 chicken bullion cubes.  I happened to have three bullion cubes from Friendsgiving last year, so I did a 3 cups of water with the cubes and 4 cups chicken broth (just one of those big boxes).

While the cauliflower is in the oven, chop up your sweet potatoes and have a pre-dinner snack of pickles .  Only three though -- don't spoil the appetite.

I did not have three large sweet potatoes --  I had one large, one medium and one medium to small, and it was just fine.  Throw 'em in the pot with the chicken broth, water and bullion.

Add the diced onion.  I lessened the garlic powder amount to just under 1 tbsp, which was delicious, but plenty.  I also added black pepper, because I love black pepper.

Cook as directed!  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer whilst the potatoes get soft.  I made use of the cooking time by doing a quick vacuum of the apartment, mostly because when you cut cauliflower, it makes a freakin' mess!

Meanwhile, pull your cauliflower out of the oven to cool off a bit.  Sneak a bite -- it's worth it.

And a little closer up...

Worth the extra large image.  So yum!

Once the potatoes are ready, you are supposed to add the cauliflower and divide into two parts, blending one of them.  I decided to add only half the cauliflower and blend the whole thing.  I knew I wanted cauliflower chunks, but didn't really want sweet potato chucks.  I used my amazing immersion blender and it was cake!

I didn't have chives or flax seed, so those didn't make the cut, but I added the remaining cauliflower to the soup and served it up!  Now, I knew I was going to like the cauliflower chunks a lot, so I specifically searched for them when pouring my bowl.  I figured, at the very least, I could also pick up some more, roast that and add it later.  (And now I know for next time to get two heads of cauliflower).

And here it is!

Also worth the extra large image.

I curled up with my bowl of soup, some white wine and The Trip, a very funny movie that I was able to stream with my Netflix account.  Here's a great clip.

It was so, so tasty.  Plus, now I have lunch made for the rest of the week.

I'll definitely be making that again.

WAH/WSH (Thanksgiving)

...And that, my friends, is what they call a break in blogging!  To be fair, Dad picked me up Tuesday night to head to Camp (sweet!) and I didn't get back home until Sunday around 5 p.m.  It was like a vacation!  That said, I had an ambitious plan to get lots done, and while it was still a productive few days, I wanted to do more.  Oh well. 


So without further ado, the list of things that happened over the holiday week/weekend. 
- Christmas Cards - done!
- Tasty lentil soup - made!
- Good wine - shared!
- Far too many Manhattans - drank!
- A lazy day of board games - played!
- Too much pumpkin pie - eaten!
- Oyster scald at Kamp Kerns - success!
- Ridiculous Cherpumple thing - constructed!
- Becket's Christmas Gift - started!


The things that did not get done:
- Any one else's Christmas gift - yikes!

Also, so we're all on the same page,  generally speaking, I won't share pictures of things crafted until after they have been made "public" (i.e. Christmas cards sent; people have opened their gifts, etc.)  Or if it's a home improvement project, I may share in phases, but only when there is tangible progress. 

So for some things, I didn't take pictures (lentil soup), for other's it's too early to share (Christmas cards), but the ridiculous Cherpumple?  Oh, I can share the details.

It all started with inspiration from a wacky TV personality/youtube video found here.  Known as the turducken of desserts, the cherpumple has been a funny to-do on my list for a couple of years now.  So I finally just did it.

Here's what you start with:

Ingredients: An apple pie, a pumpkin pie, a cherry pie, a yellow cake, a spice cake, a white cake, 3 tubs of cream cheese icing, nine eggs and some vegetable oil (to make the cake mixes), a beater, an oven, time and a sense of humor.

I bought McKay's bakery pies, when really I should have bought Sara Lee's frozen ones.  I bet they would have kept their structure a little better.  I could only find a 10" apple pie, so I used that and then an 8" pumpkin and a 8" cherry.  First up was the apple in yellow cake, which would be the base.

Since it was so large, cake batter overflowed in the oven (glad there was a piece of foil on the lower rack already in there!)  Here you can see the apple pie on the bottom rim.  It did not want to stay contained, but I just let it cool and hoped for the best.

One thing to note was that it took a while longer for the cake to cook fully through than the instructions called for (nearly double the time), so about half way through, the top was being cooked unevenly.  Which is when I stuck my gloved hand in the oven to turn the cake pan, and...

The oven got the better of my forearm.  Shoot!  (This picture of the burn was taken five days after the incident.)  Man, I hate being so ditsy sometimes.

Meanwhile, this is how peaceful the cove looked...

And there were lots of cousins having a ball outside the kitchen window...

And a big pre-oyster scald football game...

And then we went up to the Kerns' house, had some oysters, and cut into the final product:

A little closer?

Yeah...I don't know.  Truth be told, I didn't even have a bite!  But Marc said it was good and it does make me want to eat cake (but just cake, not cherpumple).

There was lots of hanging out, so lots of stories and fun things told, but maybe the biggest news of all was this:

Paul and Will got the Fleury family tat after years of planning this brotherly bonding permanent art.  It looks similar to this, although I know Paul spent a very long time on the specific design.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed the days before or after too!  I had a wonderful time with my family, immediate and extended -- although those who were busy hosting elsewhere or just taking some time off were very missed.

Money Matters (DIY Christmas Cards)

I know, I know...it's not even Thanksgiving yet!  But...when you're dealing with crafts, you've got to be ahead of the game.

One thing my family did never really did was Christmas cards.  (Side note: Here's where one of my old sisters or parents will say "Yes, we did.  We just haven't in a long time."  This, my friends, is the unfortunate consequence of being the youngest.  I don't remember the stuff we did as kids, because I was a baby.)  Anyway, we didn't do Christmas cards.  We talked about it and thought up ideas, but never actually made or sent them.

But in my adult life, I get to decide if I am going to send them or not.  And for the last couple of years, I have.  And I really enjoy it. 

I am not terribly good at keeping in touch with friends who live out of town (or, let's be real, even those who are just a little out of sight), but sending Christmas cards reminds me to think of and be thankful for the people in my life.  Most cards go to family, but some to old friends and new friends, and a few past bosses too.  Just a good way to stay in touch.

So this year I decided to make my own Christmas cards.  I finally feel like I have the time to sit down and craft, so why not take advantage and do two things I enjoy -- creating and Christmas Cards!

Plus, the way I am making the cards is cost effective, as I decided to do a postcard style card, so that means less paper and not paying for pre-made cards (although some of the ones out there are awesome)...

I heart Kate Spade.

And you can never go wrong with Caspari.

Truth be told, though, I usually prefer the ones that look a little more homemade anyway.

Like this one, spotted on Curbly?

Oh that Martha Stewart...

I do love using felt in craft projects!

And lest we forget the adorable snowman button card:

We (as a people) need to figure out how to make dot eyes less creepy.  Seriously.



I'll save my finished product until after I've sent them out so readers who will receive one don't have their surprise spoiled (that and I'm making them over Thanksgiving weekend, but the template is done, so give me a break!!)

Maybe a not such a "Money Matters" post, but it will be less expensive than buying the cards, and also the time spent making them is both productive and keeping me from other money spending activities, I say it qualifies!

Home Improvement (Display Shelves)

Well let's start things up with a (very small) apartment update: I hung up my first two pieces of art on the wall on Friday night.  Ta-da!

And actually, since this picture was taken, Dad came over and we decided to move the throw pillows off of the zebra chairs (the chairs were more comfortable without them), and so now they are on the white chairs.  I want to find something small to hang over the thermostat, and then basically that space is done.

But, what isn't even close to done is...

Oh what, you didn't even notice that the mantle display that is more than just lacking or all that other art stacked up on the closed off fireplace or how awkward that mini rug looks?  I didn't think you'd notice.

But I'm talking, specifically, about the area behind the sofa. 

That nook that is practically begging to have shelves installed!

I still need to decide:

a) How to hang the shelves:

Centered and aligned?

Or maybe staggered?

Suggestions or comments?

b) Which shelves I'll buy, although as of now I'm thinking I'll go with basic white Ekby ones from Ikea, and then select some interesting brackets that I can maybe spray paint or just leave as is.

And then the fun stuff...figuring out how to decorate them!



So, [insert trusty sidekick name], to the internet for inspiration!

First step: plan a trip to Ikea!!

Garb Gab (Miuccia Prada - Where Did You Go?)

Let me start by saying that I don't own anything Prada (yet), but that doesn't mean I am not  a big fan of nearly everything that fashion house does.  Even the quirky stuff -- particularly as of late.

Just one example (or 4) from Spring/Summer 2012 - 50s hot rod theme:

And I think Miuccia is a classy lady to boot!

But what the...

Spring/Summer 2013

??!!??

Here's where you can view the entire collection, if you even want to.

I read somewhere the collection was inspired by the Japanese and the 1960s.  I don't know.  Why can't we just go back to good quirky -- like the see-through 2010 season?