Letterpress Love!

Lately I've found myself letterpress obsessed! I go through phases of being really into with different types of design, last was textile design, and now I am back into a stationary phase.

Last spring, I took a Letterpress class at a local Arts center to make my own wedding invitations, and it opened my eyes to a beautiful new art form! I have always been big on color and texture, and love simple/cute designs! Mind you letterpress is a complicated (at times even grueling) process, but the end result is totally worth it.

With that said, now I am feeling a little sad that I don't have the money saved up to continue taking advanced letterpress classes. It is a long-term goal of mine to eventually be good enough at it to be able to make and sell custom stationery as a part-time (or even full-time) job.

Here are some pretty holiday projects i've found that are inspiring me to create. *swoon* (and yeah, i get that i am a total nerd!)

credits: elum designs (first 2 photos), moontree press, hello lucky

I'll eventually get around to photographing and posting up my finished wedding invitations, thank you's, and bridal shower thank you's (i hope)....

Fall/Winter Fashion

I have been wishing for a wardrobe makeover for some time, to the extent where I wish that someone would call Stacy & Clinton to humiliate me on national television in exchange for a new $5000 wardrobe. Since I am not at my ideal weight, I use that as an excuse to put off shopping (as it would be a waste to buy new clothes in a larger size, bc then where would the motivation to lose be??) But at the same time, dressing sloppily lends little motivation to look good. So its a catch 22.

But for now I window shop via website, and thought I'd share some of my current fashion loves. When Fall begins, I always feel the desire to dress up more, kind of clean up and look more classic and professional. My job requires little in terms of dress code (I wear jeans and t-shirt most days), but I am starting to think that I should upgrade in the fashion department, because if my bosses perception of me is reflective of my dress code, I must appear to be a lazy slob of an employee.

But the key for me will be finding a good mix - of casual, professional and trendy. Not too business-like, not too sloppy, and not too trendy. Some of the stuff I like this fall/winter...

Boots! i'm really loving the cognac colored boots this year. and Target is about my fav store. ever. so i might have to pick these up.

credit: target

The cardigan. Layering is important in Upstate NY because it is FREEZING 3/4 of the year. I'm also kinda digging some of the plaid that I am seeing this year.

credit: bloomingdale's

Vintage inspired dresses <3>

If i had unlimited funding for my wardrobe, I would buy all of my clothes from modcloth and anthropologie and would be one adorably stylish lady.

photos from modcloth.com

photos from anthropologie

tis the season...

...for pumpkin! i got this recipe from a fellow knottie, and i made them with my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe from allrecipes.com. I brought these to a dinner at my sisters house and we devoured them.

Pumpkin Cupcakes (recipe from Martha Stewart)

Makes 18

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Banana Crumb Muffins

PREP TIME: 15 Min

COOK TIME: 20 Min

READY IN: 35 Min

Original recipe yield 10 muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (i usually do 1 cup white flour and 1/2 cup wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 bananas, mashed (I bump this up to 3.5)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Farfalle with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream

Recipe from Bon Appétit   | January 2006 

yield: Makes 6 servings

active time: 30 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    *  2 tablespoons olive oil

    * 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed

    * 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

    * 1 cup chopped onion

    * 3 garlic cloves, minced

    * 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree

    * 1/2 cup whipping cream

    * 1 pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta)

    * 1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil

    * Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and crushed red pepper. Sauté until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer pasta to serving dish. Sprinkle with basil. Serve, passing cheese separately. 

Corn and Bacon Chowder

***Note, we didnt care for the texture of the blended corn. Might be worth try blending other ingredients and leaving all corn whole?***

Prep: 2 minutes; Cook: 14 minutes

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

INGREDIENTS

• 2  bacon slices
• 1/2  cup  chopped celery, onion, and bell pepper
• 4-5 ears of fresh corn, boiled, or 2  (16-ounce) packages frozen baby gold and white corn, thawed and divided
• 2  cups  1% low-fat milk, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Cook bacon in a frying pan on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble and set aside. Add celery mixture and 1 package corn to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Place remaining 1 package corn and 1 cup milk in a blender, and process until smooth. Add pureed mixture to vegetables in pan; stir in remaining 1 cup milk, salt, black pepper, and cheese. Cook over medium heat (do not boil), stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Ladle chowder into bowls. Top each serving evenly with reserved crumbled bacon. Sprinkle with additional black pepper, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 215 (24% from fat)

Fat: 6g (sat 3.1g,mono 1g,poly 0.6g)

Protein: 10.8g

Carbohydrate: 33.6g

Fiber: 3.8g

Cholesterol: 15mg

Iron: 0.8mg

Sodium: 402mg

Calcium: 208mg

Recipe from Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast, Oxmoor House, APRIL 2009

Honey Teriyaki Chicken with Ripe Pineapple Spears and Rice

When i make asian food, i try to choose recipes that include ginger because of its health benefits, but kevin tends to think every dish i make that uses ginger tastes the same. This recipe is one where there are enough other flavors working with the ginger to not give it an exclusive ginger taste. this is the best Rachel Ray recipe i have tried so far...

it took me 2 tries to make this recipe due to an unexpected ginger peeling accident. i now have a nice notch out of the corner of my finger. Be careful with sharp peelers, people!

Honey Teriyaki Chicken with Ripe Pineapple Spears and Rice

Original recipe from Rachel Ray

Cook Time: 25 mins
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook Time: 25 min
Total: 40 min

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bags boil-in-bag rice
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
  
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Vegetable oil, for drizzling
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth or water
• 1-inch ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 ripe pineapple

Directions

Preheat a grill pan or large griddle over medium high heat.

Bring water to a boil for rice. Cook rice for 8 minutes and drain. Set rice balls on a plate and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

While your rice is cooking, lightly coat chicken with oil, salt and pepper. (pound super-thick chicken so that is doesn't take forever to cook). Place chicken on hot grill and cook 6 minutes on the first side.

While chicken is cooking, bring chicken broth and ginger to a boil. Stir in honey. When honey has dissolved into broth, add teriyaki sauce and sesame oil and reduce heat to simmer.

Turn chicken and coat liberally with honey teriyaki sauce using a basting brush. Cook chicken 4 minutes, turn again and baste liberally again with sauce, then cook 2 minutes longer. Remove chicken to a plate. Garnish chicken with sliced scallions.

Continue cooking sauce to thicken. drizzle chicken with more sauce if desired.

Slice pineapple into bite-sized chunks. Serve alongside chicken and rice, and steamed broccoli.

American Lasagna

Recipe from Allrecipes.com
makes: 4 servings
prep time: 30 mins
cook time: 1 hour 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 6 dry lasagna noodles
• 1 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
4. Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x9 inch square baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I had some fresh parsley on hand so i topped mine with that, and served with some frozen cheesy garlic bread.

End of Summer

This weekend is Labor Day ALREADY! With the wedding and craziness surrounding it, I feel like I paid so little attention to summer. It just seemed to slip away so quickly this year. I think this is the first summer within my existence that i haven't had even an ounce of tan or sunburn (although that is probably a healthy thing!). Regardless, there are a few things that I still feel like I need to do before the weather changes. Here's my list... what's on yours?

• have a picnic in the park

• take a walk on the pier

• go out for ice cream

• watch the sunset from my balcony

• have a happy hour with my siblings

• take some nature pics

• get in as much outdoor exercise as possible!!!

Name Change progress!!

FINALLY!! After 2 months of marriage, 1 lost marriage license (lost in the mail) and 1 miswritten marriage certificate (they transcribed the date wrong), I was finally able to get the correct documents and visit the social security office and DMV. Now the next waiting game begins, for the SS card, new license, registration and car title!!!

Now I am just hoping that I don't look like a complete doofus on my new license. I opted for the new photo since my last one was taken on my 21st birthday, nearly 5 years ago. The DMV lady asked me to ok the new picture on the little screen Right after she took it, and the flash totally messed up my eyes, and all i could see what a big blind spot, so i just said it was fine, haha.

Other things left to change. Billing info for:

• electric
• cell phone
• visa card
• checking account
• macys
• jcpenney
• sears
• express

sweet jesus i have a lot of plastic!! i'll be one happy girl when this is all over...

A wonderful weekend of baking

We went to a BBQ over the weekend, and of course I opted to make dessert (my fav!). So I whipped up a batch of one of my old favorites... Everything bars!!, and thought I'd share the recipe...

Everything Bars

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

3\4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

3\4 cup butterscotch chips

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press crumbs into bottom of 9x13-inch baking pan.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over crumb mixture and spread to cover (be careful not to break up the crust). Layer evenly with chocolate chips butterscotch chips and nuts. Cover with coconut. Press down lightly with a fork.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cool until firm. Cut into desired sized bars.


I also made some basic boxed brownies, so needless to say i suffered from some stomach aches this weekend. Ohh the hard life of being a taste-tester...

Newlyweds: nearly 8 weeks in

So this friday it will be 8 weeks since our wedding. I am quite convinced that I am the only person who got married in June and still hasn't received their pro pics back. I guess I shouldn't complain because I've seen a few teasers online... and my photographers are awesome... I'm just a huuuge picture person, so I am super antsy and excited to see the rest. I guess the longer it takes the more convinced i am that some freak thing happened and they lost the rest of our pics and are afraid to tell us, but yeah, i'm sure touching up just takes a while.

I am attempting to pick this blog back up in hopes of recording bits of my life as a newlywed, as well as my attempts at creativity... between cooking, home decorating, designing and photographing...