Vanity Desk - revamped.

I have been looking for a vanity desk for months, and finally found this on Craigslist.  It was $65 but needed a little attention.  I thought a good cleaning would be enough, but I found some imperfections that would benefit from a paint job.

I actually started with the knobs I found at Anthropologie (on sale for $2.95 each!).  I picked out a neutral Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey, and chose a medium blue under coat (Behr Warm Spring).  I also used some leftover yellow paint I had on the inside of the drawers to brighten them up and add a splash of color.

The chalk paint uses a different technique, but I really love how it turned out.  I sanded the edges to expose some of the blue and sealed the whole thing with Annie Sloan Soft Wax in clear.  It took a few coats of paint, chalk paint, and wax, but overall I think it was a successful experiment!

Homemade Giardiniera.

So.  I eat giardiniera like it's a side dish, not a condiment or topping.  I can eat way too much, way too fast, and I get really excited about it.  I decided to give this a whirl and I used a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, shutterbean.

I cut the vegetables large, and I only used cauliflower, carrots, and celery, omitting the red and yellow peppers and onions to keep it super simple.  It was super-easy, and after 24 hours it was already delicious.  I can eat the entire recipe in about 3 days if I don't have to share.  I also threw in some hardboiled eggs, so we'll see how this rogue egg-pickling experiment goes....

Vintage Pyrex Labware.

So I loved chemistry labs in college, partially because all of the cool and oddly shaped glassware.  Over the last few months I've started a small collection of Pyrex lab glass.  So far I have four pieces and the most I've paid is $10 (for the ball flask with the cool stopper).  A graduated cylinder, test tube, and then some crazy small flask with a neat glass cover round out the collection. Sitting next to my dad's senior picture, I think we have successfully reached the nerd quotient on this particular shelf.

Quinoa + Pyrex = TGFB

Check out this concoction that looks so amazing in a Pyrex fridgie.  My friend Brandi introduced me to this idea of mixing quinoa with stuff, and she gifted me this vintage blue Pyrex piece too.  So this post is an ode to Brandi.  Thank Goodness For Brandi!

1 cup of quinoa

1-1 ¼ cups chicken stock (can use vegetable stock)

1 package frozen vegetables (I use Kroger brand Italian Mix)

1 container TJ’s Bruschetta

2 Dr. Praeger's California veggie burgers

Crumbled feta

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions, using stock in place of water.

Brown veggie burgers in a sauté pan until brown and crispy, crumble in pan and continue warming for a minute or two.

Add frozen veggies and bruschetta to quinoa.  Cover, turn to low, and let simmer for 5-7 minutes or until veggies are warmed through.  Toss in crumbled veggie burgers.

Portion out and top with crumbled feta.

This is super simple, can easily be vegetarian, and is really flexible.  I make this every week and this is my favorite version, but I’ve also made this using leftover frozen veggies (broccoli, green beans, peas), fresh veggies that need to get used up, and I’ve also used halved cherry tomatoes instead of the bruschetta, and it always turns out great.

sweet paul soup.

Do you know about Sweet Paul?  It's a food-lifestyle-craft magazine that was born from a popular blog.  How exciting is that?!?  Any-who, I got this recipe link in my most recent Sweet Paul email, and it's decidedly become my Oscar dinner recipe.....  The lead photo is from Sweet Paul (so profesh) and the one below is mine.  I added some shrimp for protein, and used Sambal Oelek instead of Sriracha.  Now it's time for the movie Super Bowl.  Let's go Argo.

Motivation

So my super friend Lori started an amazing food blog, Foxes Love Lemons, and it is delish.  I love it, and she has inspired me to make more of an effort with my own blog.

I went to a few antique shops today, in hopes of finding some cool things to write about.  I came across these vintage accent pillows.  Check them out!  They are baby fine corduroy and each one is a different color and pattern.  They are in perfect condition, and the round ones were $4 each and the roll was $6.  Definitely a super bargain.  They look super in my guest bedroom too.  Boom.

Christmas tree 2012.

So here is my tree, complete with some presents.  This was all finished the end of November but man, there is so much to do it took me this long to post it.  Merry Christmas!