...and we're off!

The packs are (almost) packed.  The passports are ready for a new stamp.  The dog is thoroughly confused.  In just a few hours, we'll be leaving the 14.5 inches of snow that is still piled on the ground and heading to our warmer, tropical destination.  Hasta Luego!

Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy New Year to all!

*Recipe* Momofuku Crack Pie (Gluten Free)

Ohboyohboyohboy.
This thing is amazing. 

Momofuku, which means 'lucky peach', is a totally hip bakery with four locations throughout New York.  I was watching The Today Show one morning when they featured a few of their desserts and I became totally enamored.  So, last night, I made the Momofuku Crack Pie, gluten free, for tomorrow night's holiday party.  It.  Is.  Todiefor.  And it sells for $44/pie in the store.  Whaaaaaat?!

Warning: I was way too excited to remember to take pictures on a consistent basis.

Momofuku Crack Pie

The recipe says it makes 2-10inch pies but I made a 9x13 pan for Crack Bars instead.

COOKIES

• 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour (I used Pamela's Baking Mix)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup rolled oats (Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats)

Preheat oven to 375.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium mixing bowl.

In a larger bowl, or your standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until incorporated.

Continue mixing while slowly adding dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Then gently fold in oats.

Spread batter into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

Then crumble cookie to use for the crust.
CRUST

• Cookies (see above)
• 1/4 cup butter ( I had to add another tablespoon of butter to make the crust stick together)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix crumbled cookies, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a food processor. If you use a blender, do a few smaller batches by pulsing to grind until evenly blended. The mixture should hold together when squeezed between your fingers. Then press the crust into your pie tins/baking dish. Set aside.
FILLING

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon milk powder
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 egg yokes
• powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, whisk sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Add melted butter, then whisk in heavy cream.

Add vanilla and whisk in egg yokes gently so you don't add too much air.

Pour filling into the pie shell or pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 325 and bake until the center is giggly (but not runny) and golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack.

(this is what happens when you whisk in too much air)

(this is what happens when you overcook)

Chill completely and dust a little powdered sugar over the top.  Enjoy!

And now my bars are ready for the party!

This, seriously, is one of the best desserts I've ever made.

Interest in Pinterest

Have you heard of Pinterest?  It's an online pinboard where you can organize your favorite things.  Between house decor, recipes, wedding ideas, clothes or anything else you're interested in, you "pin" your favorites to a "board."  You can share your board, follow other boards and generally share the best of the web in your area of interest. 

Sounds intriguing, no?  So one slow day at work, I mentioned my curiosity (led by an urgent email from a certain Mrs. Valorz that I MUST SIGN UP!!!) to my crafty co-worker (shout-out to the party planner herself, Mrs. D. Shulman!) who immediately encouraged me to take the plunge.  So I did.  And I played around with it for an hour or so.  Until I got bored.  And I haven't gone back since.

Until now.

I had dinner with my favorite Altitude ladies the other night and Pinterest came up during our dinner conversation.  I was told that Pinterest was "made" for me.  Well, if that doesn't make me want to take another shot at it!  So I am announcing to you, my faithful blog followers, that I am embarking on a new Pinterest journey beginning today.  I'll let you know how it goes :) 

Are you on Pinterest?  Any tips/suggestions/comments about it?  I'd love to hear!

'Tis the Season

I love Christmas.  I love Christmas lights.  I love garland.  I love holiday music.  I love the holiday cheer.  I do not love the Salvation Army but that's a whole 'nother story.  So when The Mister and I returned from our Thanksgiving trip (shout-out to Goldie!) and took the puggle on a walk around the neighborhood, I realized that I was jealous of all the happy families who were outside hanging lights and decorating their house.  This being our first year of home ownership, I haven't had to deal with the every-other-house-on-the-street-is-decorated-except-ours syndrome.  Yes, it is a syndrome, as confirmed by my other Jewish homeowner girlfriends.

So, without discussing my decorating plans with anyone, I purchased this:

Isn't it pretty?!  I think it is the perfect wreath to give our home a little bit of holiday spirit.  I excitedly waiting for The Mister to get home and see our new decor.  Unfortunately, he didn't respond as expected.  "What's with the Christmas wreath on the door?"  Ummm, what?  Argument ensued as we debated whether or not a wreath is a Christmas symbol and therefore appropriate for our Jewish home.  In my frantic state, I pulled out all of our Hanukkah decorations and strew them throughout the house, least there be any doubt:

(notice the two menorahs)

We finally had to go to the ultimate source, MIL, who confirmed that a wreath is a wreath, not a Christmas wreath. Phew.  Not that we cleared that up, out came the decorative balls to fill the vase :)

And one last shot of our beautiful wreath!

The next-door neighbor's skating penguin display has nothing on us!

In conclusion, The Mister is beyond thrilled that he doesn't have to deal with Christmas lights, I am loving our limited decor - although I'm sure the Hanukkah collection will grow over the years - and we are thoroughly enjoying seeing holiday decorations on other homes.  Oh, and by the way, Anthropologie has the greatest tree ornaments... just in case any of you are looking.

DIY Headboard

I know, I know.  I've been sucking at the blog lately.  But I promise the next post is going to very thought-provoking!  Until then, as promised, I've included the steps to my DIY Headboard that is so proudly displayed in the guest bedroom - which recently hosted it's first post-renovation guest!

The materials are very simple: I purchased a wooden frame typically used to stretch canvas from the local art supply store, a staple gun, 1 yard of fabric and some batting.  That's it.  Picking out the fabric was the hardest part so after I became completely overwhelmed I went for black.  Kudos to you if you're not scared of patterns!

The wooden frame was actually harder to put together than it looked.  Luckily, I found a mallet in the garage that did the trick... or broke it... I'm not sure yet... :)

After the frame is together, staple the batting:

And THIS is how you know when you've purchased the wrong size staples!

Luckily I was able to hammer them in a bit further.
After the batting, do the same thing with the fabric:

Voila!  You now have a headboard!

Fabric headboards are so expensive so this is a great alternative to purchasing.  With a nicer, patterned fabric and a little more batting to make it thicker, nobody will ever know that you made it yourself!  Good luck!

*Recipe* Cumin-Scented Quinoa & Black Rice

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!  The Mister and I spent a fabulous few days in sunny Austin, Texas enjoying the mid-70 degree weather and lots 'o family time.  We had 18 people gathered around the Thanksgiving linner (lunch + dinner) table and ate to our hearts content.  MOB, per usual, created a spectacular feast that not only accommodated my vegetarianism but also worked with my newly acquired gluten-free lifestyle.  This dish, however, was clearly the hit of the meal.  To say it is amazing would be an understatement.  It is amazingly delicious.  Seriously.  Without further ado, I present:

*Cumin-Scented Quinoa & Black Rice*

6-8 Servings

½ cup short-grain black rice

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed well

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp. kosher salt

4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. cumin seeds

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp. 1-inch pieces chives

Freshly ground black pepper & kosher salt

1 avocado, peeled, pitted

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Bring rice and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine quinoa, bay lead, ¼ tsp. salt, and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return quinoa to hot saucepan. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf, fluff quinoa with a fork, and transfer to a large bowl.

Heat 2 tbsps. oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add to quinoa. Add rice; mix well.

Stir in remaining 2 tbsps. oil, fresh lemon juice, cilantro, parsley and chives.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut avocado into wedges. Serve salad with avocado and lemon wedges.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Pugsley!

On July 22, 2007, I adopted an abandoned puggle (pug/beagle) puppy from the Boulder Humane Society.  They guessed that he was about 7-8 months old and named him Pugsley.  Today, we celebrate the little puggle wuggle turning 5!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Pugsley!

You're still just as cute with a few gray hairs :)

Pugsley will be having a birthday celebration this evening with his aunties, Katie and Spring, at his Grandparents' house.  That's right, we're abandoning him on his birthday to head to Austin, TX for Thanksgiving.  I don't think he'll have a problem getting cozy in his vacation home...

Love.This.

We spent this past weekend in glorious Breckenridge, CO and had quite a bit of time to explore the town.  During our afternoon jaunt, we discovered one of the coolest toy stores I've ever seen.  Granted, the only toy store I really remember is Toys R Us so there wasn't much to compare to, but this place was amazing.  From every fake-food combination imaginable for your play kitchen to tutu's and giant stuffed animals, who would have thunk this place would be in a small mountain town? 

And then I found this. 

It is for sale and was hanging in the middle of the fake-food/dolls area.

(Please forgive my amateur photo skillz)

Is this not the coolest chandelier you've ever seen?!

I immediately starting picturing it in a children's play room and starting taking pictures like a crazy tourist.  I.Love.This.

The Big Reveal

I know you've all been holding your breath about this new project so exhale deeply because here she is!  To Mom, Dad, Devon, Katie, Yael, Pat and anyone else who has stayed in our Indy guest room, prepare to be amazed...

When we first moved, our guest room consisted of my old double bed, a black nightstand from The Mister's bachelor days and a ugly brown dresser with gold hardware that I bought for $20 on Craigslist in 2005.  Nothing matched.  There was nothing hanging on the 11" walls and ... well ... the window was broken. 

Before: (how inviting!)

Not sure what I was thinking but I failed to take a Before picture of the dresser.  Here it is, mid-renovation, after it was painted black and got new, pretty hardware.

...and...

The walls were painted Light French Gray, which turned out a little more blue than expected.  The Mister had to help with the top part of the ceiling and above the closet.

AFTER:

What you're looking at:
* I made a headboard (which I'm super excited about and will blog a how-to in a future post).
* The bedspread, $20 from Ikea, is actually a duvet cover but I just put the old quilt inside of it.
* Perfect blue pillow from Ross for $7.99
* The 2 b&w pictures above the bed are from Home Goods.  I love them! (Thanks, SIL, for the birthday gift card!)
* We added a Wall of Frames above the newly black dresser. Each frame has a b&w picture of people(s) dancing from our wedding.  I love the happiness in every photo. 
* We got new windows. In the whole house. They're beautiful. And not broken.
* Yes, that is the same $20 dresser.

I seriously love this room.  Yes, we still need to add a few items - like something on top of the dresser - but it's beautiful.  The Mister said it was "tight."  That's a pretty big compliment. 

One last photo... Pugsley wants to know who is going to be the first to sleep here?

When The Husband's Away...

The Mister went away for the weekend.  The whole weekend.  He left me.  And Pugsley.  And a Home Depot, Michaels, Art Supply Store, and Ikea accessories all within reach.  You know what that means?!  It's time to get my craft on!

After one night's work, I have my first big project complete.  I don't want to ruin the surprise quite yet so I'm going to share a teaser instead.  I bought my first tool tonight.  I'm pretty proud of myself.  Here she is:

FUN!!!

Okay, that's enough of a teaser for now.  You'll see the complete overhaul when it's finished on Sunday and I'm so excited to share the pictures. 

In the meantime, let's chat about Halloween.  Yes, we carved pumpkins - but only because we like to roast the seeds.  But now that we're in the 'burbs, I feel like we need to do a little more than "nothing" in terms of decorating.  So, during my weekly excursion to Michael's, I found a package of fake spider webs.  Done.  Easy.  Everyone has them, how hard can it be.... gulp.

How embarassing is this?

Seriously. Worst.Spiderweb.Ever.  We tried to untangle it and make it look good but just couldn't accomplish such a task.  We did use a few cute spiders though:

The spider web is now hanging on our front door lifelessly due to a recent snow store and new window operation (!!!!!!!!!!!) but I'm too scared to go outside and attempt to redo the web.  Oh well... we tried... kind of...

Tale of a Cold Puggle

+

=

("Are you kidding me?")

It's now been 14+ hours since our little puggle wuggle has stepped outside.  That can't be good for the bladder but he has apparently taken on an aversion to snow.  Can't say I blame him...

*Recipe* Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Until I'm able to properly articulate my disappointment in our wedding photos, I'm going to stick to lighter topics... such as my favorite pumpkin cookie!  I love pumpkin.  I'll even eat it straight out of the can if you let me.  Add a little sugar and I'm even happier!  I've made these for the past several years and they're guaranteed to be a party pleaser.  This, friends, is what I'll be baking this afternoon:


Iced Pumpkin Cookies


Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Under Construction

I decided it is time for a change so please hang on until I can catch up with technology.

Thanks!

Drumstick (? - 2011)

Meet the drumstick.

He is by far the most disgusting toy that Mr. Pugsley has ever dug up from the overgrown forest that is our backyard.  The drumstick not only has a face with a creepy grin, but a squeaker as well which means that this precious novelty quickly became Pugsley favorite trinket.  The drumstick attempted to sit on the couch with us on several occasions only to be shot down because we have no idea how many diseases this thing is carrying from being in the backyard for goodness-knows-how-long.  We let Pugsley enjoy his new friend but I am pleased to announce that drumstick has moved on to the trash can.  Finally.  You see, after Pugsley shows his love for the toy, he turns to dominant behavior and must.destroy.them.   So once the drumstick started appearing in pieces throughout the house, it was time to throw the creepy grin away.

Yes, this was blog-worthy.  I can't tell you how happy I am.

Best Bridal Deal EVERRRRRR

Seriously.  This post required 6 R's in the title, it's that big of a deal.

Unless you don't like pretty dresses, fashion or weddings, you've probably heard about Priscilla of Boston.  Growing up, I thought that this was THE place to get a wedding dress.  I remember making the long drive up from Colorado Springs to Denver to do some shopping with my mom.  We headed to the ritzy Cherry Creek neighborhood and stumbled upon a beautiful brick building on the corner with a wide, steep staircase leading up to a Priscilla of Boston store.  The store was closed, of course, so we normal folk weren't able to step in and have a look around so my mom and I peered through the windows admiring all of the white inside.  Isn't it funny the stories that we remember?

Well I hope you're sitting down... because they're going out of business.  Sad day in the world of beautiful dresses but rockin' news for all of you brides out there who haven't yet purchased your dress!  If I were still planning my wedding, I'd be down there in a heartbeat trying on this gown:

or this one:

or this one:

or perhaps this one:

PoB was actually the very first place I went when I started my dress search.  I tried on a lot of dresses (none of the above, unfortunately) and my mom and I felt like royalty the entire time we were shopping!

Run, don't walk.   And bring your friends because their bridesmaid dresses start at just $35!!!

Ahhhh the possibilities!