Vintage stylings.

My style lately has evolved from when I was in college into being more vintage inspired. Here's some of the latest dresses (found on Etsy) that I'm loving.

Biking to work..

It's true that when I originally starting biking to work, I believed it was out of necessity. Living 2 miles away from work had its perks, however, since I worked at the hospital, the employee parking was 2 miles in the opposite direction as where I lived. Driving to the parking lot (which was an overpriced surface lot) and busing it in took about 30minutes.. the same amount of time I could walk it. After 2 (yes two) scooters being stolen.. I decided to buy a bike. A white Trek commuter. Brown leather trim, and just my size.

Let it be known, months 1 and 2 of riding was hell. You don't realize how many hills there are until you're working your ass off to make it up them. But it got easier, and I got more savvy with the road and navigating around cars (only once have I been knocked off my bike.. and into a bush. great.). And now, I love it. Especially on mornings like this one, where I had to be on the road at 6am, no cars in sight, and it was a very cool for being the end of July. Me and my thoughts, planning my day.. and chilling out before work. It feels very urban..

..and then there's a huge road block because someone is getting arrested on the sidewalk.. typical Durham morning. There's nothing like it.

UO Furnishings I love..

I'm moving into a new (somewhat smaller) apartment next week, still in Durham. I've been quite spoiled in my current apartment with a fireplace (unused), personal washer/dryer, granite countertops, and all new appliances.. all wrapped in the perfect loft apartment downtown. We've had some good times.. however, all the amenities come with a fairly high price which takes a paycheck and a half to pay for.. so it's time to move on.

My new pad will need some strict utilization of every little open space.. but before I spend a ton of time looking into storage items.. I wanted to treat myself to some of the cute things Urban Outfitters have for the apartment.

The New Love of My Life

Meet Cooper, the artist formerly known as Tyrone/Boomer. He's a boxer, with a tad of bulldog mixed in. Super mellow, a bit intimidating looking (or so says Durham random guys as I'm walking him), and really affectionate.

We've been going through a bit of adjusting, but last night, was perfect. We went from whining and barking all night, like the first night I got him. Then the next night was a little better.. and last night, about a week after I got him.. silent night. Sleep like that was glorious.

One issue? Jumping on/lunging at dogs (and especially cats). The barking has ceased, but he still picks on others.. which we're working on. He has a pretty gnarly pinch collar that's been working, but progress is slow. At least I know he'll protect me, I guess.

Adventures in first time dog owning to follow, because I really have no idea what I'm doing.

Market Week?

One of the reg food blogs [eat. make. read] I've been reading had this great idea: Market Week. The idea? Get all your groceries from the farmer's market, and plan/make 5 meals from your ingredients. For me, this seems like a little overwhelming type task.. but its def something I could get into. Last summer, I loved exploring the farmer's market and trying what the locals have grown.. so I think this is something that I can def get into.

So for next Saturday -- hoping the weather is nice -- I will head to the market and challenge myself to try some new dishes with the local ag.

Strawberry Dumplings -- Summer Fruit Future Experiment

As I was browsing through my google reader -- I came across this in The Kitchn blog.. and cannot wait to try this recipe out (compliments of Gourmet). I'm obsessed with strawberries.. especially now that summer has rolled around, and want to get some from the farmer's market asap. Yum.

Experiment: Beer Bread with Wheat Flour

From the CSA (community shared agriculture) I was in last fall, I received some fresh wheat flour from the farm. It looked great.. and I got 2 pounds. Pretty stoked. I haven't gotten to use it much since wheat flour is said to have much more gluten in it (higher protein = more gluten output), which results in a denser baked good. I decided to test it out with a little beer bread -- the easiest of the breads as far as I'm concerned.

The recipe came from here, and is as simple as can be:
3 cups flour (I used wheat, but they suggest all-purpose)
1TBSP of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1TBSP baking powder
12oz of beer --> 1 reg can.. but if you buy a tall boy, you'll have some left to drink ;)

Mix the dry ingredients together -- then add the beer. Mix until smooth(ish), then pour in and bake at 350 for about 35-45 min (My oven runs hot, so I tend to cook for a shorter time).

The wheat bread made a delicious, yet flat (as you can see) bread. It was a tad crumbly, but add butter on top, and it's great. Def dense, but b/c it was so easy, what do I care?

Next time, I'll prob use all-purpose.. and add some mix-ins. Choc chips? Herbs? I'll go wild.

Newest Addition to the campsite: Nutella and Banana additions to S'mores.

First of, I'm obsessed with The Kitchn blog. They have great ideas and answer questions that I've always been dying to know about food.

Check this: a new way to dress up s'mores. I feel a dinner party dessert in the works...

Vintage Inspiration: Home Decor

Lately, I've been obsessed with Etsy and all that it has to offer. These are some of my latest vintage purchases, and I hope I find the perfect place for them around my apartment.

S$'s Surprise Birthday Party Menu OR good-thing-the-guests-were-drinking menu.

To my defense, this was my first LARGE dinner party in my small little kitchen. I had about 20 or so guests, and was a little too ambitious with my menu:
-cheese platter, with nuts, spicy chutney, crackers, grapes.. the works
-garlic pasta salad
-green beans
-corn/black bean salsa
-steak
-salmon (provided by the guest of honor's wonderful mother Cynthia)
-zucchini/squash casserole (also by Cynthia)
-bread -- which right now I realized I left in the oven (with the oven off.. but warm from the steak to warm it..) 4 days later. great.
-caesar salad..

Overwhelming is a slight understatement -- but it ended up being worth it! She was completely surprised and a ton of her favorite people were there to celebrate with her! Even our best friend Rach, all the way from Asheville. How lucky were we?!

The picture is of the steak that I WISHED I would have made.. however, what did come out was an overcooked tough piece of meat. Things that I need to do next time:
-put the batteries BEFORE cooking in the meat thermometer
-cook at a LOW temp, for a long time. 350 for an hour, with 6 pounds of flank steak was a little too much
-don't forget the chimichurri sauce -- Now I have a fridge full of mint leaves.

When life gives you mint, make mint juleps?

Recipe for the steak here . yum.

One thing that was a huge hit:
Lemonade Pomegranate Punch
-1 gallon of chik-fil-a lemonade (the best)
-1 bottle of pomegranate liquor
-1 bottle of raspberry vodka

Pour over ice in cups -- party. hit.