Ladybird.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

want.

Danny Roberts is one of my favorite artists. I know once I move to NOLA I am going to decorate my walls with some of his gorgeous prints. But I also really adore a shirt with one of his best paintings, Girls in Glasses.

Gym Gear.

Love this idea. Just bought. Safe Side Towels. One side for your face, one side for the equipment.

[athlete outfitters]

Friday, February 19, 2010

Valentine's Day... in music.

One thing I am completely envious of is JP's music collection. To me, he is the king of all things indy music related, and is always making me mix of songs he thinks I'll like.. and he surprised me with a VDay mix hidden in my car's CD player.

Here's the playlist (I tried to keep them in order.. but JP let me know if they're not). And while they all might not be uber-romatic.. they're beautiful songs to listen to with your honey.

Bag of Seeds -- Curtis Harvey
Basic Space -- The xx
Bizarre Love Triangle -- New Order
Bruises -- Chairlift
The Carolinian -- Chatham County Line
Kiss Me Again -- Jessica Lea Mayfield**
Littlest Things -- Never
My Girls -- Animal Collective
Dance Dance Dance -- Lykke Li
Ring Ring -- Sleigh Bells
Sea of Love -- Cat Power
Summers -- Loney, Dear
These Days -- Nico
You Really Got Me Goin' -- Belaire
Zak and Sara -- Ben Folds

**One of my favorites.. and some great lyrics to go with her sultry voice:

I guess we have to play

the cards we've been dealt.
And I guess I got nothing,
but whatever happens, happens...
'cause my life is falling apart,
Or is it getting better?- I don't know.

Well you can kiss me again if you want,
I don't mind.
Well you can kiss me again if you want,
oh that'd be fine.

No Beans about it.

..at least that was my mentality from about birth until my latest trip to San Antonio. I didn't get much exposure to beans, and when I did.. it looked like this:

[Picture via Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings]

That's not to knock on their version of refriend beans (which actually looks pretty good pre-mash), but this is not really my cup of tea. I can be somewhat of a texture person when it comes to food.. and this is not the best texture to me. Maybe it's a mind over matter thing?

But then I tried charro beans (frijoles). Pinto beans cooked with bacon, onions, peppers, and chiles. They served this in Texas instead of the refried beans at many of the TexMex joints we went to... and it was absolutely delicious.

[picture via Don Cuevas]

So now that I know the reason I don't eat beans is just in the way they're cooked.. I'm looking forward to trying this new recipe this weekend. I'm trying to eat healthier nowadays (and JP doesn't eat meat) so this might be the perfect fit for both of us.

Experiment: Vegetarian Frijoles Borrachos (Drunken Beans) adapted from Aaron Sanchez

Let's try this in the slow cooker!

Materials:
1lb dried pinto beans
3.5 cups of water (or about 2 inches above the beans when placed in the COLD pot)
1 handful of frozen diced white onion
2 scoops of minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 scoop dried oregano
1 bottle dark beer
Salt/pepper to taste

Method:
In the (cold) crock pot, put the beans + water, and cook on high for 3 hours.
Turn heat to low, add the rest of the ingredients and let it all simmer until you're ready to eat.

Probs not the best meal to cook during the workday, but for the weekends, 3 hours is perfect for running errands. I'll let ya'll know how it tastes (and looks!).

Do ya'll have any great bean recipes I should try??

Thursday, February 18, 2010

DWW: I've been slacking edition.

I've been fairly sick for the past few weeks.. so my wardrobe has been less than exciting. But, I have been snapping photos every once in a while.. and here's what we got.

Valentine's Day.
Dress: BCBG (TJMaxx)
Cardigan: Kristen Davis Collection (Belks)
Tights: H&M
Shoes (Coop's hiding them): Aldo -- grey patent leather pumps

I'm sick, but I've got to go to work outfit.
Shirt: UO
Cardigan: H&M
Jeans: Express
Flats: Steve Madden

Average workday attire when it's chilly out.

Shirt: Banana Republic
Cardigan/wrap: Express
Jeans: Sevens
Shoes.. idk.

Night out with Friends, weeknight.

Shirt/Dress: Banana Republic
Snakeskin Leggings: Tart
Necklace: Vintage
Watch: Vintage
Gold Cuff: Danielle Stevens Jewelry

Mardi Gras Feast!

In the spirit of Mardi Gras, I decided to have a very New Orleans-type dinner for JP and friends. On the menu:
-Gumbo
-Blackened Catfish
-Cornbread
-Black beans and rice
-Salad
-and of course -- King Cake

I did the main dishes, both of which (of course) I've never made before.. but I was up for the challenge.

Onto the gumbo: (and I'm sure you can sub shrimp, more hearty veggies for a different/healthier route.. but it is Fat Tuesday, after all.)

[adapted from Gumbo Ya-Ya from Ms. B's Bistro, New Orleans]

Start with a roux. This is the base for your gumbo, and is essential.
-heat 2 sticks of butter (1 cup) until it's melted
-add 2 cups of flour (all purpose)
Stir this frequently at about medium heat until it becomes a medium brown in color (I started off too low of a temp, but it'll take about 45 min or so.. find some good tunes and take this time to clean the kitchen while watching the pot -- if you're me that is haha)

-Add onions, peppers, and celery. (I used the cheapest option for me, flash frozen mixture of all 3 which was labeled for this exact purpose -- adding to a roux). about 3-4 cups of all total
note, the recipe recommends 1 red bell pepper diced, 1 green pepper diced, 1 medium onion diced, and 1 medium celery stick diced.. but the bag is essentially the same thing.

-Let them simmer on medium for about 5 minutes to soften them up
-Whisk in the chicken stock, and bring it all to a boil
-Add 1 TBL Creole Seasoning, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp crushed red pepper, 1 tsp chili pepper, 1 tsp thyme, and a big scoop of garlic
-Lower the temp and let it simmer for about 45 minutes

-In the meantime, take a roasted chicken (whole foods has them for about the same price as reg grocery stores.. but they're organic here!) and pull the meat off it (you'll need about half the chicken, but you can freeze the rest to use in a casserole.. or chicken salad)
-Saute the andouille sausage (about a pound) and discard the oil/fat

-Once it's almost done simmering, add the chicken and sausage for another 15 minutes or so.. and then let it cool down just a bit

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.. but, I still have leftovers, so I will make sure to snap a pic of that to show ya'll. It was delicious!

And now for the catfish (and who knew, I'd like catfish?)
[adapted from Gourmet mag]

-Start with about 1 fillet or so per person (in my case, 3; whole foods)
-Combine the following spices: 2 big scoops of paprika (I don't really measure when it comes to meat rubs), 2 good shakes of oregano, same amount of thyme, a dash (or two) of cayenne pepper, a scoop of salt, a scoop of sugar (regular sized spoons used), and a few turns of the black pepper grinder
-Rub it on both sides of the catfish

-Heat (medium) the pan with some butter, add a scoop of garlic and saute that in the pan for about 2-3 minutes.
-Add the fillets and cook on each side for about 4 minutes (or until it gets flaky)

-Remove from heat, garnish with lemon.. and it's all done!

Additions:

Cornbread, from Scotty

Black beans and rice, from JP

Salad from JV and wine/spirits from Taj (not pictured).

And the King Cake was delicious.. even the 2nd time around! Can't wait to do it again next year in NOLA!

Fall Fashion. Jill Stuart.

I'm dying over these dresses from Jill Stuart's Fall 2010 line.

also.. the boots? yeah. I need them in my closet. (but where would I wear them in Durham..? Don't care.)

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

New Home. New Decor. [walls]

[Apartment Therapy]

[Olivet]

[Apartment Therapy]

I'm really looking forward to actually painting in my new place. I've been moving every year for the past 6 years.. so I'm looking forward to actually staying put and getting an apartment exactly the way I want it.