Styling a Bar Cart

Since we purchased our first home 6 months ago, I've been far more interested in styling my house rather than my attire.  (And I'm sure that when we have a baby one day, I'll be styling him/her rather than my house-- notice a pattern here?)  So, I thought that I may as well share some photos of my recently styled bar cart... even though there are a million of them already floating around Pinterest.

I woke up this morning with a major urge re-style this cart immediately.  I know, it's weird.  And since I'm on a major budget right now (teacher's don't get paid when they aren't working!), I took a quick trip to the grocery store to stock up on some items.  Everything else, I already had.

I bought this cart several years ago at a great store called Three Potato Four.  One day, I plan on asking my dad to help me repaint it.  He does auto body, so he can simply spray a new color for me.  In the mean time, I'm kind of a fan of this bold green.

This glass bowl and blue tray are from Ikea, and the vintage bottle that I'm using as a vase was actually found in the ground!  These glasses are from a local antique store.  They were a present for my husband because he's such a big fan of trains (no, I'm not married to a 7 year old).

This vintage shaker and the glass decanter are pieces from Erik's grandparent's house.  The table and chairs are part of a dinette set that came from my grandparents.  My favorite part about decorating our home is having great memories from family heirlooms.  Even the smallest items can carry so many special memories.

  

For now, this area of our kitchen is almost complete.  I'm planning to move this chandelier eventually, to somewhere small, like a hallway or the laundry room, and add a larger light fixture to this space.  I also have to refinish the table and chairs and add a large area rug.  I was planning to refinish the furniture this summer, but I'm trying to decide whether or not to paint the chairs (or table) a bright color.  I really want to add color in this room from the chairs, but I'm afraid that I might regret altering the natural wood.  I've been considering going with a green similar to the bar cart... any suggestions?

Clock, Blue Vase, Flower Pot, Frame, Blue Tray, Glass Bowl, Curtains, Chandelier: Ikea

Salt and Pepper Birds: Chirp Collection from Lenox

Glassware, Table Runner, Silver Tray: Vintage

Vintage Map of NJ: Urban Sherpa via Etsy

Chevron Coasters: Ark Restoration via Etsy

Bar Cart: Three Potato Four

Wood Blinds: Home Depot

Mirror: Home Goods

Summer Gnocchi Caprese

I've been making this dish every summer for the past few years but I usually don't bother with it during the winter months because using fresh tomatoes and basil is essential.  This caprese salad-meets-gnocchi idea started with the abundance of tomatoes I was getting every August.  It's one of those dishes that's very simple but high quality ingredients are essential.  Use fresh gnocchi (or make your own), and splurge on some good mozzarella.  If you aren't growing your own tomatoes this summer, hopefully your grocery store is stocking up on all of the local farmer's beautiful produce.

I prefer to cook minimally during the hottest parts of summer, and so the only reason to use your stove is to boil the fresh gnocchi for 2 minutes.  Everything else is prepped and kept raw, with the exception of the grilled chicken.

• 2 lbs. gnocchi
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 packed cup of fresh basil
• chopped parsley to taste
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped (you may want to core them slightly to remove excess water)
• 2 Tbsp. grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiana 
• 1 lb. fresh mozarella, diced into 1" cubes
• salt and pepper to taste

In your food processor, blend the garlic, olive oil, Pecorino Romano, fresh basil and parsley thoroughly.  You want to make sure that the garlic is minced as finely as possible because it won't be cooked.

Next, add the chopped tomatoes and pulse the food processor just a few times to chop the tomatoes to your liking.  Personally, I prefer to not over-blend the fresh tomatoes.

Boil and drain the gnocchi, then mix it thoroughly into the fresh tomato sauce.  Afterwards carefully fold in the diced mozzarella pieces.  Top with some additional Pecorino Romano.

If you're eyeing up the "chicken" on the side of my plate, I used Quorn's chik'n cutlets.  They were marinated for about an hour in olive oil, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, a chopped clove of garlic and a tablespoon of chopped onion.  I grilled them for a few minutes on each side, and they were ready to serve.  This recipe would also work with real chicken breasts, but why not do a meat-free protein?  (It's seriously delicious!)

PS. This was not a sponsored post.

Arugula & Pear Salad with Lemon Parmigiana Dressing

I recently realized that when my hubby eats my typical boring salads covered in an array of veggies, he says that he doesn't have the same love for vegetables that I do.  He picks over the 20 different veggies that I throw into them, and moves right onto our main course.  However, when we're out at our favorite restaurants, he always enjoys their salad specials.  So I started thinking about some of my favorite salads, and realized that I have to be much more thoughtful with flavor combinations in order to produce something really exciting.

Inspired by many well-loved restaurant salads, here is my new favorite mix:

Salad Ingredients:

• 4 packed cups of arugula
• 1 bosc pear, thinly sliced
• 1 small block of parmigiana (for shaving onto the salad and grating into the dressing)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

 

Dressing Ingredients:

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove of garlic, grated or finely minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. grated parmigiana
• 1 tsp. chopped parsley and lemon thyme
• garlic salt and pepper

In a small bowl, whisk all of the dressing ingredients.  Pour the mixture over the arugula, pear and pine nuts, and toss carefully.  Top with shaved parmigiana (a vegetable peeler works perfectly for this).

While there is certainly no science to creating your favorite salad, I think that adding a sweet element to the strong arugula is a great pairing.  Also, you can never go wrong by investing in some good quality cheese.

Enjoy!

Potato & Bacon Frittata

I have always had a great love for eggs in the morning.  This was probably prompted by my amazing father.  Every school morning, while the girls (my mom, sis and myself) were upstairs getting ready, my father would be making us homemade "Egg McMuffins," McDonalds style.  It was a daily routine I always enjoyed, and the perfect amount of thoughtfulness from a terrific dad.

As the years have passed, eggs are still my favorite morning food.  So a few years ago, when I first discovered frittatas at my favorite Brooklyn bakery, I knew I had to start making them at home.  They are the perfect breakfast or brunch menu item, especially when you are hosting guests.

I have tried a few frittata recipes from online, and have been reasonably happy with all of them.  This past weekend, however, I decided to play my own frittata game in the kitchen.  And with a fridge full of goodies, I filled my counters with lots of great ingredients and went to town.

Total time: approximately 1 hour

• 4 small potatoes (boiled until soft, then cooled and sliced)
• 6 eggs, whisked
• 1 cupped of shredded cheese (I prefer combining cheeses such as cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, monteray jack)
• 1/4 cup of grated parmesan
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped bacon *please consider using Morning Star bacon strips, it gives you all of the great flavor of real bacon!
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/8 cup parsley, chopped
• salt, pepper
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

First, boil 4 small potatoes (I prefer the taste of butter potatoes for this recipe) for 20 minutes, then drain, cool and slice into thin pieces.  To a large, oven-safe pan, add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt.  Saute the chopped onion until it softens, then add the chopped bacon*, garlic, potatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, whisk 6 eggs together (you may want to add a dash of milk) along with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and the chopped scallions.  After the potatoes have browned a bit, pour the egg mixture over the entire pan of potatoes.  Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes without touching or moving the mixture.  Finally, transfer skillet to oven and bake at 375 for approximately 20 minutes.

Winter Sangria

Happy New Year, world!

Although the holiday parties are coming to an end, last night I threw together a winter sangria for a few friends, and thought I'd share the recipe. This is the first time that I attempted any sangria, so I can't wait to play with more recipes and adjust the fruit seasonally!

1 bottle of white wine
1/2 cup apple brandy
1 cups cranberry juice
1 liter of sparkling water
apple slices (I used some Gala and Granny Smith to have both sweet and sour)
1 clementine or orange
2 Tablespoons of sugar
Dash of grenadine

Juice Time

Well, I did it, I jumped on the juicing bandwagon.  This increasingly popular form of veggie-consumption has been something I've been wanting to try for a while, and so I finally caved and made my way to the Macy's basement to pick up a Breville over the weekend.

For me, I'm not interested in replacing meals or fasting.. (truth be told, I don't have the will-power to fast).  I just knew that Erik and I were letting our eating habits slide throughout the past few months, and I wanted to put ourselves in the right direction, especially before the holidays arrive!

Years ago, through most of college, I ate a strictly vegan diet.  And the truth is, I was never healthier.  I felt so much better than I do now, and while I'm not quite prepared to return to that restrictive of a diet, I do want to focus on consuming more amazing veggies..particularly ones that I don't eat regularly (ie. kale, beets..etc.)

So if there are any juicing-pros out there, send me your recipes--please!!  Here are 2 that I tried this weekend and have really enjoyed:

In photo 1: 

1 beet, 2 stalks of celery, 1 large carrot, 2 apples, 1/2" ginger

In photo 2:

5 leaves of kale, 1 handful of spinach, 1 handful of broccoli, 

2 apples, 1 pear, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 lime, 1 handful of grapes, 1 handful of mint

(inspired by Sydney's recipe here)

Summer Quinoa Salad

I've experimented with quinoa and all of its superfood goodness a few times, and I finally reached a favorite recipe!  I mixed many of my favorite summer foods together and found a great dressing for this super easy salad.

• 2 cups cooked quinoa 
• (I cook it in vegetable broth rather than water, just to add some flavor.)
• 1 avocado
• 1 large tomato
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• chopped cilantro and parsley (to taste)
• 1 cup frozen or fresh corn

Dressing:

• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper
• 6 tsp olive oil

*Let the quinoa fully cook before mixing in the other ingredients and adding the dressing.
*Add some chopped jalapeno for a punch!

Italian Wedding Soup

Sunday dinner has become an important part of our weekly routine, and it (almost) always seems to have a lot of Italian influence.  As a kid, I frequented my uncle's grandparents' house on Sundays.  There, I didn't get the normal Eastern European food that my own grandparents served.  Instead, we ate homemade meatballs and pasta... and I'll never forget how tasty it was!

Now that Erik and I are becoming family, his Italian roots have played a major role in our cooking.  For our first date, he made homemade sauce.  The night we got engaged, we had a home cooked Italian dinner, and most Sundays I find myself gravitating towards lasagna, or experimenting with some homemade gnocchi.

This afternoon, I tried out my own version of an Italian Wedding Soup.  (Modified for our animal-friendly taste-buds!)

• olive oil
• 3 carrots
• 1 bunch celery
• 2 medium onions
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• vegetable stock (I used 3 bouillon cubes for this pot)
• Quorn vegetarian meatballs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 box stelline pasta
• 1/2 lb baby spinach

To start the base of the soup, saute the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in olive oil until they have sweat out their moisture.  Add the chopped basil, parsley, Parmesan, pasta and stock, then bring it to a boil.

Next, add the spinach (or escarole) and let the soup simmer for about an hour.   I've noticed that so many soup recipes just tell you to cook the soup for 30 minutes or so, but I don't think this is enough time to get all of the flavor out of the ingredients.  I actually let today's soup cook for over 2 hours.

Separately, I sauteed the veggie meatballs to keep them crispy on the outside.  Don't combine them until you're ready to serve the soup.

Voila!  Don't forget to top your bowl off with a generous portion of Parmesan, and enjoy some crusty bread!

How do you make your wedding soup?  Any major differences?

Apple Cider and a Chiminea

Yesterday was absolutely lovely.  The weather was perfect, and we were overdo for some quality time with our close friends.  We met them in town for a late Italian dinner, then came home and lit up our chiminea in the back yard.  I made some hot apple cider, and we enjoyed a beautiful fall night.  

Here is my made-up recipe for some quick cider on the stove:

Spiced Hot Apple Cider:

-1 gallon apple cider

-zest of 1/2 lemon

-1 Tbsp. ground cloves

-2 Tbsp. brown sugar

-1 cinnamon stick per mug

-1 oz. of rum per mug (optional, of course)

Anyone out there share the love for apples and fire throughout October?

Vest: Gap

Boots: Macy's

Dress & Belt: H&M

Earrings & Bracelets: Loft/Gap

Stuffed Bell Peppers & Creamed Kale

One of my favorite childhood dishes is my mom's stuffed bell peppers.  With a mixture of ground beef and rice, tomato sauce and cheese, it's comfort food, for sure.  Over my past 8 years as a vegetarian, only once did I try to make a veggie version of this dish.  My past mistake was the filling of the peppers.  Veggie beef tastes great, but it is not sticky or moist like real ground beef, so some adjustments need to be made.  Finally, today, I took on the challenge to try making stuffed peppers again.

Here is my own recipe for vegetarian stuffed bell peppers:

• 4 red bell peppers
• 12 oz bag of veggie ground beef (try Morning Star, Boca or Quorn brands)
• 1/2 of a sweet onion
• handful of fresh basil leaves
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Shredded cheese (I used a mix of mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan)
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce

Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and clean out the insides.  Submerge them fully in boiling water, and boil them for 5 minutes just to soften their skins.  

To make the mixture for the peppers, saute the onions with the veggie ground beef, garlic, and basil.  

In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked veggie beef with the rice and mix in the eggs, bread crumbs, 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce, and shredded cheese.  (This is the major difference between the original version and the veggie version of this dish.  I used these ingredients to make the mixture stick together.) 

Stuff the peppers fully with the mixture, then pour the remaining tomato sauce over the peppers.  Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

After the peppers have baked for 45 minutes, remove the cover and add a generous portion of shredded cheese on top of each pepper.

Creamed Kale Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fresh kale
• 3 Tbs. butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper

The most arduous process of making creamed kale is in prepping the kale.  Wash the leaves thoroughly, then cute the spine out of each leaf.  Blanch the leaves for 2 minutes, and submerge in cold water.

Finely chop the kale, then saute the leaves in the butter.  Add 1 cup of heavy cream, and let the kale cook on medium for about 5 minutes.  Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Here are some photos of my end result.  I'm disappointed with the photos, but so thrilled with the taste of these two dishes!  The peppers came out perfectly cooked, and the mixture inside was really flavorful.

Try it!... then let me know what you think.

Mom's Zucchini Bread

Some of my favorite summer memories include daily visits to my grandfather's garden.  My parents shared a yard with them, so my grandparents were my next-door neighbors for my first 18 years. 

Some of my favorite memories include sitting with my sister in the garden and eating cherry tomatoes straight from the vine, running to the bottom of the yard to pick up some veggies for my mom while she made a dinner salad, and helping my grandfather install iron stakes that he had taken from the coal mine (so the tomatoes could grow nice and high).  I also remember our over-abundance of vegetables.  We gave a lot of food away to family and friends, but always had buckets upon buckets of extra tomatoes, green beans, and zucchini.  

My mom tells me that zucchini bread is specifically intended for zucchini-overload from your garden.  Well, I have 1 measly zucchini plant in my current back yard, and it's certainly not supplying enough to make this bread.  So, I cheated, and took a trip to our local farmer's market to round out my stash of squash.

Here are some of the other ingredients that I use for this very easy recipe (minus the watermelon in the background):

The zucchini gets shredded into a bowl, then mixed with the other wet ingredients, such as sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla.  Separately, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and walnuts.  You simply blend these two mixtures together, pour them into well-greased/floured pans, and enjoy a very delicious breakfast bread in an hour!

Turned off at the idea of putting squash into your bread?  Don't be!  You really don't taste it, but it's an easy and healthy ingredient!

Here is the complete recipe that I took straight from Momma:

* Note: To add a nice touch to the top of the bread, sprinkle some brown sugar and smashed walnuts to the top of the loaves before you bake them.

Chicken Guac Sandwiches & Corn Cob Lovin'

This giant sandwich has quickly become a household favorite! It's our, "guacamole marinated chicken-thingy" dish, and we can't get enough of it!  I use Quorn (vegetarian) chicken and marinate it in some chopped onion, olive oil, hot sauce, cilantro, s&p, and anything else that seems yummy.

After marinating the "chicken" for an hour or so, we grill it, top it with monterey or provolone cheese, and put it on some grilled crusty bread with homemade guacamole.  It's so tasty!  These pics also include my favorite way to grill mixed vegetables... I toss zucchini, onions, chopped garlic, mushrooms and anything else that we really like with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill it on tin foil.



Our favorite part of outdoor eating always involves corn on the cob.  I always buy 5 pieces: 2 for E, 2 for me, and 1 more piece for our big Browny.

Brown's faaaaavorite thing about summer is definitely eating corn on the cob on our deck.

I've never seen anything like it!  He takes his time and eats every kernal.... with just his front teeth.

Maybe I'm just a crazy doggy mom, but I think it's absolutely adorable!

Happy grilling!

BBQ Seitan & Pea Pesto Pasta

One evening last week I spent the night on the couch.  Typically E and I watch some Cops, some Seinfeld, and a little bit of the Food Network.  On this particular night, Erik went to bed, and I couldn't force myself to budge off of the couch... so I watched a Food Network show that I usually avoid.  It's the most un-vegetarian show that I've ever seen on that channel, Diners Drive-ins and Dives.

This particular episode was the most meat-intense show possible: barbecuing.  Now, watching those crazies roast an entire pig was practically painful, but even though I'm an 8-year vegetarian, I'm also quick to admit that meat tasted good.  In fact, I was a huge meat eater until college, and I will never deny the tastiness of all the meat that is out there.  Nevertheless, I whole-heartily believe that it is morally wrong to consume it.  Call it my beliefs, my religion, my annoying rant... call it what you will.  The point is that I watched this show and couldn't wait to make a veggie bbq sandwich!

I picked up a package of seitan, covered it in some bottled bbq sauce, and stuck it in the oven for about an hour.  I think it would be much better grilled, or marinated in a unique bbq sauce, but let's face it folks.. I was lazy.

In the mean time, I started the pesto by combining the following ingredients in the food processor:

           -- 25 leaves of fresh basil
            -- handful of fresh parsley
            -- 2 cloves of garlic
            -- 1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano
            -- juice of 1 lemon
            -- 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
            -- 3/4 cup of olive oil 
               (added slowly as the food processor runs)

I mixed the pesto into a pound of cooked pasta, and stirred in:

   -- a ladle full of starchy pasta water

   -- a bag of frozen peas (about 10 oz)

   -- a handful of chopped scallions

   -- 4 full stocks of celery

   -- lots of salt and pepper, and a little celery seed

   -- some more Pecorino (who can resist?)

The barbecued seitan came out of the oven looking (and tasting) lovely, but the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives TV show taught me that if I were a good ol' southern gal, I'd know the importance of adding some slaw to the sandwhich.  So, I added some fresh coleslaw.  (Buy the pre-shredded mix at the store, and all of you have to do is stir in some slaw dressing!)

Voila!  Definitely satisfied my urge for BBQ!