Couch potato

When Derek and I moved in together, I left the limited furniture I had in NYC behind, shipped my small belongings, flew across the country with a couple of suitcases, and agreed to use Derek's acquired (mainly free stuff he got from friends who were moving/deploying) furniture as we slowly and frugally worked to acquire pieces of our own.

Thus far, we've been incredibly fortunate with some awesome Craigslists finds including a kitchen table, desk, and stereo cabinet, but the pieces I'm most eager to replace are our very oversized couch, loveseat, and chair which are not only too big for our space, but require annoying couch covers which slip, slide, and constantly look disheveled.

This past weekend, we started the hunt for a new couch and loveseat (we'll do a separate set of patterned chairs) and fell head-over-heels for the Chloe set from Macy's. As far as furniture costs go, it's pretty reasonable (will be about $1,200 with coupons and can be financed) but Derek and I aren't positive it's the right time to make the investment.
 
I've been on the hunt for a less expensive but similar alternative, but everything I see pales in comparison to this set. Do you have any tips on where to buy a stylish sofa? Seen anything like my Chole set out there? Please do let me know!
 
images from macys.com

Marsala mushroom pizza

One of my favorite veggies out there are mushrooms - when cooked, mushrooms take on the flavor of whatever they are mixed with, making them delicious little morsels that can serve as a "meaty" substitute in a vegetarian meal.

So when I had some leftover Marsala wine from a chicken dinner, mushrooms were the clear ingredient to soak up some great Marsala taste. And thus this mushroom marsala pizza was born! Delicious, filling, and bursting with mushrooms, it was a great weeknight meal!

Mushroom Marsala Pizza

Ingredients:

One, 12 inch thin pizza crust (I created this mine from this recipe using half whole-wheat flour)

20 ounces mixed mushrooms (I used cremini, baby portobello, and portobello)
1 cup Marsala wine
3 TB butter
3 TB heavy cream
Pinch of fresh herbs (I used sage but thyme or rosemary would also work well)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese (you could use a variety of cheeses you have on hand: asiago, fontina, etc)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

1. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat than add in the mushrooms - this will look too many mushrooms at first but they cook down.

2. Continue to cook and stir the mushrooms as they release their moisture (it will look like water is filling the pan) and stir to thoroughly coat them in their own juice.

3. When most of the liquid has boiled away, add a pinch of salt, butter, and fresh herbs. Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until nicely sauteed and browned.

4. Add Marsala wine to the pan and increase the heat to high. Boil until most of the Marsala has evaporated.

5. In the last minute, add in the cream and stir well until coated.

6. On your rolled-out pizza crust, pour out the mushrooms and any remaining sauce and spread around until evenly coated. Top with the cheese.

7. Bake either on a pizza stone or baking sheet for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and brown. Bon appetit!

Weekenders

Ah weekend, I miss you so much already. Friday night Derek and I made a scandalous maneuver when after seeing an early (and disappointing) showing of The Adjustment Bureau, we decided to walk unabashedly into a showing of Rango that had just begun. It was a very daring and deceptive maneuver, but Rango was a much, much better movie and it gave us an excuse to eat more candy.

After such a sugar rush on Friday, Saturday morning we went for a bright and early hike, then got dressed and went down to Coronado Beach and the Silver Strand for a bike ride. We worked up such a sweat we decided we deserved some chips, salsa, and margaritas. I was particularly tickled pink when Derek's prickly pear margarita turned out to be the girliest looking beverage on the menu.

We finished our day off with a stroll along the beach, some shopping, and dinner at a wine bar. A perfect Saturday I must say!

Sunday was full of errands - particularly the hunt for a new place to live (we're out of this apartment at the end of May and are picking the perfect new neighborhood) and a sofa/loveseat living room set. If you have any ideas on where to get an affordable but stylish set please let me know! I think we've exhausted all our options.

10/30 So nice to see you, Friday!

Shirt: Old Navy, Jeans: Old Navy: Belt: thrifted: Shoes: thrifted, Necklace and bracelet: gifted

Ah Friday, it has been too long. Thanks by stopping by!

I hate to make my cold weather friends sad, but I must confess it is predicted to be in the 70s and very sunny all weekend, and Derek and I intent to spend every moment outside. The weather we've been having lately has left me with a serious Vitamin D deficiency and I plan to cure myself all weekend long.

For those of you lacking this sunny luxury, I feel for you. You have two options. 1) Come visit me ASAP or 2) Check out some of these springy images to get you through. Happy weekend!

Oh la la! Can I have my birthday dinner here?

You'll never feel down surrounded by sunny yellow! All these images are amazing but I'm particularly enamored with the stairs.

I love, love the application of wallpaper to this nightstand.

Please someone try to make this lamp!

Did I mention how much I love yellow?

9/30 Who needs TV when you have customer service at Barnes & Noble?

Shirt: Elle for Kohls, Jeans: Old Navy: Shoes: Steve Madden: Scarf, Ralph Lauren, thrifted

Yesterday morning I awoke to a downed Internet and a repair guy who couldn't show up until "sometime between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and midnight, never," so I was forced to scramble over to the nearest Panera to mooch off their free wi-fi and gorge myself on pastries.

After several hours in my booth, I ran out of things to order, and the Panera staff ran out of patience with me stealing table space from their dining customers. So I picked up my computer, capitalized on free refills at the coffee carafe for the 20th time, and headed down the road to Barnes & Noble to see how long I could stay before the magazine section caught my wandering eye.

Turns out, I was not the only one turning the bookstore into my office, and the sole open seat I could find was a recliner set directly next to the customer service counter. And in this position, I discovered it wasn't the magazines that I had to worry about, the customers at the counter were a far better distraction.

Here's some highlights:

- Middle-aged man approaches counter looking for a book called Magnetics. Employee asks who it's by. Customer: "No one that I know of, I'm just hoping there is one."

- Man in construction gear looking for The Sourdough Cookbook. Looks like someone's aiming to please at the company bake sale.

- Mohawk man in search of The Ultimate Pregnancy Journal. What a sweetie, right? And please, oh please, give your baby a matching 'do. See here for why.

- Middle-aged woman looking for a book with a title I couldn't make out. Employee says they don't have it, but she can put it on order. Customer: "No thanks, my book group is meeting to discuss it at 6:00." Tsk tsk procrastinator.

Black cow cupcakes

Growing up, on special TV watching nights in our house, my mom, dad, sister and I would curl up in our pajamas on the couch, skip dinner, and instead have black cows (aka root beer floats) and popcorn. It was my very favorite thing - no vegetables, no table, and TV! How good does it get?!

So with the Oscars approaching last Sunday, I knew I wanted to serve up something special for a TV night-in, and to give my old favorite a little kick, I transformed black cows and popcorn into a cupcake! Complete with popcorn bucket!

They were delicious, fun, and the perfect mix of salty and sweet. Here's how I did it.

Black Cow Cupcakes
Adapted from Baked Perfection
Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cups root beer
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs

whipped cream or ice cream
popcorn (I used a sea salt variety)

1.Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners (this will prevent the moisture of the cake from leaking onto your "bucket")

2. In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

3.In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

4. Whisk eggs into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture and cocoa mixture together. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a fork inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean.

6. Once the cupcakes are cool, wrap each in a popcorn "bucket."*

7. Add a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream to the top of each cake, inside the bucket.

8. Sprinkle popcorn on top so it looks like the whole bucket is full and enjoy!

* I created my buckets in inDesign, printed them, then used a scalloped edge scissor to cut them out. I then wrapped each cake in one and secured it at the back with tape so it could be easily unwrapped and eaten. Let me know if you would like this and I'll send you the PDF!

8/30 aka Cowls are perfect for hiding candy

Sweater: Old Navy, Jeans: Old Navy, Cowl: Forever 21: Shoes: Steve Madden

After I saw this post on The Daybook, I crunched some numbers and realized I could save approximately 89.322 minutes per week if I switched to a smaller purse, thus avoiding the time spent rooting around in the depths of my suitcase-sized giant to find a pen or some change.

Since that revelation, I've switched to a teeny-tiny purse and in my new spare time have traced my family lineage back 600 years, done 100 New York Times' Sunday crossword puzzles, and broken the world record for longest hula-hoop.

But then on Friday night, Derek and I went to the movies, and I was reminded why I used to carry that big ol' purse - to sneak candy in to theaters of course! Yes, you heard me right, I refuse to pay $5 for a box of Red Vines when they are $1 at Walgreens. So as I pondered my situation, I looked from my tiny purse, to my candy, to my cowl, and thought, hmm ... could my knit neck warmer not only snuggle but smuggle?

Then I decided, good idea, but no, and did what any normal gal would do, put my little purse, inside my old big purse, along with all the candy I could manage.