Hello ladies...

Aw, signs of Spring....one of my top four favorite seasons.  Lilacs are beginning to bud....

And I got to ride my bike all around town today!  Tis a good day.

Chocolate Pie

Anyone who knows me, knows I have somewhat of a sweet tooth.  By 'somewhat' I mean overwhelming huge.

So it should come as no surprise that on my second day of spring break I spent a little time baking.  Oh, and bake I did, combining two of my favorite things: pie and chocolate.

I found this recipe on Design*Sponge a few months ago and when I showed it to Ike, he insisted that I make it soon.  Well, he is certainly glad I did, as he said it may just be his favorite pie ever (of course he could have just been flattering me, but I don't think so, because it is damn good!)

So here is the recipe for Old Fashioned Chocolate Chess Pie from Cheryl Day as seen on Design*Sponge

Pie Crust (for a 9-in. pie pan)
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle in the butter and stir with a fork until it looks moist and crumbly. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. You can crimp the edges decoratively or leave them rustic. Chill the crust for at least 1 hour or store in the freezer for up to a month in advance.

Pie Filling
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup melted butter
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten 
1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk

In a medium bowl, stir together both sugars, the cornmeal, nutmeg and cocoa powder, mixing until completely combined. Stir in the vanilla, butter, eggs and evaporated milk and mix until fully incorporated. When ready to bake, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the pie and cool for at least one hour. Serve with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Now, I will tell you I didn't follow it to the letter because, well, I rarely do.  I usually just work with what I have.  I used dark brown sugar instead of light because, well I was out of light.  I also am too impatient to let my eggs get to room temperature, so I went ahead and put them in almost right from the fridge.  It also says to serve with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings, which I'm sure is delicious, but we decided to eat it with vanilla ice cream.

Holy crap this is a good pie.  You should probably bake it right now.

Seriously. Right. Now.

This I Believe...

My essay.

I believe in being happy now.  That being said, one of my favorite pastimes is daydreaming;  daydreaming about anything and everything: what it will be like when I have my first solo gallery show, the emotions I will feel when I hold my first published book in my hands and the small cabin my husband and I will one day build on the prairie.  I float back to my current life in a haze of euphoria, having actually felt all of the emotions that come with the future realization of my dreams. 

I blink my eyes into focus and let them wander around my cluttered living room.  I could be cynical and dwell on all the things that irritate me in my life: the dog hair that never seems to go away, the pieces of wall that sometimes crumble off behind our sofa,  the fact that the owner of the local art gallery continually walks by my farmer’s market booth without a glance at my photos, and the notes for my book that sit neglected on my dresser ready to be molded into a best-selling book.

But this isn’t what I see.  When my eyes clear and I come back from planning my future, I rest contented knowing that my life is exactly as it should be in this very moment because I am not a cynical person.  I don’t see an endless sea of dog hair, I see my loyal dog who loves me unconditionally and is always excited to see me when I come home.  I don’t see the crumbling wall, I see a house that my husband and I are turning into a beautiful home.  I don’t see the owner of the gallery ignoring my work, I see the countless people to whom my work brings joy every Saturday.  I don’t see my book full of empty pages, I see the wondrous road trip I took that inspired the as-yet-to-be-written book.  

I’ll never stop dreaming, scheming and planning because I believe one day the things I wish for will be now.  In this knowing, I can be contented that for now I have a roof over my head, delicious food on the table, people in my life who love me and accept me just as I am, a healthy body that enables me to stay active and a mind that prompts me to seek beauty and appreciate the small things.

I believe in seeing my life through rose-colored glasses.  I believe in being happy now.

***This I Believe is an international organization engaging people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives.  Over 100,000 of these essays, written by people from all walks of life, are archived on their website, heard on public radio, chronicled through their books, and featured in weekly podcasts.  The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.  (from thisibelieve.org)

Rearranged...

Last time you found me delirious with creativity, head swirling with ideas, schemes and projects.

And as many of you may know, our house is in the process of being renovated (and by 'in the process', I mean the upstairs is done, the kitchen has been repainted and the rest is to be continued...)  So, my hopes of having my own work space had stalled.  I have so many things to be thankful for that being mopey because I didn't have a place to mat and frame photos or take on the sewing projects I had been contemplating seemed quite selfish.

And then a brilliant idea struck me:  We could move our upstairs living room (residing in the "guest bedroom" upstairs) down into the "office".  Then, maybe I could move our sewing machine (a beautiful thing passed down to Ike) upstairs.  If only I could find a high work table (that was also inexpensive) that would be the right height and size to utilize for working with photos and sewing projects.

Hello craigslist.  I love you.

The day after I had the idea, I checked craigslist and found an adjustable drafting table for $65.  Could it still be available?  Oh, yes, it was, AND we got it for only $50!

So being the impatient lass I am, I spent yesterday afternoon moving our living room downstairs and things for my work space upstairs (aided by Ike because there was no way I could move that huge, heavy sewing machine upstairs by myself.  Although, I was able to move our entire living room down the stairs by myself!)

From the moment I had the idea to finished product was about 48 hours, cause that's how I roll.

Already this morning I altered three skirts and a pair of pants to fit me (I was worried I would just have to give them away, but duh, I could just fix them myself).  I have a few other pieces that I am going to alter in one way or another.

I'm so lucky this sewing machine and table got handed down to Ike with a plethora of thread, needles, pins, etc.

Also, while looking for the correct color of thread I came across this and decided to hang it up as inspiration from a truly creative soul:

I am most excited about this room because it will allow me to grow creatively and save money by giving me a space to alter clothes I have or cheap clothes I find that don't fit exactly right (and my sister has already requested twin comforters for bunk beds they might get for my nieces).


Where there is a will there is a way!  I'm excited to see where this new space takes me!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...Sew

Creative outlets.  I crave them.  And I find a new one everyday I want to experience. I feel the most alive when I am creating something, anything, from a beautiful photograph to a succulent meal.  I almost overload myself trying to find or hone creative outlets.

There are the ones I have already attempted/currently do: photography, bargain home decorating, vintage fashion (this includes my Etsy shop Edie & Andy's), cooking, writing, gardening, sewing curtains for our kitchen, planning engaging lessons for my English classes...

The ones I hope to attempt someday soon or are in the works: putting together a neighborhood art show, landscaping our yard, publishing a few photography books, owning my own vintage consignment boutique, and learning to use a loom so as to begin weaving (helped out by the fact that my husband's mom was an avid weaver and has a gorgeous loom and stocked loom room AND I have a friend who is an accomplished weaver who is willing to show me the ropes, when we both have the time to get together)...

And finally, the two I undertook in the past 4 days (thanks to a hefty amount of snow resulting in two snow days, which totally screwed up my lesson plans, but gosh dang I got a lot done): putting together my website and sewing a dress .

First, the website.  I had a great photography website, but it just didn't feel like me anymore and I wanted to be able to manage it myself.    So, I contacted my friend Jessica, who has her own design business out in Colorado called Bold Creative.  She thankfully got one set up for me and away I went.  And by away, I mean away.  I don't think I moved from behind my computer (and I definitely didn't change out of my sweatpants) for two whole days.  And I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out AND the experience I got creating this website through much trial and error.  Please take a sec and check it out: Dandy Lion Photography.

Oh yes, and the dress.  I have had this idea for awhile about creating repurposed clothing out of vintage clothing.  The idea would be to find dresses that I loved but didn't fit, and/or dresses whose shape and style were hideous, but whose fabric is beautiful, and turn them into new, fresh dresses.

So, about a month ago, I found a cool 1970s dress pattern on Etsy, and I found two pretty ugly dresses (in style, but whose fabric could be stellar in some other form) at Rockstar & Rogers down in Aggiville.  Well, last week I finally got the pattern out, and alas, the dresses lacked enough material to make the dress from that pattern.  Consequently, I went to Goodwill yesterday and found a dress and a skirt, and spent the whole of yesterday creating a new dress out of the top of the Goodwill dress and the skirt.  I went balls-to-the-wall and did it freestyle...aka no pattern used.  I am extremely happy with how it turned out for my first try (Unfortunately, I didn't have enough forethought to take a before picture.  Just imagine the top of the 'new' dress with shoulder pads and long sleeves with a straight skirt, about calf-length with a little ruffle skirt over that skirt).

It looks pretty good if I do say so myself (just don't look too close, as the sewing isn't topnotch).

And there is a total bonus.  Because I watched a few awesome tutorial videos on how to sew elastic wastes into skirts and dresses, I was able to salvage the skirt-part of the dress and make it into a really cute 'new' skirt that could also double as a strapless top in the summer.  I even used the old elastic.  All parts of the dress were used except the shoulder pads (I'm going to use the sleeves down the road to make patchwork curtains for the dining room...when we have a dining room.)  If anyone needs to stuff their bra, I have shoulder pads that would work wonders!

Well, this girl is very satisfied with all the creatin' done this week.  I think part of being happy in life is finding small ways to make yourself happy and trying new things is the best way to do this...and for me that is constantly finding new ways to express myself creatively.  I hope this will inspire you to find a way to make something, no matter what it is (and try doing it with your own noggin instead of cheating and using Pinterest!).  Get out there and do it!

EnJOY!

Finally...I'm back...with Cauliflower

My sincerest apologies for being gone since....October.

For awhile I really started disliking blogs.  I felt that they are extremely narcissistic (which, really they are, writing with the belief that someone cares enough to read what we write) and I was getting really sick of reading blogs about all the things, things, things that should be making my life complete.  I just had to check out for awhile.

But now, I think I would like to refocus on what this blog was initially intended to do...bring people a bit of happiness and at least a smile when you read it.

I really want the focus to be on ways to be happy that don't include material things:  beautiful places, inspiring people, exciting new ideas, stimulating music, stirring pieces of art, and of course delicious foods.

So to kick off my return here is a recipe I recently tried courtesy of Real Simple magazine (with a few tweaks).  It is ridiculously easy, incredibly healthy and astoundingly delicious.

Kale & Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Dressing

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 small head of cauliflower cut into florets

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

1/4 cup tahini

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup dried cherries

Heat ove to 350 degrees.  Spread pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes; transfer to plate.

Increase heat to 450 degrees.  In a medium-sized bowl toss the cauliflower with cayenne, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.  Transfer to baking sheet.  Roast, tossing once, until golden and tender, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, 1/3 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper (adding more water if necessary, to achieve the consistency of heavy cream).  Add the kale, onion, cherries, pine nuts and cauliflower and toss to combine.

I think almost every meal I've made in the past month has some sort of roasted green.  I've become obsessed with brussels sprouts and kale (if only you could dip them in chocolate too!)  I was always a little scared to try either, but tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and then roasted in the oven, they are fantastic.  

EnJOY!

To Die By Your Side

I just came across this video directed by Spike Jones and created by Olympia Le Tan and immediately had to share it.  So creative and entertaining.  Just be warned there is a little skeleton on skeleton action!  Enjoy!