Bathroom decorating

Our upstairs bathroom has been pretty bland ever since we moved in. I am determined to spruce it up! It was one of the last rooms I felt like fixing up because not very many people see it. A few weekends ago, after we found out we were going to get to stay in our apartment, I purchased an etagere. That fancy word is basically a cabinet that fits over the toilet. It was super cheap at Hudsons Dirt Cheap, and it really made a difference. I am not through styling it yet though. I think that if I add some glass knobs it will look so much cuter and shabby chic. The funny thing is that the knobs will cost almost as much as the cabinet! Here is a picture of the etagere I bought (the only difference is that mine only has the cabinet doors on the bottom shelf, the top two are open) and the shower curtain I am saving up for:

Any ideas for some cute art to go in the bathroom? I am worried about hanging pictures in there because of the steam, but I know people do it all the time. How do you deal with taking care of wall hangings in the bathroom?

It's so easy to fall in love

Here is one of my most recent obsessions: Re-Ment! What is re-ment? It is gorgeous, extremely realistic Japanese miniatures! How can you not love miniatures. I made my first re-ment purchase with some birthday money, and it has taken some self control to avoid blowing non-birthday money on even more. I have decided to purchase some re-ment photographs as a compromise for the real thing. I found some super cute ones from a new favorite blog of mine. I definitely am going to buy the image above. It's in pugly pixel's etsy shop.

Here is one more image I think I am going to have to buy...

Afternoon Tea

This has been a work-filled summer so far, but I did get to spend a wonderful few days with Julie up here. We had a tea party one afternoon with cucumber sandwiches (made with home grown cucumbers my co-worker gave me), chicken salad sandwiches, lemon curd tarts, and yummy raspberry white chocolate scones my friend gave me for my birthday (she gave me 13 huge scones...it was an awesome present!). So many things have been going on this summer, and it was nice to take a few days off and just relax.

Here are a few of the many things that have happened this summer:

Jordan decided to stay in school and starting working towards his PhD.
I found out I get to keep my job at the school! (which means soo many things, including the fact that I may get to start taking graphic design classes for free)
I have spent some time decorating, reorganizing, and cleaning our apartment, and I have a lot of ideas in the works.
I discovered a new love- card making! (I'll have to post some of my creations on here)

Things that are happening in the near future:

We are probably heading up to Maine this weekend : ) Dreading the long drive, but looking forward to seeing family and enjoying the gorgeous Maine summer!
Our small college town will be swarmed with college students! I'm going to miss the quiet summer town and the lack of traffic.

This first summer after graduation has been pretty fun so far. Life moves soo fast, and I have to say, I think this is one of my favorite stages in life...so far at least. I love getting to enjoy my husband and lead the simple life we do.

Spanakopita!

Spanakopita is Greek spinach pie and it is absolutely delicious. I had it during my first visit to Maine at a Greek festival and I have loved it ever since. I have a lot of great memories from the Greek festival because it was during the visit where Jordan swept me off my feet!

I was nervous about making it because it requires you to use filo dough. It was actually pretty easy to make though. In the pictures from my first attempt, Julie and I decided to make it in a 9x13, but it is normally made into little triangles. I made it again last night in the triangles, and I think I like it better as triangles. Here goes!

Spanakopita
Recipe  adapted from David Lebovitz

Made 7 triangles

First you saute the half an chopped onion in a little olive oil until its soft, then add the spinach (I used 1 package frozen and a bag of fresh in the pictures) to wilt it (if you are using fresh spinach). Last night I used frozen spinach. If you use frozen then you need to thaw and drain it thoroughly before adding it to the pan to dry it out a bit more. Season it with a about a tablespoon dried parsley and a little salt and pepper (don't over salt because the feta adds some salt as well).

Next, prepare the filo dough. You can find filo in the frozen section of the grocery store next to pie crusts. You have to keep it covered with plastic wrap and a damp cloth, taking sheets out as you need them. If you make it a 9x13, grease the pan, and then place your first sheet of filo in the pan, making the dough go up the sides of the pan. Brush the sheet with butter, and then add another sheet. Continue adding 4 more sheets.

In a mixing bowl, mix spinach and onions with 1 egg and 6 oz. crumbled feta cheese. Pour the mixture into the 9x13, and then add 6 sheets of filo over the spinach, brushing each layer with butter. I know it seems like a lot of butter, but it makes yummy and flaky! Fold the excess over the top to seal the edges.

 Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes until its golden brown on top.

Cut squares and serve it with rice or coucous with honey.

Here is picture of my helper/hand model Julie washing the spinach:

 

I know I'm behind on blogging, but I've been procrastinating because I really want to change my blogs layout. Instead of posting on the recipes I was going to share, I thought I would share this picture. For our second anniversary we decided to go to a bed and breakfast for the night. This was the view out of out bedroom window. I was a little nervous about going to a bed and breakfast because it's actually someone's house, and it's a lot more personal. It was wonderful though! We were the only guests there, which can probably be attributed to the fact that there was a big snow storm that night! The whole experience was really fun. We also went to a nice restaurant that night where we were also the only guests for the majority of the time. Its hard to believe that we've been married over 2 years now! Being married through college has been a wonderful experience for me, and I'm so excited to see what comes next!

Honey Mustard Chicken was the first recipe I tried this past week, and it turned out really well. I was a little skeptical because I'm not a huge fan of honey mustard, but I was pleasantly surprised! I followed this recipe for the most part only adding extra broiling time and extra sauce since I only cooked two chicken breasts. Serving it with rice and edamame gave the dish an Asian twist. This is a great dinner for a weeknight because it is soo quick and easy! Hope you guys give it a try.




1/2 cup honey mustard (I used O'Charlie's honey mustard)
zest from 1 lime (I left this out)
juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (each about 4 ounces)
Stir together first five ingredients and spread atop chicken breasts, covering evenly. Broil chicken until cooked through, 6 minutes for each side. Add some extra sauce a few minutes before you take them out to make them look more appealing.

Next post will be about the Spanakopita recipe which turned out wonderful thanks to my sweet sister!

New Beginings

I think its time to take the plunge. With this new year, I want to start writing about my life and the things that I enjoy. I want this to be a place to document my cooking, projects, and a way to connect with my friends. That said, here is my first post!

Along with being more healthy this year, I want to try and plan my meals ahead of time. This week I'm going to try and cook at least four homemade meals, and then have something easier like spaghetti on the other nights of the week. Hopefully starting slow will help me keep it up.

I'm planning on making Honey Mustard Chicken, Spanakopita (the most daring recipe), Fettuccine with Spinach and Feta, and Slow Cooker Pork Chops.

Here is my grocery list if you want to cook along:

Honey Mustard
Chicken Breast
Soy Sauce
1 Lime

10 oz frozen spinach
Feta cheese
Frozen Phyllo Dough

Fettuccine
Spinach (not frozen)
Green Onion
Dried dill weed

Pork Chops
Italian Dressing
White Wine or Chicken Broth
Rosemary
Potatoes

This isn't a complete list because I already have some of the ingredients on hand. Check the recipe links to make sure you have all the ingredients.

I'll post the recipes as I make them.

Ready to start this new year right!