Our First Place

Every couple remembers their first place. For some, it's a fixer upper they stay in for years. For others it's a tiny flat in an exciting city. Whatever the space, it's special and sacred.

For us it's been a condo in the charming historic Demun neighborhood in Clayton, Missouri. This is where we moved in the day after Thanksgiving last year, two weeks newlywed. It's where we decorated our first Christmas tree, hosted our first Easter, played game nights with friends, tried new recipes and created traditions. It's where I nested the first few months of marriage while I got acquainted with a new city and searched for jobs. Where we learned what it meant to be roomies, husband and wife, friends through thick and thin. Where we developed the Saturday morning tradition of breakfast at the original Kaldi's. Where Jonathan dreamed up leather goods and made them a reality. Where I spent late nights hunched over our kitchen table proofreading and being thankful that I have an outlet for my passions and creativity. It was a perfect first place, better than we could have asked for, so now that we're two weeks away from moving out, I'm left nostalgic and feeling bittersweet. And since I never did a proper house tour when we first settled in, I wanted to do one now.

Back door entrance

Master bedroom

Bathroom 1 

I would call this the second bedroom, but it's been much more than just that. As you can tell, it's our bike storage, our spare closet, an occasional guest bedroom and what eventually evolved into a leather/sewing workspace. We don't like to limit our rooms, you know.

Bathroom 2, and for the sake of keeping things real, 80% of the time this is what that bathroom looks like because in the spirit of not limiting our rooms, this was usually my air-drying room too.

Living room

Bar, leather storage, etc.

Reading nook (that was rarely a reading nook but that sounds like a nice description, right?)

Dining area

Kitchen 

If you'll notice, we have a golden retriever calendar but no dog. That, dear reader, is the foremost reason we're moving out of this great first place. We have dog fever, BAD. And perfect as this place has been, its biggest flaw is perhaps the fact that we could not have a dog. Flaw #2 was that we weren't allowed to paint the two random green walls. It's a good thing we like green. 

There you have it, our special first place. We'll miss the neighborhood, the cozy open lay out and plenty of other things, but we're excited for Chapter 2. Coincidentally, we'll start our second year of marriage the day we're moved into our new place. I can't wait for all that year two will hold (read: we can't wait to get a dog!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Fruits of Our Labor

"Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with supermarket apples. They still have more or less the same health benefits and versatility in the kitchen. They just aren’t going to make your heart beat faster." - "The Pick of the Apple Orchard," New York Times

That's right, people: picking apples makes your heart beat faster. Or at least makes you feel closer to the food you eat and the harvest of this season. Jonathan and I picked apples for the first time this weekend at Eckert's Farm in Belleville, IL. It was finally a cooler fall day and we didn't have much planned for Sunday so we drove out to the farm -- along with 100 other families in the metro area, I'm sure. There are plenty of other activities at Eckert's for kids and families, but we focused our energy on the apple trees and the pumpkin patch. We picked Honey Crisp and Fuji ... 22 pounds to be exact! Yeah, we went a little bit overboard -- blame that quickening heart beat!

But almost more fun than picking all those apples is the subsequent creative fest of cooking and baking with them. We came home, ran to the store and then got cooking on the following:

Apple Pie

Chunky Apple Sauce (and Pork Chops)

Cinnamon Pecan Apple Muffins

But we're just scratching the surface! Today must have been national apple day or something (no offense, Columbus Day) because I was bombarded with apple recipes from friends, family and social media. Hey, I'm not complaining. Here's my shortened list for now:

Cheddar Apple Biscuits
Apple Ginger Soup
Pulled Korean BBQ Pork Apples
Apple Pie Fritters
Poached Pear (Apple) Salad

Have a favorite apple recipe you think we should try? Send it my way! Seriously, this is our bottom refrigerator drawer right now (only after Jonathan took about five pounds of apples to work). 

Get out your pumpkins

Happy first day of fall, y'all! Today was supposed to be the day I got out all our my fall decorations and went to town on our home. Then I searched the basement and realized, whoops, those are still in Houston...

So as I wait for my lovely mama to send me those things this week, these new additions are tying me over. The print is a page torn out from Midwest Living and I picked up the materials for the pendants and skull at Michael's today. Some burlap, twine, orange fabric, and white paint pen for the pendants (you can probably find a more creative word to spell out, I wasn't feeling adventurous). I tend to stay away from the morbid/scary Halloween themes, but when you add bling to a skull it kind of loses its scariness, right? Plus these glittery skulls at Pottery Barn inspired me, so I went for a gold paint pen and unfinished skull to get a similar look.

Voila -- fall is in the air!

Seasonal Denial

Fall is just around the corner, I can feel it.

That's the side of my brain talking that is in denial of the 80+ degrees outside, the ice-cold sweet tea in my mason jar glass and the AC still blasting in our apartment. The side that was fooled by the crisp 70-degree weather we had only a few weeks ago that left as quickly as it arrived. It's the side of my brain that can't really feel fall just yet, but tastes it and smells it.

It's the side of my brain that switched out the lemon verbena scents of summer for the harvest Yankee Candle and Williams-Sonoma spiced chestnut hand soap. The same side of my brain that has been duped by stores displaying sweaters, boots, pumpkin-embroidered pillows and chunky cable knit blankets. The part of me that is giddy with excitement to spend fall back in beautiful color-changing tree country for the first time in three years. It's that side of my brain, along with my soul (and if I'm being honest, my tummy) that are screaming, "Fall is near!"

So as the logical and nostalgic sides of my brains duke it out for the remaining days (weeks...) of summer weather, my autumnal spirit looks forward to these things:

Chunky cable knit

I love everything about this outfit. I've never rocked the cape/poncho look, but this just might be the year. I remember considering it while in school but being flustered by how I would carry a book bag or back pack. Now, the idea of a cable-knit poncho basically sounds like the excuse for an office-friendly blanket. Sign me up.

Comfy cuddles

I'm counting down the days until the temperatures drop low and I can unpack our down blanket from storage and sleep in a comfy cloud again. And for cozy nights on the couch curled up with something soft and beautifully patterned, like this braiden throw.

Rich, home-cooked meals

Bring on hearty soups and freshly baked goodies. I plan to get a lot of use out of our cast iron skillet this season, too. And since I always want dessert, I'll cut right to the chase: this decadent caramel pecan skillet brownie is the first thing on my list.

Travels

With fall comes our first real vacation since our honeymoon last year. We've booked a four-day weekend around my birthday at a bed & breakfast tucked away in Napa. It's our first time in wine country, and my first stay at a B&B, so I'm already dreaming about endless wine, cheese, delicious meals and beautiful scenery as far as the eye can see. Can't wait to see how they do Halloween in wine country either.

See you soon, fall. I know you're almost here.

Days Are Better With ...

One of my favorite magazines, Elle Decor, has a monthly column featuring a designer and "12 Things He/She Can't Live Without." Lists of favorite things are pretty common, but I especially like these for some reason. Anyway, last month I started wondering what 12 things would be on my "can't live without" list. But then I got honest with myself: I could very well live without most things ... I'd just prefer to not! So here are a few items that make up my list of "Things that I can't live without, but really I can, but please don't make me." These are the small things that make a big difference in my day.

Summer Scarves
As much as I love scarves in fall, winter and spring, I never understood why stores also pushed them in the summertime. It's hot, why do I want extra fabric around my neck? But then I moved into an office that seems to be a steady 65 degrees every day, and summer scarves (+ cardigans!) became my new favorite accessory. Plus my coworker's space heater ;)

Nespresso
After our wedding gifts were opened and returns and exchanges were made, we were left with a lot of happy Williams-Sonoma gift cards. So we splurged on ourselves and added a Nespresso machine to our coffee corner (our Keurig machine looked like it needed a friend). Now our mornings/afternoons/evenings can include homemade lattes, cappuccinos and little inventions in between. Oh, did I mention we also got a milk frother? #coffeesnobs

Morning Snacks
I feel like I'm constantly snacking when I'm at work, so rather than fight that flaw characteristic, I've come to terms with it and just try to snack well instead. My morning routine always involves breakfast at home, but a few hours into work I "need" more food! My BFF is yogurt and granola (and by granola, I mean a crushed up Nature Valley granola bar...voila, instant granola!) I was on a greek yogurt kick for months, but I've recently come around to regular yogurt, too. Lemon yogurt is extra delicious and fresh in the summertime, and I've realized it's the foundation behind the delicious parfaits at Kaldi's (hear that, Kaldi's? I'm on to you!).

Being Outside
I spend eight to nine hours in an office every weekday, so most evenings I NEED (yes, I mean NEED) to be outside. My body, mind, soul...every part of me craves it. Our apartment lacks a deck or any sort of outside space, so we make our neighborhood our back yard. Whether it's going on a walk (and taking a pit stop for ice cream down the street...), riding our bikes or having a picnic in the park, fresh air really does make things better. Next time you're feeling stressed, blue or just not yourself, take a step outside to breathe in some fresh air and say hello to sunshine. Instant pick-me-up.







So you see, I really could live without these things, but why put myself through that? Please don't make me.

Hello, hello

via Rifle Paper Co.

Once upon a time I wrote posts on this blog, and then I stopped for, oh, four months or so... The reason? I'm not really sure. Not enough time? Nah, I'm not that busy. Lack of inspiration? Sort of. Not wanting to sit at a computer after sitting at a desk for nine hours at work? Pretty much. I won't make excuses, and I won't make promises to "be better." But now and again I do get inspired, I do want to share something, and I do want to sit at a computer and write even after a nine-hour day. So here's to writing again once a week, once a month, once every half moon...we'll see!

These quiet months on the blog haven't been quiet months in our lives. A random sampling of things we've done, people we've seen, places we've gone and itty bitty things in between:

*We had various friends in town and enjoyed showing them around our fair city.

*I got a bike and we took up bike riding on the weekends, after work, whenever we could fit it in. Then it got hot and the bikes stayed inside for longer spells of time. But we still love them.

*Speaking of love, I became completely smitten with our neighborhood somewhere between the days getting longer, the air growing warmer and us walking down to Kaldi's as a Saturday morning tradition.

*I went home to Houston two weekends in June and July and got spoiled and loved on by my parents in a way that you only truly appreciate when you move away from home (again) and have to pretend to be an adult.

*We traveled to Branson for the Fourth of July with Jonathan's parents and did what any good Branson tourist does: caught some shows, watched fireworks, relaxed by a pool, rode the Branson Belle, shopped at outlets, and played mini golf (hole-in-one right here, thank you very much!)

*Speaking of golf, since the second week I started my job (in March) I've been planning a golf outing for our firm and it's finally on Monday, and then it's over and I can take off my event-planning hat and let it sit on the shelf again until next year.

*We celebrated two weddings of dear friends in Columbia and Kansas City.

*Jonathan started a new hobby: leather work. My man is a serial hobbyist like the best of them; it's because he's so freaking talented and as a natural learner, he picks up new skills in one sitting. Stay tuned for more on this endeavor.

*We still want a puppy real bad.

(Fill in the Blank) Rice Bowl

Recently my good friend Leslie (aka macaron baker extraordinaire) told me, "Whenever you make a new recipe, just assume I want it and send it to me." Well I haven't been so good at following up on that request, but I also haven't made new "recipes" in a while, either. So the following is less a recipe and more a list of ingredients that when combined are likely to taste pretty great.

I used to shy away from making Asian dishes at home because the list of specialty ingredients required intimidated me and dissuaded me from making the commitment. But those days are gone! It began with lettuce wraps and there's been no turning back since. It's nice to have an entire new arsenal of ingredients in our kitchen to throw together spontaneously.

One of the Food Network Recipe of the Day emails I got this week was for this bacon and broccoli rice bowl. We had a half-used package of bacon (from a super yummy & easy shaved Brussels sprouts and bacon side dish we made) so I was intrigued. This became a "throw together stuff you have in your produce drawer" kind of meal, so my resourceful was happy.

Ingredients I threw together:

• brown rice
• leftover sugar snap peas
• shredded carrots
• bacon
• leftover shaved brussels sprouts
• cilantro
• fried egg
• soy sauce, garlic rice vinegar, mirin (the recipe only called for soy sauce so do whatever works for you!)

Pseudo-recipe: Cook the rice per directions. In a medium pan, simmer the sugar snap peas in water for 1-2 minutes. Drain and combine the peas with rice, along with shredded carrots. Cook bacon in the medium pan until browned; add shaved Brussels sprouts. Saute for 2 more minutes. Add the bacon and Brussels sprouts to the rice mixture, along with soy sauce (and any additional sauces you have). Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring until sauces are well-combined and almost completely evaporated. Transfer to bowl. Fry egg and serve on top of rice bowl. Garnish with cilantro.

I'm not a big fried egg person (I always overcook them) so it's not the prettiest picture, but you get the idea. With the cilantro and combo of sauces, the taste was somewhere between pad thai and fried rice. Is that a weird description? Hope not, 'cause it was delicious! So go dig out your produce drawer goodies and get cookin'.

How Do You Measure a Visit?

One of our nearest and dearest paid us a visit this weekend. As Abby herself said, the cool thing about her visiting us is that she's one of both of our good friends (but I kind of like to hog her to myself ;).

We kicked off the weekend on Friday night with dinner at Pi. We were blessed with an unusually warm Friday (70 degrees, people!) and enjoyed wonderful food and drinks sitting al fresco.

When I started thinking about the rest of our weekend, the number two seemed to come up a lot, so I'll let it do the talking for me:

2//new restaurants tried

brunch @ Half & Half
Fitting enough to the name, Abby and I shared half and half of our entrees (it's becoming a regular thing and I love it!). Biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs & a Waldorf salad with chicken. A perfect brunch combination shared over great conversation among the three of us.

dinner @ Seoul Taco
The Loop is overflowing with tucked away, ethnically-diverse, local eateries, and we're just beginning to take advantage of them. This place boasts just a few menu options, but those few are just enough. I opted for a pork taco & steak taco with Kimchi fried rice (all great) and Abby and Jonathan went for the burritos (which they raved were borderline as good/better than Chipotle...whoa!)


2//goodies baked

salted caramel chocolate chip cookies - Abby's recommendation, our gluttonous delight (recipe)

soft pretzels - Yes, those same pretzels I've mentioned a million times before. Go make them already!


2//people loved re-watching Pitch Perfect

One guess as to who didn't love it as much? :)


2//games of Pandemic lost

What's there to say: we didn't cure all four diseases in time to save the world. Twice. Sorry, world. But it doesn't mean we won't try again.

Mediterranean Diet

Happy Friday! Because it's Friday during Lent, that means meatless Friday for us Catholics. As much as I love veggies and meatless dishes, I admittedly always scratch my head when it comes to thinking of lunches and dinners for this time of year. My go-to meatless dish is usually my favorite creamy salmon pasta. We made that last week, and even though I could eat that every single week, we probably shouldn't... but it is so good! I've posted the recipe on blogs of years past, but I'll repost it sometime because it is beyond simple to make. So for dinner J suggested some sort of pasta and salad. So pesto pasta it is! Easy enough. That leaves me with lunch.

Because it's still very much winter here, soup comes to mind. Specifically lentil soup. There was a story in The New York Times this week about a study that the New England Journal of Medicine published about the heart-healthy benefits of a Mediterranean diet (it fights against heart attacks and strokes). The story appealed to me because I grew up on a fairly Mediterranean diet (how could Italians not?). The story mentioned ingredients that are staples in my family's kitchen: olive oil, legumes, nuts, fish, fresh produce and (my favorite) dark chocolate. I feel like most people recognize the health benefits of a majority of these ingredients, but whether or not they are implemented into our diets is another thing. [Wonder how well you fit into the Mediterranean approach? The NYTimes offers this quiz, which I took ... and failed. Looks like we could all use a little more olive oil and fish in our lives.]

I think the ingredient that is trickiest on that list is possibly legumes (aka beans!). Again, in my family it was just another main staple—pasta e fagioli (pasta & beans), pasta e ceci (pasta & chick peas), lenticchie (lentil soup). Come to think of it, a lot of what I consider "my comfort foods" are tied up in legumes. Bonus: they're rich in fiber, filling and so darn good for you! So here is my mom's recipe for lentil soup that is sure to keep you warm and full on a cold winter day (and get you one step closer to a Mediterranean-rich diet!)

Lenticchie

Prep + cooking time: Approx. 2 hours // Servings: at least 4

What you'll need:
2 large carrots
2 stalks of celery
1/2 white onion
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. dried lentils
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
Chicken broth or 2 bouillon cubes boiled in 1-2 qts. water to dissolve
1 bay leaf

What you'll do:
First, you need to make a soffrito (the "holy trinity" of Italian cooking: chopped carrots, celery and onion). Put the three ingredients in a food processor and pulse to finely chop.

In a stock pot, heat olive oil and then add soffrito and cook until golden and onion is translucent. Add lentils and stir for a minute to coat with soffrito. Add diced tomatoes.

At this point, add 4 cups of chicken broth (make sure it's also warm so it doesn't stunt the cooking of everything). Allow to simmer. Add bay leaf. When the broth has been consumed, continue adding 1-2 cups at a time. Simmer for 1-1.5 hours, or until lentils are tender. Serve with bread.

Top off the meal with a glass of red wine and a piece of dark chocolate—doctor's orders!

Nesting: The Living Room

I haven't shared too many photos of our home on here yet because it's still a work in progress & we still want to need to get permission to paint. But day by day our little home becomes a little more us and a little more lived in. 

Last week we put the finishing touch on our living area. 

Eventually we'll make a big purchase of buying new couches or a nice chair, but for now two slip-covered old Ethan Allen couches are serving us just fine. This area is our neutral oasis in a room with green accent walls and navy borders (did I mention we reallly want to paint?) But it's a neutral enough backdrop that if one day we do throw in an accent color (like a different blanket or pillow), everything will be able to coexist. And lately I haven't been drawn to colors so much as to patterns and textures. Hence the chevrons, stripes, checkers, baskets, wood and wool. I think patterns and textures offer a happy compromise between a decor that is too girly or too masculine. If you're interested in throwing some patterns into your own life, here's a peak at the making of our living room.

pillows . rug . throw