small things...

House Warming - nook

A while back I mentioned I was thinking about selling my condo.  I even spoke with a realtor, had a garage sale and told people I was doing it.  Then I went out of town for Christmas and when I came back I was really happy to be here.  To be ‘home’.  And I got quiet about my plans.

Then I received an email from my realtor who said “let’s get it listed!!”.  I told her, “I’ve lost my selling mojo” and she said, “don’t sell it if you don’t have to.”

And I don’t have to.  But what I do have to do is make some changes to this place.  I’ve essentially been living in someone else’s home with someone else’s stuff for the last 4 years.  (4 years?!? how the hell did that happen?)

So that’s what I’m doing.  Making some changes.  Some little changes. Some bigger changes.  My sister has agreed to help with some of the bigger changes.

So all of this was to finally say – Hey! I’ve redecorated my reading nook!

Did you know I had a reading nook?  I totally do.  Here is what it looks like all empty and ‘before’-like

And then here it is will a bit more ‘after’

I know it needs a little something more, doesn’t it?  But what?  suggestions please in the comments section!

A little peek at what IS there:

::rug from Cost Plus. Little table has been in my family and in storage for decades. I recently spray painted it blue (from black)

 

I’m serious about suggestions.  Something on the wall above the bookshelf, right?  what else? 

Mika is waiting for your brilliant ideas

Sundays in the Kitchen

I spent all day at home on Sunday as I’m slowly trying to put back together the room I had painted last week (pics to come).  I’m still missing a few integral pieces to that room but I’ll show off the finished project once it’s done!

So as I was busy climbing up and down ladders all day I decided an easy and tasty dinner was in order.  I bought my first tiny bunch of basil at the indoor farmers market this weekend.  They grew in a greenhouse and smelled like summer.

With a little spinach, pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil the basil made a tasty little pesto

With a few mushrooms, Italian sausage, fresh mozzarella and my favorite recipe for pizza dough – this baby was born

This pizza crust is light and chewy – just how I likes it.  Want the recipe?

Pizza dough  - Barefoot Contessa

this is the full recipe.  I always halve it when I make my dough.  If you halve it make sure you’re halving all of the measurements called for in the steps.

• For the pizza
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Good olive oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. 

For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook (I don’t have this and just use my Cuisinart). When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of the flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each parchment-lined sheet pan. (If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)

Top it with your faves and bake for about 10-15 minutes. eat it.

 

It’s so much better than store-bought frozen pizza.  But hey, if you like a frozen pizza, just wrap this sucker up and toss it in the freezer.  what do i care?

House Warming

This is happening right now…

More to come…

Resistance

For the last few years it has been as if I cannot be moved. The more I recognize changes needing to be made in my life, the more I have stood my ground.  I think sometimes resistance to change is because we aren’t ready and somewhere internally we are aware of this.  I think MOST times resistance comes because we are scared of change.  I know that I have been scared. 

While I am decidedly less scared these days, I’m still in transition out of resistance.  This morning, however, I received a little sign from the universe/god/buddha/elvis.  I’ve been trying to meditate every morning.  I’m new at it and trying to figure out my own way of doing it.  But I have an awesome little spot for it (more on that in another post) and it's been a nice way to start my day.

So this morning I was thinking about "resistance" during this little medi-moment and suddenly my eyes popped open and (I thought) I lost my meditation flow.  At the same moment I caught sight out my window of a woman and her dog in the midst of a tug-of-war.  They were in a face-ff, each wanting to go in a different direction.  For a moment they each stood their ground and pulled against one another – in complete resistance of the other.  Then the woman stopped pulling.  She took a moment and then stepped behind her dog and gave him a push in the direction she wanted to go.  He wagged his tail and trotted along with her.

Aha, I thought, sometimes you just need a little push.