Fun Facts

Since I started working at Princeton, I've been thinking about some of the coincidences and similarities to other aspects of my education and career. Here are a few little tidbits that I find interesting. It's a little history lesson for you, too!

1) Orange and Black
     Princeton's colors are orange and black. Weirdly, those were my high school colors. I couldn't find any history on why my high school chose orange and black, but I found Princeton's history. The color orange was one of the colors of the House of Nassau - the house of King William III, for whom the first campus building (Nassau Hall) was named. Students began wearing orange ribbons with "Princeton" written in black, and in 1896 those were adopted as the official colors. To go a step deeper with the weird coincidence, the colors of the House of Nassau were actually orange and blue... my college colors!

2) The Tiger
     My internship was done at Clemson University, whose mascot is the tiger. When I got to Princeton, I found out that my mascot would once again be the tiger!  The Princeton Tigers came about because of the school colors. The first football uniforms were orange and black stripes, so the association with the tiger was quickly observed, and it stuck. The Clemson Tigers came to be because the first football coach came from the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University), whose mascot was the tiger. He decided to keep the mascot since Clemson had yet to distinguish one. Auburn chose the tigers because of an Oliver Goldsmith poem with the line, "where crouching tigers await their hapless prey." Oh, and guess what Auburn's colors are... orange and blue! Clemson is orange and purple. Orange is a reoccurring theme in my life!

3)  Major Battles
     Gettysburg College, where I went to school, and Princeton University were both smack dab in the middle of major battles of major wars, both 31 years after they were established.
     Gettysburg College was established in 1832 as Pennsylvania College. In 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg occurred during the Civil War. The first campus building, and most recognizable was Pennsylvania Hall. It served as a field hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers during the battle. It recovered from significant damage, and is now a registered historic landmark.
     Princeton University was established in 1746 as the College of New Jersey. In 1777, the Battle of Princeton occurred during the Revolutionary War. Nassau Hall was the first campus building (and only building at the time of the battle). It was used as a barracks and hospital for both British and American troops during the battle. It recovered from extensive damage and is now a registered historic landmark.
     Apparently I like schools with a history of war.


Some fun facts about Princeton that I stumbled upon in my research:

- The first ever intercollegiate football game in America was played in 1869 between Princeton and Rutgers.

- The exterior of the Frist Campus Center on the Princeton Campus was filmed as the hospital on the tv show House.

- The art museum on campus has original Monet works.

- The University does not officially recognize Greek life on campus. There are no fraternity or sorority houses. Instead, the school has "eating clubs". There are 11 clubs total... 6 of them interview and hand-pick members; 4 have a lottery system to choose new members; and one has a point system, where prospective members participate in club activities to accumulate points toward membership. They are essentially dining halls in big, old mansions that also have a social/party aspect.

- Princeton accepts just 7% of undergraduate applicants.

- The tiger statues flanking the front stairs into Nassau Hall are named Woodrow and Wilson, after the U.S. president, and Princeton alum.

- The Tony-award winning play "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" was commissioned by and debuted at the McCarter Theatre on the Princeton campus before moving to off-Broadway and eventually Broadway.



Ok, I think that's enough for now. I'll stop boring you!

Triple Berry Cinnamon Swirl Bread

As we all know, I have the biggest kitchen crush on Joy Wilson, a.k.a. Joy the Baker. To my delight, she has teamed up with King Arthur Flour to host a "Baking Bootcamp". She is creating four different recipes using four different kinds of flour, and challenging her readers to make these recipes. Post pictures of your creations to instagram, with the hashtag #bakingbootcamp, and you're entered into a contest to win a year's supply of King Arthur Flour and a baking essentials package, put together by Joy herself. None of this is anything but awesome.

For her first recipe, using all-purpose flour, Joy has created a Triple Berry Cinnamon Swirl Bread. I'm not going to post the recipe, since I didn't make any changes. You can check it out on her site by clicking the link above. I will post some pictures I took of the process, and my finished product.

Yeast, milk, sugar, egg, melted butter = bubbly, yeasty soup.

After mixing and kneading, you end up with a neat little ball of dough to put in a bowl and let rise for an hour.

Cinnamon, butter, sugar. Perfect sweet, cinnamon-y filling you can make while the dough is rising. 

 

Spread the filling evenly on the rolled-out dough and place the rinsed and dried berries.

 

Roll up the dough, and cut in half, leaving about an inch connected at the end. 

"Braid" the dough and form a circle. Joy describes how to do this in depth. It's easier than I expected!

Quickly and carefully pick up the braided dough and place it in a cast iron skillet (or pan of some kind.) This was also easier than expected, but I can see the potential of it going badly. 

Brush the top with a beaten egg to get that perfectly browned top, and bake for 25 minutes, and you have a pan full of heaven. 

Let it cool and add a little powdered sugar, and it's perfect! It's so good! Like a big cinnamon bun, with a pop of fresh fruit.

Even if you aren't interested in the "Baking Bootcamp", you should treat yourself to this. I thought the recipe was a little intimidating, but it was a lot simpler than it seemed, and totally one of those recipes that makes you feel proud and accomplished.

Again, you can find the recipe here. Joy also has step-by-step instructions with pictures, which was really helpful!

Enjoy!

Summer Fun

So I was on Pinterest today, and a summer to-do list popped up on my feed. With my new job, I get July and August off, so I thought it would be fun to make a list of things that I would like to do this summer.

Now, it's not one of those "I have to do EVERYTHING or summer is RUINED" kind of lists, just some stuff that I want to try to do, and things to make the summer fun! I ended up with 25 things... mostly because that's how many lines were on my tablet.

Summer Fun List

1) Go to the beach.

At least once... probably more.
 

2) Go camping.

A lot. So far I'm planning on PA, VA, and NC.
 

3) Make my own ice cream.

I remember doing this as a kid... I wonder if Mom still has the ice cream maker?!
 

4) Read 10 new books.

10 is a solid number. Maybe more? We'll see!
 

5) Lose weight.

50 pounds would be nice. I'm aiming for 10.
 

6) Can/freeze something.

I'm growing tomatoes... maybe spaghetti sauce??
 

7) Have a fondue night.

Love fondue, and no cooking!
 

8) Go to a theme park.

I'm already planning on Busch Gardens. And Knoebel's. Maybe even Hershey??
 

9) Catch up with friends.

I have lots of friends nearby now that I've fallen out of touch with.
 

10) Visit a city.

Almost definitely NYC. Maybe a day in Philly, too?
 

11) Have a picnic by the lake.

Burgers on the grill, anyone?
 

12) Donate blood.

I've been lax about this lately. And I want new tattoos soon so I won't be able to.
 

13) Try new recipes.

Lots of them!
 

14) Go to a carnival/fair.

Fried oreos! Gyros! Funnel cake! This one may be at odds with #5.
 

15) Have an all-day movie marathon of movies I haven't seen.

I don't mean just 3 or 4 movies. I mean, like, 8am to midnight.
 

16) Go hiking.

This could go hand-in-hand with the camping, but it doesn't have to!
 

17) See a new lighthouse.

Or several.
 

18) Find some new waterfalls.

A day at Rickett's Glen, maybe?
 

19) Make fresh-squeezed lemon/lime/orangeade.

I don't know if I've ever actually made a whole pitcher of lemonade from scratch....
 
20) Digitalize some photos.
I've done most photos from my dad's side. I want to sit down with my maternal grandmother, a scanner, and some photo albums.
 

 21) Send some gifts/treats/care packages to random people.
If I see something or bake something that I think someone would like, I want to send it to them!
 
22) Learn something new.
I've been meaning to learn at least the basics of a new language. Or maybe a new cooking technique? Cake decorating? Hmm....
 
23) Watch some fireworks.
Fourth of July? Busch Gardens? I want to see some somewhere!
 
24) Find a new winery.
I think there are at least a couple around here I could check out.
 
25) Spend time with family.
I'm close to home now, and have time off. I want to see the people that I love as much as possible!

This summer has the potential to be amazing! Let's see what happens!



A Whole New World

A new fantastic point of view. No one to tell us no, or where to go....

Oh, sorry. "A Whole New World" came to mind as a title for this post, and I got caught up in it. It's a whole new world becaaause I've started a whole new life since my last posting!

I've gotten a new job as the theater technician at Princeton University! While I learned a lot, and made some great friends during my time at the park, it was definitely time to move on. I've been with the University for about a month now, and so far it's fantastic! Salary, benefits, normal work hours, enjoyable work. I finally feel like I have a "grown-up" job, and that my life is starting.

I have an office, I get vacation/personal/sick days, summers off, and let's talk about the area. I'm pretty much right smack between New York City and Philadelphia; I'm about three hours from my hometown (instead of 7!), and I'm still only about 45 minutes from the beach. It's pretty much my perfect geographic location.

Along with the new job, I have a new apartment in Levittown, PA. I was looking to rent a house, but they were few and far between. I feel like this is the best bet while I get settled in the area and at Princeton, anyway. I don't have to worry about yardwork or upkeep. Plus, this complex is so much better than the one I was at in VA. I can't hear every little thing that my neighbors do and say... in fact, I haven't really heard them at all. I was leery of a first-floor apartment, but I can't hear the people moving upstairs at all... and it was SO MUCH easier to move into than a second-floor apartment!

It's a one-bedroom, but I have an extra little "den" space that I want to get a futon or pull-out sofa for, so I can use it as a guest room. The kitchen is a little small, but the bedroom and living room are huge! There are plenty of closets, and even an extra little storage space outside of the apartment assigned to me. I have a patio big enough for a little table and a couple of chairs, my own mailbox, enough yard for some potted plants and a decorative flag. It's great! And in a few years when I know the area, job demands, and my money situation better, I can look into buying a house. Until then, someone else can mow the grass!

Levittown is a pretty great area in itself. It's closer to Philly than NYC, but I wanted to live in PA. Mostly because taxes, car insurance, etc. are cheaper. Partly because I've been trying to move back to PA for years, and I finally could! Every store or restaurant you can think of is close by. There are tons of independently-owned businesses, as well as chains, so anything you could possibly need is right here.

Across the street from my apartment complex is a community park with jogging/walking/biking paths, picnic pavilions with charcoal grills, a lake that you can fish and boat on, playgrounds, a dog park, a beach volleyball court, a skate park, soccer fields.... I've pretty much fallen in love with it. This summer, I want to have a picnic in one of the pavilions so I can barbecue!

I've started jogging again, around the lake. It's easier to workout when you have a beautiful area that you want to go to, instead of staring at the wall of the gym. When it's rainy or too hot/cold, my complex has a fitness center that I can use. I haven't been there yet, but at least I have the option. I've been trying to get back into yoga, too. I will lead a healthy lifestyle if it kills me, dammit!

So, sorry this whole post was just me bragging about my life. I had to share all the awesomeness. I'm finally proud of where I am, and happier than I've been in a long time. Hopefully, I'll start this blogging thing more regularly again, but no promises! 

Sensational Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

Have you ever had IHOP's Cinn-a-Stack pancakes? If you have, you know that they're just about the best thing in the world. I only get them once in awhile, because I seem to only make it to IHOP when I have house guests. The nearest one is about 5 minutes up the road, so there's no reason I couldn't go more often, I just usually prefer somewhere with a drive-thru when I'm eating alone.

To satisfy my cravings, I decided to come up with my own version of a cinnamon bun pancake. They turned out wonderfully, and pretty close to the real deal. I had to share this with the world, so everyone can have Cinn-a-Stack without even leaving the house. Heck, you don't even have to leave your pajamas!

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

Ingredients

Icing:

- About 2oz. cream cheese - softened

- 1/4 C. milk

- 8 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Filling:

-  1/2 C. packed brown sugar

- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

- pinch of salt

- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Pancakes:

- 1 1/2 C. flour

- 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 1 heaping Tbsp. sugar

- 1 1/4 C. milk

- 1 large egg

- 3 Tbsp. butter - melted

Method

- To make the icing, simply whisk together the soft cream cheese, milk, and powdered sugar. Start with about 5-6 Tbsp. of the sugar, and add the rest until you get the desired consistency. 

- For the filling, place the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a small saucepan. Heat and stir over low heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is liquid. Keep over the lowest heat until ready to use. After awhile, the mixture will be come less liquid, and more grainy.

- For the pancakes, place the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk together to eliminate any clumps. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk, egg, and melted butter. Stir together until well combined. Let the mixture sit for 2-5 minutes. The longer it sits before cooking, the fluffier the pancakes will be!

- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour in the batter about a half a cup at a time, and brown on both sides. Stack the pancakes as they come out of the pan, spreading a few tablespoons of the filling on top of each as they hit the plate.

- When all of the batter is used, pour the icing over the stack, close your eyes, and pretend that you're at IHOP!

Enjoy!

Welcome Back Breakfast

Well, hello there, Blogosphere! How have you been? Long time, no see!

I spent the last few weeks at home in PA, and I decided that when I got back to my VA life, I would start blogging again. As you can see, my page has a new look, and I'm going for a fresh start. I have some adventures that I want to go on, and a list of new recipes that I want to try. My contract at the park has ended, and I'm unemployed for the time being, so blogging/cooking/photography will be a good way to stay busy!

To kick things off, I tried a new recipe for breakfast this morning.

They're "Breakfast Cups". Toast, bacon, and eggs all married together. They're simple and delicious, and it's all stuff that I had on hand. I used whole wheat bread and turkey bacon, so they're even fairly healthy!

Breakfast Cups

Ingredients

2 slices whole wheat bread
2 slices bacon
2 large eggs
salt and pepper

Method
- Spray 2 custard cups (or 2 cups of a large muffin tin) with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

- Fry bacon in a skillet for about a minute on each side, to remove some grease and start the crisping.

- Trim crusts off of the bread and discard. Flatten the bread with a rolling pin. Press the flattened bread into the greased custard cups, making sure there are no holes. Cut the strips of bacon in half, and lay on top of the bread.

- Crack an egg into each cup, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

- Place custard cups on a small baking sheet, and place in the preheated oven. Bake at 375 degrees F for 16-18 minutes, until the egg whites are solid but the yolks are still slightly runny.

- Run a knife around the edge to make sure the bread is loose, and remove to a plate. Pour yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of o.j. and enjoy!

Filling, nutritious, and kind of fun!

Enjoy!

My Latest Dream

I had a dream last night. A glorious dream. I bought an abandoned Wal-Mart building back in my hometown and made it into a theatre. I don't know where this came from, but I also don't know why I've never thought of it before. I regularly see old warehouses and abandoned factories and think, "Wow, that would make an amazing theatre!" This one just came out of nowhere, but it makes perfect sense.

I've spent most of the day thinking about how perfectly everything works out. There's ample parking. The building is huge, and there's already a loading dock in the back. There would be plenty of space for a generously-sized stage/wings/backstage area/dressing rooms/offices. Concessions up front where the little McDonald's used to be. The area between the sets of automatic doors could be the box office, and the long area opposite that (where they kept the carts) could be coat check. Wall-in the garden center and make it into a scenic/electrics shop. There's some grassy space in the back where I would totally build a deck for a break area/employee picnics. I don't know how high the ceiling is, but I would imagine I could fit at least a bit of fly space.

I don't know if I would want to mount productions, or just bring in tours/concerts/rentals. I feel like in that area, tours and concerts would make out better. There also isn't as much turnaround time between shows, because you don't need rehearsal/build time. Plus, I feel like large-scale tours and popular artists would bring in people from farther away. So let's go with the thought that it's a road house. Then between tours, locals could rent the space for meetings, ceremonies, commuinty theatre, etc.

I would need all of the latest and best technical equipment, of course. Light/projection booth in the back of the house. Sound booth in the house. A full lighting/sound inventory in case of tours that don't come with their own equipment and need the plot hung before they get there....

I would be creating a lot of jobs for the area. I would need someone to do the books, PM/TD, ATD, techs, box office staff, house manager(s), ushers, security(?), company manager, marketing/development/outreach.... I could cooperate with other local businesses to come up with mutually beneficial agreements. Like... if I got a liquor license, team up with Fero and/or Shade Mountain wineries and some local microbreweries. Stock the concessions stand through Weis/Extrava/Purity/Ard's/Pardoe's/local baker friends/etc. Discount programs for local schools when I have children's shows. (My mom's school district gets a super special discount, of course!) Offer tours/workshops for local students interested in professional theatre. Maybe internships for high school and college students?

I don't actually know what my role would be.... I would want to do the scheduling/programming. Make HR-type decisions. Deal with contractors. I guess General Manager or CEO... or something...? My title will be "I Do Whatever The Hell I Want. Deal With It." That sounds about right.

So, yeah, I've been thinking about it a little. Just a little. I wanted to get my thoughts down somewhere, and this seemed like an acceptable forum. Feel free to ignore my rantings, but I think it's a good idea! Maybe I'll actually read one of the many books I have on running theatres/businesses...!

Something New

Alright, so it's been three months since I've posted anything. What are you gonna do? Work has been all-consuming, and I haven't been doing anything remotely interesting. I saw a community theatre production of Les Mis this past weekend, but I couldn't write a whole lot of positive things about it, so I decided to abstain from a review.

I have barely been cooking and haven't even thought about baking, let alone try a new recipe. Well, this afternoon I woke up (hey, don't judge, I'm on night shift tonight) and saw these three sad brown bananas on my counter. This happens fairly regularly... I buy a bunch of bananas, eat two or three, and forget about them until they're far too mushy for my liking. Today, instead of throwing them away, I decided to turn them into bread.

I started leafing through cookbooks, looking for a recipe. Turns out, I don't have any walnuts or pecans, so Banana Nut Bread was out. I was decided on plain old Banana Bread when I came across a recipe for Banana Bundt Cake. Ooh! Something new and different! I got excited about trying something new, so I pulled out every cookbook and just started looking for the word "banana". There was a recipe for Chocolate Chip-Banana Bars that was intriguing, but a little plain. Let's improvise!

So I took bits and pieces from a couple of different recipes and threw in a few of my own ideas, and we have "Chocolate-Covered Banana" Bars.

"Chocolate-Covered Banana" Bars

Ingredients

3/4 C. unsalted butter, softened

2/3 C. white sugar

2/3 C. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 ripe bananas

1 C. all-purpose flour

1 C. whole wheat flour

1/4 C. cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

powdered sugar to serve

Method

- In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add in the vanilla. Beat in the bananas until well-incorporated, and no chunks remain.

- Add in the flours, cocoa, baking powder, and salt all at once, and stir until well mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips.

- Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

- Remove from the oven and let cool. Dust with powdered sugar to serve.

They're very thick, cake-y bars. Plates and forks might be called for. They're also delicious!

Hopefully this is the start of a new wave of baking in my life. Let's hope you hear from me more often!



Enjoy!

Tofu-Veggie Stir-Fry

I'm doing it. I'm really doing it. I'm attempting to go one month living a vegetarian lifestyle. It's something that has interested me for a long time. I'm curious about how it will make me feel, and if it will help me to lose any weight. I considered trying to go vegan, but there's no way I'm giving up cheese or ice cream!

I started on May 1st, so today is day 6 of my experiment. I might go really crazy and try a fruit/veggie cleanse or even a juice fast while I'm on this bandwagon. Both the vegetarian lifestyle and a cleanse are things on my 30 Things Before 30 list... of which I have been rather neglectful. I'm trying to step it up since I'm down to four years until I turn 30 (yikes....).

I know it's only been six days, but so far giving up meat hasn't been difficult. It's a little hard at work because the employee cafeterias don't have many healthy vegetarian options. The past couple of days, I've made do with a salad and some fries. I'm probably going to start packing a lunch more often. This is where learning to cook without meat comes in (or, you know, lots of PB&J's). I sought out tofu at the grocery store and decided to try to make something with it. I came up with the idea of stir-frying, and it seemed easy and something I knew I would like.

Now, this wasn't as homemade as I would have liked, but I had just gotten off of work and I was tired and lazy, so I bought a frozen stir-fry veggie mix (sugar snap peas, carrots, onions, peppers, broccoli, celery, water chestnuts, and green beans), and a jar of stir-fry sauce. Someday, I'll try the sauce from scratch, but the frozen mixed veggies are just so easy. No washing, no dicing/chopping/julienne-ing, no wait time for it to cook.... So nice.

This is the perfect recipe for those nights when you just don't want to put a lot of effort into a healthy dinner, but still want something satisfying and impressive. It's fast, easy, and delicious!

Tofu-Veggie Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic - minced
7 oz. Extra Firm Tofu - cubed
1 bag Frozen Mixed Vegetables - thawed (Any variety you like.)
2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1/8 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/2 C. Stir-Fry Sauce (I used La Choy brand.) 

Method:
-  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over med-high heat. Add in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until it softens and starts to brown. Add the tofu and cook until golden.

- Stir in the veggies, crushed red pepper, and cloves, until all incorporated. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are heated through.

-Stir in the sauce so that everything is coated, and let cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally.

- Remove from heat and let stand a minute or two before serving, to let the sauce set and the flavors come together.

I served mine with brown rice. It'd be great by itself, too, or with something like Quinoa or Couscous.  If you want to get really fancy, you could go the Lo Mein route, but that's a whole other dish to prepare!

The whole recipe (not including the rice) has about 760 calories in it, and I got two meals out of it, so 380 calories for a serving is amazing! Let's say half a cup of brown rice has about 110 calories in it, that's only 490 calories for the whole meal! Of course, I enjoyed a Yuengling Lager with my meal for another 135 calories... oops!

Please comment with some of your favorite vegetarian/tofu recipes that I can try out!

Enjoy!

Relay for Life 2013

I'm finally involved in a Relay for Life again! For those of you who don't know, Relay for Life is a global fundraising effort in the fight against cancer. Every Relay is made up of teams of community members and I've joined the team that my workplace has put together.

I thought I'd share some pictures of Relay from High School.

In high school, I was a team captain for a Relay team for a couple of years. I loved it. Staying up all night with my friends, walking the high school's track and eating junk food, all the while raising money to help fight cancer. I have great memories of it, and I've wanted to become involved again for years. When I heard that my work was putting a team together, I jumped on the bandwagon immediately. Unfortunately, only a handful of others have jumped, too. I expected to be able to easily convince the friends that I've made here to join me, but I guess not everyone has the same fond memories of Relay for Life that I do. Weird. Nonetheless, I'm still very excited about the whole thing.

I don't even remember what year this was.... 2004, maybe?

Cancer has always been a part of my life. When I was four years old, I lost my paternal grandmother to cancer. I've had friends and extended family members who have battled cancer. My mother is a breast cancer survivor. My maternal grandmother has survived three different types of cancer. And just last June, I lost my father to esophageal cancer. Now, more than ever, I am committed to helping in the fight against it. This opportunity to rejoin the Relay for Life event came at the perfect time.

Yes, this is me in High School. With all the snacks within reach, of course.

I have my own personal fundraising page to help my team, well... raise funds. Every cent goes to the American Cancer Society to help in the fight against cancer. My goal is to raise $500 by May 17th, but deep down I would love for it to be $1000. If anyone reading this can donate anything to help rid the world of cancer, I would be eternally grateful.

You can also dedicate luminarias to the honor or memory of loved ones who are battling or have battled cancer. Luminarias are bags/torches that bear the name of your loved one along with an optional message, and they light the track all night for the people walking in the Relay. Thank you in advance for anything you can give, and to the people who have already helped me to get a step closer to my personal goal.

On a more general note, if anyone out there is interested in learning more about the Relay for Life, or finding one in your area to become involved in, you can get any info you need on the Relay website. Trust me, it is a life-changing event and you can make memories to last a lifetime.

Chair Project

Apparently I'm on a project kick. I've had this on my to-do list for months. When I moved in, I just had a chair and a love seat. I wanted another chair to round out my living room.

Initially, I found this one....

It was oversized, overstuffed, and comfy as all get-out. Not to mention that it was a $600 chair, on sale for $177.

Alas, it was way too big for my apartment. I don't know that I could have even gotten it in the door, let alone find space for it.

So in the same furniture store, I found this guy:

It may not look as awesome as the other one, but it's still really comfy, and much more size-appropriate for my place. It was a $200 chair that I got for $35. The price was so great because the leather on the seat was cracking. Apparently, it had been in the store for a long, long time.

I decided to go for it anyway, and see what I could do with it. I went out and found fabric right away, and then it sat untouched for months. Well for some reason, I finally decided it was time to spiff it up.

The scary part was taking apart the old cushion-cover to use as a pattern.

I was afraid something would go wrong, and I wouldn't be able to make a new cover, and wouldn't be able to get the old one back together, and everything would be ruined forever.

But everything went perfectly, and this is the final product:

I like it! The cushion-cover fits perfectly, and I like the look now better than I did when it was all leather.

The original cover was essentially in four pieces. I used it as a pattern for the top, bottom, and front pieces. The back piece had a zipper in it, and it just seemed easier to re-use it.

I'm super proud of the way it turned out, and I'm glad I actually mustered up the ambition to do it!

One more before and after:

Shelf Project

I thought I'd share a little project that I undertook recently.

So I've lived in my apartment for over nine months now. Ever since I moved in, there's been this big empty space above my sink, in which I've wanted to hang something. Along the same lines, I've had my shotglasses tucked awkwardly behind my faucet and wanted somewhere better for them.

While I was at home, I ran to the store and found these shelves. I figured they were the perfect solution to fill the space above my sink, and provide somewhere better to keep my shotglasses!

It helps that I love the whole "Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much" motto. 

I saw this trick on Pinterest.... Instead of measuring, or trial and error when trying to hang something with two holes, use a piece of masking tape across the back of the shelf and mark where the holes are. Now, I didn't happen to have any masking tape, so I had to make do with spike tape... which I did happen to have... go figure.

Once the holes are marked, place the tape on the wall where the shelves are going to hang, make sure it's level, and drill or screw right through the tape. 

Perfectly spaced screws every time!

The final product:

I love that the big white space isn't empty anymore, and it looks much better without the shotglasses shoved behind the faucet. As an afterthought, I put in a little hook for my dishtowel so I don't have to hang it on the cabinet knob anymore.

I'm happy with it!

Baked Coffee Cake French Toast

I made french toast for supper! What? I'm an adult. I can eat whatever I want.

I'm back in Virginia after two weeks at home in PA. I didn't want to run to the grocery store today, and I happened to have everything I needed to make this. Plus, I got to use my new cast iron skillet that I got from my gram for Christmas!

My time at home was wonderful! I had planned on staying for a little over a week, but it turned into two weeks when I couldn't make myself leave! I took lots of pictures, and there may be a post soon about the places I went and people I saw while I was home! It's funny how all through high school and college, I just wanted to move away to somewhere fun and exciting. Now, I'd rather be there with my family and old friends.... Maybe I'm growing up or something? Huh.

At least I'm not so grown up that I can't have french toast for supper!

Baked Coffee Cake French Toast

(adapted from the Joy the Baker cookbook)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

10 slices of slightly stale whole wheat bread

4 eggs

1 1/2 C. vanilla soy milk

1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/3 C. sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Topping:

1/2 C. flour

1/4 C. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 C. cold butter 

Method

- Melt the tablespoon of unsalted butter in a cast iron (or any oven-friendly) skillet. Coat the bottom and sides of the pan with the butter. Remove from heat.

- Cut the bread diagonally. Arrange the slices of bread in the buttered skillet, pointed side facing up. 

- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla until well-incorporated. Pour the mixture over the bread in the skillet, covering every slice as much as possible. (The bread will not be submerged.)

- Cover the skillet tightly with plastic wrap. (My wrap wouldn't cling to the cast iron, so I added a lid, too.) Refrigerate for anywhere from an hour to overnight. 

- When you're ready to bake, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

- For the topping, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a fork, work the butter into the flour mixture, until it is coarse and crumbly.

- Remove the soaking bread from the refrigerator, uncover, and top with the crumb mixture. 

- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the custard in the bottom has set and the tops of the bread have started to toast. 

- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Scoop into bowls and top with powdered sugar or syrup.

This really is heavenly. The bottom turns into a kind of custard-y bread pudding. The part sticking out turns into buttery, cinnamon-y toast. It really would be great for breakfast or brunch. Especially since you can do everything the night before and just throw it in the oven in the morning. But... it was just as good for supper!

If you don't do the whole soy milk thing, the original recipe calls for 1 C. of whole milk and 1/2 C. of buttermilk instead of the soy milk and lemon juice. I've just been on a soy milk kick lately. I'm starting to like it better than cow's milk, so it's all I have on hand and I'm trying to substitute it in recipes. 

Enjoy!