Recycled Catalog Notebooks Update

I did it! I finished my mini-project.
I'm putting together a step by step how to post - it should be ready by mañana!

Weekend Eats

Oh no - I think I've developed an obsession with burgers! It's my neighborhood's fault - the glamorization of the good old burger is driving me nuts! There are two new restaurants in my neighborhood and both serve excellent burgers. And a third burger-focused restaurant will be opening in about a month!!


Sirloin Burger + Mixed fries (Idaho and Sweet Potato) from Zaitzeff


Banana Oatmeal


Grilled Chicken, Fresh Mozzarella and Pesto Tartine


Wouldn't be Saturday brunch without my fave - Soy Latte


Panang Chicken


and lastly... a flaky, buttery croissant!

Lifeflix Rewind

Another busy week over! Have a great weekend everybody and thank you so much for all your nice comments this week.

I'm watching Martha right now and Eric Ripert from Le Bernardin is cooking this amazing Halibut dish -- definitely gonna try to cook that next week, I can't wait!!!

Are you a locavore? Local Fork is a great source - find out what's produced locally, where you can get it and when.
Make your own undies? and other Etsy Lab classes
Tag I'm it! Learn 6 new things about me.
Rustic Proscuitto Sandwich A no-time-to-cook special, that still looks like you put in the effort!
Recycled Catalog Notebooks A mini craft project that I've started in order to keep my sanity!
Fuss-Free Steak with Olives Another fast and simple weekday dinner.
Oh and check out Patty's blog over at PVE Design, she's been doing this awesome desk vignette series all week and guess who submitted her craft corner.

Last Night's Dinner #99: Fuss-Free Steak with Olives

Quick and tasty has been the theme around here lately - so here's one more for the road.



I found this recipe in the latest issue of Gourmet. It took me about 15 minutes to make. The carrots took a little longer, but if you're in a rush you can stick with a leafy side like a simple salad or a fresh fennel and orange salad would be yum.

You'll need:
1 lb top sirloin boneless 1" thick
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of chopped garlic
1/4 cup of black olives in brine (I used kalamata olives) coarsely cut
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste
Fresh slices of lemon.



Heat up a cast iron skillet (not non-stick), make sure it's hot. Pat the steak dry and season with salt and pepper. Cook on one side for about 4 minutes (lower the heat if you notice it burning). Don't turn or move until the time is up. Turn and cook the other side for another 4 minutes. Remove from heat and place meat on a cutting board.

Add 2 tbs of olive oil to the pan and cook garlic and pepper flakes for 2 minutes until golden then add olives. Cook for a minute or so then remove from heat and add parsley.

Cut the meat into thin slices (cut on the bias - opposite of grain). Top with olive mixture and serve with fresh lemon slices.



I served it with grilled carrots.



And look what Hillsy brought home for dessert - cream puffs again! Yay!

Are you a locavore?

Apologies to my non-nyc readers - it's another local resource (but a REALLY good one).

Don't have the room to grow your own food? How about buying food that's locally grown and raised within 250 miles of New York City...

Local Fork is a great source - find out what's produced locally, where you can get it and when. Looking for some locally produced honey? Berkshire Berries offers honey produced on NYC rooftops!

Make your own undies?

Yes, you too can make your own undies! The lovely Yana of supayana is going to be teaching the class - I would sign up in a heart beat, but I unfortunately might be sitting in a jury box (booo!) so I can't commit just yet.

Underwear Workshop!
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2008
Time: 1-4pm
Location: Etsy Labs, 325 Gold Street 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Description:
I see London, I see France- I’m gonna teach you how to make underpants! This workshop will teach you how to transform an old t-shirt into a pair of super cute undies. You will be provided with step-by-step instructions, stretch lace, buttons, and patterns- you just need to bring a shirt!

There are only 8 spaces available in total so sign up quickly!
Class fee is $55.00.

Look at all these great Etsy Lab classes - damn it, I've been hiding under that rock again! Yana, thanks for showing me the light!

TAG I'm It!

I got tagged for the first time last night by Patty at Papaver Vert. Thanks Patty!

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on yourhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

So here are 6 random things about me:
1. I'm the youngest of 6
2. I've had about 16 jobs and counting
3. I have an unusually heightened sense of taste and smell and am able to pick out individual ingredients from most dishes.
4. I develop fads easily, switching periodically from one obsession to the next. I can eat oatmeal for breakfast everyday for an entire month then one day wake up and decide enough is enough and eat bagels for the next month
5. I turn bright red after two sips of alcohol
6. I have an anti-Midas touch when it comes to computers. Every one I touch eventually breaks (the computer I'm typing this on has been in for repair 5 times)

Here are the people I'm tagging:
With the exception of Lovescool, I just recently "met" these lovely ladies and gent (some have become regular participants at Heart Handmade) and whose blogs I read on a regular basis. I'm cheating, I know I have seven (sshhh).

A Cat of Impossible Colour
The Little Stitch
Bliss
PVE Design
Sieben Morgen
Chortles
Lovescool

Last Night's Dinner #99: Rustic Proscuitto Sandwich

Arugula, prosciutto, Parmigiano-Reggiano, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and good Olive oil - all on top of a ciabatta loaf.

Cut the bread in half and drizzle some olive oil on both halves, sprinkle some salt and pepper. Transfer bread into the oven or toaster oven and toast slightly.

Remove from heat and top with arugula, a couple of slices of prosciutto, cheese and toast for another 10 minutes. Drizzle more olive oil on top for good measure! You can also squeeze some some fresh lemon juice to finish before serving (optional).



A perfect, casual and easy to make meal for a weekday night.

Recycled Catalog Notebooks

I saw this great Recycled Notebooks project on Martha (watch the video, it really is an easy one) a couple of months back and I earmarked it as a must try. Since I don't work in a traditional office, I don't have that much scrap paper (I don't even own a printer!) laying around. This project would be perfect for those of you who work in offices - you could start a scrap bin by your desk or by the printer and start collecting unwanted/unclassified print outs.



I noticed that my Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Free People catalogs were stacking up - I'm not sure why, but I have a tendency to save these like magazines. Anyway, I decided to try and make notebooks out of the pages that were light enough to be written on.



I've been pretty busy lately so we'll see how long this project takes me. I figured I'll do it in bits and pieces, during breaks - when my eyes need a break from the computer.



So today, I just removed all of the staples - baby steps =)

Prepped for Spring

So I treated myself to this light jacket with the money I got back from Uncle Sam - now I'm just waiting for a little Springtime weather to kick in.

Online it looked a little more paprika-red and a little less "construction worker" orange, but I guess I can live with it after being in a superly grey dull winter coat for over 5 months.

Weekend Eats

Yep it's that time again... time to see how much I ate over the weekend! (not as bad as last weekend)


Sesame Bagel + Creamcheese from Bagel Zone


Croque Madame


Cream of Corn Soup (+Soy Cappuccino) - weird combo I know!


Vietnamese Iced Coffee


Bánh mì Thit (Vietnamese Pork Sandwich)


From Sobaya - Mori (Plain cold noodle with dipping sauce) & Una Don (broiled Eel over rice)


Green tea, Wasabi and Black Sesame Ice-cream

Lifeflix Rewind

Happy Friday - this one couldn't come fast enough!!
I was waiting for the bus this morning and this random guy (also waiting for the bus) turns to me and says "there should be a law making it illegal for husbands to get angry at their wives!" Then I said, "hmmm sounds like a good idea." - then we both stepped into the bus and went about our merry lives. Just a completely random thing that I wanted to share =)

:: I take back a post I wrote 8 months ago
:: Penne with Tuna - a Jamie Oliver inspired dish
:: I'm burning out burning out...
:: Bacon & Leek Tart - so bad it's good!
:: What to do if a fire breaks out in your kitchen
:: In pursuit of happiness
:: The Cheesiest Potato Casserole ever!

BTW - Jade, the bagel zone is staying open for another month! I take it the landlord hasn't found anyone to replace them!

Last Night's Dinner #98: Cheesiest Potato Casserole

This doesn't even need an intro, just look at all that yummy melted cheese!

Recipe from Cook's Country
Serves 8 to 10
4 garlic cloves, 1 clove cut in half lengthwise, remaining cloves minced
1 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 cup shredded gruyére or swiss cheese
1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (4 to 5 medium) peeled and sliced as 1/8" thick
4-5 slices of hearty white sandwich bread (Arnold Country or Pepperidge Farm works best), torn into pieces.



Preheat oven to 350 F degress. Adjust oven rack to middle position.

Use cut side of halved garlic to rub sides and bottom of 2-quart shallow baking or gratin dish. Allow garlic in dish to try then coat dish with softened butter. Combine cheeses in a small bowl.

Bring minced garlic, cream, broth, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until liquid reduced to 2 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in potatoes.



Spoon half of potato mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle with half of cheese, add remaining potato mixture, and press with spatula to compact.

Press bread pieces into casserole. Bake 40 minutes.



Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and continue baking until golden and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes before serving.

Happiness is the key to success?

So I'm on my "lunch break" (btw Trader Joe's has the best ready-made soups in the world!) and I thought I'd quickly talk about something I saw on the Today show this morning. Two women were on the show - happiness experts (ya they actually exist) and they were basically saying that happiness is the key to success as opposed to the more acclaimed reversed version.

I haven't completely made up my mind about the psychology of satisfaction or positive psychology (therapy focused on increasing people's pleasure, satisfaction, and joy in life) but from what I heard this morning - the ideas didn't sound too bad.

Apparently we all have a happiness set point. 50% genetic 10% circumstantial and 40% habits of thoughts and behavior that we have complete control over.

So how can we control the 40%??

1. Positive memory: pay particularly close attention to the good stuff. Take a picture or write it down, so you can revisit when you're feeling "off".

2. Express gratitude - write down 5 things that you're grateful for. When I watch international news at night, I realize how lucky I am to be living the life I have and all the things I complain about seem so trivial.

3. Wish others well (but mean it) - appreciate yourself and others. I don't think we compliment each other enough. Now I'm not saying go around telling lies "oh you got a haircut, it's looks awesome" (even if it looks like she blindfolded herself while using a lefty pair of kid-friendly scissors!) But if you notice someone at the gym wearing a killer outfit, let her know! Say thank you or have a nice day to the bus driver that takes you to work every morning. Unfortunately we have a tendency to remember the criticisms more than the praises - so keep those praises coming and maybe someday the 10 praises will outweigh that one criticism.

4. Surround yourself with positive people - we catch emotions like we catch colds. I completely agree with this 100%. If you hang out with miserable people all day - you're going to be miserable. We're supposedly an average of the 5 people we hang out with the most! So I guess mom was right - choose your friends wisely!

other interesting bits from the segment:
*80% of our thoughts are negative and we seem to focus on that
*we have a misconception that having more money or stuff will make us happier. There was a study that showed that about 40% of the folks on Forbes' wealthy list were more depressed than the average American.

.... well, I'm not too sure about that last tidbit. I don't think I would be too depressed sitting on the beach for the rest of my life!

Wet dishcloth saves the day

Karen sent me this quick clip (34 seconds) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire ... oil in a frying pan. Good to know!

Last Night's Dinner #97: Bacon & Leek Tart

This recipe is from the latest issue of Real Simple.

Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.

Cut two leeks (white and light green parts only) into thin strips and grate about 1 1/2 cups of Gruyere cheese (recipe called for Swiss cheese).



Cook about 8 strips of bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Leave about one tablespoon of the bacon fat in the pan (drain the rest out) and cook the leeks for about three minutes.

Unroll thawed pastry sheets (one 17.5 box - I used Pepperidge Farm's) into two separate parchment-lined baking sheets. Top with cheese, leeks and bacon.



Cook for about 25 minutes.



I asked Hillsy to bring home some dessert last night - "surprise me", I said.


Beards Papa's Cream Puffs - YUM!

Standing in the rain

Happy hump day! It's another crappy rainy day here in nyc, but Billy is belting out "Dancing with Myself" (on shuffle) and it's quite chirpy here at the hive.



I missed the bus and my grocery bag was too heavy to walk home. Luke, I forgot to answer your question in my comment - I use a Sony Cybershot 7.2 px (about 2 years old now).

Burning out

Juggling two blogs is proving to be tougher than I thought. I've lost my Lifeflix mojo as Becks & Posh would say. Damn it, I hope I find it real soon. So rather than post photos of the take-out dinner that we had last night (I did take pictures, I couldn't help it - it's a force of habit), I thought I'd share the real story.

Everything is going really well over Heart Handmade, but I'm upset that the posts here have been rather light. I hope the dust settles down soon and everything can go back to normal. It will right???

Here's what my day looked like:

Last Night's Dinner #96: Penne with Spicy Tuna

Penne with Spicy Tuna

This was inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe, apparently one of his wife's favorite pasta recipes. I didn't have some of the key ingredients needed so I had to change it up a bit. It turned out pretty good - this is something you can whip up in less than 30 minutes. So easy to make - the tuna is canned tuna (just make sure you get the best kind you can get)!



You'll need:
serves 2
1/2 box of penne
3/4 jar of ready-made tomato sauce - preferably Puttanesca sauce
one red onion chopped
one clove of garlic sliced
a handful of coarsely chopped parsley
one can of tuna in olive oil, drained
a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste

Boil water for pasta and begin cooking. It should take no more than 13 minutes to cook the sauce.

If you're not using Puttanesca sauce, you should add 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped black olives - even if you don't like olives (Karen!). It just adds a nice layer of saltiness that goes so well with the tuna. I guess it's like how you add fish sauce or anchovy paste to dishes even if you don't exactly like fish sauce or anchovy paste on its own.


Heat up olive oil and cook onions, garlic, crushed peppers for 3 minutes or so. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. *You should taste the tuna to see how salty it is - which will determine how much additional salt you'll need. Add parsley.


Add tuna and mix carefully (you don't want to break up the tuna too much).


Add tomato sauce and cook to boil. Once you see the bubbles, lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes and you're done!

Add pasta to sauce and top with grated Parmesan if you want (I was too lazy to grate!). Enjoy!

Does growing older lead to growing apart? Part II

Not too long ago I wrote a post about growing older and growing apart. I guess friendships, like most things in life, follow an ever-changing cyclical pattern. Or as Heidi would say - one day you're in, the next you're out!

Eight months ago I admitted defeat - "Hanging out with my girlfriends has become such a rare instance, but is a reality that I've sadly grown accustomed to." These days, I'm singing an entirely different tune... I'm happy to report that I now see my friends on a somewhat regular basis. I'm really not sure how it all changed, but we've had a constant flow of plans including brunch, dinner, lunch, movies, shopping, mani/pedi, waxing, guitar hero parties and even a cooking class. And tons of phone calls, IMs, text messages, emails, and facebook messages in between.

I wonder when the cycle will end - will we go off track again and get bogged down with our individual lives and go months without seeing each other again? I hope not, but at least now we know what the next cycle will bring! I just hope we won't have to wait for another Sex in the City reunion.

Weekend Eats

Here's a quick overview of what I consumed over the weekend...


Soy Latte


French Toast


Cheesecake + Ice Coffee


Lombardi Pizza


Pancakes


Idaho and Sweet Potatoes


1/4 pound kobe burger

This girl can eat! And this is why going to the gym is a big part of my life =)