Recipe Challenge Update #2

The next recipe I made in the Recipe Challenge is the Chocolate Madeleines. They were really good and easy to make. The hardest part was finding a Madeleine pan in my small town. I wanted to have the true Madeleine shape that you get with using the special pan but I think I may have filled mine with too much batter {noted for next time}. Very delicious and would make them again. 

DIY Project Weekend

So excited it's Friday! My husband has been away on two business trips back to back spanning almost two weeks so I am soooo glad he's back. We both are super to stoked to do some DIY projects this long weekend.

  

Here's what our plan is for this long weekend.

- Paint our rec room in our basement. We replaced the carpet almost a month ago because we wanted to turn it into usable play space. I think we have decided on Benjamin Moore Gray Timber Wolf - 2126-50 but we are going to do a test sample to see if the colour is too dark.

Benjamin Moore Gray Timber Wolf 2126-50

The colour is not as dark as it appears here.










-Paint my studio. It is so in need of a update with yucky, yellow walls which remind me of a hospital and no one wants their studio/office to remind them of a hospital.  We are also moving my office into the basement so that we can move our son into his big boy room. I still have to do a colour test but I am thinking Benjamin Moore Sea Froth 2107-60. I am thrilled to have full say on all design elements since this is my work space.

Benjamin Moore Sea Froth 2107-60

The colour is not as dark as it appears here.










- Make a wooden slate headboard for the master bedroom. I have spent months flip flopping over an upholstered headboard or a wooden one. A couple of weeks ago I thought I had made a decision on making an upholstered one but as I thought about it some more I wanted something that was easy to clean (remember we have a cat and a two year old) so back to the wooden one. Then, yesterday while looking though one of home decor magazines I found a picture of the wooden headboard I want to recreate for our room. So excited to start that project.


-Make a fabric covered cork board.

-Spray paint some old desk accents gold.

Can't wait to get started and share some pictures! Happy Thanksgiving! How do you like to spend your long weekends?

Quick Fall Home Decor Updates

Every day it is feeling more like Fall which makes me nesty. If you are like me, you love to change things up in your home at the beginning of each of the season with a few new items or repurposed ones. I especially love Fall because I love being warm and cozy in my house.  

Here are a few things you can do to update your home for Fall and not break the bank. You could do just one update or all six (completely up to you and your nesting desires).

1 Albers & Fab Meander Shower Curtain Gray 

   Our Home/Custom Colors Shower Curtain- Chevron Red Grey and White

2  Morihata Light Grey Ishikoro Bath Mat

   Shaw Living Penthouse Nylon Bath Mat

3 Sugarboo Designs Little Print To The Moon And Back

   Rifle Paper Co Un, Deux Trois Print 

4 Benjamin Moore Paint - Icy Purple TC-13

  Benjamin Moore Paint - Corlsbud Canyon O76

  Benjamin Moore Paint - Kitten Whiskers 1003 

5 Dwell Studio Ulysses Pendant 

6 Horchow "Shilo" Mirrored Side Table

   

Recipe Challenge Update

So, as you know I started a recipe challenge a few weeks ago, where I picked a bunch of recipes out of a cookbook to test how good the recipes are and grow my skill level.

It's been going good so far. I picked a few new recipes to add to my weekly line up and some of them have been very successful and some of them not so much. I have crossed of the recipes that I have made so far.

My Recipe List:

1. Baba Ghanoush

2. Naan Bread with Mango Chutney

3. Sweet and Sour Chicken Salad

4. Noodle Salad with Meat and Nuts

5. Tandoori Chicken Kebabs with Raita

6. Samosas

7. Beef with Black Beans

8. Lamb Biryani

9. Asian Noodles with Pork

10. Caribbean Coconut Chicken Nuggets

11. Baked Cod with Potatoes, Olives and Tomatoes

12. Paella

13. Brazilian Fish Stew

14. Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

15. Russian Cheesecake

16. Chocolate Souffle

17. Cherry Clafouti

18. Rhubarb and Apple Tart Tatin

19. Mississippi Mud Cake

20. Chocolate Madeleines

Recipe Reviews

Baba Ghanoush - easy to make and tasted good but not as good as my favourite store brand.
{Sorry I forgot to take a picture.}

Lamb Biryani- well....it was a flop. I followed the recipe and in the end it had little flavour. The spices must have gotten lost in all the rice the recipe calls for. I also found out I do not like lamb (tastes a little too musky for me). I think I will leave this recipes up to the experts.

Brazilian Fish Stew - was awesome! It was easy to make. The coconut milk mixed with the red curry, cod, potatoes, carrots and spinach was incredible.  The dish had just the right amount of heat and wasn't too fishy. I would make this one again.

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni- Easy to make. I did cheat a little in that I used fresh, flat lasagna sheets instead of cannelloni shells because it makes it easier to stuff. You just spread the mixture out in a line and then roll. I also cut the lasagna sheets in half as to have the right proportion of pasta to filling. My family loved it so it is a definite remake and it freezes beautifully.

Chocolate Souffle - In choosing this recipe, I knew this recipe would definitely challenge my skills. The souffle tasted really good but it did not come out like the picture in the cookbook. Since this was my first time trying a souffle I felt like the recipe should have gone into more details for each step (ie. if you can use a hand mixer to whip the egg whites into stiff peaks or by hand.) I will try this dessert again (because I love chocolate and I want to figure this dish out) but with a different recipe that has more details.

Cherry Clafouti- So delicious! It was a dream to make. Since it is no longer cherry season, I had to make the dessert with frozen cherries and it still turned out great. Definitely making this recipe for my next dinner party.

Fall 2013 - Shopping List

As my magazines subscriptions arrive, I am getting more excited for fall. Here are some of them.

solesociety.com shoes / Topshop leggings /  Zara handbag / Jade Jagger earrings  / 

Michael Kors watch / Essie nail polish

Trying Adobe Photoshop Elements 11

Since I can remember, I have always gotten a giddy feeling every time I buy new piece of technology {ie. new computer, I Pod, or cell phone} or software. I am not too sure what it is that causes my giddiness, maybe it's installing something and getting it to work or that I get to try out something new.

I ordered Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 this week and  was so excited for it to arrive. I must have checked the online order status a million times. Thankfully, I only had to wait two days.

I have been looking for something to edit my photos that is quick and easy to learn because nap time really flys by when you are editing. I heard that a lot of people like Photoshop Elements for editing photos for both blog and home use so I thought I would give it a try.

The program was super easy to install onto my computer. The only thing is that I wished it came with a paper "how to" book instead of having to look everything up on the internet. {I am paper person, meaning I love the feel of a book in my hand that I can highlight and make notes on the pages.}

I can't wait to get started and share some of my pictures with you.

Recipe Challenge: Caribbean Coconut Chicken Nuggets

The first recipe I tried on my recipe challenge is Caribbean Coconut Chicken Nuggets from the cookbook "Food Lovers: Round the World Cookbook". I chose this recipe for two simple reasons:  I needed something quick for my son's lunches and chicken breasts were on sale (The Chief Purchasing Officer of our family {That's Me} likes to stay on our weekly budget).

The chicken nuggets were easy, quick and healthy to make. The recipe called for frying the chicken nuggets but I baked them to make them a little more healthier. My 2 year old gobbled them up. I had extra nuggets so froze the remaining nuggets in freezer bags of 10 {what I thought a serving size for 2-3 would be}.

We enjoyed the nuggets a few days later. We simply pulled the nuggets out of freezer and heat up in a frying pan with a little olive oil. They keep in the freezer very well and were just as tasty as the first time I made them.

I give this modified {baking not frying} version of the recipe two thumbs up.  

   

Caribbean Coconut Chicken Nuggets