Collard Greens & Red Lentils

Hi friends! I'm sorry my promise of blogging more often hasn't followed through, I feel like I have so many posts I wanted to share {including a ton of items I need to list in our shop} but by the time I'm done straightening around the house at naptime, it's already time for Ryder to wake up! Phew! 

I wanted to quickly share this yummy dinner I made the other night, unfortunately I had been feeling to sick the past couple days to look at the picture and post the recipe! 

When I was pregnant with my son Ryder, I couldn't stand the look, smell or thought of eating meat. However, protein is crucial during pregnancy and I was blessed to be working with a group of ladies who introduced me to the world of Middle Eastern and Indian  cooking, especially meals concentrated around lentils, a fab source of protein. The spices and herbs in Middle Eastern dishes are so different than the Italian or Spanish dishes I usually make, and almost refreshing yet savory~ something my stomach can definitely handle. 

Now that I am expecting baby #2, I'm leaning towards these dishes again. This particular dish was inspired by a Whole Foods recipe. Both boys gobbled it up and it was wonderfully pre~chopped and ready for my little man! Serve it with some Tandori Naan or pitas on the side or to create a wrap {per Jesse's request}.

~Collard Greens & Red Lentils~

Ingredients

-1 medium onion, chopped
-2~4 cloves garlic, chopped {I used 2, still a little uneasy with garlic}
-2 teaspoons garam masala {"mixed spices" a blend of Indian spices, a staple in Indian cooking. I found mine at a Middle Eastern market, but you should be able to find it down any ethnic foods aisle at a good market}
-15 ounces cherry tomatoes lightly pulsed in the food processor
-1 bunch collard greens, thick stems removed and leaves chopped into 1 inch think chunks 

-1 cup red lentils {no need to soak}

-Naan or pita, slightly warmed in the oven for the table

Directions

1.) Bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes or until onion is translucent and garlic is just fragrant.

2.) Stir in garam masala and cook 1 minute {Indian cooking often calls for you to "toast" your spices briefly this way}

3.) Add tomatoes and their juices directly from the food processor with 1 cup water and bring to a boil. 

4.) Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in collards. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

5.) Combine lentils and 2 cups water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. 

6.) Reduce heat to a simmer and cook about 8 minutes or until lentils are tender. 

7.) Stir lentils into skillet with collards and serve.

enjoy!

xoxo

B

A mini makeover in the kitchen

Hi friends! I have to apologize for being MIA lately. I've been pretty sick the past couple weeks {for good reason} and  have taken every opportunity to lie down and sleep whenever possible! The to~do list and dust bunnies continue to pile up around the house, hopefully the worst is behind me and I'll begin to feel like my old self!

Last week we finally completed a project I've been wanting to tackle for a a while now in our kitchen. It did require some convincing, begging and pleading but J finally signed off on my idea.

~Here's the before and after~

~Here's the progression~
The little corner to the right is the space in our kitchen as it looked when we moved in {the rest of the picture shows our entryway and living room as well}

As you can see, the previous owners had used the space as a sort of desk. We knocked the shelf down and it became an empty wall.
Here's how I had originally had it styled {unfortunately I have no real pictures of the space itself! This pic shows the space and the corner of our dining room}

I had a red bakers rack stocked with Anchor Hocking jars containing baking necessities & a galvanized tub for fresh fruit and produce. Once Little Man became mobile, this space was no longer baby safe {nor was the bar you see in the back}

Here is how the space looked up until recently

 With our growing family, my office and workspace is shrinking! My plan was to turn this area into a desk space. I frantically hunted high and low for a desk that would fit~ unfortunately as the space is rather narrow I never had any luck.
I then decided I wanted to install open shelving on the wall to for extra kitchen storage. I figured since I would be displaying my plates and serveware, a desk underneath wouldn't exactly "flow" and I expanded my search for any piece I could paint that would fit in the space.
 After much begging and pleading, J finally agreed to let me paint our hutch you see in the above picture. He, like most guys, gawks at the very idea of painting over perfectly good wood. So I thought this would never happen!

 I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. It was my first time using ASCP, and I am so in love! Everything they say about ASCP is true. No prep work is required, NONE! That's right folks, I didn't sand, strip or anything. J came outside to find me painting right over the glossed wood and nearly had a heart attack. It went on like a dream! I painted in the bright sun which made it difficult to see how my strokes were doing. In hindsight I probably should have used a little less paint with each coat, but I'm thrilled with the results

Not only does it go on beautifully, it sands like a dream, coming off in powder form, giving you much more control over your work~ making it the perfect paint to use when you are adding a "rustic look to any piece"
For the shelves, I found these corbels on Homedepot.com. Thankfully, they had 4 of them in stock at our local store, it was my lucky day! I then just grabbed a wood panel that was 12" x 6 ft. and J cut it in half for me giving me two 3 foot pieces. J wanted to add some molding to the front to keep the plates from falling off in case of an earthquake {always thinking}. I can't remember the piece I grabbed, but it was similar to this.
We glued the corbels on to the wood, and then the trim pieces in front. For a wonderful tutorial that I referenced, click here. J reinforced the shelves with a nail gun, just for extra support. We then painted the shelves Sherwin Williams' Swiss Coffee to match our cabinets, as the shelves extend from them.

In the end, painting  took me two naptimes, only because I had to give everything time to dry in between coats. Installing the shelves took J only an hour or so. The total cost was under $50 not including paint. Love a project that gives you a big impact for little $$$ and time!

~Here's the finished result~

I am SO happy with the way it turned out, and thrilled to check this off my project list. I do have my laptop set up here still as well as our household binder, but I figure I can easily move them when entertaining to use the space for food or a drink station. I also haven't finished styling the shelves, I'm not at all happy with the way the top shelf looks, I need to take some time and really dig through my stuff to find my favorite pieces!

I promise to be back sooner rather than later, I still have a ton of kitchen projects planned so I'll be sure to keep you posted!

xoxo,

B

A Spontaneous Craft...

I had a very spontaneous day last Monday.  I woke up with the littles, made breakfast for both, packed Grayson's lunch, took him to school and when I returned I started the breakfast dishes (which I have to admit...doesn't always happen right after I get home from drop off) That is where things turned a corner.  It went from seeing that the cabinet above my head was a bit spotty which lead me to scrubbing it down...to removing all the items on my counters and giving them a disinfectant wipe down...to noticing out of the corner of my eye the spaghetti sauce splatters on the baseboards of my kitchen floor from the spoon that flipped out of my hand a few days before. Truth be told...it has been a looooonnnnggg time since I've wiped down the baseboards in my home...sheesh.  I went from baseboards to grout to behind the stove and so on and so forth without ever completing one task. From the floor I could see the stack of  "I don't know what to do with these papers, so I think I'll stack them on the hutch, between the vintage roosters and candle holders" calling my name so I stood up and started moving stuff around in very unorganized organization.  In doing so I found 3 vintage glass furniture coasters that I picked up at the swap meet... 

Back in the day, these little glass furniture coasters were used at the base of the legs of furniture to protect floors and rugs from scratches and dents.  Growing up my mom had a photo glued to the bottom of one and had it sitting on our coffee table in the living room.  So they have earned a space in my heart and every time I see them, I feel magnetic to them.  These dish-like chunky glass pieces can be there for you as it was for me...a simple decorative piece, or it can be as useful as holding your most special rings as you roll out dough for an apple pie.

Back to my spontaneity...when I came across them I got an overwhelming feeling of creative energy surging through me and before I knew it, I was cutting and Modge-Podging...

I picked up a stack of vintage cookbook pages and began looking for ideas.  At some point, I had planned on making one for my dear friend Mia for her very belated birthday. I found this page and it was absolutely perfect.  She is the Queen...

I cut out a circle, Modge Podged it on and then added a piece of natural colored felt to the bottom and Modge Podged that. I think it turned out so adorable. She has it next to her kitchen sink to hold her Silpada rings.

After I finished "The Queen's" gift, I decided to make one for my sweet friend, Carolena, that recently moved into an adorable cottage. I wanted to put together a small basket of goodies including one of these.  Lena loves to cook and it is one of our favorite things to do when we get together.  We share our love for pasta...so this seemed perfect!  When I gave it to her she smiled with such happiness because she has always wondered if her ring would go spiraling down the drain when she took it off and set it down next to the sink. Now she has a place to put it and gets to think of me at the same time...winner.

  

Then I looked at the last one. It was a bit scratched up on the inside which shows how much it was used so many years ago. Right up my alley :) So, I found a picture of a wagon wheel that kind of hid the scratches and now I have a sweet little dish of my own...

So there you have it!  I got completely side-tracked and in doing so finished a project that I had been meaning to do.  I do believe that creative energy comes when the time is right.  It cannot be pushed or planned...it may come when you're scrubbing the floor and my advice is to go with it!

Until we meet again...

Lo