Master Bedroom Inspiration

I love the idea of having two mini benches at the foot of the bed.  There are a lot of fabulous finds at Home Goods and various Vintage High End Consignment Shops in Newport Beach and San Clemente. One of my favorite furniture consignment shops is Home Consignment Design Center located off El Camino Real in San Clemente.  A fabulously talented male couple owns this store, and they have a knack for presentation to say the least!


A note on chandeliers: We live in California people, why is it that designers always place chandeliers directly overhead of the bed.  While this look is certainly beautiful, it does not strike me as the most functional or prudent choice in the event of a shaker.

Shown below is the Stanley Louis Louis Elliot's Wing Man Bed that I am crazy over right now....

I love the tufted headboard shown above, but B put his foot down, literally and metaphorically when he told me he does NOT like the tufted look and will not approve of this selection for our master bed.  Therefore, the Stanley Wing man bed is the front-runner choice as of now.  Although B is not crazy about the nail head look either, he is willing to compromise so long as there is no tufting.  I have found there is a delicate balance and definitely an art to creating a gender neutral space for the master bedroom!

I love the look of sheer drapes framing the windows, and hope to place this "swag" as shown in the above photograph behind our bed.

  I was SO happy when I saw this beautiful reclaimed wood mirror online at Hudson Goods (specializing in vintage industrial home decor).  This mirror goes for $595! I got both mirrors below for our room for $35 a piece at Big Lots.  Yes, I had to put up with the store clerk asking me whether I was designing a cabin, but who cares! 

 Every room needs a sitting area.  For our master bedroom, the choice was between these two chairs above.  In the end, we went with the bottom chair shown directly above as it was half the price of the other one, and we liked the darker contrast in wood.

 This large stand alone mirror was yet another great Home Goods find! The metal accents look a bit like a Roman helmet, but overall I think it serves its purpose as a masculine accent, and will balance out the more gender ne

Shown above is a side accent table/night stand to accompany the Wing Man Bed.

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Confessions & Shortcomings of an Amateur Housewife

Amateur Housewife, that's me.  And my shortcomings are numerous, I will be the first to admit that.

Confession #1: I am not, nor do I pretend to be, a great chef.  I'm not even a good cook.  More accurately, I am a fairly average beginner cook.

Confession #2: I have burned and ruined 5 pans in the past 5 months of my newlywed career.  I don't know why! Is the heat too high? Do I not babysit the pans long enough while I am in the middle of cooking dinner?

Perhaps I should have registered for additional sets of pans instead of fancifully beautiful china that remains stashed away collecting dust, waiting for me to create an ornate and festive meal worthy of its removal from the cabinets.  Sigh.

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Salted Caramel Rum Cures the Blues

This cake is from a few weeks ago, and since I have been so behind in posting this month due to a variety of personal reasons, and not feeling so great, I am happy to finally be catching up and sharing this delicious recipe! This cake is made especially delightful because of the moist-ness and density of the cake, and the rich flavor of the frosting!


Brownie Cake

2 c. coconut flour
1 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 c. raw agave nectar
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
12 oz. butter (This is the only ingredient in the cake that I wish I could change, and am going to try out variations of using other substitutions soon)
2 cups Organic Almond Milk
1 tsp Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract
8 oz. apple sauce

Salted Caramel Rum Frosting

Ingredients for Salted Caramel Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 tbsp. butter (I used a vegan butter substitute with no trans fats)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 2 tablespoons dark rum

Ingredients for Frosting base:

• 1 package cream cheese, room temp
• 1/3 cup butter, room temp (again, I used vegan butter substitute)
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar

How to:

First you want to make the Salted Caramel Sauce - Heat brown sugar, cream, butter, and salt over medium heat whisking until sugar is dissolved (not long, about 1 1/2 minutes).  Pour in rum and stir to combine.  Remove and cool.

Frosting Base: In a separate bowl or mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until whipped/soft.  Add confectioner’s sugar and beat to combine. (Good luck not getting confectioner's sugar all over yourself and the counters! God speed).  Pour in 3 tablespoons of the salted caramel rum sauce that you left cooling, and beat to combine.  Use the remainder of the salted caramel rum sauce to swirl on top of your cake/cupcakes!

Below is a photo of an attempt to salvage my first batch of Salted Rum that for some reason I made WAY too thick.  Since it became sort of a batter-type texture, I thought I would try to bake it.
Not a good idea.  Although this mini cake may appear to the naked eye to be a tasty concoction, in reality, it tasted like, well...crap.  A word to the wise: Stick to the recipes, don't try to be a Chopped Chef wanna-be, and you'll be fine! xoxo

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Three Strikes and I'm Out

 

And here we have the perfect exemplar of what NOT to do: completely burn dinner and destroy your 7 month old stainless steel pot!

I took something simple, cooking Brown Basmati Rice in organic vegetable broth, and turned it into a steamy situation - and not in a good way.   10 minutes into stove-time is all it took before I was suddenly one charred grain away from having the local fire dept. knock on our door.  

And that doesn't even include the tofu; I am not sure I am ready to talk about it.  But there was one good thing that came out of this chaos: Curry Tofu! 

This is delicious! I used olive oil, few good shakes of curry powder, little cumin, red pepper, heaping tsp. of raw organic honey, a little sea salt and pepper, and a dash of red wine vinegar.  Saute extra firm tofu in this mixture, using a very small amount (1/4-1/2 tsp.) of xantham gum to thicken sauce, if needed.

I still don't know why my rice burned and I am still kind of upset about it.  I used 1 cup of broth to 1/2 cup brown basmati rice - B says the burner was on too high...I don't know.  I will have to try that again.

Needless to say, B took over cooking the next two days after this Basmati blunder so I could get over the trauma. 

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This Just In...

 

There isn't anything better than coming home to fresh long-stemmed red roses from your husband.  It is a gesture of love and romance that never gets old.

I love it when B adds his creative touch and wraps the roses in newspaper!

I caught a good one, and I know it :) 

xoxo, 

Kate

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Pioneer Crush

It's official.  I have a girl crush on Pioneer Woman.
Her and her Marlboro Man and her perfect Pear Crisp.  Bar-none, the woman has talent, and a sense of humor that I can respect.

How, exactly, did I stumble upon this fanciful farm girl?

I googled apple crisp.  Then I got up from the kitchen table and checked our fridge, which revealed 1 measly apple. 

So then I googled pear crisp, because pears we had! Alas, I clicked on this yummy country-delish recipe.  But of course, I had to try to make my own gluten-free version, using the most natural ingredients I could.

Literally, with my Macbook sitting prominently on the counter, step by step, I began following, chopping, and editing my own version of pear crisp.

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It's War: Me v. Fruit Flies

Mid-evening as I was finishing up cleaning the kitchen, I literally pulled a pan from the sink that had been soaking and a flurry of knats arose and swarmed out like some kind of plague that had erected itself in our kitchen sink.

I look at Bryan, who is sitting there adorably trying to remember the code to his gym lock.  I say, "The knats are coming from the sink I think!" He just laughs and laughs.  We have been dealing with a knat infestation ever since I started buying pineapple and I am beginning to wonder...where exactly did these pineapples come from? Knatville? It's so not OK.

What's comforting is the fact that others too have shared this thought that knats may have come from pineapples.  This Yahoo user asks, "i bought a pineapple tree small one for in the house and cant get rid of these annoying little gnats."

Fruit Flies - for real!
Another Mampedia member wrote about her experiment when she found fruit flies all up in her kitchen.

"They were fruit flies, and what worked best (by accident) was a can of pineapple with one one slice left in it, and little to no juice. I took one slice out (leaving one slice in the can,) and put it on a plate per one of the suggestions. I covered the one leftover slice in the can and covered it by laying a tupperware lid ontop of it. It wasn't air tight, but enough to keep it from drying out.
Anyway, after 24 hours, only two fruit flies were attracted to the slice on the plate and died, so I threw that out. I went to throw out the can with the tupperware lid on it and there were TONS and TONS of fruit flies in the can that couldn't get out. I couldn't believe it. I don't know how they got in, and apparently they didn't know how to get out! That can went straight outside. Absolutely GROSS!
Apparently that was the answer though. WHO KNEW?!!! LOL!" (Full link here.)

Well, I may just have to try that.  But I am getting grossed out just thinking about it.  Bryannnnn????

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Natural Anti-Inflammatory Enzymes

I have been so busy lately, running non-stop & burning the mid-night oil, I haven't had a chance to update with posts, which I am now trying to catch up on.  But I HAD to share my recent experimental trial with a wonderful natural product that was emphatically recommended by a fellow inflammation suffering family friend: WOBENZYME.

Enduring chronic low back pain for a greater part of my life, I have tried every kind of anti-inflammatory NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) that the FDA approved and later either withdrew from the market or reported caused a myriad of adverse side-effects.  Due to my growing concern with the problems artificial chemicals can create, I began a unsuccessful search for natural remedies to help reduce pain and inflammation. 

For the past several months I have dealt with completely unexplained and undiagnosed pain radiating through my shoulders, hips, chest and underneath my buttocks. 

After getting completely confused using a trial and error method of natural supplements and dietary changes and feeling many times like giving up, Wobenzyme is the only supplement thus far that has provided any sort of consistent relief, albeit small. 

After a week and a half of taking this supplement, I noticed I was feeling slightly better throughout.  The pain is not all gone, but the ache, soreness, and over-all chronic tenderness has subsided a little.  I am hoping that this slow process continues in the right direction, and even if it does not completely provide a pain-free body, at least I can take comfort in the assumption that it is not causing any further long-term damage or other problems. 

Of course, as with adding any new dietary supplement to your regime, talk to your own doctor about whether this may work for you.  You can read about and purchase Wobenzyme here.

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Avocado-Corn Tomato Salad

This is such a great easy recipe to whip up a fast dinner that is light and really bursting of flavor! All you need to do is mix together avocado chunks (2 avocados), white corn (1 cobb), chopped tomato, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and pumpkin seeds.

We have had this at least once a week the past few weeks for dinner and, for a get together, it would also be a great dish to bring to share (just use double or triple the ingredients)

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Information Overload

Computers and technology are great, ever-changing upgrade and the ability to conduct business transactions, services, and communicate all over the world in a matter of seconds is what the first decade of the 21st century has been all about.

While computers, crackberries, ipads, facebook, tivo and droids can perform what people couldn't even imagine fifty years ago, I think all the technology overload is killing our social skills, relationships, and happiness. 

And this is from a girl who MET and MARRIED a man from eHarmony.  I am not going to say that what technology advances have done for society is all bad, or even half bad; but what I see happening is as humans become increasingly obsessed, immersed, absorbed and dependent on technology, they forget (or are completely unable to) clear their memory, empty trash, and reboot.

Shut the TV off, turn off the cell phone, put down the laptop and read a book, have a conversation, write a LETTER.  Go to Starbucks and see if anyone there is without a laptop, cell phone, or ipod, tuning the world out around them.  I am as guilty of this tech-culture as the next, and admit one of the greatest things about laptops/cell phones is their portability and versatility to adapt with our ever-changing schedules and actively busy lifestyles.   Also, however, these technologies which ware supposed to create accessibility and ease with our lives cause more and more pain, anxiety and heartache.  Anyone who has ever accidentally sent an e-mail (reply all) or text the wrong person, or typed a 20 page paper in college only to have their computer freeze on the closing paragraph knows the pain associated with the technical world.  But could we have it any other way? Not really, I don't think society lets us have that choice anymore. 

The other night, Bryan didn't have his phone, and the last time I spoke with him was 4pm, when we said "I'll see you later."  In between 4pm and "later" a lot of things happened, I went a lot of places, and ended up knowing I was going to be home later than his probably anticipated "later" to mean.  I worried, got a knot in my gut as I tried to figure out a way to get a hold of him to let him know I would be home around 9pm.  Firework show? Smoke Signal? Call a neighbor (oh wait, we don't have our neighbor's phone numbers), call a family member and have them driver over to the house? Wait, I don't even know if he's at the house....these are the thoughts that were rushing around in my head because of no cell phone!

It's amazing, what life must have been like before cell phone! I mean, ever since I have had a CDL there have been cell phones.  And the pace of life just keeps getting faster and faster as technology makes tehse leaps and bounds forward, and us humans are trying to keep up and add more and more lists of things to do into our schedule, BECAUSE WE CAN - in the car, waiting at the doctors office, you can work from anywhere, research anything on the world wide web at any time, and order food online - now you don't even have to call and talk to a person.  And if you called, you probably would have the option to dial it in through your touch tone phone and not even get a real person.

All this to say, the beauty of slowing down and simple heart-felt, non-electronic gestures and activities are truly what I think we need more of in our lives.

Interaction.  Conversation.  Hand-written notes and cards delivered through standard mail.  A lunch uninterrupted by e-mails, pings, texts, and calendar alarms.  But then again, maybe technology will come up with a "DELETE TRASH" pill, or maybe they already have....

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Get ready to Drool over this Chocolate Pie

Everyone wants to satisfy their sweet tooth without the guilt.   Well, guess what....you can have your pie and eat it too without a guilty conscience with this creamy chocolate silk pie! The pie filling is raw + vegan, and the crust is vegan and gluten free!

For the Pie Filling Recipe, click here.

I picked up a pre-made vegan/gluten free pie crust in the freezer section of Mother's Market.  It wasn't too expensive either, I think it was $3.99 or something.  Yes, you could go on and make your own pie crust from scratch, but let's be honest people, we have jobs, we have pressing deadlines and jam-packed schedules.   Give yourself a break and buy the dang crust, no one will know! The edges brown perfectly, and it it light and flaky and has no egregious ingredients!

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Lean on Me...

When one is weak, the other is strong.  The great thing about marriage is there are two of you, and two is better than one.  Especially when it comes to cooking dinner.  The nights are frequent, lately, where I do not feel like cooking at all.  I am tired of thinng of what to make. i want to try new things, instead of sticking with the same old recipes, but I also don't really have the time or the patience for it.

Bryan's tried and true favorite recipe to make on nights like the above are Vegan guacamole tacos, paired with spicy tomato bisque soup!  The above tacos, Bryan added something a bit new - instead of mushrooms, he put in chopped cucumbers which were mixes with a little olive oil, sea salt and ground pepper.  It really added something to the tacos!

Imagine has a great organic tomato soup, add some cupboard spices and fresh cilantro (or even fresh slices of avocado) and you are good to go!

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Cat + Squash + Microwave = SCREAM VI

I always wanted to try Spaghetti Squash - ever since experiencing the tasty entree from Gastro-pub in the Orange Circle, Downtown Orange.  I have tried rice pasta, quinoa pasta, but now, I feel I'm ready to step up into the big leagues, Sqaush Style.

Allow me to explain, for those of you out there who have yet to venture out to non-grain based noodles, how to cook spaghetti squash.  *Note: I prepared quinoa pasta/baked ziti as a back-up just in case my squash experiment went sour, and in order to feed my hungry bear husband.

How to cook Spaghetti Squash:
Poke fork holes in the big yellow vegetable, microwave it for 12 minutes.  Alternatively, how else will you know it is done?

In my case, I pushed "START" on the microwave and continued to do housework in the other bedroom.  Then, I hear the most painfully horrifying scream echoing from the kitchen.  It sounds, literally, like a dying cat is excruciatingly taking his last pitiful breathes on our kitchen mat.  I run to the kitchen, partially expecting to be met with a yellow squash explosion.  In route (ok it's a few steps, our house is small) I can't help imagining what the scene must have been like in this cat/microwave crime (warning: feline lovers, so not read)

I slid to the microwave, pull open the door and steam is shooting out the fork holes like a train.  I remove the squash, set it on the counter, and begin to cut it open with the anxiousness of an ER surgeon.  Burn! Ouch! My fingers are on fire! Steam is HOTTTT.

I let it sit there, recovering from the high frequency torture both myself an the squash just endured.
Then, once it cooled off, I scraped the spaghetti out with a fork, and it fell out like butter! Super easy! And even more to my surprise, Bryan LOVED it! A squash that size makes a LOT of noodles, so we put it in the fridge for leftovers, and had it for snack, and later in the week for dinner with a little olive oil, garlic, and sauteed veggies.

Overall, it was a great meal- and doe not have the negative effects heavy pasta has on your system.  You just have to be prepared for the screaming! Which reminds me, why is it that every-time I make tea on the stove, I literally JUMP in pure surprise when the kettle screams? I know it's coming, I just can't really prepare for it!

A Little Touch Of Romance...Happy Squashing!

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Fresh Strawberry Pie (Sugar Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan)

This gelatenous little frozen dessert I had to post because although it started out as a complete experiment, it turned out to be pretty good!

Gluten-Free Crust:
1 ½ c Blanched Almond Flour
¼ c Coconut Oil, softened
2 TBS Agave Nectar
Mix in bowl Organic Strawberries and Blueberries, 10 drops liquid Stevia extract, 1 tsp. xanthan gum and 1/3 c. coconut milk.

Heat Mixture on the stove on low, until ingredients blended well.
Pour strawberry mixture into cooked crust, freeze 1 hour.

Remove, thaw and serve!

Garnish or serve with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Depending on your dietary needs, use a Soy, Almond, Coconut, Sugar-Free Ice-Cream)

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