Munchy Monday ~

Brunch is by far my favorite meal, right next to dessert. The choices are endless with the combination of breakfast and lunch foods, and no one looks at you funny if you have a cocktail before noon!

This past Saturday, I decided to make a quiche for brunch before heading out to Temecula Wine Country with some girlfriends. I’ve made quiche many times in the past, but this was my first attempt at a Quiche Lorraine recipe. This recipe was super easy using a frozen pie crust, and satisfying enough to make me forget about lunch all together!

TIPS: Follow the instructions on the back of the frozen pie crust as some pie crusts don’t need to be precooked before pouring in the filling. I used an electric chopper to mince the onions so that the flavor was even throughout the filling rather than risking onion slices clumping together. Instead of crumbling the bacon, I used a pair of kitchen shears to cut fine strips and trimmed off any excess fat. I’ll say it again and again, all oven temperatures vary! Start with cooking for 20 minutes, then add on more time in 5 minute increments as needed. If you find the crust edges are starting to burn, pinch foil around the rim and continue to bake until the center of the filling is solid and knife comes out clean.

Serve with a basic side salad and fresh fruit for a complete meal. Don’t forget the mimosas!

XO~

C

Munchy Monday~

I didn’t get to my usual Sunday Scratch project this weekend, but I do want to share our tasty Saturday lunchtime experience at UMAMICATESSEN in downtown Los Angeles. The creator of Umami Burger has collaborated with some deliciously, innovative restaurant owners and chefs to create a menu that includes kosher cold meats from all over the world, specialty Umami-style burgers, deli sandwiches, decadent donuts (made to order) and lastly, fresh brewed gourmet coffee.

I highly recommend the Umami Shrimp Burger that is only offered at this location. It’s an amazing combination of a real shrimp patty (you can see the shrimp, it’s not all ground up like cat food), a light blend of Japanese spices and seaweed to top it off instead of the usual lettuce. The combination may sound out of the ordinary, which is exactly why I loved it, but the flavor was unique without being overpowering and I didn’t feel disgustingly full after I took the last bite.  The beignets were a great ending to our meal as there were just 2 with a tantalizing dipping sauce on the side.

Check it out the next time you’re in downtown. It’s an experience as soon as you walk through the door! (Wow I sound like a commercial..)

XO~

C

PS….hope you like my new theme! I’m still working on some changes but I’m liking the simplicity of this set up.

POSITIVE THINKING~

I’ve been super “Negative Nancy” all week and I can’t exactly pin point why! I have so many things to be be grateful for in my life…my home, a job, my mom, dad, brother and my other half who loves and supports me. Maybe I’m just mad at myself for not pushing to do the many things I want to do in life?  Simple things that can only improve my life, my state of mind. Things that don’t seem so hard now that I’m writing them down…

 - take a multi vitamin, plus extra calcium everyday
 -  workout 3 times a week
 - eat smaller portions / healthier meals
 - wake up at 7 every morning and get to work earlier
 - pay off credit card debt

There’s a ton more but I don’t want to bore you. Like Nike says…JUST DO IT!

I needed a boost in positive thinking, so I thought I’d share some quotes that are inspiring me to kick the negativity out of my life. Hope you get something out of them too! Set your goal and make it happen.

**All quotes via FinerMinds
**All photos by hupo bean via Flickr

XO~

C

INITIALLY FRAMED DIY~

My home office is still in shambles, but I did work on some wall decor that will make the space more personal once it’s put together again. I’m completely infatuated with the ornate architecture and design style of the Baroque time period, so I didn’t hesitate to purchase Ikea’s UNG DRILL frame when I saw it almost 2 years ago! At the time of purchase, I had no idea where I would put it, I just wanted to make it work somewhere in our home.

Once again, Pinterest came to cure my designers block! See the image that sparked my inspiration here. I happened to have just enough fabric over from reupholstering the seat cushion of my desk’s matching chair. I also picked up a laser-cut, metal letter “C” while at the Rose Bowl Flea Market a few months back, so all I needed to do was put them together!

Follow these simple steps to create your own:

1. Ikea still has the UNG DRILL frame available, but any frame of your choice will do fine as long as it’s big enough to house your letter. Paint the frame any color you’d like, black just happened to fit with my color scheme.
2. Pull the backing out from the frame and measure how much fabric you’ll need to cover it. Try to have at least 1 or 2 inches in excess so you can easily pull tight and wrap the backing. Wrapping paper or contact paper can be used in place of fabric.
3. The Ikea frame already had a cardboard backing that fit the frame perfectly.  Depending on the frame you use, you may need to cut a piece of cardboard to fit  if it doesn’t already have a backing that won’t resist being stapled.
4. Pull the fabric tight and staple in place. Staple close to the edges of the backing so you don’t see the staples once secured in the frame.
5. Wood letters can be found at most crafts stores like Micheal’s or Joann. If you don’t want to go that route, you can make letter cut outs from cardboard, and layer them on top of each other to create depth. Use a sharp Exacto knife and a ruler with a metal edge to get clean lines.
6. Paint the letter a contrast color to compliment the wrapped backing. Some other ideas are covering the letter with fabric, or wrapping with twine or wool.
7. Apply the letter to the center of the covered backing using glue or heavy duty, double sided tape. I used a hot glue gun and that seemed to do the trick!
8. If your frame has glass, you may or may not have to remove it depending on the thickness of the letter you used. I decided to remove the glass since it caught a glare when the light in my office was on.
9. Place the backing into the frame and hang.

Get busy!

XO~

C

Love FAB!

If you’re not a member of FAB.com, you’re missing out! It’s a site that features daily design inspirations and sales up to 70% off retail. They offer a wide range of unique home décor, jewelry, accessories, and gadgets. I love FAB because they have an eclectic assortment of artists and designers at prices reasonable enough for the average Joe to afford. There’s definitely something for everyone.

I made my first couple purchases on FAB.com this week, and I can’t wait for the packages to arrive! These fun magnetic board strips will help with my horrible addiction to sticky notes. I plan to use the red ones in my home office, the white (Mon-Sun) in the kitchen, and the green ones in my cube at work. Now the painting of the Bichon Drinking coffee…  if you knew me well enough you’d understand why I had to get this. Not only do I LOVE coffee, my dog (aka my furry baby) named PIXIE, is a bichon-pomerian mix. Plus, the colors in my kitchen where I plan to hang this: white, red and black! It was SO meant to be!

Click here to check out Fab.com and join!

XO~
C

Mini Mani~

My nails and cuticles were in desperate need of some TLC after horseback riding and spring cleaning over the weekend. So after clipping, filing and buffing, I applied Burts Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream and J.R. Watkins Shea Butter Hand Cream and let it soak in.

I happen to have 2 similar shades of polish, 1 lighter: ESSIE in Lady Like, and 1 darker: NYC in Park Ave. I love that the pastel purple and brownish purple (also known as PUCE – I learned a new color name!) have a similar tone but are different enough be noticeable.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought a new nail polish, only to bring it home and find that I already have a similar color! Fortunately, with the ombre trend still going strong, having similar shades of nail polish can work well together.

Now I need to paint my toes!

XO~

C