Chris Loves Julia

Barbecued Baked Chicken Wings

2013-05-20T12:30:00.000-06:00

About 3 years ago I was in training at a previous job, making $11.50/hr. We had a new baby, lived in a new town, and were what could only be described as "dirt poor." We often look back and stand in awe at the self-control we had with our budget, and also all the great deals we found. For example, there was one time we went grocery shopping and were looking for some cheap meat. There were a bunch of packages of chicken wings and thighs on sale (the BIG packages). The thighs were $2.89 and the wings for $6.89. The wings were too expensive for us, so we started loading up on chicken thighs. Then, we realized that whoever marked the prices down, had accidentally put the $2.89 price on 4 of the large packages of wings. We snatched those babies up and celebrated our haul.

Why do I share that story? Because it was on my mind. Other than that, it's not terribly relevant. Moving on.

I love chicken wings, and I've tried making them just about every way you can think. I've steamed them, poached them, fried, stewed, grilled, and baked them. Steaming, poaching and stewing were for specific dishes, and the skin was removed because cooking chicken skin in liquid makes it gross to eat. The classic buffalo wing is deep fried and coated with a mix of hot sauce and butter. While I do enjoy a good buffalo wing, I'm not a fan of deep frying at home (too much mess to clean up, and usually you can make food just as good or better utilizing other cooking techniques). For the wing, in my opinion, grilling or baking is the way to go.

So chicken wings are a meat, not a dish. This means you can literally make thousands of versions of the chicken wing, and I'm sure I'll highlight at least 200 versions over the life of this blog (did I mention I love chicken wings?). This post is dedicated to my go-to recipe. When we make wings in our house, 95 times out of 100 we make them this way. While there are lots of great recipes, we always come back to this because it's just unbeatable. This version is baked. Here's what you need:

8 full wings, cut into sections (which gives you 16 "wings"), rinsed and patted dry (important to pat dry)
Gallon size Ziplock bag
2 1/2 Tbsp Light Olive oil - not extra virgin
1 Tbsp Kosher (or sea) salt
2 tsp Black pepper
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Smoked Paprika (or regular is fine)
1 Tbsp Ancho Chili Powder (ancho chili powder is not spicy)
1 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder (chipotle chili powder is spicy)
This barbecue sauce
Green onion (optional)

Can you use a barbecue sauce other than mine? Sure. Will it taste the same? Of course not. So if you make these wings and opt for another barbecue sauce and don't think they're incredible, then I blame the sauce. IF you don't want to take the time to make my barbecue sauce from beginning to end, then you can mix 1 cup brown sugar with 1/2 cup Franks Red Hot, plus 2 tbsp corn syrup. Simmer that on medium low until the sugar crystals disappear. Mix with 1 small bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce. That will get you close.

So, just like roasting potatoes, heat your pan in the oven first, but this time to 450 degrees. Because there isn't a lot of meat on chicken wings, you cook at a high temperature in order to get a crisp skin without overcooking the inside. When I bake chicken, I usually put some tin foil on the pan before putting it in the oven (yes, heating the pan will still prevent sticking when there's tin foil on it).

While the pan is heating, put your wings in the ziplock bag, then add the oil and all of your spices - do not add the barbecue sauce. When cooking at high temperature, barbecue and other sugary sauces should only be added after the cooking process, or during the last part of the process. The sugars burn easily and if you cook with the sauce on them, they'll taste bad.

Close the ziplock bag and toss it around until the pieces are coated with oil and spice evenly. Let the chicken sit in the bag for at least 15 minutes. Once the 15 minutes is over and your pan is nice and hot, take the pan from the oven and do this:

What that picture is showing is me pouring the chicken wings onto the pan spreading them out evenly (they need to be spaced out in order to get a crispy skin) and placing them skin side UP. Placing them skin side up allows the skin to get evenly crispy, but it also helps prevent sticking, as the skin is the part that sticks the worst.

Place the pan back in the oven (center rack, still at 450) and bake for 20-ish minutes. Heads up, there's gonna be some smoking going on. Like, probably quite a lot. Sir Alton Brown (yes, I knighted him) says a good way to prevent this is to steam the wings first and let them sit on a paper towel for awhile. I tried this and it helped a little, but not really that much. The benefit didn't match the effort, so I just put them in the oven and make sure I have my fan running when I open the oven door. The wings are done when the skin is mostly golden brown and crispy, maybe with some darker spots.

Take the wings out, put them in a bowl with some of the barbecue sauce, and toss to coat:

I find that topping with a little chopped green onion is a great way to add a bit of color and lightness. Finished product:

That's it. We usually eat our wings with a green salad. You can dip them in ranch or blue cheese, but honestly it's not necessary. And sometimes it just gets in the way. The pairing of spices along with the sweet spice of the sauce is so marvelous, and it's super easy. I'm sure that once you try them, this recipe will soon be your "go-to" for wings as well.

PS. - as mentioned on the barbecue sauce post, this week is dedicated to dishes with my barbecue sauce. Use whatever sauce you want, but keep in mind it won't be the same. Wednesday, awesome ribs you make in your oven. See ya then.

PPS. - we've had requests for more "traditional" recipe formats at the end of my posts. While I don't care for traditional recipe format myself (people too often use recipes as a crutch), I know that a lot of people do, so we're working on something for that. Stay tuned.

New, Cheap, Modern + Traditional Wall Lamps in the Bedroom

2013-05-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

Back in 2011, I gave two lamps a major makeover for our room, including making the shades from scratch. They still work great, and actually, with our bed higher (we recently put our box springs back in place after one of our support slats broke. oh dear) those really big lamps might have finally been the right size! But, regardless, we were ready for something new and less gaudy? Less attention seeking? More calm? Yes. Yes. Yes.

We also wanted to free up our nightstands for plants and pictures, but also the things we use daily needed a place: books, glasses, jewelry, laptops, phones. So when I found these simple arched wall mounted lamps, I pounced.

Visually, they're just what we were looking for. Modern meets traditional. And at only $20 a piece, we are only complaining a little about the quality. The curves aren't perfectly straight, and the white shade we were promised in the description is definitely more of a natural linen color, but the lamps adjust completely up and down and from side to side and we could always replace the shade if it bothers us--so, we're looking past the imperfections, I guess. I mean, $20!

I haven't styled the nightstands or anything yet, (poor Chris and his tissues this weekend) but I'd love to add some plants and pretty things to hold practical items. And maybe even a few pretty things for the sake of being pretty--after all, this is one of the only rooms in the house where a figurine might be safe.

Did we go the cheap route on this one? Yeah, we did. This Pottery Barn sconce is almost identical for 10x the price! Did we get what we paid for--maybe? Verdict is still out, but overall--we're happy with the look and with the price and sometimes, that's enough.

My "Too Good to Share But I'm Going To Anyway" Barbecue Sauce Recipe

2013-05-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

Confession time. Sometimes, there are things I make that are so great, I just want to keep them to myself. I've always thought that every cook needs a few things under their belt that just blow people away, and everyone comes up to you and is like, "This is amazing! Can I have the recipe?!" Then you just chuckle, throw on a straight face and tell them to leave your property immediately.

Well I think I've changed my tune. My favorite thing about cooking is seeing people enjoy the stuff I make. I just really like the process of building flavors, trying things out and finally coming up with a dish that makes people say, "Wow." So if that's the thing I love most about cooking, why would I keep my best recipes to myself? Obviously I can't have all of you in my home (as much as I would love that - you know I would), so the best thing to do would be to share the recipes and allow you to make it yourselves.

This is my barbecue sauce recipe. After several years of experimenting, tweaking and even receiving some in-depth mentoring from Sweet Baby Ray and the head chef of his competition barbecue team (yes, the Sweet Baby Ray), I finally created what I think is the perfect sauce. It's sweet, tangy, a little spicy (not too much), and ridiculous on any kind of meat. If any dudes are reading this, I'm not kidding you. Make this sauce, and you will love it. Ladies, make this sauce and you will rock the socks right off the men in your life. Finished product:

Super boring picture. Super not boring sauce. Here it is:

2 Cups Ketchup
1 1/3 Cup Dark Corn Syrup
1 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (yes, I use a little of their sauce in my sauce - so what)
1/2 Cup Frank's Red Hot
1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice Concentrate
1/2 Tbsp Liquid Smoke (use a medium/light-flavored liquid smoke, like applewood or hickory - avoid mesquite on this one)
1 Tbsp Ancho Chili Powder
1 tsp Dry Mustard
1 tsp Garlic Power
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Cumin

Stir together, simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, let it cool, put it in bottles, and love the crap out of it.

I battled with myself over this one. Up until yesterday I was firm in my decision to not share it. But I just can't do that; not to you, my internet friends. Something this great needs to be shared and enjoyed. And, just to help you with the enjoyment part, all 3 of my posts next week will be dedicated to this sauce, starting with my chicken wings on Monday (spoiler alert, I bake them instead of fry - totally the way to go).

Have a great weekend, y'all. Peace!

A New Calendar and its New Friends.

2013-05-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

I bought a calendar two weeks ago. I realize we're almost halfway through the year, but after trying a few electronic calendars on my phone and my laptop--it just wasn't working. (How old am I?!) It could be because growing up, my sisters and I got a calendar every year for Christmas and we had a family calendar meeting every week--I am just very into physical, see-the-date, write-all-over-it calendars.

The good news is that 2013 calendars are very discounted now. Ha! I sprung for this vertical one from Make Collaboration. It's minimalistic and modern and has room to actually write things on it! Also, it's super narrow, which was necessary knowing it was going on this narrow wall. I like it.

And, of course, I couldn't only hang the calendar.

The Pittsburgh skyline (my hometown!) is by a local artist and was gifted to us from my sister on her wedding day. The clock is, meh. Would love to replace it or spray paint it or something. I think I got it for $7 at Ross forever ago and it's one of those things that is hard for me to spend money on. Clocks. I have my heart set on this one. I found this paint-by-numbers dog at the thrift store (I guess saying it is vintage would be cooler) years ago and I finally got a fresh frame and mat for him. I am considering painting out the camo-ish background with a navy blue. Greta is obsessed with dogs, so this one is for her. On the bottom right is an intaglio print I did in college of some trees.

Now it feels like this little, narrow wall that separates our living room and kitchen hasn't been forgotten about--because walls have feelings? I think they just might.

Update: Use CLJ15 at checkout to score 15% off your own Vertical calendar right here.

10 Less Traditional Things To Fill Bare Walls

2013-05-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

I have recently retired from offering mood boards after making them for hundreds of clients for the past two and a half years. There just isn't enough time these days and I would love to focus on other projects. In those two and a half years, I've learned a lot. I've hunted a lot. And I've peeked into a lot of homes and rooms. One question that I got over and over was, "What do I do with these huge bare walls?"

Big art ($$$) yes. Engineer prints--sure. A gallery wall--obviously. But here are a few other, less traditional, ideas that I've recommended over the years that can fill wall space, add a lot of interest and maybe even set you apart.

1. Bikes. This can be out of necessity, like maybe you live in a small apartment and need a place for your bike--might as well make it "art." But even if you have all the space in the world, hanging your bike in a prominent place can look pretty cool.

2. Flags. The bigger. The better.

3. 3D quotes. We put together this large quote for the wall in the studio and the impact still gets me when I walk in the room. It's completely customizable and personal, too.

4. Frame wallpaper. This one almost appears as a painted mural on the wall. Build a frame, or trim it out with wall moldings.

5. Hats. There are a million excellent examples of these are just two of my favorites. It feels so easy and chic--but probably skip displaying your baseball hat collection in the living room.

6. A giant clock. So this one isn't totally out-of-the-box. But I've recommended this 50"clock at least a dozen times because 50 inches!? That's huge for around $200.

7. Tapestries. I am committed to using a huge tapestry somewhere in our home and this bedroom inspiration has me even more sold/drooling over the idea. Urban Outfitters sells some tapestries and of course, scour ebay!

8. Anything. Ha! Random everyday found objects hung in a series, create a graphic focal point on an architecture-free wall. Also, could make for a fun game of I Spy. Is that a potato masher??

9. In the appropriate setting, oars (or surf boards, etc.) look so chic. Obviously coastal, but check out the more modern application on the right.

10. Lastly, photo ledges with smaller pictures lining an entire wall. Can you imagine the fun guests would have with this? The conversation? Something special there.

Do you have any out-of-the box things filling your walls? Ready to implement one of these? Or maybe you're embracing bare walls, which can be a beautiful thing, too.

Image Sources: bike, flag 1, flag 2, wall quote, wallpaper, hats 1, hats 2, clock, tapestry 1, tapestry 2, random objects, oars 1, oars 2, photo ledge

What's the Difference Between Olive Oils?

2013-05-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

I've received a few questions about olive oil lately that I thought I'd take today's post to address. See, whenever I'm explaining my dishes, sometimes I say stuff like, "Use light olive oil - not extra virgin" or "Use a fruity extra-virgin olive oil." The question I've been receiving is, "What's the difference?" This is a big question.

The truth is there are big differences and every cook picks their favorites. But just like every ingredient, each type of olive oil has a purpose and flavor that we should all be aware of, and "level of healthiness" shouldn't be a factor when choosing which olive oil to use. The major benefits (omega-3s, omega-6s, monounsaturated fats) do not drastically change from one olive oil to the next (speaking in generalities - there may be outliers). No, the main things we want to worry about are flavor, and smoke point.

First, flavor. Olives are fruit, and as such they have their own flavor. This flavor is transferred into the oil produced from the fruit, and the intensity of the flavor depends on the level of processing. You've probably heard the term "first cold press." This means that the oil was produced simply by crushing or "pressing" the olives one time. It's a "cold press" because no heat is added. Once they have extracted all of the fresh oil from the first cold press, they put the olives through other processes to extract oil, including heat and chemicals. The more processing, the less the oil tastes like an olive.

The second factor is smoke point. What I mean by smoke point is the temperature at which an oil begins to burn and smoke. Once an oil begins smoking, it's best to throw it away. Continuing to use it will only make your food taste bad. Extra-virgin and virgin olive oils have a very low smoke point, meaning they burn easily. Basically, there are microscopic pieces of olive in these oils, and these pieces of olive, while tasty, do not take kindly to heat. Pure, light and extra-light olive oils have been refined more, which raises their smoke point and makes them more usable in high-heat applications such as frying or grilling.

That was the elevator pitch for olive oil. You may be thinking, "Chris, just tell me which olive oil to buy." Well...

See that top shelf? Those are my oils. I have 6 of them, each with a different flavor and use. How can I tell you which oil to buy when I can't narrow it down myself? While I may not be able to give you specifics, I would suggest having at least 2 bottles of olive oil - one extra-virgin (1% or lower acidity) for low-heat uses such as sweating vegetables, dressing pasta and salads; and one light or extra-light for high heat uses like grilling, pan frying, and roasting. Also, I would suggest everyone have a jar of coconut oil on hand, but that's another post.

* side not about frying. Olive oil can be expensive, so you'll notice I don't do a lot of deep frying with it. I usually do shallow frying (pan-frying) or sautéing, to use less oil. If you want to deep fry something, I suggest using a cheaper oil like canola or peanut. Yes, less healthy. But so is deep frying. :)

I hope that gave a little clarity on the oil front. Whatever you do, don't let people talk you into absolutes, like "Never buy anything but extra-virgin." An approach like that only limits our ability to create great food. So find a good olive oil vendor (I suggest Caputo's, for anyone in the Salt Lake area) and start trying out different oils. As you become familiar with them you'll come to appreciate their differences, and you'll make better food because of it.

Peace out.

Skylight In The Bedroom.

2013-05-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend I brightened things up in our formerly dark gray-brown bedroom. Now that we are getting settled into our style, we are revisiting rooms that we painted/decorated quickly (and cheaply) when we first moved in and...tweaking--which I actually highly recommend. Yes, you might end up painting a room twice, but when you're just getting started by all means explore any color you think you might like. Get over the fear. That's what I say.

So, we initially painted our bedroom Martha Stewart's Mushroom. Which is cozy, no doubt. But I was craving something lighter in our small room.

I thought I wanted white, but after staring at white swatches on the wall for a good month, and not deciding on one, I pulled out some light blues and within an hour I fell for Farrow & Ball's Skylight. You can (and should!) order a Farrow & Ball swatch book and catalog for free from their site. I did months ago and remembered I had it tucked away in my swatch basket last week and it came to my bedroom-color (ahem...colour) rescue.

(^Skylight is the third one down in the second row from the right.) It is a definite light blue--but sophisticated with gray, warm undertones. Here's how it looks in our room:

When Chris first saw it (he was out for the day with Greta while I painted), he was a little shocked and I believe he called it, "baby blue" and I made him take it back immediately. He likes it, really, and we agree it has definitely changed the whole dark, heavy feel of our room in its previous state.

As for getting a Farrow & Ball paint color in our city without a retailer--I thought about getting it shipped to us ($$$), but called around to our Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams store to see if they had these color formulas on hand. Both did, but the Sherwin Williams clerk just sounded more confident--so I went there. I can't vouch for the texture match--I've heard amazing things about Farrow & Ball's paint--but the color is spot on and cost half the price.

I'm not diving head first into the bedroom--it's just something I plan on working on as time and budget permits. Buuuuuuut, ripping out the carpet and old baseboards and painting all the trim and doing something about dressing the window and bed linens and adding a sliding mirrored door to the bathroom is all on the list. I am definitely using the Clare Elsaesser print as a color inspiration. I want to incorporate layered blues and a lot more fine art and just keep a relaxed, calm vibe. Also, new lamps might be on their way--and I think you're gonna approve.

A Really Good Salad With Really Good Stuff On It

2013-05-13T12:30:00.000-06:00

For Mother's Day dinner, Jules requested "a good salad in a big bowl." I like salad as much as the next guy (as long as that next guy doesn't really like salad), but salad just sounds so boring. So I walked up and down the produce section of our local grocery store and found a few ingredients I thought might make a more exciting salad. Turns out, I was totally RIGHT!!! Lots to go over, so enough prose. Let's do this.

Candied Kumquats
If you've never eaten kumquats, they're basically tiny oranges with a bit more tartness. The peels are super thin and quite sweet, so there's no need to peel them. Candying the kumquats balances out some of that tartness. Here's what you do:

2/3 cup water
2/3 loosely packed cup brown sugar
4 oz kumquats, sliced, seeds removed (kumquats are notorious for having large seeds)

mix sugar and water in a pan, bring to boil, add the kumquats, cook until fruit turns translucent

remove kumquats from liquid (leave liquid in pan), place on wax paper to cool. they won't get crunchy. that's ok

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Next up? Raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Don't let it intimidate you - it's really easy. Here's what you need:

Liquid from cooking the kumquats + 1/2 cup water
4 oz fresh raspberries (can use frozen, but won't be as good)

after you've removed the kumquats from the pan, add water and raspberries and simmer until raspberries fall apart

pour raspberries into a fine mesh sieve, force it through sieve with back of spoon. be sure to scrape off the underside of the strainer - that's where the good stuff is

this is all you get out of it. not very much, but totally worth the effort

add 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar. whisk until it's all combined

Crunchy Granola Topping
I'm a crouton man. I love croutons on my salad. Of course, we're eating gluten free and I've never seen a satisfactory gluten-free crouton, so I was looking for something else to add some crunch. I love eating granola with fruit, and since I was adding some fruity elements to the salad, I thought I'd roll with it. I used gluten-free rolled oats, but you can use whatever kind you have (most rolled oats are not gluten-free, so be sure to double check). Here's what you need:

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup honey (I used orange blossom honey that my lovely sister gave me as a gift - it was perfect for this, but you can use any honey you want)

I'm pretty hands on with my granola. I like to toast it in a non-stick pan, on the stove top. Doing it this way takes a bit of attention, though, because it needs to be tossed every couple of minutes to make sure it doesn't burn and it all toasts evenly. You can also make this granola in the oven by mixing the ingredients and baking for 30 minutes or so at 300 degrees. Please note, this granola was made specifically for this salad. It's not meant to be the ultimate, all-purpose granola for whatever. But I will say, it's quite tasty to just snack on, and super simple to make. Check it.

put your oats and almonds in a non-stick pan on medium-low heat and toast for 20-ish minutes, tossing every couple of minutes to keep it from burning

add honey and toss it around until all the granola is coated evenly. cook for 3-4 minutes

pour it on some wax paper and let it cool. it will get crunchy, worry not

That's the 3rd part of the prep. The 4th is chicken. Quick version: 2 chicken breasts (1 for each person), rinsed, dried, coated with light olive oil (not extra virgin), sprinkled with salt, pepper, ancho chili powder, and dried basil. Cooked on the grill or in a grill pan. If you can't find ancho, then just skip the chili powder.

Whew. Ok, so we just went over how to make 3 different things (4 if you count the chicken, which I don't since it's not anything special). That was a bit like drinking from a firehose, which I apologize for. But here's what you end up with:

Everything Else
1/3 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
7 leaves red leaf lettuce, chopped
1 cup savoy cabbage, chopped
7-8 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
1 heirloom tomato, small dice
1/3 red bell pepper, really small dice
good-quality feta cheese, cubed

I learned from California Pizza Kitchen that the trick to a salad that is enjoyable to eat (not just tasty) is to chop the lettuce up really good. You should be able to scoop it with a spoon. Seriously, this is an important step. Otherwise you end up with one of those salads that's perpetually leaving traces of dressing in the corners of peoples' mouths because the leaves are too big. So... chop it up. You'll love it, I promise.

Assemble like so - mix the lettuces, cabbage, basil, tomato, and bell pepper in a large bowl. Transfer to your serving bowls. Top with dressing, then chicken, then granola, then kumquats, then a little more dressing, and finish it with the feta. Bang, awesome salad.

I have to say, I really hope that you try this salad. Granted, there are a lot of steps. But it's seriously not difficult, and ends with possibly the best salad I've ever had. It's totally summer appropriate and you won't regret taking the time. One last pic.

PS - Feel free to make it your own, too. If you try something different and it turns out great, let me know! I'm always looking for more ideas. :)

Our DIY Raised Garden Beds

2013-05-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

Last week, we took a couple hours and finally tackled a project we've been meaning to for years-- Raised garden beds!! Chris and I both grew up in homes with gardens, and we're happy to be on our way to one of our own. This article from BHG goes into a lot of the perks (with a lot of pretty pictures) of raised garden beds--all of which helped us finally quit our procrastinating and get planning and building.

After we mapped out which vegetables we'd like to try and harvest (we'll talk about that in a different post), we decided to build 5 beds. Our yard is about 1/3 of an acre and right now, nearly bare in back--so five 3x6 boxes, we have plenty of room for.

We spent about $100 getting the supplies for five boxes, including:

30--cedar 1x6s

15--cedar 1x3.5s

Galvanized screws

20 ft redwood 2x2s

We didn't want wood that was chemically treated in any way and cedar and redwood are both naturally rot resistant, so that's why we opted for those. Plus, we have a cedar fence that is now nice and gray (someone actually knocked on our door and offered to take it off our hands--ummm?) that we love and are looking forward to the weathering of the boxes, too! When we got home, we started the timer (so we could see how long it took to build the boxes) and made all of our cuts first.

Since the 1x3.5s that we were using to frame out our top edges were the same length as the 1x6s--6 feet--and we wanted there to be a bit of overhang. We trimmed down 20 of the 6ft lengths to 5ft 9 inches and the remaining 10-1x6 boards to 33inches (also resulting in 20 boards).

Then we cut and mitered the 1x3.5 boards to 45 degrees, giving us what would eventually be 5-3x6 frames for our garden beds. Lastly, we cut our redwood posts into 1ft lengths for our inside supports.

Once all of the cuts were made, we started assembling.

1. The sides of the boxes are made up of two 1x6s, essentially stacked on top of each other with a redwood post at each inside corner. We put our redwood in 9/16 (the actual thickness of the planks) of an inch before securing the 5'9"cedar sides in with galvanized screws.

2. This is so when we screwed in our shorter 33" cedar sides, they would fit snuggly in the gap

3. After all the sides were secure, we turned the whole box right side up (the redwood posts that extend longer than the box will help secure them into the ground) and placed our mitered "frame" on top. Now, the frame is totally optional--but we thought it would not only look nice, but be handy to set small garden tools on while we're working. Gotta love a good-looking, functional finish.

4. Once we got the frame where we wanted--completely unmathematically and unscientifically, just moved it around until it fit together and worked--we drove two screws into each corner and called it done.

Pie. From start (before we made our first cut) to finish (carrying the last bed to the backyard), our five garden beds took us 2 hours 21 minutes and 39 seconds to build--which, well, we were pretty excited about.

Of course our work isn't done. We still need to play with the spacing/arrangement, excavate (although we heard placing cardboard at the bottom of the boxes also works?) and fill the boxes with dirt and finally plant--and then, I suppose there is the whole tending, weeding, and harvesting before we can officially and literally stick a fork in it--but we're completely excited about our new project/hobby and can't wait to share more of the process and progress with you. Hopefully we'll have another garden update before the end of the week!

Anyone else building garden beds? We can't decide whether to keep the surrounding grass, or dig it all up and surround the beds with some sort of mulch or pebble. I've been drooling over so many ideas all weekend--feel free to chime in!

CRISPY PORK BELLY, ROASTED POTATOES, KALE PESTO AND BLACK CURRANTS: PT. 2

2013-05-10T12:30:00.000-06:00

Roasting potatoes is something that everyone needs to know how to do properly. They're are so easy to make, as well as versatile, but some people don't like roasting potatoes because they often stick to the pan, have a gummy texture, or are too oily etc. etc.. Well I'm going to change all that for you right now. By then end of this post you'll never make bad roasted potatoes again. Unless you burn them, but that's on you. Check it.

If you never learn anything else from reading my posts, learn this. "Cold oil, hot pan." Got it? Repeat it 3 times. Cold oil, hot pan. That's the key to keeping food from sticking when working with cookware that isn't nonstick. So when you're gearing up to roast your potatoes, put your roasting pan inside the oven, without potatoes or oil on it, and preheat the oven to 425. Got that? So your pan is inside the oven while the oven is preheating. And once the oven has reached 425, you should let the pan sit in there for another 10 minutes at that heat, to make sure it's really heated. I cannot overstate the importance of this step. I promise you, this one tip will change your life. And this applies to all kinds of food and cooking vessels, such as grills, cast-iron skillets and whatever else. Cold oil, hot pan.

Once the pan is in the oven, cut your potatoes and put them in a strainer and rinse well with water.

I usually do 1.25 potatoes per person, depending on their size (the potato's size, not the person - though that could apply as well). The rinsing step is also very important. Some day I'll write a post about what happens to different types of nutrients (carbs, proteins, fats, etc) when heat is introduced. It's quite fascinating, and really helpful when trying to achieve certain textures with your food. But for today, we're going to talk quickly about starches. When a starch is introduced to heat, it turns to gelatin. Like, jello. If you've ever made gummy potatoes, it's probably because they weren't rinsed. When you cut a potato, it releases some of the starch, which gathers along the cut edges. Leaving that starch on the potato while it cooks will turn the starch to gelatin, and give the potato a gummy texture. Rinsing the potato allows the potato to get crispy on the outside, which is way more enjoyable.

After rinsing, dry your potatoes with a paper towel and place in a ziplock bag. Add a bit of oil and toss to coat. The great thing about using a ziplock bag is you don't have to add much oil. If you're cooking 4 medium sized potatoes, you probably only need a couple tablespoons of oil. Add kosher salt and black pepper to the bag and toss again.

Quick note on kosher salt. If you don't already use kosher salt, I really encourage you to start. Iodized salt should be saved for baking, and that's about it. We actually use a special sea salt for health reasons, but I prefer kosher salt for cooking, and once you try it you'll never go back. I'm serious, it makes a huge difference.

Next, take the hot pan out of the oven, dump the potatoes from the bag onto the pan, and spread evenly. It's going to hiss, which is what you want. It's very important that the potatoes be in one layer. Don't have potatoes stacked up, or they'll be soggy. If you're cooking for a large group of people, then put the potatoes on two pans, and place one oven rack two spaces down from the top of your oven, and the other two spaces up from the bottom. Cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, then move the pan from the top rack to the bottom and vice versa. Do this again at 20 minutes, and again at 30, until the potatoes are golden brown. If only cooking one pan of potatoes, put the oven rack two spaces down from the top, and cook for about 20 minutes. But keep an eye on them and remove them once golden brown. So if they don't look done at 20, leave them in.

Potatoes spaced evenly

Potatoes roasted. To perfection, I might add

Boom, a basic roasted potato you can use for anything, and you can season them up however you want. Speaking of seasoning, you'll recall that this is the second part of our crispy pork belly and roasted potatoes with kale pesto dish. So, kale pesto. Here's what you need:

sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, kale (thick rib parts removed), garlic, lemon, fresh pepper

Usually I make pesto in a food processor, but with kale pesto I like it a bit rustic, so I chop it with a knife. Until it looks like this:

From there, just mix the stuff together, in these amounts (scaled to meet your party size):
• 1 Cup chopped kale (please be sure you wash the kale really well - kale is notorious for hiding little bugs)
• 1.5 Tbsp finely-grated parmesan cheese
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced (I use a garlic press)
• 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Pinch salt
• 2 Grinds pepper
• About 2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil. I say "about" because I didn't measure. Just add some, stir around, add more, stir around until it looks like this:

Make the pesto while the potatoes are roasting, then toss them together in a bowl once the potatoes are done, like so:

And plate like so:

That's all she wrote. Not too hard, right? These potatoes totally stand on their own as a side dish for all kinds of things, but if you need a reminder, here's what the final dish looked like with the crispy pork belly:

Only thing left for this dish is to top it with the black currant sauce (dried black currants simmered in 1/3 part sugar to 1 part water, plus 1/4 part balsamic vinegar).

I wanted to share the potatoes separately, because I don't want anyone to feel locked into the pork belly. Don't get me wrong, the pork belly is awesome, but it's not always doable. So use these potatoes however you like! Maybe as part of a special dinner for Mother's Day this weekend or something. No matter when you pull this out, you can now feel confident in your ability to make the perfect, roasted potato.

Where To Put Curtains On A Window That has An Arch

2013-05-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

I found this picture of the living room from exactly one year ago.

Crazy, right? The living room just keeps evolving. But today we're specifically talking about those curtains because this window has been a struggle to dress since we moved in. As you can see from the photo above, I felt like the rod should follow the natural horizontal line of the window and leave the arch open? Arc windows are hard, but we lived with the above setup for years. And then for a little while, during painting and paneling--with no curtains--and then most recently, I took some white drapes that were in our bedroom and hung them in the exact same spot and I just. Didn't like it at all. The white drapes looked cheap and they were made even cheaper looking by hanging them so low.

I have been eyeing the DAGNY curtains from Ikea for about a year. Not necessarily for the living room, but I wanted to use them somewhere! They are thick, and silky and heavy and $60 for the pair. Expensive for Ikea. Cheap for anywhere else. I'll take them.

I hung them really high, utilizing all 98" of curtain length, and it finally feels like I can breathe! This whole time I was concerned that a rod across the arch of the window would bother me so much, but it doesn't at all. You? We hung the curtains at the corners so it is still at a natural-ish line and the color block at the top of the drapes meets the window line pretty well--which was a total accident, but works! Nice.

Sometimes they look taupe, sometimes they are a warmer light gold--but all the time, they look a lot more expensive than they were.

Other things to note in this room--that isn't our real coffee table. That was our plant bench that used to sit (holding plants--go fig) where Chris's chair is, but now is temporarily holding the spot of our future coffee table that has been ordered. The old coffee table--you might remember it was a lot of gold circles that all collapsed together--well, someone offered to buy it from us and we couldn't refuse.

Also, yes, Chris's chair moved. It felt too tall to be across from the couch--especially since that is where the entry is. You walked in and, boom!, barricade. We love it in front of the window. As for my chair, the "her" chair, I have to say Chris was right. It was pretty, but just not comfortable. I sat in it only a handful of times before we knew, maybe this wasn't meant to be. Luckily, we were able to sell it for what we paid for it so it doesn't feel like a loss. If anything, we got to try out a chair for 6 months.

We do plan on getting some low-profile seating for across the couch, but we're taking our time finding something just right. Evolution takes time, you know.

Crispy Pork Belly + Roasted Potatoes, Kale Pesto and Black Currants: Pt. 1

2013-05-08T12:30:00.000-06:00

So... we started that whole "Julia Loves Chris" blog, and then realized it was kinda pointless to have two separate blogs. So I'll be posting my food stuff 3 times a week here instead.

As promised, I'm gonna share my crispy pork belly and roasted potatoes recipe today, but I'm gonna do it in 2 installments - one today and one on Friday. It's not necessarily "difficult", but there are a few steps to it and I want to make sure each part of the dish receives the attention it deserves. Today, the pork.

Taken at night, with my phone. Forgiveness, please.

Fun fact. Pork belly is where bacon comes from. So if you like bacon (bahaha, I said "if"), then you'll like pork belly. You'll quickly realize that pork belly is not easy to find. If your butcher doesn't carry it, most can order it in but it can be pricey that way. Lucky for me there's a legit Asian market about 1 mile from where I work that sells pork belly, so that's where I get mine. So maybe search around for some Asian markets and see if they have a butcher. If they do, they'll probably have pork belly.

I cooked this pork in a pressure cooker. You can slow braise it or even cook it in the crock pot as well, but you'll need to add 6 hours or so to the cooking time. Maybe longer. When cooking in a pressure cooker, there are a couple things to note. First, don't mess with it once it's going. I ran a cloth along the top to dry the lid and my cloth barely touched one of the rubber plugs that regulates the pressure. The plus shot out and hot, meaty juices erupted all over my kitchen and dining room. I mean, all over. It took me a couple hours to clean everything up. Second, you need to let the pressure come down on its own. Don't rush it.

Here's what you see in the picture:
• pork belly in pressure cooker in 1 layer. Don't stack.
• 1 onion, cut into chunks.
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed, but not cut up
• 2 bay leaves

Here's what you don't see in the picture:
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

The ingredients you don't see are all in the liquid. Just mix them together and pour them into the pressure cooker. Seal the pressure cooker and keep the pressure high as you cook for about 1 hour. At one hour, remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure come down on its own. Should take about 20 minutes or so. Heat a frying pan over medium/medium-low heat

Remove the pork carefully. It will be very tender, so take special care. Unless you're a ninja master with the tongs, I'd suggest using a couple of spatulas or something where you can get under it, not pinch it. Set the pork, fattiest side down, on a double layer of paper towel to remove some of the moisture. Place your pork in your heated frying pan, fattiest side down. You don't need to add oil. Cook until the fat develops a crust, then flip and do the same to the other side.

And that's the pork. Not too difficult. On Friday I'll talk about the potatoes and what you'll be doing during the hour the pork is in the pressure cooker. You'll definitely want to check it out, especially if you:
• think roasted potatoes are boring
• can't keep potatoes from sticking to the pan
• don't care for kale
• have never made pesto

If that's not enough motivation, then here's a little peak at the finished product:

See ya Friday, friends.

The UNfriendliest Flower

2013-05-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

If daisies are the friendliest flower (ahem, Kathleen Kelly)--then I'm going to declare roses the unfriendliest. Lining our front yard we have 6 pain-inflicting rose bushes that have shown no mercy to their victims--which have sadly, mostly been the neighborhood kids running from yard to yard in our cul-de-sac. Two of the six are mini roses, and they are mostly out of the way, but the other four beasts we have been eyeing for...oh, two years now. And this year, I really wanted to get them out before they bloomed and I felt horrible about the decision.

The only problem was they were gnarly, and huge, and I popped a rib out of place in my back last week--so I wasn't going to be much help. Fortunately, Chris rounded up some young men from our neighborhood that he works with in the scouting program to help take this:

To this in about 40 minutes.

So much better! I knew I wanted them out but I never expected to feel this relieved. They tried with a tow rope first with no success, so they went after the bushes with old fashioned shovels.

As a tip, if you do ask for help digging out your rose bushes (or any other beastly plant)--and you totally should--these guys were cool being "paid" in burgers and lemonade. We are anxious to hit up the nursery this weekend for a lot of plants--softer ones--so we'll report back with those planting details soon. Any tips on a friendly shrub?

Ps. After a lot of suggestions and thought on our own part, we have decided to combine Chris's food blog (Julia Loves Chris) and this blog. The DIY/home schedule will remain the same, but three days a week, there will be an afternoon post (Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12:30 MST) from Chris. We are excited about bringing Chris's passion for good food right here! So yes, see you again right here in a few hours. Air-fives all around.

The Unimaginable--Someone Was In Here.

2013-05-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

The plan wasn't to write about this. It's personal and telling and could open us up to a lot of the feelings we were feeling that day--but in the end, we are okay and safe and no longer naive and, mostly, are hopeful others can learn something from this. A few weeks ago, an intruder came into our house. Our house, tucked away in a cul-de-sac in a very safe neighborhood. What still makes me cringe--even while typing this--is that it happened during the night (sometime between 11:30 pm and 7 am) while we were sleeping upstairs (!!) and we were completely unaware until the morning when Chris went downstairs in his towel to get some clothes out of the dryer.

"Jules! Someone was in here!"

And I ran downstairs. (I ran downstairs? I blame the adrenaline.) Our house was ruffled and Chris grabbed a knife. The intruder entered through our side door that leads into our garage, which Chris had accidentally left unlocked. The door was still open when we woke up. Chris was surveying the house (yes--still in his towel) and I called the police who came and thoroughly checked every corner of the house to make sure no one was still here. It was clear. They wrote up a full report and tried to calm me down. Apparently there was another situation reported of a man in our area during the night and they were guessing it was the same guy. Chris had to leave for work and I shook all day at every little noise and cried a lot. The only way I can describe the feeling is, we felt violated. I thought I was safe in my own home. Did he come upstairs? Did he open Greta's door? I can't even think about. I can't even.

We were completely caught off guard and are grateful nothing major was taken, of course, but more importantly, nothing serious happened, but we know that something could have. Ugh. We were naive in thinking it could never happen to us. Never in this neighborhood. At the time, we didn't have a security system. We didn't have any self defense handy near our bed. Our nephew was selling security systems for Vivint and I texted him to see if there was any way we could get one installed that day--because I was ready to check into a hotel. Fortunately, he came right over with an installer and before we went to bed, all of our windows and doors had alarms. I felt my muscles relax for the first time that day as we signed our contract at 9pm. Now, even when we are away from our home, we can check to make sure our doors are locked and our alarm is on from our phones which has given us some peace of mind.

Now, our security system is extremely affordable (around $2 a day!), and heaven's yes--I would recommend one, but after having someone enter our home while we slept, we started realizing all the things that can also be done to keep our home safe, and ourselves safer in it. I contacted Vivint to see if we could partner to spread some awareness and help others take preventative measures. For instance, even if your house is locked up, keeping a car parked (locked or not) in the driveway with a garage door opener inside is an easy way for an intruder to get into your house. I rounded up ten more--mostly free!--stay-safe ideas right here. Be safe, friends. I just want to make sure we're all. safe.

This post is sponsored by Vivint. While we are partnering with them to spread awareness about home safety--things we wish we were more aware of a few weeks ago--we chose their security system on our own and are paying for it out of our own pockets.

Apple and Jicama Salad with Lime

2013-05-06T06:00:00.002-06:00

All right, quick rant. You know what drives me up the wall? When people talk about liking one ingredient, but not another, as though they're supposed to be interchangeable. Miracle Whip and Mayonnaise, for example. "I like Miracle Whip!" "Well I like Mayonnaise!" Um... they taste nothing alike. Let's see, what do they have in common... they're white, and have been known to make their way onto sandwiches. End of list. If you use two ingredients the same way, you're gonna pick favorites. But it's not because one ingredient is bad and one is good. Each ingredient should be used at the appropriate time, to help it realize its full potential.

Anyway, what made me think about that was the dish I'm about to share with you that has apples in it. My classmates and I made a similar dish in cooking school and we used braeburn apples. In order to keep the apples from browning, you toss them in a little lime juice. So this girl in my class is all, "We should use granny smith apples. I like granny smith waaaay better, lol omg ttyl bff." I added the acronyms, but only to capture the ridiculousness of the comment. You want to take the tartest of apples, toss it in lime juice, serve it raw, and have people enjoy it? Pft. Rookie.

So today's lesson - try not to take a strong opposition to any ingredient. If you've tasted it, and didn't like it, maybe it was the preparation you didn't like, not the ingredient itself.

On the topic of apples and not judging ingredients, one definite exception to this rule is the red delicious apple. By far the least delicious of all apple varieties, with the golden delicious nipping at its heels. Who chose these names? I know it wasn't put to a vote. Moving on.

Ok, so when I shared the mangoes and avocado cream dessert, I mentioned a salad I made with it - apple and jicama salad. I'm going to share that with you today because, just like the mango dish, it's so easy, so fresh, and people will be surprised how much they like it. The dish itself may not seem incredible, but it's a great way to wake up your pallet and get the taste buds ready for whatever you throw at them next. Picture, in 3...2...

Here we go. What you need:
Jicama
Low tartness apples like braeburn or gala
Limes
Arugula
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh, Finely-Ground Black Pepper

I didn't give amounts, because it all depends on how many people you're serving. When you go to buy jicama, you'll notice that they're giant, so one jicama will go a long way. Here's how you prep:

Peel your jicama and slice it into thin pieces, maybe 1/8 inch thick. Don't try to cut all the way through the jicama, either. Cut it in half, so you can lay it on its flat side and cut safely. Once cut, stick the jicama in a bowl of water, fully submerged.

Peel, core and slice your apples to about the same size pieces. If you're cutting a lot of apples, add them directly to a separate bowl of water to keep them from browning while you cut all the apples. If you're only cutting one apple, add them to a bowl, squeeze a little lime juice on them and toss to coat. Don't need a lot, just a little.

With the lime, cut off the peel, then try to cut out little pieces while avoiding the little membrane parts. I mentioned in the mango post that this cut is called a supreme. It's a little more difficult with a lime, since it's so small, but you can do it. Take your time and make sure you have a sharp knife. Once I have my lime supremes, I kinda crumble them up, being careful not to burst the carpels (the little juice pods). Keep the pods in tact, but separate them from one another a bit.

Arrange like so - apple and jicama on the plate, spread evenly and mixed around. Meaning, don't put all the jicama pieces next to each other and all the apple pieces next to each other. It's a high school dance, not a middle school dance, so the ingredients want to mingle. Put a bit of arugula on top of that, sprinkled with your lime carpels. Drizzle a little of your fruitiest extra virgin olive oil, tiny bit of fresh, finely-ground black pepper. Badda-bing, done.

As mentioned in the mango post, this salad is a great way to lead into a heavier dinner, like a grilled veggie pasta (I have dozens of recipes for that - I'll share them, worry not), steak and fries, or fried coconut shrimp (mmmm, just came up with that pairing on the spot, but I think I'm gonna try it). This salad will really start your dinner off on the right foot.

I hope y'all had a good weekend. On Wednesday I'll share the other part of that meal - crispy pork belly and roasted potatoes. It sounds intimidating, but is totally not.

ttyl. :)

How To Stain A Concrete Patio

2013-05-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned on Friday, we are turning our attention to our exterior while the weather is warm and the weeds are abundant. Our whole yard needs some TLC, but this weekend we started tackling the patio--specifically staining the patio. Staining the patio was a one-day project (love those!) and took this:

To this:

We have some experience staining concrete from when we stained our guest room floor (to this day--our most popular post), and were truly inspired by this tutorial. The patio was even easier (Less carpet glue to remove. Less walls to protect.) Here's how the project breaks down.

1. Before you start clearing the patio of dirt, make sure the grass surrounding the concrete is cut really low so you don't miss the edges. We used a weed-whacker and chopped it really low--don't worry, it will grow back. Then, thoroughly (really, really thoroughly) sweep your patio. We also had to pull some grass and weeds that had made their way through the cracks, too.

2. Pick up some concrete cleaner. We actually had this left over from the guest room. I'm sure every brand has their own set of instructions, but we diluted the cleanser and poured it on the patio, keeping it wet for about 20 minutes. Then after it sits for twenty minutes, you start scrubbing. A large broom is really handy for this part.

3. After you scrub, rinse. All of the suds came rushing toward the corners. Normally, puddles just seep into the grass, but we didn't want any debris settling back down on the patio waiting for that process so we set Greta up with the shop vac to suck it all up (this was her 3rd of maybe 5 outfits on Saturday).

4. Now things are squeaky clean and you're almost ready to stain. The last step is to protect your house. The grass will be fine, but for our foundation + windows + siding, we used 2 rows of packing shrink wrap (quite a bit more durable than your kitchen's saran wrap) along the base of the house--securing it with duct tape along the way.

5. For the stain. We went with Behr's semi-transparent Concrete stain in "Loden"--a warm brown. We actually ended up using two gallons which feels like--a lot--but it is what it is, I guess.

We initially used our paint sprayer and then switched to a garden sprayer--which was recommended. It worked a lot better than our paint sprayer for exterior use. When spraying, we moved the wand in circular motions.

If you want a more consistent look, you can use a paint roller and go over the whole thing, but we love the natural look of how the stain settles. It creates a lot of depth and some interest, too.

6. Apply a second coat, leaving an hour in-between coats.

The stain is permanent, but we plan on applying a sealer sometime this week for extra protection. While this was the first of many steps to get the patio ready for...any type of enjoyment. It was a step in the right direction and cost less than $100 to pull off. Stained patios, ftw.

Ps. Chris is cracking jokes and sharing a little salad on his blog today.

Pork Barbacoa You Can Use for All Kinds of Stuff

2013-05-03T06:00:00.002-06:00

Cinco de Mayo is this weekend. Now there's an obscure holiday. I have no idea why it's a holiday, and I'm not even interested enough to do a Google search. All I know is it's an excuse to make sweet pork barbacoa, so felicidades!

I have a couple versions of pork barbacoa, but I think this one is my favorite. Secret ingredient? Pepsi.

We're actually not big pop drinkers, and neither one of us drink caffeine. So I used caffeine-free Pepsi, but you could use Coca Cola as well, if you wanted. Check it.

First, I make a chili sauce. It's sort of a play on adobo, but not really. This recipe is for about 10 lbs of pork. Here's what you need:
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 4 dried guajillo peppers, cut off stems, slice open and remove seeds and ribs
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp ancho chili powder
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp fennel seed
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• hot, hot water

Here's what you do:
Steep the guajillo peppers in your hot water for a few minutes. Add everything to your blender, plus about 1/2 cup of the water the peppers were soaking in. Blend it up until it's really smooth.

When the chili sauce is done, transfer it to a bowl and add:

• About 1/2 liter Pepsi (caffeine-free for us, doesn't have to be for you)
• 1 cup brown sugar

Whisk that all together until the fizz kinda goes away. Put a little of the liquid in the bottom of of a pot large enough to hold your pork, set the pork in the pot, then pour the rest of the liquid over the pork. Also add:

• 2 large bay leaves

Like so:

Cook overnight at 300 degrees for 8 hours. I put everything together in the pot, then stick the pot in the oven and set our oven on a delay to start at 11pm. That way, when I wake up the next morning, it looks like this:

Now you tell me, what are the odds that isn't delicious? You can see the sauce has reduced down almost to the point of being a syrup, and it's packed with flavor. One thing to note, though, is that pork shoulder has a lot of fat in it. This makes the meat super tender when cooked for so long, but that liquid it's sitting in has about 1/4 of an inch of straight grease on top. So I remove the meat and put it in a container in the fridge, and put the liquid in a separate container in the fridge. Be sure the meat and liquid has cooled down at least a little, or it will warm up the inside of your fridge and make your milk taste weird.

After the meat and liquid sits in the fridge for the day, I come back and the fat has all solidified on top, and the liquid has pretty much turned into gelatin. Skim the solidified fat, and warm the once-liquid-now-gelatin stuff until it's liquid again. Don't get it hot. Just warm. Pull the pork by hand, remove as much fat as you possible. Add the liquid to the pork, toss around, and done-zo.

I neglected to get a picture of the finished, pulled pork. But you'll see what it looks like after you make it. And you can use this barbacoa for all kinds of stuff - salads, tacos, enchiladas, nachos, sandwiches, or just eat it by itself. And if you're wondering about the spice level, don't. Guajillo chilis are very mild (not even as hot as a jalapeño).

Welp, hopefully you enjoy your "mostly normal with maybe a couple more sombreros than usual" weekend. We're planning on making tacos with our pork tomorrow, then Saturday we have a cooking class in Park City we're hittin' up. Gonna get my Thai on. I promise to give a full report.

Peace out, internet friends.

Patio Plans [And Other Exterior Ramblings]

2013-05-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

I know, I know we said that our bedroom and bathroom are next--but the weather is warm and we want to take advantage. And to those who are emailing me about the kitchen tile--that's coming, too. It's on backorder so we're moving ahead until it arrives and we install it in record time because we're so anxious. Onward. The patio. It's sad and we're pathetic for leaving it in this condition for so long.

I don't want to tell you, but I will--this is our third summer in our house and we have done next to no work on the exterior. Well, we did purchase and paint a new front door and got rid of the dog kennel but this summer--this summer is it! I've checked out some books and scoured the internet to educate myself on plants (I know nothing about plants) and landscaping and I think we have a direction for our completely bare third of an acre.

Goodness, this post is about the patio! I have been collecting all sorts of ideas here and although we haven't pinpointed exactly what we're doing down to the last garden stool, here's what we do know:

1. For furniture, I'd love to find something second hand and loungey instead of dining furniture.

2. We're staining the patio. This weekend. Woot.

3. We're building a pergola...as soon as we can bribe some of our friends with muscles to help us. This will really help add some architectural interest to our relatively plain back of the house.

4. We're switching out our tiny light fixture for something larger and maybe colorful?

5. We're adding lots of plants and cafe lights. Of course.

6. We're hoping to get it done before mid-June when we host our first outdoor movie party.

Exciting, right?! And like a recent commenter said, the great thing about a terrible before is it makes the after look even better. So yeah, I think through all of that procrastination, we have set ourselves up for a win.

PS. Pork barbacoa for Cinco de Mayo (and every other day) on Chris's blog!

PPS. Seriously inspiring patio/rooftop makeover. I'm drooling.

Sweet and Sour Chicken - Your Chinese Restaurant's Favorite American Dish

2013-05-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

Sweet and sour chicken - a dish about as Asian as I am, but available at nearly every Chinese restaurant in America. I often wonder how certain dishes become labeled as part of a cuisine. Another example is pizza. Nobody really knows if it originated in Italy, but it's branded Italian, so let it be written.

Honestly, I don't really care about the origin of a food - I just want it to taste good. And in some ways, it's better if a dish has a hazy background, because then you can make your own version and nobody can say "boo" for it not being authentic. That's how I am with my sweet and sour chicken. Does it taste like the stuff you get from a Chinese restaurant? No. But it's sweet, a little sour, and really quite good. Therefore, I'm gonna call it sweet and sour chicken, and not feel bad about it. Check it.

Just so everyone is aware, we don't buy plain white rice. We either buy brown rice, Jasmine rice, or Basmati for sushi. Jasmine rice has so much more flavor than plain white rice, and it's incredible when you add a dash of ground cardamom to the water before closing your rice cooker. There's a little tip for you. Ditch the white rice.

The chicken part of sweet and sour chicken is fairly subjective. It's usually battered in tempura and deep fried, but I do mine a bit differently. I shallow pan fry in a mix of light olive oil and coconut oil, and I dredge it in a mix of corn starch and all purpose flour. Of course the AP flour we use is a gluten free mix made of potato flour and coconut flour, but it's just as good with regular white flour. I wouldn't use whole wheat.

Quick run down on how to make the chicken. In a gallon-size ziplock bag, add 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 1 cup gluten free flour. If you're using regular flour, you'll probably want to do 2 Tbsp cornstarch instead of 1/4 cup. Add maybe 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp garlic powder, and a few grinds of black pepper. Close bag, toss around to mix it up, then add your chicken cut into 1-inch cube-ish pieces (about 1/2 chicken breast for each person you're serving, depending on age). Toss to coat, and let it sit in the bag until you're ready to fry. Add 1/4 cup light olive oil and 1/4 cup coconut oil (or just use 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil - doesn't matter) to a pan on medium/medium-low heat. Once the oil is heated up, add your chicken pieces to the pan, keeping them spread out. If you put too many in the pan, then they end up just steaming instead of frying and they won't get crispy. It'll be a mess. Behold:

Cook in small batches, take your time. Or you can opt to deep fry. Whatever you wanna do, Lou.

Add more oil as needed. Also, you'll make the chicken last so it's nice and hot when you serve. Just fyi.

The sauce is what makes this dish sweet and sour. The great thing is, you can make the sauce ahead of time and just have it on hand. It has more than 5 ingredients, but don't let that fool you. It's really quite simple.

2 cups chicken stock (or broth)
1 cup soy sauce (gluten free for us)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 tbsp Sriracha (Asian hot sauce with the rooster on the bottle)
2 tbsp ketchup
1 large garlic clove
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (you could chop up pickled ginger as well, if that's all you have)

1/4 cup cool water
2 tbsp cornstarch

Mix everything together in your sauce pan on medium low heat, except the water and cornstarch. Mix those together in a separate cup. When the sauce starts to simmer, add your slurry (that's what you call a mixture of water and cornstarch - it's a thickener that only works after a liquid has started to boil) and whisk it in thoroughly. Let the sauce bubble, stirring frequently to prevent clumping. Taste it. If it's too sour, add water and sugar. If it's too sweet, add water and a little more vinegar. If you want more spice, add some Sriracha etc etc.. You get the point.

Plate with rice, chicken, and add the sauce. I don't like my chicken drenched in sauce, so I just spoon it on top and let it seep into the rice a little. But you could coat it completely by putting the chicken in a bowl, adding some sauce and tossing it around. Add some chopped green onion and cilantro leaves, and you're good to go. Like so:

I hope you get the chance to try this one out. Sweet and sour chicken is such a crowd-pleaser, and this version is no exception. If you get a chance to try it, be sure to drop back by and tell us how it went. Or if you have any questions, let me know - I'm more than happy to help!

How To Know When You're Ready for Sponsors

2013-05-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

A full year ago, we opened up spots for advertisers in our sidebar and then three months after, I decided to close them. At the time we decided to take a sponsor hiatus, we had a good amount of sponsors, but something felt forced. Honestly, I found myself mimicking one style of accepting advertisers and realized it wasn't how I wanted to handle or present these companies at all. I could sense there was a change occurring in my blogging style and in my personal taste and I didn't want to find myself in a routine of doing something one way, when everything else seemed to be changing for the better. All I could see was our blog was growing so the next natural step was advertisers? Not always the case.

I have spent the last year working on honing my own personal style, which we've discovered is a lot different than where we started. Through honing our decor style, I've also settled into a writing style that feels natural, making our virtual home feel a lot more comfortable, too. Bottom line--this has been an important growing period for me and this blog. I have learned (and you should hear this, too) it is okay to sit back, research, partner and create friendships with companies you love and trust and bloggers that inspire you, too. Pick a couple that you admire, that feel in line with where you are headed, and deem them your mentor. I've asked a lot of questions to, at first, total strangers, but now great friends--some I now even text for advice on impulse buys (hi Kim!). All of this has landed me in a place where I feel excited to connect our readers to companies and products and vice versa.

So, here we are, after a year of growing, learning and discovering the true tone and direction of our blog (that will surely keep evolving for the better)--I feel confident in opening up our sidebar sponsor spots again. Officially. If you own or are part of a small shop, flourishing business or large corporation and are interested in advertising on Chris Loves Julia, email sponsor@chrislovesjulia.com or check out our advertise page for more information. We can't wait to show you off on the best version of our blog.

Ps. Hilarious outtake from our spring family pics, right?!

Also! A new dish from Chris is up on his blog.

Burg(h) Art in the Living Room.

2013-04-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, our DIYed wainscoting (or paneling--whichever!) was featured on Apartment Therapy and one of the commenters mentioned that maybe the grid of pictures competes with the wainscoting wall too much and that it might just be too much geometry.

Of course we don't read every suggestion and change our house accordingly. That would be insane, and ultimately we live here and we make design choices that suits our family and makes us happy. But that one stuck with me because, maybe it was just a little grid happy in the living room? I sat with it for awhile. And then over the weekend, I switched things up and added two large photographs instead.

My sister took these photos of Rexburg, Idaho (where Chris grew up) and Pittsburgh (where I grew up) respectively and seeing them next to each other--a juxtaposition of our rural and city worlds coming together is as cool as it is symbolic.

Update--Here are the actual photos:

I am glad I had them printed in color. I was teetering. Black and white is so classic and kind of goes with everything, but the colors in these photographs were too good to desaturate out. Not to mention, the room could use some color.

As far as hanging, we used two of the largest Ribba frames Ikea sells (in dark brown)--which are great because they are huge and still mega cheap ($24 a pop), but I sorta hate trying to level out two of these frames with the wire hanging mechanism on the back. But as you now know--cotton ball to the rescue!

Next time, I'll totally pull a Dana and jump in the picture because the new presence of these photos aren't being relayed--not even a fraction--in these pictures. They feel grand towering over my 6' self and colorful and personal. Pretty much everything we hoped this art would be. Any home-proud art in your home?

(Yinzers represent!)

Mango and Grapefruit with Sweet Avocado Cream

2013-04-29T06:00:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago, Jules and I were in Idaho visiting family. I made dinner one night - roasted potatoes and crispy pork belly- and I knew it was gonna sit pretty heavy. See, the difference between a "meh" meal and a great meal, is the way each course builds on each other, and how it leaves you feeling afterward. Unfortunately, most meals we consume are just... well... meh.

Let's examine Pizza Hut for a moment. Now, I like Pizza Hut. If someone offers me pizza from the Hut, I don't turn it down. But they just came out with this box meal thing that is ludicrous. They give you breadsticks as an appetizer, a pepperoni pizza as your entree, then breadsticks coated with cinnamon and sugar for dessert. That is literally 3 back to back courses consisting of bread, with the only vegetable being tomatoes which were processed and made into tomato paste, then used to create pizza sauce. By that point they're no longer recognizable as tomatoes anyway, so I'm a really being generous in calling the sauce a vegetable (and please, let's not get into a discussion about whether tomatoes are a fruit or vegetable - nobody cares). What's my point? Balance! If you want to feel good after eating a meal, offset heavy courses with something light.

Of course, there are times where you don't care about how you feel after the meal. Thanksgiving, for example. In my family, if you get up from the table on Thanksgiving and are able to walk at normal speed, you need to go back and eat another helping of potatoes or stuffing or a half-dozen rolls or some other carb, until your pace slows a knot or two. But most of the time, you shouldn't feel engorged every night. I mean, that can't be good for your love life.

So, back to the meal I made for my family. Roasted potatoes tossed in kale pesto, with crispy pork belly and a balsamic black currant syrup (I'll share the recipe for that sometime too, because it was awesome). I wanted the heaviness of the pork belly and potatoes to be offset by some "lightness," so I started with a simple apple jicama and lime salad (I'll also share the recipe for that), and ended with this:

Fresh mango and grapefruit topped with sweet avocado cream and mint. Super simple, sits light in the belly, and is amazingly delicious. Here's how it went down.

So, mango and grapefruit. Not rocket science. Peel, cut into pieces however big you want. I did supremes for the grapefruit, but if you don't want to take that time, just cut the ends off, cut the peel off, slice in quarters, cut out the white middle part, and cut into pieces. Mangos can be tricky, because the pit is shaped like an oval. Just take your time, and when you feel resistance to the knife, you know you're cutting too much off.

Mint - chiffonade. That means cut into long, thin strips. Or you can leave them as full leaves. I cut them up because I wanted it to be obvious that the mint was meant to be eaten, and I wanted it to be eaten in small amounts throughout the dessert.

So those are the easy parts. Ready for the almost as easy part? Boom, check it.

1 avocado, pitted and scooped out
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp honey

Toss those in a blender, whirl it up until silky smooth, and plate. You want mostly mango, and a little grapefruit. I think for each person I did 1/2 of 1 mango and 1/4 of 1 grapefruit. Easy fo' sheezy. Adjust the ingredients as you see fit.

Seriously, try this dessert. Even if it's in the middle of the day and your kids are at school. A, you deserve it. B, you'll go through the steps and realize just how easy it is. C, you'll taste it and realize just how good it is. D, you'll realize that you can make this for everyone you know and they'll think you're a rockstar. There's something so enjoyable about fresh food prepared simply, and this is a great example of that.

So that's what I have today. I promise I'll share the other pieces of this meal, but I wanted to get this dessert out there. I think Spring is finally here, and you can be sure this little dish will be a regular in our home this year.

A Quick Tip for Unlevel Picture Frames

2013-04-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, even when the level says it is level--it is just barely off after you already drove in your anchor and the screw and hung your frames next to each other and looked back. Perhaps one of life's biggest frustrations. Sometimes it is due to driving your screw into the bottom or top of the mark instead of right in the center. Or maybe your level failed you completely. Either way, this is my little trick I pull out when that annoying situation occurs.

A cotton swab! It boosts the frame or wire--I've even used it to bump a curtain rod up just a tad so that it's level. This tip is golden when adjusting the screw such a small amount would compromise the entire hole making one gigantic hole--you. know! This weekend, I pulled out my cotton swabs twice (the shame!) and I thought it was about time to share that little trick that has saved my sanity too many times.

If you haven't guessed it from the photos above, the living room got some new art. Let's chat about that tomorrow.

Ps. Chris is spilling about a light and fresh dessert you're gonna want to make all summer over on his blog--so unique!

Pan-Seared Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth

2013-04-26T06:00:00.002-06:00

So something about me - I love seafood. Like, it could possibly rival smoked barbecue ribs for my favorite thing to eat, ever. Unfortunately, I live in ol' land-locked Utah and fresh seafood is not only difficult to find, but abnormally expensive when you do find it. That's why I'm always looking for a "special occasion"- so I can splurge. One such occasion presented itself this past weekend, when I invited my sister over for dinner to keep me company while Jules was still down in Florida. For those of you who follow me on Instagram (@c_marcum), you probably saw this picture I posted on Saturday night:

taken with my phone, sorry. I'll get better with the photography part of this

Pan-seared halibut with a coconut curry broth. Now, Jules can tell you that curry is one of my favorite flavors on this planet. I would eat it every day, but it's not necessarily low-cal. That's why this broth is an awesome option--it's mostly chicken stock. And because chicken stock is more of a backup singer than a leading lady, the coconut curry flavor still dominates, in the best way imaginable.

So here's how it went down. I'm going to focus on the sauce, because the fish and rice aren't tricky. Steamed jasmine rice, pan-seared halibut. If you've never cook halibut, here's the elevator pitch:
Pan on medium/medium-low heat, oven pre-heated to 375. Halibut with skin on, rinsed, patted dry. Tablespoon of oil in the pan, immediately add the halibut, skin side down (cold oil in a hot pan will minimize sticking). sprinkle top of halibut with salt and pepper, flip when the skin is crispy and place the pan in the oven. Bake until done. Maybe 5-8 minutes. I usually remove the skin before plating, but some people like it. Your choice.

Ok, now for the curry broth. I'm giving exact measurements, but honestly I didn't measure. I'm just kinda guessing because I know some people want measurements. Feel free to adjust things however you want. Here's what ya need:
• cooking oil
• 2 or 3 shallots, minced. If you don't have shallots, you can use 2 parts red onion to 1 part garlic and it will be pretty close.
• 1/2 cup good quality coconut milk. Make sure it's a brand that leaves some of the cream in, otherwise it's too runny and not enjoyable. Mae ploy is a decent mass-produced brand. Shake the can really well before opening.
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp red curry paste - less for less spice, more for more (strange how that works out). I use Mae ploy curry paste, but if you wanna get fancy and spend your time making your own, go for it.
• 1 tsp lime juice
• chopped green onion
• cilantro leaves

In a heated pan (medium-low heat), sauté your shallots (or onion/garlic) in a bit of oil. Be careful not to let it burn, especially if you're using garlic. You almost want the shallots to sweat more than sauté, so watch your heat. Once the shallot has turned translucent, add your curry paste and cook that for about a minute, stirring frequently.

Next step, add your coconut milk and let simmer for a couple minutes. Stir in your chicken stock and lime juice until everything is mixed well, then let simmer maybe 5-10 minutes or so, to thicken. Taste it frequently, add more stock if it gets too thick, water if it's too thick and too salty.

Guess what. That's all. No more steps. Nothing else to do. Simply put your rice on the plate (I packed mine into a bowl then turn the bowl upside down to get that "cheap Chinese restaurant" look everyone so desires, but you don't have to do that if you don't want to. Just put the rice on, put your fish next to it, sprinkle green onion around the plate, ladle some of the sauce around the plate and on the rice, and top the fish with cilantro. Bang, done.

So hopefully you live somewhere where buying fresh halibut doesn't require a special occasion. But even if you don't, you'll want to figure out a reason and go for it. And the best part is, this meal is far more simple than it tastes, so you're guaranteed to impress whoever you're cooking for.

What are you planning on cooking this weekend? Any special plans or occasions? Share the deets and maybe you can inspire someone else.

Big News!

2013-04-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

We have some really, really exciting news to share--the ~~sister~~ husband site to Chris Loves Julia has just launched and it is appropriately titled Julia Loves Chris.

I have been nudging Chris to write a food blog for a long time, and then recently--he came up with the idea himself. I pounced and the coding and designing began again. It makes sense really. Chris cooks dinner every night over here. And not just dinner--like, really really good food. It's his passion. It's one of his degrees. Honestly, we wish we could invite every one of you over for a meal, but this will kind of be the next best thing.

So while this blog will continue to share updates as we renovate and redecorate our home, Julia Loves Chris will house all things food related--written by Chris, the culinary master around here. And hey, I love him for it.

Hop on over there now to read this morning's post about the the pan-seared halibut with coconut curry broth he made the other night. It would be great to make for date night this weekend!