our corner of the earth

I've Moved!

2011-02-16T23:21:00.002-05:00

I'm over here now...

www.ourcorneroftheearth.com

(I'm still working on the re-direct)

Roadtrip Nation

2011-02-12T09:49:00.003-05:00

Since we don't have cable, I've been watching a lot of public television. Good stuff too, Julia Child, a show called Motion about outdoor adventures, the Katie Brown Workshop. I recently came across Roadtrip Nation which is a series about college kids who get an RV and travel around country seeking out and interviewing people who followed their dreams.

Here are some inspirational tidbits from the piece.

"It depends how you look at failing. Never doing what I wanted to do is failure to me." The Knux

"Your heart is like a GPS. The GPS system in your car will tell you which way to go but it's not going to turn your car for you. If your heart is telling you to turn left, you better turn left. A lot people wait until its too late to listen to their heart." Van Taylor Monroe, Sneaker Artist

"It sounds silly to say you profit from your mistakes but you do. When you make a mistake and you go in the wrong direction, it will help you somewhere." Kary Mullis, Nobel Prize Winning Chemist

I'm in a new place. My heart and mind are open and challenged and I'm constantly inspired.

I told a friend of mine that I feel like I was an abandoned plant for the past couple of years and now someone picked me up and put me in the sun and gave me water.

This morning

2011-02-10T10:23:00.000-05:00

Digging on this song this morning.

Photo via

Weekend Recap

2011-01-30T21:17:00.000-05:00

A successful neighborhood potluck (Goulash!)
Lunch with friends at Govinda's
A pound of my favorite beans were purchased

A trip to Loop

Another batch of vanilla bean pudding was made (Hugo likes to stand between my legs)
Drinks and knitting with friends (to use the goodies from Loop)
Sleeping in until 10:30am!
A photo wall was assembled (why does it take me so long to hang pictures?)

How was your weekend?

Snow Day

2011-01-29T09:39:00.001-05:00

It snowed over a foot the other night. The first big snow storm of the season.

Here are some pictures from my morning walk with Hugo. It was beautiful and quiet, two things you don't always find in the city. And we found some unexpected things, including a couple snow men and women!

Since I was working from home, I wanted to make something special for the snow day but didn't have a lot of time to do baking. So I whipped up Smitten Kitchen's Vanilla Pudding in 20 minutes with the vanilla beans left over from Christmas. It was a great decision.

Vanilla Bean Pudding (makes 6 half-cup servings)

2 2/3 cups whole milk, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean (I used 3 halves)

1 large egg

Bring 2 cups of the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. While it is heating, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla bean (if you’re replacing it with extract, don’t add it yet) in the bottom of a medium, heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup whole milk, a little at a time so lumps do not form, then whisk in the egg. Once milk is boiling, very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl, whisking the whole time.

Return the mixture back to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a silicon spatula or wooden spoon. Once it comes to a simmer, cook it for one minute longer (which will cook the cornstarch and egg fully). Stir in vanilla extract, if you’re using it and divide pudding among 6 dishes. Chill in refrigerator until fully set, about 2 hours.

Monday Night Dinner

2011-01-24T17:40:00.001-05:00

See what I posted over here today for an easy dinner idea.

P.S. I loved Molly's book!

Reminiscing

2011-01-19T13:30:00.001-05:00

I just came across these film shots of us in Malibu circa 2005. Jeff and I packed a picnic and headed to the beach. I know I've mentioned a million times before that we lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years and today I'm feeling a little nostalgic, so please bear with me.

This past Sunday morning I was feeling like I never do what I want to do. It seems that there is always a family party, projects to be completed around the house, overtime to put in at work, committee meetings to attend, and there aren't enough hours in the day to focus on the things I enjoy. Jeff reminded me about the bubble we lived in Los Angeles and I realized how much I miss that. We didn't know many people and we didn't have many obligations (other than our jobs) - no mortgage, no dog, no family. Most weekends we would get in the car and go: Big Sur, Joshua Tree, Malibu, San Francisco, San Diego, Catalina. It's no wonder I feel at home when we are on a road trip.

When Jeff and I went back to visit LA in April 2010, it was a really weird experience. At the time, I was feeling a little down about life - like I hadn't grown that much personally or professionally during my time in Philadelphia. But once we got to L.A., the city proved me wrong. I actually did grow a lot - I am a married woman with a career and a house of my own and a dog and a community. I wouldn't have those things if i stayed in L.A. (house-of-my-own for sure). Someone once said, "it's not until you go back to a place that hasn't changed that you realize how much you have altered." Although there were more people, billboards, friends had babies and bought houses...the city was exactly as I remembered, unchanged for the most part, unlike myself.

Appropriately, I found this billboard series yesterday called "Adios LA" by Jon Jackson through The Jealous Curator. Jackson is leaving L.A. for New York and wanted to say goodbye properly. Having been through my own break up with Los Angeles, I found this so darn clever.

Banana Bread

2011-01-13T22:03:00.001-05:00

I'm kind of picky about bananas. They are probably the one fruit I am most particular about. I prefer them on the unripe/slightly green side because once they start to ripen, the flavor is too banana-y. So luckily, I found a recipe for all the spotty bananas that end up in our kitchen. This Banana Brunch Bread recipe has been in the family for years now. My mother-in-law originally found it and passed it around. My mom says she has bad luck with it - that it always caves in or bubbles over so she doesn't use it but I find that it never disappoints. It's incredibly moist because of the sour cream and it has a crispy sugary pecan topping. The combination is just so darn good. I once sold one at a work fundraiser for $12!

Banana Brunch Bread

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mashed banana (I usually use 1 banana)
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I suggest pecans)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream together the butter and sugar. Mix in eggs then sour cream, bananas and vanilla extract. Add the remaining batter ingredients. Pour into well greased loaf pan.

Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle on the top of batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes (I have to keep an eye on it at this point but sometimes its in my oven for about an hour). Cool for about 20 minutes.

Make sure your oven isn't too hot and that the baking soda and baking powder are fresh - this really makes a difference. If you need to test your oven, an easy way to find out the problem areas are to place a baking sheet lined with bread in the middle rack of your oven. Bake for a few minutes until they are browned. My oven is hot in the back right corner so I typically avoid that area if possible.

Anyway, I have been reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (which I'm loving, by the way) and Molly writes about her own banana bread recipe. She does it a little differently, adding chocolate chips and crystallized ginger. So I decided to give it a go this time around (using the recipe above) and added about 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and left off the pecans in the topping. Unfortunately it wasn't successful. Something about the sweetness of the chocolate doesn't match well (in my opinion) with the banana. Oh well!

PS. I haven't been around because my brother was admitted to the hospital last Thursday due to a pulmonary infarction and pulmonary embolism. We are not sure why this happened but the doctors suspect its genetic. He is stable and will probably come home this weekend. Very scary.

Photo credit: Cooking Light

Holiday Sweetness

2011-01-06T20:24:00.001-05:00

I needed some time away from the holiday stuff to decompress, but before we move on completely I wanted to share with you some of the sweetness that went around our house last month.

A small Christmas tree was purchased at Urban Jungle and decorated with white lights, pine cones and red ornaments. Fresh cinnnamon swirl bread was made the morning of Christmas Eve for the fathers in my life. A blue cheese and mushroom frittata was made on Christmas morning with our new cast iron pan. A trip to Freedom Park was taken with Hugo before the snow storm. A chocolate hazelnut pastry from Andre's bakery was enjoyed. One of my Christmas gifts, a Betsy Dunlap and Shanna Murray's calendar was adored.

Jeff's First Day

2011-01-05T07:50:00.000-05:00

Today is Jeff's first day of school!

This photo was taken back in September on his first day of student teaching. He dragged me out of bed early to take it and I was grumpy (I'm not a morning person), but now I am so very glad for the memory.

This morning I put a surprise snack in his bag with a note of encouragement that I hope brightens his day and calms his nerves.

Good luck Jeff, I love you!

Dinner Tonight: Salmon and Spinach Quiche

2011-01-04T22:26:00.002-05:00

Back in August, I wrote about our membership to a CSS in which we received sustainably harvested salmon. We saved two large pieces with intentions of baking them for our annual Christmas Eve party but plans changed and we ended up making a pasture raised, organic turkey from Spring Wood Farm. So now we have some beautiful salmon to eat in the new year!

Dinner Tonight: Pan seared salmon and spinach quiche.

I don't really have a recipe for the quiche because I kind of winged it - pie crust, 4 eggs, parmesan cheese, onion, fresh spinach and a little nutmeg, salt and pepper.

For the salmon, Jeff got the cast iron pan screaming hot, added a little vegetable oil, put a little sea salt on the fish and then put the skin side down for 3 minutes. He then flipped the fish and let cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Delicious, fresh and healthy!

Better late than never

2011-01-04T11:26:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year Friends!

I know I'm a little behind on the new years post but better late than never, right?

I don't know about you, but good riddance 2010! I am ready for 2011 and the next chapter in our lives. For the past three years, Jeff has been in school to get his Masters in Education and tomorrow, tomorrow he starts a new teaching job! It has been a rough road for him - they really don't make it easy for people who change careers - he hit many road blocks but I am so proud of him for reaching his goal.

Speaking of goals, when January comes around, I try to make goals - not resolutions. I once read here that the first step to actualizing your goals is writing them down.

So here are some of mine for 2011:

- Carve out more time for crafting and less consuming.

- Workout on a daily basis, it's always the answer.

- Watch less TV and listen to more music.

- Drink more tea and less coffee.

- Make time for cooking nutritious meals, eat less meat.

I look forward to being in this space in 2011 and sharing with you some plans I have in the works.

I'm not exactly sure what it will look like but it's becoming clearer than ever before what I want for my life and I'm ready to dream big.

My Favorite Snack: Ranch Pretzels

2010-12-27T15:20:00.001-05:00

This snack goes back to middle school when I was introduced to them by my friend Kim and her family. I always get a craving for them around this time of year and I could eat the entire batch by myself. You can easily double the recipe for a holiday party.

Ranch Pretzels

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 bag of hard pretzels

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the first four ingredients together and pour it over the pretzels you have broken up into bite sized pieces. Toss until pretzels are evenly coated and bake for 10 minutes. Pull out of the oven and toss again and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Let cool and serve in small bowls around the party.

Warning: They are addicting!

Happy Sunday

2010-12-26T16:24:00.001-05:00

Snow is falling
Dog is snuggling
Turkey stock is bubbling
Football watching
Holiday decompressing.

It's a perfect afternoon for Rachael Ray's Caponata Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying your day off.

Baby Hat Update (more homemade gifts)

2010-12-22T17:07:00.001-05:00

Awhile back, I posted about knitting a baby hat...and it was a huge success. I was so worried that it would be too small but it fits him perfectly. You can read more and see pictures on Leya's blog here.

OK, I'm almost done with the homemade gifts. Phew!

Guest Blogger: On Homemade Gifts

2010-12-21T11:40:00.003-05:00

I would like to welcome guest blogger, Vicki, also known as Mom Z. or my mother-in-law. I've been encouraging Vicki to blog for some time as she has such a unique voice and point of view. Vicki is an avid gardener and the bravest DIYer I know. Last year she built an extension on her shed - yes, you read correctly, her SHED! She is never too fearful to take on a home improvement project and has been incredibly helpful in my own home, including building brick steps to our back patio with Jeff. Here she is writing about the homemade gifts she put together for this season.

My friend Donna gave me seeds in the fall of 2009 for Four O'Clocks (they open their blooms in the late afternoon) and Balsam Impatiens. I grew them in my garden last summer and decided to collect the seeds from these flowers since they were so beautiful. The plants produced so many seeds that I decided to save them and give them as Christmas gifts. I created seed packets for each type of seed by drawing a sample that I played with by folding and trimming until I was happy. Then I made a template from a piece of cardboard. I printed photos of the flowers and a description on light card stock, layed the template over each one and traced. Then I cut them out by hand. I folded them and glued them, let them dry, then inserted the seeds folded the flap and glue it down.

Jeff, my son, grew tomato seedlings that I planted in my new raised organic garden beds. I had an enormous crop of tomatoes this year and decided to can some stewed tomatoes. This was my first experience canning and with the help of my neighbor, Anne Marie, we successfully put up 17 jars. Canning is a lot of work and not easy, I spent about 10 hours in the kitchen! My daughter-in-law, Stephanie, suggested I give the stewed tomatoes as Christmas gifts. I thought that was a fabulous idea and suddenly there was a garden theme going on for Christmas gifts this year. I printed out some free labels by Paper Crave and tied with raffia to finish off the look.

On a spring day trip to Lancaster with the Maple Glen Garden Club, I purchased the most beautiful Purple Heart Plant in a hanging basket. I took some cuttings from the plant and rooted them to add a small plant to my garden-themed Christmas gifts. This plant was once known as a Wandering Jew, however the term has fallen out of favor due to its negative connotation. Though, in this case, the term Wandering Jew may seem appropriate for the holiday season since there was a young Jewish couple traveling, looking for a place to birth their baby because there was no room at the inn.

I'm packaging everything into baskets to present to family and friends.

Winter Solstice

2010-12-20T22:46:00.002-05:00

This morning at 2:41am, a total eclipse of the moon will be visible (weather permitting) and my science teacher husband tells me this means the earth is blocking the sun from shining on the moon, thus making the moon look dark. The last time a total eclipse happened on the winter solstice was 372 years ago.

I think about the cultural significance of this time of year - some dance to mark the occasion, some celebrate Christmas, some sow crops. Personally, this is a time for reflection on this past year, or three - ahem - and leaves me thankful to be on the other end. It wasn't always pretty, but I can say for sure, we are stronger. Jeff has his Masters of Education and will begin teaching as soon as the paperwork is complete.

So as we start to tilt back towards the sun, I'll be dreaming of our summer vacation in the lavender fields of Provence and Tuscan hill towns. It's time to close this chapter and start a new one.

Enjoy the longest night of the year!

UPDATE: Me, Jeff and Hugo woke up at 2:30 am, bundled up and watched from our steps. It was pretty amazing. Here are some photos that Ryan took.

Homemade: Lip balm and Sugar Scrub

2010-12-19T11:36:00.000-05:00

In keeping with the homemade theme, I decided to make up a few more batches of the lip balm that I wrote about back in July. In case you missed it, here is the recipe:

Healing and Cooling Lip Balm and Gloss by Organic Body Care Recipes

4-5 tablespoons almond, jojoba, soybean, or castor base oil (castor oil is preferred if you want a super-shiny gloss)

1 tablespoon beeswax

2 teaspoons honey

20 drops of spearmint essential oil (or your favorite scent)

1/4 teaspoon of your favorite colored lipstick

In a small saucepan over low heat or double boiler, warm oil, beeswax, and honey until the wax is just melted. Use 5 tablespoons of oil for a softer consistency; use 4 tablespoons for a firmer balm.

Remove from heat. Add the essential oil and colored lipstick (if desired), and stir until the lipstick if melted. Set the pan in a shallow ice-water bath. Using a whisk or spoon, stir rapidly for 30 to 60 seconds until the honey is completely incorporated and the formula is like thick frosting.

Pour the mixture into the containers and cap. Let the mixture set for 2 hours before use. No refrigeration is required, but for maximum freshness and taste, please use within 1 year.

My notes: This stuff is messy so I suggest going to a thrift store and buying a bowl, knife and spatula specifically for making these body care items. Otherwise you are going to use a lot of hot water and elbow grease to get the beeswax and oil off. I also suggest pouring the mixture into the containers just after the honey is completely incorporated during the ice bath. There is a fine line where the mixture starts to harden and becomes too difficult to pour into the containers - this is important for a smooth look. Also, be careful not to fill too close to the top and don't cap until they have cooled completely.

In addition to the lip balm, I made sugar scrub. I did some research on the Internet for a good recipe but they all seemed very simple and adjustable so I decided to use avocado oil.

Sugar Scrub Recipe for a 8 oz. container

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

10 drops of essential oil

6 oz. avocado oil

1 tsp. hibiscus powder

For lemongrass and orange, I added about a tablespoon of appropriate grated peel.

Combine with a spoon and finish with labels. I included instructions: Oils may separate when scrub settles, please mix before using. By the way, after a long search for labels that would fit my containers, I finally found the right size at the PaperSource.

10 Days Until Christmas

2010-12-15T09:32:00.003-05:00

City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program

I'm just taking it day-by-day. How are you all holding up?

Homemade: Vanilla Extract

2010-12-14T14:20:00.008-05:00

This year I'm capitalizing on homemade Christmas gifts. I had time in November to plan ahead which I think will help with the stress that is usually surrounding this particular holiday.

Today, I'm talking Vanilla Extract. I saw this idea a year ago and added it to my favorites and marked my Outlook Calendar with a reminder - that's how badly I wanted to replicate it this year!

So in the beginning of November I placed an order for the supplies - glass jars and vanilla beans. Then I bought a giagantic bottle of unflavored vodka (which I was terrified of dropping and breaking on my way home on the bus) and got to making my very own vanilla extract. Can you believe that's all it takes?

I purchased bourbon vanilla beans online through Beanilla and bottles through Specialty Bottle Company. Cut the beans in half and down the center and placed a few in the glass jars.

Using a small glass liquid measuring cup, I carefully poured the vodka into each jar.

I let the beans steep for about 6 weeks in the vodka and then last night printed some labels and tied them on with some twine.

An elegant, useful, homemade gift. Special thanks to The Italian Dish for the inspiration!

Popping In

2010-12-08T22:56:00.007-05:00

Just popping in to say "hi"!

My stress has mellowed for sure and I'm enjoying my time in NYC. Gosh this is an amazing city. I can see the Statue of Liberty from my training, pretty neat.

I went here for dinner with my cousin tonight. A beet salad with mint, parsley, ricotta salata, olives and red onion was devoured with a pizza and a glass of red wine from Pisa. Yum.

Picture via Motorino

Also on my list while here...Chelsea Market, Eataly, Purl, Bryant Park Holiday Shops, Jack's.

Unfortunately I won't have any pictures to share since Jeff wanted the camera for his last day of student teaching. But that's OK, we understand.

I'll be back over the weekend.
xo

For Her

2010-12-07T19:07:00.001-05:00

Stephanie,

I love you today, and always. We have reached the end of this journey and I can't wait to see what's around the next corner - "our" corner.

As a very young woman, you chose to put the dreams of a sometimes-foolishly-idealistic man in front your own. It hasn't been easy, but it has been ours.

You are amazing.

love.me

Thank you, yes you!

2010-12-03T08:56:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure what it is about this month that stresses me out but its surely underway and those feelings of panic to get everything "done" are coming back. They are my own deadlines that I set for myself, but sometimes they are the worst kind.

Thank you, blog friends, for your beautiful words and images that instill a calm in me for a few moments on a daily basis.

Blog Break

2010-11-30T20:42:00.003-05:00

Hi Friends,

I'm going to be stepping away from this space for a couple weeks. With some big projects at work, projects at home, and a trip to NYC next week - I'm feeling overwhelmed and I won't be able to post regularly. I hope you'll check back in with me because I have some homemade Christmas gifts in the works to share with you soon.

Be well.

I just made this cake and the whole house smells amazing.

Lemon Cranberry Muffins

2010-11-25T11:30:00.000-05:00

I went over to the Fair Food Farm Stand yesterday and picked up three bags of local, heirloom cranberries. So to continue the cranberry theme, I am making Lemon Cranberry Muffins for breakfast. I think it's just the thing to get me in the spirit.

I found this recipe through TasteSpotting, which is a wonderful collection of recipes and photos, and whenever I need a little inspiration, I pop over there.

Lemon Cranberry Muffins adapted from Food Republik

Ingredients:
½ cup plain yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
pinch salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup oil
2 cups fresh cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the yogurt, sugar, salt and eggs together in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir together until moistened.

Add oil and mix until batter is smooth, fold in cranberries and top with a little sugar and more lemon zest.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into muffins comes out clean.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee!

PS. It started snowing about an hour ago :)