Plan and Play

Cowl neck

2012-02-09T07:51:00.017-05:00

Disclaimer, making things yourself will not always be cheaper than buying them already made (nice yarn can be expensive), however, there is a satisfaction that comes from doing it yourself that cannot be bought.

What do you think? I love, love, love it. Can I tell you how many times I unraveled this thing (3)?!? But I love the way it turned out, mistakes and all. I cant wait to make another one... Once you start knitting it is so hard to stop (another thing added to the list of interests... never a dull moment...)

If you want to try making your own cowl neck go here for all the details.

Busy bee

2012-02-08T07:28:00.005-05:00

My sweet girl asked Santa for knitting needles and yarn for Chirstmas... How awesome is that!... She has been busy knitting and learning new projects... On any given day you can find her knitting away around the house

Here is what she has made so far (wearing it all at the same time)

Cute right?

By the way, I too got the knitting fever... I started practicing and I remembered how to do it... I guess it is like riding a bike... Come back tomorrow, I'll show you what I did.

Huevos Rancheros

2012-02-07T07:11:00.006-05:00

Of all the delicious breakfasts we had in Mexico, Huevos Rancheros were by far my favorite. I have had different versions of this dish but this one is much closer to the ones we had at a small restaurant called Nativos in Playa del Carmen:

Ingredients

2 small tomatoes
1 small onion
1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic; 1 chopped, 1 smashed
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
4 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Prepare the salsa: Set a grater in a large bowl; grate the tomatoes and onion into the bowl. Add the jalapeno, chopped garlic, hot sauce, cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a medium skillet over low heat and add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Fry the salsa in the oil until it thickens slightly, 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add the beans to the same pan along with the smashed garlic, 1/2 cup warm water and a pinch of salt; cook over low heat until warmed through, smashing slightly with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in another skillet. Fry the eggs sunny-side up; season with pepper.

Place 1 warm tortilla on each plate. Divide the beans among them, then top with a fried egg, some salsa and cheese. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with the remaining salsa.

Recipe from here

Pretty doors

2012-02-06T07:41:00.004-05:00

From Mexico... They reminded me of the pretty doors from France (as seen here and here)

Who would have thought that old and weathered can be so beautiful?

Menu for the week

2012-02-03T08:18:00.050-05:00

Asopado de mariscos (a cross between paella and soup)/Salad
Pannini with roasted red pepper, pesto and brie/Oven fries
Chupe/Salad
Ravioli with spinach, broccoli and herb sauce/Salad

Breakdown:

Aldi $21
Costco $25
Kroger $7
Super H $5

This weekend we'll: Go to the museum, have a delicious lunch at Metro Fresh, go shopping for a new bookshelf, watch "The Valet", take a long nap - next week is going to be a killer - and leave a couple of meals ready for next week because next week is going to be a killer. Wait, I just said that ;)

I hope you have a good one too!

Hey George

2012-02-02T13:03:00.000-05:00

You're everywhere these days...

I love how the husband lets me ~~fantasize~~ play around when I take pictures...

See Matty here

An Australian girl + a life lesson, I think...

2012-02-01T07:52:00.053-05:00

You've heard of the American girl doll, right?

Well, this is not her... She is an Australian {Aborigine} Girl.

My sister sent my daughter this doll from Australia a couple of years ago... She loved it immediately but lately she is really liking making clothes for her and putting her to sleep close to her.

Perhaps she is not as pretty as the American girl doll (and by pretty I mean she does not have long luscious hair and fancy outfits) but beautiful nonetheless.... Which brings me to the life lesson...

She took her doll to the playground when some girls starting commenting on her doll... "She is so ugly" which got her thinking... Mami, they said my doll is ugly, do you think so? That's when I told her: "Do you think she is ugly?" "No" she said. "Well then... Don't listen to them"... Different people have different opinions about beauty... We choose to believe that everybody is beautiful in their own way regardless of their ethnic background.... Then she when on and continued playing with her doll...

What did she learn from this? We should not judge people from the way they look? Outside beauty is not as important and inside beauty? Different ethnicities are beautiful in their own way and we should learn to appreciate them all? I really don't know... but she hasn't stopped playing with her doll so I think what I said resonated with her... At least I just hope.

PS. The other baby in her bed is the one I used to play with when I was a little girl... My mom brought it to her when she came to visit back in December. I love that she loves her... And she named her Rosa, like my grandmother! It was meant to be...

Scenes from Vizcaya

2012-01-31T07:47:00.008-05:00

On our way back from our trip to Mexico we stopped in Miami for the day and spent time with family... We visited Vizcaya Gardens and Museum... What a beautiful place... Here are some pictures...

We had a fun day hanging out with family in Vizcaya. While in Vizcaya, I also did an engagement photo shoot with my baby cousin and his beautiful bride... The pictures are coming soon.

Colorful Mexico Part II

2012-01-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

See more colorful pictures of Mexico here.

Menu for the week

2012-01-27T06:36:00.039-05:00

Ribolita/Salad
Spinach and roasted peppers calzone/Salad
Pabellon (rice, balck beans, plantains and shredded beef)
White chicken chilli

Breakdown:

Aldi $25
Kroger $14
Costco $6
Super H $10

I think it is that time again, I need to clean out my pantry/freezer of all those items I stock up when they go on sale. Also, while my mom was in town back in December, she stocked up my freezer with meals I need to use... Lets see how far I can go this time.

This weekend, we will be celebrating Chinese New Year with a hot pot dinner at our friends house... Doesn't that sound delicious? I will be bringing an appetizer (any suggestions?) I can hardly wait...

See you all on Monday

Hot chocolate trifecta

2012-01-26T07:52:00.004-05:00

Here are some of my favorite hot cocoa recipes from around the web and I can't wait to try them...

Red velvet hot cocoa with cream cheese whipped cream
White hot chocolate
Hazelnut hot cocoa

Churros

2012-01-25T08:09:00.019-05:00

Growing up, my sister and I used to spend the summer breaks with our extended family in Margarita island (Off the coast of Venezuela). Our cousins would take us to eat churros as a treat... We loved them so much we would beg them to take us all the time. One day my uncle came home with a recipe for churros (he was a great cook... I believe he was trained as a cook when he was in the Navy). I can still remember him making them for us... It was such a treat!

Churros are fried-dough-pastry snacks. Churros are popular in Spain and Latin America although nowadays they can be found anywhere. Depending on the country, you can eat them in many different ways: Sprinkled with granulated sugar (the most commonly known way), with guava, stuffed with dulce de leche, drizzled with chocolate sauce and even savory versions with melted cheese, YUM!

On our trip to Mexico we saw some Churros stands but unfortunately did not get to eat them while we were there :( So I decided to fix that and make some here at home. The recipe is simple... You should give it a try too.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying
1/2 cup sugar

Special equipment: Pastry bag and large star tip

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with water, salt. Bring to a simmer and then slowly whisk in flour. Remove from heat and keep whisking until mixture forms a ball and breaks away from the sides of the pan. Slowly add eggs in thirds. Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and refrigerate 15 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan 2/3 full with vegetable oil and heat to 350 degrees F. Remove batter from refrigerator and slowly squeeze 3-inch long strips of batter into the oil. Fry in batches, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway through. Drain churros on paper towels. In a paper bag, add sugar. Once churros have cooled slightly, in batches, toss churros in bag and shake to coat with sugar. Serve warm.

I have to be honest, they were not a good as the ones I used to eat as a kid... But good nonetheless. By the way, churros are best served with hot chocolate...

Tomorrow I will be sharing some of my favorite hot chocolate recipes from around the web...

Churros recipe adapted from here

Lengthening pajama bottoms

2012-01-24T07:43:00.000-05:00

Just because...

I like it... Kind of, sort of, the same treatment I did to my skirt

The idea came after I saw these beautiful pajama bottoms. Anything goes, I think. Mix and match fabric, add ribbon, be creative. I think mine turned out really cute.

My craft closet - Reorganized

2012-01-23T07:04:00.000-05:00

I am excited to show you my much improved craft closet... Let's look at the before picture one more time.

Remember my challenge was to use things I already owned? I think I did pretty good at that:

I framed a piece a pegboard and hung some items (both the pegboard and the glassless frame were gathering dust in my basement - I did buy some pegboard hooks, total $5)

Tissue and wrapping paper now reside in a document organizer (found at Goodwill for $3)

The drawers contain supplies such as small boxes, bows, Halloween/Valentine's day supplies and other party supplies

An old and beat up paper towel dispenser becomes a ribbon dispenser

An old hamper now holds rolls of wrapping paper

What do you think, friends? Did I get you inspired to get your craft closet organized? I hope so... I love how mine turned out...

Do you want to see some of the other home organization projects I have tackled? Go here for my garage makeover and here for my coat closet makeover

Menu for the week

2012-01-20T06:35:00.072-05:00

Stuffed meatloaf/Rice/Salad
Penne with tomato and roasted red pepper sauce/Salad
Shrimp Po'boys/Kale chips
Empanadas Argentinas/Salad

Breakdown:

Aldi $18
Kroger $26
Costco $30

What are you doing this weekend? I hope wherever you are you are not completely covered in snow. We are lacking snow over in this part of the country... Please send us some? This weekend we have a couple of playdates planned and maybe a trip to Ikea... We'll see.

Have a good weekend everybody!

Get crafting...

2012-01-19T07:57:00.051-05:00

When one likes crafting, or has kids, or both... One accumulates a considerable amount of crafting supplies. This posting is for you, the one out there buying the 75% markdowns items the day after every holiday. I've seen you at the store... I know you are out there :)

Anyway, I have a closet where I usually pile up all my crafts and gift wrapping supplies... Want to see it?

I decided it needed some fixing, so I started planning how to improve this (awkward) space. The objective was to use what I already owned, without spending any money... Want to see what I did?

The husband painted the walls with some of the paint we already had. He then installed some shelves that we already had but no longer needed:

Now the closet is ready to be organized... Curious to see how it turned out? Come back on Monday for the reveal...

Pictures from the weekend - Part II

2012-01-18T07:23:00.000-05:00

Crossing John Ross Bridge... Completely pedestrian = Awesome

We were there during the Crane migrations... Look who we saw...

After a snack break we got in our car for our two hour drive back home... It was a fun and exhausting day. I can't wait to go back soon.

Pictures from the weekend - Part I

2012-01-17T07:14:00.025-05:00

This turned out to be a fun filled, surprisingly good weekend... There was an impromptu photo shoot in an unconventional place (more on that soon), a visit to Rock City (which... honoring its name, is a garden around a series of rock formations... I had no idea... Really cool!) a really good southern lunch (at the Urban Spoon, YUM!), a walk around downtown Chattanooga, a hot chocolate break, a visit to the antique store... And all this just on the first day... So many more pictures to share... I will soon, though. Stay tuned for that.
Let's start with the visit to Rock City

Tomorrow... A walk around downtown Chattanooga

Menu for the week

2012-01-13T07:03:00.046-05:00

Lettuce wraps with ground turkey/Rice/broccoli
Canellini beans/Salad

Grilled panini with fontina, pears and harissa/Salad
Spaghetti with turkey meatballs/Salad

Breakdown:

Aldi $23
Kroger $16
Super H $12

This weekend we are going on a little adventure to take advantage of the holiday weekend (this is what we did last year). We are staying close to home and will be away only for the day but looking forward to a little change of pace anyway...

Have a happy weekend everybody.

Mayan red bull

2012-01-12T07:41:00.036-05:00

You just did a double take, didn't you? I know I did when I saw this sign

Did we want to try this? You betcha... So we ordered a couple of glasses...It was so, so good. Especially after a morning of bicycling and visiting Mayan ruins in Coba

I paid very close attention to the way the old man was making this drink, so here is what you do:

Squeeze a few oranges and grapefruits (for a cup you will need 2/3 of a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice to 1/3 of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice)
1 tablespoon of really good honey
1 tablespoon of pollen

Mix one tablespoon of pollen and one tablespoon of honey, add fresh squeezed juice. Drink it up

It was explained to us that this drink has been used by the Mayan people for generations. They believe pollen is good to avoid all sorts of illnesses. I bought a little container of Mayan pollen to bring home with us... Beside the Mayan red bull drink, I am planning to use it with yogurt and smoothies...

PS, I was told that you can find pollen in health food stores. If you know of a place that sells it... Let me know so I can pass the information along...

Smart is hot

2012-01-11T07:44:00.000-05:00

Literally

Hands off ladies, he is mine ;)

Eat your heart out Justin Timberlake!

A little inside joke if you are a NPR nerd like me... The number one reason why JT is sporting this same cool t-shirt: Trying to change "All thing considered" to "All SEXY things considered". Appropriate...

Source here

DIY painted patches on tights

2012-01-10T07:49:00.000-05:00

Objective, save perfectly good light colored tights from going brown on the knees due to child's inclination to get on knees and ruining them...

Patches have been on my mind lately (I am working on another project as I write) so, I decided to improve a pair of Miss V's tights by painting knee patches. Great idea, right? And super easy. I followed this easy tutorial if you want to give it a try but this is basically what I did:

Try on tights and mark the location desired.

Cut freezer paper with the desired shape, iron

With a foam brush apply paint, allow to dry. Once dryed, iron

wash and wear

So cute, right?

I have been eyeing some knee pad tights for me (you can buy them here) but I don't know if I can pull them off... But after seeing how they turned out, I might do the same with a pair of old tights... What do you think? Should I go for it?

I joined in the fun

2012-01-09T08:19:00.055-05:00

So for years now I have been saving clippings from my favorite magazines and catalogs... You know, to get ideas and inspiration for things I want to do. I keep them all saved in a binder with plastic protective sheets... The binder looks like a very nice magazine/decorating book, you see?

Then Pinterest came into my life... I finally found a place where I can save all those pretty pictures I've come across while blog surfing... My pinboards are still a little bare but I am working on them. No more clogging my computer with random images! Three cheers for that!

You too can join in the fun... Go get your invitation right now and start pinning... Make sure to let me know so I can follow you along.

Disclaimer: As I am uploading my old saved images into Pinterest I notice I do not have the source for most of the images... I would like to give credit where credit is due, if I pin an image and don't list the source - and you know it, please share... I will be glad to label the image and redirect to the source... Just trying to be a good blogger...

Menu for the week

2012-01-06T07:02:00.060-05:00

Red Bean Soup/Salad
Grilled chicken breast with Pebre/Green rice
Vegetarian minestrone/Grilled focaccia
Vegetable curry (recipe from here)/Rice

Breakdown:

Aldi $13
Costco $20
Kroger $25
Super H $10

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home. The (no plans) plans include: sleeping late, eating a delicious breakfast, organizing the house (more on that soon) catching up on my emails and on Sunday... I am looking forward to the premiere of Downton Abbey. Are you watching? I am so looking forward to it...

Watch Downton Abbey I Wonder Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Have a happy weekend!

Colorful Mexico

2012-01-05T07:49:00.000-05:00

Just because I thought the common denominator in Mexico was how colorful it was...

More colorful pictures of Mexico coming soon.