satisfy your DIY tooth

even though Pinterest is one of, if not the, go to site to find DIY inspiration, I am happy to peruse other sources as well-the more DIY the merrier (if only there was more time!). The places I have found myself checking in with are Curbly and Julep, a creation by Minted. Curbly is a great DIY design community where both original and curated projects are shared all in one spot...it has a focus of projects for the home, which is great if you are looking to spruce things up a bit or just give your space a bit of a makeover. Julep has a similar idea of being a community and collaborative space, with a variety of different contributors  but I'd say that Julep is where you will find DIY for in and out of the home-gift ideas, entertaining tips, and a whole mix of other things!

I encourage you to take a peek at both of these sites and see if you can find any projects to tackle or maybe some inspiration for holiday gifts! Here are a few of my favorite finds...

from Curbly

from Julep

Hope you enjoy these sites and find a fun DIY (that you will pin, naturally!)

having a bad day?

help yourself to an "emergency compliment" right here...like these ones: 

thoroughly stuffed and ridiculously thankful for all the good in my life...hope your day was full of good things too!

in the kitchen: thanksgiving traditions

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is tomorrow-this month has really flown by, but I am SO looking forward to spending some quality time with all of our friends and family. Oh and eating lots of AHmazing food!

We actually have not one, not two, but three Thanksgiving celebrations to attend this year, so for the sake of my waistline, I might have to (try) to just stick to my favorite dishes to enjoy at each house...we'll see if that happens! I know that in everyone's families, you all have your favorite dishes that you look forward to every year, so I figured I would share a few "staples" that make an appearance for our turkey day feast and a brussels sprout recipe that I recently tested out from The Corner Kitchen!

(clockwise) Creamed Spinach || Sunshine Casserole || French Bread || Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprouts

What are your favorite Thanksgiving treats? Feel free to share!

measuring the universe

how great is this..."starting as an empty white room, Roman Ondak’s Measuring the Universe at Tate St Ives has grown through the contribution of around 90’000 participants to a constellation of black marks...."

to see more about this art piece, take a look at this interview with the artistic director...

in the kitchen: black bean soup for two

sometimes simple really is best and that is just what this Black Bean soup is! I was able to whip it up in about 15 minutes for Ry and me to have for lunch this weekend, I thought it was really tasty. And a big thumbs up from Ry too :)

Black Bean Soup for Two adapted from A Beautiful Mess

1 can black beans

1 sm or med red onion

1/2 can of corn (I used creamed corn because it was all I had!)

1/2 med red pepper, chopped

1 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 tsp cumin

salt + pepper

ancho seasoning (I used this because I did not have canned adobo pepper the original recipe called for)

Garnish: Tortilla chips, cilantro, avocado, cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Heat 1-1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and saute onions and peppers until somewhat soft. Season with the cumin and salt and pepper. Add in corn and saute for a few minutes.
2. Add in stock and black beans and continue cooking until it's nice and hot!
3. Serve with tortilla chips (we crushed ours up), cilantro and cheese on top....enjoy!

life lately

in the kitchen: portobello mushroom pizza

The other night, my mom and I were trying to figure out what we could whip up for dinner and guess what came to the rescue....Pinterest (of course)!
I had recently found a recipe for portobello mushroom pizza that was just we were in the mood for and probably a better option than real pizza and it didn't look too complicated, which is always good in my book. I think that this is one of those dishes that you really can add your own twist to it depending on what you have in the fridge or what you like to have on your "pizza"....

Portobello Mushroom Pizza via BodyRock

Ingredients

- Portobello mushrooms (we ea. ate 2, so buy accordingly)

- 3-4 roma tomatoes

- 1 med onion

- 1 leek

- 2-3 cloves of garlic

- fresh basil, chopped (about 5-8 leaves)

-parmigiano reggano cheese, grated

-olive oil

- salt & pepper to taste

Other possible ingredients: spinach, crumbled sausage, red/green peppers...

Directions

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees

2. Chop onion and cook first in your pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil until softened.

3. While the onion cooks, dice tomatoes, chop the leek, and mince your garlic (or finely chop). Add to your onions and saute until the tomatoes are slightly soft. Add basil at the end.

4. As your veggies cook, you will want to prepare your mushrooms! Remove the stems and place cap down on your baking pan. Add a bit of salt and pepper to each of the mushroom caps. 

5. Once the veggies are done cooking, scoop the filling onto each of the mushroom caps.

6. Sprinkle your parmigiano cheese on top....place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

*Suggestions: after enjoying our tasty mushroom pizza, we agreed that we would have added a bit of italian seasoning and some spinach to our veggie mix. We also felt we could have mixed in some of the parmigiano cheese into the mixture as well to really have the saltiness of the cheese better incorporated into the dish. 

Bon appetit! 

p.s. see more great recipe finds on Pinterest!

fired up & ready to go!

what a night! I hope you were able to get out and vote last night-I did and I am so proud to have been a part of the process. No matter who you voted for, I hope we can remember to move forward as a united front to make this country stronger! (Photo by Doug Mills, NY Times)

Two words: GO VOTE!

Just remember that there was a time when not all of us could vote and there are places in the world where people still don't have that right.

So please, take advantage of this kick-butt right that you do have and be a part of the process...you can't make anything happen if you just sit on the sidelines.

P.S. if you or someone you know starts making excuses (I know, waiting lines is not the best thing ever) just check this out and hopefully it'll change get you/your friends back on board: yourexcusesucks.com ;)