"McGyver cooking"

             ....that's how I have begun to operate in the kitchen. McGyvering like every fourth ingredient or utensil that I use. I never truly appreciated my parents' fully stocked pantry and gadget repertoire til now. It's led me to:

- Use duct tape in a blender (attempting to plug off the spigot hole) to turn it into food processor
so that I could blend granulated sugar + a pinch of flour to turn it into powdered sugar.

- Or use boiling water, a strainer and a glass lid to defrost hamburger (didn't end well)

- goggle "substitute for . . ." countless times a day. (it's actually turned into a sort of game: "can I make this recipe with 10 ingredients when I only have 6!")

- And also against me is that fact that I am used to a 6 person family (buy something yummy it'll be gone in a week, or possibly that day). But here, stuff goes bad for lack of mouths. Case in point: a loaf of delicious tomato basil bread sitting in our fridge. But with a little McGyver cooking this half-way stale bread turns into . . .

Homemade croutons for soup or salad (or even just snacks!) and it's easy-peesy.

recipe +here+

And this morning...

nope, no pillsbury just-bust-it-out-of-the-freezer. NO YEAST either! But I still whipped up some 10 min cinnamon rolls for brekky.

recipe +here+


Seriously, I should write a book.
The McGyvering Cook Book: for Newlyweds.
;) 

This is my Autumn...

1. wearing my hair in a bun a lot.

2. dried flowers

3. enjoying layering!

4. drinking more tea than in the summer.

5. adoring this nail color.

6. wishing our apartment complex allowed kittens.

7. being right on the cusp of the leaves truly changing.

8. it's cuddling weather!

9. a discussion among friends about painting has left me restless to get my hands on a brush!

photo - I - love Tuesdays

 

* the colors

* her dress

* the way looking at this photo makes me feel calm & relaxed

* she's holding a magnifying glass

how to: mail someone a garden

Okay, well, this isn't a diy project,

but still a clever idea!

+ postgarden +

+
A music mix

+listen+

album art

Some of my favs....what are yours?

photo - I - love Tuesdays

things that have kept me happy today...

1. listening to a favorite song being sung a cappella in a Parisian hallway 

(oh, Bon Iver...you make life so much better)

2. gazing upon photos at the blue hour

3. this quote

4. thinking about autumn sweaters.

Learn & Eat

I don't know which of these I love more!
from Rick Mereki.

red & kitchen

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful 
or believe to be beautiful." ~ William Morris

"Setting up house" has gone a bit slower than I imagined, but is very satisfying. & in the midst of life, living, family, work, and C, I noticed a pattern.....    ....red "splashes" in my kitchen.

Another testament to the joy of following the quote from above!

ravishing ruche.

This online shop (ruche) is like anthropologie's slightly less-expensive cousin.

I was already impressed & then I found their free desktop wallpapers page.
........

....sigh....

farmers market delights.

1) Grown in Detroit t-shirts hanging proudly in the 90+ degree breeze 
2) Never knew there were so many types of garlic. Got some to make this scrumptiousness
3) Farmers markets have the most breathtaking flowers, I swear.
4) And proud of it!
5) Haven't had these since I was a child...
6) ...the honey-strawberry was delish. delish.
7) Hubby trying one out.
8) The name, the sign: presh.
9) We are now stocked with: peaches, apples, raspberries, sweet-corn, red-skinned potatoes, spinach and so on. I love opening the fridge door and seeing the trove. 

23

Deciding to do a collage = a good idea!

a dear friend,

evening setting outside the windows,
surrounded by an island of Toast & anthropologie
pictures ripped and scattered at our feet, at our knees
every one selected for a reason.

This is my life in this moment.