Salad with Chicken, Homemade Croutons and Buttermilk Dressing

For a long time now, I've been meaning to learn how to cook and eat better. So when I saw this book "Twenty Dollar, Twenty Minute Meals" and drooled as I flipped through the fresh, mouthwatering photography, I decided to give it a shot. Below is the very first recipe in the book, which I am proud to say actually turned out quite well! I even tried radishes for the first time...and though I can't admit to liking them still, at least I can say I tried! Radishes aside however (literally) this dish turned out delicious, and I definitely recommend!

You will need:

• 1/2 baguette 
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 sliced lemon
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• fresh thyme
• 3/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. sour cream
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 3 scallions
• 12 c. salad greens
• 1 c. halved radishes 

Preheat oven to 350F. Tear baguette into pieces and toss on baking sheet with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake, tossing once until golden and crisp (~10 min). Simmer the chicken in medium skillet with lemon, rosemary, a small bunch of thyme, and enough water to cover (~10 min). Then cut into pieces. In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk, sour cream, (1 tbsp.) thyme leaves, vinegar, scallions, and salt/pepper. Top your salad greens with the chicken, croutons, radishes, scallion greens, and dressing.

Credit: Twenty Dollar Twenty Minute Meals, by Caroline Wright

Ready for My Close-Ups

A Whole is made of many Parts. To me, the "feel" of a space has a lot to do with all the little details that come together. I thought it would be neat to try and give the essence of my apartment through close-up photographs. So yeah, here it is!

I Believe I Can Fly

So while I'm in a posting mood lately, I'm just going to roll with it :P I have made outfits with this jacket several times on this blog, but I've never really gone into detail about it. It is part of an old uniform worn by Eastern Airline attendants. The logo is even on the buttons, which I really like. So here are some shots of the details, and the latest outfit (this shirt is from H&M). And yes, I was apparently too lazy to put down my iPod, haha!

 

And of course, what would a blog be without ever featuring a myspace pose? LOL ^_^

Makes No Cents

What I love about craft fairs are finding those one or two extremely unique and fascinating booths that really blow my mind. At the holiday craft fair in Pensacola last year, this coin jeweler was that booth. He collected old and rare coins and transformed them into earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. But the most amazing aspect was his skill at cutting. He had—with great precision —cut out such intricate patterns as dragons and buffalos to indian headdresses and ships. I believe the one I bought was an old English coin, but I bought it mainly because loved the larger size of the piece and detail in the ship. It's so cool that you can even still discern the shape of the portrait imprinted on the back. Anyway, without further ado, here it is!

Outfit No.10

So I was walking around the aisles in Urban Outfitters awhile back and nothing was really striking me until I did a double take and saw this dress. It's a great fit and style...and the best part...POCKETS!  The jacket is from H&M and I thought it went really well together. Also pictured is an old necklace my Granny gave me—it's a cutout buffalo nickel!

 

 

Outfit No.9

More sewing has ensued since yesterday. I repaired one dress today and altered another that I've had sitting around for awhile. That is the one I am wearing today, and here are a few pictures!

Sew...What's Up?

Sorry I can't help myself with the puns!

Sew...it all started yesterday. I went shopping at a store called Clothing Warehouse. I had conceded to the idea that the scavenger hunt that is vintage shopping was going to be a bust that day. But right before I was about to leave, I found this dress. It was "The One." You know, like, the chosen one. Perfect fit, awesome style, adorable pattern...only problem was a huge 6 inch tear in the waistline. They were so nice they gave me a 30% discount on the dress! So I bought it!

Well today I started to think about how many things had piled up that I needed to fix ever since my old sewing machine broke, so I went out and got myself one of these new fangled contraptions. The newest sewing machine I've used was made in the 70s-80s, so I was like, nothing fancy, nothing digital...just simple. As a Singer fan, I must say that so far, this Brother machine is fantastic. I am blown away by the automatic threader and small blade on the front that cuts the thread eliminating the scrambling around for scissors. (Doesn't take much to impress me does it? lol) And threading it is so easy I was sitting there going..."Did I miss something"?

 

Anyway, needless to say, I ended up sewing some curtains and fixing my dress all in just a few hours (as well as rearranging the furniture in my entire house...but we'll get to that some other time).

And in conclusion...playing around with the camera, I really liked the way this photo below turned out, sooo...new profile picture yay! 0:)

Outfit No.8

Movin' On Up

...Well technically I'm on the first floor. So when I say "movin' on up" I mean that I have bedrooms with doors, a peephole, dish washer, phone jack, central heating and A/C...and carpet! I really didn't mind all that much living without those things in my last place, but I do admit I am really enjoying having them now. :)

On the Road Again

The fact that I am moving soon is becoming more and more of a reality. Seeing all my things boxed up and my colorful walls painted back (living room above) is making me both a little nostalgic that I'll be leaving my first place, but also excited about my next adventure. Only about three more weeks! As much as I loved this house and all its idiosyncrasies, the new place is much cozier and comfier. The one I'm in now was built in the 1910s or earlier, whereas the one I'm moving to is from the 1950s, and seems to be upkept quite well. I also like the layout a lot more. The rooms are separated more distinctly and even though it has a smaller square footage, I think it will be ample room for me. Can't wait to post pictures!

House-tile-ish

So I am moving into a new apartment soon, yay! I'm really excited because it's in a great area near a park with the cutest market right down the street — it feels like I've been warped in a time machine every time I go in there. I am going to have two small bedrooms (...with doors! An upgrade from my current abode, haha!), a tiny but cozy kitchen, tiled bathroom, central heat/AC, and tons of closet space. The complex was built in the 50's and each building has its own unique characteristics, style, and layout. Being as I will be moving soon, I've been looking at ideas on how to decorate my new space! And I thought I would share some of the cool inspirations I've found—here they are!