Free Social Media Icons

I've posted a free file of social media icons for use; you can download here from DropBox. If you have an icon request let me know and I'll make it!

Embroidery is Back

One of the many arts and crafts techniques that has recently made a comeback is embroidery. When I was a little girl I would rifle through my grandmother's enormous collection of embroidery floss to make friendship bracelets, completely unaware of the fact that bracelet-making was not their first and only purpose. Until recently, I would associate embroidered items with super kitschy tea towels or the lords prayer on a tiny pillow. But now, although the technique has remained the same the designs have not. Perfect for personalized gifting or adding some threaded decor to you wall. Behold! Modern embroidery...

Etsy Shop: JerseyMaid

Etsy Shop: NisseWorks

Etsy Shop: SamPGibson

Etsy Shop: oktak

Etsy, of course, has an array of handcrafted items, but if you'd like to try it out for yourself, it's extraordinarily easy to do. I find it a relaxing activity that you can just pick up and work on for minutes if that's all you've got. But more on that later...

Recommended Listening: Wild Belle

Wild Belle is a brother/sister duo hailing from Chicago. They have a very chill funky reggae sound, and when I first heard them I actually thought it was new Santogold. Below is the video for Keep You, I love the the crazy sax throughout this track. I am very much looking forward to their album Isles, which will release next Wednesday. But until then you can find some singles, Keep You and It's Too Late, to listen to on Spotify. You can also find them rocking out at SXSW coming up this week and Coachella in April.

Warby Parker, where have you been all my life?!

For anyone who wears glasses, you understand that they generally cost a good chunk of change. Once you get over the expensive designer price tag for a pair of frames, you get a little sticker shock when they add your actual prescription to them, so you can, you know, see out of them. I was turned onto this website, Warby Parker, so named after some Jack Kerouac references. And I, for one, will never bother looking at another store for glasses for as long as these guys are in business. Here's why...

1. They have a huge selection of frames AND sunglasses, each with various colors and finishes.
2. You can select up to 5 pairs to try on at home, for free.
3. Glasses and lenses start at $95, total. 
4. They're philanthropic; they do a buy a pair give a pair scheme, like TOMs. 

No, I'm not lying, it's for real. Here's the 5 I tried on at home.

Marshall, Striped Sassafras

Bensen, Whiskey Tortoise 

Beckett, Revolver Black Matte

Pierce, Greystone

Preston, Sandalwood Matte

All of these are $95 total. You can easily add your prescription online during checkout. The at home try-on could not be more simple. You pick out your frames online and ship them to your address. Days later you get a nice box of frames with clear plastic lens inside. You get 5 days to wear them around the house and test them out on your friends and family. Then on the 5th day place the shipping label provided on the box and drop them off at a UPS location. Easy. I think I'll be opting for the Preston style. And now my only problem is I'll want more than one pair, and I've got to try on some sunglasses ASAP!

Greetings!

So, I jumped into the whole blogging game sometime last year, and made a Tumblr account. After a few months of posts I quickly realized that Tumblr was not the outlet I was looking for. And instead of picking up and leaving for greener pastures, my posting trailed off... But I'm back at it with renewed vigor thanks to my awesome sister-in-law and gal pal, Emily. She's got her own blogging going on at Growing Wild Ginger, and has inspired me to get posting again. My biggest challenge is that I'm terrible at remembering to take photos as I do things, and then it's sort of boring to just see a finished project. My goal is to be better at documenting, and sharing too. And in the meantime, while I continually tweak and learn how to grow this blog, I'm bringing over older posts from www.adventurenauts.tumblr.com 

Dining Room: Before & After

BEFORE: When we first moved in the floors were carpeted and walls were a high gloss red.

AFTER

We bought our house almost 2 years ago this summer. It’s 2 story brick farmhouse built in the 30s. When we purchased it, it was a “fixer upper”. Everything was working and livable, but it needed an overhaul and of course our own touches. As much as I complain about not being able to get things done, and the never-ending list of things to do, now that it’s been 2 years, I’m looking at before and after photos and thinking, “Yeah, we did do a lot”.

The very first thing we did, even before we moved our things in, was refinish the hardwood floors. The downstairs had carpeting, and the upstairs floors were painted mustard and black. Many hours and sand papers went into these floors. Then they were cleaned and stained in a clear stain finish.

The dining room and living room used to be a very bold brick red. I was looking for something more calm, and warm. I choose Martha Stewart’s Oolong tea, a soothing green with yellow undertones. We used Behr Premium paint which has a primer in it. They claim you only need one coat. I have painted a fair amount of walls in my life, and I was skeptical, but now I am the unofficial Behr Premium spokeswoman. It really is worth the money. Some advice, don't let the person at the paint counter tell you can can't use a Martha Stewart color with Behr paint, or vice versa. All they have to do is a color match. Every time I mixed paint this way, they gave me hard time, but it's completely doable. Because I was painting over bold red, I did a coat of Killz primer, then only one coat of the Oolong Tea. This saved me both time and money, bonus! I haven’t gotten to the trim yet; you can see the test swatches on the side. I think I’ll end up doing a slightly softer white, but that’s only on the To-do list for now.

The biggest change we made in this space was knocking out a window between the dining room and front room. We suspect the front room used to be a porch since it’s all exposed brick and there was a perfect window shaped spot that we knocked out to become our bar. This project was taken up by my grandfather, the expert craftsman, also known as Johnny Four Fingers, coined after his close encounter with a circular saw whilst making the bookshelves shown (don't worry he still has all 5 digits!). The whole was cut, drywall and insulation removed. Then we put down a custom laminate counter-top  in a textured black matte, that gives the look of stone. The bookshelves were measured, cut, stained and installed by Johnny Four Fingers to our specs. Later we added the glass rack across the window.

Another change, that made a big difference, was swapping out the crystal chandelier. It wasn’t that I didn’t like it, it just didn’t fit with everything else. We replaced it with a Craftsmen style hanging light with a wrought iron finish.

Voila! We now have a cozy dining space for eating, drinking, and reading.

Tequila Lime Chicken (and perfecting stove top rice)

We got some interesting peppers in our last CSA, Anaheim Chiles and pretty purple peppers. I sliced them up with a red onion and sauteed them in some oil. I like my peppers and onions a little charred, so I start them on higher heat, then reduce to get them all soft and flavorful.

Meanwhile, I started a pot of white rice. I finally found my perfect rice making process..

1. Start off a with a pot that you know has a corresponding, tight fitting lid.
2. Fill it with double the amount of water that you want to make rice. For two of us, I usually do 1 cup of rice (which leaves a bit for leftovers). So, that’s two cups of water.
3. Bring the water to a boil, but don’t let it boil too long, or else you evaporate too much water, and your water to rice ratio gets off balance!
4. Add your rice, stir it up, otherwise you get clumpy uneven cooking. Put the lid on, and turn the heat waaaaay down. As you cook the rice, it should not bubble over at any point.
5. Stir periodically, I stir about twice in the cooking process. About 20 minutes. Turn the heat off when you can’t see any more water, but the rice still looks “wet”. If you waited to long and the rice is beginning to stick to the bottom, don’t worry. This is when you can season it or add butter or herbs or what have you. Tonight, I liberally added Adobe seasoning, lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro.
6. Now that the heat is off, put the lid back on, and don’t touch! This is the secret. Just let the rice sit and steam and get delicious. I start my rice first thing, then let it sit and steam while I cook right up til it’s time to plate up. I should also mention, I mostly use Jasmine rice, so cooking times may vary with different types of rice.

Back to the chicken. I sliced up some chicken breasts and added them to my half cooked peppers and onions. When the chicken was almost cooked through, I added salt, pepper, cumin. Then juice of a whole lime and a healthy douse of tequila. Let it simmer.

I also opened a can of black beans, drained them and put them in a put on low heat, just to warm them. I added some chicken pan juice and pureed them for the side.

This pretty much comes out like Fajitas without the tortillas, so enjoy however you please. The beans make a nice dipper for mouthful of chicken and veggies. Or, mix everything up together, like my male counterpart. Either way, it’s got good textures and tangy lime and tequila flavors.

The Barnes in It's New Home

The historic and elite Barnes Collection has moved to it’s new digs on the Parkway in Philadelphia, previously housed in Dr. Albert C. Barnes private home in Overbrook. The Barnes Collection is, hands down, my favorite collection and presentation of fine art I have ever seen. Dr. Barnes not only had an exclusive taste for art before it’s time, but he arranged and displayed his pieces by elements of color and design. So, unlike a regular museum experience, each wall is chock-full of paintings, furniture and metal workings that all flow together, through shapes, color or theme. It’s eye candy for any art lover. Renoir beside Van Gogh and flanked with Soutine? Monet next to French 18th century hinges? See for yourself!

This was my first visit to the Barnes’ new home, and I was concerned that the new building would somehow take away from the beauty of it’s original setting. Thankfully, it did not, and I will venture to say it has enhanced the collection and the entire experience. All of the actual artwork is hung in the exact same way in a indoor replica of the original house. But the museum it self is modern and airy, allowing for dining, learning and other cultural entertainment. I’d like to think that a museum of this caliber will draw in visitors internationally, and maybe give Philadelphia some more cultural props!

Cezanne, Bathers

Van Gogh, House and Figure

Matisse, The Joy of Life

Manayunk Brewing Company: 4120 Main Street, Philadelphia

I've been to the Manayunk Brewing Company before for their own beers and other tasty drinks, but this was my first dining experience. I genuinely enjoy all of their brews from the Bohemian Blonde to the Schuylkill Punch (it doesn't actually include any river water). I had a Kennett Square Pizza cause I like eating local things when I can, and more importantly I love me some mushrooms. Nearby Kennett Square bears the title of “mushroom capital of the world”, and if you don’t believe me, Wikipedia will set you straight.

The pizza was described as “mushrooms, goat cheese, caramelized onions and mozzarella”. What was delivered was only slightly disappointing. I was hoping for 2x the mushrooms, and the onions weren't caramelized, just cooked. So maybe the chef forgot to do that part, or the menu writer doesn't really know what caramelized means. I gripe because that would really have made it awesome. The crust was nice and thin, and well done. And the mushrooms that were present were tender and meaty. And yes, I ate it all. I’ll be be back, it’s fun to eat outside by the river, but perhaps I’ll opt for the burger next time, they looked really good…

Tico: 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA

Photo Credit: Melissa Ostrow.

This past Saturday we dined at Tico, whilst in the Boston Area for a bridal shower. We ended up here through a suggestion from Chef’s Feed. An awesome app that crowdsources where local chefs eat. Because who better to tell you where to eat, right? Download it now! But I digress. Tico specializes in Tex-Mex style tapas. An array of different flavors and styles all presented in small plates. Typically I don’t like sharing my food, but in places like this I hang up my only-child hat and embrace the experience.

The place has a very up-beat vibe, there was a good crowd for a Saturday, but not so loud you couldn’t hear your own conversation. I began my meal with a house margarita made to perfection with salt on the rocks. We started off with Mixed beef tacos, Chorizo in Chimichurri, and Roasted Cauliflower. The tacos had melt in your mouth shredded beef, then a sprinkling of crunchy beef, topped off with fresh cilantro and radishes on soft corn tortillas. Texture won me over on these. Chorizo came skewered “ala plancha” in a Chimichurri marinade. The marinade soon also marinated hunks of bread after the Chorizo was devoured. My favorite of the evening was the Cauliflower. It came roasted topped with a mild shredded cheese, a creamy chipotle sauce and toasted fava beans. Again the textures were amazing, and the creamy chipotle complimented the mild cauliflower quite nicely. It’s something that I may try to replicate in the future (especially since we just got fava beans in our CSA box last week). After that we had some room in a our bellies for one more plate. Mushroom quesadillas with a truffle oil and olive tapenade. Another favorite, these mushrooms were divine, housed in a crispy, chewy, flaky quesadilla. Oh Hello, truffle oil and olives, did you want to hang out too? It was a delicious ending to the meal. So delicious we opted out of dessert. If I lived in the area, I would certainly be back to bring more friends.

*My only teeny criticism is that they need to fine tune their playlist. It almost sounded like it was a staff members iTunes library on shuffle. Control the ambiance with music, it’s very important!

Pickled Beets

We got the beets! We got the beets, we got the beets! Yeah! We got the beets!

If you didn't get my Go-Gos reference you should probably stop reading now.

With our first batch of CSA beets I roasted them, and transformed them into a tangy baconlicious salad. Now, with batch number 2, I’ve gone and pickled them. Yay for vinegar!

After I roasted them and peeled the magenta beauties, they got sliced and put into mason jars along with…

• wafer thin onions
• a rosemary branch
• tarragon

Heat water, vinegar, salt and sugar until everything is dissolved. Let it cool a bit then fill up the jars with the goods inside. When the jars are completely cool stick ‘em in the fridge. Be patient for 3-7 days, then consume. These are pickled, not preserved, so they don’t have an infinite shelf-life. Eat them within a month, or use your best mold detecting judgement.

Dettera: 129 E. Butler Ave., Ambler

This weekend we went out for a birthday dinner for my mother dearest. Of the Italian persuasion, Dettera is relatively new addition to the growing restaurant scene in teeny weeny Ambler. We arrived a little before our reservation to enjoy the Happy Hour at the swanky bar. The bar top curves and reflects the shape of the cut out ceiling that exposes it’s large wine selection. There were a number of tasty cocktails offered, as well as $2 Yard’s Love Stout draft. I enjoyed an expertly muddled Raspberry Coconut Mojito while others took advantage of the $2 drafts.

We were seated in a spacious booth with a good view on the goings-on of Main street and the nearby Ambler Theater. All of the staff were all well-informed about specials and the menu, suggesting wine pairings and favorite dishes. I shared the Homemade Ricotta Cavatelli with Fava beans as a starter. The Cavatelli had a great texture, and included some salty pancetta in the creamy goat cheese sauce. My only complaint would be the beans were slightly under cooked, no tragedy. I tend to get beef when I go out because it’s something that we rarely make at home. So for my main course, I ordered the Sliced Wagyu Sirlion, with swiss chard, herbed spatzle and trumpet mushrooms. The sirlion was divine, prepared to medium rare perfection. The swiss chard was paired nicely with the mushrooms and spatzle, different textures all coated in sirlion au jus.

 (I was so excited to tuck in, I forgot to take a photo of it right away. 
Which explains the poor presentation below.)

Other members of our party got the Bouilliabaisse, Mahi Mahi and Braised Short Ribs. It seemed as thought the Bouilliabasse was the only disappointment because the flavor of the broth over took that natural seafood flavor, however all the seafood were prepared well. Overall there were smiling faces and happy bellies.

After dinner, we stayed at the bar to help them finish their keg of Love Stout to make way for a fresh keg. (Mission accomplished!). I would recommend Dettera for any sort of special occasion or for pre or post theater drinks and nibbles.