dinner: quiche

We are obsessed with this quiche. It's not a decadent quiche you would serve at a brunch ... it's a super-healthy, weeknight quiche. Instead of the typical recipes calling for cream ... cheese ... and a sugary crust, this one is make simply with eggs, greek yogurt, and a crust made with whole wheat flour, olive oil, & lemon.

I used this recipe from Kathleen as the base. But omitted the cheese and 2 Tbs of cream ... I substitute it with 1 Tbs of half and half. Just as good! I have made it both ways and you truly don't miss the omitted ingredients. Put in any veggies you want!

There is something about fall approaching that makes me a bit of a homebody. I concentrate on making the best of our new (read: busy) schedule while fighting to keep being healthy at the top of our list (read: no take-out). More on that later.

This time I put caramelized onions sautéed with mushroom and a chopped jersey tomato (why are nj tomatoes the best? THE BEST). 

rehoboth, de

On our way back from Florida we decided a do-over vacation was in order. Nothing fancy ... just a trip that included the beach without a 103 degree fever and hurricane.

Josh had been to DE beaches as a kid but this was my first time. We immediately fell in love with Rehoboth. Our hotel was walking distance from the beach ... and situated right across the street from a vegan and vegetarian friendly restaurant! What makes a restaurant veg friendly? They list every single animal ingredient on the menu (even if the veggies were sauteed in just a teaspoon of butter ... they list it). And they ask you if your vegan or vegetarian upon entering ... just so they can steer you in the right direction. I really can't say enough good things about Hobos ... they do sexy things with vegetables. 

We ordered Eggplant Napoleon and a creole Buddha Bowl. 

Also, there was a couple there with a pretty big dog. I wanted him to crawl on my lap ... obviously. The owner let the dog wander around and here's the thing ... every table loved it. No one got annoyed that this dog was in their business. It was this moment sitting there petting this dog and eating the most delicious vegan food that I thought THESE ARE MY PEOPLE.

Oh, and then there was Dog Fish Head. Enough said.

And the beach. Enough said. 

 

obsessed: cupcakes

This has been the summer of cupcakes. Since becoming obsessed with Georgetown Cupcake I have become obsessed with baking them myself. What can I say ... looking at the shelves and shelves and shelves of cupcakes is inspiring. And delicious.

I still have a ton to learn --especially with the whole decorating thing (I want them to all look the same ... one day). Also, I just found one of those cupcake corer things ... so we can make filings! Filings!

From the top: classic chocolate cake with peanut butter icing, vanilla-caramel cake with salted caramel icing

pink

This is by far my favorite beer combination -- it is totally worth documenting.

One night Josh and I walked down to a local bar that had just opened. What started as a normal evening  ended up with some serious bartender bonding. We sat and talked with the guy for hours ... long after closing time. We tried all sorts of beers and learned a ton -- he was a beer know-it-all ... in a good way.

Just as the night was coming to a close, he showed us his favorite beer combination: Left Hand Milk Stout and Framboise Raspberry or Peach Lambic. Instantly a favorite.

While tilting the glass, slowly pour in 3/4 a bottle of Left Hand Milk Stout. Using a beer layering spoon, pour in the Lambic. Watch the Lambic turn the stout into a sexy pink color. 

Enjoy.

bedroom: lights

Josh the master electrician rigged these bedside lights up. These are the things that make me happy -- call me superficial and just look at them.

summer list

When we got back from Florida we immediately made a "summer list". Just a few fun things to focus on. I know, the list isn't very long.  But it's surprising how you can let a vacation fly by just working on house stuff ... and not have any fun. We will do this every summer from now on.

We crossed the first two off ... and without blabbing about them I will just say they were amazing. Sigur Ros at The Mann Music Center skyline stage and canoeing just down the road.

We are still trying to figure out details for a Delaware Beach trip.

little guys

I miss Florida on a daily basis.

I try really hard to focus on everything I love about where we live -- this helps on most days.

But on other days I can't get the beach out of my mind ... counting down the days until our next trip.

All over there are these crazy plants (look like "air plants") ... they are usually holding on lightly to a tree or bush. You can gently pick them up, put them in your car, drive them back to Pennsylvania, put them in glass bulbs, and look at them everyday.

bedroom: print

This Banquet print (Sarah Edmonds) was the first item we bought for our room. It is special because we are obsessed with the Gulf Coast. It shows up more red in these pictures but it's actually very orange (more like the first picture). 

Josh finished installing the lighting yesterday. All we need to do now is patch a few holes (from the lighting installation), one more coat of paint on the brick, and hang that other curtain. 

color-block pots

Things have been pretty busy around here lately. As far as the fresh start, it's been up and down. By far this past week was much better (and I felt much better). Just pushing myself to be intentional about eating (hello, actually cooking) and exercising made all the difference. I cut back on chocolate but didn't eliminate it completely. 

In between lots of family fun, we've been working on the bedroom. It is almost done ... really! The wardrobes are up, closets organized, room clean. Still need to-do: install lighting, put up the other curtain, and figure out the mirror situation. 

Okay ... enough blabbing. Now I know this has been blogged 1,000 times already, but these color-blocked pots make me so happy ... you don't even know. A cheap IKEA pot and some pink fluorescent spray pant ... I stare look at them everyday. I'm heading to the craft store to pick up more paint (aqua maybe?) to color-block my bedside stool.