Chilly Day Corn Chowder

We had a winter storm hit us last night here in Minneapolis. It wouldn't have been so alarming if it had only been snow....we Minnesotans can handle snow. But snow + ice? That's a whole other story.

Vala has had a wonderful time today watching all of the cars slip and slide past our windows. She also had a great time last night keeping Ian and I awake while she watched the ice pellets hit the window. Go figure.

I also woke up with a slight nasal infection. I don't know whether it is going to become a full on cold or not (I sure hope it doesn't)...or if I just inhaled a little too much dust or something. I'll tell you what though - about 2/3 of all the bloggers that I follow have been out of commission with colds this week, or at least suffering from some type of winter illness. Can you get a cold from reading about someone who has a cold? I wouldn't be surprised.

On the plus side of things though, I made Cheddar Corn Chowder and another loaf of No Knead Bread yesterday. I spend all day in my warm kitchen smelling yummy smells.

For the rest of you out there shovelling snow or suffering from colds/sinus infections: this recipe goes out to you. If you can't get out of bed to make it yourself...get your husband (or Mom!) to do it for you! :)

Cheddar Corn Chowder - Original Recipe

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 large carrots, shredded
• 2 large potatoes, chopped
• 2 large turnips, chopped
• 1 medium sized bag of frozen corn (or if you are using fresh, 2 cups of corn)
• 6 cups of chicken stock (I used home-made stock, but store bought is fine too!)
• 1 tsp of sage
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 tsp of rosemary
• 3 tbsp of butter
• 3 tbsp of flour
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• OPTIONAL: Shredded chunks of leftover chicken. (It takes the chowder to a whole new level of awesomeness!)

1. In a stock pot (or large sauce pan) saute the onions and celery for five minutes, until slightly caramelized.
2. Add the stock directly to the stock pot and bring to a boil.
3. Add the carrots, potatoes, turnips, and the corn to the stock. Cover and boil for 15 minutes (or until the potatoes are cooked fully).
4. Add the sage, rosemary, and thyme and turn the soup on low to simmer while you make the roue. 
5. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a small sauce pan. Add the 3 tbsp of flour and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the roue directly to the chowder. Stir the chowder until the roue is well incorporated. 
6. Add the cream slowly while still stirring the chowder. Allow the cream to warm up slightly, but do not allow the chowder to boil again. 
7. In handfuls, add the cheese and keep stirring to fully melt it into the chowder. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. OPTIONAL STEP: Once the chowder if fully made, you can add the cold, shredded chicken directly to it. The warmth of the chowder will warm it up, and it won't be over cooked!

And there you have it! A warm hearty soup for bad weather, and those under the weather. I hope all of you out there in blog land feel better!

Love,

Miranda

Meeting a Sweet Little One

This is Karis! Isn't she just the sweetest little thing? 

Lauren, Jen, and I took a mini road trip this weekend to congratulate our friends Dylan and Nicole on the birth of their little girl. Of course the highlight of the trip was meeting her...but the rest of it was great too. 

We ate a Smash Burger - which is always AMAZING! We also stopped at Caribou Coffee...and above all else, the conversation and company was incredible. 

So again, congraulations to Nicole and Dylan! You are already, and will continue to be amazing parents! Thanks for letting us cuddle your little girl. :)

Love,
Miranda

Colored Towers of Cotton

This is the beginning of my newest project.  A quilt made out of all my randomly accumulated college T-shirts - I had about 30 of them just sitting in a box up on my shelf. I hadn't worn most of them in years, but they were too sentimental to throw out; it was time to do something with them. So now, they are going to be a very colorful and soft quilt. I can't wait to cuddle up in it!

Other than starting this project, my weekend was filled with laughter, amazing people, and good food. What more could I ask for?

Love,
Miranda

Butterscotch Banana Cookies

I always try to keep my cute cookie jar (from my Dad's collection of Disney awesomeness) full of treats. It is nice to have something to offer guests when they stop by...and my husband loves to snack on them too. Ok, who am I kidding. I love to snack on them.

This round, my cookie jar is full of Butterscotch Banana Cookies. These cookies are rich in flavor and the texture is almost like a crisp banana pancake. I fell in love instantly.

Here's the recipe...for your own enjoyment! (I dare you not to eat the whole thing!)

Butterscotch Banana Cookies

as adapted from this recipe

• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 cups of flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 of butterscotch chips (chocolate chips would work great too!)

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in 1 inch dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on the pan for two minutes, and then transfer to wire racks. 

Makes about 30 cookies.

Seriously though....so good. Enjoy!

Love,
Miranda

A Small Change

I had this one shirt from Old Navy. I've had it for....ever. (Ok, maybe two years.)  I have loved it just the way it was...and then something changed. I just wasn't satisfied with it; I wanted more. So the other day, I did something about it.

The shirt is super cute and in a classic gray and white stripe. The elbows were folded and sewn at the elbows to create a 3/4 length sleeve. The only thing was that I couldn't wear this particular shirt under sweaters because of the manufactured elbow folds.

So, I took my seam ripper...and took out the stiching. Simplest project ever. Now I can wear the shirt under any sweater I want. (Until I wash it, the arms are stretched out, so it looks better still folded up.)

Sometimes it is a small change that makes all the difference.

Love,
Miranda

P.S. I went out to coffee with Lauren this morning. She took some super cute pictures. Check it out here! :)

The Real Deal

The last few months, I have been learning two things.

1. Friends are important.
2. Being real with your friends is even more important.

In the last few months relationships have taken on significantly greater importance than they had in the past. I'm learning to be real, truly love people, and to let them love me back.

I grew up moving around a lot as a kid, and I loved it! I wouldn't change it for anything. One side effect of moving around a lot is that I learned that friends will either be friends forever (regardless of how often you talk to them) or that losing friends was not as devastating as everyone seemed to make it. I couldn't understand why people hung onto friendships even after they moved! Why? You'd make new friends!

I knew which of my friends would be there for the long haul, and which I couldn't count on after my family would move on. I learned to adapt; I learned what to share with people and what to hide. I learned what parts of myself would make friends quickly. I had no idea that these habits would effect the type of friend I am today.

Don't get me wrong, I have wonderful friends. I love them. But I haven't been the best friend that I could be; I'm learning now how to be the best friend that I can. How to be open and honest with the people that love me; how to let myself be vulnerable and love them back; to let them see me...and not just the side of me I want them to see.

It's tough. And sometimes, it's painful. Opening up aspects of myself that have been closed to the public for so long is rough. But it's so worth it. My friends deserve to see the real me, whether or not I deem it worthy to be seen. If they choose love the real me, they deserve my love in return.

Thank you to all of my friends for loving me enough for me to realize the friend I should be!

Love,
Miranda

Photo taken from Flickr

Little Braid

This is what happens when I try to take pictures of myself in the mirror. Good grief. 

I was just so darn proud of the little braid I managed to put in my hair this morning that I had to document it. This angle does wonders on my nose. And by wonders....I mean that my nose is now big enough to be the eighth wonder of the world. 

Today is day 5 of curling my hair. I think I'm getting better and faster at it.

My hair is short to begin with...so when I curl it, it gets even shorter. I kina feel like a cross between Shirley Temple, Snow White, and that little curly haired girl from Charlie Brown.

+

+

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Not to mention, I've been humming songs from Snow White all morning.  I suppose that makes it doubly so, true? 

Love,

Miranda

Salty Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

For Valentine's day, my Mom sent Ian and I a box of pistachios. Since Ian is already 3/4 of the way through the stash, I had to rescue some...and fast! I came up with making cookies.  These cake-like cookies seemed to be perfect for the pistachios...and turned out pretty good! 

Salty Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Recipe adapted from Apple A Day)

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 c. brown sugar 

1/4 c. granulated sugar 

1 egg 

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

2 c. all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/4 tsp. salt (Omit the salt if you are using salted pistachios)

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

3.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt (if needed). Stir in chocolate chips and pistachios.

4.  Roll into tablespoon sized balls, flatten, and place onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

5.  Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes (if you can keep your husband away for that long).  Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.  Makes approximately 3 dozen.  

Now, if you'll excuse me...I'm going to eat a few dozen of these. Have a nice day!

Love,
Miranda

Crafty Spaces

Since I have recently made myself a place to be crafty in, it is fitting that I would share some other spaces that I find inspirational and functional. Apartment Therapy recently showcased these craft area's here and here. Someday, I will have a whole room devoted to being crafty. Until then, my little closet room is perfect! 

If you can't also tell from the pictures, I have been drawn to the color aqua recently. I love it. I hope your day is filled with inspiration and craftiness! 

Love,

Miranda

Pizza Perfect

Last night Lauren and Phil came over. I always have a wonderful time with them! Good friends light up my life...and these two definitely fit the bill. We made pizza together (which was a first for Lauren and Phil), and watched Mulan (always a good choice!) and played a rousing game of Rook.

Goofy pictures....great pizza....fantastic people....and Lauren and I owning Rook. Perfect.

Love,
Miranda

Bliss

Just a little glimpse into my afternoon yesterday.

Love,
Miranda

Curly Girl

I have decided to wear my hair curly.

Since I have entered the stage of growing my hair out that makes me cringe when I look in the mirror, it make perfect sense to do something drastic. Curling my hair is my alternative until it is long enough to look like it is supposed to be cut the way it is.

Here's the thing though: I rather like it curly. I tried it out the other day when I went to the 50's party. I purposefully made it vintage style then. Yesterday, I curled it because I wanted to look cute on Valentine's day...and then I found that the second day, I didn't even have to start from scratch! I could just curl the curls that were still curly from yesterday. Too easy. It still has a vintage vibe to it. There is no getting around that, since my hair is so short to begin with.  It sure feels good when Ian sees me though and the first words out of this mouth are, "You look nice today!"

And maybe that's the only reason why I'm curling my hair now. My husband thinks it looks nice. Maybe.

I like how when I pass by a lamp in my house, the shadow that skirts across the wall looks like an old black and while film clip. I like how when I look in the mirror, I can "adjust my curls," and not just try to brush the fine hair off the back of my neck. I like how it elevates my sense of style and makes me dress up purposefully - even if I am just cleaning the house. It is a good change.

It definitely takes getting used to, and it takes much more time in the morning to get ready. But what have I got to loose? I don't have anywhere to be - and no one to impress but myself.

Crazy over Daisy: Home-made Curtain Tutorial

Because of an inquiry of one of my readers, I decided to put up a tutorial on how to make simple cloth curtains.

It happened to be quite convenient. My kitchen was in desperate need of something to add character, and I had a beautiful vintage sheet covered in daisies that was just begging to be made into something cute. (Side note: my Husband picked it out specifically for me, because he thought I would like it. Cute? Yup!)

They turned out more adorable than I could have imagined!

Here is how the window looked before I added the curtains.

What you will need: fabric (how much depends on the measurements for your specific window), fabric to make hooks (I cut mine into 3 by 6 pieces; you could adjust them for a custom look), scissors, and a measuring tool. Not pictured: pins and a sewing machine.

1. Measure the window. If you plan on using the curtains for privacy, measure the width and the length. The curtains I made are for decoration, so I did not measure the width. (Remember that the fabric hooks will make your curtains about two inches longer).
2. Cut the curtains to fit the measurements that you decided on.  

3. Fold the sides of the curtains to create a hem on each side (about 5/8 inch). I was using an old sheet, so thankfully two of my sides were already hemmed for me!
4. Sew the hem with your sewing machine. 

5. Decide how many fabric hooks you want on each curtain. I chose six, but I have done five before, and they both worked well.
6. Take the fabric hooks and fold them in half long ways (or burrito style!). Secure them with pins. 

8. Sew the hooks along the pinned edge, leaving about 1/4 inch for a seam.
9. Flip the hook inside out for a tube. 

10. Fold the hooks with the seam inside and pin them evenly along the top hemline of your curtains.

11. Sew the hooks on following the same hemline to reinforce the top of the curtain. 

12. Hang your curtains! (It is important to note that depending on the fabric, you might need to iron it before you hang them).

There you have it! :) If you do to make your own curtains, let me know how it goes...and feel free to ask questions too!

I think it looks so much better! I had enough extra fabric that I was able to make a matching table cloth....and will be making a matching apron too! It is so relaxing to sit in my newly decorated kitchen.

Since today is Valentines day....Happy Valentine's Day! I love you! ♥

Love,
Miranda