Coming Back to the Real "Cyber" World

Sadly, summer and my hiatus is over.   What makes summer over for me?  Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks.  I know, I know, but I can't help it.  It is one of my favorites.

Anyway, the autumn months make me feel more intellectual and gearing for school.  It just started this last Tuesday, and yes, I took a back-to -school picture of myself. 

As I mentioned in my post on FB, it is perfectly acceptable to take a picture when you are in your thirties and in grad school. 

That's it for today.  Hope you have a great weekend!

 

This is absolutely about to happen

I ran to the grocery store this morning for a few necessities and when I was in the check-out line, there were these little popsicle molds on the end cap.  They were pretty cheap and I was thinking of buying these before, but I couldn't think of what to make with them.  The clerk behind the register then said "I love to put booze in those."

Um... Sold!!!

Now, I just have to wait 5 hours for them to freeze and to enjoy.

Peach-a-palooza

Do you like peaches?

Hurray!  Every year, a fruit truck drives through Wisconsin and Illinois to sell Georgia peaches and other fruit.  Yesterday, they were in Oshkosh and I had convinced my mom to go in on a ½ bushel with me.

Of course, there was drama.  You would think when they say that there are two locations, Oshkosh North and Oshkosh West, they are referring to the two public high schools in town.  So, my friend and I went to Oshkosh North to look for the truck.  When we got there, no truck.  Weird.  We ate lunch and then returned again to the high school to see if it was there.  No such luck.  Dejected, I returned to work without peaches.  How was I going to tell my mom??  We even talked about what we were going to do with our peaches…. it was only to be a dream.

When I got back to my desk, I was determined to find out what was wrong.  I went to the website and found that they were not at Oshkosh North, but on the north side of town. (Slapped head in “doh!” moment).  Quickly, I ran back to my car and drove to the correct location.  Good thing I did, since it was close to their ending time and they didn’t have many peaches left.

So now I am the proud owner of 63 peaches, half of which will be going to my mother.  Several which are to be used for her July 4^th peach cobbler.  (Mom, if you read this, I have high expectations!)

For me, I know I will be doing some canning this weekend.

Repurposing Project - Bath Caddy

Did I ever mention my tub?  It is a pretty amazing tub.  I think it was one of the main factors to why I bought my house, but more about that later.  It is a white porcelain pedestal tub.  I love it and I wanted to be fancy and add a bath caddy to it.  Now, I spent two years looking for the perfect caddy.  I eventually found one on Etsy.  It was gorgeous wood caddy that was stained in teak. I thought it would work perfectly, until I saw the price. It was over $100!  I was not prepared to spend that type of money on a decoration in my bathroom that really only I would see. 

So, then I thought… could I do this myself?  I’m not really handy with tools, but I thought I would give it a try.  I had a wood bookshelf from college that had fallen apart (because it was crap) that I could recycle, but for some reason I kept all of the wood.   The wheels in my head were turning and I quickly when to the hardware store for supplies.  I was going to do this.  (even though I sucked in woodworking in junior high… really sucked.  Worst in the class… I still have the scars of embarrassment burned in my memory.)

And it turned out great! I should note, I’m not a professional and my methods would probably be considered poor by anyone who has any experience with carpentry. 

However, I don’t care.  It looks nice and it does the job. So, here is my Bath Caddy made with repurposed wood. (Recycled Bath Caddy sounded weird.)

As you can see, my tools…

I cut the smaller piece in half and used that to connect the three pieces of wood.  It also stops the caddy from going over the side of the tub. It is really important to measure the width of your tub to make sure that these bottom pieces are in the right spot.  You don’t want to slide the caddy diagonally and accidentally send it into the tub! (Learned this from experience).

Once you have assembled that bad boy is assembled, it is time for staining and coating.

Eh voila!  Of course, it is only complete once you add a glass of wine, a book and a candle.

Ahhh.. Summer!

I, for one, am pretty happy that summer has officially arrived.  This past winter was pretty tough as far as temperature goes, particularly May.  It should have been spring, but it barely cracked 50 degrees all month.  Now we are at the end of June and it finally feels like summer has arrived – humidity and all.  Plus, I have started to drink beer again and have put the wine away. 

mmmmm…. Beer

I have been particularly loving this beer lately, New Glarus’ Two Women.  It’s a lager and mighty tasty. Plus, it is made in Wisconsin and you can only buy it in Wisconsin. 

The weekend is almost here and it is the first weekend in June where I don’t have any commitments.  So, yard work it is. 

 As you can see, it is pretty overrun.  This is the before picture.  I’m not saying that I will get everything done by Sunday evening (just in time for True Blood), but I’m hoping to make a dent.  Any dog-friendly suggestions on the weeds on the patio?  I’m thinking of just pouring salt along the seams. 

Have a great weekend!

 

Wheat Bouquet

Got a little crafty this morning while enjoying the summer morning.

I know it has been a while, so I plan on getting some new posts up soon!

Greek Salad

Wow. So the past few weeks I had underestimated the amount of time I would have.  Balancing work, school and life has been challenging and unfortunately I have neglected my blog. 

However, I have taken the time to update with a new recipe, so I hope you will forgive me. 

At this time of year, I find that lots of people are trying to eat healthier, avoid sweets and hit the gym on a regular basis, myself included.  During the week, I like to make a large salad, which I will then eat throughout the week for lunch or a side dish. Being busy, I’m more likely to eat healthy food when it is easily accessible.

Today, I have one of my favorite salads, the Greek Salad.  One day, I will share my thoughts on Greek cooking, but right now I have a simple recipe that gets better as the days go by.

The ingredients that you will need:

Romaine Lettuce (two heads)

Cherry Tomatoes (1 cup, sliced)

½ Red Onion (sliced)

Kalamata Olives (1 cup)

Feta Cheese (3 oz, crumbled)

Olive Oil (1/3 cup)

Red Wine Vinegar (2 Tbsp)

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

First thing I do is cut up the lettuce and soak it in water.  The lettuce I bought had a lot of dirt on it, so I find this method the easiest to clean.  I will then spin it to get the water out.

Add the sliced tomatoes to a bowl.  Squeeze or press them a little to let the juice out.

Add a little olive oil and oregano (couple shakes) to let the juices ferment

Add onion and kalamata olives.  Mix thoroughly.

  

Spin lettuce.  Clean out the bowl I soaked the lettuce in. (I will spare you the picture of the dirty water). Return lettuce to bowl and add the tomato, onion and olive mixture. Also add the olive oil and red wine vinegar

Mix thoroughly.  Add Feta cheese, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe will serve four.  Some recipes call for cucumbers, peppers, pepperoncinis, etc.   Everyone has a different way to make it, so if you want to add additional ingredients, go for it. 

Enjoy!

And So it Begins Again

And so it begins...

This is my last weekend before school starts again for the semester.  Last semester was tough and I still don’t know if I am fully recovered.  I suppose I need to be come Monday.  I expect to be swamped with reading, assignments, blog posts and discussion topics.  I still plan on updating the blog though.  My resolution is going strong and we are already at the end of January! (eek!)

When in school, like most college students, eating healthy is a challenge.  Some nights when I get home, I don’t always feel like cooking. Last semester, I created some freezer meals.  The first was oven-fried chicken (low-fat and delicious) and then it was Baked Ziti (full-fat, cheesy and very delicious).  This time around, I’m doing veggies.   This recipe is really good for those vegetables that need to be used up.

This dish is made and then portioned out into one-cup measurements before being frozen.  The veggies can be used as a side or you can double the portion for an entrée with rice, noodles or quinoa.  It’s really great for a busy night or when you don’t really feel like cooking, but don’t feel like ordering out.

Freezer Roasted Veggies

Ingredients:

A variety of vegetables. - 1 ½ cups at the most per vegetable

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – ¼ cup

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°

Chop up vegetables to bite size pieces and mix in a bowl by hand.

Add olive oil to vegetable mixture.  Mix until all of the vegetables are coated in the oil.  Add salt and pepper to your liking.

Transfer to a lined cookie sheet (or two) and bake for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and let cool.  My last batch yielded about 7 cups.

Portion about one cup per baggie.  Once completed, transfer all the baggies into a large freezer bag.  Vegetables can be kept in freezer up to 4 months.

This is from an earlier batch that I thawed and baked. 

To thaw, bake in the oven at 425° for about 20-25 minutes. 

Cheers and wish me luck!  I shall leave you with some fun food art.

Cold Snap!

Every winter, especially after a heavy snowfall or extremely cold temperatures, I will complain and stomp my feet about how Wisconsin is just too cold and the winters are too hard.  I will then dream of moving to some place consistently warm or mild, like California.  I won’t have to get up an hour early to shovel my driveway, which has suddenly becomes longer and wider than my previous recollection.  I won’t have to kick and quietly shout profanities at my ancient snowblower that won't not start again. I can walk around my house barefoot instead of looking for my lost slipper, which my dog stole from my bedroom and hid behind a plant or in his crate.  Finally, I won’t have to bundle up with thermal underwear, down coats and two layers of gloves just to protect myself from the wind that burns my skin numb.

Eventually, my complaining the reminds me of some of the best things about winter:

-       walking into a warm house from the chilling cold outdoors. 

-       the fact that my dog likes to sleep under the covers, becoming a little heater that sometimes snores.

-       Snow-crusted trees after a fresh snowfall

-       Finally, the smell of fresh baked bread once it comes out of the oven. 

On Saturday, the temperature hit a high of 44°, which is unseasonably warm at this time of year.  Fear not, though, on Sunday, the temperature fell to 6° with a wind chill factor of -13°.  These are the types of days that I would like to stay in bed all day, snuggled with the dog and a good book.  Finally, Monday came.  No excuses, I need to get up and venture outside to get to work.

Fortunately, my car started.

So as layered up each morning, I have to keep saying to myself “This is only temporary.”  This is my motto that helps me get through the cold months, even though I hear the California sun whispering my name. 

Stay warm and try to ignore the fact that it was 80° in Los Angeles today.

This is what -3 looks like with a wind chill of -13.  It is always sunny when it is really cold.

Green Bean French Fries and a Facebook Page!

I am excited to announce that I now have my own Facebook page.  If you click the link on the right navigation pane to Facebook, you can like my page and get some additional updates in your news feed. Please do if you enjoy what you see.

Anyways, I do have a new recipe to share today! 

I would probably eat French fries every day if I could.  Unfortunately, most French fries found at restaurants are not necessarily healthy, so I save it for a once-in-a-while treat. I’ve tried the frozen kind, which aren’t bad, but I get a little sick of them  after a while.  However, I recently have been experimenting in baking my own “French fries” at home using other vegetables besides the potato and sweet potato.  So, without further ado…

Green Bean French Fries

These are really delicious and are a healthier version from deep friend alternatives. This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

½ lb of green beans – trimmed and washed

1 egg white

¼ cup of flour

¼ cup of bread crumbs, unseasoned

1 tsp of Penzey’s 4S seasoned salt

**Note: if you are not a fan of seasoned salt, you can substitute a different seasoning too.  I recommend Cavander’s Greek Seasoning or Penzey’s Cajun Seasoning

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray

2. Set up your breading station.  I like to use aluminum cake pans, since they are easy to clean up and contain the ingredients.

            a. Flour should go into pan #1

b. Whip the egg white until frothy and pour into pan #2. (Sometimes a little water will help)

c. Bread crumbs and seasoned salt should go into pan #3. Mix.

3. Bread the green beans.  Be sure to shake off any excess in the tray before going to the next step.

4. Place the bread green beans on the cookie sheet. 

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce.  

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. (And yes, once those beans were done, I ate them) 

 

DIY Burlap Lampshade

A couple of weeks ago, some friends of mine hosted an End of the World party on December 21^st.  While there, I admired their burlap pendant lamps that were hanging from the ceiling.  When I asked, I found out the pendants were from World Market.  World Market is one of my favorite stores, but the pendant lamps were a little out of my price range.  So, I decided I would try to make my own.  The verdict? Success!

DIY Burlap Lampshades

I already had some burlap from a previous project, so I used that.  I picked up some lampshades from Hobby Lobby and some adhesive spray.

The lampshades came with a pattern (score!) so it was super easy to cut the burlap and attach it to the shade. 

The materials needed:

Burlap (at least a yard per shade)

Adhesive spray

Scissors

Lampshades

Paper clips (optional)

Clothing measuring tape (if needed)

Step 1: Cut out the burlap.

As I mentioned, the lamps came with a pattern, so it made the cutting easy.  I added about an inch around so I could fold over.  If your lampshade did not come with a pattern, no worries.  Just measure with some clothing tape.

Step 2: Apply Adhesive spray

I would recommend wearing latex gloves during this step, for you are guaranteed to get it on your hands.  It was a little annoying to get off my fingers.

Anyway, apply generously around the lampshade’s exterior

Step 3: Attach burlap

Attach and smooth out as you go around.  Remember to leave a little overlap above and below the lampshade so you can fold it over.  When you get to the end, you can either fold it over or leave as is.

Step 4: Fold over top

Spray at the top and fold over burlap.  Repeat at the bottom as well.  I used some paperclips in the area where it puckered a little. Let it dry for about an hour.

And Voila!

I can’t wait to put these up in my dining room!

 

Artichoke and Feta Pizza

Like many people, I am a pizza nut.  I thought it would be fitting that my first recipe for my blog be pizza.  I’m a believer that everyone has a star on his or her pizza.  For some, the sauce is the star and for others it is the topping(s).  The star of my pizza is the crust.  The thinner the better in my book.  A couple of years ago, I hosted a “Make Your Own Pizza” party.  My plan to spend several hours in my kitchen making the crusts before the party.  I love bread baking, so I wasn’t really slaving, but I knew that it would take a while to do.  My mother then suggested using puff pastry as the crust. I tried it and it was a great success.  Also, I was hooked ever since.

Artichoke and Feta Puff Pizza

One sheet of pastry can make up to six slices.  This is great for a kid’s party too.  Below are the instructions for one serving (two slices).

Ingredients:

1/6 of a puff pastry – thawed

Tomato Sauce

Tomato Paste

Oregano

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Marinated Artichokes – drained and chopped

Feta - crumbled

Garlic – diced

**I don’t really put a measurement for these ingredients because its pizza.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.  Spray a lined cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Roll out the pastry into a circle/oval. (you can use flour, but I used cutting board sprayed with cooking spray.)  Here's what it will look like.

Here is one sheet of the puff pastry.  I only use one third for this recipe.

Here is the one third rolled out.  It is pretty thin.

2. Bake pastry for 5 min

3. Remove from oven (pastry should be puffed). 

4. Mix Tomato Sauce, Tomato Paste and Oregano in a bowl.  Brush a TBSP or two on to pastry

5. Add toppings to taste – Note that the pastry is pretty delicate, so the more you put on, the harder it will be to crisp.  I suggest going light on all of the ingredients

6. Return to oven and bake for 5-8 minutes or until brown on top.

The remaining tomato sauce can saved and refrigerated for up to a week.

Enjoy!

 

New Year's Resolutions

Do you make resolutions? I do sometimes.  There are the usual ones: lose 15 lbs, go to church more, donate more money to charity, etc.  Then there are the exciting ones like take a trip.  A couple of years ago I made the resolution to take a trip to Europe.  That following fall, I went to London.  I also did it solo.  I love travelling solo.  It is a very liberating and eye-opening experience.

So this year, I'm setting resolutions, but I'm struggling with finding something fun to do.  I have the usuals (lose 15 lbs, go to church more and "no, I don't need that Marc Jacobs purse") and I have the resolution to start blogging, which is why I am here.  But, I think I need one or two more. Here is what I'm going to do.

Don't let school/work/life stress me out: Last year, I made the promise to myself that I would allow three days per month that were school and work free.  I was able to do that, but it is hard when you are so invested into something.  However, I have to find some additional techniques around the busy times so I don't end up in a ball as a shriveled sobbing mess. (Yes, this has happened.)  So, the key is to not get stressed. I have to remember that stress is a choice. (easier said than done, right?)

Redecorate and Redesign the house:  I like my house and, when I first moved in, I loved the colors and how I decorated the place.  However, 3 1/2 years in and I have become bored.  So, I will need to  (inexpensively) redecorate and redesign.

Take a Trip:  When I graduate from grad school, I plan on taking a major European trip for a couple of weeks.  However, right now I just want to get away and explore.  I am usually in Milwaukee, Madison and other areas of Wisconsin on a regular basis, but I need a trip that I can get out of state for a couple of days to rejuvenate.  Not sure where yet, but I have some ideas in mind.  I will definitely keep you posted.

Maybe this is overkill, but it's a new year and a new start.

Well, that is it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Also, I have a new blog design from Melissa Rose Design and I love it.  If you are looking for a blog design, check her out.


Have a Happy Wednesday!

Welcome!

Welcome!

My name is Mary and welcome to The Wisconsin Girl blog.  I promise that this blog will not be all about Wisconsin or cheese or the Packers (all things that I love), but being from Wisconsin is a big part of my identity.

Just a few things about me.  I enjoy being outdoors and I love sports.  I am a big Brewers and Packers fan, and I usually root for Wisconsin for collegiate football games (unless they are playing Minnesota - my alma mater).   I'm a grad student, so I feel like

It's winter, so it is cold and windy.  I'm definitely a summer person, but I tolerate the bad winter days. It is also the new year, so one of my new year's resolutions is to start blogging more regularly. 

Anyway, I intend for this blog to be about my home redesign (on a budget) and the cooking creations I like to make.  There may also be a rant here or there about how much I hate grad school.  Sit back and enjoy.

Thanks and Welcome!