The Office. In the Middle of Everything

So, here's the office from the door. The window faces the front street. Directly across the street from us there's a McMansion for sale. We obviously don't live in a McMansion. So at this point, the office doesn't look like these pictures anymore.
We have Elfa shelves on the wall where the printer is. There's no more crap on the floor. And I've washed my coffee cup several times over. But still, I wanted to take pictures for the curious ones...
Here's the bookcases (do you see how much stuff is NOT in a filing cabinet? It's totally filed away! Except for Law School stuff) from Ikea. They're pretty flimsy unless you anchor them to the wall, which is what we've done. I like covering up all the clutter. Generally, if you open the cabinets, you may or may not find what book you'd like to read.
There's the MONSTER and looking out the door. BTW, that is Twitter on my computer. And no, the desk really isn't a mess anymore. But this is how you live for awhile after you move and you didn't pack the boxes!
Our diplomes and the closet. Bimmer Man is a Ferrari addict.

Ok, so now I'm going to have to do another post with an updated office. Which is just fine! Because these are the BEFORE pictures anyway!

Happy Friday and have a fantastic weekend!

The Basement BEFORE

So, this is the "on-your-way-to-the-basement" from the kitchen picture. It's fairly messy, but that's ok. Whatevs...
And don't forget your reusable bags - they're hanging on hooks which are super easy to grab. Here's the stairs down to the basement. What gets me is this:

The people before us had THREE cats. And they were HUGE. Just HUGE. So the carpet is fairly gross even though we've tried to vacuum and clean it as much as we can. Oh, well. New carpet before we move is in order anyway.
The super small bar that's under the stairs - right now we hide crap back there like alcohol, blankets, computers, dog toys, etc...
The back part (the stairs are on the right by the dark wall). There's three closets with storage and the MONSTER's dog dishes. Yep, they're in the basement because the kitchen is kinda small.
There's the stairs and the door to the laundry room.
Oh - it's the Big Green Dream Machine! Actually, the couch is now in the living room and we have a new couch. It's brown and L-shaped. I'll take pics of that next week because I'm LAZY.

And the immediate view from the stairs. So the basement is partially finished, there's really not much there because I've been LAZY and haven't really done anything. Oh, well. Whatever!

And it's been a long time!

Me: So, how are ya?

Readers: Um, where have you been?

Me: I've been, um, a little lazy.

Readers: Yeah, you sure have been lazy. So, where have you been?

Me: Um, making pasta. And chicken soup. And getting a new couch.

Readers: So why haven't you posted anything?

Me: Blame it on the laziness. Please.

Readers: So, when are you going to post something?

Me: I'll show you our basement and office this afternoon.

Readers: Thank you for posting, we've been waiting to hear from you.

Me: You're welcome.

Garlic Broccoli Pasta

This is a really easy almost-one skillet meal (you need one pot for cooking the pasta, another one for the chicken and broccoli).

1 head of broccoli, florets chopped fairly easy to eat in one bite
1 lb of chicken, sliced into easy to eat pieces
1/2 cup Italian dressing
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used a garlic press)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 lb of pasta, penne preferred

Saute the chicken in olive oil over medium-high heat until about halfway cooked, add the broccoli, and keeping cooking about 5 minutes. Then add the Italian dressing and garlic, bring heat down to medium-low and simmer about 10 - 12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and broccoli doesn't squeak in your teeth.

Serve with either feta or parmesan, garlic bread and a salad. An easy weeknight meal!

Chili. With Black Beans.

Here's ANOTHER recipe for chili.

Currently it's just that time of year where chili becomes the number 1 staple in the freezer. I make chili in GINORMOUS batches so there's always a go to meal in the house, especially on a cold Minnesota day.

So, here it is:

1lb ground turkey (or ground beef)
2 cans black beans
1 can red beans
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
Just a little cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
Salt & pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed in a garlic press or finely chopped

Add the onions to a large pan over medium with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, wait about two minutes, and then add the meat to brown.

Add all other ingredients and simmer for about 25 - 30 minutes.

Et voila! It's another chili recipe on the internet!

Actually, I like reading all the different spices that people put in chili. My favorite is cinnamon (really! Try it!) because it just makes it all warm and cozy. But generally for me it's chili powder, cumin and coriander.

So next on my list is a chicken chili. Maybe with lime? Eh, not really sure... I'll just have to wait until I need to stock the freezer with chili again!

Oh - Patina Lovers!

Check out what I found in my e-mail inbox this morning!

They have a new sister store in South Minneapolis - and I'm so dang excited! It's all about highlighting local talent, so now I have a new place to shop! Yea!

So, everyone, what are your favorite local stores? Do you feel the need to shop there every week or every once in awhile? What are your favorite purchases? Do you feel better about yourself and your environmental impact when you shop local?

More Tomato Beef Stew

So I've never tried tomatoes in my beef stew before.

NEVER.

I always thought that beef stew was for beef, celery, potatoes, bay leaves and salt & pepper.

But um, ahem... We tried it.

And I do have to say - I'm not a fan of a lot of tomatoes in my beef stew. So, here's my recipe, try it if you must, but um, don't be surprised if you're surprised that you don't like it. But, um, you know, give it a try if you like tomatoes.

More Tomato Beef Stew

Take my mom's beef stew recipe from here,

And then omit all the cream of... crap and add 2 cans of tomato soup instead.

Ya, that easy! But trust me, it just doesn't taste the same.

So, I dare say, if you have a favorite beef stew recipe, don't mess with it. Just eat it. And keep it to yourself so that you can impress guests when you have them over.

Ok, Happy Tuesday.

THE MONSTER & Diego

They play like crazy, chasing each other around the yard, stealing each other's bones. You know, the usual dog stuff.
Aren't they goons? The MONSTER with his tongue hanging out... he rarely takes a nice picture around other dogs these days. He just lurves them too much!
But Diego is also for adoption. He has so much energy, loves to chew on bully sticks and when he's finally done playing, he'll crash in your lap or next to the MONSTER for a long time! So, if you're interested in Diego, please click here for more information.
So, here's Diego! Diego says, "Adopt me! I want a lap to sit on every morning! And I like watching Flash Forward and Grey's Anatomy! Or ESPN or Sportscenter!"

Happy Friday!

I've Been Bad

A bad, bad blogger...

Never fear! I shall post later today of the foster puppy Diego (I call him Taco) and the dressers we finally got! (Um, there's no picture of Diego because um, we've been, um, busy.)

And maybe spaghetti and meatballs. Or um, broccoli with penne?

See, I have stuff to post... I just haven't had time to do it!

Living Room Inspirations

I need a living room.

Eh, er, um, I mean, I have one already but I have no furniture. And no money to buy furniture but a girl can dream? Right? If I had an unlimited furniture budget, I'd go crazy. Room & Board, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Ethan Allen, West Elm. Have you noticed a trend? These stores all have two words to their names... I don't think that really means anything though.

I need something to inspire me for when we actually do have money. So far this is what I've found. I like green. I like earth tones. I like neutral because you can accessorize. And other than that, I have no preference. Kind of. Modern, yes. Antique, yes.

See? It's hard! I hate decorating and I know that I have style. It's just the budget that's the problem, right? I think that's fairly, um, common...


Urban Outfitters Lulu Chair Chartreuse Garden $425

Anthropologie Decker Console Table $598



Restoration Hardware Roth Ottoman SALE $759.99 - $1,339.99

Delaney Upholstered Sofa SALE $2045 - $2179.99

Sigh. A girl can dream.