You're cheap

Admit it. And then get yourself over to the iTunes store, because for the next few days you can download 10 of the awesomest Sundance shorts for FREE.

Go here.

Not to be too prejudiced or anything, but I suggest you start with "Instead of Abracadabra."


Picture a Napoleon Dynamite-esque character, as a magician, in Sweden. Yep, it's amazing.

Also keep an eye out for all the great retro wallpaper on the interior shots. Is it just me, or do Europeans do way more with wallpaper than we do?

A week (and a half) of no spending

This no spending thing of Joslyn's is working for me (note that the cake stands featured last week were all purchased before the start of the hiatus). I've found that the most effective strategy is immediately deleting all emails I receive about amazing sales, and resolutely not clicking over when other people post about such sales. Also, not going into stores.

I've found that not shopping frees up time. Monday, all aglow with the imminent prospect of change, I decided to take action in my closet. (It really does feel like the start of an era, doesn't it?)


Okay, I realize the pictures are too small and it doesn't look like the dramatic difference it really is. Will it help if I show you the pile of stuff I have to drop off at Goodwill?



Yep, I had to tie up my clothes in an old curtain, hobo style. Because I don't have giant boxes or bags. (The Christmas tree stand, the sifter and the board game did not come out of my closet.)

I also have a stack of clothes requiring care (hemming, replacing buttons and general alterations) that should keep me busy.

And I realized that a lot of the things I was throwing out were things I probably shouldn't have bought in the first place. Cheap fabrics, poor fit, almost okay but not quite. I am definitely going to be revamping my shopping habits once I'm allowed to spend money again.

It also pained me to admit that I will never again be as rail thin as I was in college (huge amounts of work/stress and darting all over campus do wonders for your figure), but I am finally letting go.

Me: (holding up a pair of tight black pants) I love these so much, I hate to get rid of them.
D: They're hot, but I don't think I've seen you in them for at least 5 years.
Me: That's because I haven't been able to fit into them in 5 years.
*collective silence while we contemplate this fact*
Me: I'm getting rid of them.

Happy inaguaration day!

Have a cupcake!



Chocolate with cream cheese frosting. Red and blue sugar dusted over the top. I was lamenting the fact that I needed to buy sprinkles when it suddenly occurred to me that I could make my own. Put a little bit of sugar in a ziploc bag, drop in some food coloring, seal the bag and scrunch it all around until it's mixed. Open the bag and let it dry overnight. Voila - homemade colored sugar! I'm sure this is something everyone rational has already thought of, but I had to share anyways.

The cupcake flags were simple. I found a shot of Obama in a Google image search, imported it into Photoshop to make it black and white and up the contrast. I drew up a little flag design in Illustrator and then printed and cut the flags. A quick spritz of spray glue on the back and then I folded them around toothpicks.

I hope everyone is doing something festive!

Happy time wasting Friday

I get Monday off - yay! However, the nature of my job means that I have twice as much work to do today, hence, no time for a real post.

For those of you with leisurely Fridays, here are a few of my favorite ways to waste time.

Passive aggressive notes

Unnecessary quotation marks

Weird real estate listings

Go Fug Yourself

Stuff White People Like

I hope you have a lovely weekend, filled with fun, rather than, say, mean notes, incorrect grammar, scary apartments and bad fashion choices of your own. Live vicariously in these areas, I beg you.

Completely unrelated to this post - my mom's homemade apricot jam just because it's lovely and I can't stop eating it and have now progressed to photographing it

Black lentils with caramelized onions

I've introduced you to my favorite red lentils. Well, I also love black lentils. I got addicted to this recipe because Trader Joe's carried dried black lentils at an amazing price and I always had them on hand. Now, of course, they no longer carry them and I am desperately looking for another source. I try to have a zen like attitude towards TJ's whimsical stocking methods (they find amazing foods, keep them in circulation for long enough that you come to rely on them, and then sometimes said foods suddenly and inexplicably disappear, and while they sometimes later reappear, you might never see them again and while I feel like this is probably an apt metaphor for some deep life lesson, I still don't appreciate it) but it can be difficult.

Whew. Rant over. The point is, black lentils hold their shape well, which makes them ideal for this recipe, so if you can get your hands on some, I recommend it.



Black Lentils with Caramelized Onions (adapted from Vegetable Heaven, makes 6ish servings)

Boil in a large pot of water until cooked to your preference (~45 minutes):
2 cups black lentils

Meanwhile, saute over low heat until soft and golden brown:
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced onions

When the lentils are cooked, drain them and return them to the pot. Stir in, along with the cooked onions:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

I like to serve this dish, like most lentil dishes, with fresh naan (another TJs staple I rely on much too heavily - please never let them discontinue their frozen naan) and a dollop of greek yogurt.

And so it continues...

You already know that I have an issue with cake stands. I have those three lovely pressed glass pieces that I picked up at various flea markets. I have a couple sets of highly functional Anchor Hocking glass stacking tiers that I purchased for my sister's wedding buffet (those are boxed up in the attic, because they aren't used often, being practical rather than gorgeous).

But people, I can't stop.



My parents purchased me the diminutive scalloped edge stand for Christmas, and I've been keeping it in the center of our table, as a showcase for little treasures (recently, my antique tea cups).

I found the tall jadite beauty on Ebay and I had to buy it because I'd seen the same one in an antique store and nearly keeled over when I checked the price tag and saw that it was $120. I tracked it down for $50 (including shipping) and decided it would be my Christmas gift to myself.

And then Daily Candy had the audacity to send me an email about a 30% off deal at Layla Grayce last week and I found this ruffled, oversized one that screamed at me and forced me to buy it because it was such a good deal.

Here's the thing - I live in an apartment. An apartment that cannot be filled to the brim with cake stands, no matter how beautiful they may be. I can see only one solution. I need to start a dessert business that involves displaying things on cake stands. Then my obsession would be a justifiable business expense. Right?



Until then, I'll just content myself with taking lots of pictures of them.

Chicken in cashew nut sauce - TRY IT!

I know, I know, my titles aren't usually this bossy, but I can't help myself today because that's how much I love this recipe.

I don't know when my love of Indian food snuck up on me. For many, many years, the mere smell of curry terrified me, despite my parents' best attempts to convince me of its deliciousness. I think I eventually got shamed into eating it when my more worldly friends starting suggesting meet ups at Indian restaurants and I was too embarrassed to admit I didn't like Indian food. Which is just as well, because it turns out I do.

This recipe is one of my favorite things I have made in a while. It's so simple and yet so satisfying. I actually made a double batch of the sauce so I can make it again this week. Even if you aren't sold on Indian food, I would recommend this to you. It isn't even hot spicy, if that's a deal breaker for you, although it has plenty of good flavor.



Chicken in Cashew Nut Sauce (from this book, serves 4)

Toss in the food processor and pulse until you have a paste:
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 1/2 tsp garam masala (if you can't get this locally, this link explains how to make your own)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp plain yogurt (I used the full fat Greek style yogurt)

In a pan, heat:
1 or 2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Toss in and saute for a few minutes over medium heat, until lightly browned:
1 lb of cubed chicken (recipe calls for breasts, I used thighs, and I think you could sub any kind of meat, really)

Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon (leaving the oil behind) and transfer it to your slow cooker. Add to the pan:
6 oz white button mushrooms, chopped in half
Spice/nut paste you prepared in the first step

Gently saute for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Stir into the mixture in the slow cooker:
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp golden raisins

Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours, stirring halfway through. At the end, the chicken should be tender and the sauce should be fairly thick. Top it off with some chopped cilantro. Serve over rice, or with naan, or both.

The recipe calls for the slow cooker, as I've described above, but I think it would be really easy to do this in a pot on the stove, with very low heat, or even in the oven. Generally, I find recipes that take 3 - 4 hours in the slow cooker annoying because I work for 8 hours a day and I am not around to be stirring things, but this is perfect for an almost hands off weekend supper.

Whatever you do, make this. Don't be intimidated by all the ingredients. It comes together very quickly and it makes the house smell heavenly.