Beggars can't be choosers, but they can make something out of nothing

Here at Furman, students have free, unlimited printing at the library. Because of this wonderful feature of my campus, I do not have a printer. Because I do not have a printer, I do not have the luxury of color printing. In trying to print out pictures to frame for my apartment, I found myself in a sticky dilemma. Pay money for quality, color pictures, or be cheap and look it by hanging grainy, black and white pictures printed on thin letter paper.
Needless to say, I went with the latter.
And it looks awesome!
I chose pictures that, based on the lighting of the photos, would look like the black and white was an artistic effect, not a low-def byproduct of our printers' inability to print anything outside the confines of Times New Roman. Anyway it worked, and now my apartment looks classier than anything the crazy expensive printing center down the road could have provided.
So basically all I did was mess with the settings on the computer to make sure the images came out the right size (I had 3x5 brushed silver frames from Walmart), and I made sure to buy frames that looked pretty simple and nice so as to polish off the illusion that these were quality photo prints. It turns out pictures look a lot nicer behind glass and framed.
Here's the creative catch (if the previously said wasn't quite creative enough for you): I printed images to represent each roommate's hometown! There are three of us, and we are each conveniently from different cities. Each of our cities are also conveniently included in the portfolio of a certain photographer whose name I cannot remember for the life of me. One day I will figure it out and put a link, but until then I did not take nor do I own the rights to these photos. But thanks to whomever took them. Because they're fantastic!
So I framed them, and then I wrote the name of each city on the glass for a nice effect. And Voila!

Until your time again finds mine,

Julia

Decorating the Apartment...Three Months Later than Anticipated

Pinterest is the best thing ever, and we either all agree on that, or the ones who don't are bitter and ignorant fools who probably just never got their acceptance emails. Sorry bout it.
So of course it is from the magical site of Pinterest that I found these ideas for some apartment wall art! Hope you likey!

Shit Could Be Worse.

Don't chase anything but dreams and drinks

Keep it Simple

Until your time again finds mine,
Julia

We should win something for this.

During our roomie bonding sesh, Lindsey and I did THIS to our fridge. Right?!?

Waking up to this in the morning will make being sick soooo much better. 'Cause right now I'm not feeling too hot. Boo.

Until your time again finds mine,

Julia

Watch Out, Papa John's

It's exam week and life sucks. Not to mention I've been sick for the past few days, so while finals are looming over my poor congested head, little work has been accomplished. In light of this non-working pattern, my roomie Lindsey and I decided to have an dinner together. Which of course meant ordering a large half cheese, half pepperoni pizza with extra garlic sauce and extra pepperoncinis. Delish. Well we ran out of money, so we practiced restraint and did not order cinnasticks. IT WAS PAINFUL. Halfway through dinner, however, a lightbulb went off.
And thus the crescinnamon roll was born. Papa John's now has some serious competition in the dessert department.

RECIPE:
1 can of Pillsbury (or any brand) Crescent Rolls
1 quarter stick of butter (I know that equals a certain number of tablespoons, but I know you're going to cut from the stick anyway, so I really don't think it matters)
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. I don't care what the directions say. Cut your butter eight slices, and then cut each slice in to two rectangular halves. Place one half at the widest part of the unfolded crescent roll, and the second half about a third of the way down. Blend sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Using a spoon, sprinkle the mixture onto the entire surface of the unfolded crescent roll. Roll the crescents as you would normally.
Pop em in the oven and bake until the white begins to turn gold. Not a golden brown, gold. They will look underdone. They are not. Take them out and be careful not to burn your tongue because they have a tendency to jump into your mouth without warning. And suddenly they are gone. All of them.

Enjoy!

Until your time again finds mine,
Julia

I Reward Myself With Food.

Every time I finish a flash card, I get a Cheez It. Everybody wins!

Sour Power

SOUR PATCH KIDS ARE SO GOOD. You agree. Let's just all agree. They're delish.
Well.
SO ARE FROZEN GRAPES especially on a hot summer day? Yeah. If you haven't tried, do. There's seriously nothing more refreshing than chewing on a frozen grape in August heat. It's September, so yes, this tip is a little late, but whatever. September gets hot too.
Anyway, I promise I'm not having an ADD spell, there is a point:
HAVE BOTH. AT THE SAME TIME.
Here we go. So simple.
I call them "Frozen Sour Patch Grapes." So clever, I know.

Wash green grapes in a colander. 

Roll the STILL WET (so the powder sticks) grapes in Jello powder of your choice. A matching color is recommended. I chose lime, not only for its color but for its tartness. 

Freeze.

Serve.

Actually enjoy 100º weather.

Until your time again finds mine,

Julia

Comfort Food Redefined

I recently lost a dear relative with whom I was very close. Unfortunately, I was at school away from my family when I heard the news. That day, last Friday, was unbearable. I had the support of my friends who knew of my family's loss, but I really just wanted to be at home with my mom. That was not possible until the next day, so one of my wonderful friends devised a plan to brighten the day even a little.
I went to his apartment for a hug, and instead (or in addition, really), he took me to the grocery store and told me to get anything I wanted. While my reluctance to spend his money on myself was evident, I have to admit it didn't take long for me to get into the groove, grabbing ingredients from every aisle.
Twenty-five minutes and several weekly allowances later, we were ready to head back to the kitchen, as I was going to make my version of comfort food.
The plan: Thyme pasta and sugar snap peas, the former being my favorite pasta, the latter a form of homesickness, as one of my mom's specialties is sugar snap peas.

RECIPE: (serves 3, or 2 with leftovers!)
1/2 box pasta of your choice. I used Farfalle.
1 medium yellow onion, diced
10-15 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 T olive oil
3 t rock salt
4 t ground pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 c sugar snap peas
3 T reduced balsamic ("Balsamic Glaze" in stores)

Remove the thyme leaves from the stalks by gently pinching the top of the stalk and gliding it down, against the natural growth of the leaves. Chop the leaves finely.

Heat 1 T olive oil in a medium nonstick pan at medium heat. Add onion, 1 t salt, 2 t pepper, and garlic and raise the heat to a medium-high level. Cook at medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Boil water in a large pot for the pasta. When steam rises from the water, add 1 t salt and a splash of olive oil.
When the onions begin to look translucent, add the chopped thyme. Continue to stir occasionally, and change the heat to low. They can remain like this until serving time.
In a medium pan, heat 1 T olive oil at medium heat. Add the sugar snap peas and stir until they are fully coated in the oil. Add 1 t salt, 2 t pepper, and around 1 T of the balsamic and stir. Continue to stir often, adding balsamic as you go.

When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook to your liking and according to the directions on the box. I prefer my pasta al dente (firmer), so I always take off a couple minutes from the directions.
Continue to cook the sugar snap peas until they begin to brown. Switch the heat to low. The peas can remain like this until serving time.
When the pasta is ready, strain it and add it back to the pot with 1 T olive oil and stir. Add in the onion mixture.
Serve and feel comforted--I know I did!

In Loving Memory

Grandmommy Anne

Until your time again finds mine, 

Julia

"Pot Luck"

My grandfather turned the big eight-oh this summer! I'm pretty obsessed with my grandfather, so this event in itself was a pretty big deal to me, but what was even more great was that my grandmother decided to hold a huge party/family gathering in his honor. Second to my grandfather, I'm obsessed with my whole family. I need to see everyone as often as possible, and I experience concerning withdrawals when I leave them for school or vacation.
I consider my family (my mom's side) to consist of about 50 people. I don't have any cousins, but I have plenty of those second, third, twice removed mumbo jumbo and we all interact as though we are directly related. Everyone is either my aunt, uncle, or cousin. I even have a great aunt that I, along with everyone else in the entire family, call "Grandmommy." So yeah, we're tight.
Anyway, this party had me super excited because EVERYONE was coming, and since we all live in different places around the country, it's not very often that we're all together again.
The family had the whole week together, and then the party was on Saturday. My grandmother worked really really hard on everything for this party, and one of her fantastic ideas to lessen her terribly heavy load was to ask each person to bring their favorite salad, dip, or finger food. I WAS PSYCHED. A chance to mess around in the kitchen?!?!?! Yes, please!

Though I definitely had Pinterest recipes on the brain, I was basically making this up as I went along. And I can promise you you can too. You need a flavor theme (sweet, salty, savory...) and something crunchy and crushable (breadcrumbs, corn flakes, potato sticks...). But a lot of people hate that kind of direction, so yayyy I made a non-ambiguous recipe.

RECIPE:

1 strained can of chickpeas

1 thawed bag of frozen, shelled edamame

Mixture of:

     3 T crushed/ground potato sticks

     2 t garlic chips

     2 T powdered Parmesan cheese

     1 t kosher salt

     1 t coarsely ground pepper

     1/2 to 1 1/2 t chili flakes

2 T olive oil

2 t sesame oil

*Prepare the chickpeas and edamame separately.

Preheat your oven to 400. 

Toss chickpeas in half of the olive oil (1 T) and half of the sesame oil (1 t). It doesn't need to be exact. 

Toss the edamame in the rest of the olive oil and sesame oil. 

Spread the edamame and chickpeas on 2 separate cookie sheets large enough to make one layer. 

Sprinkle enough of the dry mixture over the edamame & chickpeas to thinly coat them. Using a spoon, "stir" (really just shift/roll them around so that they pick up the excess dry mixture and their un-sprinkled sides become exposed) the edamame and chickpeas, making sure they remain in one layer (no piles or mounds). Continue to sprinkle and "stir" until they are completely covered (as if they are being battered for a fry). If there is excess, you can save it and sprinkle it on top at the end as a garnish, but don't feel left out if there isn't any. I'm just trying to make the stingy people feel better. 

Place the cookie sheets in the oven. The chickpeas will take between 10 and 15 minutes to get crispy. The edamame will take 30 to 40 minutes. 

When both are crispy, remove and let cool (still on the cookie sheets). 

Combine in a large bowl & mix gently.

This dish can be served hot or cold, and the parmesan can be left out to make this a vegan dish! But don't be a vegan. 

If you're serving it hot, make sure you reheat it in the oven so that it stays crispy (don't serve it right out of the oven the first time, it really does need to cool--it's like chemistry!).

If you're serving it cold, make sure it's seriously room temperature (nootttttt warm) before you chill it in the fridge. 

Yum!

Until your time again finds mine,

Julia

So Many Clothes, So Little Space

Well I moved into my very first apartment last week! I'm an incoming junior now, and as an upperclassman I get to leave my dorm days behind me and move on to bigger and better things, like my AWESOME apartment. So, the living room carpet is this terrible burgundy color and the cabinets are too low to put the microwave on the counter, buttttttt the point is that now I have a living room! I have a kitchen! With cabinets! Not to mention, my walls are made of [whatever walls are made of...] and not cinderblock, which is totally a plus.
So now that I'm in this spacious dwelling there is a lot more room for my do dads. What I'm lacking, however, is armoire space. My closet is pretty large, but I only have 4 small drawers for my folded clothes, socks, underwear, ect. Not cool. Well, fear not for my excess clothing; I'm officially a carpenter! I'm sure the cynics would beg to differ, but anything with "Assembly Required" on the box is going to take some serious carpentry skill, which, it turns out, I have.
Here is the obnoxious space above my drawers:

I recognize it's for a TV, but a) it's for a huge clunky tv from the age of VCRs, and b) I don't have a TV. So the space must be otherwise utilized.

So I went to Target. 

I bought this 2 drawer chest thing that had the perfect dimensions to fit in this stupid nook. It holds my loungewear, bras, and underwear. In addition, I put a mirrored shadowbox on top:

Not only does it look wayyyy better, but I literally didn't have a place for the rest of my clothes, and now I do! The mirror is also conveniently my height so it's perfect for last minute self-checks!

Until your time again finds mine,

Julia

Salad of all Salads

Just to brag a little bit, I make a mean salad. My best salads, however, happen to be inspired by salads that somebody else made--I just basically make them better. One of my favorite salads has always been my own version of Tyler Florence's Arugula Salad and Ultimate Vinaigrette. Both are really delicious, and until recently I thought my "Tyler Florence Salad" was the only salad I could probably eat all the time and never get tired of it. That all changed when I was at Panera the other day and I had their Asian Sesame Chicken Salad. It's super delish and my first plan of action when I got home was to fiddle around in my pantry and make this salad--specifically, the dressing. Yes, I could have just looked up the recipe that I have provided in that handy dandy link, but that was all too easy; plus, I didn't even think of it!
Because I was just fooling around, I didn't pay much attention to measurements the first time around and I ended up making enough salad for 2 or 3 people. Has that ever stopped me before? I ate it all. But hey, it's salad, right? Healthy?

RECIPE (serves 2-3 people!):
4 c Lettuce of your choice (field greens, romaine, mixed cabbage..)
3/4 c Broccoli slaw
1/4 c Sliced almonds
1/4 c Crispy noodles
3 T Sesame seeds
1 1/2 T Sesame oil
1 T Rice vinegar
1 T Sweet chili sauce
1 t Cane sugar

In a large salad bowl, combine sesame seeds, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili sauce, and sugar. Stir until one mixture. Add lettuce and broccoli slaw and toss until completely coated. Toss in almonds and noodles.
For decoration, you can set some noodles and almonds to the side to add to the top after serving.

This salad is light and totally yummy! It's a perfect mixture of sweet, salty, and tangy. Enjoy!

Until your time again finds mine,
Julia

Good Morning, Starshine

I had the most delicious breakfast smoothie this morning! I was really just experimenting, and I honestly don't think I've ever made my own smoothie before, but it turns out none of that matters when you have all the right ingredients. Even if you don't thing they're right at the time. What do I mean? I mean there's a doozy: cantaloupe.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup frozen chopped (cubed, more or less) cantaloupe
1/2 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup ice
2 T Greek yogurt

Serves two.

Put them all in a blender. Blend. Voila!

Until your time again finds mine,
Julia

An All Day, Every Day Sort of Thing

I LOVE AVOCADO.
This should just be established right off the bat. If you do not like avocado, I would first of all not recommend making this dish. Second of all, you're wrong and I would recommend that you check yourself.
AVOCADO IS THE BEST.
If you don't like Americanized guacamole, sushi in the form of California rolls, or Subway's Super-Food sandwiches, this does not mean you do not like avocado and I pity your limited awareness of its wonder.

These types of avocado, while still tolerable by an avocado lover such as myself, are not what makes avocado such a treat. These are mushy impostors which have probably been sitting out on the respective establishments' counters way too long. 

I eat avocado in many forms, but rarely will you find me enjoying an avocado pulverized to a consistency similar to pasty rice pudding. 

My mom makes a great avocado salsa, which consists of a variety of veggies like corn, onions, and bell peppers, and whole chunks of tasty avocado.
One of my favorite restaurants prepares a shockingly delectable avocado ice cream, topping it with paprika and a few pieces of popcorn.
Of all the avocado preparations in all the world, however, my favorite (at least for the time being) is the simple and easy avocado toast. One could argue that I would eat this four-ingredient meal all day, every day.

RECIPE:
2 Slices of your favorite hearty whole grain bread
1 Ripe (delicate in a hand's light squeeze) avocado
Manchego cheese, shaved or grated; enough to cover the surfaces of each slice of bread
2-3 t Kosher salt

Toast your bread. I like mine to border on medium-dark brown so that the crispness can support the weight of the toppings. Slightly dehydrated bread (simply from the toasting process) will also better contrast with the buttery moistness of the avocado.

Cut your avocado in half, remove the pit, and then use your knife to slice the avocado halves (within the skin) in a checkered pattern as seen below.

Prepare thin slices (or a small grated mound) of cheese. While my favorite to use for this dish is Manchego, feel free to use any firm cheese (I recommend a salty cheese like parmesan or white cheddar) of your choice. 

The first layer on your toast should be the cheese. Lay the slices or sprinkle your grated cheese in an even layer across each piece of toast.

Next, use a spoon to scoop out the chunks of avocado and "spread" (not smoosh) it on top of the cheese. Finally, sprinkle (to taste) the salt on top of each piece of toast.  I did not use all of the salt in this picture.

This dish takes about 5 minutes to prepare and, if you're me, about 2 seconds to eat. It is not only super quick and easy, but it keeps you full for hours and is absolutely delicious.

For a travel-capable version of this meal, simply put all of the avocado, cheese, and salt on one piece of toast and top with the other piece. Be prepared for your avocado to brown a little between the time you make the sandwich and the time you eat it, and know that it has nothing to do with the taste or sanitary value changing. If you're truly uncomfortable with the discoloration, you can submerge your avocado chunks in ice cold water before adding them to your sandwich. This will delay any browning for several hours.

If you looovvveee avocado like me, or if you've never had good avocado (I'm not kidding these are your only two options if I'm going to remain cordial), try this recipe! Fun, fast, and facile--what could be better?

Until your time again finds mine, 

Julia

Find Ten!

Everybody loves the sun. Sure, maybe we don't like to sweat, or get burned, and God forbid an ivory-skinned Snow White get one freckle, but no matter who you are and what your preferences may be, you have to love the sun. Even just to be in the shade on a sunny day. Even if you want to hate it, you have to love it. Well I do, and that's why every sunny day is a great day to take a break from reality and hit the pool (or beach, if I'm lucky enough).

Dr. Oz, the voice all legitimate medical professionals, says that it's beneficial to our health to bask in sunscreen-less-ly in the sun's rays for 10 minutes every day. Vitamin D is great for our bones, muscles (including heart health), it strengthens our immune systems, and it can even help prevent cancer! Ask Dr. Oz, not me. All I know is if he says it, it just must be true! 

Image from doctoroz.com.

Sure, you can take yet another pill with yet another concentrated dose of yet another vitamin, but it's like I said, you can't deny it, everybody loves the sun! So close your over-filled medicine cabinet and get outside! Find a park, pool, beach, or even just take a walk around your neighborhood for just ten minutes. It really doesn't get much easier--or more pleasant--than this. 

If you're getting your tan on like me and you plan to spend more than 10 minutes soaking in the sun, make sure you do apply a generous amount of sunscreen to your entire body. Don't forget your face, the backs of your hands, the tops of your feet, your lips, and your ears. These areas tend to be neglected during sunscreen application and more often than not fall victim to the sun's post-ten-minute wrath. Re-apply your wrath-retardant lotion or spray every time you get out of the water, and you should be good to go! 

Congrats on your boosted skeletal, muscular, and immune systems. Go you!

Until your time again finds mine, 

Julia

Getting My Hands Dirty

Tonight's date night was even more intimate than my last one, as it was with myself. I love these nights because I can experiment with complicated recipes that I rarely make time for. They are also, as I said, experiments, so they could always end up being really gross. I am, therefore, the best dinner guest for such evenings.
I decided to get my hands dirty tonight and make some yummy turkey pitas, starting from scratch with raw ground turkey. So let's get down to business:

RECIPE:
1 lb ground turkey
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
3 (or, if your me, 200) cloves of garlic, diced
1/3 cup mint, chopped
2 T dried oregano (or really any of your favorite herbs. Parsley and/or basil are other good options.)
1 egg
2 T bread crumbs
3 t kosher salt
2 t ground pepper
1 T olive oil
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
Lettuce leaves of your choice (enough to place one or two in each pocket)
Pita pockets

Combine onions and garlic in a medium nonstick pan with your olive oil at medium heat. While this is cooking, combine ground turkey, green onions, egg, mint, oregano, bread crumbs, 2 t salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together. Continue to stir and cook the onions/garlic until the onions start to become slightly clear but are still relatively firm. Remove from heat. Let cool, then add to the turkey mixture. 

Use your hands to form patties (the size of your choice--keep in mind the size of your pita pockets). Place on a greased (butter or Pam) nonstick pan at medium heat.

Continue to cook and flip patties until both sides begin to brown and even blacken.
While the patties are cooking, prepare your cucumber sauce. Put the chopped cucumber into a food processor and pulse until the cucumber pieces are really small. Like the picture below. I don't know how to describe that size. But really they can be any size you want, just know that the smaller they are, the more cucumber you'll get in each bite of sauce. Combine cucumber, 1 t salt, and yogurt and mix until completely blended.

When the patties are finished, place them on a paper towel for the excess grease to be absorbed. 

If your pita pockets are larger, feel free to cut them in half. Mine are medium-sized, so I cut about 1/3 off and used the larger "half" for my patty. Toast the pita (you can even use a regular pop-up toaster if your pitas fit) to the toastiness of your liking, then add cucumber sauce, lettuce, and a patty. 

By the time I finished washing my hands and putting all the pieces together, I had been snacking for so long that I wasn't even hungry. And it was 9 o'clock. You would think this would all add up to a really disappointing ending, but alas, my tastebuds still got their climax--I ate my whole pita. In like 5 seconds. I even got one of those lumps in my throat from basically inhaling my food. Ohmygosh. So good. Honestly, cardboard would taste good covered in cucumber sauce, but I promise the turkey patties are also extremely delicious. There is truly nothing you can't add to ground meat. 

Anyway, I know this recipe kind of takes a lot of time, but it is super easy and super fun nonetheless, so try it! 

Until your time again finds mine, 

Julia