Back Up and Running!

Guess what finally arrived in the mail yesterday? You guessed it... my long-awaited camera cord! In the time spent waiting for it to arrive, we have changed seasons out here! I had a whole bunch of summer recipes which I had baked and wanted to post, but it hardly feels right with the cool Fall air outside today and so I've had to change my posting plans.


That said, I have been wanting to challenge myself and change things a bit with this blog. I searched the web looking for blog challenges and all that continued to pop up were photography related endeavours such as "30 Photos in 30 Days"... and well, we all know I'm *not* a photographer nor do I aspire to ever be one. So, I kept coming up with nothing that I could make my own. 


Then one day last week, a friend asked me for my hummus recipe and a few days after that I was asking my mother for a recipe of one of the traditional Lebanese dishes I grew up eating. It hit me... I'm going to challenge myself to cooking or baking one Lebanese dish a week for a month and posting about it, but don't worry, I will not be stopping the baking posts!


I should note that I have only ever made one or two Lebanese meals in my life ( and I don't count hummus or that garlic dip as a meal) and possibly only one dessert, so this challenge should be quite interesting!


I'm going to start this weekend and put up a post with my first "re-creation"! If you have any requests...please send them my way!


In the meantime, how can I leave this post without a pretty photo of something? Well... since its Fall... my newest love and inspiration are my Frye Carmen Harness Tall boots:

There.... how's that for Pretty?

Technical Difficulties

Argh.... I was on such an awesome roll! It was bound to happen though as I tend to give things new homes and then proceed to forget where those homes are.


What am I talking about, you ask? Well, I've lost the cable which connects to and charges my digital camera. The very same camera which contains all the pretty photos of the goodies I've been cooking up.

So, until the replacement cable comes in... I have to wait on blogging. I'm hoping it not take longer than a week and I promise *lots* of delicious posts to come.


In the meantime... I better try to figure out a way to become more organized when it comes to all of these cords, cables and wires that come with fun technology!

The Start of Something New

This project was started on a complete whim. I honestly have absolutely zero painting or refinishing experience and yet somehow now I'm hooked and have two other pieces of furniture currently in the process of beautification.

If you remember, I decided to completely over-haul our office space and I started by purchasing this ugly little gem for $5. Since the office was going to be my space, I gravitated towards a combination of shabby chic and beachy cottage decor and with that I began my journey.

I innocently ventured into Home Depot, looked at the paint chips and picked out a blue that I thought would work best. Simple enough right? I also grabbed some bristled paint-brushes and sand paper.

The supplies

In doing some research, I found it was best to sand as much as possible to remove any finish on the desk, however I wanted the dark wood to seep through and if I sanded it too much, I would lose the darkness. So, I did just a brief sanding, dipped my brush in a little bit of paint and away I went. 

I only did one coat of paint and once it dried completely, I sanded around the edges a bit to create a more worn look. Since I used a matte paint, I decided to use a clear polyurethane once everything had dried to seal it all together. After finding the perfect hardware for it ( a combination of Anthropologie and original)....its ready! 
*Drum Roll*.....................................................................................

Beauty

Side view

Pop of yellow

The detailed edges

The Before and After

Now I'm absolutely in love with it and can't wait to haul it upstairs to its new home. Next up...whitewashed bookcase and a green dresser!

Cakey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been so busy painting and learning about transforming furniture for our office that I stopped searching for new things to bake... *gasp*... Its true though that my time has been spent focused on a new hobby, however tonight I just couldn't live with a cookie-free home any longer.


I was torn as to what kind of cookie to bake. My love for trying new recipes was pushing for something new, but I wasn't feeling all that adventurous. I decided that the best thing to do was to fall back on a classic: The Chocolate Chip Cookie.

First Batch

My usual recipe always gives me a chewy, soft and flat cookie but I decided to try something just a bit new tonight. I found an incredible article about these cakey, dense and huge chocolate chip cookies from Levain Bakery in New York and well... I'm just a bit too far away to try them out myself.


I found a test recipe from Cookie Madness  and decided to go for it! The result was this amazingly cakey, chewy, gooey monster of a cookie! Its not an every day cookie...but its perfect for a wishy-washy day like today!

Ingredients

1 cup of unsalted Butter, cold

3/4 cup Sugar 

3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar 

2 large Eggs 

1 tsp Vanilla 

3 cups all purpose Flour 

3/4 tsp Salt 

1 tsp Baking Powder 

1/2 tsp Baking Soda 

2 cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips 

Directions

In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars just until creamy. Don’t over beat. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until incorporated.

Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. When thoroughly mixed, add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips (Note: You can also try adding the dry ingredients directly to the butter mixture)

Divide dough into 12 big lumps. Bake on ungreased cookies sheets (one sheet at a time). 

** I like to slowly bake my  cookies so that the outsides are crispy but the insides are soft so I tend to ignore baking times and go by look. I start at 325F for at least 15- 20 mins.

So good that they required a glass of milk.

Summer Project

I'm BACK! Hawaii was just absolutely incredible and a much needed break from reality. So, now that life as I know it is back on track, I decided I need to keep busy. My mind tends to freak out when it has nothing to do and so I find projects to keep me going.


My latest obsession with Pinterest has actually given me the courage to step outside of my boundaries and DO something I know nothing about.... distressing and painting furniture. Please pick your jaw up off the floor.... I know... me at Home Depot is an absolutely ridiculous concept ... but I did it!


Upon moving out of my classroom this year, I realized that I need a "home base" for my teaching gear. I immediately seized our home office and decided to make it MINE. My husband has his man room in the basement, so really this was my space. Its currently been used as a storage room with random odds and ends and I wanted to spruce it up and make it my nook.


To start with, I needed a desk. I absolutely love old, beachy, distressed furniture but I don't love their prices. I went online and found someone selling a sturdy wooden desk for a whopping $5 and I was SOLD. I bought it, grabbed some paint and I have been in the garage working away at it ever since.


Here it is in all of its ugly glory:

It has SO much potential...

Now you just need to stay tuned for its beautiful makeover!