dinner plans: cumin lamb meatballs

 

What are you having for dinner tonight?

I'm making Melissa Clark's amazing cumin lamb meatballs with tahini yogurt dipping sauce that my friend Shayna told me about last month. We had them a few weeks ago and the meatballs were such a hit. Stella kept asking for more, and there were no leftovers the next day. I'm going to serve them over pearl couscous, with pickled cucumbers, and an arugula, golden beet, goat cheese salad. My mouth is watering already.

[image: Evan Sung for The New York Times]

ceramic bells

Every time I venture into Esqueleto I admire the gorgeous ceramic bells by Michele Quan that are hanging around the store. Aren't they lovely? I want them all.

how our garden grows

Our vegetable garden is growing, growing, growing. This past weekend I added a few cucumber and zucchini plants to the plot. So far the kale, chard, lettuce, and herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, mint) have given us the most to work with. But heads of cauliflower are emerging amidst big green leaves, a few barely red strawberries are making an appearance, and our tomato plants are taller than Stella now and green little tomatoes can be found in the mass of leaves. Most afternoons we head outside and to water, harvest greens for salad and whatever else I'm making for dinner (and raw kale is a nice addition to our morning breakfast smoothies), and pick a few peas to munch on while enjoying the sunshine... 

bookends of the earth

This one and more on Etsy. Clever, eh?

the backyard

It has been months in the making, but our backyard is finally looking pretty great. The last two weekends we've spent hours outside digging, amending the soil, planting, and watering. It's satisfying work, and I never want to come back inside when it gets too cold or the light starts to fade. The space has become an extension of our house. I open our kitchen door most days when I'm prepping dinner in the afternoon and let Stella make mud cakes, and paint outdoors. Now we embark on planting our vegetable plot and herb boxes and picking an outdoor fire element for the sunken fire pit in the corner of the garden. These are pretty cool...

It's a wonderful feeling to stand at the back doors of the house and just gaze happily at the space and expanse of green beyond our property...and it was so worth the wait.

recipe mania

the smitten kitchen cookbook: butternut squash and caramelized onion galette

I am happy to report that I have been avidly working on my New Year's resolution to try 2 new recipes a week. I've discovered some real winners, like these butternut squash and black bean enchiladas (I've made them twice), this chicken and artichoke lasagna (I turned it into a casserole by using orecchiette pasta instead of lasagna noodles), and this grilled yogurt chicken with cucumber salad (I'll definitely be making this again). I've been pinning recipes like crazy and am finding inspiration looking through all of my cookbooks.

On the menu for dinner tonight: Smitten Kitchen's butternut squash and caramelized onion galette and a green salad with lemon and parsley roasted cauliflower (the salad is my own creation).

What recipes are you loving right now? Inspire me!

hello to 2013

Happy New Year!

It's inevitable that the start of each new year begin with a little reflection... what do I want to accomplish/do/learn in the coming year? Blogland is abuzz with resolutions: Exercise! Travel! Learn a new language!

I've thought a lot about it over the last few days, and have tried to come to terms with what items I will actually be able to accomplish. So here's what I've come up with:

Make at least 2 new recipes a week: 

I'm kick-starting this resolution this week with these two recipes: Vegetable Lentil Shepard's Pie, and Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas. My friend Melissa is going to help me keep to this resolution as she is currently in the process of launching a pretty fantastic app called Five Plates. The app feeds 5 quick and seasonal dinner recipes to your phone and populates a grocery list to make market visits super easy. I've been beta testing the app for a few months and LOVE it. More information to come...

Carve out more “me” time: for yoga, reading, working on creative projects, and rebuilding my energy stores.

De-clutter: This includes regularly cleaning out closets and giving away or selling clothes I do not wear, dealing with piles of mail, cleaning out the refrigerator (my most hated household task), managing Stella's books and toys, recycling old magazines, etc. Part of this resolution is also being more thoughtful about what we bring home. Do we need five new books if collectively we've accumulated 15 books to read on our bedside tables? Does Stella need that adorable dress? Do we need more stuff? The answer is usually no.

Get into the garden: This resolution has been on every list since we bought our house 2.5 years ago. This summer we finally managed to get our act together and hire an architect to design and create a backyard space for us. Months later and our backyard is almost done, complete with a fire pit area, space for a vegetable plot, a patio for eating outdoors, and built-in herb and plant boxes. It's looking so amazing. All that we need to do now is put down dirt, plant, and get outside.

Travel to 2 new places: We inevitably travel to spots we love and where we have friends and family like Portland and New York. This year I want us to discover 2 new places. Want to join us?

What resolutions have you made for 2013?

[image: Uta Barth, Field # 8, 1995]

lisa congdon for hygge & west

Although we went the dark gray route on our living room walls (and absolutely LOVE it), I still pine after beautiful wallpaper, especially designs with gold accents like the wallpaper Lisa Congdon designed for Hygge & West. Gorgeous!

[via Design*Sponge]

felt flag garlands

My friend Devon (a super talented illustrator) totally inspired me this weekend with all of her crafty talk. She's in the process of making her son Ari a teepee for his room. And she's making him a wolf costume for Halloween (Stella is going to be Little Red Riding Hood). I was bemoaning the lack of make in my life of late. At the end of the day I'm so exhausted from running after/entertaining/talking to Stella that I rarely want to make anything except something to eat before falling into bed.

Since I'm hosting a beer party/baby shower for my friend Andie in a few weeks I decided it was high time I make something. 

I've wanted to make felt garlands for Stella's room since before she was born, so I figured why not make festive flags for the party and then hang them in Stella's room after...

So there. I made something.

skinny laminx wishlist

Cushion cover : Orla in fog

Smock dress : Cloudbirds in blackboard

Tea towel : Mushroom in peat

Cushion cover : Colts in teal

The Alexander Sack : Herds in grey

Shop all Skinny laMinx.

gorgeous tile

[Peacock Pavillion in Marrakesh, photo by Patrick Cline of Lonny, via Remodelista]

etsy finds

Lee L Woodward Rocker

Bark Decor Eden Tank

You're my very favorite greeting card

RiverLuna feathers

homemade pizza dinner al fresco

I made two tasty pizzas last night, a carmelized balsamic onion and gruyere pizza, and a simple margarita (recipe taken from Ruth Reichl's The Gourmet Cookbook) with basil from my garden. The weather was so heavenly and warm we sat outside and ate dinner on our back deck. Summer, I love you.

(The carmelized onion and gruyere pizza was my fave).

a few things i'm loving right now

The new Beach House album, Bloom, on NPR First Listen

My Malta sandals. I wear them every day.

The lovely scent of Siberian Snow

My newly planted herb and vegetable garden, which did remarkably well during my week and a half away

Season 2 of Sherlock, finally. Benedict Cumberbatch is awesome.

These seriously cute Livie & Luca sandals I just got for Stells

These bold typographic World Cup 2012 t-shirts my friend Sam just released

arrows

Bandits and Arrows Print Set by The Black Apple

Jessica Taich Tote Bag

Arrows Charm Necklace by Regina Pruss

Shot Through the Heart (And You're to Blame)

Bark Decor: Going Hunting Pillow

Taking Aim Earrings

Thank You by Native Bear

Arrow Ring, Odette New York

a blank wall

Looking for a little design inspiration this past weekend, we picked up a copy of Undecorate by Christiane Lemieux, the founder of DwellStudio. While we didn't find the exact inspiration we were looking for, we enjoyed poring over pictures of the 20 featured homes in the book. I appreciated the eclectic mix of interior spaces and the personalities that created them.

The inspiration we were looking for is wall-related. We're thinking about changing the look of our living room a little. 

Maybe a dark wall? (I LOVE a dark wall).

On Vixxxen Blog; via Erin P; Photo by Anita Calero & Jonny Valiant of Anita Calero’s West Chelsea loft

On Letters of Vintage, via Melissa Guedes

Domino Mag page on The Happy Home, via Leigh Steele

Maybe wallpaper? I'm loving a white/gold color palette right now...

Oh Joy! Lovely Leaves Wallpaper

Oh Joy! Petal Pusher Wallpaper

Oh Joy! A Stone's Throw Away Wallpaper

Ferm Living: Wilderness Wallpaper

What do you think? Painted wall or wallpaper?