Monthly Archives: November 2010

Alcoholic Lasagna

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Posted by on in Kitchen

Today I made lasagna for the first time.  This is one of those recipes I should have made a long time ago but was always intimidating to me.  Today I decided to bite the bullet and make lasagna since I will be ubber busy at work with a symposium from Monday to Tuesday and will be in need of something to heat up in the microwave when I finally roll in to the apartment around 7pm. 

So, I found a recipe that was a tad bit healthy and went for it.  Does anyone out there watch Real Housewives of New York?  I mean, I’m a RH of New Jersey girl so I understand if you don’t either, but one of the divas on that show is Bethenny Frankel.  I don’t exactly know how she became known as a “cook” but she has a delicious Classic Lasagna recipe on her website that I’ve wanted to try.

I know you’re wondering when I get to the “alcoholic lasagna” bit, and it’s coming.  So I followed the instructions to a T and was very pleased with the end result.  While I waited the 40 minutes for my lasagna to bake I poured a glass of wine and called my folks.  We talked about our weekends and I mentioned that I was making lasagna.  My dad, not one to miss an opportunity for humor, asked if it was alcoholic lasagna. I love how after reading my blogs my dad now thinks I put alcohol in everything.  To be fair I was drinking a glass of wine…so I guess I was enjoying Alcoholic Lasagna on Sunday evening.  Seriously though, my dad might be onto something here…  So until I figure out a way to make alcoholic lasagna I recommend you try out Bethenny’s Classic Lasagna.  In fact, I recommend you try this before your Thanksgiving Day feast to warm up your stomach and prepare your stomach for the excessive food and carbs it’s about to consume. It’s scientifically proven to make a difference.  That sounds legit, right?

Classic Lasagna
Courtesy Bethenny Frankel

  • 8 ounces whole wheat lasagna noodles
  • 1 pound turkey sausage (take it out of the casing)
  • 16 ounces any tomato sauce (don’t be a hero–just buy the kind in a jar)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 15 ounces part–skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Cook the noodles according to package directions.  Set them aside.
  2. Brown the turkey sausage in a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Stir in the tomato sauce.  Set aside.
  3. In a bowl, combine the parsley, basil, ricotta cheese, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.
  4. Spray a baking pan (9×13 inches) with cooking spray.  Ladle about 1/3 of the tomato meat mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Cover with half the noodles.  Spread half the herb-ricotta mixture over the noodles.  Repeat with another 1/3 of the sauce, the remaining noodles, the remaining ricotta-herb mixture, then cover the whole thing with the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese over the top.
  5. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes or until heated through and bubbling.

The Ikea Effect | Organizing Day

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Posted by on in quirks

Have you ever heard of the Ikea effect?  The Ikea effect essentially boils down to our labor enhancing our affection for the end product…aka I overvalue my Ikea purchases because I built them and clearly they surpass all others.  This all became apparent this weekend when we did a little run over to Ikea to buy one final Expedit shelf  for our living room. 

So yesterday I coaxed James to come with me once again to Ikea for a quick “in and out” trip.  I kept my end of the bargain but he sighed heavily every time I picked up another item.  Once we made it out of the store we headed for home to assemble it.  I, of course, was determined to be an independent woman and do it all on my own (really I think this only exacerbates the Ikea effect), but I successfully assembled it and it’s now placed next to our front door..you know, for me to admire every time I step in the apartment.  :)

We also spent the weekend organizing some things in the apartment.  We switched out our summer clothes for fall/winter, hung the ginormous mirror in our bedroom, and organized our closets.  All in all it was a very productive day. Between the Ikea effect and our organized apartment, I’m pretty content with the state of our apartment.  It’s pretty much screaming at me to start hanging Christmas decorations but I’m holding out for James’ sake.

Are you ready for the changing of the seasons?

PB Shelves: Lessons Learned

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Posted by on in Projects

After two days of obsessing about the upsetting election results I feel able to resume my blog post without projecting my personal political beliefs onto everyone.  With that said, I did feel a “rant post” was just the thing to get me back in the swing of things!

Let me start by saying that James and I love Pottery Barn.  They have so many terrific and beautiful things but because of their price we tend to purchase stuff that can be used in many ways.  Two of the best purchases we’ve made at Pottery Barn are the Holman Entertaining Shelves and the Crown Molding Shelves (or something similar that they no longer make).  Both shelves are great–they’re durable, well made and can hold a lot of weight.  Truly the only downside is installing them.  Now, after hanging them all now more than 6 times (we’ve moved so we’ve done two rounds of this) we’ve developed some tricks of the trade that improve one’s mental state while getting these on the wall.  I thought I’d share with you the best practices so you can save yourself some time when you inevitably buy these yourself.

What you need:
Drill
Hollow wall anchors
Screws
Level
Pencil

Optional but recommended: 
A glass of wine

Step 1:  Line up and level the wall mounting bracket to your desired location on your wall.  With your pencil, mark the spots in which you will be drilling holes…be sure to evenly distribute the weight so balance the placement of the screws.  That’s an obvious statement but I figured I should say it regardless.

Step 2: Pre-drill two holes for the hollow wall anchors. We’ve found it’s best to have the anchors nearest the ends of the bookshelf, not in the middle.

Step 3: Screw the hollow wall anchors into the wall.  Once complete, drill the screws in the other two holes you’ve selected.  Note: If you drill it in too tightly it will bend the wall mounting bracket and make it impossible to mount the shelf onto–so loosen if you notice the bracket bend.

Step 4: Mount the shelf

Step 5: Step back and enjoy your new floating shelf!

So simple enough, eh?  Perhaps Pottery Barn’s directions work for others but they didn’t work for us.  Example one, none of the wall anchors we received in the shipment held up so we decided to get hollow wall anchors so we didn’t have to depend on studs.  Example two, the instructions tell you not to pre-drill the hole but again that didn’t work for us so we rebelled and did it anyway. Sadly this is about how daring we live our lives. :)

Well there you have it.  A user-friendly and realistic “how to” for hanging your Pottery Barn shelves!  Now go get some and enjoy a stress-free assembly courtesy Ness’ Nest.  That doesn’t really work does it…I just made it up.  If only I had a catchy name I could use like “Holmes on Homes.”



Images courtesy Pottery Barn

Bedding Woes

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Posted by on in Design

Do you ever get sick and tired of having the same things?  Me too.   I like to change things up for the seasons, especially with color.  Now, our bedding is pretty bland, except for these cute new pillowcases we just bought from Urban Outfitters.

This week I’ve been looking online for new duvets and I’ve found a few that I like, but probably won’t end up getting. Here are some of my favorites that make me want to stay under the covers in my warm comfy bed for winter.

 
Anthropologie’s Love Letter Sheets (too expensive but they’re adorable)

I think you could classify all my choices except the last as more modern, but I always have a place in my heart for the rustic cabin look that is provided by Pottery Barn.  I have this weird design split where I could envision decorating three very different houses and could be content in each: beach/cottage, rustic cabin, and one with clean modern lines. Right now I stick to an eclectic collection of mass-produced furniture in brown/black.
Sigh…one day I’ll have more money and will be able to decorate a real house rather than a one bedroom apartment… 


Ho Ho Ho

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Posted by on in Christmas, shopping

It’s official, Halloween is over and all of our decorations have been taken down.  Truthfully we didn’t have that many but nonetheless they were packed away last night.  I’ve already exposed my obsession with Christmas decorating so it should come as no surprise to you that I’ve already begun shopping for Christmas decorations.  I know I know, it seems a little early but I need to be prepared for when we decorate the apartment on November 27th.  That’s right, I’m one of those people…

I thought it’d be fun to share with you some of the new things we’ve bought this year.  In previous years the Christmas decorations I owned were mostly limited to ornaments for the tree, so I decided I should put a little money into buying household decorations this year.  My budget was $100 so here’s how I spent it!

Target Stocking Holder.  I originally was looking at these stocking holders from Pottery Barn but opted to look for a similar style elsewhere to save some money.  I really like the look of this one from Target! 
Target Cable Knit Stockings.  Again, I originally was planning to get our stockings from Pottery Barn but Target has a more budget-friendly stocking that I like just as much!

Target Snowflake Doormat.  I’m all about savings…I really liked the Crate and Barrel skating reindeer doormat but this one had a better price and is just as festive!  

Target Glittery Twig Tree.  I’m drawn to shiny things and this was no exception. 

Target Snowflake Runner.  Isn’t it cute?  It matches the rug!

I also bought white snowflake cloth napkins from Target but I couldn’t find them online to show off. :)

CB2 Elf Candleholder.  I bought two of these last year when they only made them in black and I painted them white.  I thought it’d be a fun contrast to buy one in red to add to the collection. 

CB2 Snow Filled Ornament. It wouldn’t be Christmas shopping without a new ornament.  James and I started a tradition of buying each other an ornament each year…but this one doesn’t count.  The only reason I say that is because I’m sure I’ll come across more ornaments I like so I need to have the ability to buy another if I see the need…and lets face it there’s always a need. :)
 
  So those are my 2010 Christmas purchases..all adding up to under $100!  Have you started looking in the Christmas isle at stores?