Posted by Sarah in Budget, College, Recipes on September 28th, 2009 |
I had an epiphany while surfing the web last Friday. I was reading my favorite blogs and stumbled upon Sweetnicks which had a post about Pasta With Chicken Sausage and Broccoli. Cate wrote about cooking this meal which is nutritious and delicious but easy for a family on the go. With only six ingredients, three of which I had on hand, two I could easily switch to something I had on hand, and one that was fairly inexpensive, I made a plan. I hear many people say that they sometimes will make main dishes for their families on the weekends so the weeknights are less stressful but the food is still up to their standards. I thought that since I am almost always only cooking for myself, I should try this, but instead of cooking many dishes, one or two would suffice to last me at least three days throughout the week. I don’t mind repetition when it comes to food, especially if it means an easier meal and more money in my pocket. I decided to try this recipe out for myself.
I dedicated Sunday night to be my cook-for-the-week night. I gathered all the ingredients (including my sustitutes) and went to town. Note: picture quality is lacking because I haven’t exactly informed all of my roommates that I have a blog (I don’t really know why, I’m just kind of shy about it I guess), so I tried to hide the camera as I took pictures. I really should just tell them. Anyway, this is what I began with.
I used chicken instead of chicken sausage, only because I had it on hand. I’m sure the sausage would taste a lot better, but again, I’m doing this to save time and money. I also used mostaccioli instead of rigatoni which I also had on hand. Instead of buying a head of broccoli, I bought a bag of already cut broccoli so I can use it as a side dish with other meals. The rest I used straight from the recipe. The onion is in a bag because I chop one up and use it throughout the week in tuna, wraps, pasta, etc. until it runs out. One onion lasts a long time when cooking for one.
What I really liked about this dish is that it only involves one pot and one pan. We don’t have a dishwasher, so easy cleanup is very important to me when cooking. After I finished cooking it, I transferred it straight into a large storage container. I didn’t even eat if for supper! I stole a quick bite which was very tasty, and then made myself a tuna sandwich with pepperoni. I added the pepperoni because I was feeling ambitious, and it was actually very good.
And there you have it. If you liked the looks of this, head over to Sweetnicks for the recipe. Because this recipe made so much I probably can live off of it for four days! I’ll see if I get sick of it. I have lots of options to switch it up though, so I’m sure I’ll be fine. There are always roommates to feed, as well. How many of you cook your meals ahead of time? Any suggestions? I hope everyone had a great weekend!
This post is a part of Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.
Posted by Sarah in Updates on September 27th, 2009 |
I have been in and out of the blog world for probably the past five years or so and I’ve always used the name “In A Dream.” I already had this domain name when I decided to switch gears and create a domestic-related blog. I kept the name because I already had it for the past year and it lasted another year. I never liked the .org extension but it was all that was available at the time. Well now, I’ve decided I want my blog name to serve a purpose and actually relate to what I blog about. I don’t want to ditch the dream aspect of it, because that means a lot to me and fits, but I want something more relevant.
So what is the point of this post? I have picked a new name that I am ecstatic about and I want the website to be more functional, so I am redesigning the layout. I just wanted to give everyone (if there is anyone reading this) a heads up. This blog is still new, so I feel that it might be weird to change everything at this stage, but at the same time I want to make the most out of my blog and switching will help me do that. I have ideas for what I will do with this domain in the future that makes the .org extension perfect.
For now, everything will run as normal, but I have been trying to write posts way in advance so I have more time to work on this new project!
Posted by Sarah in Infatuation on September 25th, 2009 |
Today has been a very gloomy, rainy day in the Twin Cities. I decided to find inspiration in more happy places which brought me back to my vacation to Galena, IL. I mentioned my love of historical towns but never shared any information on the amazing garden tour I went on. My boyfriend and I went to Linmar Gardens for a romantic tour through the garden followed by a picnic, which included an amazing French version of a tuna salad sandwich. More on that later.
It was the perfect August day for a garden tour, which was odd for Galena. We were told that the whole summer had been rainy except for the days we vacationed there. How lucky! As we were waiting for the tour to begin, a cat came up to greet us. The tour guide explained that the cat, Sally, lived somewhere else but had “adopted” them. She would come by the garden immediately before both tours, each an hour apart, and would walk the garden with the touring group. Then she would leave. Every day this happened! What a great story to start off the tour with.
As we started the tour with Sally following us around, I realized that I love gardens that include unexpected items. This garden had a lot to offer besides the normal flowers and greenery. They had a good amount of water features and other fun elements that made the garden even more beautiful.
The most interesting part of the garden was this little hidden “room” which was created from the remains of what I believe was the first African American church in the region. It was lower than the rest of the garden, which made it a whole other place. It was incredibly serene.
The other unique elements that I loved were the sculptures.
This owl was one of my favorite parts of the garden. I thought it was so clever to build it into the wall! I almost walked right past it. That’s what I love about these kinds of gardens – there are tons of little details that keep you coming back because noticing them is so much fun.
And, of course, what’s a garden without the plants?
I was fascinated by this mulberry tree. I don’t know what I loved exactly, but I kept telling my boyfriend, “Take a picture of that! I want one just like it one day!” He was the photographer for me that day, and I kept making him take pictures, not just because it was a beautiful place, but because I wanted to start a folder for future gardening purposes. This tree definitely made the file! The house in the background is historic too, but we didn’t get to tour it or anything. 
I’m already feeling a little less grumpy after sharing all of these photos. What do you do to cheer yourself up on a gloomy day, or are you one of those people I envy who actually like rainy weather?
This post is a part of Hooked on Fridays over at Hooked On Houses and Beautiful Life Friday at The Inspired Room.
Posted by Sarah in Giving Thanks on September 24th, 2009 |
Today something so sweet happened to me. It’s not like something like this hasn’t happened to me before, but you can never prepare for the types of things that happen to you that turn your whole day upside down. I had to read a paper I wrote to my entire English class today, which I was really stressing out about because it was based on a reading that was very hard. I got through it, thankfully, and received good feedback. I thought I was having a pretty good day. Not to mention, my old roommate who moved to California is home and I will be seeing her tonight to watch the Grey’s Anatomy premiere, which also makes my day a little extra special. My day was going pretty well and I really had no complaints.
Well, then I went to work and was swiping cards when a woman walked over and handed me a carnation and asked if I wanted a flower. I was a little shocked at first because these things don’t happen every day, but I took it anyway. I thanked her and she walked away.
I noticed that attached to the flower was a tag:
On the back it said, “Keep this for yourself as a reminder to watch out for Acts of Kindness…or pass it on to someone who you’ve seen performing one.” It made me so happy! I decided to keep it so I could share the message with my roommates. I have performed and been on the receiving end of a good amount of random acts of kindness, but to have this one labeled in this way, encouraging others to do the same, was very sweet and uplifting. Sometimes I get caught up in getting through my day and don’t realize that others around me might be having a bad day. I know of people who set a goal to perform a random act of kindness every day. I want to start. I do it as much as I can, but I could do better. I’m thankful to have an actual organization at my school dedicated solely to randomly giving to others and spreading love. That’s what life’s all about anyway. Spread the love while you still can.
Have you ever been a part of a moving random act of kindness or seen one occur? I’d love to hear about it! What are you thankful for?
Posted by Sarah in Dreaming Of on September 23rd, 2009 |
I have been dreaming about my dream house since I was old enough to think about the future – just ask my parents. I never shut up about it. My mom has always been into decorating and crafty things for the home and my dad is carpenter, so it makes sense that I would pick up on these things as well. My dad would take me to work with him and I would either run around the job site he was currently working on, or if I was really lucky, he would have just finished a home that hadn’t been sold yet and he would let me in to have the whole house to myself to play in! I still to this day would still him up on his offer to do that for me again just to envision what the houses could become. I must say, though, that I tend to like older houses or houses that were inspired by older architecture. I love when they are restored and brought back to life. I tend to be a little simple, however, and could do without the extreme carvings found in some old homes, but I do love them.
I would like to share what my perfect dream home would look like if I were to have a big family (which I will be honest, I think I want five kids, but I realize that might change once I have the first).
First, I think it would be a yellow two story, or at least have yellow as one of the colors found in the house and it would have white trim. It would have similar charm to this home, with the detailing.
It would also either have a porch or a nice pergola like this house has. It would have dormers like this and maybe a similar roof type. And maybe instead of yellow, it would be blue (I’m already changing my mind and I’m not even half way through this post)!
I would love a carport and would maybe somehow squeeze a garage in too without it looking weird. Some of the windows would have nice detailing like those upper windows, too. And there would be windows as you went up the stairs inside which would make a diagonal row of window on the outside (by the carport).
The house would have to have a nice tower on one side, and if I happened to pop out many sets of multiples, this may be the only house in the running. Otherwise, it is too big. It also would have a chimney because of all the fireplaces on the inside!
My dream home would definitely have at least one bay window (and throw in a window seat on the inside) as well as great molding along the roof line. And the door would be a contrasting color of the siding.
I have always loved a room full of windows to relax in, so that is a must.
Then I’d throw some ivy on the side to add even more character…
And top it all off with an iron balcony of some sort. That is my dream home! Now, I have no idea if all of that could be added to make something I would actually like, but I’m still in the dreaming phase so I can pick whatever I want! And if you think my tastes are all over the place on the outside of the house, I won’t even tell you how many styles would be mashed into one if I were to do this for the interior. I’m almost glad I will probably never have enough money to design my dream home because I would never be able to decide! I think wherever I choose to live I will make it into my dream home (just like John and Sherry of Young House Love – congrats on two years). I had to add that, I am just so happy to join in the celebration with them right now! They have inspired me so much in the past year and made me dream even more about owning a home.
Anyway, I want to know what your dream house would look like and if you would rather buy a house and turn it into your dream or if you would rather design it from scratch. Anyone done either? I would love to hear about it!
Sources: Old House Dreamer 1, 2, 3, Whatever, and DesignTies. If you know where any of the others are from, please let me know.
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