This Summer's favorite recipe!

So, I'd been searching for a molcajete bowl now for a while.  Made of lava rock, tripod legs... you know, the ones they use in the fancy restaurants where they make the guacamole tableside...

Finally found it at Crate & Barrel Outlet this summer so I immersed myself in the "how to" of seasoning it.  First cleaning it then grinding white rice and water in to a paste... over and over until no lava  residue  is found. Then adding sea salt and coriander and grinding that to a pulp numerous times cleaning out each time in between. Then finally adding coriander, lime juice and cilantro to try to get the bowl seasoned. Then adding coriander, cilantro, lime juice, garlic and sea salt...grinding and grinding.. it was finally ready to make my first batch. 

 (Not to mention how good the kitchen smelled after all of that)

I searched recipes online... scoured Pinterest...and then rememberd I'd once taken notes while at a restaurant where they made it fresh tableside.. So, I referred to those notes and created a little mix of my own. After many attempts and many thumbs up... here's the recipe!

Restaurant style tableside Guacamole recipe:

To the molcajete 

Add

1 clove of garlic

1/4 cup cut fresh cilantro leaves (no stems as they can make it stringy and bitter)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Grind them in to the bowl until seamingly absorbed... in to a paste

Add 

Juice from 1 lime

Stir to make a juice paste.

Add

2 fresh avocados and mash with the  pestle 

Mash

 (if you are doing it right... this is the messy part)

When they are mashed, 

Add

1/4  chopped jalapeño ( no seeds)- more if you prefer

Two tablespoons chopped tomato

2 tablespoons chopped onion (I use Vidalia onion)

 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

Stir with a fork to combine.

  Ready to serve.  

This is where you taste your recipe ... add a pinch more ground sea salt to taste... serve with chips! 

Hope you love it as much as our family does! 

You may add what you like or omit what you like... 

super flexible recipe... 

but, I know You'll love it!

 Leave me a comment below if you like.  I'd love to hear what you think! 

  Thanks for stopping by! 

Martha

We love the look of our new shiplap wall and the bar in front of it. We've added orange accents... tulips for spring  and wood for our fire to keep us warm until the spring days finally arrive. How do you assess arise your home bar?

Christmas a 60's ski chalet vibe

This year I thought I would throw back to my days as a kid in Califorina!  We delighted in spending time at Lake Tahoe.  camp Richardson in south Tahoe was a place where I believe shaped so many of my memories...memories of lakeside cabins, cozy plaids, playful times... So this year I thought I would harken back and pull together a bit of an apres-ski feel... Granted, my family didn't ski back in those days...but looking back at favorite scenes in the old movie White Christmas... At the lodge, around that fireplace, comfy cozy... Just brought back fond memories! Bring on the warm milk and let me count my blessings!  So... Here is this years take on Christmas! Enjoy!

Angel food Cake with Drunkin Strawberries

Recipe: Angel Food cake with Drunkin Strawberries 

We were asked to a Mexican fiesta and were required to bring a dish to share.  We had been on the road and very busy... So I decided to bring ingredients on the fly, to the party.   I remembered the angel food cake with fresh sliced strawberries tossed in a bit of dark brown sugar that I always love ... But to add the Mexican flair, I added cinnamon and dash of Mexican vanilla we happened to have on hand ...  I let that refrigerate for a few minutes then spooned the mixture over the angel food slice... I spied some Chambord a raspberry liquor and some Cointreau, an orange liquor... I thought to give the partakers a choice... We drizzled their choice over the spooned on strawberry mixture and it was a hit!  

Easy Salmon in Parchment Recipe an OpendoorStudio Original... so DELISH !

Martha's Parchment Salmon

With 2016 beginning and fresh starts happening in the New Year,  My husband and I have begun to think about how we eat.  We both decided that 2016 should be the year to make our lives healthy.  We are not thinking "diet" but we are thinking "lifestyle change".  That said, we took a look at our eating habits and decided to make more of the delicious and healthy choices available to us.  

I began by inventorying the foods we love.  We shopped and stocked the fridge with some yummy, delish foods.  Lots of veggies and fresh items.  

I have also been refocusing on the family and being more available to them to create meals that we can enjoy together. 

I decided to have some fun with what was in the fridge and developed this recipe.  I absolutely love it and the family does too.  I brought some supplies to a girlfriends home and created it for them as well.  They loved it too.  I wanted to share my original recipe with you.

Parchment Salmon Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 450*

I use ( for 4 salmon filets)

4 Fresh Salmon Filets

1/2 Cup Chopped Red Pepper

1/3 Cup Chopped Red Onion

1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro

4 T fresh salsa

Pink Sea Salt

Ground Pepper

Lime, Quartered

4 pieces of Parchment paper cut in to 16 x 12" Sheets.

Place each sheet of parchment on a flat surface.  Place one salmon filet in the center of each.  Season the top of each piece of salmon with Salt and Pepper ( to taste).  Place 1/8 cup or 2-3 Tablespoons of the chopped Red pepper on each filet.  Place 1-2 Tablespoons of Red Onion.  One heaping Tablespoon of Cilantro on each filet.  Add 1 Tablespoon of Fresh salsa to each Filet and then squeeze one lime wedge on each.  

Bring the parchment end to end above each filet and fold over several times to seal in the salmon, veggies and lime juice.  Fold the sides under the salmon.  Place on a baking sheet and place in the preheated 450* oven for 15 minutes.  Once the packets have baked, remove them from the oven but allow them to rest for 5 minutes before opening.  This will allow all of the flavors to meld.  

Once you open the packet... you may just serve the salmon with the packet on a plate with your favorite side dish.  We chose asparagus lightly steamed, still crunchy and added a very small amount of butter and sea salt to taste.  

This recipe is SO fresh and delicious.  I know you will want to add it to your list of regular dishes.

Enjoy!

If you love my recipe... Please share it and don't forget to stop back soon... for more fun original recipes!

How EXCitiNG! Seeing your work in print!

I am so excited to announce my Society6 shop!

NOW you can order items I have in my shop, photos, graphic design, my original watercolors, oils and more ( in print)  on PILLOWS, Iphone skins, tote bags....Travel Mugs as well as prints.

My Happy Camper pillow... take on a recent trip to Door County... perfect for YOUR happy camper!

Boho / Indie bedroom decor : How to

Add simple elements you love.  Plants add to the airy feel.  We created easy to make diy macramé hangers for the little ceramic pots by using 4 long pieces of jute we doubled over... Creating 8 strands, tying a knot at the end and then adding a few simple knots along the side to secure the little pot. Attach a nail to the wall and hang.  Hint: grouping several together adds impact.

We liked the wall tapestry from etsy / society6.com in a cool blue landscape. We added pillows to the feminine comforter from "Tuesday Morning".  Rummaging thru our collected vintage finds we added a twig side table and found antlers, sourced from our favorite little spot just outside Algoma, Wi. 

The arrow was from hobby lobby and adds a touch of metal as well as  a geometric element.  

Not shown, we used an old oriental rug on the floor... thin and warm, as well as a handmade woven rug, to add a bit of color and eclectic style.

 A mid century modern dresser/cabinet makes for a great space for the computer workspace and succulents add a bit of life to the room. A jar of porcupine quills and old feathers finish off the look.

The handmade adventure art piece on wood panel was from travel&dwell on etsy. 

Adding a simple made by hand (opendoorstudio) cage of wire around the terra cotta potted - moss rose, and baskets to add interest to the space.  The ladder was from my mother and holds a favorite quilt.  

The simple photo holders below were created using our jute again (with this rustic style, jute can be your friend).  Determine the correct length for your photos.  We did four lengths but you could make a banner-like continuous string too.  We found favorite photos of friends and printed them in black and white.  Among them we added favorite locales, we printed them in muted colors to add interest. (Opendoorstudio) You may connect them however you like.  Paper clips, clothes pins, additional jute, pins or tape.  Each adds your own personal style.

Let us know what you think of our boho bedroom?  

Labor Day Lobster Fest 2015

Lobster and steak, what better way to cap off a great Labor Day weekend.  Fun spending time with family and enjoying our feast!  How did you spend your Labor Day holiday? 

Bliss Vintage Truck, Our Ford F100... Makes a SPLASH!

photo by two birds photography.

How thrilled was I to see our own "Bliss Vintage Truck" featured in the "Splash" Section of the Chicago Sun times.  She was featured for her Maiden Voyage 2015 for the Brairs - DiSanto Wedding in Chicago.  Click the photo above by Two Birds Photography... for the entire scoop! Whoot.... how exciting! (Wishing only, that they would have included the info on our truck rental...One never knows when goodness will happen.  It is always looming just around the corner.)

Apartment decor : 101 ... moving on up!

 Before:  With many hands...move in day became light work.  We decided to "ground" the living area with a larger area rug.  This makes it pull together visually.  WE found the rug below at Ikea, but it seemed a bit too small once we had gathered all of the basic components.  The Couch and Pink chair were from Treasure house, a lovely resale shop in Glen Ellyn, Il benefitting Metropolitan Family Services of DuPage County, and the mirrored tables were from Jubilee Furniture in Carol Stream, IL.  

 The Bedroom:  We hung lightweight curtains over the blinds, using rods purchased at Ikea.  We used command strips on either side of the window and extended them actually from the ceiling to give the look of taller ceilings,  Bedspread, duvet cover was from Bed Bath and Beyond.  Side table was from At Home in Schaumburg, IL.  

hint: note the side table...Finding items with open bases, make a space seem a little lighter and not as heavy.

 Below: You can see we found a rug we loved with a bold design.  Hint: When desiging for a small space, don't be afraid to go for bold patterns, it can actually make a space seem larger.  Pairing a few black, cream and gold pillows on the chairs... pulls the look together.  WE were still working on the wall behind the sofa, but this was already a great start.

 Below:  A closer look at the gold tones, silver tones, creams, blacks  and baby pinks that we chose for this "Hollywood Regency" style look.  

 Below: We found a great mid century dresser piece that had a beat up top on it.  WE decided to paint it with a glossy white and left the legs wood to mimic the current West Elm Style we see everywhere.  WE found a 12x12 bookcase at Ikea, that filled the space to the left perfectly.  The little glass and brass table lamp came from the Treasure House.  

Again, a treasure house find.  The Black Lacquer bowed glass breakfront was perfect to store her pink rimmed restaurant ware that we found at the goodwill.  The Mushroom shaped Ikea Table was a bargain at 32.00 in the clearance isle... a little white caulk in the little holes on the bottom pedestal where they had bolted it to a display.. and it saved us almost 150.00.  The Acrylic chairs are perfection! ... they disappear and make a small space look large! love the touches of chrome.  Adding the black and white rug we had previously had in the living room completed the look!

 Above: the mirror in the small entry, brings in light to that space and gives you a peek at what you will see when you arrive in the living space.  Under the mirror is a thin mirrored table, perfect to place your keys when you return home after a busy day.  

 The pink ice bucket above was the perfect find at a vintage sale, it sets off the mood with the inclusion of the print we happened to find at Discoveries resale shop when we were pulling together the look.  The Swanky gal in the sleek black dress on a pedistal table with a martini in gold and pink and black... Perfect! ( you cant see the  martini glasses but they are in the black cabinet.. rimmed in gold) 

 Above: the entry greets you and provides a place to drop your keys and take off you shoes.

 A view of our small space.  The entire Apartment was 750 square feet.  There is a nice tucked in kitchen you can see below, and a bathroom, large walk in closet and bedroom as well.

 In all, we feel we created a bright and cheerful spot on a very limited budget!  It all came together with items from inexpensive shops and thrift stores.  Shop around! You will be glad you did!