June 26, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

It’s The Little Things: Yellow Earrings

These little balls make me so happy. I bought them in New York City.

New York City is one of my favorite places in the world. I cannot believe it has been two and a half years since I have been there. I went with some girlfriends. But these earrings are from a family trip.

We took our kids to New York, three years ago. How can it be that long ago? My heart aches. Our family did the typical touristy things. We saw Mary Poppins and The Lion King on stage. We went to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty. And we went to Chinatown.

While in Chinatown, my family and I stopped in a little jewelry store. They had these small yellow earrings for sale. I asked what they were made of and the lady responded, “Amber.”

For $10.

Remember, I got voted “Most Gullible” in high school. Things have not really changed.

We traveled home and I loved my earrings for a year. Until one day, my “Amber” earrings got too close to the curling iron. They quickly melted in one spot.

Darn Amber! Wink.

I still love them…

They remind me of my daughter still wearing clothes from the children’s department. Her bright pink and orange polka dot “fancy” dresses she wore to the shows. My son grasping my hand in the theater. His cherub like face looking up at me in his little tuxedo.

Wandering the streets of Chinatown. Hanging ducks in the windows. The samurai wooden sword my son used his souvenir money for. Stifling heat. Popsicles in Central Park. Wonders in museums.

I put these earrings on and it all comes back to me.

It’s the little things: Memories. Amber or plastic. It does not matter. They are both bright balls of light leading the way back in time. Sometimes I wish I could stay there in their perfect moment of infinite circular happiness.

June 25, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

Summer Loungin’

I am being good this month and not making any big purchases. I have only bought the
Paisley Trails blouse in white from Anthropologie for the $30 sale price. I have not received it yet, so I do not know how it will work. My sister gave me a $50 gift card to Anthropologie for Mother’s Day. Thanks Mandi! I bought the Geocut Patent Sandals with it in red. They are awesome!

We just put so much money into our house, I need to show self restraint. And I am.

So sad to be an adult.

July is my birthday month. But I am holding out for a good sale on some items I want. I might be boring then, as well. Of course, it is Comic Con in July, so it should be five days of fun outfits! I have them all planned out. I do not dress up in a costume. But I dress up in fun. Yes, I said, “in fun.”

So, I am loungin’. Summer has started. My in-laws are here. I took these pictures last week, because there is no way my mother-in-law is catching me taking photos of myself. I would look like a crazy person.

Yeah, I know.

Anyhoo, this week, I am showing the dresses I wear around the house or for quick trips to the grocery store. I adore Anthropologie’s lounge section. I always wear their chemises out of the house.

I am naughty that way.

In this picture, I am wearing Anthropologie Tilda Chemise. I bought this a couple of months ago. I think it is sold out now. Here is the link, but I think it is dead.

It is so comfy. It has the brightest blue stripes. It washes and dries well.

This is a chemise I have left over from my heavier days. It is Anthropologie Cinch & Flow Maxi Chemise. I used to wear this as pool cover up, because it was see through in my larger size. But now the extra fabric acts as a barrier. I think.

This is not a chemise. It is a Johnny Was dress I purchased at Christmastime. I believe it was called Cassie Short Sleeved Maxi. It is no longer being sold. Johnny Was has so many cute things right now, but I am being a good girl. Here is a link to their website.

I love the grey with the colorful embroidery. It is casual and pretty.

The necklace I am wearing in the pictures was gifted to me from Simply Livly on Etsy. It is called Yellow Linen Wood Necklace With Cream Ribbed Organic Cotton. I LOVE it. I am wearing it with a Target clearance dress from awhile back, in the picture above. It makes even the most casual outfit pop. Thank you Pam!

Are you lounging around this summer? What is your favorite piece to wear?

June 24, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

Ollie’s Girlfriend

My dog, Ollie, has a lover. He is obsessed with her. His favorite activity is to give her lovin’ while people are over at our house visiting. The sound of his panting can be quite embarrassing when we are trying to hold a conversation with our company… Eyes over here, please. Ignore the quaking dog in the corner…

My biggest problem with his girlfriend is she can get kind of smelly. So I try to give her a bath whenever I notice she is getting dirty. Ollie hates a clean partner. Hey, what can I say? My dog is a freak…

Here is his lover all nice and clean after her bath. Oh, did I forget to mention that his girlfriend is also his bed?

Ollie hates her this way. He can not wait to mess her up again. I have to replace his girlfriend every couple of months. A gal can only take so much. He always plays hard to get with his brand new cushion of adoration. Unfortunately, he always comes around.

Does your dog do weird things? Am I the only one with a freaky pet? Tell me I am not alone!

June 23, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

Cheese Enchiladas

Cheese enchiladas were a favorite of mine as a child. As a very picky eater, they were often the only entree I would eat on the menu.

As an adult, I love it all. But it is nice to go back to the basics.

This recipe makes 16 cheese enchiladas.

You will need:

2 11 x 7 pans to cook enchiladas in. Distribute 8 into each pan.
Sauce pan
One skillet
Blender

Ingredients:

4 dried ancho chile peppers
1 tsp. ground Mexican oregano
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 cloves diced garlic (or one heaping teaspoon from a jar)
1 tsp. chicken base (Knorr seasoning. I buy mine at Costco. It is also available in the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store. Magic seasoning!)
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 small can of tomato paste
4 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 pounds shredded mexican cheese (yep.)
16 corn tortillas

Optional toppings:

Sour cream
Chopped cilantro

Optional sides:

Mexican rice
Refried beans

For this recipe, I adapted an Adobe recipe of Zarela’s (I recommend watching her video. It taught me a lot). and added a couple of items to make an enchilada sauce.

First, Rinse your dried ancho chiles. Cook the dried ancho chile peppers for about ten seconds each side in a skillet.

Remove. Break off top and shake out seeds. Discard top and seeds.

Soak chiles in a bowl of water for twenty five minutes.

Remove chiles. Discard water. Add chiles to blender with oregano, garlic, chicken stock, chili powder, cumin, chicken base, & salt. Blend until smooth.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add flour. Stir to combine, until it is, as Zarela says, “the color of a cockroach.” Which might be my very favorite cooking tip ever!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add blended ingredients. Carefully, this will splatter! Stir. Add tomato paste. Stir until smooth. Let simmer on low heat ten minutes.

While sauce is simmering, heat vegetable oil in skillet. Add tortillas, one at a time. Fry quickly on each side until just beginning to bubble. About ten seconds each side. Remove to paper towel covered plate. For every four you fry, place two more paper towels on top.

When all of the tortillas are fried. Turn off heat. (Be very careful with hot oil! Do not pour down sink! This will ruin your sink! Let cool completely and discard.) Turn off heat to enchilada sauce.

Pour a little enchilada sauce in pan you are cooking the enchiladas in, to coat it. Take a tortilla and coat with sauce. I find placing some sauce on a flat plate, and then rubbing the tortilla into it works the best. And yes, this is messy! Take coated tortilla and fill with cheese. Roll. Place seam side down in pan. Repeat 7 more times until pan is full.

Repeat the step above with another pan.

Pour sauce equally over Enchiladas in both pans. Distribute remaining cheese equally over enchiladas.

Cover with foil and bake for fifteen-twenty minutes. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove hot pans from oven with mitts. Turn off oven.

Serve with toppings and optional sides.

Enjoy!

Gnome Lover

Stumbling through life while still having fun

Month: June 2013

It’s The Little Things: Yellow Earrings

Summer Loungin’

Ollie’s Girlfriend

Cheese Enchiladas