Designing your own "save the date" cards

Sure, you can pay money to have someone else design and print your save-the-dates...but what fun is that?

We just got our engagement photos back, so I've been playing around on picmonkey.com. The site is incredibly easy to use once you get the hang of it.

For the save-the-date pictured above, I simply uploaded my photo, added a white rectangular overlay, then faded it so that the background of the photo still shows. Next, I added text. Voila--a quick, frugal, save-the-date option!

Now, I have no idea if this is the one I'll actually use. I'm just getting started! I have tons of pictures to look through and decide what I'd like to use. Thankfully, picmonkey.com is free and easy to use!

My plans are to print four of these per page, then print a postcard design on the back. That way, I'll get four per sheet, and only have to pay postcard postage--easy.

Wedding Budget Tracking

Wedding planning is kicking off. With just about a year to go, I have plenty of time. However, I thought I would share how I'm tackling this whole budget concept.

Our budget is $3,000...max. We're aiming for less. I think $2,500 would be great. To make this budget work, I am tracking everything via Excel. Since I've just begun, I haven't gotten much further than what you can see above.

I plan to keep track of the separate categories to see how well we stick to our budget. The big categories will be music (we're musicians, after all) and attire. That's my guess.

Anyway, happy Sunday! I'll continue to check back on this and let you know how it's working for me.

Risotto Primavera

Creamy, comforting, and fresh.

Classic risotto meets late-spring freshness, with a slight twist on the classical primavera vegetables. This one-pot meal is a lovely dinner option. Impressive (but really quite simple to make), risotto is often not vegetarian due to the chicken stock. Fortunately, that's an easy fix. This recipe utilizes vegetable stock and sherry as a base for the sauce. If you do not have sherry, simply substitute more stock, or use another dry white wine.

The asiago is optional. Since many types of asiago contain rennet, either check your labels, or leave it out--the dish will still be excellent. In this particular recipe, I used vegetarian asiago which I purchased at an Amish bulk food store, of all places.

The recipe is adapted from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, Vegetarian and Vegetable Cooking, by Christine Ingram. This book provides beautiful photography, trustworthy recipes, and especially, histories and culinary biographies of nearly every vegetable you can think of.

Risotto Primavera
(serves four; or two, with plenty of leftovers)

Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable stock
1 small red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 small carrots, diced
1 ear of corn, off the cob (or use canned)
1/2 cup chopped green beans (or use asparagus)
1 small summer squash, diced
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup of freshly-grated asiago
2 tbs butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
Make sure the stock is heated, whether in a saucepan or a microwave. It does not need to be boiling; just hot.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onions and garlic, and heat through for a few minutes. Add the rice, stirring.
Add a cup of the stock and all of the wine. Stir.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, lightly saute the vegetables in a dash of olive oil.
Once the rice has absorbed the liquid, add a half cup more of the stock. Continue observing and stirring, replacing the stock as necessary. Continue for approximately 40 minutes.

At this point, add the sauteed vegetables to the pot. Add the butter, asiago, and season to taste. Serve warm.

Broccolini and Tofu Stir-Fry

I picked up some broccolini at Trader Joe's earlier this week while in St. Louis. While there is plenty to be done with this vegetable, I felt the need to use it in a simple, wholesome dish.

Broccolini replaces its usual relative, broccoli, in this dish. Simple yet satisfying, the tofu is marinated, lightly fried, and paired with wilted broccolini and garlic. Serve over a bed of rice (or quinoa).

Ingredients:
1lb tofu, drained and pressed
8oz broccolini
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs grapeseed oil
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tbs arrowroot powder (or corn starch)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp coconut palm sugar (or regular sugar)
Fresh-cracked pepper, to taste

Method:
Begin by making the sauce. Mince the garlic and saute in a small saucepan using the oil. Once heated through, add the vegetable broth. Add 1 tbs arrowroot powder, then bring to a simmer. Add the soy sauce, sugar, and black pepper, and let simmer a few minutes.
After the sauce is finished, marinate the tofu (30 minutes to an hour) in about a fourth of the sauce mixture. Shake it up about halfway through to ensure even coating.
Using a large skillet (cast iron if possible), heat a layer of oil. Add the tofu and allow to brown for a few minutes; then flip to the other side. Stir occasionally until tofu is mostly browned. At this point, broccolini may be added. Cook until the broccolini is wilted and heated through. Add the remaining sauce and cook an additional two to three minutes. Serve over rice, or enjoy as is.

How to get rid of scratches in vinyl floors

I love my apartment, but one of the adjustments I've had to make is dealing with the flooring. It's hard to clean, and requires a lot of upkeep to look nice! For the tiniest scuffs and scratches, a lot of detailed cleaning is required. I love cleaning with baking soda, and I was pleased to find that it works well for this task!

To clarify, in doing this, you aren't really getting rid of the scratches--you are cleaning them.

Baking soda acts as a mild abrasive here, and gets the grime out of the tiny crevices that the scratches have made. However, in a few months, with regular use of the floor, the marks will probably return. At that point, simply repeat the process.

Above you can see what you need: baking soda, an all-purpose cleaner (mine is castile soap and water), rags, brushes, and if you're like me, coffee.

My rags are an old flannel shirt which I cut up and sewed a zig-zag stitch around the edge. They work really well.

I increased the contrast of the above photo to make the scratches more visible. What an eye-sore. And so that you can have some context, there is a picture of the room I am working on--my dining area.

 

Begin by spraying the area with your all purpose cleaner. Just as a side note, be sure to use a cleaner that will be safe to use with baking soda. Soap and water would be fine. Vinegar would only work if you use a lot of baking soda (since the two react, it would be difficult to form a paste). You want the floor to be pretty saturated. Work in small areas for this. Next, sprinkle some baking soda.

Using a brush, mix the cleaner and baking soda into a paste and scrub away. Scrub in the same direction of the scratch, then opposite. I found this method to work effectively.

  

As you can see, most of the scratches are no longer visible!

Farro Waldorf Salad

I know, you're still on that quinoa kick, aren't you? Well, before you run out of ways to cook quinoa, let me introduce you to farro.

Farro isn't nearly as much of a "superfood" as quinoa, but it's got its own list of bragging rights. To learn more about it, click here. There are so many delicious farro recipes out there!

For now, check out this fresh take on a classic Waldorf salad, which is enhanced with the addition of farro. Its slightly nutty flavor fits right into this mix, and it makes this salad into a much more filling dish.

Grain salads are my absolute favorite lunches. They are easily made in advance, which is so helpful when I have only a short amount of time for lunch! They are portable, too--all I have to do is dish out a portion into one of my little Pyrex containers, pop it in my lunchbox, and it's ready to go.

This salad will keep for a few days in the fridge, so don't be afraid to make enough to eat for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on...

Farro Waldorf Salad
(6 - 8 servings)

Ingredients:
1 cup dried farro, cooked (instructions here)
4 - 5 apples of your choice (I used gala), diced
1/2 lemon, juiced (more or less to taste)
2 celery stalks, diced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar (more to taste)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 tablespoon olive oil

Cook farro to desired doneness, and allow to cool. Meanwhile chop apples, celery, and walnuts. Combine lemon juice and greek yogurt; add sweetener and taste. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. If the salad seems dry, add more olive oil. Refrigerate, preferably overnight.

Parsnip & Potato Soup

Growing up, I spent nearly every Christmas in West Virginia at my grandparents' house. Upon our arrival, my grandmother would often have a pot of her potato soup waiting for us.

Here in Illinois, it has been in the negative temperatures outside, with more snow than I'm comfortable with. That being said, it's a perfect day for a warm pot of soup to be made.

My grandmother's potato soup recipe is simple and delicious, but my version of it contains parsnips, turnips, and plenty of flavor.

Parsnip and Potato Soup
(serves 6 - 8 generously)

Ingredients:
4 cups diced potatoes (3 - 4 potatoes)
2 small turnips, diced
1 large parsnip, chopped
3 large carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped finely
2 cups chopped onions (yellow or white)
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups water/vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
2 cups milk (whole or 2%)
4 tbs butter
4 tbs unbleached flour
1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (more if you like)
black pepper, to taste


Procedure:
Chop the potatoes, parsnips, and turnips into cubes no bigger than one inch, and cover them in five cups of water/stock in a large pot. Bring to a boil, and lower to a gentle simmer. Meanwhile, chop the celery, carrots, garlic, and onions, adding them to the pot as you go. Add the bay leaves to the pot, as well. Allow to simmer until the potatoes have softened completely, approximately 45 minutes. Add parsley and oregano.
Remove the bay leaves.
Begin making the white sauce in a small saucepan. Melt the butter over low heat, and whisk in the flour until golden.
(Note: I have tried using spelt flour, sprouted flour, and whole wheat flour. All of these yielded a particularly floury soup. While I don't like using white flour, I find it appropriate for this recipe.)
Whisk in the milk, and continue whisking until the flour is evenly distributed and the sauce thickens. Add white sauce to the soup, and allow to simmer for five minutes or so. Add Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste, and allow to mingle for a few minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Mark likes it!

Stay warm, and have a wonderful day!