Fabric Mania Begins

Yes, I know. The last thing I need to do is start a project. Or twelve. But we are just about to start:

• 2 quilts
  
• 1 Regency chemise
  
• 1 Regency set of short stays (a corset)
  
• 1 Regency gown
  
• 1 Regency spencer

and whatever else we accidentally end up buying the supplies for totally against our will at Fabric Depot this week.

Two In One Day?

I know, I know... two posts in one day is kinda sad. But I am sacked out in my office in front of the air conditioner, and I really see no reason to move for several hours yet. And I have exhausted today's gardenweb.com posts. And recipezaar.com. And even my secret vices: (a) movingtoportland.com (because I can't ever stop looking at houses!) and (b) Yahoo Cubis 2 (because one really does have to have a completely horrifying vice).

So that leaves... the new blog. I'm realizing that this could become rather addictive, fast.

It's Hooooooottttttttttt!

We've been in a brutal heat wave for over two weeks now, and so tonight I cooked... Roundtable Pizza. Last night, I slaved over... happy hour at Gustav's Restaurant (which is incidentally far awesomer than one might expect). And the night before... Wendy's chicken sandwiches.

This may be the least I have EVER cooked in a single week. Kinda depressing. For the last week, we've been living in the basement, which is sadly starting to feel like our real home. Tonight, we hope to retake the first floor of the house because the low is in the 60's! Hurray! Let's hope that tomorrow's post is entitled "Live From the Living Room".

Arizona Iced Tea... Healthy Style

For those of you who haven't seen me on my agave syrup soapbox, this is your chance!

Agave syrup is basically the best stuff on earth. It is a sugar substitute that does not spike your blood sugar (so it's good for you) and it's made from a cactus that grows in very dry conditions (so it's good for the earth). We use it every day in our coffee, but have been actively seeking other ways to use it.

Today, we figured it out. We brewed some iced tea using Stash Tea's "Moroccan Mint Green Tea", and the flavor was so close to Arizona Iced Tea that we thought... why not sweeten it and make it into the real deal? So we used a dash of agave per glass. Awesomeness ensued.

So, hopefully, my soapbox has inspired you to seek out some agave of your own. Get it at Trader Joe's (for cheap) or at Whole Foods (for lots of money).

Barley-Induced Madness!

We had three (yes--three!) boxes of instant pearl barley that were about to expire. Cue three weeks of barley-induced madness.

Week one we had Chicken Barley Chili right of the back of the box (with copious amounts of Korean hot sauce added, of course). The chili turns out to freeze well, incidentally. Highly recommended.

Week two saw Meatball Barley Stew (which I still need to post).

Week three was all about Barley Risotto. You can use up a whole box of instant barley, as long as you add 4+ cups broth and a little more cream cheese. Add some seasonings, too; I added garlic salt, black pepper, garlic pepper, and some herb blend seasoning. Right at the end, the dish was tasting somewhat flat, so I added some white wine, which I absolutely recommend. I will be making this frequently!

And I have to say that, even after three weeks of this, I am still a barley-lovin' gal. It's incredibly healthy, incredibly cheap... and incredibly delicious!