Semester Recap

Sorry for the rather long hiatus! I've been in and out of town for the past two weeks on trips and have spent my time doing all kinds of lovely things that don't involve being tied down to technology. I've seen some incredible things in that short amount of time, and learned some pretty cool things that I'd like to share with you all as well. The semester is now officially over for me, so I'm looking forward to actually having the time to do all that, as well as work on some new projects to share with you guys!

I mentioned a few weeks go that I took a course this semester on costume technology. So I thought I'd share what I've made this semester as a result of that:

A laundry bag...

A kimono/robe: 

And last but not least, I finished my first dress made from scratch! 

I used this Cynthia Rowley pattern that I got for $1 during the Easter weekend sale at JoAnn's. 

I took a few creative liberties and made my own matching buttons, added a contrasting hem, and a waist tie. It zips up at the side and has pockets!

If you're interested, the pattern is available here.

I didn't get the chance to document the sewing process with these projects, but if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment and I'll try to answer them!

Garden Parties

Dress: thrifted ($4)

Hat: F21 ($6)

Shoes: Rack Room ($15)

I love spring. And flowers. And all things green. That is all.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Recipe number two from the dinner party. Quinoa is so great. If you haven't tried it yet, you should. I know it can sound like a health nut/food snob/gourmet thing, but it really isn't any harder to cook than rice and it's great if cooked right! This recipe's a good place to start!

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

from AllRecipes

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup quinoa 

1 tablespoon butter 

2 cups chicken broth 

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper 

1/2 cup diced red onion 

1 cup corn

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained 

1/4 cup chopped cilantro 

1 large tomato, diced 

1/2 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste 

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 tablespoon adobo seasoning 

1/2 cup feta cheese 

salt and black pepper to taste 

Directions:

1.

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under cold water, and drain. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir the quinoa until the water has evaporated and the quinoa is lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all the broth, about 10 minutes. Cool quinoa in refrigerator at least 10 minutes.

2.

Mix together green pepper, red onion, corn, black beans, cilantro, tomato, lime juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, adobo seasoning, and feta cheese in a large salad bowl. Lightly stir in the quinoa, and season with salt, pepper, and additional lime juice to taste, if desired. Chill the salad at least 30 minutes before serving; serve cold.

I followed all the directions for cooking the quinoa in broth, and added the vegetables/beans it called for. But for seasoning, I just added olive oil, pepper, salt, some garlic powder, pesto, and balsamic to taste. So no worries if you don't have the exact measurements or ingredients, you can always tweak it to your preference or available items!

Floral Prints

Dress: AE ($14)

Cardigan: thrifted ($3.50)

Shoes: Franco Fortini ($15)

Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

Tried this recipe out last weekend at my dinner party. It's actually super easy and doesn't take that long at all, and it turns out amazingly. The recipe calls for mixing or blending the soup at the end, but I just mixed with and mashed it up a little bit with a wooden spoon toward the end because I was also cooking like 4 other things at once and didn't have time to deal with that, and I think that actually works pretty well too! It adds some texture to it. The yogurt is also optional, if you'd rather have a less creamy soup.

Without further ado, here's the recipe from Allrecipes:

Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 onion, chopped 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1 cup corn

3 cups vegetable stock 1 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1.	Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the garlic and onion in the oil until soft and translucent. Add the butternut squash and corn and cook for 3 more minutes. Pour the stock into the Dutch oven and bring to a boil; season with basil and black pepper.
2.	Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and using a hand blender, or working in batches with a counter top blender, process the soup until smooth. Stir in the yogurt and nutmeg.