Dessert of the Week: Rustic Rhubarb Tarts

These tiny and adorable rhubard tarts are not part of my work week easy dinner arsenal.  They are part of my it's summer time indulgence.  I found the recipe at Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite sources for yummy dishes.  Click here for the whole recipe.  Overall, they were pretty easy, super cute, and absolutely delicious.

For the ingredients, I was able to get cornmeal in bulk to save on cost.  I used my KitchenAid mixer for the dough, but I appreciate that she gives you several options for mixing because I was baking without the stand mixer not too long ago.  When I was shaping my tarts, they looks a hot mess.  I ended up sort of cupping them in my hands and trying to squeeze them to close up some of the tears in the dough.  They held together fine, though, and came out looking nicely messy instead of unappetizingly ugly.  Also, I forgot to buy parchment paper, but luckily ehow.com told me I could use brown paper bag with cooking spray on it.  It worked fine.  Never buying parchment paper again.

Rhubarb and vanilla bean compote-ing.

 
Wee tarts going into the freezer.

Wee tarts fresh out of the oven (notice grocery store paper bag used for parchment paper).

Ready to enjoy!

In Defense of Amateur Decorating

I discovered this NYT piece called "How to Tell if You're Over-Propped" through Apartment Therapy, which is funny because they sort of slam Apartment Therapy, though quite indirectly.

When I first read the article, I was taken aback.  I felt discovered.  I read design blogs.  I find inspiration in other people's blogs and homes for my own home.  I placed a terrarium carefully on top of a pile of books chosen by color!  I own Grace Bonney's Design Sponge at Home and peruse the photos of beautifully designed homes! Now the New York Times tells me I'm "cliche," "insanely self-conscious," and an "amateur stylist."  Well, yeah.  Whatever.  It's cute, okay!

There are some good points in the article.  I've tried to imitate things in my home that seem appealing in a blog post, but then they just don't work for me.  It is important to be authentic and genuine.  To me, however, this doesn't mean you can't copy a little.  Everyone is copying something.  Haven't you seen Everything is a Remix?  You just have to be authentic to your own taste and personality.  For example, I would never hang any kind of taxidermied animal in my home, even a pink lucite or white plaster version (I've seen both in restaurants), because it's completely contrary to my own personality.

I've spent a good bit of time, energy, and money decorating my living room.  I recently hung curtains and made the cute and cliche terrariums a while ago.  I've rearranged the top of the bookshelf countless times.  But at the end of the day, I love being in this room.  I love spending time with people (and animals) I love in this room.  Yeah, when the terrariums were complete, they made an Instagram debut.  They were popular.  People liked them.  But that's not the point.  The point is to have a happy home.

Additionally, ever since I became more interested in design and decor, I've spent less money on me (clothes) and more money on things to be shared.  I love the DIY craze because it encourages us to get off the computer (yes, even if we get the ideas from the computer) and make something and spend time with people.

So, in the end, I don't think there's any harm is stealing a little cuteness from other people's homes if it gives you, your family, and your friends and happier healthier place to live in.

Home Office Makeover

I don't work from home, but I do a lot of work from home.  As a teacher, my work follows me home as often as I let it, and sometimes I really don't have a choice.  I'm also majorly involved in a local nonprofit and that work takes place at home, too.  Beyond these things, though, my mom always taught me to have a desk space to sit peacefully and read or work.

This is my desk space now.

The only things I enjoy about my desk space are my vintage kitchenette table ($25 from Dolly Python years ago) and my white Ikea paper tray.

I've been wanting to improve my office, but struggling with where to start.  I've also always found inspiration in Jenny Komenda's office at Little Green Notebook ever since she posted about her desk and beautiful arched bookshelf project a while ago.  So, I when I saw her recent post about home offices, I was totally motivated to tackle my own.

From her list of things to have in an office, I love the idea of looking for an armoire or cool cupboard to store the printer and a fun filing cabinet or storage piece with drawers.  I'm doing a pretty good job with clutter right now, but during the school year I accumulate everything from papers to markers to binder rings in my desk space, and I need a better storage and organization system.

My first project, however, will be to assemble a photo wall for my inspiring art.  I already have a small collection ready to hang, but want to find a couple more items to include.  Here's some great inspiration on Pinterest.

Recipe of the Week: One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

One of my goals this summer is to try as many new recipes as possible.  When the school year hits I want to have an arsenal of easy, healthy, delicious meals I can rely on to get me through each week with minimal microwaved dinners and restaurant outings.

This week, I made One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf from the always helpful and amazing Food 52.  Food 52 is a great source for recipes because of all the helpful features like step-by-step photos and extra tips.

This recipe mixes super yummy ingredients: lemon, goat cheese, and pine nuts.  The kale and quinoa make it healthy and filling.  The one pot makes it pretty darn easy.

I used olive oil instead of walnut oil because that's what I had already.  I also added a bit extra goat cheese.  Then, when I ate the leftovers the next day, I added even more goat cheese to make it a bit more filling (and who doesn't love extra goat cheese?).  If you don't like the chewiness of the kale stems, cut them off.  They don't bother me, but I had my dad over to eat and he thought the dish would be better without.

Verdict: I will definitely make this again!

The Minimalist Transition

I am very much in the process of transitioning to minimalist running shoes.  I did too much too soon and got myself a super minor injury.  I'm actually glad I got my baby injury because it has pushed me to learn much more about running than Born to Run has to offer.  Born to Run is not about the technicalities of being a runner, but more about the spirit of being a runner and the biological history of human beings runners.

If you're making a similar transition, here are a few things I wish someone had told me at the outset.

Take One Day Off:  If you are like me, you might go out and try running on your forefoot and you might land a little too much on your forefoot instead of your midfoot and you might tear your calves up in the process and you might not be able to walk quite right for a couple days.  You might gimp around feeling antsy taking a day off because all you want to do is go back out and run for miles.  You might enjoy this new running form and philosophy so much that you start running every evening, even heading out at 6 pm when it's still 95 degrees outside.  Then, two weeks later, you might pull your ankle and be done for a couple weeks.  Then, you might be incredibly frustrated for doing too much too soon!

After a lot of reading, I recommend taking one day off in between runs, even if they're small runs.  The Wharton's Stretch Book explains that each time you work out, you tear up your muscles, and then they rebuild a little stronger.  If you work out every single day, your muscles don't have time to recover and get stronger, and you may injure yourself (like me).

Do Good Stretches:  Scott Jurek recommended the Wharton's Stretch Book in Eat and Run.  I went to the Wharton's website to check it out and found this great video about stretches for minimalist running.  This video explains the Wharton's Active Isolated Flexibility method.  I found the videos so useful that I went ahead and bought the book and I've definitely enjoyed it.  My ankle has felt great recently (I'm doing 1/2 mile runs every other day, but no further yet) and I'm not sure if it's due to purposeful stretching, but it might be!

Above is a photo of my home stretching tools: yoga mat, mens sock with a bag of brown sugar in it (stolen from boyfriend... had to buy boyfriend some replacement black socks), double loop around belt for a stretch rope (have since bought this one), dish towel, and small jar of coins to pull on dish towel.  This will all make sense if you watch the minimalist stretching video.

Run Barefoot:  So, I had written off the whole running barefoot thing.  It just seemed a bit too much, and terribly impractical for Dallas.  However, as I read about how to recover from an injury, I kept coming across people who said that barefoot running can do wonders for preventing and recovering from injuries!  A lot of people also support developing good form barefoot before running in minimalist shoes.

I decided to give it a try just to see what the hype is about and, I'm serious, it was loads of fun.  I only ran for 5 minutes.  I went to the Verandah where I'm a gym member because they have ridiculously nice grass that surrounds a 1/4 mile track (I considered using the lawn in front of Dallas Hall at SMU or one of the many parks in the Park Cities... all have really nice poke-free grass).  It really did feel fun and childlike, and there were muscles sore in my feet that I had never felt before.  Also, my ankle still feels great!  So I'm going to try it out once a week sticking with just 5 minutes for now.

For some more thorough and great advice on barefoot or minimalist running, check out this post at Barefoot Monologues!

National Parks at Home

I am obsessed with these Pendleton National Parks blankets.  There's something I love about the simplicity of the design, the colors, and the connection to the outdoors.  I'm in the market for a new blanket (my cat continues to destroy mine on a daily basis), but these are wool and I think a bit heavy and warm for summer in Texas, not to mention a bit above my usual price range.  Nonetheless, I want one...

Pendleton also has gorgeous Native American inspired towels, like this one.

Running for Pure Love

A few weeks ago, I read Born to Run by Chris McDougall and started running again, but running in a totally new way.  Practically speaking, I ditched my traditional sneakers and changed my form, but I changed something deeply mental and emotional about my running, too.

McDougall argued that too many people run to get something (usually a smaller waist) instead of running for pure pleasure and peace of mind.

To paraphrase Scott Jurek, whose book Eat and Run I'm reading now, it's better to run one mile in peace than ten terrible miles fighting with yourself to move forward.  That's how I used to run (except not the ten miles part).  After about a mile I was miserable and had to try force myself to keep going, which usually failed.  I ran with a heavy heel strike stride.  When I changed to a midfoot/forefoot strike, shortened my stride significantly, slowed down, and relaxed, something felt totally different.  I was smiling and running at the same time.

A lot of people think they are just not runners, but if you run this way, I promise you that you can be a runner.

Bummer is that I did what the minimalist/barefoot running community calls TMTS - too much too soon.  I ran about five miles total the first week I changed shoes and form.  Then, I ran about ten miles total the next week.  Then, I felt an uncomfortable pull in my left inner ankle.  I've spent the past couple weeks taking time off, easing back in, and then going a little too far, so now I'm taking time off again until it heals up completely.  Frustrating but necessary, I think.

I was lucky to have a pair of Merrell Barefoot sneakers given to me right before I was seized with the desire to head out and run like a child.  I have loved running in them.  They're not the cutest by standards, but terribly comfortable.  I just ordered some Merrell Barefoot Run Dash Gloves that I am stoked to try out.