The sweet smell of success

It’s a pretty typical Tuesday morning (okay, late morning, we like to sleep) and the smell of fresh-baked bread is flooding our little kitchen. How did it happen? It was actually pretty easy.

Step 1: Went to Borders with my Robb and my parents over the weekend, and picked up this book: Artisan Bread In 5 Minutes A Day.

The key here is five minutes, because that’s something I can handle. Our schedules are pretty much booked seven days a week. Robb has his plate very full with classes, and when I’m not in class or at the Writing Center, I’m hawking expensive makeup at Sephora. But just because we don’t have a cornicopia of time to waste doesn’t mean we want to eat poorly. Enter as much homemade food as possible.

So on Monday I ran to Target and picked up a pizza stone on the cheap (only $9, take that expensive Crate & Barrel baking stone) and got to work. I only made a half batch of the French Boule dough (the “master recipe”), but even that filled two Rubbermaid containers once it started rising. Mixing the dough was easy peasy and took maybe 20 minutes. Then I let it rise on the counter, left for class and Robb popped the dough in the fridge when he got home from classes.

This morning was the moment of truth. And it actually worked! As evidence, I present Exhibit A:

isn't she lovely?

A little misshapen, sure, but this was only my first crack at it. We were supposed to let it rest for 20 minutes before slicing, but you know that didn’t happen. After ten long minutes, I had the bread knife in my hand. And the warm, soft bread couldn’t have been any more delicious. The book has dozens of bread recipes from pumpernickel to herbed to desert loaves, but I’m going to try and pace myself on the more challenging ones.

So hopefully these baking experiments will keep me posting (yes, we know we’ve been very bad bloggers, but we’re going to get back on the wagon!).

We’re baaaack…

I told Jen that having a blog was a big responsibility. I told her that it needed love and attention everyday in order to grow up and be a good blog. But did she listen? Of course not. In all fairness, I didn’t do my best to keep up with things either. However, things will be different this time. Right….

When Life Gives You Lemons

I know it’s been awhile, but yep, we’re still alive and yep, we’re still in the Heights–just a new neighborhood! Don’t worry, we’ll have lots of bright yellow before–and not-so-yellow after– photos to show you soon.

Needless to say, things have been busy around our little pueblo. Robb survived his first year of law school and is now interning for a legal aid firm in Akron. I’m only working 4 days a week now at AP, so since I have Fridays off I can do fun things like bake vegan lemon poppy seed cookies:

Oh yes, they are scrumptious in every possible way–and you know I wouldn’t be baking on a Friday morning unless it was a pretty easy recipe, too. Here’s what you need:

3/4 cup sugar; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 3/4 cup margarine ; 3/4 cup soy yogurt (i used vanilla) ; 1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla ; 3/4 tsp baking soda ; 3/4 tsp salt ; zest from 1 lemon ; 2 & 1/2 cups flour ; about 3 tsp of poppy seeds (to taste)

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grate the lemon so you don’t have to try to get the zest when your hands are all doughy later. Then cream the sugar, brown sugar and margarine till its smooth. I found it was easiest to use a pastry blender until the margarine was in small, easy-to-smoosh pieces.

Then add the vanilla and lemon zest. (I modified a recipe I found online to fit my tastes. The online recipe said 1 tsp of lemon zest, but if I want lemon cookies, then I want lemon cookies.)

Then add in the rest, mix it up good, drop those little dough balls onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 12 minutes or until done. Could it get any easier?

So why the early-morning bakery? Well, this weekend we’re going to a Father’s Day cook-out at Robb’s aunt’s house in Holmes County, and they’re having a cookie swap (which means everyone brings two dozen cookies to trade). So here’s hoping my lemon poppyseed vegan delights impress the in-laws 🙂

Coffee is amazing. We already knew that. But…

If you’re like me, it’s physically impossible to start the day without coffee. If I go more than a few hours in the morning without a seriously caffeinated brew (preferably dark roast and with a splash of vanilla soy creamer) my head starts pounding. Robb and I always start the day with a fresh pot of coffee from our lovely (and speedy!) Bunn coffee maker, and finish dinner with some fresh French-pressed coffee (which is always thick and smooth, almost like desert).

So when I saw a post on Re-Nest about doing more with coffee grounds, I was all ears. Being the green-thumbed-gardener he is, Robb already uses grounds for the plants. But what else are those grounds good for once they bring us to life in the morning?

Apparently a facial mask. According to Kate over at A Nice Cuppa, a coffee facial is pretty easy. Just add one egg white to a 1/4 cup of used coffee grounds. Slather that mix on your face, then let it dry and wash it off. Follow it up with a moisturizer and you’re toned and buffed, baby. So I’m going to give it a try and see what happens. I’m a little nervous, but coffee and eggs don’t sound scary. In fact, it sounds like a lovely way to the start the day!

Guides To A Greater Good

Last Spring, Robb and I went to Washington D.C. with our friends Mandy and Matt to the Split This Rock poetry festival held in protest against the war in Iraq. Most of the festival’s events were in D.C.’s U Street neighborhood, which was a pretty cool place. If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend the restaurant/cafe/bookstore Busboys and Poets (named for Langston Hughes)–they have great coffee, vegan pizza to die for and a lot of really great books. So even though we spent a lot of time in U Street, we somehow missed Greater Goods, an earth-friendly store for all your eco-needs.

image courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com

They’ve got a lot of really cool stuff, but my favorite part is all of the Do-It-Yourself guides and videos available for free on the site. (The sweet little shop was recently featured on apartmenttherapy.com for their literally green roof.)

If we lived a little closer to the capital, I’d definitely be signing up for some of the free classes the shop offers on a whole range of topics including solar power, energy audits and gardening in an urban jungle. Maybe we’ll find something like this in Cleveland. If you know of anything, clue us in! 

If you want to learn more or do a little eco-shopping, check it out here:
• Greater Goods

A Clean Start

It’s no secret that I’m kind of a clean freak. I’ll admit, I’ve grown attached to my clorox wipes, comet and bathroom cleaner with bleach. (Bad, bad and bad.) So I’ve made the resolution that with our new apartment, I’m going to start fresh. I don’t want our air inside to be even more polluted than the air outside (which often is the case in many American homes, as I learned at Earth911.com). So from the moment we walk in, there won’t be a drop of bleach on a single sink.

image from trends.move.com

Interestingly enough, the Wall Street Journal just did a story on companies “coming clean” about what’s in their cleaning products. I had no idea that there were no federal regulations regarding ingredient-listings on cleaning products. Even though I don’t know what half of the crazy-sounding chemicals really are, at least they were all listed, right? Wrong. Companies don’t have to list ingredients that would give away “trade secrets” like fragrances. So who knows what’s really in those bottles we’ve been spraying all over our house? That’s kind of scary. 

But now I’m left with a dilemma: Am I brave enough to opt for the DIY baking soda and vinegar recipes online, or do I simply go for more eco-conscious store-brought products, like Method or Mrs. Meyer’s? While I’m attracted to the DIY method, I’ve read stories about baking soda ruining surfaces. And while I am a fan of vinegar (seriously, I ate it by the spoonful as a child), I’m not sure I want my whole apartment smelling like it.

We already use laundry detergent and dish soap that’s free of any dyes or perfumes, and I’ve really noticed that it makes my skin less prone to irritation. So now we just have to find some green cleaners that can satisfy this finicky clean freak.

When I finally settle on some earth-friendly, people/pet-safe products, I’ll be sure to share! In the mean time, have any recommendations for us?

Want to learn more about what’s in your household cleaning products?
• “Household Products Start To Come Clean On Ingredients” from the Wall Street Journal

Just Chill

Mondays can be a little dull for everyone, and we’re certainly not immune to the Monday blues. So how about some Mandarin Orange to brighten things up?

Some things are just meant to be. Take this Deco Oscilatting Fan from Target for instance. Not only is the bright Mandarin orange perfect for our citrus-colored kitchen, but it just so happened that orange was the only color on sale. Plus since our new apartment doesn’t have air conditioning (well, our current one doesn’t either) we’ll definitely need a fan in the kitchen since we do a lot of cooking and that can make the whole kitchen feel like the inside of an oven during a muggy summer day in Cleveland.

Even though this little puppy will need to be plugged in, it will definitely use less energy than a window air-conditioning unit, and that’s something we can feel good (and even cool) about.

About A Bench

I guess I’m just lucky. (Robb described it as “obsessed,” but close enough.) I’ve spent the last few weeks carefully cruising Craigslist in search of the perfect bench to rehome and rehab into the seating and storage area of our dreams. Lo and behold this beauty, who I found just yesterday:

 

Isn’t she just full of potential? I thought so. So $40 (and a careful trip down four flights of stairs) later, it was in our dining room. For that price, I wasn’t expecting perfection.

One of the top corner pieces had been broken and glued back on, but we can fix that. The bench was described in the ad as “distressed,” which wasn’t entirely accurate. Sure, it has a few scratches and the paint is worn, but it was the plan all along to sand and paint this pretty little thing.

Robb and I are thinking of painting it white, with faux drawer pulls on the front panels to give it a more finished look. Then we just need some colorful, comfy cushions and this little darling will be right at home either in our new office or new front porch. Did I just say “new front porch”?? You heard right, Such Green Heights are getting a new home–but don’t worry, we aren’t going far. More details on that soon. But for now, just admire the pre-transformation bench:

Super Easy Oreo Truffles

These delicious little treats aren’t just easy–they’re super easy. I’m a little culinary-ily challenged because I tend to approximate measurements and maybe, sort of substitute ingredients if I don’t have exactly what the recipe calls for. Sometimes this method works; other times, not so much.

Lucky for me, this Oreo Truffle recipe from goodie-guru Bakerella is just my style. I modified her recipe a little bit because I couldn’t find the chocolate bark it called for at the store–and whadya know!–they still turned out great.

You’ll need:

1 package of oreos

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

1 12 oz. bag of white chocolate morsels

2 tbsp. crisco

2 cookie sheets lined with wax paper

Here are the step-by-step instructions:

Spring! To The Occasion

Happy first day of Spring!

Even though the sun is shining on this gorgeous March afternoon, it’s still a little chilly here in Cleveland. So to help get myself in the springtime spirit, I hopped over to Home Depot on my lunch break. Just look at all that greenery!

Since I was short on time, I only wandered around the garden section and managed to find a little “Welcome, Spring” gift for the hubby (for less than $8!) that I’ll share later. (Robb hasn’t seen it yet, so I can’t spill the beans!) The funny thing is, I never used to like houseplants. Call me crazy, but bringing dirt inside the house–on purpose!–always seemed insane to my clean-freak brain. (I think the fact that I managed to kill every plant I owned might have played into my aversion.) But ever since we moved into the new apartment, Robb–and his small, potted army–have converted me, and now I welcome the leafy little things with open arms. I even brought a spider plant to live on the ledge behind my desk at work:

What about you? Do you love the leaves enough to share your home with ’em, or would you prefer to leave them outside? Any favorite indoor plants you’re dying to tell us about? We’d love to hear all about your botanical beauties!

P.S. Head over to WhisperWood Cottage for a great giveaway!