New Sewing/Crafting Desk!

Today, I write to you from my new sewing/crafting room! I got a new sewing machine and was so eager to use it! After just one day of using it, while on the ground… my back started to hurt real bad! So I immediatey went onto craigslist to search for an old desk. Preferably something I could restore and up cycle! The desks I wanted all happened to over $80! I was not going to spend $80 on a desk I was going to have to spend more to restore. SO… my husband offered to make me on! I spent about an hour on Pinterest looking at many different DIY desk projects. I didn't want any drawers, but I did want some kind of shelving. I didn't want anything big and chunky.. or something that looked tacky. Luckily, I came across a desk I liked from Anna White! We went to Lowes, got all the pieces, and it was around $45! (We used military discount) SO HAPPY! My husband spent all weekend putting it together, and then staining it! It honestly turned out nicer and prettier than any desk I could have bought, used or new! And its just exactly what I wanted and needed, so what's more perfect? :) I will post pictures of the desk below!
The temperature here was so bipolar but now it's just plain cold! I'm not a big fan of cold weather for 1. I don't have very many warm wintery clothes as spring and summer are my favorite seasons 2. Cold weather puts me in a bad mood! Poor husband! He loves the cold, but it's because he loves to bundle up and wear double layers for everything! Lily has been very bored inside the house lately, but I personally feel like it's too cold outside for her! She's got a thin coat so I would rather her not get sick than to deal with taking her to the vet. It was quite warm last weekend while my husband was making my desk, so we played outside a little bit! The weather is supposed to warm up soon :) Speak soon!

Jordan diligently working :) He's a perfectionist! 

Here's what the finished desk looks like :) 

             He even wrote a message for me!               These are some flowers I got from the thrift shop!                    

                                             

                                                                        She just wouldn't let me work!

 Here she is again… 

 She loves sunbathing! 

 These two are from today, lazy friday! :)

Jalepeño Paste

Jalepeño paste; sounds nasty and weird right? Well well… you are in for a kick! I typically prefer to shy away from spicy foods or salsas or any kind of hot sauces. J on the other hand… he prefers everything the spicy way… with an extra kick. This is my worst nightmare, lol. But because I enjoy cooking for him… I make dishes spicy, just for him. He's tried all kinds of hot sauces and salsas… it's just never hot enough for him. I tasted jalepeño paste at my aunts house one day… and right away I knew it was something he'd almost die for. So as soon as we got back home, I attempted it! It was amazing. He ate it with almost everything. The consistency of it is just perfect- it's not to watery or too thick. It stores well in a glass jar, and you can use a spoon to put some directly on your food or on the side of your plate. I took pictures of my progress this time around… except towards the end; I got so busy in the kitchen, I completely forgot to take pictures of the end result!

What you need:

• Jalepeños
• Serrano peppers
• Red peppers ( I only had red pepper flakes)
• Garlic
• Oil
• Vinegar
• Salt to taste

Start with your Jalepeño's and Serrano peppers

Cut off the ends of them

Slice them long ways, in fours 

Add them to a skillet, with about 1 1/2 TBS of oil 

Next, chop up some garlic. I did about 8-9 of them, sliced them in half 

Add the garlic to the skillet

Add your red peppers (flakes) right about now

I sautéed them for about 30-40 mins on low heat… you want them to cook as slowly as possible till they're really tender

Next is where I stopped taking pictures. After you're peppers are nice and tender, you want to put them in a food processor, with some salt and a little vinegar. This process is trial and error. Each time I've made it, I've used a different amount of salt and vinegar. So my best tip is to just taste it as you go. Your end result should should have "paste" consistency. 

Then, go ahead and put it on everything you eat! Egg's, sandwiches, rice, chicken, tortilla chips etc! 

Enjoy :)

Southern Collard Greens!

Jordan being from Alabama, I'm always searching for new southern recipes! Personally, I love vegetables, I can eat them any way and with anything. The first time I had ever tried collard greens was about a year ago, at a "Rum Fest" in Daytona Beach. I took a big heaping spoonful, and from the moment I tasted it  until the last bit of it- I was hooked! It's got to be one of the easiest things I've ever made! Jordan had two bowls and wanted to save the rest so he could have later. He loved it! (I did too)
Find my recipe below :)
Here's a picture of what it looked like mid-process!

Collar Greens 

• 1 1/2 Tbs Oil
• 1/2 medium onion
• green onions (one bundle)
• 5 garlic cloves
• 6-7 pieces of bacon
• 1 bunch/bundle of collard greens
• 3 1/2 cups of Chicken stock
• Pepper flakes
• Salt & pepper

1. Dice up the onions, green onions, and garlic. Small or medium sized, doesn't matter

2. Slice up your bacon according to how big you want them. I did them about 1in

3. Add your oil to a pot and add your onion, green onions, garlic and bacon. 

4. Cook for about 10 mins on medium heat, until onions look transparent 

5. Rinse off your collard greens, take 5-7 leaves at a time, and stack them up. Cut off the ends, then roll it up. It might be a difficult to roll completely, but try your best. It makes life a lot easier. 

6. Cut greens 1inch

7. Add handfuls at a time to the pot, allowing to slowly sauté them, continuing to add more. 

8. Once greens are sautéed well enough, add your chicken stalk. I added 3 1/2, but you can add more depending on how watery you want it to be! 

9. Let it boil for about 10 mins

10. Then, let it simmer on low-medium heat for about 45 mins! 

Serve as a side, or eat alone :)

Who am I?

My name is Sara. I'm a 24 year old California native currently living in North Carolina. I'm madly in love with Jordan, my husband, a 2nd Lt in the USMC. We are both pretty much obsessed with our dog lily, whom I will be posting many pictures of. She's a 3 year old Labrador Greyhound, who will absolutely compromise anything for a treat. As of now, I am what you consider a novice housewife. I love cleaning- except for doing the dishes and laundry. I love photography and all elements included. I also love anything that keeps me occupied in the kitchen- whether it be making chocolate chip cookies from scratch, frying donuts, afghan food or southern 'melt in your mouth' type dishes. Lily is most often my accomplice in the kitchen, mainly for picking up bits and pieces of food I've 'accidentally' dropped on the floor. I also love reading, writing, and crafts. I basically am a sucker for anything that requires the use of hands.

Jordan and I have been together since March of 2012. We legally got married Nov 5th 2013. Our current dilemma is which date to celebrate? We met in college, in Daytona Beach, Fl. We had the same classes due to our major, Homeland Security. Coincidentally, we also had the same minor. We were both secretly in love with each other, but the only interaction we had, were the long glances we took; while the other wasn't paying attention. The suspense of knowing who he was, where he was from, what he liked and didn't was enough to kill a girl! Long story short, here we are now. Stationed at Camp Lejeune.  Now that alone, needs its own post.

Below are a few photos of my little Fox Family, enjoy!

Phew!

After spending all day on making changes to my layout, adding widgets, removing widgets, resizing borders and margins etc, I have finally given up! Who knew HTML was so difficult to work with and navigate through. My site should suffice for now. Thanks for stopping by!

 

Back to blogging!

I've taken such a long break from blogging! Glad to be back :)
I will be sharing ideas fashion, projects, food and everything else I stumble upon! I will also be posting the most random photos ever, especially of food and my dog Lily! Stay tuned!