cleaning house

originally this blog was supposed to go along with an online shop ... that never happened. it breaks my heart to admit that I just couldn't get that up and off the ground. It wasn't the right time, and I thought that the creative outlet would help me through a hard time - but it just made me feel more guilty. SO: My personal & miscellanious lifestyle blog is now: kristineariella.blogspot.com (: come on over there to say hi! & alifesizeddoll will be getting a new look and be back to it's outfit style-ishness soon. ♥ xo. kristine

TESTING

I'm having all sorts of issues with Windows Live Writer - which is what I use to write my posts ... and I can't seem to get anything to post at all! Trying to figure out ways to solve this problem (I don't always have internet so using a separate writer is a must for me) - ughhh! If anyone has any suggestions let me know!

xoxo. Kristine

Instagram

I have it! New today ... follow me (kristineariella) so I can follow you back! xoxo

tidbits (& yes I’m still alive)

& a not edited quickly taken picture of my new home. I’ve been around taking pictures, trying to get used to my little cousin’s nikon (although mine will be much different) – keeping things quiet while I move for the second time in a year, in with my boyfriend (in his parents home) trying to get used to a different pace. how many times can I use the word different?

Still haven’t gone back to get my hangers, or gone back at all to be honest. it’s been chaos. too much furniture too little space. a lot of clothes in bins on the bedroom floor. and then my puppy was here (for a month) – and he got really sick. which made me unpacking even harder (even if I had managed to have everything) and now my aunt is in alaska so going back is going to have to wait a little bit more. (& then I had a really long birthday weekend – which I needed – but now I’m having even more trouble getting down to business)

He’s cute though – no?

Here’s a few more shots of that I’ve got sitting on my computer (that are actually edited) that will get dedicated posts later. Sometime soon when I really return

I’m a whiney complainer … as my old human growth and development teacher used to call caillou (she hated that he encouraged whining to get what you want to children, including her daughter, whom she taught to shut it off or change if she was at a friend’s). But not really – I’ve had a lot of good things happening lately. I’m just altogether lethargic, and making a million excuses for being so. I know I’m just procrastinating because I’m overwhelmed. I do.

Let’s see how it all plays out.
& of course – I need to remember to breathe. ♥

xo. kristine

Tidbits

before / during a friend’s surprise birthday dinner. one of the rare times we went out together.
we both make the same faces when we take pictures – it usually involves growling … haha
& I only just realized that  we sort of matched that night.

the birthday boy & his birthday drink! even though it looks girly – it had the most alcohol at the bar (an “Oh My Tai” from Boston Pizza)
and no – I can not believe we are all turning 20+ this year. seriously. weren’t we all just 15 and gangly in high school?

Instead of drinking beer I actually mixed myself a drink for once – a rye&ging. in a pretty cup it made me feel super girly (:
& R, in my sunglasses that match his shirt. hanging out at a bbq hosted by his parent’s friends.

 

just a few pictures that have popped up on my camera from the past few weekends. Back to having things to photograph is nice … even if they are silly and just for me.
xoxo. kristine

Lemon Poppy seed Crepes with Ricotta, Basil and Asparagus

The pictures speak for themselves.

crepes:

1 cup flour
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons / ¼ cup butter (melted)
¼ cup Poppy seeds

1. Mix flour, eggs, water and milk in a blender until smooth. Making sure to use a fork to scrape the flour off the sides (but stop the blender first of course! hahaha)
2. Add melted butter and salt, mix in blender.
3. Chill for ½hr / overnight (in blender) This helps get rid of the bubbles and make it nice and smooth. I found it also makes it so much easier to swirl them)
4. Heat a lightly oiled (& I do mean super lightly) griddle (or really any flat pan will do) over just more then medium heat (like a 6/10).
Pour the batter onto the pan, & “tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly”
5. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top to your liking
6. When the edges start to get a little golden & crispy (usually 2 min.) see if you can stick your spatula underneath all the way through to test if they are ready to flip. I flip my sliding them off my pan onto the lid and then flipping the lid really fast. Some people can do it with a spatula – but it’s much harder for larger crepes. Do what you do.
7. After another 2 min, check to see if they are finished. Place on a plate lined with paper towel. (to absorb the extra oil)

Tips
*For my perfect sized crepe – I usually pour until I see batter in a circle about the circumference of a larger mug.
*I sometimes line in-between each crepe so they don’t get to spongy and oily. Especially if I’m making a big batch to fill later.

I used a recipe that was given to me for this dish, but I really regretted it. It added sugar you didn’t need, and was too thick for me. So this is my tried & true crepe recipe, with poppy seeds added. (: I made these for a wedding shower – and they went like hot cakes (pun intended).

Filling:

Ricotta Filling:

1 standard bag of ricotta
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
sea salt & black pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon each)

1. Take the ricotta out of the bag & add the olive oil and mix together with a large fork
2. Add fresh lemon zest on top (in hindsight I would have added a pinch of lemon juice too, but I had just saved the peel) salt & pepper – mix.

Asparagus:

1. Blanche the asparagus (but keep it whole –  if you need to – halve the stocks)

Basil:

1. Pick out of your garden. (this recipe called for arugula as an optional switch – which I think would have made the dish a 100x better – so if you want – sub out basil for arugula and blanche it when you are doing the asparagus)

 

Here’s how to fold your crepe …

 

Excuse my rudimentary drawing skills :P You could always just place them all on top and devour. Or not do the bottom fold and just roll.
But if you do then you can grab it & go – and it’s delicious. + when you put the leftovers in the fridge they can also just be picked up and snacked on.
They happen to be excellent cold. ♥ They’d also be a good thing to bring to a party – because you can make them small and they are good in the fridge for 2 days. Or a make ahead meal for a busy night. If you have those.

p.s.  OMG! This post was done over a week ago & I thought I had put it up. Like … 2+ weeks ago. Eeek! Expect a bunch of posts all in a row now :( wooosh!

music monday

Fiona Apple. If you don’t know her … well then I’ll hold up the rock you’ve lived under so you can crawl out. (:
She may not have had the easiest life, (hey - who has?) and she’s been penalized for eating disorders, advocating heroin-chic, and doing whatever she wants. … but she’s won a grammy for a reason.
Her newest song came out on April 23rd, and she’s doing another tour – so if you can – get out & see her!

Here’s her newest song below:

 

& a few classics:

 

That I think was the hardest to narrow down yet. Yikes! There’s also a christmas song, a tim burton song, and ohh let’s not forget a cover of across the universe.

happy mondays. if there is such a thing.

xoxo.
kristine