Tasty Tuesdays: Turkey, Brie and Kale Sandwich

Very Excellent Boyfriend made me the most amazing sandwich. I need you to know all about it. 

Look at that meal!

A few days ago, I bought some loaves of day-old bread from the Buford Farmer's Market. It's like the Dekalb Farmer's Market, only it's significantly closer to where I live, exponentially less crowded, and much cleaner. Score. 

V.E.B. sliced a loaf open, and stuffed it full of homemade honey mustard, brie, thick-sliced turkey, kale, and dried cranberries. Then he wrapped in in tinfoil and baked it in the oven for fifteen minutes. 

A different angle.

If you're not convinced of it's deliciousness yet, just take a gander at the inside:

I am suddenly starving. I may have to run to Kroger for some turkey. 

Make-it-Monday: Taking-in a Sweater at the Sides

This week's DIY went so much better than I had expected. Of course, I had a lot of Internet knowledge to draw from. I'm proud to say that I can now transform a large sweater into a small.

Here's the garment in question:

I found it (where else?) at Goodwill, and was immediately drawn to the unique neckline. It's a cross between a scoop and a V neck and it's great. 

To take it in, I first flipped it inside-out. Then, I took a shirt that fits me really well and laid it on top.

I marked the sleeves with a pen, because I knew I needed to move the sleeves in. As it originally fit, the shoulder seam was way too wide. 

Next, I marked the sides of the T.

I cut the sleeves off at the seam and pinned their new location. I put the pins really far in so that I'd have plenty of room to sew the seam. I did the same with the sides, so that the fabric wouldn't shift around under the sewing machine's foot.

Then, I simply sewed-up all the seams and cut-out the extra fabric. Easy-peasy.

In all, this project took me about an hour, but that was mostly because I'd never done it before. I feel like I could do this project again in half the time.

Now I just have to wait 6 months for fall to wear my new sweater. Wahoo!

Fashionable Friday: The Student Becomes the Teacher

My tutoring students are wonderful - though they occasionally frustrate and befuddle me, they are (by and large) wonderful people. And a few of them are stylish as heck.

This gal always looks like a million bucks. Last week, she stunned me with this ensemble.

Yes, I asked her permission to post her likeness. I'm a responsible adult.

I am all OVER that look! She is so put-together, but not stuffy at all. Her shoes and glasses are a polite tip-of-the-hat to Hipsterdom, but the blouse, blazer, and pants are classy and chic. If her boots were heels, she wouldn't look out of place at a nice restaurant (perhaps Three Blind Mice??).

An outfit this great makes me want to go to Marshall's.

...does that make sense?

Thrifty Thursday: Vintage Disasters

Sometimes, I find amazing, adorable vintage dresses at thrift stores.

Sometimes this happens:

A beautiful, summery pastel dress. That wouldn't zip and made me look like a vampire.

Yes, that IS my bellybutton.

Whatever Wednesday: I Have a Cold (or allergies, or something)

Over the past week, I feel like I've jumped from ailment to ailment; blisters, hoarse voice, sore throat, to congestion. My immune system is going haywire, which is ridiculous because I've been doing nothing at all for weeks. Now, just as I'm starting rehearsals for two different projects, I'm bogged-down with a stuffy nose and post-nasal drip. All I want to do is sleep, take steamy showers, and drink hot beverages.

Since Saturday, I've finished each day with a hot toddy.

It's the perfect nightcap when my head pounds and my voice won't behave. Last night, I even dressed-up for it.

Why not put on a floppy hat and pretend I'm feeling fine? 

I've been at rehearsal since noon, but mentally I'm snuggled-up in bed with a hot mug of tea, a book, and some Vicks Vapo Rub.

Tasty Tuesday: Brussel Sprouts With Bacon

You already know how much I love brussel sprouts, so don't act surprised. But the last time I mentioned them, I proposed a challenge, and no one followed-through. 

I'll admit it - sprouts aren't the sexiest vegetable. For some reason, they have a really bad rap (kids in movies and on TV are always complaining about them). But I promise you that they are delicious. And in this case, decadent.

Ingredients:

• Bacon

This was in the freezer - it's not expired meat

• Brussel sprouts

• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

• Bake some bacon - Are you still frying bacon? STOP IT. It's messy, and the pieces are never uniformly cooked, and they don't lie flat. Put your bacon in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Then flip it and cook for another 10 minutes. You will thank me.
• Halve the sprouts - While the bacon is cooking, cut your sprouts in half lengthwise.

• Blanch the sprouts - Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and dump the sprouts in. Let them cook in the boiled water for no more than 5 minutes. They will turn a lovely BRIGHT green. After 5 minutes, dump them in a strainer and shake off some of the extra water. 

• Chop the bacon - By now, the bacon is probably done cooking. Remove it from the oven and save the grease. Chop the bacon into little bits, then set it aside.

• Saute the Sprouts - Okay, now you can use your frying pan. Sautee the sprouts in the pan with some of the grease from your bacon. We actually save our bacon grease in a container in the fridge, so I can cook stuff in bacon grease whenever I want. In this case, I just poured the grease from the baking sheet into the pan. Cook the sprouts for about 10 minutes, depending on your preferred doneness. I like to get the outsides golden, but not brown.

Cook all of the things in bacon grease!

• Put them in a bowl - Remove from heat and put them in/on some type of serving dish.
• Add bacon and toss.

See? Vegetables don't have to be healthy.

Make-it-Monday: Dealing with Failure

I saw The Great Gatsby over the weekend, though not quite as originally planned. My dress wasn't finished yet, and Roomie had a conflicting event, but that's no matter. We're going on Friday, and this time I'll be dressed for Jazz Age success.

At least that's what I'm telling myself, even though this refashion has been a nightmare.

So far, I've taken the sides in five times. I've sewn-in a complete seam, then picked it all out again. The first seams were too tight, so I sewed outside the original lines to give myself a little more room. Somehow, magically, I actually made the dress EVEN SMALLER. I literally have no idea how. I'm discovering so many new and creative ways to destroy a sewing project. 

One side got folded all over itself.

Meanwhile, the other had two seams.

And the zipper is always slouchy.

No matter - I have the rest of the week to work on it (she says, knowing full well that she has no free time). 

Last night I had my first rehearsal for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Atlanta Lyric Theatre, and at noon I have my first rehearsal for my summer shows at Stone Mountain. Once again, it's going to be an action-packed summer. I love being busy like this - though physically exhausting, my soul is never more energized than when I'm racing between jobs. 

Oh yeah, about the movie: I highly recommend it. But don't even bother if you're going to watch it like a film snob. It's over-the-top in the most spectacular ways - the anachronistic music, the surreal color palate, the impossible scenery. Baz Luhrmann is like a modern Busby Berkley; there's nothing realistic about the way he films. But that's the whole point. His movies aren't literal; he's not trying to give you Lincoln. It's all about getting the audience in the mood. As a director, he's much more concerned with setting a tone than with any kind of accuracy; as an audience member, I appreciate that. I want to get carried away by movies, and modern bass lines give me a more emotional connection than 20s era jazz would. All that being said, the second half of the movie settles very nicely and much of the pomp falls away (at least for a while). There are some lovely performances, too (like Tobey Maguire making his triumphant return!).

Hopefully, the second time I see it I'll be dressed in a Jazz Age frock of my own redesign. If not, I'll figure something else out. I'm nothing if not resourceful.