My Inner Martha & L-O-V-E

In November of last year, one of my dearest and most fabulous friends got married. It was a wonderful celebration, full of tricky weather, and some of the most witty & creative people I've ever met. We had a ridiculous amount of fun, and I'm hoping that the bride & groom have a wedding party reunion every year (I suppose this is called an "anniversary") so we can recreate the magical fun that was had by all. (Did you catch that part, Alicia?) Before I continue, have a look at the darling, radiant couple, dancing a very saucy little tango at their reception. Also, you can't so much see this in the photo, but the beautiful bride literally had crystals dangling down her back. She really thought of everything, even back decor:

This was a very special wedding for both Dan & I. Not only did we get to leave The Kidlets behind with grandparents (our first weekend "away" in......oh gosh, years), but also Dan had the honor of performing the marriage ceremony, and I had the honor of being the Matron. Of honor. There was a lot of honoring going on.

Of course I wanted to gift them something special, but as the day got closer, I began to panic. Why hadn't I planned better, and thought of making them super unique, like a quilt (because I'm totally a quilter, remember?) months before? The registry items were rapidly dwindling, and nothing was exactly grabbing my attention. And then I came across an idea on Amy Butler's website. Well hello, gorgeous WALL ART!!! And then the crafting voices spoke to me. I will channel my inner Martha Stewart and craft them a wedding gift!

For those of you who just got uncomfortable with the thought of me crafting, I'll come right out and tell you (spoiler alert!) that it actually turned out fantastic! I could tell just by reading the pattern that not only could I actually pull this off, but I could also do so in a couple of days. And that's exactly how much time I had before it was time to hit the road for wedding weekend extravaganza. One of my charms is my ability to thrive on impending deadlines.

The first step was choosing the various fabrics I was going to use. Moment of truth: this step took me longer than all of the steps combined. Is there a medical diagnosis for people who cannot make decisions, especially in fabric stores? I walked around and pulled fabric bolts off the shelves and then walked away, around in a circle, back to pull off more bolts, then back to study the pattern for hours. It's really difficult to make such important decisions when in the presence of so much beauty. Sue me.

Ultimately I decided that almost half of my fabric choices would come from my own fabric stash at home, because they're the ones I liked best. Go figure!

Here, I've made a verbal and monetary commitment to the following fabrics, and thus began the unfolding of the Amy Butler "LOVE" wall art wedding gift. I love how happy each of the fabric choices are, and while they're a far cry from "match-y-match-y", they all go together so nicely:

Next it was time to print & cut out my pattern, tape it together, and assign fabric to each of the 4 "LOVE" letters. This was also one of those steps that took way longer than the entire project. Who knew cutting out letters was such a time commitment?:

Next, I cut out my letters and laid them out to make sure I was still in L-O-V-E with them. I was. Can you blame me? Have you ever seen such beauty in the form of letters?

Once I was able to finalize my letters, it was time to build the frame for the stretched canvas that would lay underneath the fabric background. I won't lie; this was one of those moments that a man sure comes in handy. And when I say "man", what I really mean is "man plus 2 kiddos", as this quickly became a family project. The family that crafts together, stays together! (right?!)

Any time Daddy pulls out the hammer, the kids flock to him.

 The look on Ben's face says it all: Isn't Daddy the greatest frame builder you've ever seen? And Ella's like, "This is more fun then I know what to do with, so I'll just sit here with my darling tummy and look cute."

The next step involved some tricky canvas stretching + stapling + background fabric stretching & stapling. But I didn't take pictures of that step, so just imagine me stressing out and trying to make my staples even and getting nervous that I was going to somehow break the beautiful frame that my husband had just assembled. Silly me- not even My Inner Martha could break that frame. Here's the finished product:

Up close & personal:

Cute, right? The Bride (who lives many hours & hours away) claims it now hangs in their bedroom, and this warms my heart a million times over. I hope it serves as a reminder to L-O-V-E each other every morning they wake up together.

Feel like making your own pretty wall art? Here's the free Amy Butler pattern for your creative crafting pleasure. Have fun-- and seriously, if I can do this, really a-n-y-o-n-e can. For reals.

Must Make This!

Alright kids, gather 'round, because Mama has a treat for you! This is a (very Fall) roasted vegetable & ricotta pizza, which I first discovered 3 years ago in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food and have adored it ever since. I've adapted it and put my own spin on it just a bit, creating hands down one of the greatest pizzas I've ever had. It's a simple pizza- topping literally consists only of wonderful roasted fall vegetables (if you're into that sort of thing, and who isn't?), adorned with dollops of ricotta and mozzarella cheese, then drizzled with olive oil. Trust me, you deserve this kind of treatment. What I love about using your own pizza dough is that it allows for making your own "rustic" shape, which I find utterly charming. It just so happens that we are having this tomorrow night for the first time this year, and my mouth is literally watering just anticipating its wonderfulness. I promise you will not regret making this, and it guarantees to make you all warm and cozy inside! (And honestly, have I ever led you astray?)

Roasted Fall Vegetable & Ricotta Pizza

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• Olive oil, for baking sheet and drizzling
• Flour, for dusting surface
• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, fresh, or thawed if frozen (we absolutely love Trader Joe's fresh whole wheat pizza dough- it yields 2 nice sized thin-crust pizzas, perfect for our family)
  
• Approx. 2 cups (more or less) part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
  
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 bunch golden beets, well scrubbed and halved (leave skin on until after done roasting)
  
• 2 red potatoes, well scrubbed and quartered
• 1 sweet potato, well scrubbed & cut into 1 1/2 in. pieces
  
• 2 leeks, rinsed well (to get rid of sand) halved lengthwise and cut in 1 1/2-in. lengths
  
• 3 medium carrots, halved lengthwise if thick, and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1-2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese (depending on your preference & how much you like)
  
• small handful chopped basil for topping (optional)
• *NOTE: This is a vegetarian pizza, but for those of you who MUST have a little meat with their meal, I'm sure this would taste amazing with some spicy Italian sausage, or even some salty prosciutto thrown on top!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place vegetables and garlic on large rimmed baking sheet (or line with parchment paper, if desired, for easy cleanup); toss with olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, tossing them once halfway through. Let cool. Peel beets- skin is now soft enough to peel with your hands. Cut veggies into size of your preference- we use chunkier size veggies on this pizza, but you can make them bite size if you prefer.
   
3. Turn oven up to 475 degrees. Brush a large baking sheet with oil, or line with parchment paper, if desired, for easy cleanup. (Alternatively, you can also use a pizza stone. I lightly oil mine, place in a 500 degree oven for about 15 min., lightly flour the stone and THEN place rolled pizza dough on top and proceed with pizza directions)
   
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch dough into as large as will fit on baking sheet; transfer to sheet (if not using pizza stone).
5. Sprinkle dough with half the mozzarella. Scatter vegetables on top, and dollop with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake until bubbling and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
   
6. Once pizza is out of the oven, sprinkle chopped basil on top (optional). Serve.

Leftover roasted veggies? Toss them with some penne pasta & parmesan, and have yourself another delicious Fall meal!


Photo courtesy of www.marthastewart.com

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What We Had For Dinner

Ohhhh, boy. Just do you & your loved ones a favor, and make this. You won't believe how much delightful tastiness POW is packed into these cute little turkey patties. And the sweet potato fries? Are you kidding me? Does it get better than this? (perhaps, if I had thought to make chocolate shakes to dunk our sweet potato fries into, but that may have been a bit much for a Thursday). Thank you Martha Stewart, and her June 2007 publishing of this recipe in my very favorite & necessary kitchen bible magazine, Everyday Food. Go ahead! I double dare you NOT to love these.

By the way, our grocery stores don't seem to sell actual "mini buns", so I just bought some (super cheap!) whole wheat dinner rolls and sliced them. *Alternatively, you can use those "King's Hawaiian" Honey Wheat rolls. DELISH!



Turkey Burger Sliders

Serves 4

• 2 slices white sandwich bread for breadcrumbs, (about 1 ounce each) OR....if you have your own store-bought breadcrumbs, like me, just use that. About 5 tbsp.
  
• 1- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 2 ounces cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 small onion, coarsely grated
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil + more for grill pan
• 12 "party-size rolls" *
• Lettuce, sliced tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard, for serving (optional)

In a food processor, pulse bread until fine crumbs form (or measure out store-bought breadcrumbs). Transfer to a medium bowl; add turkey, cheese, onion and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and mix gently just until combined. Form twelve 2-inch patties (about 3 tablespoons each).

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook patties until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Alternatively, you can BBQ these- just make sure to spray grill with non-stick spray, as turkey has a tendency to stick to the grill.


Serve on rolls with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard, if desired.


Sweet Potato Fries:
Serves 4

• 2 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds total), peeled and cut into 1/2-by-2-inch sticks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide potatoes between two rimmed baking sheets; toss with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer, without overlapping. Roast, tossing once, until tender and starting to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Sprinkle with lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Toss to coat.