decor: santa brought me a typewriter

Tony and I are back in D.C. after spending Christmas in Ohio, which involved so. many. cookies. And loads of good family time. The highlight of the weekend was playing with the Lionel train set my dad has had since he was a kid. When Stephanie and I were growing up, he'd get it out, but it'd been a long time since he'd it set up. This year, my dad and brother-in-law dug it out and set it up in the basement, making a whole town, which they're calling Trainville. Here's Tony enjoying the fruit of their labors.

Cute conductor hat FTW.

Fun also was had shooting off model rockets. Last year, Tony and I got my dad a model rocket launch kit for Christmas. The two of them put it all together, and we went out to a field to shoot it off, but it disappeared into the heavens on its inaugural launch.

We tried again this year. We went back to the hobby store, and Tony, Ian and Dad each got their own rocket.

We shot them off in the middle of nowhere this year, and I'm happy to report there was only one casualty. One failed parachute put an end to my dad's rocket.

<3

As you may have been able to tell from this blog, I was very good this year. Santa clearly realized this because he left all kinds of goodies under the tree. Including this beautiful old typewriter. Santa must be a rowhouse home reader, haha.

I have the old girl parked in my dining room, on top of the white dresser.

And it works! Tony and I are using it to leave messages to each other. (Awwww.)

That deep dish reference, by the way, is a reference to our pizza dinner last night. So good. Recipe coming soon!

Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year!

life: it's snowing!

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

 

the garden: surprise radishes

Tony was working in the backyard recently, and when he came inside, he brought a radish with him. The radishes were ready to be picked, he said.

RADISHES. I totally forgot about them. Actually, I thought they never came up after I planted them in the fall. And then leaves fell and made a mess of my garden, and I totally forgot about the radishes.

Soooo, we had some radishes on our salad. With romaine, spinach and tomatoes, all from the garden. I told you I love this climate. We get all four seasons with an emphasis on the spring and fall.

<3

So, this was a blog post about my radishes, which I acknowledge is not the most interesting thing in the world. So, to reward you for making it this far into the post, I present you with a super cute picture of my cat.

decor: christmas decorations

Want to see some of the Christmas decorations in my house? I didn't go overboard this year, but there's definitely some holiday cheer in the Tony-Jessi household.

I'll start with my favorite: this vintage plastic Santa, who is strategically placed by the fireplace, as if he just came down the chimney. Stole it from my mom's basement last year, haha.

And then there's this vintage plastic Snowman lamp.

I bought these carolers at a flea market this year, and they're hanging out on the table by my front door

These cute little salt and pepper shakers were a Christmas gift from my mom.

And of course we have a tree, which is of the fake variety. Most of the ornaments are from when Tony and I were kids; now that we're all growed up, we've gotten them from our parents' houses over the past few years. There's a "J" on this little guy's right foot and a "1989" on the other.

And there's a "1987" on the back of Tony's train.

Merry Christmas!

recipe: chocolate olive oil cake

Tony and I had a very festive weekend. Sunday we had Christmas brunch with Mike, Jen and Jamie -- and Saturday we celebrated with Camille and Matt. Even Victor got in on the gifts. And as you can see, he has been a very good kitty this year. Camille and Matt brought him a fish made of sparkles and feathers that he's been carrying around the house ever since.

For dessert on Saturday night, I made a chocolate olive oil cake with vanilla frosting. 

This is my go-to chocolate cake. Also, I think some kind of magic happens in this recipe with baking soda and vinegar to make the cake rise. You don't need eggs or dairy for this cake, so you can make it completely with ingredients in your pantry.

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a stand mixer bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and mix until no lumps remain.

Grease and flour two 8-inch round pans or a 9-by-13-inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-43 minutes in the round pans for 40 minutes in the large pan. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Once cake pans are cool to the touch, turn out the cakes and let cool completely on a wire rack.

If making a two-layer cake, use a bread knife to cut the top of off one of the layers. 

Frost with the vanilla frosting recipe below. Stick sheets of parchment paper under the cake while you're frosting it, so the plate is tidy after you remove your parchment paper.

Vanilla Frosting (for a two-layer cake)

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• up to 3 tablespoons milk

Combine powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in a stand mixer bowl. Add milk, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until frosting is a spreadable consistency.

recipe: gingerbread cake

Sunday afternoon, Mike, Jen and Jamie came over for an early Christmas brunch. For the past few years, we've gotten together before Christmas to celebrate the holiday and trade gifts, and I really look forward to it.

And this year we got some live music, provided by the guitar-wielding Jamie.

And here I put this blog post on pause to talk to you about that mirror above my couch.

Since Tony and I moved into our house, I've been stumped about what to hang over the couch. For a long time, the wall was empty. Then I painted a huge painting of birds on a wire, but I got tired of it. Then I put together a gallery wall, but it was too chaotic for me. And then I found this antique mirror at an antique mall in Ohio this fall for $22! (The same store where I scored my fancy elephant.) It was painted pink to be shabby chic, so I just needed a jar of gold paint. (I used the same paint for my gold eagle over the mantel.) The mirror is heavy, so I bought mirror-hanging hardware from Home Depot with a self-drilling screw to ensure the bracket doesn't pull away from the drywall. And the verdict is: I love my mirror. It's just the right size for the wall space, and it gives the room another dimension and really does make it feel bigger.

Oh, and here is a random mirror-cleaning tip from my mom. You've seen old mirrors with black smudges on them. Apparently that's from moisture getting behind the frame. So when you clean your mirrors, squirt the Windex directly onto your rag and not onto the mirror, so extra moisture doesn't get back there. The More You Know.

Anyway, back to gingerbread cake. I served gingerbread cake for dessert Sunday. If you're still undecided about a dessert to serve for Christmas, let me suggest gingerbread cake with whipped cream. It's seasonally appropriate and delicious. It tastes like Christmas.

Behold, this beautiful cake (with the aftermath of wrapping paper in the background).

The nice folks of America's Test Kitchen did it again. The ingredients seem weird (stout beer, pepper), but it all works together.

Gingerbread Cake

Via America's Test Kitchen

• 3/4 cup stout beer
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• whipped cream for serving

In a small saucepan, bring stout to a boil. (Beer from your home state is optional.)

Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. When foaming subsides, stir in molasses, brown sugar and sugar.

In a stand mixer bowl, combine flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pepper.

Transfer stout mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, oil and fresh ginger.

Whisk wet mixture into flour mixture in thirds, mixing until completely smooth after each addition.

Grease and flour a pan. The recipe calls for an 8-inch square pan. I didn't have that, so I used a 9-inch round pan, which I figured had the same area as the square pan. (Area of square pan: 8 x 8 = 64. Area of round pan: 3.14 x 4.5 x 4.5 = 63.6. Thank you, Math.)

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Tap against the counter a few times.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. (Original recipe said 35 to 45 minutes.) Don't open the oven door during baking. Cake will be done when toothpick comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream.

recipe: white bread

Last Christmas, Santa Claus brought me a stand mixer. I'm in love with it. I spent all last winter using the dough hook to making all different kinds of breads.

I've made a lot of great loafs of white breads, and one of my favorites came from the Joy of Cooking.

I made this recipe last Sunday, and we've been eating this bread all week. Here's a piece I sliced for myself right after it came out of the oven and slathered with butter. Warm homemade bread fresh out of the oven -- that's one of the best things about life.

White Bread

Adapted from Joy of Cooking

 

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 package (1 tablespoon) yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 6 1/2 cups flour

Heat oven to 200 degrees. When it comes to temperature, turn oven off.

In a mixer bowl, combine 1/4 cup warm water and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a saucepan, scald milk until edges start to boil. Off heat, add 1 cup water, shortening, butter, sugar and salt. Add milk mixture to mixer bowl.

Attach dough hook to mixer. On speed 2, add flour, 1/2 cup at a time. After dough comes together, continue to knead for a few minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover. Place in warm oven and let rise for 1 hour.

When dough has risen, punch down and let rise for another hour if time permits.

After second rising, divide dough in half. Roll each half into a large rectangle with smallest side about 9 inches wide. With your hands, roll up the dough into a 9-inch-long loaf. Fold the ends over, so the end spirals aren't showing.

Grease two loaf pans, and place dough in them, seam side down. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes two loaves.

<3

From the archives:

recipe: pull-apart rolls

decor: style quiz

I blogged before about how I don't know how to describe my decor style. I don't know what words to use. And then the other week, I came across this style quiz, and who can resist online quizzes? You rank how well you like each room, and the website will generate a decor style for you.

It turns out, I am 75 percent French Eclectic and 25 percent Rustic Revival. The website describes French Eclectic as "formal and casual, classy and unassuming at the same time." Hey, sounds good to me. And it sounds like the kind of house I'd want to live in. It mentions antiques, gold details, rustic elements, flea markets. Check, check, check, check.

And then Tony wanted to take the quiz, and he got 75 percent French Eclectic and 25 percent Contemporary. I mean, whatever French Eclectic is, at least we like the same things!

I've been putting more of my decor inspiration on Pinterest.

<3

From the archives:

decor: mantel

decor: trunk rehab

decor: elephant update

home improvement: door won't shut

You guys are lucky ducks -- you get two read about two home improvement projects in two days. (Yesterday I blogged about replacing tiles in our bathroom.)

Tony and I have been in home improvement mode lately. Last week, I made a to-do list, room by room, of all the things we need to accomplish in the house while we live there. Ohmygosh is that list intimidating. There's so much we have to do. I figure we should get cracking on these projects soon, so we can enjoy them over the next few years.

The to-do list for our bedroom included this gem: Make Tony's closet door shut. Yeah, the door wouldn't latch, so for the past year and a half, Tony's closet door has been an inch or two ajar.

Here is the after photo, and, as you can see, that door is firmly shut. Success!

The strike plate is in the wrong position, so I had to move it slightly to the right, so the latch can catch it.

Before:

After:

It's a subtle difference.

Now, there was one obstacle in this project. Moving the plate required drilling new holes for the screws, and since I didn't have to move the strike plate that far, the new holes would overlap with the existing holes. And if you were to drill one hole overlapping with another hole, you'd just end up with one big hole, and the screw will slide around.

So this is a tip I picked up from my dad, who picked it up from my grandpa, who was a carpenter. Cut off small pieces of toothpicks, cover them in wood glue, and pack them into the existing holes. Let the glue dry, and you can drill your new holes.

File this under: Projects That Shouldn't Have Taken 19 Months To Do.

<3

From the archives:

home improvement: updating door hardware

home improvement: gfci outlets

home improvement: attaining intermediate

Good news, guys. Tony and I have officially attained "intermediate" status as far as home improvement projects go.

Here's why attaining the intermediate level is important: Earlier this week, I'd been doing some research about the possibility of Tony and me tearing out our ugly back patio and replacing it ourselves. I got a boost of confidence when I saw that the Lowe's DIY page listed this project as intermediate. It says building a patio is the same skill level as installing a ceiling fan or build a birdhouse.

We were able to reach intermediate level in a completely unrelated project Saturday afternoon. Tony and I set out to replace two mismatched tiles in our bathtub, but we ran into a bit of a hiccup. I frantically called my dad on Skype to show him the problem, and he said that if we could pull this fix off, we'd officially be intermediates. And if there were anyone able to bestow beginner, intermediate and expert levels for home improvement projects ... it would be my dad.

(I'll fast-forward about six hours ... we fixed that baby! Intermediates, heck yeah.)

If you want a tutorial on replacing bathroom tile, touching up grout, and caulking a bathtub, you should probably consult Bob Vila or an "expert." This is just the story of two intermediates claiming victory over home improvement.

OK, here is the before photo.

Someone, at some point in time, clearly needed to access behind the tub, so they removed two of the tiles. I'm guessing they couldn't be bothered to go to Home Depot and spend 10 cents on the correct tiles to match, so they just put in two white tiles they had lying around. Also, it's hard to tell from the photo, but the white tiles are a little bit sunken, not flush with the rest of the brown speckled tiles.

I used a hammer and chisel to remove the grout around the two bad tiles.

Which turned out to be super EASY because the tiles were more or less just sitting in this hole with grout around them. No backerboard. No mortar. And there's a 4-inch hole between where the backerboard should be and what appears to be a cement wall.

This is the point where the Skype call was made. 

My dad was really great, and he helped us come up with a plan. First, we used construction adhesive to attach two short 2-by-4s to the concrete wall.

Once that set, we used the construction adhesive again to attach a piece of plywood to the other side of the 2-by-4s.

The plywood is acting like our backerboard here, which gave us something to spread the thin-set mortar on. We used a whole bunch of the thin-set to get the new tiles flush with the old tiles.

The replacement tiles are from Community Forklift. A while ago, I spotted some that match our bathroom, so we grabbed a few because we knew this would be a project we'd have to tackle eventually.

Next we grouted around the new tiles, and we touched up the grout in the rest of the tub, which had been chipping off over time.

And finally: caulk! I scraped out all of the layers of old caulking around the tub and replaced it with caulk that is mold and mildew resistant, which is important for bathrooms.

Which brings us to the after photos.

Drum roll please...

Lookin good, am I right? The tile selection wouldn't be my first choice if I were to pick the tile for our bathroom, but re-tiling our entire tub is not on our to-do list. And at least they all match now!

I'm really proud of ourselves. Looks like intermediates did this project, doesn't it?

And the other great thing about this project is that it gave us the confidence boost we'll need to work with mortar, tile and grout to re-tile the floor in our half bath ... eventually ...