Roasted Poblanos with smokey tomato sauce

This past Thanksgiving (which seems like a million years ago) we took a trip down to Ashland, OR to visit my lovely Aunt and Uncle. They sent us home with a LOT of yummy goodies, like their canned tomatoes straight from their garden. My Uncle, a true culinary wizard, had started smoking his own tomatoes and then canning them and I have to say...they are PHENOMENAL. I decided that stuffing some poblanos with all sorts of goodness, smothering them with the smokey tomato sauce and serving it with some black beans sounded like a winner. And it was.

Ingredients:

4 Poblanos
2 cups of cooked brown rice
3 scallions
4 cups of smokey tomato sauce (regular could work too)
1/2 cups of shredded, good quality, cheddar cheese

Directions:

Hollow out the poblanos by slicing off the tops (keep them) and taking a small paring knife and scraping out the seeds and membranes. Poblanos are pretty spicy so if you prefer a milder flavor, try a bell pepper. Cook your rice by using the 1:2 ratio and using 1 cup of smokey tomato sauce as part of your liquid. Let it cook completely before stuffing. When rice mixture is cooled, add in another cup of smokey tomato sauce, 1/4 cups of cheddar, and half of your scallions. Mix together and test for seasoning. Stuff the peppers by filling it with a spoon and then using a butter knife to press down the filling. This is the way that I found worked best. I used a standard loaf pan and squished those little beauties in tight. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and cheese. Bake at 375̊ until the peppers are tender and the sauce is bubbling.

I served mine with avocado, black beans, and a dollop of plain greek yogurt on top. Enjoy XO

Christmas with the Bushong's

Christmas has come and gone in what feels like a second. I can't believe it's going to be 2014! Mind. Blown. Our Christmas was so laid back and uneventful, just how I wanted it. This was actually the very first time Nick and I spent Christmas in our own house. With his parents being divorced, it was always a 3-ring circus driving from one place to another on Christmas day. This year, we really wanted to spend it just us and it was perfect. On Christmas Eve I made a huge dinner and my sister invited over a friend who was a little christmas orphan (a term used to describe those of us adults whose families live far away). It was delicious! My mom had us shipped a ham from Dearborn Sausage Co. in Michigan and it was pretty spectacular. On Christmas morning my dear little boy experienced his first Christmas and shoved lots of wrapping paper in his mouth :) I'm looking forward to the years to come when he gets really excited, but I also want to make sure that he knows Christmas is not all about receiving. We are not religious over here in my household, but I am a person of deep conviction when it comes to those less fortunate. Many people go with a fraction of what I have. So since Silas got some new toys to play with, I'll be donating quite a few from his basket to make room. I definitely plan on making this an annual thing. Here are a few snapshots of our Christmas! xo

I just discovered this French toy brand "Janod". Gorgeous and inexpensive!

The Janod toy blocks are the most gorgeous colors!

This is was Christmas does to parents....

Hope you all had a great Holiday! Cheers! xo

Peek at the new place and a little DIY

I would love nothing more than to splurge on beautiful furniture. Mid-century modern to be exact. Herman Miller chairs? Yes, please. But, the sad truth is that all of those tapered legs and gorgeous wooden credenzas can be seriously expensive. And mama doesn't have the funds for it. So what is comparable to Herman Miller and a flock of Eames chairs? Well, nothing really. but, IKEA sure can satisfy your mid-century needs (sometimes). 

We needed a new couch desperately. And the things I would have done for one from here...that just wasn't going to happen though. So I turned to my girlfriend IKEA and I am really happy I did. She pulled through. We purchased the Karlstad sofa and couldn't be happier with the look. Unfortunately, the Karlstad comes with some pretty ugly legs on her so with a 

quick trip to ACE hardware and some cheap stain, she is looking like a Mid-Century modern queen. Here is a peek at how our new place and our mini DIY project.

Pretty nice place to relax.

You can purchase these online here. You will need 4 of these legs (duh) and 4 of the straight top plates.

This took very minimal stain and about 5mins to complete all 4.

The biggest pain about this project was installing the top plates. You'll need a drill and you will also have to remove this black plastic covering over the spot for the original legs. It wasn't too difficult, they are just stapled on. Removing this will insure that the top plates lie flat. It was really simple and made the biggest difference in the look of the couch.

This desk was a total DIY as well since we needed something small for the area. The top is a white acrylic shelf and the legs can be purchased separately (all from IKEA). The chair was also an awesome find.

Can't wait to show you more! xo

Back in business

The big move is over. Almost. After a week of no internet, no couch or dining room, we are slowly putting the pieces back together. I'm so excited to do a post on our new place, but things are still a little out of sorts around here so that will be in the next couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to getting more consistent with my posts and actually starting to write some pieces rather than do a photo bomb with some BS attached to it :) But until then, here is a photo bomb with some BS attached to it, Ha!

This move was ROUGH. Here we were, thinking how since we had gotten rid of all of our furniture that it would be simple and smooth. wrong. When you throw an 8month old child in the mix, it's never like that. It was so tiring. Silas was pissed. And the cats were terrified. It was quite the experience. But it's over and done with and now we are having fun selecting our furniture and getting things in order. I have an awesome post coming your way about the couch we purchased and possibly a little apartment peek. Anyways, as promised...here is a look at the last week through the lens of my iPhone :) XO

This was one of the best moments of my week. Silas was so content to just hang out in my arms and fall asleep.

The only way I was able to get some unpacking down. Thanks Moby Wrap! (and that facial expression, omg)

Yoga Baby

Getting our health on.

Me and my bebe.

I love my little fam.

Afternoon date. Thanks seester!!

The chubbiness of those ankles....

The best part of my day is nursing my little bebe before his nap

Let's get crafty!

I thought it would be nice to put a little DIY into our holiday decorating this year. I plan on making some garland for the tree (expect a post on that later), and while I was at it I figured I could make some ornaments. As a kid we had a tradition where every year we would go a store and pick out an ornament for the tree. It was something I thoroughly enjoyed and this year my mom sent me my box of ornaments to decorate my tree with :) I'm so excited to start this tradition with Silas and figured I'd add onto it by making him something for our tree every year. This ornament was pretty simple, but definitely a little time consuming. Embroidery is not something I have ever done so it took me awhile to get a hang of the stitching.

Materials

Wool felt in desired color (s) and cut into whichever shape you prefer. I went for a circle.
Embroidery thread (mine is size #5)
Needle
Fabric marker (or a thin sharpie works)
Stuffing of some sort (get creative, I used toilet paper!)

Directions

Cut out your desired shape. Write or draw your desired text/picture on whichever color you want. I chose the green side simply because you can read it easier. Next comes the embroidery! I made sure to cut an extra long piece of thread so that I could loop around the text. It doesn't matter how the back looks since it will be covered. Thread your needle with your embroidery thread by pulling the thread through and stopping about 3in before it it will pull through. You only want the stitches to be single thread otherwise it will be too bulky (especially if you decide to use cursive like I did). After you complete your text you are going to stitch and stuff. The best explanation for the type of stitch I used, which is called a buttonhole stitch, to close up my ornament can be found here (and while you're at it try making those felt shoes, SO cute!). I closed mine up about 1/2 way and then stuffed, did some more stitches and then stuffed some more!

Happy Crafting! xo

Life lately...and a photo bomb

My life. It's crazy, but simple. it's stressful, but calm. Sometime's I feel like I have a lot going on, and other times I feel like I need to fill it with more. As this year comes to a close I am feeling grateful for this life that I have. I am aware more than ever that it can be gone in an instant and it's so easy to let the days go by and not realize how precious they are. While 2013 was special due to the fact that we welcomed our little boy...it was hard. I felt that I was really tested in ways I had never experienced before. Relationships were made stronger and some were unfortunately put to the side. Now that we have a baby I feel like I only want to invest my time (which is precious) with people who love me, support me, and are there for me unconditionally. The time for judgmental and selfish relationships has passed. Because truthfully...ain't nobody got time for that! As nick and I clear out the negative and welcome in the positive, I am so optimistic about this next year. I am super excited to see my baby boy grow and invest some serious time into my marriage. New apartment, new furniture, new outlook. The Bushong family is getting an overhaul! Here is a photo bomb for your viewing pleasure :) xo

These two boys have my full attention this year.

Hiking in the lovely Ashland, OR

Ponderosa Pine. Looks like a puzzle!

Ooooo nothing to worry about, it's just a bear cave!

Holiday indulgences are in full swing.

Silas witnessing his first snowfall.

This boy...he has my heart.

Poppin' tags

I've never been a huge "thrifter". I want to be. Seriously. I love the look that older pieces give an outfit and I want to be a part of the "cool crowd". But to be honest, I really just do not have the patience for that kind of thing. My sister on the other hand is pretty AMAZING at finding the best pieces at goodwill while I always seem to come up empty handed. Until the other day that is. Nick and I had a little bit of time to ourselves (what?!?) and decided to stop into a second hand store to find some duds. I scooped up two dresses for $16! I love them. One of them is straight from an episode of "Blossom" and reminds me of something I had in the 2nd grade. But Nick is the one who really lucked out. I quickly spotted a pair of dark leather Clarks desert boots and a badass Pendleton wool button up. SCORE. He had been eyeing a pair of Clarks at the mall, but since they retail for around $135 we just couldn't pull the trigger. These were only $45. We. are. winners. Here is a look at our loot and a look that I put together with one of the dresses.

Dress: Thrifted

Shoes: Charlotte Russe

Jacket: H&M

Scarf: American Apparel