Here’s what I’ve been up to this week!
Do you feel like wallpaper is everywhere you look? One on hand, it’s an easy way to update the look of a room. On the other hand, it’s so…permanent. I’ve been doing a few things to my tiny living area, like switching out the dining chairs and the light fixtures. Next on my plan was wallpaper, but now I feel so wishy-washy about it.
I’m weary of graphics that will overwhelm my tiny space. I’m feeling like subtle is the way to go…
And I want it to feel elegant without being too flowery or stuffy. This Farrow and Ball is my current favorite at the moment. I really need to take a trip downtown to look at samples. What do you guys think…do you have wallpaper, do you you love it, do you feel like it’s just too permanent, do you not worry about these things???
Sometimes a dish can go awry when the spice is just a little too much to handle. In the past, I’ve found that with enchiladas. They’ve never been a fan favorite at my house due to the ‘spicy’ complaints. In an effort to bring them into our rotation of easy-dinners, I decided to make a creamy version of the original.
Trader Joe’s enchilada saucy mixed with a container of light sour cream does the trick! Whisking the two together gets rid of all the lumps.
If you have cooked chicken on hand, dice it up. I had chicken tenderloins in my freezer, so I gave them a generous sprinkle of cumin, chili powder and garlic salt along with a drizzle of olive oil. After they baked in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, I let them cool and then chopped them up.
For a bit more flavor I chopped about a half an onion, sauteed and added that to the chicken.
I only had sharp cheddar on hand, but any kind of cheddar or monterey jack would work. To the inside of each tortilla (I had flour on hand, but corn would work great too.), I rolled up a tablespoon of diced chicken/onions, shredded cheese and a bit of the creamy sauce.
When my 9×9 pan was tightly packed with tortilla rolls, I added more sauce the topped with cheese. And into a 350 degree oven it goes (for 20-25 minutes)!
There ya go…dinner done in a flash! Add a little side salad and you’re good to go!
Crystal Cove…over 2 and half years ago.
And just like that, Valentine’s mini-sessions are wrapped!
It was so much fun last year, I just have to bring it back!
Here’s how it works: invite 4-6 friends to meet at the park with their kids. I show up with my camera ready to have fun. No posing, no ‘cheeeese,’ just kids being kids. Each family will be presented with an online gallery of images of their child/children from our time at the park. The approach will be photojournalistic…truly showing who they are at this stage of life. This isn’t a time to get all gussied up and take them kicking and screaming to a ‘photo shoot.’ This is a time to play with friends and be a kid!
The details:
You choose the park that your children love to go to…I will stay for approximately one hour photographing the children.
*This is for weekdays only…during the day or after school for children that are school aged.*
Your friends each pay $25 for the session. Your session is free.
Your will receive access to special digital packages if orders are placed within a week of proofing.
**Offer is valid until March 9. Email info@kristineldridge.com or call 562-980-6480 to reserve a date.
Last week I was on twitter and saw someone raving about steel cut oats from Simple Bites. To be honest with you, steel cut oats have always scared me a little. I have a hard time selling oatmeal in my house…but STEEL CUT oatmeal?! I didn’t know how this is going to go down, but I had a feeling, I’d be eating all the steel cut oats in a corner by myself. Sooo, when the tweet about these tasting like apple pie came across my screen, I was in. Oh and waking up to apple pie smell…BONUS.
Here’s how it goes. Head over to Trader Joes and buy the can that looks like it was made a hundred years ago. Then haul that dusty crock pot out.
Dump these ingredients into a glass bowl…3/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup half-and-half, 2 T brown sugar, 1 t cinnamon, 1/4 t nutmeg, 1/4 t salt, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1 grated apple and 2 cups water. Stir it well and place it in a crock pot filled with water. Turn it to low and wake up to the most delicious oatmeal you’ve ever had. It’s not super sweet, so after adding a little more milk, I sprinkled with brown sugar and added some toasted pecans for crunch. It has a custard-y taste and the first time I made it Brent and I both said we skipped lunch because we were still full.
I do want to add that I’ve made it a few times and tried omitting the grated apple because that’s the most time consuming part of the process. It still tasted delicious without, so if you’re feeling lazy…go for it with just the applesauce. Lastly, I typically don’t stay up until midnight and wake at 6am to allow for the 6 hour cooking time, so I made mine at 10pm and we at at 7am. Guess what? Still amazing.
Oh one more thing…I want to make this with strawberries or peaches when they come into season…I’m telling you. Best breakfast evah!
These are all iphone photos by the way. It’s just to early to drag out the big camera at breakfast!!
Nothing says love like handmade. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, I get excited about making little tokens of affection. Sometimes, it’s baking for friends and or sweet written notes, but when it comes to the children, I love using their photos for handmade valentines. This year, pixie sticks were the sweet treat, adorned with a photo and a little flag. It’s a no-fuss project they are thrilled to hand out to all their friends!
Step one: If you own photoshop, take a photo of your child and use the elliptical marquee tool to draw a circle around their face. Then right click and choose ‘select inverse.’ Delete the outside of the circle and use the move tool to move to a blank page. Move as many of these circles to your blank page as you need, then print the page. I printed on regular old card stock.
Step two: Cut out the circles. I chose to leave a white space around the circle because it was easier to cut in a nice rounded line. If you do not own photoshop, print out 4x6s of your child and use a circle template (found at craft stores) to trace around the child’s face. Then simply cut around the line.
Step three: Using a glue stick, attach the circle to the top of the pixie stick.
Step four: Attach a little flag to the pixie stick. I chose to print out strips that said the child’s name, but you could achieve an equally cute result by gluing a little strip of ribbon around. Or tie a bow! The possibilities are endless!
If you’re inspired to get crafty, check out my Valentine’s Day DIY from last year! https://kristineldridge.com/?p=3622
Here’s what I’ve been up to this week!
Working a few months ahead is just all part of the game with my job. While you’re dressing up for Halloween, I’m just wrapping up plans for Christmas photo shoots and while you’re thinking about Valentines, I’ve got Spring and Easter on the brain! Enter Pinterest. I love perusing this website for ideas and inspriation when I’m planning for photo sessions.
Sometimes I’ve got the idea nailed before I even start cutting or painting. Other times the concept comes together while I’m working on it. This is going to be one of those times! I’ve been so inspired by the spring branches and baby blossoms, that I somehow want to incorporate that into my next backdrop, but I’m not exactly how it will all come together. This week I’ll be gathering branches and stocking up on the spray paint. If you want to see the progress, follow me on Twitter and Instagram (username: kristineldridge)!
Oh and in other news, I’ve been loving my new Wacom Bamboo Tablet. There is a bit of a learning curve (hello shaking handwriting) but it’s so much fun to incorporate into blog posts!