Nesting

What can I say, I like to nest.  I like feeling "at home".  (Oddly enough, one of the places I feel most at home is in a mediocre hotel room...ah, the life of a gypsy.)  I am not a person that leaves the walls bare, the rooms unpainted or the nooks undecorated...even in a rental.  So it's been about two months in my new Chicago digs, so I thought that I would give everyone a peak at the progress so far!  It's by no means finished yet, but it's definitely starting to feel like my little nest. :)

A little partial view of the kitchen
on the day that I looked at the apt

Pre-Move In Dining Room

How to get new furniture when funds are low?
Just spend hours and lots of elbow grease rehabbing OLD
furniture! (Kitchen table seen here!)

My brother helped me out with the furniture
reb

Staining the $50 buffet that I found at a thrift store!

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THIS group is the best.  They moved me into my apartment while I wasn't even there!!  

Aftermath of moving.

Living Room in progress

Bedroom in progress

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Dining Room

Bedroom is my favorite place in the apt.

Bedroom Succulents 

Living Room Bookshelf

Anyway...Here it is!  Isn't it wonderful??  It's even changed some since I took these pictures the other day... so I guess you'll just have to stop by to keep updated!

Extended Midwest Vacation!

Alright, I think that most people in the NYC area might agree that I've been pretty MIA for the last couple of months...but it's with good reason! Back in June I did a show out at the Gateway called SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE, an experience that was honestly one of the best times I've ever had, with some of the most wonderful people I've ever met, doing a show that is very near and dear to my heart.   That same production is headed out on tour!  However, I had a couple of months in between to play with.  Most of that I spent in the city working at The Skylark, but honestly the money there was just not what it should be.  SOOOO, I decided that it would be a better option for September to just sublet my apartment a month early and head home for a couple of weeks.  I don't think that it's ever been a secret that New York City gets on my nerves sometimes....the over-crowdedness, the smell, the cost, the dirt, the grind.  I love NY, but I LOVE to leave NY too.  So instead of just working to pay rent, I went home and ate all of my parents' food. :)

My extended trip home was much, much needed.  It's been so long since I've had very much time at home without a wedding or a holiday or other event...and it is SO nice to wake up and literally have nothing that I have to do that day.  NOTHING.  No responsibilities, no plans, no nothing.  I spent a lot of time bike riding on the bike path along the river, exploring places that I haven't been since I was a kid - Pottawatomie Park, Island Park, the Japanese Garden, the Fabayan Windmill - and places that I never knew existed either.  I hung out in downtown Geneva a bit, which has actually become an awesome little downtown with new wine bars, chocolate shops, boutiques, trendy restaurants, outdoor seating and festivals (I finally got to enjoy Festival of the Vine...I did NOT appreciate the joy of a wine fest in my youth!).



It was also so great to spend time with my family.  I made a lot of meals and watched a lot of football with my mom and dad.  I also got to spend time with Ryan and Sadie and Abby, which I love.  Sadie was helping me learn to knit (made much more difficult by a previous few rounds of beer...haha) - I'll post a picture when my first project gets a little farther a long!!  It was also so fun to spend time with my niece, Abby.  It's great to get to a point where she is comfortable with me and knows me and has fun with me.  It's hard to form a relationship with a 2 year old when you live hundreds of miles away and only see each other for a few hours at a time once every few months... Makes me very happy to hear her call me "Auntie" or "Eein" when I walk in the door! And she's such a sweet little girl, I just love getting to spend time with her...



What else did I do for 3 weeks?  I went to the library, worked out at my parents gym, went out to eat, took a side trip to Ann Arbor for a Michigan game,  drove down to Starved Rock for some hiking and nature, baked pies, went shopping with my mom, caught up with old friends, met my dad for lunch, watched HGTV, slept 9 hours a night, woke up at a decent time every day, and generally felt healthy, happy and renewed.  It was awesome.  And just what my sanity needed before I popped back to NYC for a couple of days of rehearsal before heading out on the SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE tour....but THAT'S a whole other post! :)

Staycation (July Edition)

Everyone needs a good "Staycation" once in a while and MOST of the time that means a nice little vacation at home - seeing the sights, eating at new restaurants in your city and maybe playing tourist a little bit.  But for me it usually means holing up in my apartment and getting away from the world for a bit.  And luckily (or maybe unluckily?) the perfect storm presented itself for that very opportunity this weekend.

The last two weeks have been BUSY.  I have been working at The Skylark a bunch, rehearsing for a project that Chet Walker asked me to do during the day, Lo's wedding in Vermont was last weekend, auditions happened, life happened... and by the time I woke up on Thursday, my throat was sore, my body was aching and I had a sinking feeling that the dreaded Summer Cold was coming my way... with a 12 hour day still ahead of me.   So by the time my shift ended Thursday night, I fell face first into bed and started a looooooong weekend Staycation.  In my apartment.  And it was magical.

Sometimes I think that a cold is our body's way of slowing us down for a minute... "Whoa, Erin, you've been hittin' it pretty hard lately.  A little TOO hard.  So I'm gonna knock you flat on your ass!" (...or something of that nature.)  So I listened and gave it a rest.  I LOVE a good weekend home and this one was no exception.  I slept late (LATE!), made delicious and (kinda?) healthy food, turned down a few invites to go out, watched a bunch of TV ranging from "The Lego Movie" to a major "Breaking Bad" marathon*, did some arts and crafts (DISCLAIMER: these details cannot be revealed due to it being part of a friends upcoming birthday present. Heehee! More on that at a later date...), and generally enjoyed some rest, relaxation, and alone time.  And didn't feel guilty about it. one. bit.

Since I had all of this time on my hands, I spent a lot of time making food - Salsa, Penne with homemade Vodka Sauce, Peach Ice Cream and best yet, made my own fricken' ALMOND MILK!  (Who the hell do I think I am??) I wrote a post a bit ago about trying to eat better, choosing more whole foods, staying away from fillers and pesticides, etc.  Milk is definitely something that I struggle with... I love dairy milk, but I get concerned about the hormones and contaminants and fat content and excess lactose. I tried Almond/Soy/Coconut milk, but then I heard that the store brands have a lot of other random additives as well.  Well, shit...

   
So I thought, hey, let's give homemade Almond Milk a whirl!  ....and turns out that it was pretty damn easy to make!  Take about 1/2 cup of raw almonds and soak them overnight to remove some sort of natural enzyme inhibitor found in the skin (...something ...something ...science).

After draining them, add the almonds and about 4 cups of water to the blender...I used my NutriBullet and I bet a Vitamix would be great, but I think a regular blender would also do just fine.  I also added a dollop of honey, a pinch of salt, and a bit of Pure Vanilla Extract to taste. Blend it up real good for about a minute or two (maybe more if you are using a regular blender) and then strain it into a pitcher with a lid of some sort.  To strain it, I used a piece of cheese cloth, but apparently there is a thing called a Nut Milk Bag (HA!) that is specifically designed for this.  Maybe next time.  You put it through the cloth and then squeeze out the extra liquid from the almond pulp.  It all strains out nice and clean and makes....ALMOND MILK!! And let me tell you, it tastes amazing.  And you can totally make it to your own taste....sweet, vanilla-y, whatever.  It doesn't keep too long, but that is the price you pay for fresh!!  Regardless, total success! Get into it!!  Your internal organs will SING!!! :)

 *** SIDE NOTE:  Almond Pulp.  What the hell do I do with that?  I have no idea...  Seems a shame to throw it away, but yeah...I don't know.  That's what Pinterest is for, I guess.  Let me know if you have any ideas...***

* And speaking of your insides singing....actually NO.  Let's talk about BREAKING BAD.  I know that I am really late to the party, but I started watching it and have had a few marathon days and I'm PISSED.  To be fair, I'm only just into Season 5, but what the hell?? I'm so mad at Walt.  He's such a dick now...to his family, to Jesse, to his "co-workers"....I'm just annoyed.  He is really turning out to be the anti-hero when he started out with such noble intentions.  I guess that's what makes the writing so genius...the slow decline into moral ambiguity...no "good guys" or "bad guys", just incredibly flawed people.  Everyone keeps telling me to stick with it and that it all wraps up, but....UGH.  I don't know. It is so hard to keep rooting for this guy that is turning out to be a real asshole.  And then you find yourself feeling so much empathy for Jesse, a meth head, loose cannon with a skewed (but noble?) moral compass.  I think I just talked myself back into thinking that it is a GREAT show.  But now I can't stop until I finish it and see how it all ends.  DAMN YOU, NETFLIX!!!!


Anyway, I was very lucky that I got to rest up, recharge my battery and fight this cold in peace with NOTHING to do....Back to reality tomorrow, I suppose!  But at least I'm feeling better and have a lot to look forward to next week...as soon as I finish just one more episode of Breaking Bad. Maybe two more. THREE max...  ;-)



(And seriously, try the almond milk.)

-e

I Really Just Want a Beer and Some Mac and Cheese

Let's face it. I don't really cook...I mean, I CAN (to a degree), I just, kinda...don't. It's hard to when you live alone and most of the time it turns out to be a hell of a lot cheaper and less wasteful to just order takeout.  (You also don't have to wash dishes when you get takeout, just saying...)  I tend to spend most of my days out and about in the city or meeting people for drinks/food or eating at work - so grocery shopping just seems like a waste.  ...Ok, I think that those are all of my excuses.  For now.

But I've decided that I want to start cooking more.  Eat more whole foods, organic foods, REAL foods... Spend a little more time and money in the hopes that my insides don't turn to mush by the time I'm 40.  I grew up nutritionally bipolar.... My dad (and the McGrath's) are a fan of the veggie and the whole grain while my Mom (and the Murphy side) might literally think that ketchup is a vegetable. Part of me really loves a good, hearty salad and a farmers market and a salmon filet and organic everything and the OTHER half would gladly live on Velveeta, pizza and ranch dressing. GLADLY.  So how does one reconcile those two opposites? (No seriously, it's not rhetorical...) 

Right now, I'm trying to start by making little changes... Whole wheat pasta, baking my own bread, hitting up the farmers market for more local and organic veggies/meats and trying to be really careful about hormones/pesticides/etc. But it's hard to eat right!! So many things are marketed toward dieting, trying to trick you into thinking that low-fat, no sugar, low cal means that things are healthier when really all that crap is just making your insides turn to mush even FASTER!  Ugh, I'm exhausted. But I'm TRYING! I have pictures to prove it...

Yep, baked that.  And it was the MOST easy and delicious and CHEAP! Go here and make this recipe IMMEDIATELY.  Do it now.

Watermelon Sorbet. Made that too. Like a boss.

Watermelon Feta Balsamic Salad.  God Damn Martha Stewart over here!!
(Pretend you don't see the wine glass in the background.)

Like I said, I'm trying!  So if you have any great, easy, low cost, healthy and whole recipes, send 'em my way! AND if you have a recipe for something REALLY fatty but totally worth it, send that my way too.  (I'm trying.)

- e

PS:  I've been dreeeeaaaming of having my own garden to grow my own delicious veggies in.  ...Seriously, Rest of the Country, those are the kinds of things you dream about in NYC.  So just throwing it out there, Universe! ;-)