Friday Five

TGIF, friends! It's been a long week & I'm definitely ready for the weekend. Here are a few of  my favorite things from the past two weeks! 

1 | All politics aside, this is an amazing look inside The White House Gardens, Kitchen & Michelle Obama's china selection!

2 | I've never been a crunchy peanut butter girl, but I just discovered Trader Joe's Crunchy PB with Flax & Chia seeds, and it may make me a convert! I've eaten it on just about everything in arms reach over the past two weeks.

3 | Loving these sandals from J.Crew Factory. I usually live in my Jack Rogers all summer so these would be great to switch things up a little.

4 | This nugget of advice from Joy Wilson (& beautiful print) is a really great reminder. Keep not settling.

5 | Homemade apple chips? Yes please.


Have a great weekend, friends! I'll be back next week with a new recipe to share so stop back by.

xoxo
Marisa 

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Happy Monday, friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, mine just what the doctor (literally) ordered, with lots of rest and relaxation! 

This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad is one of my favorite recipes to make on Sunday and eat throughout the week. Its wonderful on its own, tossed with some greens for lunch, or as a side for dinner.

I love it lightly dressed with a homemade tangy balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below), but feel free to leave it plain or use your own dressing.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

1 c       cooked quinoa
3/4 c  grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/2 c  green bell pepper, chopped
1/2     small red onion, diced
1/4 c  kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 c  pepperoncinis, chopped
1/4 c  crumbled feta cheese (optional)
1/4 c  tangy balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below) 

Cooked Quinoa, Tangy Balsamic & Chopped Veggies

Chop tomatoes, green bell pepper, red onion, kalamata olives, pepperoncinis. Combine cooked quinoa, veggies, and feta (if using) in a medium bowl. Toss with tangy balsamic vinaigrette or other dressing, cover and let chill for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Serve cold or room temperature.

Keeps in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days, but a little more dressing may be needed after a day or two as the quinoa will soak some of it up

This recipe is highly adaptable; I have added diced celery, cooked chickpeas (for protein), cucumbers, and omitted the feta before and all variations have been delicious! 

Tangy Balsamic Vinaigrette  

1/4 c  olive oil
1/3 c  balsamic vinegar
1 T + 1/2 t  dijon mustard
1 t  minced garlic
Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake vigorously to combine - makes 3/4 cup, plenty for the quinoa salad and leftovers for other salads during the week 


Have a wonderful week, friends!

xoxo
Marisa 

Friday 5

Friends! I've been under the weather this week but wanted to stop in and share my Friday Five with you. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, mine will be spent resting and recovering. 

1 | This is an interesting list from the kitchn, 30 recipies to know by the age of 30. While it might not work for everyone, I still think its a good starting point!    

2 | Loving these 22 tips to make the most of your decorating dollars. Sometimes big impact doesn't require a lot of money! 

3 | I made myself this no noodle pad thai for dinner on Tuesday and it was quick, fabulous and not too spicy or peanut-y (thats a thing, right?). 

4 | These Sperrys look like a great mix between a traditional boat shoe and a flat. I'm also a sucker for the gold laces, and they're on sale! 

5 | We've all seen stuffed peppers and tomatoes, but stuffed red onions? These will be on the menu for next week! 

xoxo
Marisa 

Friday 5

Oh hey there, let's all pretend like it hasn't been 3+ months since I last posted on this little corner of the internet. So without any excuses, let's jump right in to my Friday 5!

1 | If you're still looking for a cute dress for Easter this Sunday, I'm loving this blue & green number.

2 | Nikki Dinki, my favorite contestant from The Next Food Network Star is coming out with a cookbook next year and I couldn't be more excited! 

3 | This article had a lot of great advice & life lessons from bloggers who have crossed into the world of professional interior design. 

4 | I'll be making Deb's newest carrot cake to bring to my parent's house for Easter dinner on Sunday, only with this buttercream frosting instead of the traditional cream cheese. 

5 | One of my goals for 2015 is to read at least one book per month, so far I am right on schedule, but I would love some suggestions for books to add to my list! 

What have you been up to lately? I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter/Passover weekend! 

xoxo

Marisa 

Gifting | Stockings

Its hard to believe that Thanksgiving has already passed and we're less than 2 weeks away from Christmas! Stockings are one of my favorite parts of Christmas, because I love giving and receiving small, thoughtful gifts without all of the fuss.

Budget-friendly, stocking-worthy gifts seem to be the most difficult kind of presents to find, so I've rounded up a few of my favorites! Some of these would also make great small gifts for friends or co-workers.

lip balm set | mini capri blue candle | scarf

koozies | festive socks | whiskey stones

glass water bottle | starbucks card | road id

xoxo

Marisa

Friday Five

*this should have gone up yesterday, but I had a few technical difficulties...


Friends! It's been too long, and I have no one to blame but myself. I'm trying to jump back on the blogging train and get a better schedule going. So, without further ado, here's my Friday 5! 

1 | after living with a half completed gallery wall behind the sofa for oh I don't know, 6 months, I finally decided to start over and switch things around. I'm loving that the new gallery wall is one of the first things you are when you walk into the maisonnette and that it finally looks complete! 

2 | this peanut butter/honey/greek yogurt dip has been my go-to healthy snack for the past month. It's unusual for me to keep making something like this for so long, it's a real winner with apples! 

3 | this apothecary match jar tutorial is brilliant. So simple and a fraction of the cost of the original. I'm going to get the supplies this weekend. 

4 | continuing my love for all things black & white, I bought two of these gorgeous pillow covers this week on sale and think they'll look great either on the bed or the sofa 

5 | tomorrow I'll be racing in the Ortega River Run here in Jax, this will be my first 5 mile race and the last big 'warm up' before the Gate River Run 15k on March 15. Wish me luck! 

What have y'all been up to this week? Any big (or little) plans this weekend? 

xoxo

Marisa

Holidays & New Entryway Art

Friends! It's been forever since I've updated this little blog of mine, but I'm back and excited to show you some updates I made over the holidays over the next week or so. Speaking of the holidays, how were yours? I had a great Christmas and New Years. It was so nice to be able to relax a little and spend much needed time with family & friends.

Christmas morning with the family 

One of the bigger projects I tackled was updating the 'entryway' in the maisonnette. Last time you saw it, it looked like this, with 2 shelves on the little wall you see when you walk in. I liked the shelves there originally, but I was never really sure how to style them and they ended up being dust collectors.

pretty, but not practical

After considering my options, I knew I wanted to hang two large-ish black frames vertically, with a large black and white graphic print inside. I looked at fabric, but didn't love any of the options that were reasonably priced, and then I stumbled upon this post and knew I could just stencil something I liked. I'm a total sucker for an ikat pattern, and instead of re-inventing the wheel, I decided to make my own stencil, based on this original. 

To do this, I printed off the original image, traced it onto cardboard from a cereal box, and cut it out with a razor knife. To stencil the pattern onto the poster board, I simply taped it down and used a regular bristle brush to dab it into the stencil. I wanted the pattern to look almost like a fabric print, so I wasn't worried when some of the repeats weren't perfect. 

mid-stencil 

Once I finished stenciling both pieces of poster board and they dried for a few hours, I simply cut them to size and popped them into the frames. I love that the black and white pattern makes a statement, but isn't too overpowering for the space. 

Did y'all make any changes over Christmas? What are you looking forward to in 2014? 

xoxo

Marisa