thank you!

Oh my! Feedburner tells me that 600 of you now subscribe to Claremont Road. It's truly an honor to know that you're reading my lil' old blog every day. Thank you for making this blogger a very happy girl!

Monday music, vol. 14: To Be With You

Every Monday, I'll be sharing a pick-me-up song with the hopes of helping you begin your week on a positive note. Happy Monday!

I almost forgot about this song... until my friend Colleen recommended it for Monday music. It's the kind of song you put on repeat over, and over, and over again.


Buy this song here.

breaking in the Le Creuset

Well hi, friends. Sorry I've been a bad blogger this week. I've just needed a little bit of a break and I didn't feel like I had anything interesting to say over the last few days!

Last night, I christened the glorious and lovely Le Creuset Dutch oven that you all talked me into getting a few weeks ago; on the menu were some delicious country ribs drowned in a homemade barbecue sauce. Nick and I barely spoke to each other while chowing down on the yumminess, so I'm pretty sure that implies that they were a success.

Nick got the pork ribs on sale the other day, so when I searched for recipes, I limited my search to ones that included ribs, and wouldn't require buying lots of other ingredients. I'm looking forward to making different dishes in the future, but I'm sure we'll try this one again sometime, too, because the result was fabulous.

Below is the recipe I found at Just Dutch Oven Recipes, for which we ended up already having most of the other ingredients.

Country Ribs

1 c Sweet red wine
1/2 c Chili sauce
1/3 c Vinegar
1/4 c Honey
2 tb Soy sauce
1 tb Worcestershire sauce
2 ts Salt
2 ts Dry mustard
1 ts Horseradish
1 ts Red pepper sauce
1/2 ts Ground pepper
1/2 ts Paprika
3 tb Vegetable oil
3 lb Pork country-style ribs

Mix all ingredients except oil and ribs in saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Heat oven to 350'. Heat oil in Dutch oven over low heat. Brown half of the ribs in hot oil; remove ribs. Repeat with remaining ribs; drain off fat. Return ribs to Dutch oven; pour sauce over ribs. Cover and bake 1 hour. Uncover and bake until done, about 30 minutes. Remove ribs to serving bowl. Strain sauce; skim off fat. Pour sauce over ribs.

Because I'm a nerd, I made Nick take a picture as I was getting ready to put the ribs into the oven. It's par for the course when you live with me. (Oh, please ignore my terribly messy hair and the mess on the sink. Do you like my apron? It makes me feel fancy.)

The Dutch oven is pretty heavy and I'm a klutz (I could just see myself dropping that thing on the first go-round), so I made Nick take it out of the oven for me when the timer went off. Check out that action shot. Go, Nick, go!

And, the final result. Yummmm.

Mission: Break In Le Creuset Dutch Oven... accomplished! What should we try next?

thirty-five

Today marks a special occasion for my in-laws — it's their 35th wedding anniversary!

35 years ago today, cutting their cake

Nick and I took a day-trip yesterday to visit and celebrate with them. We brought along some pretty tulips for the occasion.

We aspire to a marriage as long and happy as theirs. Happy anniversary, M & J! Here's to many, many more years of happiness together.

Monday music, vol. 13: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

Every Monday, I'll be sharing a pick-me-up song with the hopes of helping you begin your week on a positive note. Happy Monday!

I don't know what's better — the song that makes me want to dance, or the "high tech" special effects.


Buy this song here.

William Dohman

I came across these great recycled wood signs by William Dohman (via decor8) and I love their worn, slightly imperfect appearance. I'd love to get my hands on one, particularly, "Keep Calm"— I'm a little bit of a spaz sometimes and could probably use this reminder once in a while.

He also has some great photos and prints available. This one made me laugh:

(I'm immature.)

images via Willam Dohman on Etsy

Number 38: temporary husband substitute

I've been working on number 38 on my 101 in 1001 list lately:

38. Have fresh flowers at home for 4 weeks

It is amazing how much fresh flowers can boost my spirit. Nick has been out of town for the last ten days for work training (did I tell you all that he started a new job last month? Changes all around for us!), and I've been missing him a lot. He'll be home Friday and I can't wait — the schmoopy factor is off the charts and we need to be reunited, already!

Anyhow, I took a walk to Trader Joe's yesterday to pick up a few things, and I couldn't resist when I walked in and saw a bunch of ranunculus for $4.99. They're my favorite flower and they remind me of our wedding day, so they'll help to tide me over until Nick gets home. Aren't they pretty?

Blanca Gomez

I absolutely adore the sweet and stylized illustrations of Blanca Gomez. I particularly love these cheerful city illustrations that she created for The Art Group; don't they just make you sigh with delight?

images via Blanca Gomez

because.

Because every girl needs a pair of cute purple patent-leather flats, doesn't she?

Steve Madden flats

On clearance at DSW for $27. Purchased with a $10 off rewards coupon. Grand total: $17. Holler.

Monday music, vol. 12: Amie

Every Monday, I'll be sharing a pick-me-up song with the hopes of helping you begin your week on a positive note. Happy Monday!

I'll never tire of this song... I've loved it since I discovered it in high school and it's still one of my all-time favorites. If your name is Amie (or Amy, Aimee, etc.), I'm betting you love it, too.


Buy this song here.

back on the wagon: C25K

You guys have heard me talk about my latest workout/get healthy attempts before. I try really hard to keep up with something once I start it, but the reality is that I just don't love working out, and I just don't love healthy foods, so it's easy to fall off the wagon. I am within the healthy weight and BMI range for my height and I have an okay body image, but I'd still like to feel a bit healthier and be on the lower end of the weight range for my height. And, sure, I'll admit, I'm a little vain — I want to be able to feel comfortable and attractive in a cute bathing suit on the beach this summer.

A few months ago I was doing the 30-Day Shred. I was keeping up with it really well, and was feeling/seeing a difference... but then I got sick. About a week before my Vegas trip, I came down with a terrible cold that had me out of commission for a while, and I didn't work out at all that week, after about 20 days of consistently keeping up with the Shred. I went to Vegas and still wasn't feeling 100% health-wise, but I did feel comfortable in my clothes (and felt that my arms were definitely more toned due to the Shred — WIN!). Then I came home, still couldn't shake that cold, and didn't work out again that week. And two weeks is all it takes for me to totally fall off the wagon. I pretty much didn't work out at all for the rest of March, and got back into my old habits of choosing the unhealthiest thing on the menu when eating out and regretting it an hour later. (I love me some greasy food.) FAIL.

A few weeks ago I kept reading about Couch to 5K on Twitter, and I decided that maybe I should try it. For me, when I don't have the money for a gym membership, finding something that has some accountability attached to it or a set time line that will help me to stay motivated is key. I've never been a runner, but everyone kept saying how great this program is for easing into it. My blog friend Amy raved so much about how it has been empowering and life-changing for her (she has completed two 5K races now! Go, Amy!), so I couldn't not try it.

There are several C25K apps out there for the iPhone (most run $2.99); I chose the variation by Felt Tip, mostly because I'm a design snob and I liked the way it looked :)

I am about to begin week 3, and while it's still not what I would call easy for a 100% non-runner like me, it has been doable and, for the most part, an exciting challenge. I really, really hope I can keep up with it and turn a corner in my fitness routine. I will keep you posted.

On top of doing C25K, I've been trying to make smarter decisions with the way I eat, particularly after watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I love me some French fries, but I don't need them every time I eat out, and I need to start looking at the big picture a bit more (because I'm not getting any younger). The realities of how poorly we eat in this country have been setting in for me, and hopefully the impact won't wear off anytime soon!

Anyone else trying to turn over a new leaf before summer hits?

ultimate chocolate chip cookies

My friend and business partner Terry recently gave me this amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe that may just trump the trusty Nestle Toll House variation. The key seems to be in using cake flour in addition to all-purpose flour, and sprinkling sea salt on top before baking for the perfect salty-sweet combination.

I sent some to my friend Emily, my brother and sister-in-law, and my husband's parents a few weeks ago, and got rave reviews. Not sure if they were just being nice, but I'm pretty sure they liked them ;-)

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2C minus 2Tbs cake flour
1 2/3C all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp coarse salt (or sea salt)
2 ½ sticks unsalted butter
1 ¼ C light brown sugar
1C plus 2 Tbs sugar
2 Large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 ¼ c bittersweet chocolate (or any kind of chocolate chips that you like)*

Directions
Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and coarse salt into bowl and set aside.
Using mixer, cream butter and sugars until very light (5 min).
Add eggs (1 at a time), mixing well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Drop chocolate pieces in and then press plastic wrap against dough.
Refrigerate 24-36 hours. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.**
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, roll into balls and sprinkle lightly with coarse/sea salt.
Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown (or less time if you like them
really chewy).***

Makes about 6 dozen small-ish cookies

* I dump in the full bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips :) Why not?
** refrigerating for a few hours or overnight seems to yield the same results.
*** our oven tends to overcook things, so 12 minutes seems to be the magic number for perfectly golden, chewy cookies.