RECIPE 11: Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

Ummm... Have I mentioned lately that my bestie Paulo is brilliant?! Well if I haven't, let's set the record now - he's a genius! There are countless reasons but top of the list this week is because he lobbied for us to dive into the sweets section of Alison Roman's Dining In. So send your thanks to Paulo and get ready for Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread.

You guys! The first run at this recipe ended in D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R, which was particularly frustrating for me because I am a baker. I have successfully baked through most of Christina Tosi's Momofuku Milk Bar and that's complicated, time-consuming stuff. But regardless of the fail, the cookie itself still tasted good and I refuse to be defeated by any recipe, so let's go!

For the second attempt, I dove into research and asked bakers who've baked the shortbread before. I also discovered a step-by-step walk through on Alison's Instagram highlight reel which proved to be very helpful because in the end I got results!

It was VERY important to be patient and spend the time to cream the butter, sugar and vanilla for the consistency of frosting out of the can. Don't rush it, y'all! This step alone took over 10 minutes. But it was worth it and the key to success. Taking the time to cream the butter was also literally the only thing I did differently from the first round of these delightful cookies - so do it slow.

And boy was this cookie a game changer! I'm obsessed and likely won't spend the more intensive time to make the New York Times' Chocolate Chip Cookies again anytime soon... I mean they require 72 hours of chilling -- eep! If you have a cookie hankering- who has time for that?!

So think of a salty and shortbready version of a Chips Ahoy, and bake with Alison. You can find the recipe here.

#101in1001 Update

Whelp, m'dears! A full month of self-isolating at home and another month working on my #101in1001. Thankfully, I was still able to cross a couple of items off my to-do list despite feeling like being stuck at home "blows."

✔ 43. The Sashimi Bar.
✔ 91. Workout at least five times a week for three months.

Instead of their normal offering of a prefix/chef's choice meal, during the COVID-19 pandemic Bozeman's Sashimi Bar is doing an a la carte takeout menu. You guys! If you live in Bozeman, you must check it out ASAP. Easily the best sushi we've had in Montana and there are BAO BUNS! A small but important thing to note is that the Sashimi Bar also makes its own pickled ginger to serve alongside their sushi and it is... THE REAL DEAL! We are very satisfied customers and will be ordering in for the second weekend in a row tonight, and can't wait to try out the restaurant on a future special occasion. It also feels great to support the small businesses in our community. This is a trying time for everyone and we're choosing to financially support as many of our favorite local joints as possible.

Working out on the regular has helped me keep a routine and helped me manage my stress. And in these circumstances, getting my sweat on five times a week would not have been possible without Peloton. Plus Cody Rigsby's energy and joy is impossible to ignore. Although I desperately miss in-person classes, I've also enjoyed trying out new workouts as everyone is forced to go online. I tried this free 30-minute pilates workout featured by Goop and converted our dining room into a dance floor for Dance Church a few Sundays.

So what's up next... after some not great snacking, I'm ready for a juice cleanse to detox (#69). I might wait until Henry goes back to daycare because I've never done a cleanse and need all my wits about me with our toddler terrorist. I'm thinking about this beginner cleanse program from Pressed Juicery. Thoughts?

I'm also intrigued by going without TV for a week (#84) while we still shelter in place because our screen time has definitely increased. I have about $115 worth of clothing to sell to reach my goal of selling $500 worth of clothing (#87) this year and am on track to cross that goal off my list next month.

What are you doing to keep on the up and up? Tell me all your secrets!

RECIPES 9 + 10: Pork and Red Chile Stew with Tomatillos and Split Pea Salad

Paulo and I are whipping through Alison Roman's Dining In, so today I'm sharing two dishes: Pork and Red Chile Stew with Tomatillos AND Split Pea Salad.

Okay, let's get right to it! The Hubs was especially excited about the New Mexican style stew as he frequents the state for work. I was intrigued but, admittedly, don't eat a lot of red meat at home so this recipe was not on the top of my list. Though I'd never cooked with hominy, love tomatillos and the point of this quest is to cook the whole book so I revved my engine, dug in and here are the results!

You guys, this stew is like a life-giving ramen but with extra spice and no noodles. It was also very greasy like some of the ramens we all love, but it was bit too much for me. I even passed on seconds and leftovers - which never happens, though the Hubs skimmed off the fat from the leftovers and happily ate it all.

Our pork shoulder also did not break apart as much as expected so if we do make this dish again, I recommend cutting the pork into a couple large chunks before simmering. Otherwise you're left with meat that is simply too big to be consumable and hard to break apart. I also would look to trim excess fat from the exterior of the pork to help cut down on the greasiness. I'm holding off on sharing this recipe because I can't full heartedly endorse it. Perhaps a second go will sell me on this stew but don't count on it.

As for the salad, it was a very different story on a very different night. I LOVE split pea soup and thus had been eyeing this recipe from the start. The crunch of the crispy potatoes and bacon alongside the lentils and peas, made this hearty salad a winner. I also loved the fresh chives and can always get down on a grain mustard type vinaigrette. We are fortunate to still have pounds on pounds of salmon in our freezer from our neighbor's Alaska fishing friend and simple pan seared salmon was the perfect plate partner for this complex and tasty salad.

For the Split Pea Salad recipe from Alison herself, click here.

RECIPE 8: Chicken Soup with Toasted Garlic Mushrooms and Celery

You guys! Just looking at this recipe again for Alison Roman's Chicken Soup with Toasted Garlic, Mushrooms and Celery has my mouth watering. Paulo and I chose this recipe after the weather cooled again and Montana got snow... again... (FACE PALM!)

The Hubs and I bought a rotisserie chicken to speed along the process and threw in the noodles we had (spaghetti), and our tastebuds were met with deliciousness that is part chicken soup and part pho (thanks fish sauce). And dang! It's a good comfort soup but also on the lighter side so you don't regret getting seconds or thirds. And the mushrooms, whelp they just make this dish taste buttery AF even though it includes no dairy.

Don't just take it from me. Follow the link here for the recipe, enjoy and don't forget to follow our journey to cook the whole book via #pandwdinein.

Weekday Musings

EATING // We've now cooked 10 recipes from Alison Roman's Dining In with only one disappointment (the dish was actually better the next day - so does it really count as a fail?!) With over a hundred recipes left to cook, both Paulo and I are feeling confident about our cookbook choice. And this week we'll be baking our first sweet. Don't forget to join us in the kitchen via #pandwdinein!

HOME*WORK // I've been working on a built-in bookshelf concept for our living room and am close to pulling the trigger. I can't wait to have a place to display books and art but also have a place

to organize and stash the growing pile of Henry's toys. I love our open concept floor plan on our first floor but have quickly discovered we need a solution for the toddler mess ASAP. Stay tuned...

CRUSHING ON // ManiMe. A true lifesaver for any girl stuck at home who's a regular at the manicurist. I was skeptical the on-the-go stick-on gels were an actual option but I'm already wearing my second set and have ordered more. It's super easy, fast and they work just as hard as a true gel manicure. My first set lasted a whole week and I did not hold back on my routine for a second. Within an hour of applying the gel stickers, I was washing dishes, changing diapers, cooking, bathing Henry and going about my day. My first ManiMe manicure lasted an entire week and this second set is going strong on day four. Each set of gels is custom cut by using 3D scanning technology and are 100% guaranteed - so what's the risk? Plus have you seen the designs? ManiMe has great basics like matte watermelon but they also have designs I may not risk at a nail shop (I mean look at this flower power). For $5 off your first purchase, click the link HERE.

READING // When I'm not reading Hairy Maclary, I'm turning the pages of Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends. Rooney is the winner of The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award and it's no surprise as she solidly paints a picture of each character and you can't help but root for the protagonist while also feeling conflicted about her.

THANKFUL FOR // The extra time with my family. Although we wish we could be frequenting our favorite dining spots and shops, working at coffee shops, swinging at the park and seeing our family and friends in-person - we're feeling grateful for more quality time with our small crew. Don't get me wrong, Henry continues to test us every day (thanks terrible twos) but there are moments during the workday - like random hugs, handholds, kisses and bursts of laughter - that I will definitely miss once this pandemic has passed.

THINKING ABOUT // It's our fifth week of quarantine/self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic and it's hard to think about anything else. How long is this going to last? What are you doing to thrive instead of just survive?

WATCHING // Ozark. After months of many friends telling us to watch this show we finally started. We're one episode away from finishing the first season and it is awesome. I tend to judge shows in part by if I am able to stay awake (yes, I'm one of those annoying show sleepers). And you guys! Until last night, I've been wide awake for each episode. We still have two seasons to go but if it continues as is we'll be watching every episode of this tense and dark show.

WEARING // Real clothes. Getting dressed is definitely helping me fight through the #WFH slump. Both the Hubs and I normally work from home but with Henry at home, getting dressed each day has become even more important. Ya'll, I even wear mascara sometimes!

Alrighty, that's all for now folks. And for the escape we all need right now, download one of these six snappy Zoom backgrounds from the one and only Gray Malin.

Wallpaper 101

Wallpaper can be like investing in art depending on the quality and placement of the paper. I love how this medium can transform a space, add dimension and texture. It can also portray a mood, add whimsy and just make you smile.

My first foray with wallpaper was with our half bath on Capitol Hill. Powder rooms are the perfect place to experiment and make a big impact without the worries of a shower, a bath or the steam damaging your selected wallpaper. 

After ordering various samples, I taped the samples up on the walls in the space and mulled over each selection. This process can take time but is entirely necessary. Sometimes it can take months to find the right paper for your space. Because - don't forget - unless you're using a temporary sticker type of paper, wallpaper can last a lifetime so you need to love it.

For our powder room on Capitol Hill, I eventually settled on a classic paper: Cole & Son's Palm Jungle. I fell in love with this particular paper because it complimented our classic 1900s row house with plantation shutters and reminded us of our annual vacation spot, Palm Springs. But because both the Hubs and I favor a more modern aesthetic, we chose an unexpected colorway for the palm print, blue and white. Switching up the color immediately punched up and altered the space while still honoring the more traditional style of our home and place. 

The next paper I fell hard for was Hygee & West's Daydream. Before our lives turned upside down with a baby, a new job, moving and building a house - I'd planned to use this paper on the ceiling of our nursery. I bought several rolls during Hygge & West's annual sale but then we were moving. So I used this paper floor to ceiling on our new powder room in our modern home we built in Montana. This time making selections on hardware, penny tile and a sink to directly compliment the wrap of orange birds and clouds. Although our powder room is small, it dependably creates joy and is a conversation starter with every guest.

We inserted the extra Palm Jungle paper that I saved from DC on the back of our built-in bar in our dining room. It's a show stopper and ultimately adds dimension and interest to an otherwise white space. It also jives with our modern furniture and fixtures while also reminding of us of our first home as a family. We also snuck some extra Palm Jungle in the coffee nook in our kitchen hidden behind floor to ceiling high gloss cabinets. 

When we built our house, we planned a large master bath with a standalone tub, double sinks and a separate water closet - a total luxury after sharing a pedestal sink in a tiny bathroom for six years. The water closet is far enough from all the water elements that I knew it needed paper so after a long search I found Juju Handprinted Papers, I fell hard for their Maxi Gold on Charcoal and again covered the space from floor to ceiling for a bold statement in our otherwise very white bathroom.

So what's next? After we cover Henry's ceiling in Schumacher's Deconstructed Stripe, I'll be hitting pause. But likely not for long as I'm committed to finding the right paper for our guest suite/the Hub's office.

+++

FAVORITE PAPER QUICK HITS

+ TRADITIONAL: Cole & Son's Palm Jungle // House of Hackney's Zeus Tobacco // Lake August's Matilja in Midnight // Rabarber Charcoal Floral Wallpaper

+ MODERN: Hygee & West's Daydream // Bien Fait's Animals // Juju's Maxi Gold on Charcoal

FAVORITE WALLPAPER COMPANIES

Chasing Paper // Cole & Son // Farrow & Ball // House of Hackney // Hygee & West // Juju Papers // Katie Kime // Lake August // Milton & King // Osborn & Little // Schumacher // Serena & Lily // Wallshoppe

(Photo of Henry with the birds by Loneman Photography)

RECIPE 7: Whole Roasted Snapper with Harissa and Gold Tomatoes

As COVID cooking continues, so does Paulo and my's quest to cook every recipe from Alison Roman's Dining In. After hearing from a friend about her Whole Roasted Snapper with Harissa and Gold Tomatoes and easily tracking down the ingredients despite the bare shelves at the grocery, here it is in all its garlicky glory.

An easy main dish, I paired the fish with couscous (per Alison's recommendation) and peas for a little more color and whelp I love buttered peas. This fish would be great for a crowd, especially if you're able to get ahold of a whole fish and not just snapper fillets like I cooked. And the Harissa gives this dish just enough spice to share with the other elements on your plate.

Another pro tip is to eat this fast. We had so much leftover that we ate it for a couple of days and each day the fish got more stinky and no one likes a stinky fish dish, especially when stuck at home! Want the recipe? Click HERE.

RECIPE 6: Decidedly Not-Sweet Granola

Another busy week of cooking and eating in quarantine. And thank gahd for Alison Roman! This week Paulo and I took on Decidedly Not-Sweet Granola from Dining In. I upped my game with using the granola as an ingredient (per Alison's direction) to make Smashed Cucumbers and Scallions over Garlicky Yogurt.

First, let's talk about the granola. It's heavy on seeds - which the Hubs and I loved not only for color and texture but taste. It's likely one of the healthier dishes in the cookbook, which is good for us and not gaining what I've been calling the COVID-19.

The addition of cucumbers and yogurt only makes the granola sing further. An added bonus is that this dish transports you a Mediterranean coast with its mix of creamy tartness, lemon, olive oil and healthy dose of garlic. Perfect for a sunny spring lunch or afternoon snack. Raise your hand if you're ready for a vacation?

I only have one bone to pick... Alison includes the yogurt recipe in her "Savory Breakfast" section of the cookbook and both the Hubs and I agreed this was not a morning meal. Brunch/lunch/afternoon snack? 100%. But for breakfast this dish would be a bit much with all that tangy garlic. Maybe this is because we get up early with our two year old and no longer sleep in? Do me a favor and give this recipe a whirl and let me know what you think. It's time to hive mind!

Bookworm Update

If anything, the COVID-19 pandemic is giving us all an excuse to read more. I keep a long to-read list in the notes app of my iPhone and am happy to tackle a few on the list.

Thus far in 2020, I've tackled five books: Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, One Year and Way, Way Too Many Emails (a quick read that reminded me of Sex & the City but with younger and trashier women you don't really care about), The Family Upstairs (I love a thriller and this one is definitely a page turner,)  Red, White and Royal Blue (the love story you wish would hit the pages of Esquire), Creative Spaces: People, Homes, and Studios to Inspire (from one of my favorite modern

mercantiles - this book highlights several stories of creatives from across the country and is gorgeous to look at) and Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators (glad I read it but it's a bummer knowing the complaints of women were ignored for decades and that still happens in 2020. Silver-lining Harvey Weinstein contracted coronavirus?)


Currently, I'm reading both an interior design coffee table book, Habitat: The Field Guide of Decorating, and a novel by Sally Rooney - the winner of The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award - Conversations with Friends. I love having a coffee table book in the rotation so that I can pick it up while Henry plays quietly in the morning, though that's increasingly rare given our new battle with the terrible twos. Coffee table books are easy to put down and pick up again, which makes them the perfect pick for toddler life.

Up next I plan to read The Holdout (a nod toward my old Grand Jury Days), I'm Thinking of Ending Things: A Novel (that thriller jam, folks!) and The Sun Down Motel. Once I've finished Habitat, I'll also pick up Kate Spade's All in Good Taste (all about hosting because once this shelter in place is over - it's on!)

What are you reading, m'dears?!