Finally a relaxing master bath.

Another of the most needed renovations to our new house was the master bath. This is what the bathroom looked like when we purchased the house.  Notice that yucky teal colored laminate counter top.  The bathtub was gigantic, but the shower was so small that Hubby kept bumping his elbows on the (fiberglass) walls when he showered.  

We decided to take the bathroom back to the studs and completely renovate it. (Such fun for an interior design student!)  We briefly considered eliminating the tub altogether, but let's face it, I'm a bath girl.  I love nothing more than settling in for a long bath full of bubbles.  Another important thing for us was changing the vanity to a double one since that is what we were used to from our house in Georgia.  

So armed with a pencil, paper, and measuring tape, I got to work and started designing my dream bath in a very small space (only 10x10 minus a bump out from the hall that couldn't be removed). The basic arrangement stayed the same, which meant our plumbing cost much less than it would have if I had rearranged everything. 

Once I had the plan drawn and approved by our contractor, I spent (too many) hours shopping for just the right fixtures.  I saved a ton of money by ordering all of my fixtures online rather than through a bath supply showroom.  (I got a quote from a local place that was almost 3 times what I ended up paying for the same stuff!)  The moral of the story is - if you have the time and the internet skills, you can reduce your bottom line significantly.

One of the biggest changes was tearing down the wall between the toilet and the shower.  It really opened up the space and allowed us to have more glass in the shower.

I got my soaking tub!  It is an air bath, so no more yucky jacuzzi jets to clean.  This tub creates little air bubbles in the tub rather than circulating the water itself through the jets.  Hubby had few requests, but he really wanted a large rain shower head (and more space)! 

For tile, we used a standard subway tile on the shower walls and around the tub.  The floor of the shower is a penny tile to match the subway tile.  The floors in the bathroom itself are done with a 12x24 textured porcelain.  The same color grout is used on all the tile to tie things together.

The new bath feels much more spacious and very spa like.  It is truly a relaxing spot now.  (And no more horrible teal laminate counter top!)

For those interested, a brief materials list - 

Paint - Benjamin Moore Granite

Toilet - reused from previous bathroom

Bathtub - American Standard Evolution 36x60 air bath

All faucets, shower and tub fixtures, robe hooks, and towel ring (except rain shower head) - 

Delta Leland collection

Rain shower head - Danze antique bell 10 inch shower head

Sinks - American Standard Studio square undermount sinks

Vanity - Virtu USA Caroline Avenue 72 inch 

Counter top, tub decking, and shower curbs - LG Viatera quart in rococo

Train rack over tub and shelf over toilet - Pottery Barn Mercer collection

Master Suite Changes

We moved to the Boston area in the winter of 2012.  Because of the time of year, our house choices were limited.  The house we picked had great bones, but needed serious updating.  One of the weird things was the fact that the largest room in the house by far is the master bedroom.  We could have dances in there!  

The master closet was pretty small, and Hubby and I were used to having separate closets in our house in Georgia.  So I came up with a plan to take a portion of the bedroom and create a second master closet.  Construction was easy - one long wall - and I really like the results.  The bedroom itself feels much more cozy, and no more sharing closet space with hubby.

The wall with the double door is the new wall.  I took the section that had been the sitting room before, and turned it into hanging space for clothes.  

The new plan also created two smaller alcoves.  One of these holds my dresser and hamper.  The other one is now devoted to accessories - shoes, jewelry, purses and scarves. Hubby and I added shelves for shoes and cafe rods to hang jewelry and scarves.  I feel so organized now.  It really is my favorite part of the closet. 

I'll finish with a couple more pictures of the finished master bedroom.  Quite a difference from where started.

Recipe - Sausage, Mushroom, and Spinach Lasagna

A few months ago, a huge new Whole Foods store opened near where we live.  Recently, I found out that they sell fresh pasta sheets in the cheese section.  I bought some and decided to make lasagna.  I combined a few different recipes that I found on Pinterest, and this is what I ended up with.  This is not traditional lasagna, in that there is no tomato product.

First, I removed the Italian sausage from the casing, crumbled it into a heavy bottomed skillet, and cooked it until most of the pink was gone.  If you've worked much with Italian sausage, you know that it is hard to break it into small pieces.  It looks something like this - 

Here's one of my favorite tips - use a potato masher to break up the sausage into smaller pieces to finish cooking!

 

Remove the sausage from the pain and drain on paper towels.  Next, cook onions, mushrooms, and garlic in a large dutch oven.  (I used a mix of white mushrooms and shitakes, but any kind would be fine.)

Using a slotted spoon, remove the veggies from the pot and put aside.  Now it is time to make a bechamel sauce which will take the place of the traditional tomato sauce.  If you never made bechamel, don't worry - it is very easy.  Take an equal amount of oil/butter and flour and cook for a few minutes.  This is the same way you start a roux for gumbo.  But you don't want the flour to brown at all.  Add liquid slowly and keep stirring until the sauce starts to thicken.  Many recipes call for only milk, but I used a combination of milk and beef broth in this case.  Once all of the liquid has been incorporated, add the spinach and stir until it cooks down.  Then add back the sausage and the sauteed veggies.  

Now you are ready to start layering the lasagna in the pan.  Start with some of the sauce on the bottom.  Add pasta to fit the pan.  (If you've used dry pasta, it works best it you boil it for 3 or 4 minutes to give it a head start before putting it in the lasagna.)  Top with slice mozzarella and grated parmesan.  Keep layering until you use up all of your ingredients.  I used a 13 x 9 pan with three layers in order to get a thinner lasagna.

 Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  You'll know it is done when you insert a knife in the center, and it comes out hot.  (Or you can use a thermometer like I do.  You want it to be at least 165 degrees in the middle.)

It is important to let it rest for a few minutes so that you don't have a soupy plate full of pasta when you cut it.

Sausage, Mushroom, and Spinach Lasagna

1 lb Italian sausage, removed from casing 

2 Tbs olive oil, divided

2 cups mushrooms, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups beef broth

1/2 cup milk

1 4 oz bag of baby spinach

Salt and pepper, to taste

3/4 lb fresh pasta (or dry lasagna noodles, boiled for 3-4 minutes)

1 lb mozzarella, sliced

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In heavy skillet, break up sausage and cook until done.  Drain on paper towel and set aside.  In a dutch oven (or large saucepan), heat 2 Tbs. olive oil.  Add onions and mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes over high heat or until veggies start to soften.  Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Use a slotted spoon and remove sauteed veggies from dutch oven.  To the oil remaining in the pan, add the remaining 2 Tbs. of olive oil and the flour.  Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat stirring constantly, but do not let it start to brown.  Slowly add the milk and broth until the sauce is smooth and begins to thicken.  Add the spinach and continue stirring until the spinach cooks down.  Add the sausage and sauteed veggies back to the pan.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.  Add about a half cup of the sauce to cover the bottom.  Add a layer of pasta, followed by mozzarella and parmesan.  Continue layering until you have used up all over your sauce, pasta, and cheese.  I used a 13x9 pan and ended up with three layers, but you could use a smaller baking dish and have more layers.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is brown and the sauce is bubbly.  Remove from oven and let sit for about 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

Washington, DC - MLK Memorial

I am way behind on blog posts, so I am trying to catch up a little bit.  

In late July, Marc had to go to Washington, DC for a conference, and I tagged along.  It was one of the hottest weeks of the year, so I didn't do my typical "walk all over town taking pictures of everything significant."  However, the MLK Memorial had opened since the last time I was in DC, and I didn't want to miss it.  So off I went, walking a little over 2 miles in the heat to find the memorial.  

 When you enter the memorial, you see a dark granite wall that forms a semi-circle around the actual monument.  This wall is composed of individual sections featuring fourteen of King's more familiar quotes.

The monument itself looks like a large mountain in three sections.  The center section appears to have been pushed forward, and that is the portion where King's likeness has been carved.

After wandering around and reading all of the quotes, I sat on a bench for a long time, shedding more than a few tears, as I saw people of every race coming together freely to view this great memorial. As a daughter of the South born in the same year that the Supreme Court finally desegregated schools in Mississippi, it was very moving to see how far we've come toward equal rights in our country.  Yet there is still so much more work to be done.

Boston Restaurant - Lolita Cocina

Hubby and I had tickets to the Billy Joel concert at Fenway Park and decided to go into the city early to have a fun dinner.  We wanted something unique to start off our evening, and we love Mexican food (and don't get enough of it since we moved to New England).  So after a little internet research, off we went to Lolita Cocina and Tequila Bar.  

Lolita is located just under street level in a brownstone building in Boston's Back Bay.  The decor can best be described as Gothic fun.  Lots of red and black, and it almost has the feeling of a speakeasy secret kind of place as you watch the feet of the people passing by on the street.

Dining at Lolita is full of interesting little treats.  When you first sit down, they bring you what they refer to as a palate cleanser - a grapefruit granita (ice) with a splash of tequila.  Oh, and it comes out smoking because it is sitting in a bed of dry ice!  

Next, they bring you a basket of chips and a selection of four salsas.  From the top, they are traditional red salsa, chipotle cream, salsa verde, and a spicy habanero sauce in the little jar.

Hubby had a shot of his favorite tequila, and I decided to try the Diablo margarita, made with tequila, serrano chilis, and blood orange, strawberry, and pineapple juices.  Not too sweet with a nice spicy kick to it.  The glass is rimmed with a mixture of red sugar crystals and black pepper.

For an appetizer, we tried the chimichangas, which were egg roll size tortillas rolled with ground beef, corn, and cheese.  We both had tacos for dinner - hubby had the blackened mahi mahi and I had the shrimp.  The seafood was very tasty and perfectly prepared, but I felt in both cases there was too much sauce for the amount of protein.  The tacos also could have used a bit more texture, maybe something crunchy like cabbage.  That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to order either one again - just me being a food perfectionist!

We passed on dessert, but with the bill, the waitress brought us green apple cotton candy with pop rocks on top!  (I'm just a total kid when it comes to stuff like this, so hubby had to fight for his share.)  The combination was a perfect end to a tasty meal.

Back on the subway for two stops, and we were at Fenway for the concert.  All in all, a great evening!

Outdoor Chandelier

I love repurposing things that other people would consider to be trash.  My latest project is a chandelier for my back patio.  

The previous owners of our home put in the cheapest light fixtures available when they built the house.  We've updated most of them.  The one I used for this project was the foyer fixture.  You can see in the first picture that the fixture was much too small for our two-story foyer.  (And here's the one we replaced it with.)

Materials needed - one chandelier, silver spray paint, 5 solar lights, epoxy, wire cutters, pliers.  Since we already had the chandelier, the materials for this project cost less than $25!

First, we used wire cutters and pliers to remove the globes, bulb sockets, and wiring from the chandelier.  All that was left was the basic structure of the chandelier.  Then we painted it silver.

I found these great stainless steel solar lights at Home Depot for only $3.88 each.  These lights are designed to be stuck into the ground, but it was very easy to remove the stake.  We used some stainless steel colored epoxy to attach the lights to the frame of the chandelier.  (Epoxy is very easy to use.  You cut off a little piece, knead it to combine the two layers, and it dries hard, this one within an hour.)

We replaced the tops of the lights, and voila! - an outdoor chandelier.  Marc hung it in our Japanese maple tree, and it provides the perfect nighttime light for our little bistro table.