Thoughts on blogging.

Here's the thing: Mike only sort of knows that I blog. He knows that I love blogs, that I read them a lot, that I have one, but he doesn't read it, nor does he entirely understand how much I love it. He tells me that I should have things that are all my own, and that is exactly what blogging is. I think as I try to expand this space and someday open an Etsy shop, he'll start to see these things a little more in our every day life. For now, I try to shelter him as much from them as possible. Unless we're walking around in Portsmouth and I'm taking pictures of every little thing. Then he sees it. When I took this shoe picture, he said that I was only one more shoe picture away from taking selfies with the kissy face. You know the one. And in case you don't, here's Mike's rendition:

Yeah, it's probably best he doesn't see this.

Happy Friday! We're supposed to get weather in the 60s this weekend, so I plan to soak it up with thin tights instead of fleece-lined ones!

The first snowfall.

I'm originally from the South, so any time it snows—even in the last months of winter when I am so ready for Spring—I get that old giddy feeling I got when it snowed in Georgia, which was rare. The peace it brings to the city that is usually the antithesis of peace. Of quiet. Of stillness, calm. Everything motionless being covered in snow. Everyone rushing to the next place where they can be warm, bundled against it. They're forecasting sixty degree weather come this weekend, but for now I'm enjoying that extra bit of white outside my window. Soon everything will reawaken and shake it off as though it never happened. 

More to come.

Yesterday I used handwarmers on my walk to the bus stop and at the office. I wore a hat and my new-to-me J. Crew coat (that I got for $6!) and my fleece-lined tights. Mike and I went to vote around 4 PM, and the sun was setting behind us as we drove to the polls. We turned our heat on for the first time! And yet, all of these things are just reminders of how far we've come since the last time the sun set in the late afternoon, since the last time Obama ran for president. I am so thankful, for all the places I have been and all the places I've yet to go. And though these leaves are long gone, I am thankful for having seen them, for having taken the moment to appreciate them.

The same can be said for voting.

I mean, if this is the first time you're hearing "You should vote," then you're lying. But whoever you vote for, just do it. And if you don't do it because people before you fought tooth and nail so you could, do it because it's fun. It's healthy.

(Re)Made | Pulled Pork Quesadillas & Pizza

One of my favorite parts about living with Mike has been cooking together. He loves to cook as much as I do (if not more—I love baking more), and we're living on a production editor and teacher's salary here, so we also do it to stay on budget. And honestly, we hardly miss eating out. I subscribe to Everyday Food on my Kindle and check out multiple back copies of Cooking Light from the library, so  we're always finding new ideas to try. Our latest one was pulled pork. It was so easy, and it turns out that 2.5 pounds of pork can feed a small army, or Mike and me for a whole week. 

But don't think that just because we're eating the same leftovers for five days in a row that we're boring. We like to morph leftovers into new things each time we re-eat them. Our pulled pork turned into quesadillas and then pizza later in the week. See below for the recipes!

Pulled Pork Quesadillas

2 tortillas (we used red pepper wraps)

Leftover pulled pork (recipe here), about 1/2 c

1/3 c shredded cheese

1/4 c corn

1/2 small onion, sliced and sauteed with garlic

Pile your ingredients on one tortilla and sandwich the remaining tortilla on top. Cook on high heat until the outside of the tortilla is crispy and the cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and enjoy with some chips and salsa! 

Pulled Pork Pizza

Pizza dough

BBQ sauce

Diced potatoes (also leftovers!), about 1/4 c

Leftover pulled pork, about 1/2 c

Sliced red onions (we used picked Grillo's pickles)

Corn

Shredded cheese

Stretch your dough onto a sprayed baking sheet or dusted (not sprayed) pizza stone. Layer on your sauce and toppings however you like. Bake at ~400 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese is bubbling and the dough is golden brown. Enjoy with a side salad!

Making your own pizza can be as difficult or as easy as you want. Whether you make your own dough or use the fresh-from-the-store kind (ask the deli section if they sell their own pizza dough), whether you experiment with other sauces and toppings or go the classic tomato and basil route, pizzas are a versatile and delicious way to use up the borderline veggies in your fridge or that last little bit of spaghetti sauce at the bottom of the jar. By making different recipes using the same ingredients, we rarely run into that mid-week lunch moment of pulled pork again?! 

How do you reuse your leftovers?

Bouqets of Sharpened Pencils

Today has been exactly what a Saturday should be. I just pulled bacon beer and cheddar muffins out of the oven for a housewarming party tonight, and the only scent fighting with that one is the sugar cookie candle I got from Marshall's today. I'm watching You've Got Mail for the second time in two days, and water is boiling on the stove for tea. I hope your day is as lovely, if not more.

When in...Portsmouth, NH (Part II)

We did a little wandering around Portsmouth on Saturday before leaving to stock up before Sandy hit. We split a breakfast sandwich on focaccia and a breakfast wrap at a cafe downtown called Popovers on the Square. We had to get a popover, since neither of us had ever had one before. It was so crispy on the outside but soft and hot on the inside, and their maple butter was good enough to eat on its own! Oh, and my maple latte was perfect. I wanted to curl up inside of it and never leave. 

Portsmouth was decorated for Halloween, and it reminded me of Halloweentown—that great movie that used to show on Disney. I gotta say, that's one of the main drags of not having cable is missing out on all of the themed shows and movie specials around this time of year. Is it possible to just get cable from October 15 through December 26? Someone look into that?

We'd been to Portsmouth before, so we hit up the same stores that appealed to us last time (the kitchen supply store, Macro Polo, River Run Bookstore, Kilwin's...). It's funny because there's a Kilwin's (a gourmet candy/ice cream shop) in Atlantic Station outside of Atlanta that my sister loves going to, so when I saw it I got so excited and sent her a picture. We ended up back there for ice cream that afternoon, and the ladies gave us so many samples I thought I wouldn't have room left to buy any ice cream. Don't worry, I persevered.

All in all, it was a great trip with just enough time to enjoy everything we wanted without feeling rushed. My favorite part was probably the venue, The Music Hall. It felt like a real staple in the community. I wanted to go back to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Halloween night! I'm going to sign up for their mailings so we can see another show there soon.

We were fortunate enough to not sustain any major damage from the hurricane. The cover on our back porch blew off, but that was about it. My thoughts are with all of those still finding their footing in New York and New Jersey. If you're in the area and want to help, I found this great list of ways to help on A Cup of Jo.