Week 2 of the Spring Cure is already here (and half-way gone!) Here are the items on this week’s agenda:

Week 2 To-Do List:

1. Fix 1 thing in your apartment yourself.
2. Clean your kitchen and throw away old food.
3. Buy a water filter and use it.
4. Run your hands over every wall in your apartment.
5. Clear space for an Outbox.
6. Clear one surface and use the Outbox.
7. Buy fresh flowers.
8. Determine your style.
9. Find a new recipe and cook 1 meal at home.
10. Choose the date for your party.

A longer list this time around, but nothing that’s impossible.

The biggest thing for me this week will be cleaning out my kitchen. I don’t usually keep a lot of stuff around, so I’m hoping it won’t take too long. I have one drawer in particular that really needs my attention. It’s packed with all of my miscellaneous kitchen utensils and it’s gotten so full that I can’t easily get it opened or closed. To help with this, I decided to empty the entire contents of the drawer into a box. If I need something that was once in the drawer, I will take it out of the box and put it back in the drawer after I’m done with it. At the end of a month, whatever is still left in the box will be thrown out or donated. By knowing what it is I actually use, I can make better decisions on what to keep or discard.

Cooking is something I already do a lot of in my kitchen, so that one will be easy. If you’re looking for something to cook, try your luck at Tastespotting. You can use the search function to find a particular recipe or simply browse the pictures until you find something that looks delicious.

In high school I had two Spanish teachers. One was from Barcelona and the other from Puerto Rico. The teacher from Barcelona called this caramelized milk dulce de leche while the Puerto Rican teacher called it cajeta. I think what makes dulce de leche different from cajeta is the milk: Dulce de leche is made with cow’s milk and cajeta is made with goat’s milk. Some prefer cajeta over dulce de leche and say that it isn’t as cloying, but I think they are both great.

Since goat’s milk is hard to find and I don’t have time to sit and constantly stir a pot of milk and sugar for an hour, here is how I make my caramelized milk:

1. Get a can of sweetened condensed milk
2. Peel off the label and scrape away residual glue (a spoon works well for this)
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil
4. Drop the can of sweetened condensed milk into the boiling water
5. Boil for 3-4 hours (3 hours for a lighter, more syrupy dulce de leche or 4 hours for a darker and thicker consistency)
6. Let cool before opening can

WARNING: Watch your pot frequently and add more water as needed to keep the can covered. DO NOT let the pot boil dry! Your can could explode if you let the all the water evaporate from the pot.

After 4 hours of boiling time, this is what I got:

I found this post on my beloved Tastespotting and thought it looked like a good use for the dulce de leche: Salted Cashew Cookies from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine. I’m a big fan of sweet & salty combos, so these are perfect. It’s like eating a Pease’s cashew in cookie form.

A fun music video from the band Crankdaddy.

We’re getting there…

And why has this year’s “spring forward” affected me more than any other? 3 days later, I’m still feeling off because of the time change. I’ve talked to multiple people about this, and everyone agrees that it’s taking longer than usual for them to adjust to the one hour difference.

Except for Eddie. He said it hasn’t had much of an effect on his life because he’s “accustomed to not having enough hours in the day.” Hmph.

Week 1 To-Do List:

1. Make a complete list of repairs and solutions.
2. Vacuum and mop the floors
3. Remove one item from your home.
4. Buy fresh flowers. (Doing next week since I won’t be around to enjoy them!)
5. Sit for 10 minutes in a part of your house that you never sit in.
6. Look into earth-friendly cleaning products.

I’ve listed all of my repairs and even checked one off my list.

My Outbox is also starting to fill up!

For the past few months, I’ve been using Caldrea cleaning products. They are biodegradable and smell amazing (Basil Blue Sage is great). I’m also very impressed with their cleaning power. I use the liquid dish soap, countertop cleaner and window cleaner all to great effect. They remove grease and don’t cause any streaking.

Caldrea doesn’t test on animals, so they cannot make the claim of being non-toxic (the FDA requires animal testing in order to receive the non-toxic designation). However, since they are packed with essential oils and as few synthetic materials as possible, I feel good about using them around my home.

When you begin the Cure, you are asked to complete an interview to better gauge your style and personality. It may seem silly to answer these questions before setting to work on your home, but they really will help you figure out your problem areas. If you leave some questions unanswered then perhaps you need to bolster your personal style and self confidence. Look at pictures of artwork, clothing, and other homes. Take note of the things that strike the right chord. Soon you will start to see a common thread among all of your favorite pictures. This commonality will be your guide for the rest of your adventures in the Apartment Therapy Cure.

Below is my interview:

Favorites

List your favorite for each category:
Actress: Zooey Deschanel
Actor: Johnny Depp
Artist: Raymond Pettibon
Writer: Daniel Clowes, Sylvia Plath, Charlotte Brontë
Music: JigGsaw, Breeders, Hum, Toadies, Alk3 (so many…can’t decide on one)
Restaurant: Pasta Pomodoro
Automobile: Volkswagons!
Television Show: IT Crowd, AbFab, The Office, Flight of the Conchords, Peep Show
Clothing (designer or store): J. Crew, Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade

How would you describe your style (3 words)?
1. classic with a twist
2. vintage inspired/mid-century modern
3. esoteric

Personal History

Where have you lived?
Where you were born: Chicago, IL
Where you grew up: Ottawa, IL/Aurora, IL
As an adult: Champaign-Urbana, IL

Whom would you consider a role model? My mom

What three adjectives describe the qualities that you admire in this person?
1. determined
2. self-reliant
3. grounded

Apartment

What is the problem with your apartment (3 words)?
1. cluttered
2. disorderly
3. underlit

If your apartment could speak, what would it say is the problem? There is too much stuff in me!

What one thing would you like to do or do more of in your apartment? More creative work (e.g. drawing, embroidery, etc…)

Eight weeks from now, when this project is done, if friends come to visit, how would you like them to describe your home (3 words)?
1. cool!
2. cozy
3. smart

*****

So, because I gave multiple answers to some of my “favorites”, I know that I need to do some editing and pare down the clutter in my apartment. I also took my time when answering some questions, so I know that I am a careful decision maker and may need some pushing. I have a strong sense of my personal style, so all I really need to do is refine it and make sure that it stands out and not my clutter!

This past Monday marked the beginning of Apartment Therapy’s semiannual Cure. The Cure is an 8 week program that aims to thoroughly clean and de-clutter your home; thus making it more enjoyable to its inhabitants and guests. Along the way, you will learn more about your personal style and what it is you want to accomplish in your space. Does your home make you happy? Do you feel that you are able to do everything you want to do in your home? By finding the answers to these questions, the Cure will help your home become a true reflection of you and your style. Most importantly, your home will make you happy.

Like I mentioned before, the Cure is an 8 week program. The work details for each week can be found in the official Apartment Therapy book. In the interest of, well, getting you interested, here is a brief summary of the full 8 weeks.

Week 1 – Whole Apartment: clean, list repairs
Week 2 – Kitchen: clean, declutter, cook
Week 3 – Front Hall: clean, declutter, plan a Landing Strip
Week 4 – Living Room: clean, declutter, arrange color
Week 5 – Office: clean, declutter, organize office
Week 6 – Bathroom: clean, declutter, arrange light
Week 7 – Bedroom: clean, declutter, arrange art
Week 8 – Whole Apartment: get ready for a party!

You’ll notice that Week 8 mentions a party. The culmination of the Cure is a party to show off your new space. It seems to me that the party is designed as a test to determine if you can keep your home looking just as it did before you had the party. Look for there to be a little shindig sometime after Sunday, May 9th.

If you’d like to join me in committing to the challenge of the Cure, then please go here and sign up!

However, if you’d rather watch from the sidelines, then just follow my blog or twitter for updates. Also, keep an eye on my Flickr account for pictures of my progress!

Good luck and let the curing begin!

This past month, JigGsaw played two shows at Champaign’s own Mike & Molly’s. Needless to say, they rocked. If you’re going to be around the Champaign-Urbana area on Saturday March 13th, come out to Cowboy Monkey and see JigGsaw for yourself. The show starts at 10pm with a $5 cover and minimum age of 19 for entry. Rounding out the evening’s lineup are The Poets Dance (Rockford, IL) and Vanattica (Champaign, IL).

More photos here on my Flickr page.

It’s no surprise that I am addicted to Tastespotting.com. The site serves as a great inspiration for when I’m stuck in a culinary rut or when I don’t know what to do with some leftover ingredients.

That’s where I found the recipe for this pepperoni bread. I had some leftover turkey pepperoni and cheese that needed to be used ASAP. The problem was that I didn’t feel like having pizza again. So I went over to Tastespotting, searched for “pepperoni” and found this recipe from BrownEyedBaker.com.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can mix the dough ahead of time and stick in the fridge for up to four days. This gives you a lot of flexibility, which isn’t something that always comes to mind when you think of baking bread. I made the dough on Monday and just baked half of it today (Wednesday).

As for the results? Well, I honestly can’t believe I made this! My bread baking experience is fairly limited; usually leaning towards quick-breads and No-Knead Bread. So I was really excited when I cut into the loaf and found the inside to be very soft in contrast with the crusty exterior. Absolutely perfect!

Since it was my first time tackling this type of bread, I will do a couple of things differently next time (and there will be a next time!). First, I’ll roll out my dough a bit thinner. Looking at how fat my spiral was compared to Brown Eyed Baker’s, I could definitely go thinner. Second, I will use more cheese and pepperoni. However, since I was only looking to finish off some leftovers, it seemed silly to go and buy more of what I was trying to use up. The bread is still delicious even without the extras, due to the onions mixed into the dough.

So if you have some leftover ingredients that need to be used, try your luck on Tastespotting. You might find your new favorite recipe!

Yesterday I went to check my mail and found a large padded envelope stuffed into my tiny apartment-sized mailbox. When I tore open the seal I found a pretty yellow ribbon.



Of course! How could I forget!

Last month, I received a letter from the United States Equestrian Federation (the governing body for all U.S. equestrian sports). Apparently I had placed third in the region for the Horse of the Year Award. This news came as quite the surprise since I had only shown once in the region all year. However, the points I collected by competing in that one show were enough to earn my horse a third place. Pretty cool.

And since my horses are in Scottsdale, I was ranked in Region 7 which consists of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. In comparison, the first and second place winners were both local to Arizona and had shown several times during the year.

I can remember when I won first place in the same contest with my horse Summerfire. We showed like crazy that year and traveled all throughout Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin (which is Region 11). Knowing what it takes to get first, I feel proud to have ended up third after competing in only one show.

And what a nice thing to break up the dreariness of winter.