Ending the week with a little HOT Yoga

TGIF!!!  It has been a long week, so I am ready for Hot yoga and a little shopping this afternoon!

Image: Jen Gotch

Even though I love to post recipes for fatty things like chocolate peanut butter cupcakes and sparkling wine pound cake, I actually make a pretty decent effort to eat healthy and stay in shape.   

A friend of mine introduced me to bikram yoga (or hot yoga) a couple of weeks ago and I am hooked!  I wasn’t sure if I would really like it.  I have done yoga several times in the past and have never really gotten into it because I need to get a good sweat in to consider it a work out.  Well, trust me, yoga in a 105° room makes you sweat!!!

I have done two different types of classes so far at Inner Fire Yoga in Madison - hot yoga and power flow yoga.  Both are in hot rooms, just different temperatures.  In hot yoga the room is 105° and in power flow it is 95°.  In hot yoga you move at a slower pace, holding each pose twice.  In power flow you move more quickly and it is a bit more of an intense workout.  I prefer power flow yoga, but I feel FANTASTIC after doing both of them.

Here are some benefits from Bikram yoga that regular yoga doesn’t necessarily offer:

• Heavy sweating helps detoxify the body

• As the blood thins, the circulatory system is cleared.

• The output of cells which fight infection is increased

• The heart rate is elevated

• In Bikram yoga, weight loss is made easier because your muscles are warmed and can burn fat more easily.

• The heated environment is initially very challenging, helping to increase will power and mental strength.

I am not practicing bikram yoga for weight loss, but after hearing a couple women in the locker room talking about how many calories is burns, I did decide to look it up.  Let’s just say it burns a lot more calories than I thought!  Click HERE to calculate how many calories you would burn in a class.  Classes are 60 minutes, 75 minutes, or 90 minutes.

Now I am off to a Friday night of power flow yoga and a little shoe shopping.  I need to find some shoes to go with my bridesmaid dress for my friend Ashley’s wedding in May.

HAPPY WEEKEND!


Here are a couple pictures from Inner Fire Yoga in Madison.  I just pulled them from their website.  I love the studio and all of the instructors I have had so far seem very nice.  I would highly suggest trying a bikram yoga class sometime.  You might enjoy it as much as I do!

Happy Easter

Isn't this the most perfectly beautiful spring picnic?  Wishing you all a very happy Easter! 

Image: flickr

How to turn an old coffee table into an upholstered bench

This is actually a project I did last summer that I am finally putting up a post about.  My grandma gave me this old Ethan Allen coffee table when I moved out of the dorms and into a house with four other girls my junior year of college.  By the time I graduated, that coffee table had been spilled on, stepped on and was basically pretty beat up. (not that is was anything great to start with)

I decided to turn the coffee table into something I would use, so I started looking online for inspiration and came across this tutorial on curbly.com that explained step by step how to turn an old coffee table into an upholstered bench.  So I headed to JoAnn Fabrics and Menards, bought the supplies I needed, and followed the directions step by step.  Here is the result:

This bench now sits at the foot of our bed and it works perfectly because out littlest pup, Emma, can now get up on our bed to snuggle.

Here is lil Emma.

And here is our other pup, Oliver.  He likes to sleep in bed like a real person.

Here are the pictures from the tutorial that I followed.  

To see the tutorial and make an upholstered bench of your own, click HERE.

Also, I would LOVE to see any inspiring furniture or room transformations that you have done, so if you have any that you would like to share, please email me at katieannebuell@gmail.com.

Eric – I cannot wait to see the craigslist dresser you and Aimee are working on.  You will have to email me a picture of the final product and don’t forget to take a “before” picture!

Forget that paintbrush and leave those walls WHITE!

If I were to do it all over again, I would have left most of the walls in our house white. I know that sounds boring, but after seeing so many BEAUTIFUL pictures of rooms where the furniture serves as that “pop” of color, it makes me wish I would have skipped the painful process of picking paint colors and painting and left my walls white. (I have a very hard time picking paint colors, so for me it was painful.  There are just SO many wonderful options.)  If you think about it, it is much more versatile to leave your walls white. You can switch up the throw pillows, a glass vase or your bedspread much easier than repainting the entire room every time you want to feel like you need a little change.  Check out these inspirational pics and maybe you will agree.
(click on the pictures to see larger)

Images: 1-3: Decor8, 4-5: Design Sponge, 6: Fiddlesticks and Funny Girls, 7-8: Furnishing My Home, 9-10: You Are My Fave Jr.

Meet Tilly

Hello everyone!  Sorry I have been MIA for the past two months. I have been busy with work, my class and a new little project. Excuse me… I mean my BIG 1,200 lb project!  There is a new addition to the family, the late 1800s Challenge Gordon letterpress I just purchased!  I named her Tilly. (Sorry, Amanda P. – I had to copy the name.  It is just too perfect.  Tell your Garmin I named my letterpress after her.)

Let me explain…

(I will try and keep this relatively short)

I have been in love with letterpress for as long as I can remember.  It is simply beautiful the way the designs and type bite into the paper giving it a third dimension.  The impression is subtle, yet powerful and I absolutely love it.

I have had this idea for a while now to find an old letterpress and restore it back to working condition.  I had been looking on Craigslist for about six months and had never came across a thing.  One Sunday morning I was snooping around on Craigslist and I found one!  I must have looked at the ad literally two minutes after he had posted it. I was the first one to call about the press.  An old farmer from Waupun, Wisconsin had bought it a few years back at a farmers’ auction with the intent of fixing it up.  He told me he was just too old to fix it up and wanted to sell it.

Long story short, my dad and I drove out to Waupun the next weekend to see the letterpress.  My dad is very mechanically inclined and can make ANYTHING run.  After looking at it we decided it would be able to be restored and I bought it!  Two weeks later, we hitched up the trailer, headed back to Waupun and brought it all the way back to my parent’s house.  It now sits in the lower third garage all ready to be fixed up.  All I have to say is thank god for tractors!  It is huge.  The flywheel alone is about 200 lbs!

Now the research begins.  I have joined an online letterpress community called Briar Press that I have found to be unbelievably helpful!  I have found a manual for a press very similar to mine, where to buy new ink rollers, what kind of sandblast to use and the number one bit of advise I have received is to KEEP MY HANDS OUT!  I guess this kind of press, called a platen press, is known for taking off fingers! Ouch!  I have even had several people invite me to their letterpress shops to show me around and teach me. 

The next few moths will be a lot of degreasing, sandblasting, ordering new rollers, ink and paper, going to letterpress museums, visiting shops and a whole lot of learning.  It will be a process, but one I am very excited about.  I have big plans for Tilly once my dad and I get her up and running.  I am sure I will be updating you often on our progress.   

Here are a few pictures.  The letterpress came with eight trays of lead type and a paper cutter.  I also included a couple of inspirational pictures of letterpress.  You’ll see why I love it so much.













Images 1-3: Sycamore Street Press, Images 4-6: Letterpress Delicacies, Images 7-8: Golden Rectangle Press

Vanilla-Sparkling Wine Pound Cake

We have a winner!  I have found another recipe for my “tried and true” cookbook I am trying to put together in 2010.  I am going to a ladies night potluck tonight, so I thought I would try this recipe I found in my Better Homes and Gardens magazine this month.  It sounded interesting because I have never baked with sparkling wine.  I cut it into slices so it would be easier for people to take a piece AND so I could do some taste testing and not have it look like it J.  It is delicious!  It is heavy b/c it is pound cake, so one thin slice is all you need.  YUM!

Here is a picture of mine.  It never looks quite as perfect as the picture in the magazine L

Note:  I had to bake it longer than it says to.  I baked it for and hour and 15 minutes.  That worked for me, but it will depend on your oven.  I would cut a slit in the top and see if the inside is done.  It will look like it is done on the outside, but the inside might still be gooey.   

vanilla-sparkling wine pound cake

ingredients

3  cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1  tsp. baking powder

1/4  tsp. salt

1  cup sparkling wine or milk

3  Tbsp. sour cream

2  cups sugar

3/4  cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4  cup safflower or canola oil

5  cold eggs

2  Tbsp. vanilla paste or vanilla extract

1  recipe Sparkling Wine Glaze, recipe below

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan; set aside. In large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift mixture; set aside. Stir together sparkling wine and sour cream; set aside.

2. In large mixing bowl beat sugar, melted butter, and oil with electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla paste. Beat on medium to high 3 to 5 minutes or until thicker and lighter in color. Add one-third the flour mixture; beat on low just until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add half the wine mixture; beat just until combined. Repeat with one-third the flour mixture, the remaining wine mixture, and remaining flour mixture. With rubber spatula scrape batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. Turn out on rack; cool completely. Drizzle with Sparkling Wine Glaze. Makes 16 servings.

Sparkling Wine Glaze

In small bowl combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp. sparkling wine. Stir in additional wine, 1 tsp. at a time, to reach drizzling consistency.

Dinner, just how I like it: REAL SIMPLE

My co-worker and good friend, Keri came into work yesterday raving about a dish (#6 with added shrimp) her mother had made the other night.  She then pulled the bible of simplistic living, REAL SIMPLE out of her bag and showed me the spread labeled “10 Ideas for Cheese Ravioli”.  Before I knew it, it was flat on the photocopier and being passed down the row of cubes in stapled packets.  J  

I love this idea mainly because it is just plain simple, but I also love it because if you keep the one main ingredient (cheese ravioli) on hand, you can make so many different and yummy dishes.  And who says you have to follow the directions?  These give you some good ideas, but you can always add ingredients you have in the house.  I also love that a lot of the recipes call for really healthy ingredients and use olive oil as the cooking oil.  I tried the ravioli with spicy cauliflower last night because I was so excited it had green olives in it.  It was fast, simple and delicious!  I served it with garlic toast, again REAL simple stuff here! I want to try the ravioli with sweet potatoes and thyme next.

Start with 16-18 oz. cooked cheese ravioli and add…

1. Ravioli With Grape Tomatoes and Wine

In a large skillet, cook 2 chopped shallots in olive oil over medium heat until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 pint halved grape tomatoes and 1 cup white wine; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.  Mix in the ravioli, 2 tablespoons butter, and ¼ cup chopped parsley.

2. Creamy Ravioli and Pesto Gratin

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup heavy cream and ¼ cup pesto. Mix in the ravioli.  Transfer to a shallow 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with ¼ cup grated Parmesan.  Bake at 375° F until golden and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Ravioli With Spicy Cauliflower

In a large skillet, cook 1 head coarsely chopped cauliflower, 2 cloves sliced garlic, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper in olive oil over medium heat until the cauliflower is tender and brown, 10 to 15 minutes; season with salt.  Mix in the ravioli, ¾ cup pitted green olives (halved), and ¼ cup reserved pasta water.

4. Ravioli With Sweet Potatoes and Thyme

Toss 1 pound peeled, diced sweet potatoes with olive oil and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Roast at 400° F until tender, 25 to 30 minutes.  Toss the ravioli with ½ cup crumbled fresh goat cheese and 1⁄3 cup reserved pasta water; fold in the sweet potatoes and sprinkle with more goat cheese, if desired.

5. Ravioli With Mushrooms and Chard

In a large skillet, brown 1 pound sliced mushrooms in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 bunch chopped Swiss chard and 2 cloves chopped garlic and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.  Top the ravioli with the vegetable mixture; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with shaved pecorino.

6. Ravioli With Peas and Crispy Bacon

In a large skillet, cook 6 slices bacon until crisp; remove and crumble. Add 2 cloves sliced garlic to the skillet and cook until golden. Add 10 ounces frozen peas and cook until heated through.  Mix in the ravioli and ¼ cup reserved pasta water; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the bacon and grated ricotta salata.

7. Ravioli With Caramelized Fennel

In a large skillet, cook 1 thinly sliced fennel bulb and 1 sliced onion in butter over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  Mix in the ravioli, ¼ cup reserved pasta water, and 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds.

8. Ravioli With Fontina and Walnut Sauce

In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup heavy cream to a simmer. Add ½ cup grated fontina and ¼ cup mascarpone and cook, whisking vigorously, until melted and smooth.  Toss with the ravioli and ¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped chives.

9. Baked Ravioli With Chicken Sausage

In a large skillet, brown 2 sliced fully cooked chicken sausages (12 ounces) in olive oil over medium-high heat. Toss with the ravioli and 2 cups marinara sauce.  Transfer to a shallow 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with 1 cup grated mozzarella. Bake at 375° F until golden and bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.

10. Ravioli With Brown Butter and Sage

In a large skillet, melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add ¼ cup pine nuts and 1⁄3 cup sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sage is crisp and the butter and pine nuts are browned (but not burned), 6 to 8 minutes.  Mix in the ravioli; season with salt and pepper.