interior design ideas: May 2011

Indian food...& lassi recipe

Ok, I'm hungry. More specifically, I'm hungry for some really great Indian food. Since the best Indian restaurant in my area is 45 minutes away, and it's too late to drive there now, I'll just have to torture myself by looking at photos of Indian food (masochism, I guess). What I wouldn't give for some chana masala, naan bread with mango chutney, and a mango lassi....sigh...what are you craving tonight?

Here's a recipe for mango lassi, courtesy of Simply Recipes:

Mango Lassi Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped mango (peeled and stone removed)
4 teaspoons sugar, to taste
A dash of ground cardamom (optional)

Method

Put mango, yogurt, milk, sugar and cardamom into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. Can sprinkle with a little cardamom.
The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Make Mine Matcha

So, the fabulous boyfriend and I went to Teavana this weekend and got introduced to their matcha. Gotta say, I'm hooked.

Matcha is a high grade green tea which has been dried and crushed into a fine powder. The Japanese use it exclusively in their tea ceremonies. You prepare it by putting a small amount in a bowl, adding hot water, and "whisking" it (Teavana carries a nice bamboo whisk) until frothy. It has a nutty, almost sweet flavor, with very little of the bitterness you usually find in brewed green tea. Just one cup has the equivalent of TEN cups of brewed green tea's antioxidants. But the real hook is that it's just plain good. Here's the link: matcha tea

Progress on Lake Sunapee Custom Home

Progress is ongoing on our custom home being built on Lake Sunapee! The crew has worked through good and bad weather in order to hit a target finish date of July 1st. Check back for more construction photos and product descriptions!

Kitchen cabinets being laid out

Crown molding

Custom stair

French doors leading to balcony

Lake elevation

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of the fabulous Moms out there (and Moms-to-be!), I hope your day is blessed with peace and happiness! Today was a perfect Mother's Day...my son Nate helped me spring clean, and my daughter, Erica, booked her tickets home for a July visit (she lives in Denver). I'm so grateful to have such beautiful children, inside and out!

Pretty in Pink - bedroom makeover

The winds of change are blowing in at my cottage. A self-professed "earth-tone girl", my home is primarily in shades of beige, burgundy, sage green, black, etc. While I'll never completely abandon that palette, I've been craving a girly bedroom lately...you know, not a five-year-old's room, but a vintage inspired, soft look with some sophistication. I've decided on a palette of pink (Benjamin Moore's "Boudoir"), taupe, white, and a little black. Still haven't decided whether to do the walls in pink with taupe accents, or the walls in taupe with pink accents. What do you think? I will be posting "before and after" photographs as I go, but for now, here are some inspiration bedrooms that I found during my internet wanderings...stay tuned!

just love this look..the black wrought iron bed really pops!

another favorite look!

yummy bed linens