My 5 Favorite Things This Week.

Welcome 2021! Does it feel like a New Year yet? I sure do hope so. I have committed to giving you my 5 favorite things each week and this is our first one! I hope you love it and find some inspiration and maybe some of my favorite’s will be yours too!

So, let’s get to it!

1. Sherwin Williams announces the paint color of the year every time the ball drops and this year I am LOVING this beautiful vibe! Urban Bronze took home the gold this year. I’ve already seen this in a few design projects and it is truly gorgeous. It really can go in any space, don’t be afraid of it’s dark and sexy personality, and also don’t be tricked into believing that dark paint makes a room feel smaller, that is a design myth! Urban Bronze can make your room look taller, thus larger, and paired with light furniture pieces creates a dramatic statement. This is beautiful in a bedroom and even a powder room and can be used to elevate the space in a modern home or give a rustic nod to a farmhouse family room. I’m thinking this will be our new office color!

2. Matcha! I love my morning matcha and it’s so easy with this great frother I found on Amazon! It took me a minute to figure out how to modify my traditional matcha recipe to accommodate this modern frother but no one is complaining, so I think it’s a win! Did you know that matcha is loaded with antioxidants, helps boost brain function, may prevent cancer, promote heart health, protects your liver and may help you lose weight! That’s a pretty hefty list of benefits! Grab yourself this nifty frother here and make your mornings as dreamy as mine.

Matcha Recipe

3/4c. Oatmilk

1/2tsp. Ceremonial Grade Matcha

1 Tbsp. Agave

1/2tsp. cinnamon

Directions: Whisk oatmilk and matcha together with a matcha whisk. Add to frother and start the heat and frother setting. While the milk is frothing, I find my favorite mug and add 1 squeeze of agave and a generous shake of cinnamon. Next I fill the mug almost half full with hot water and stir. Once the frother is done, I pour it into the prepared mug and ahhhhh life is good.

3. We are in the desert so when I say the weather is cold, well, it’s just about 65. But, I know most of you might be dealing with actual cold weather and this recipe will definitely make you feel cozy. I basically adapted my traditional lasagna recipe to accommodate my vegan soul and it turns out I’m a great cook! Just kidding, but I really do LOVE to cook and this recipe is a family favorite!

Jen’s Famous Easy Vegan Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 packages Beyond Meat Ground

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 T. minced garlic

1/2c. chopped fresh basil

Avocado oil

3 jars tomato sauce ( I prefer Muir Glen)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cumin

3-4 T. Italian Seasoning & another 2 T. for ricotta mixture

1 bay leaf (remove from sauce before assembly)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 container of Follow your heart shredded parmesan

2 containers of Kite Hill non dairy ricotta

1 package Daiya Mozzarella Shreds

2 packages of Barilla Gluten Free no-bake lasagna noodles

Instructions:

Heat large pot, once hot add avocado oil and chopped onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until clear and then add all the ground beyond meat. Blend and season with cinnamon, garlic powder, celery salt, paprika, cumin, pepper and generously season with Italian seasoning. Once meat is cooked add all three jars of sauce and season to taste. (I usually add more Italian seasoning).

While that simmers, in a large bowl add two containers of ricotta and the whole container of shredded parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste, and 2 T. of Italian seasoning. Blend well.

In a 9x13 pan cover bottom with some sauce and your first layer of noodles. Cover noodles generously with sauce. (This sauce is what will cook your noodles).

Then dollop your ricotta mixture on top of noodles, only using half. Blend around the surface. It’s ok, if it gets mixed together with the sauce.

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the chopped basil and repeat for another layer. Once both layers are complete add a third layer of noodles and the rest of the sauce. Making sure the noodles are covered well in sauce otherwise you will have tough noodles. :) Sprinkle the top generously with the mozzarella shreds and seal tightly with tinfoil. It may feel like it’s going to overflow (but it won’t) so place the 9x13 on a cookie sheet to keep your oven clean. 

Bake at 425 for 40 min. Remove foil and bake another 15 min. Let rest on counter for 15 min before serving.

Enjoy! You just had a plant based lasagna and no one will ever no the difference! :)

4. The Art of the Bar Cart. I feel like everyone needs a bar cart, it doesn’t even have to be a bar cart, it can be a breakfast cart, a makeup station, coffee and tea, honestly the list is endless. We have recently styled our bar cart, post holiday and we love it! I think it goes without saying, you need some booze if you want a bar cart. A nice rounded out simple bar will do. Tequila, Vodka, Gin, Aperol, etc. We added a few Pellegrino’s because you need mixer and well, back from my staging days they just look nice. A good stack of cocktail books, a bowl of lemons or limes and the tools you need to make a cocktail are important elements, jiggers, ice bucket, shaker and the like. Lastly, we like to add some life. We added cactus since we are in the desert but any plant will do as long as it’s in a nice basket or pot. Sometimes if the set up allows a great iconic framed photograph can set it apart. So go ahead and have some fun with it! Cheers!

Cheers!

5. Our last item for today is the Divided Lazy Susan from The Container Store. This is the most requested item on a job since the release of The Home Edit. In fact, there is an entire line of Home Edit products at The Container Store now too. We do love their products but there are lots of great options for the lazy susan. We recently did a project using a bamboo version of this and it’s a beautiful natural looking vibe. We use the lazy susan in pantries for storing items you use often. As with all our projects, “like with like” is how we roll. Under the bathroom counter it’s a great way to store beauty products as well. You can find yourself one here.

Be creative, that’s where the fun is.

I hope you had fun and that you try a few new things every week!