a love affair with {soy} chorizo

Our obsession with finding new culinary favorites has been fueled by eavesdropping at the Trader Joe's checkout line.  About a month ago we heard someone raving about TJ's soy chorizo and how it's soooo amazing, even to non-vegetarians.

So naturally we scooped it up.  But then got a little stuck on what to do with it.  We didn't want to encroach too much on burrito night territory, so we decided to stay away from tortillas, rice, salsa, and guac.  With a little inspiration from the interwebs, we came up with these two concoctions:

Soy Chorizo with Quinoa | Soy Chorizo Mac & Cheese

I wrote "recipes" too!

kitchen inspiration {exhaust hood + open shelving}

I can barely call the hallway bathroom facelift "done" and I'm already back into planning mode for the kitchen - I can't help it!  Being realistic, I think a full kitchen renovation is at least a year away but I figure it's helpful to document things I like along the way.  Since I've yet to cave in to Pinterest, I will continue to save my thoughts here.  

I started playing around with potential looks & layouts via Ikea's kitchen planner.  The general location of the major appliances and the sink will probably remain the same, but the storage space could be reconfigured and maximized, and I'd really like to install a proper exhaust hood over the range rather than a venting microwave.  Here's the mockup so far:

Note: There are cabinets to the right, just hidden from this view.  And it wouldn't let me put shelving to the right of the hood because the space is too small, but I'd want something more custom-sized anyway!
 

a bathroom facelift {part 4}

The final part! Well, at least for now. The hallway bathroom certainly isn't done, but all the heavy lifting is over. After putting some new bathroom accessories in place, cleaning and repairing the shower tile, and installing a new glass shower door, we ended up here: 

While I'm calling this the final part, there are a few things we still want to complete:

1. Hang artwork in the big blank space over the toilet
2. Buy a soap pump (yes I looked at your votes!)
3. Find a new trash can 
4. Buy matching hand towels, bath towels, and a bath mat
5. Stain and seal the floor grout 
6. Frame the mirror (maybe)
7. Buy a new robe hook for the back of the door (maybe)
8. Replace the shower valve (maybe)

But for now it's "done".  Picking up where we left off last time, here's how we got there!

bulgogi burgers!

Over the past few months, we have been searching for some new culinary creations which better accommodate the summer heat.  One of our new summertime favorites is somewhat of a Korean/American fusion dish, inspired by Vietnamese sandwiches.  I introduce to you: the Bulgogi Burger!  

For those unfamiliar, bulgogi is a traditional Korean dish simply described as marinated beef.  We typically eat it with rice, kimchee, and other Korean goodies.  But in its reinvented form, we have made it into an Asian fusion burger, complete with with cucumber, cilantro, and a fried egg.

Here is a vague recipe if you wish to try it yourself:

a bathroom facelift {part 3}

Part 3!  We install a vanity top, a faucet, and redo some plumbing!  I am the most proud of this part so far because I thought we might have to give up and call a plumber.. but we didn't.  And it looks awesome.  And nothing leaks (!!!)

Here's where we end up:


Now let's see how we got there, yea?

Incase you missed it and want to catch up, you can find Parts 1 and 2 of the hallway bathroom facelift here and here.

i need your help...

The shower door is installed!!

Before I get to talking about that, I have a much more pressing issue.  We been searching for accessories to complete the hallway bathroom. One topic of much debate has been a soap pump (I know, big issue).  We prefer foaming soap, but most options for foaming soap dispensers are the cheaper single-use type or other really clunky / awkward looking ones. I finally came across these gems on Amazon:

Umbra Birdie Foaming Soap Pump

Soo cute!  (And the video review cracks me up!)  Now the question is, black or white??  The black one looks like a little penguin which I love, but the white one is cleaner looking and would be a little more subtle against the white counter top.

a bathroom facelift {part 2}

Guess what?  I'm finally done my weekly trips to Ann Arbor!  Made the flight from DTW to BOS for the last time (for a while, at least) on Friday afternoon.  I was so excited to return home and relax for the rest of the day, but was met with an even bigger surprise - Adam had arranged to work from home so he was there to meet me.  This worked out really well too, since we had a large freight shipment coming in that day... the new shower door!  I won't get to that yet in this post, but coming soon.  

Picking up where we left off last time with the hallway bathroom facelift...

6// Painting the vanity

We decided to keep the old vanity base, but to spruce it up with a fresh coat of paint, some caulking to fill in cracks / seams, and new cabinet handles.  Here's what we were dealing with before: