Let there be light!

After finding the best headboard ever, I felt the next logical step in my master bedroom makeover were new lamps.

Actually, just matching lamps. If I could find the carbon copy of my beloved Eiffel Tower lamp I'd probably have gone that route, but Target doesn't sell it anymore. 

I had gotten a lamp for my husband's side of the bed several years ago as a replacement - after he broke the one he had -  that went along with my vision of a glam bedroom perfectly. I figured that I would just get another one to match for my side of the bed. Of course, this would end up being a much more difficult task than I'd imagined.

Turns out his lamp was a "medium" sized lamp and they don't sell that size anymore! So, I had two options. I could either purchase two new lamps that look identical to the one that we already had - just bigger - or go a different route altogether.

I love the lamp that we already have. It's an acrylic stacked ball lamp, and it just epitomizes glam to me, which is the look that I am going for with this room. Once you get an idea in your head that you love, it's hard to settle for anything else.

So guess what. I ended up getting two brand new large sized stacked ball lamps. And I got a hell of a deal on them too! Almost half off! Gotta love Target! They actually look even better than the medium sized one. Things always have a way of working out for the best!

My old Eiffel Tower lamp. I've had it for probably fifteen years or more! Je t'aime! But it was time for a change. I can probably find another spot for it somewhere else in my house.

I had to get new lamp shades too and I found these off white "Shell" colored ones that match my headboard perfectly!

It's amazing what a couple of new lamps can do for your room! It's really starting to come together!

And check out the flowers my husband got me! Quite possibly the most beautiful bouquet ever! Thanks, honey!

Easy and Awesome Calzones!

I fell in love with calzones after trying them for the first time at Costco a few years back. Since I don't have a membership, my chances of getting my hands on them are few and far between. My husband and I were craving those amazing calzones like crazy, so I had to do something! 

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention, and I ended up coming up with my own calzone recipe! And they are nothing short of amazing themselves, if I do say so myself!

 We've actually eaten these calzones twice this month already! They are that good! And very easy to make! I actually prefer them to a homemade pizza, and honestly, even sometimes to a restaurant pizza!

I like a cheese calzone, with a few green olives thrown in, while my husband likes pepperoni in his. Just like a pizza, you can put any toppings in them you desire. Just make sure that if you want sausage, ground beef, or chicken that it's pre-cooked and heated through before stuffing your calzone with it!

Here's what you will need:

Pizza Sauce
Jiffy Pizza Crust
Mozzarella Cheese (shredded is fine, but if you really want an amazing calzone, grate your own!)
 Toppings of your choice!

The ingredients. You can use any toppings you like, these are our favorites!

Make your pizza dough according to the directions on the box and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

I like to put my dough on the warming area of my stove to let it rise.

Most important rule of working with pizza dough: take off your rings! Then proceed to knead on a floured surface! This dough is very sticky and will usually need several tablespoons of flour.

After kneading your dough, cut it in half and shape them into a sort of rectangle shape and place on a greased pizza pan. Try to get the shapes as even as possible so when you fold it over it matches up with the other side. And try not to tear a hole in the dough either!

Put about a tablespoon or two worth of pizza sauce on one side of the dough.

And add your cheese! Not too much, unless you are having a plain cheese one. I usually have a tendency to overfill mine, so be mindful of that.

Add your other toppings and once again, don't overfill! Less is more with these calzones!

Love me some olives!

Top with the final layer of cheese

And fold over!

Use a fork to crimp your edges

All set to go into the oven! Bake for about 10 minutes.

After about 10 minutes (or just when they are starting to brown), take the calzones out of the oven and rub them with butter!

I sprinkle a bit of garlic salt on them at this point too for some extra flavor, but that's totally optional. Stick it back into the oven for about eight more minutes or until golden brown!

Ready to eat!

My mouth is watering looking at this picture!

Look at that cheese oozing out! There's a delicious little olive peeking out!

Here's my husband's calzone, I'm not really a fan of pepperoni. I ate one too many pepperoni pizzas when I was younger!

Once you have these tasty treats, you'll be craving them again and again!

Enjoy!

All About Julia!

 I love Julia Child! 

I remember watching her TV shows on PBS when I was little and she's someone that truly inspires me. Not only for her amazing cookery (as she called it) skills, but also for her positivity, drive, and the way she handled life, in general. 

 Did you know that Julia really didn't start cooking until she was in her mid-thirties?!? And, she didn't become the "Julia Child" we all know and love until she was forty-nine years old (!) and co-wrote the venerable, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Before that she worked for the US government in foreign countries and then "aimlessly" drifted along in life until she and her beloved husband, Paul, moved to Paris and she discovered cooking. 

Sound familiar to anyone? Aimlessly drifting along, hoping for inspiration to strike? Julia proves that there's hope for us all yet! And that's another reason why I love her!
 

I am currently reading an excellent biography that I picked up at the library about Julia Child called, The French Chef in America: Julia Child's Second Act, by Alex Prud'homme. Mr. Prud'homme is Julia's nephew and co-author of her book My Life In France, which was the basis for the Julia portions of the movie, Julie & Julia (one of my faves and quite possibly one of the main inspirations for this blog!)

The French Chef in America (FCIA) picks up where My Life in France left off. It focuses on the time after Julia left France and settled back into American life (as a celebrity) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The FCIA gives background and insight on Julia's various adventures, including her many TV shows and cookbooks, in a personal way that only someone who truly knew her could. It's also a good book to read for a bit and come back to at your leisure and you won't feel lost.

  
The FCIA offers a lot of history, not only into the life of Julia and Paul Child, but also into the various food movements in America and France from the sixties and beyond. This man has done his homework! It's an excellent read for a Julia Child fan or any foodie in general.

I spent most of last summer reading Appetite for Life by Noel Riley Fitch, which was itself a good and very detailed book about Julia's life. I would recommend that book as well.

On a side note, If I ever fulfill my dream of making it onto Jeopardy, I hope there's a category all about Julia Child! I'd sweep it!

Just in case you can't wait to get your hands on The French Chef In America, here is a really cool website I found (The Julia Child Foundation) that is full of details all about Julia!