pizza for breakfast

If you don't like pizza, you can probably just stop reading this right now and check back for my next post. Because I love pizza (and its cousin-- pizza rolls). I've been spoiled living in Chicago, where pizza is a second religion. After the move (only 22 days?!?!) Michael's Pizzeria down the street, where cheap pizza and cheap pitchers of beer are considered a great date night for us, will be sorely missed.  I am skeptical about pizza in California. Do they even have pizzerias? My pizza consumption may be limited to the ones I make myself. Any information you might have on this pressing matter is appreciated.

I appreciate both "pizza for breakfast" and "breakfast pizza" but posting about the former would make this blog less legit (it's very legit right now). So I will share this recipe for "breakfast pizza" that will allow you to justify to your parents, roommate, whoever, that it is completely acceptable to eat pizza before 10am.

Breakfast Pizza
makes 2 personal sized pizzas

1 tube of store bought biscuits (mine had 6 biscuits in the tube)
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp pizza sauce
1/4 cup cooked spinach
2 eggs
approx. 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
crumbled cooked bacon (I cheated & used bacon bits, because I had some leftover), for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scramble the eggs and set aside. Use three of the biscuits, and press to form a large circle. Transfer to a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake for 6-7 minutes.  Remove sheet from the oven, and spread toppings on crust. The order I used was: cream cheese, pizza sauce, spinach, eggs, sprinkle of mozzarella. *Remember that this recipe makes two pizzas (using 3 biscuits per pizza crust), so ingredients will be divided in two. * Bake for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is beginning to turn golden brown. Top with a sprinkle of bacon and dust with parmesan.

For the record, I have nothing against cold leftover pizza in the morning, if that's your thing. Sometimes it's mine.

Inspired by: lady folks

Two weeks ago, I spent a hot Sunday at the Square Roots Festival. I didn't take any photos worth posting, just enjoyed the music and company. The festival is a joint venture between the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce & the Old Town School of Folk Music (where Dane took his accordion lessons!). We soaked in the sounds several great folksy-bluesy-rock bands (including Elephant Revival and Bailey Dee's Rockabilly Roundup), & went to a couple more offbeat programs--the Woody Guthrie sing along provided music and lyrics to about a dozen of his songs and encouraged the audience to bring their own instruments, and the jug band jam may have included the highest energy, zaniest musicians I have ever seen. How zany? The Jewish harmonica player was wearing a Smurf print shirt and matching Smurf print yarmulke.

I have eclectic music tastes, but I really love folk and folk inspired music. Little known fact: I write music as a hobby. I started by putting some Leonard Cohen poems to simple guitar strums a few years ago and grew from there. I haven't written in a while because I enjoy writing music on the piano more than guitar (and my guitar skills are very very basic) and it's difficult to own a piano when you're 25 and rent an apartment. But today during work, a new little piece of lyrics popped into my head, and I may just have to write a little tune to keep them company.

This kind of music is perfect for lazy summer days and driving with the windows down. Here are some folksy musicians I've been Spotifying (I can and will use that as a verb).

Brandi Carlile's new album Bear Creek is one of my favorite recent releases.The songs are so fun and nostalgic, and I love that album artwork.

You may not have heard of Kelly Hogan, but if you're a fan of this folksy kind of music, odds are you've heard her. She's performed and recorded with Neko Case, Andrew Bird, Jakob Dylan, Mavis Staples, and many, many more.

I saw The Head and the Heart at the Metro this past year, and the quintet has to be one of the best live shows I've ever seen (they have a great lady vocalist/violinist, Charity Thielen, so they make the list).

Of course, I'm still listening to my old standbys-- Dolly, June, Emmylou, Linda, and Joan. What's on your current rotation?

minor obsessions : full steam ahead

What. a. week. Apologies for the infrequent posting lately, but it's likely to continue as moving arrangements charge ahead. The good news is that we signed a lease on an apartment (no living in our car!), so at least the stress of apartment hunting--from across the country, no less--is over. It's also been a challenge to fit in all of the people time before the move. It seems like everyone wants to visit and hang out, & while I get so excited for visitors and enjoy having a full social calendar, it gets a bit daunting to try to schedule time to see all the people I love. It's a lot to cram in to five (!!!) weeks!

So that's why I'll only be posting a couple times a week. Deal with it. And that's why there are only four items in obsessions this week instead of the graphically pleasant quintet.

I've wanted a watch for about a year now, but have yet to find one that I really love (read: isn't lined with rhinestones). This one makes me think I should shop in the men's watch section?

A lovely winter cape...why yes, it has frequently been over 100 degrees this month.

image from here

Yes, I am one of those people who love the Olympics. This handy guide will help with your viewing. Yes, I'll probably cry while watching the inspirational pieces & medal ceremonies (their dreams are coming true!!!).

Elise from enJOY it. has been doing a blog series about the artwork in her home, and I especially love this piece.

I'm off to job hunt and tackle more on my to-do list. The good news is that I can sort & pack linens while watching the Olympics. Which means I don't have to miss Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh go for another gold medal. Win-win!

Have a wonderful weekend!

DIY : bleached tie dye jeans

 In my high school Advanced Chemistry class, the pinnacle of the year was Tie Dye Day. At the end of the semester, everyone brought in various white items and tie dyed them while learning the chemistry behind the process. Most people brought in t-shirts, some got a little crazy and brought in socks. What did I bring to tie dye?

Pants. White, cotton, high waisted, slighly tapered, pants.

That style is kinda trendy now. Trust me, it was NOT trendy then.

I haven't changed my style much since high school I guess, because when I saw the tie dye denim tutorial on Honestly...WTF I instantly wanted to try it on an old pair of jeans that I had. Old habits "dye" hard (ha!).

This DIY doesn't have full instructions, because I copied the Honestly...WTF DIY Tie Dye Denim instructions almost exactly (I kinda forgot to rinse my jeans after taking them out...it didn't seem to make a difference in the jeans, but the attempted shorts have no "after" picture for a reason--gross brownish bleach stains! gross.). Also, my advice would be to wrap your garment as tightly as possible. I love the way my jeans turned out, but they are just toeing the line of too much bleach.

  I still have my tie dye pants from chemistry class--I'll have to take some photos in them sometime to show you guys!

bee happy

I have been a longtime fan of Burt's Bees products, so when Dane showed me these videos a while ago, I was smitten with their sweet, arts-and-craftsy, slightly obscure vibe. I was reminded of them today when I saw at least a dozen plump bumblebees lazily buzzing around gardens. Wasps and hornets are terrible, but bumblebees? Adorable.

Almost as adorable as Isabella Rossallini & friends educating us on bumblebee society and Colony Collapse Disorder. Sound strange? It is. Wonderfully strange.

Burt Talks to the Bees: Worker Bees

Burt Talks to the Bees: Queen Bee

Burt Talks to the Bees: Drone Bee