I came home from work yesterday to this amazing thrift store find by my hubby! After a little bit of research we found out that this specific machine was made in 1964. It is a great addition to my budding sewing machine collection!

<3 Julia

Sparking my Creativity

It's been about a year since I graduated from Wayne State with my Bachelor's of Fine Arts. After graduation I immediately started planning and preparing for my DIY style wedding that took place in October. So between my senior portfolio and the hours I spent designing and creating my wedding dress, I was creatively tapped out. Now however, I'm ready to get going again.
A few days ago my husband and I went and explored the new (to us) public library in our neighborhood. I was pleasantly surprised with their fiber arts section! I left the library with four books and was so excited to go home and get inspired!
Without having a loom or a printing and dying studio of my own; I have not been able to take on the same types of projects I would while in school. So as I flipped through these books I had to keep in mind the small space I have to work with. I was fascinated by the small-scale quilts in my library books, so I wanted to try my hand at one. I went through my scrap fabric bin and just went for it! I was pretty pleased with the results.

So excited to keep playing around with this technique : )

-Julia

Channeling my inner Leia

Pigtail braids each pinned on the opposite side of my head. Too easy!

Slows BBQ Copycat Mac N Cheese

It just so happens that lately, food is the main creative outlet in our home. What started as an easy and quick meal of Sloppy Joe's turned into an attempt to recreate the incredible, awe-inspiring, words-can't-possibly-describe Macaroni and Cheese that is served at a Detroit institution, Slows BBQ. A testament to the great cuisine that Detroit is home to, the Mac and Cheese at Slows is simply delicious. Try as we may, I'm not sure anyone will ever find out what exactly that secret ingredient is that sets it apart from the rest. 

But here's a heck of an effort.

Sloppy Joe on an Onion Roll and DMAC N CHEESE

D-MAC N CHEESE
Half box of Medium Size Shell Pasta (8 oz.)
2 cups finely shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
5 tbsp All Purpose Flour
6 tbsp Butter
Pinch Cayenne Pepper*
2 tsp Salt*
2 tsp Pepper*
2 3/4 cups Milk (more or less depending on how thick you prefer)
Handful of Italian Breadcrumbs

Boil noodles slightly firmer than al dente. Set Aside. Grease baking dish with butter. Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Create a Bechamel Sauce:
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Slowly add the flour stirring constantly and continue whisking for two minutes until all flour is in. Next, slowly whisk the milk into the mixture. Once the mixture is smooth, stir occasionally for about four minutes. Then, stir in 1 1/2 cups of the Sharp Cheddar and all of the Monterey Jack. Finally, add the remaining ingredients (*more or less to taste).

Once the Bechamel is ready, combine with the cooked noodles and stir well. Pour into greased baking dish and top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

I think the most important thing to know about this recipe is that a homemade Macaroni and Cheese is not hard to make. Have fun with it and make it your own because after all, cheese covered anything is pretty tasty however you slice it.

Now, let the food comas commence.

roll with the punches: lasagna edition

This is now our second attempt at the altered version of lasagna and Pinterest favorite. And dare I say, it seems to keep getting better. As I came home to an apartment reeking of garlic and onion, I fell a little deeper in love with that hairy kid I live with. He was sauteing fresh hot sausage with garlic, onion, green pepper and tomato. Yeah. I rolled up my sleeves in time to cook the noodles, add the sauce to that heavenly mixture he'd created and help assemble the little guys.

Roll 'em.

Cheese 'em.

Bake 'em.

 
So, here's the link to the original Lasagna Roll-Ups courtesy of Homemade By Holman.

We added:
1/2 pound fresh, hot sausage
half a green pepper
half an onion
half a tomato
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese

Holy smokes...

A great day for Michigan skies

Proud to be a Polack

So what if I had to look up the correct spelling of the derogatory term used to refer to my great heritage? It's only fitting right? While we may be known for our flightiness, we are also known for an array of delectable dishes. A favorite among both our Mom and Grandma, potato pancakes became a staple in mine and Julia's cooking regimen as we traveled to Wanda's each week to perfect the process. I had to dig deep in my memory to recall the teachings of the Great Wanda but I think she would be proud of what came out of my kitchen this morning.

In addition to the typical "plain" potato pancake (note: plain should be taken very lightly, these are just as good), I made a cheesy version and listed the steps for both:

Wanda's Potato Pancakes
One large potato
1/8 cup of Egg Beaters (equivalent to about a half of one beaten egg)
1 tbsp flour
Vegetable Oil
Salt
Pepper
Couple shakes of minced onion (fresh onion would be awesome, too!)

Wash and peel potato. Grate the entire potato into a large mixing bowl. Add egg, flour, salt, pepper and onion. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large fry pan. On medium to medium high heat, drop spoonfuls of potato mixture into hot oil. With your spoon, mold the pancake into a tight heap making sure the ends are sort of "tucked in" well. Then, thin out the cake with your spoon. This will help give it that crunchy texture.

Cook until the edges of the cake are a golden brown. Flip each cake and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Depending on the level of heat on your stove obviously the cooking time will vary. When golden brown on both sides, remove the pancakes from heat. 


For the cheesy version, I used the same ingredients but added about two cups of shredded cheese to the mixture. Depending on how cheese-core you are, you can lessen or increase the amount of cheese you add into the mixture. I also found that adding a bit to each pancake while they cook increases the cheesiness factor immensely.


Notes:
I used one potato for the "plain" version and one potato for the cheesy version. Each potato yielded about 8 pancakes. When you're ready to chow down, try dipping the pancakes in applesauce or sour cream.

Life's a Happy Song!

Hello! Julia here, the other half of Sister Cities! I am so excited to get this thing started.

Having a sister living 1000 miles away has been no piece of cake, I really miss her being just a drive (or even better, a bedroom) away. To be fair, I abandoned her for a year when I lived in Chicago, so I guess we're even now. Thank god for the invention video chat so the two of us can at least pretend to be in the same room a few times a week.

Wendy and I were raised in a family that was very open to the expression of creativity, and I am so thankful for that. On our blog we will be exploring different aspects of creativity; where we see it, how we use it, and what others can do to discover it.

Now, let's have some fun!
-Ju

testing...one, two, three.

Well hi there.  My name is Wendy and I'm one 1/2 of the brains behind this blog. My sister Julia is the other and together we are just tickled to start posting, playing and exploring everything that is blogging. And after a few iChat sessions, texting marathons and looong phone calls, it seems like we're about ready to do so.

Having grown up with a teeny two year age difference, Julia and I have been pretty much glued to one another since day one. Best friends, we've been through it ALL. Even when Julia left our beloved Mitten for college in Chicago, I made the four hour commute a regular thing. So, when the news surfaced that I'd be heading down to southwest Florida to live for a few years, we knew we would need something special to keep us in touch.

Enter sister cities, a blog by two sisters living more than 1,000 miles away from each other. The idea was simple; we wanted a space where we could share all the things we love from far across the country.

So here it is. sister cities: a blog by Wendy and Julia; two sisters cities apart.

enjoy.

meow.