*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Susan who enjoys entertaining with friends on her deck overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains!

T minus 8 days until the official first day of summer! Are you ready for some outdoor entertaining? I’m with you. For al fresco dining, paper products are convenient and budget-friendly but sometimes lack style. Not so with the new MADHOUSE collections from Michael Aram.

MADHOUSE is a line of upscale yet affordable, disposable and semi-permanent serveware. The graphics are modern, elegant and inspired by nature. The cutlery even resembles twigs! Perfect for eating outside. I asked if MADHOUSE would be up for a little giveaway and they are happy to hook up one lucky reader – just in time for summer’s start. See entry details below.

PRIZE: dinnerware and cutlery from the MADHOUSE Lemonwood collection {my personal favorite!} to serve 8. Includes 8 paper dinner plates, 8 paper luncheon plates, 16 luncheon napkins, 24 beverage napkins, 16 guest towels, 2 cutlery sets and an all purpose melamine bowl. {$60 retail value}

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a shipping address {no P.O. boxes please} within the U.S. One entry per email address.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “STICK A FORK IN IT!”

DEADLINE: Enter before noon EST on Monday, June 17th. One random winner will be announced later that same day.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: What outdoor entertaining do you have planned for the summer? Pool party? Casual cookouts with friends or neighbors? Outdoor movie night? C’mon summer.

HH is out of town on business. I do some of my best work when he’s away. HH is half joking when he tells people that he’s afraid of what he’ll find when he returns home from a work trip. He’ll be happy to discover that I’ve only made little tweaks this trip. I blame the kids.

For this month’s Wayfair in the House post, I jumped at the chance to add some stylish and practical accessories to the kitchen. The kitchen is finished from a reno standpoint but I’m just now getting to the good part – tweaking ’til my heart’s content. Which, realistically, could take years.

I’ve been dying to add something to the left of the kitchen window. I was holding out for the perfect piece. A living art frame ended up being that piece. It probably has something to do with the fact that I’m aching for spring. We got another 6″ of snow yesterday. Spring? A friend described it best, “Ohio is drunk.”

My original thought was to fill the planter with herbs. But I wasn’t willing to drag three kids around town in search of them. So I went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of small houseplants: succulents, African violets, fern.

I love the mix but am a little worried about how the fern will do alongside drought-loving succulents. There is a watering chamber at the top of the unit. I have a tutorial coming on how I filled and hung the planter. It’s unique and deserves a post all its own.

HH better watch out. If spring doesn’t get here soon, our kitchen may become overrun with plants! All joking aside, I’m loving all the greenery in the kitchen. It makes dishwashing tolerable.

Speaking of dishwashing…the dish towel is new too.

It has a subtle geometric pattern and contrasting ribbon trim. Again, dishwashing is becoming slightly more tolerable.

I get emails all the time asking how our walnut-topped island is holding up. {Read more about how we finished and installed the wood countertop.} My best answer is to tell those who are curious to check out the bar top at a restaurant the next time they’re in one. It’s pretty much spot on for how our island top looks. There are some scratches in the Waterlox topcoat but nothing deep enough that penetrates into the wood. In essence, the scratches could be sanded out if they were bothersome but they don’t bother me at all. You can only see them at certain angles and they’re just signs of life. We don’t cut directly on the walnut but we don’t baby it either. Homework and drawing is done at island. Dishes are slid around on the island. Casual meals are eaten at the island daily. Lunch boxes are packed at the island. It’s the busiest surface in our house and we love it. It still looks rich and is a cinch to clean. I use a wet washcloth to wipe it down and a towel to dry. That’s it.

One thing I’ve been looking to invest in is a marble pastry board. But not for pastries. {I don’t do pastries.} I thought it would be nice for meal prep or to use as a serving tray when knives are involved. And, let’s be honest, I like the layered marble-over-walnut look.

This marble board is substantial. It’s 20″x16″ and weighs a good 25-30 lbs! It’s not an accessory that is easily moved around the kitchen but, due to its size and weight, it stays in place when in use. I like it so much I think I may just leave it out all the time.

Can you spy the new accessory on this side of the kitchen? You may recognize it from my Joss & Main event.

Yep, it’s the pizza peel. I was in dire need of one. Currently, I count 4 scars on my forearms from reaching into the oven for a baking pizza. I’m a bit of klutz in the kitchen. Last week, I singed my arm hairs.

I put it on display instead of shoving it into a cabinet. I wish I could turn it so the handle was up but then it would be too large to fit under the shelf.  It ties in to the wood shelves and walnut island top well.

What do you think of the new kitchen accessories? Layne and Everett especially like the living art frame.

I planted and hung the wall planter at night while the kids were asleep. In the morning, the boys noticed it right away and made a point to tell me how much they loved it. If hanging plants on walls makes you a cool mom, I’m in.

Thanks to Wayfair for supporting my habit.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I’m about to get heavy on one of my kids. To be read: This post has little to do with all things home.

That’s Layne. Today is his birthday. He’s turning 8. I find myself reflecting on my kids’ short but big lives on their birthdays. I’m often amazed at how much they’ve changed and grown. Today is no different.

When Layne was three years old, he was diagnosed with a sensory disorder. He was a relatively mild case but his symptoms were enough to disrupt our daily lives and affect Layne socially. On an intellectual level, Layne was way beyond his years. He was speaking in complete sentences at 16 months and was reading by the age of 3.

But, physically, Layne was uncomfortable in his body. Just getting dressed for the day was a huge, frustrating task that, more than once, ended with Layne physically getting sick. Layne couldn’t advance with his peers in preschool because he had problems with potty-training – yet he was reading at a 1st grade level. He was nearly 4 years old by the time he was potty-trained “enough” to move up but even then he had problems.

Desperate and worried, I relayed my concerns to Layne’s pediatrician and we were referred to an occupational therapist. Layne attended OT sessions and I was given recommendations for treatments and activities outside of OT to help Layne’s symptoms improve. One of the OT’s suggestions was to enroll Layne in gymnastics. I did. It was a basic co-ed gymnastics class that met for 45 minutes once a week. He learned to do a somersault and jumped around in a bounce house. That was over three years ago.

Yesterday, Layne placed 1st on parallel bars, 3rd on high bar, 5th on pommel horse and 4th all-around at a gymnastics meet in Indiana. I was so proud of him but the best part was seeing how proud Layne was of himself. He has come a long way.

We celebrated Layne’s birthday this past weekend. Per Layne’s request, we threw a Titanic-themed party for our families. He was inspired by a library book he had recently read on the Titanic.

I made Layne’s favorite meal and he helped me come up with Titanic-esque names for the food:

*Watch Out for That Iceberg! salad

*Troubled Waters chili

*Grab a Lifeboat corn muffins

*Titanic fruit salad

He chose Cold Stone’s ice cream cupcakes for dessert. {If you want to confuse the bajeezus out of your guests, ice cream cupcakes are the way to go! Yes, you eat the frozen chocolate “wrapper.” Yes, they are cupcakes. Yes, they have ice cream in them. Yes, they have cake in them. And, again, YES! you eat the “wrapper.”}

Someone on instagram asked so I thought I’d share…the black and white polkadot balloons were off the shelf at Meijer. The guy in the flower department filled them with helium at no extra charge. Wasn’t that nice?!

What would you guess an eight-year-old boy’s favorite birthday gift to be? You will never guess Layne’s. NEVER. So I’ll just tell you.

A 4-slot toaster. A 4-SLOT TOASTER! We played Heywood Bank’s “Toast!” after Layne opened his toaster. Layne made stacks of toast for everyone the next morning. He’s one-of-a-kind.

Happy Birthday Layne! I’m so happy I get to be your mom and watch you become you.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

So I’ve been brainstorming ideas for reoccurring posts. I don’t want House*Tweaking to have a strict posting schedule but having regular posts scattered in with more spontaneous, of-the-moment posts seems like a good way for me to keep hitting ‘publish’ and feeling happy about what I throw out into the blogosphere. One idea I’ve come up with is Mix-n-Match.

These posts will be as much for me as they are for you. We’ve all heard that mixing styles, materials, colors, patterns, textures {yada, yada, yada} go a long way in making a space more interesting. But when I’m at a store or shopping online, I’m still reluctant to mix metal finishes and wood tones. Hopefully, Mix-n-Match posts will help you and me both to see how mixing all those previously mentioned things and even sources {I shop everywhere from Walmart to West Elm to etsy to thrift stores…and everything in between} can work together. One post might focus on basic pieces for a family room while another post may tackle throw pillows. Some mood boards might actually fit into my home while others will pertain to fantasy rooms or spaces that I think up in my daydreaming head. There are so many things to be mixed and matched. The possibilities are endless!

Without further adieu, here is the first installment of Mix-n-Match. I think this assortment of accessories would mix well in a masculine kitchen with rustic touches. A few of them might even make their way into my kitchen – if they haven’t already.

1 – Turkish kilim rug Area rugs have a way of warming up a kitchen that makes the space feel less utilitarian and more homey. This works especially well in kitchens that are open to other rooms of the house. I’ve been searching high and low for a vintage rug for my own kitchen but am having a hard time putting money down on a piece that will surely get splattered with spaghetti sauce. A patterned rug is probably going to be my best bet.

2 – Stainless steel canisters I would keep these canisters on the countertop next to the stove and fill ‘em with baking ingredients. The steel finish would tie in well with stainless steel appliances.

3 – Vintage pizza board I soooooo want one of these. {Maybe I’d stop burning the tops of my forearms on the oven every time I reach in for a pizza. Seriously, I have four scars from my pizza baking misadventures.} When not in use, it would look great hanging on the wall or propped up against the stove’s backsplash. The wood finish would pick up on other rustic touches while the round shape would help break up the straight lines of a kitchen.

4 – Brass soap dispenser I know what you’re thinking. Can you mix brass with stainless steel? YES. Yes, you can. Try it. You’ll like it. Oh, and if you already have an in-counter soap pump, use this brass baby for hand lotion at the kitchen sink.

5 – Brass lotus bowl Again, brass works. Adding another small brass item keeps the first from looking lonely. I like placing a small bowl close to the kitchen sink for dropping my rings, a bracelet or watch into when washing dishes.

6 – Spiral dots bowl Display this black and white bowl on an open kitchen shelf. The modern pattern is a nice contrast to sleek surfaces and touches of rustic wood.

7 – Elly dish towel In my opinion, every room needs a dose of stripes. These simple dish towels are the perfect addition to a masculine kitchen.

8 – Stemless wine glasses Corral a set of these no-frill wine glasses in a tray stocked with liquor to set up the perfect mini bar within the kitchen. The curvy shape and shiny glass bring a subtle sense of femininity and luxe to an otherwise pragmatic room.

Do you have a suggestion for a future Mix-n-Match post? Please leave it in the comments section below.

FYI – After a few collaborations last year, I’ve officially signed on with Wayfair to write a monthly post over on My Way Home. Expect to receive exclusive peeks into my home that don’t make it onto H*T. You can check out my first contribution here. It gives you a sneak peek inside our fauxdenza.

images: polyvore collage by Dana Miller, linked within

I don’t share many recipes. But when I do, I promise they will be easy, quick and not require a bunch of ingredients. Because that’s how I roll.

Today I’m sharing my favorite salsa recipe. I got it from a friend and tweaked it just a little. I make it ALL. THE. TIME. And every time I make it I get requests for the recipe. It’s so versatile! Kid snack. School class treat. Birthday party. Teach appreciation day. Football Sunday. Taco night. Load-your-own-baked-potato night. Make-your-own-Chipotle-bowl night. Picnic. Pool. Cookout. Potluck ‘dish.’ This salsa goes anywhere.

And it is soooooooooo easy.

Ingredients:

1 can Hunt’s sweet onion diced tomatoes {as shown above…because I like knowing what I’m supposed to be looking for at the grocery store when I try new recipes}

1 can Hunt’s diced tomatoes {as shown above}

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons smoked chipotle sauce {as shown above}

few dashes of chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Blend for 2-3 minutes.

The final consistency should look something like this.

Pour into a bowl and enjoy!

It’s not too spicy. Not too sweet. Of course, if you like a hotter salsa you can add a drizzle of your favorite hot sauce or some jalopeño. I love that there’s barely any prep involved – just washing and cutting the stems off the cilantro. Otherwise, it’s as simple as pouring some ingredients into a blender. I can do that.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

When we moved into our Underdog I didn’t give much thought to loading the kitchen cabinets and drawers. I had a two-month-old, a four-year-old and a seven-year-old at home and a traveling HH not at home. The goal was to just empty the moving boxes and be done with it all. Seven months later I’m finally coming up for air {through a straw, mind you, but it’s air nonetheless} and realizing that my kitchen could use some organization. To boost my self esteem, I’m starting small and easy.

The biggest functionality problem in the kitchen actually had a very simple and inexpensive solution. What was that problem? Herb and spice storage.

Originally, I threw all of our dried herbs and cooking spices {+salt and pepper} into the recessed cabinet above the microwave. They were difficult to reach and required either a) a stool b) hoisting myself up onto the counter or c) “Steeeeeeeeve!”

Fun fact #1: Steve is HH’s real name. I don’t call him HH in person – only on the blog.

I finally got fed up one day during a sweat-inducing search for oregano.

“There’s got to be a better way and no one else is going to do it for you, Dana.”

Fun fact #2: When I’m home alone with the kids, I talk to myself. It’s my way of having an adult conversation.

So on a whirlwind trip to IKEA a few weeks ago, I purchased four packs of the magnetic GRUNDTAL six-ounce containers. {They come in a box of three and are $5 per box.} That meant I had 12 containers total. Why 12? There was no taking inventory of anything before I left the house. I just guessed and thought 12 sounded good. First, I edited my collection of herbs and spices down to about the top 16-18. I was trying really hard to get it down to 12 – just enough for my containers – but I wasn’t willing to give up items that I had used in the past three months.

Fun fact #3: Since quitting my job and becoming a SAHM, I’ve slowly grown to like – I wouldn’t say love – cooking. I even got pretty good at making up dairy-free recipes when I was still breastfeeding. But, let’s be honest, there’s no cookbook coming out anytime soon.

From the final 16-18, I picked my top 12. This is all starting to sound a bit American Idol-ish, isn’t it? I cleaned out the magnetic containers with soap and warm water then filled ‘em up with The Final Twelve. I did have a problem with one of the container’s lid not screwing on correctly but I made do. Can you guess where I stuck them?

On the side of my refrigerator.

I didn’t really want them in plain sight from the adjacent living room and I actually use this little corner {along with the island} for food prep so the fridge location is ideal. I just pluck my ingredient off the fridge when necessary and stick it back when I’m done.

For those of you who are wondering what made the cut, here’s my top 12 in no particular order:

chili powder

salt

oregano

cumin

pepper

cinnamon

rosemary

ginger

coriander

red pepper flakes

basil

curry

Thyme would have made the top 12 but I only had about four little pieces left. I labeled the back of each container with a permanent marker because I can’t tell the difference between cumin and coriander.

Next time I’m at IKEA, I’m grabbing one more three-pack to get my last few spices on the fridge. Then the only herb/spice-related ingredients in the cabinet above the microwave will be surplus.

No more gymnastics in the kitchen trying to reach my spices.

Next up? Knife drawer, I’m looking at you.

Fun fact #4: I’ll be back later today with some exciting news involving another Joss & Main event that I’ve been secretly working on. Stay tuned…

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Blogs have a way of portraying life as chipper and easy and always good. But it isn’t always so. 2012 wasn’t my favorite year. It’s been rough. 2012 kicked my butt and while I hate to wish away time I’m not sad to say adios to the past year.

Here’s a brief recap of what happened in 2012:

We tackled various DIY renovations that put us about six months past our predetermined move-in date. One project that we thoroughly underestimated was the installation of our engineered hardwood floors. So. Much. Glue.

Let’s not forget that I was pregnant at the beginning of this year with a surprise #3. And when I say surprise, I mean “SURPRISE!!!!!” It was an eventful pregnancy with two lil’ ones, a demanding job, a renovation in progress and a traveling HH. I ended up on modified bed rest for the last two months.

We finished one bathroom. It’s still the only functioning bathroom in our house.

It was a girl! We welcomed Mabrey Larew and our lives grew even busier. But, damn, she is so cute. Okay, so maybe 2012 wasn’t a total loss.

I officially quit my day job as a retail pharmacist. I don’t miss the work but I miss the comradery, the paycheck {quitting my job meant cutting our household income by 50%} and getting out of the house on a regular basis. This SAHM stuff is serious business.

We finished and installed a walnut butcher block countertop for our kitchen island. It’s still one of our favorite projects to date.

We finally moved out of our apartment and into the Underdog.

We had a water leak which forced us to move out of the house for several days. I’m still having nightmares about that one.

I went dairy-free for baby’s sake and you guys were such a huge support system. FYI – Mabrey gave up breastfeeding a month or so ago and I’ve since reintroduced dairy into my diet in small doses. Hello cheese. Nice to see you again.

We organized the bedroom closets to maintain some sort of sanity.

I decorated one room. It remains the only decorated room in the house.

We excavated. In the mud vs. Dana battle, mud won.

I painted a rug because I’m crazy like that.

I met John & Sherry. It was one of the only times I got out of the house without all three kiddos in tow. I forgot how to act in public.

We tweaked the kitchen.

I practiced speed blogging.

HH found color-changing Christmas lights to appease everyone.

And then the year was over. Just like that. I had assumed 2012 would be the year I focused more on decorating and blogging but I was distracted by poopy diapers, hungry kids, school parties, sibling rivalry, sleepless nights, dirty dishes, piles of laundry and New Girl. Why is it taking me so long to find my sea legs after downsizing, quitting my job and churning out baby #3? Maybe it’s not the same for everyone but going from two kids to three has been extremely rough for us.

2012 is going out with a “thpppfth.” HH and I had plans for an adults only NYE night with another couple. We were going to get a babysitter. I was going to make dinner and dessert. We were going to drink and stay up late on purpose. We were going to entertain for the first time in our Underdog. Then 80% of us {that would be four out of five} went viral. And not in the good Bourne Legacy viral kind of way. Think more along the lines of exploding bodily fluids kind of viral. And we only have one bathroom. I’ll let you use your imagination.

Did I mention we’re on a tight schedule for a photo shoot scheduled for next week?

2012. Goodbye. And good riddance.

2013 come quick. Please bring toilet paper and sprinkle my kids with sleep fairy dust.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Truth: We juice. As in fruit and vegetables. {Or is it fruits and vegetables? Ah. Irrelevant.} After watching the compelling documentaries, Fat Sick & Nearly Dead and Food Matters, earlier this year HH and I were inspired to start juicing. Neither one of us was looking to lose weight or cure disease {which juicing can do}, we were simply hoping to optimize our physical and mental health, be proactive, prevent disease and set a good example for our kids.

One thing I always had a hard time with in my past job as a retail pharmacist was regularly getting asked by obviously unhealthy customers with nothing in their grocery cart but sugary drinks and packaged foods, “What’s best for {insert ailment, symptom, disease, complaint here}?” The answer I wanted to give wasn’t the answer they were looking for. What I really wanted to say was, “Go put everything in your shopping cart back on the shelf. Then head to the produce section and fill ‘er up. When you get home, go for a walk. That’s the best thing.” It would have been a good start and I probably would have been fired on the spot. Our society is funny like that.

After a little research, HH purchased the 8004 Omega juicer.

That was six months ago and we’ve been giving our juicer a run for its money ever since. We juice once in the morning most days of the week. We both feel good about getting in a bunch of healthy stuff at the beginning of the day so even if we don’t do a great job eating right the rest of the day, at least we started the day right. Hey. We’re not perfect. And Thanksgiving {a.k.a. the day we show our gratefulness by indulging in gluttony…what’s up with that?} was just last week so this post is rather timely, isn’t it?

Anyhow, I’ve been receiving more and more questions about our juicing experience so I thought a little how-we-do-it post was in order. Be warned: we’re not professional juicers. If there is such a thing. We could be doing a lot better and we hope to continue to improve upon our juicing experience now that we’ve made it a part of our lives and are committed to it.

We have a few juicing staples that are included in every juice we make: kale, spinach, carrots. Other produce we use and move in and out  of rotation are: celery, cucumbers, melons, pineapple, apples, tomatoes and whatever else is getting a little too ripe in our fridge.

Per the first image of this post, the end of our island across from the fridge is our juicing command station. It looks intense but it takes less than a minute to set up the juicer. Before beginning to juice, I cut up anything that’s too large to fit into the juicer. Basically, anything larger than ~1½” in diameter gets cut down to fit in the shoot.

Then I turn on the juicer and load the produce into the top. The juicer comes with a nifty handheld plunger to push the food down into the juicing chamber. We’ve discovered that starting with softer things {like the leafy veggies, cucumber, pineapple and tomatoes in this example} and ending with harder produce {here, the carrots} works best to extract the most juice possible. The firmer produce sort of cleans out the juicer.

There are two tubs under the juicer to catch the juice and pulp. This is what the extracted juice looks like after some spinach leaves make their way through the juicer.

This is what the spinach pulp looks like at the end of the juicer. It crazy how dry the pulp is. Nearly all of the juice is gone.

Here’s where I started adding the carrots. You can see how the juice and pulp change color as I add different foods.

Everett LOVES helping with the plunger and asks, “Can I be your squisher?” every morning. It’s so easy a four-year-old can do it!

Look at that pretty pulp.

The juicer does make some noise but it’s nothing loud. We’ve yet to have anything get stuck. There’s a reverse switch in case that happens.

On this particular day, I was juicing just for this post so I didn’t make a full batch. The juicer can handle much more. We drink up as soon as the juice is ready.

{Everett was still in his ‘army’ pajamas.}

Layne and Everett drink the juice too – albeit smaller servings. When we first started juicing, we paid the boys 25¢ for each glass of juice they drank. Bribery. We do it. A month into it, though, we let the pay slide and the boys still drank the juice so we no longer have to bribe them. I did buy some stainless steel straws that seem to make the juice more palatable for the kids. For particularly ‘robust’ batches, we’ll add some ice cubes for the boys too.

How does the juice taste? Well, it depends on the ingredients. It helps to have a little sweetness in there to balance out all the green so that’s why I include pineapple, apple, honeydew, cantaloupe or watermelon. Does it taste like fried chicken or chocolate cupcakes? No. But it doesn’t taste like poop either. {Not that I know what poop tastes like.} Now that we’ve been juicing for several months, I actually crave the juice but not in the way that I crave tasty foods. I don’t crave the taste. I crave the effect. It’s difficult to explain. My body craves it as opposed to my taste buds craving it. It’s weird.

And the juice is actually filling. Not in a way that makes my pants feel tight around the waist but in a way that leaves me satisfied until late morning.

To clean up, I dismantle the juicer and rinse all the parts. {As of right now, the pulp gets trashed but it would be great to compost.} Then everything minus the actual juicer goes in the dishwasher on the top rack. Yes, there are a lot of parts. Eight to be exact. But that comes with the juicing territory I guess.

The juicer gets prime real estate in a drawer close to the sink since we use it so often. As far as kitchen utensils go, the juicer is heavy {~20 lbs} and it’s easier not to store it up high.

So, yeah, I spend the majority of my grocery shopping time in the produce section and I usually have to buy fresh produce twice a week. I’ll be honest. {This is Honest Monday after all.} When we first started looking into juicing, trekking to the grocery store more than once a week sounded like a pain. Now that we’ve been doing it for a while, it’s just become a part of life. We buy organic whenever possible. Yes, it’s more expensive. But it’s our health! When you compare the cost of a trip to the doctor/emergency room/hospital/pharmacy to the cost of a few pounds of produce…well, I think you know which costs more in the end. Plus, my skin has never looked so good! And my skin used to be infamous for acne breakouts. Hell. Now that I’ve just celebrated a birthday and I’m officially in my mid-30′s, I’ll gladly pay a little more at the grocery store to reap beauty benefits.

In the Food Matters documentary, one of the speakers made a comment about our society having things backwards. We gladly stretch our pursestrings for a nice big house but complain about the cost of healthy food. Where are our priorities? This whole downsizing adventure is looking better and better every day.

As I mentioned, we’d love to improve our juicing experience. Adding in some wheat grass and spirulina is next on our list. What about you? Have you ever juiced? Any recipes you want to share? Do you have a juice bar in your city? HH and I have casually thrown around the idea of opening a juice bar. We’d offer organic produce from local farmers and let customers gather their ingredients into a basket then we’d juice it for them OR they could order from a simple juice menu. And I think there should be a drive-thru. There aren’t enough healthy drive-thru options out there.

One thing is for sure. I haven’t thrown out overripe produce in months. I’m not above juicing wilted lettuce or mushy strawberries. I’ll juice anything.

FYI – I wasn’t compensated for mentioning any of the products above. I’m just sharing our juicy experience!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I hope you and yours are safe, dry and warm. My thoughts are with those who weathered storm Sandy, lost a loved one/home/business/power and with those who are working diligently around the clock to restore some sort of normalcy. Just when I think I’m having a bad day, I’m reminded that there are plenty of people who have it far worse than me. I’m humbled.

HH is out of town. For, like, three weeks. Three weeks with three kids = survival mode. I’m doing what I can. Last night was trick-or-treat night in our neighborhood. Since HH is gone, our friends graciously offered to come visit me and the kids and to take the boys door-to-door. The weather was cold, wet and windy. There was no way I was taking Mabrey out. I’m so thankful to have such awesome friends! Which reminds me…I totally need to hit them up for a house tour. They recently renovated a ranch home just blocks away from us and have impeccable style.

Anyhow, my friend Kristina is gluten-free and I’m dairy-free {due to a certain seven-month-old. Can you believe it?! Seven months!} so I decided to whip up some treats just for us.

They’re chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cookie dough frosting. That’s a lot of my favorite things in one dessert: chocolate, cupcakes, peanut butter, cookie dough and frosting. Come on. And, sadly, while gluten-free and dairy-free, they are not sugar- or calorie-free. But, hey, it was Halloween. And I’m breastfeeding. And I’m husbandless. For three weeks. Did I mention HH is gone for three weeks?

I found the original recipe here then tweaked the ingredients on my own to make them gluten- and dairy-free. Here’s my version. This recipe makes ~14 cupcakes.

For the cupcakes:

Pamela’s chocolate cake mix {found at my local Kroger in the natural food section} + water + eggs + oil according to package directions for making cupcakes. FYI – I’ve found that I usually have to add on a few minutes to bake times for gluten-free recipes. Allow cupcakes to cool.

For the frosting:

3/4 c. of butter flavor Crisco, softened {make sure it’s butter flavor!}

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. almond milk

1/2 t. vanilla

1 & 1/4 c. gluten-free flour {I used King Arthur brand found at Kroger in the baking section.}

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate mini chips, chilled in the fridge {also found at Kroger in the natural food section}

Use a mixer {my hand mixer works just fine for this} to beat Crisco and sugars together for 2 minutes. Mix in peanut butter, almond milk and vanilla. Slowly incorporate flour and salt and mix on low speed. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Once cupcakes are cool, pile on the frosting. Then indulge. YUM.

In other Halloween news, Layne and Everett dressed as a dragon knight and Iron Man, respectively.

They are both at this stage where it’s not cool for your mom to DIY your costume. I would have loved to brainstorm my own ideas for their costumes and make them myself but they weren’t going for it. So I dropped it. They were perfectly happy in their store bought costumes.

What treats are you whipping up today? What costumes will you/your kids/your pets be wearing?

Happy Halloween!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Thanks for playing along last week. All surround sound bashing aside, it was a good reminder that design involves figuring out a way to make both people in a relationship happy with the home they share. It’s not always easy – but definitely possible!

Onto more pressing issues this week…

Truth: I miss pizza. Since going dairy free nearly two months ago for the sake of our sensitive lil’ Mabrey, I’ve found some palatable alternatives to most of my favorite dairy foods. And it’s not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. But the one thing I’m having a hard time giving up is pizza. Or, as HH likes to call it, ‘the perfect food.’ One day last week while driving in the car, out of nowhere the pizza devil voice in my head said “What I wouldn’t give for a warm, gooey, greasy, cheesy pizza.” Ugh.

I’ve substituted most of my dairy cheese with goat cheese…on salads, pitas, tacos, crackers, etc. Don’t get me wrong. It’s delicious. But it can’t compare to melted, stretchy mozzarella or cheddar. Oh, cheese, why must you fall into the dairy category?

The chicken bacon artichoke take ‘n’ bake pizza from Papa Murphy’s helps ease the pain a little. I get it with olive oil and garlic {instead of the creamy garlic sauce} and without parmesan. It’s incredible.

I eat it with a dollop of Toffuti’s better than sour cream. Don’t let that picture fool you. Those were my first two slices. Three more pieces quickly followed.

While the artichoke pizza is delish, it does nothing for my true pizza cravings. Last night I dreamt I was eating real pizza with real cheese. There was a string of cheese from my mouth to the pizza slice I was eating and it kept getting longer and longer and I kept slurping it up. It was never ending. Never ending melted cheese. That’s what fills my dreams nowadays.

Truth: That’s me today. Coming to you *almost* live from my kitchen. I have yet to organize the glass front cabinets.

Truth: I haven’t worked out once since Mabrey was born. And I desperately want to. Not to lose weight. Good genes, exclusive breastfeeding and eliminating dairy from my diet has helped get me back to my pre-pregnancy weight. But the consistency of my body {hello, doughy stomach and flat mom butt, I’m talking to you guys}, is like nothing I’ve experienced before. I sure haven’t bounced back from #3 like I did with #1 and #2. I’m not overly self conscious of my postpartum body, it’s just something that I’d like to work on. Plus, I always feel better when I’m working out regularly. I have more energy. We take family walks and I’m constantly moving doing something with one of the kids or working on the house. But those activities don’t really target my belly or butt.

How can I not find 30 minutes twice weekly to do some toning exercises?! That would be a good start. Any suggestions? I tried doing squats while calming Mabrey before I lay her down for naps but it turns out she thinks going up and down is funny. And it’s hard to ‘shhhhhhh’ when I’m breathing heavily. Now, there’s a visual.

Oh well. Good thing I have a baby to hold in front of my belly.

Truth: If I hear that damn gummy bear song one more time, I will rip my ears off. How can such a bad song be so catchy?!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking