Dinner Party and Etiquette Question? Living Room West View

These "evolution" posts are fun.  I'm always fiddling my apartment decor but it wasn't until a photo organizing session last week that it became apparent how significant the change of all the combined little tweaks was.  So y'all are at the mercy of at least 2 more evolution posts: North/South views of living room.

My dinner party went well. I need to start taking photographs of the food.  Last night, in homage to the heat (I really did not want to use the oven), I went with a chilled finger food theme: 2 kinds of pinwheels (roast beef/provolone & ham/brie) on long skewers arranged as bouquets (I don't have many serving dishes- so I tried to get creative),  chicken salad (cranberries, pecans, celery, onion, mayo) bites (scooped on celery cuts), Greek salad (feta, kalamata, sundried tomatoes) on cucumber slices, Caprese skewers (ciliegine mozz, grape tomatoes, fresh basil & balsamic redux).

One of my friends brought an unchilled bottle of wine wine so I set it in the fridge and opened a bottle of sparkly and made bellinis.  After everyone had left, I noticed during my clean up that they had taken the bottle back when they left.  This has happened with this group before.  It struck me as weird before and last night it bothered me a little.

We're all poor college kids and even a $10 purchase can be a hit so I know that I shouldn't be sensitive to it but it strikes me as being really rude. 

What do you all think in blog land? What is the contemporary etiquette in this situation? Is it appropriate to take back a dinner offering if it's unused?

Onward to The West View:

 I wish that I had taken a pic before I put in the mantel (Craigslist: $45).  It was such a weird spot before. My neighbor who has the mirror of my apartment layout is using it as a closet space.

The white rug (now in the bedroom) is actually 2 ($9/each @ Kmart) that I sewed together.  The mirror under the mantel was a splurge ($40 @ Bedbathbeyond).

I went wild with the white paint: gathered twigs, rocks and the wooden box under the candles. The curtain behind the mantel was on clearance (Bedbathbeyond $12.99). It's actually a really pretty green in real life. I haven't been able to capture the true color yet (sea foam). I think the satin reflects the filtered light weirdly- it's shown as much yellower in the photograph. See here for the real color. I made the hanging lights from materials from HD (about $10/each).

 
 The green rug was in the Ikea as-is clearance ( I think it was a display piece, $24). The pillows on the couch ($12/each), the hanging lamp to the left ($9), and the sheepskin ($9) were bought on the same trip. 


All in all, my goals in this room were to add strong color without painting the walls (powers-that-be forbid it).  It's amazing the difference that adding the green rug made. I'm really happy with the result.  :D

EDIT: I've since lowered the paintings & added shelves.... More New Photos

Oh Brother

Sometimes, my oldest brother has a way of making me feel as small as a flea. I love him desperately; he was even more excited about my first acceptance to school than I was. I can remember the look of thrilled shock on his face when I told him. Everyone should have someone to be so genuinely, unselfishly happy for them. I’m fortunate.

That said, he’s a freakin’ type A, control freak, micromanager with so-not-his-business. Argh. I called him today to chat. We take turns calling and so usually talk several times a week. I mentioned meeting an aunt for coffee and visiting our maternal grandmother in the afternoon.

Gram took great pleasure in reliving some of my “stubborn little pip” anecdotes. She and my aunt laughed at memories of me, a naked 4 year old interrupted from a fight with her brother, claiming that “Just because little girls are staying with their grandma, doesn’t mean that the grandma OWNS them.” Apparently, I was aware of my civil rights even at age four. I blame my mother.

I gave him quick updates on several of our cousins then mentioned finding sprigs of pussy willows on a walk. I have bouquets of willow shoots, winterberry and dried hydrangeas, pretty, easy to maintain and much much cheaper than fresh flowers. He’d always admired my displays when visiting.

Anyhoo, I also mentioned that when I went to the market I noticed that sashimi grade tuna was on sale for 7.99/lb and splurged on a filet ($5.28). I was excited to indulge myself on this weekend off.

His temper exploded and he ranted. How I can’t expect to pay for school, our shared mortgage etc, if I can’t budget my income… blah blah blah.

Now. I. Am. A. Freakin’. Penny. Pincher. I can satisfyingly squeeze a week’s worth of meals on a $30 budget with some creative use of spices and inexpensive staples (quinoa, eggplant, cauliflower etc.). I am also a master of the free/cheap entertainment: volunteering with the zoomobile for a free season pass to the zoo, free city wifi and no cable TV, forgoing downhill skiing for cross-country in open parks. I haven’t seen a movie in the theatre in years. Other than a few pairs of (clearance-no grey’s anatomy for me) scrubs and my interviewing suit, the only clothing I’ve purchased in the last 2 years has been socks and underwear.
I don’t mind. I’ve always been pretty low maintenance, but hell if, at 31, I’m going to be explaining every little purchase to anyone. I told him so. It escalated. Dammit. He’s just like our father; careful, loving and thoughtful but rigid, old-fashioned and by-the-book.

I remember being a teenager and chafing against my father’s restrictions. It was the primary motivation for my moving thousands of miles at eighteen to work for national parks. Every time that I jumped out of a plane, hitchhiked to the rodeo, climbed a difficult mountain or pushed myself past things that scared me, I thought “so there!” to my father.

Right now, I’m garnishing my tuna in a lemon wasabi remoulade (less than $1.50 to make- even with locally raised free range and hormone free eggs) sipping a glass of prosecco ($2.25) and thinking “so there!” at my brother.

Addendum: My brother, bless his soul, sent me an apologetic message a few minutes ago. He and my (favorite) sister-in-law have been under unrelated stresses and he didn’t mean to take it out on me. * sigh * How can I maintain my rebellious angst (damn you! Camus and Morrissey) when my family is so bleeping awesome?

Choices

Finishing my stint on third shift this morning, I stepped into the clear cool air and watched the beautiful blushing sunrise. It was a serene moment after a long night and a tense early morning.

One of our patients had left AMA just after morning labs. Last week, high on cocaine, Russell** started a bar fight and injured his shoulder. Dr. Joe told him that the surgery would be delayed for several days to allow his body to metabolize the cocaine. Russ was not happy to be stuck in the hospital for a week and recompensed by abusing the nursing staff: dumping his urinal over his sheets and the floor, barking at us when we walked by and spitting at anyone who came into the room.

We, of course, avoided him as much as possible. Well, Dr. Joe neglected to mention to Russ that he would have to have another drug screen before the surgery. Apparently his visiting friends had decided to bring him more drugs instead of flowers. When the lab tech went in to draw his blood, he went a little nutso, pulled out his IV and, blood dripping down his elbow, stormed out of the room toward the nurses' station screaming about bovine stool and ordering us to procreate with ourselves. Thinking he was going to attack us, we called a security code.

After the grey coats wrestled him back to his room, Dr. Joe came up and told him that the surgery was, yet again, delayed. Russ decided that he didn't want the surgery and demanded to be allowed to leave. Dr. Joe, quite angry and quite willing, retrieved the AMA paperwork and Russ left.

I stopped by the grocery store for cat food on my way home. I settled in the express line as a heavyset young woman unloaded her cart of items with the corresponding WIC vouchers on the counter. I had the rest of the day off and so buried my natural impatience with a magazine.

I soon found myself eavesdropping on the transaction ahead of me. The woman, refusing to pay the 58c difference for a bunch of grapes, told the cashier to take some grapes out of the bunch. I watched as the scan was voided, grapes removed, rescanned, voided, grapes removed, rescanned, voided, grapes removed, rescanned, voided and then grapes added one by one until the weight matched the amount allowed by the WIC voucher. *sigh*.. "day off.. day off.. day off.. breathe.."

The cheese came next without issue. The juice wasn't juice but punch and not allowed under the rules of the program. Argument. Huffing. Return with Lemonade. Argument. Huffing. Apple Juice.

Finally, the cashier began scanning the non WIC items: HungryMan dinners, bagels, jars of baby food and beer. Total $21.53. Oh, only have $18.37.. Big eyes look at the cashier then move to me. I bury my face in the magazine. Hummm... Ok, take the baby food off.

I drove home judging her. I drank my black coffee and judged her. I thought about the choices that she could have made but didn't. I began to reflect on the decisions that I have made that could be better and I felt guilty. I could have had something other than that blueberry muffin this morning. I could have had tea instead of wine last weekend. I make awful decisions all the time: too much cheese, not enough greens, not enough water, reading trashy novels instead of literature, watching True Blood. I have a degree in chemistry and a passion for studying nutrition. I still make crappy lifestyle choices. I think most people do.

Lady, you're doing alright. Keep going to your classes at WIC and keep fighting for every grape. Please just don't do it in the express line. And don't date anyone with a gimpy shoulder; he's bad news.

Poison Ivy

I went hunting blackberries yesterday before work in the hills beyond my house. Through the misty rain, the sun had cast a mauve glimmer on gray shale and the birds' loud chatter drowned out any stray noises from civilization.




It was a much needed diversion into serenity. My hamster wheel had been spinning furiously and stepping off reminded me of the bigger picture. Attitudes at work drive me mad but it's only a brief interlude. It will only be at most 10 more months until I'm back to school (fingers crossed!).

So I walked in the woods with dew soaking my sneakers and breathed in the absence of people. Coming up over a knoll, the sun beamed through the trees and from across the meadow. There, I saw the bush. Enormous, succulent and inky berries glinted in the light.

I made my way forward and noticed the wide jade green leaves that surrounded the fruit. Poison Ivy. I stopped a moment and thought about the symbolism, the correlation with my work dissatisfaction and my ultimate goals. I couldn't help but laugh aloud, startling a small flock of goldfinches into flight.

I continued to the bush, thankful in many ways, that I don't react to urushiol and I picked the berries.


And I made a blackberry, ginger compote for my salmon.

Salmon Again

Salmon poached in white cooking wine with garlic, capers, roasted red bell peppers and green olives

Cabbage Salad shredded with jalapeno, currants and raisins, tomato, green pepper, onion, apple cider vinegar, sugar, cayenne pepper, lime juice and lots of ginger.

Matcha

After a long day, nothing relaxes me like a cup of matcha. I like to brew mine in milk -sacrilege! I know!- instead of water; it cuts through the bitterness better.

Cauliflower Quiche

I like to experiment with food. I often take random ingredients and try to combine unusual but complimentary flavors. This one was a winner.

3 eggs
1.5 cups grated cheddar cheese
.5 jalapeno pepper minced
lots of ginger
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup water
1 package frozen cauliflower
handful of frozen spinach
handful of currants
salt/pepper to taste
bake in pie crust for 1+ hour (until firm) at 350*
garnish with currants and Italian parsley

Real Men Eat Quiche

Quiche is an awesome dish. Simple to make, easy to experiment with and impressive to serve. My burly manly-men cousins love quiche unabashedly, without exception, and will always stop by to help around the house if I have snacks handy. This quiche helped me get my refrigerator repaired in record time!
This is my twist on the classic Italian salad.

3 eggs
1.5 cups shredded cheddar
1/4 cup mozzarella (perline)
lots of fresh basil chopped
3 Roma tomatoes diced
1 jalapeno minced
1 cup milk
1 pie crust
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
salt/pepper to taste

Bake at 375* (until firm) and let sit 1/2 hour before serving. Garnish with fresh basil.

Poached Salmon and Bean salad

Last night, I made poached salmon with a garlic caper butter and a three bean salad.

Three Bean Salad:
l can black beans
l can red kidney beans
1 can white kidney beans
1 can corn
5 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro
3 plum tomatoes
2 large cucumbers
3 fresh limes squeezed
1 sweet onion
1 green pepper
2 jalapenos minced

Jalapeno, Tomato and Cabbage Slaw

1 small cabbage head shredded
2 large plum tomatoes diced
1 handful of chives chopped coarsely
1 large red jalapeno chopped finely
1/4 apple cider vinegar
1/4 honey
2 cloves garlic minced
and a tiny bit of ground ginger
squeeze 1/4 fresh lime

salt and pepper to taste...
The ginger adds some dimension to an uncomplicated dish.

Egg Salad

Down to the dregs of my larder, I made up this little salad.

Boiled eggs
dash of salt and pepper
lots of fresh garlic
a little chopped sweet onion
frozen spinach
and dill to taste
a tiny bit of mayo to hold it together

It came out deliciously!