February | 2011 | Jenna's Everything Blog

So last month I wrote four posts about the 111 things in 1/11 project, initiated by my friend Jenny, that involved a weekly purging throughout the whole first month of the year. Many things were thrown away, or put in bags to give away. I had 4 pretty heavy bags of stuff to bring to a Goodwill or Salvation Army–but not having a car, and not being close to either of those fine establishments, the stuff sat in a closet for a while.

I could sense the stuff lurking in the shadows of our coat closet, just waiting to somehow infiltrate our house again with its clutter–I had to find a way to get it out of there before it outsmarted me.

I soon realized that I had to enlist the help of a friend with a vehicle. So about a week ago, my friend Carrie offered up the trunk of her car, and we drove my purged stuff and her purged stuff out to a Salvation Army. Of course, a thrifting expedition ensued in which we also shopped at Salvation Army. And Plato’s Closet. It was inevitable–the call of Thrifting is powerful, and no one tied me to the mast to prevent it.

Since Salvation Army didn’t have a dressing room, we ended up in front of a mirror in the corner (curiously the place where the highest traffic was occurring), throwing clothes on and peeling them off again under a hideous set of fluorescent lights, jostled by passerbys, employees and children, all while trying to keep an eye on our purses, which were in a heap on the floor. There was a strange smell in the air that clung to all the clothing, but when a shirt costs $1.56, who’s complaining? What smell? We’re all friends here!

And the trip to Plato’s was a smash hit–how I love that store. Definitely pricier than Salvation Army, but I’m willing to pay a little more for the comfort of a dressing room and the quality of the clothing. Every other dress on the 3 + racks was calling my name.

Anyway, I came home with some adorable dresses and three cute tops. And a multicolored scarf that looks either funky/cool, or like a crocheted afghan your granny knitted. As I rifled through my purchases with the satisfaction of having found great deals, it suddenly ocurred to me that I couldn’t just welcome these new items into my closet with open arms.

There were going to be strings attached. Conditions. Terms. A notarized agreement between us.

The terms: I determined to get rid of 1 clothing item for each new clothing item coming into the rotation. I couldn’t in good conscience participate in the 111 challenge and then just buy 111 more things! Then, my existence would have proven meaningless and void of purpose. I would be discovered and called out as a fraud. My friends and family would shun me, and I would have to go live in a cellar on bread and water, with the rats of Chicago as my only allies.

Having just gone through my closet and purged the undesirable items contained therein for the 111 challenge, this wasn’t the easiest of tasks. But I did it! And here’s the pile:

I also realized that my style is becoming much less edgy these days. I used to thrive on wearing shocking combinations: a hippy skirt over jeans, scarves wrapped around my head; layers of sheer fabric under regular shirts. Weird transparent black things over other things. But this lacy number seemed a little too emo for me. Goodbye, wild days of my youth!

And welcome, adorable yellow vintage-type dress.

Welcome, filmy blue hippy-Grecian-classic light and airy summer number!

I love the brown detailing along the neckline:

And hello, little racerback dress with the flounces!

I plan on wearing you over jeans with a little cardigan tossed on top. I love the texture of the silk and lace layers.

I’m going to challenge myself to keep this up this year–when an item comes in, an item must go out. On one hand, this will keep tabs on my shopping, because unless I truly love an item I won’t want to sacrifice another for it. And it will keep the bounty in my closet to a dull roar.

It’s a plan.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Good morning, my lovelies! As promised, here is the first recipe we made during Friday’s cooking class. More about that fabulous evening will be forthcoming, with pictures and stories . . . but first I need to catch my breath.

As you can probably tell, these step by step pictures were taken in the safety of my own kitchen, weeks before the class. And let me tell you–this recipe is amazing. I found the original on this blog, and I am so grateful I stumbled upon it and realized that I needed brussel sprouts in my life. Where did I get the idea that brussel sprouts are bitter and gross? This was a truth I took for granted during my entire childhood, in spite of the fact that I had never tasted them. Let’s debunk this myth right here, right now. There is no hint of bitter vegetable grossness about them. To me, they tasted like a more tender version of cauliflower and cabbage. Fresh and incredible. Add bacon to the mix, and you will fly to a distant and beautiful solar system and back.

Ingredients

(Serves 3)

1.5 lbs brussel sprouts

1/2 lb bacon, minced

1 TBS butter

salt and pepper

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Juice from 1/2 lemon

The original recipe calls for pancetta, but while I would love to get my hands on some, my grocery store simply doesn’t carry it. And a special trip to the butcher’s doesn’t always fit into the scope of my week . . . yeah. So here’s the assembly:

First, mince the bacon. I like to cut the strips in half lengthwise and then in small chunks crosswise.

Start frying it! I used another of my favorite Christmas gifts–a 12” cast iron skillet. It rounds out my collection (a 10” and a 14”).

While it’s frying, take those brussel sprouts by the scruffs of their necks and tell them it’s time to take care of business.

Cut the stems off the brussel sprouts . . .

. . . and then either shred or dice them. I halved them lengthwise, and then kind of whacked the the halves. No need to be precise here.

This was the most time consuming part of the whole dish–chopping the sprouts. They’re small and round, so please don’t cut off your finger while trying to get ’em taken care of. I devised a system by which I cut them all in half first, and then I lined up the halves and cut them in a row. That saved oodles of time. If you try to handle them one by one, despair may overtake you.

Now give the brussel sprouts a nice rinse. I suppose you could wash them before chopping them, but . . . whatever. Take any complaints regarding my brussel sprout washing to the Complaints Department. It’s in the North Pole, and no, I don’t have their phone number. Though if you get through to Santa Claus, put in a good word for me. I’m really hurting for a food processor. And an ice cream maker. And a juice machine. And a yoghurt maker. And a larger kitchen to house all these appliances.

Back to the bacon! Once it’s nice and browned, remove it.

Inspect it carefully . . .

. . . and eat a small piece, just to make sure it turned out okay.

Drain the bacon grease out of the pan and wipe it down with a paper towel if you’re so inclined. Now, add the 1 TBS of butter.

Once melted, add the shredded/chopped brussel sprouts.

Cook for about 5 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste along the way.

Get your nutmeg grated, and add that as well.

May I add (in a snobbish voice, of course) that freshly ground nutmeg is nothing, I repeat nothing like the stuff in the canister?

It’s divine. And also a hallucinogenic.

On that note, add it into the brussel sprouts.

Now add the bacon back in, and continue to cook for another few minutes.

It’s becoming unbearably hard not to just consume this right now, straight outta that pan.

Squeeze half a lemon, and add the lemon juice right at the end.

Give it a taste–add more nutmeg or lemon juice if needed. You’re looking for a little burst of freshness in your mouth, but not one that overwhelms the flavors from the bacon and nutmeg. Serve it up!