K Sarah Designs

Tasty Eats // Edamame Avocado Salad

This is a great lunch salad - flavorful, light, crunchy, and satisfying. The edamame and avocado add a little richness, while the crisp greens, carrots, and cucumbers create a nice contrast. Not to mention, the green onion miso vinaigrette is delicious - I definitely see it becoming a staple!

Edamame Avocado Salad
Recipe adapted from here

- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 8 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 small cucumber, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1 recipe Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette (recipe below)
- sriracha sauce (optional)

Green Onion Miso Vinaigrette

- 2 Tbsp. miso paste
- 1 cup roughly chopped green onions
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp. minced ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 cup water

First, prepare the vinaigrette by placing everything in a blender and blending until smooth. Chill until ready to use.

For the salad, set out 4 bowls and divide the salad ingredients evenly among them. Place the lettuce in a bowl and drizzle a spoonful of dressing on top. Add cucumber, carrot slices, avocado, and edamame to the lettuce and drizzle more green onion miso dressing on top. Top with a bit of sriracha if you want some spice, and enjoy!

DIY // Sunburst Mirror, Take 2

So, apparently I liked making the shim sunburst mirror so much the first time, I decided to make a second one!... Okay, that's sort of a lie. I mostly made this one out of necessity, but I'm super happy with the results yet again!

The original sunburst mirror was actually a gift to my parents, and was hanging in their living room... And, while it looked good in there, it didn't really go with all of the darker wood furniture in their space. Conveniently, I was looking for a bright gold sunburst mirror for my bedroom re-do (pictures coming soon!), and figured aha! I'll put the original one in my room, and make a new, darker one for my parents. Done and done!

The new mirror complements the darker wood tones of their living room, and has a slightly more traditional look to it. I chose Rust-Oleum Metallic Vintage Copper for the spray paint - it was darker in tone, but still had some metallic shimmer to it. I also made thicker, more symmetrical rays this time, giving it a more traditional sunburst shape.

I love how it turned out, and it really just shows how much flexibility you have with this project - by changing the sun ray design and the color of the spray paint, you can create a mirror with a totally different look. Here's a close-up of the rays & paint color:

Other than the slight differences mentioned above, I used the same steps as my original tutorial, found here.

Happy Monday!

Interiors i love // Courtney Cox's Malibu Home

The other day, as I was going through some old magazines, I came across an Elle Decor from last summer that featured Courtney Cox's beautiful Malibu home. I was reminded how much I loved the house the first time I read through the issue, and thought I'd share some of my favorite images here:

Though her home is a little more muted than what I'm typically drawn to, there's a lot of great stuff going on. All of the lighting is pretty spectactular, the use of materials is spot-on, and I'm a huge fan of the large, black-framed windows.

She clearly has great taste, and I found it really interesting that she'd originally wanted to pursue a profession in architecture (she'd even started taking college coursework!) before deciding to go the hollywood route. It's apparent that she's still passionate about design, and her house shows it!

*All images via Elle Decor

DIY // Succulent Terrarium

I've mentioned my love of succulents before, and it's still going strong! I adore the variety of colors, textures, and shapes they come in, and I especially love that they're so low maintenance.

After seeing a bunch of terrariums on pinterest, I decided to make a couple of my own, featuring these awesome little plants. I picked up the glass containers at Target and Home Goods (both were around $8.00), and purchased the small rocks & succulents at Lowe's. I already had the potting soil, and used some scraps of thin batting to separate the rock layer from the soil layer... I'd imagine any thin, porous fabric would work though.

Here's what you need to make your own terrarium:

Materials:
- Glass containers or vases
- rocks (a variety of sizes would work)
- soil (preferably a cactus-specific variety)
- fabric to separate rock & soil layers
- succulents

Directions: 

- layer rocks into the bottom of a clean glass vase at least 2 inches (this will help with water drainage - plus the layers look pretty!)
- cut batting or fabric into the shape of the vase, and lay it over the rocks so that it just reaches the edge
- layer about 2 inches of slightly damp soil into the container
- arrange your succulents in the container & fill in the gaps with more soil
- lightly water the finished arrangement, and wipe along the inside of the glass to remove any excess water or soil smudges
- enjoy your knew succulent terrarium!

Tasty Eats // Mixed Bean, Lentil, and Andouille Sausage Soup

This soup proved to be yet another lesson in why soups are awesome. It's hearty, a little spicy, and really delicious.

I love all of the different textures the mixed beans & lentils provide in this soup, and the spicy, smoky flavor from the andouille sausage delivers a really wonderful punch of flavor. It's a great meal that will definitely be put on my regular rotation.

Mixed Bean, Lentil, and Andouille Sausage Soup
Recipe adapted from Cook Like a Champion

- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 links Andouille sausage (I used a chicken variety), halved lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 small or medium onion, chopped
- 2 large stalks celery, diced
- 3/4 cup diced carrots
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
- 2 cups dried mixed beans & lentils, soaked overnight (I used a 16 oz. bag of mixed beans, lentils & barley from Trader Joe's)
- 4 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup chopped, cooked chicken (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Add the Andouille sausage, and cook for 8 minutes, until browned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, and add 1 Tbsp. more of oil to the pan. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, 6-7 minutes. Add garlic, paprika and bay leaves and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and their juices, the soaked & drained bean mix, the chicken broth, and the water to the pot.

Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally for about an hour. Check to see if the beans are done - if not, simmer for another 15 or so minutes.

Once the beans are done, add in the andouille sausage, chicken (optional), and parsley. Cook for another 5-10 minutes so that the flavors meld, and enjoy!

The soup is delicious as is, but I like to serve it with a little parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, like so:

Monday Musings

I can't really imagine a better mantra than the one above to start off a Monday. Working hard and being nice is what it's all about.

It was a really busy weekend, but a couple of things made me particularly happy:

- My sunburst mirror was featured on Apartment Therapy! They did a round-up of DIY mirror projects - Check it out here if you didn't see it.

- See those flowers above? They were on super sale since the store had over-ordered for Valentine's Day. I scored 7 large bouquets for 7 bucks! Awesome, right?

Hope everyone has a terrific Monday!

Interiors i love // moravian star pendants

This is perhaps one of my favorite pendant lights. I've always loved anything sun & stars (the universe and astronomy has always fascinated me!) so it comes as no surprise that I love this star pendant. Here are some of my favorite interiors with this light:

I think they work particularly well in bathrooms:

And I love them when used outdoors in entryways and patios:

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You can purchase these lights from Circa Lighting here and Shades of Light here. But probably the best source I've seen for them can be found here - they have the largest variety at the best prices!

Perfect Pairings // Coral Pink & Aqua

artwork / bracelet

When it comes to bright colors, there are few combinations I like better than coral & aqua together... It's always an energizing duo.

This artwork by Amy Sia is bright color at it's best (plus you can purchase it as a stretched canvas, framed, or even as an iphone case!), and these bright beaded bracelets with gold hardware are such a fun summer accessory. I might have to make something similar!

Tasty Eats // Green Smoothie

Say hello to my new favorite breakfast. Not only is this smoothie seriously delicious, it's also seriously good for you, as it's full of all kinds of vitamins and nutrients. Best of all, it fills you up & keeps you energized throughout the morning - a great way to start off your day!

Green Smoothie  
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats  

- 1 frozen banana (peel & slice it before freezing - freeze at least 2 hours, or overnight if your making this for breakfast)  
- 1/2 cup fat free vanilla greek yogurt (or 2% greek yogurt)*  
- 1 Tbsp. peanut butter  
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 heaping Tbsp. ground flax seed  
- 3-4 cups rinsed spinach leaves (whatever you can fit in the blender!)

*Note: plain greek yogurt works well, too - just add a bit of honey to sweeten it up a little (1-2 tsp. should do the trick).

Fill the blender with the frozen banana slices, peanut butter, greek yogurt, almond milk, and ground flax seed. Add as much spinach as you can, filling it to the top. Blend it all together until it's smooth and creamy, and enjoy!

By the way, if you're new to almond milk, I have to warn you - you might just get addicted. This unsweetened vanilla almond milk is so good, and combined with the frozen bananas, it gives the smoothie more of a milk-shake consistency - if you close your eyes, you'd have no idea you were drinking 4 cups of spinach!

Design Breakdown // Light Aqua & Airy Living Room

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Doesn't this room scream relaxation? I love the soft color palette and the light, airy quality of it. One of my absolute favorites!

Happy Happy Friday!