Back @ it!

You might've noticed a lack of art related posts here on BSOM. I've not only been on a blog hiatus but an art hiatus as well. A scattered brain will do that to ya I guess. Things are somewhat starting to settle down in my life which has partially helped me get my mind right. I've been trying to get back to blogging + creating + have had some success getting back on the wagon. Wanted to share one of my newest artistic ventures...my first stippling piece! (Fancy word for a piece made up of a bunch of dots). 

I've been wanting to try this technique for a while now, but didn't think I possessed the patience. I guess sometimes we can surprise ourselves ;) I wanted to challenge myself artistically + that's exactly what I did + why I decided to finally buckle down + test my patience by creating this piece. 

Up close + personal

Be on the look out for more of my newest pieces to come! 

Until next time friends...Cheers!

<3 Noonie

Zagreb Coffee Scene

Before I went to Zagreb I had done a bunch of research on food, wine, coffee like I do in almost every city I go to, however, this time I was completely shocked at how popular and great coffee was! Zagreb has a huge coffee scene and almost everywhere I went had fantastic coffee. Unless you're at Starbucks you really cannot go wrong here and they have something for everyone. Not to mention the coffee is dirt cheap! On average a cappuccino is 10 kunas = $1.50.

A tip I have for anyone traveling to Zagreb is to order a "Caffe with Milk" not a cappuccino or latte. This drink is what all the locals have and is equivalent to a flat white. Don't make the mistake and think it's American coffee with milk. 

Additionally, remember that Croats smoke indoors and coffee shops are full of smokers so if you're not up for the fumes opt for outdoor seating.

Enjoy!

-Nelli

Museum of Broken Relationship | Macchiato

This was my very first coffee in Croatia and as such it holds a special place on my heart. Outdoor seating on a quiet square. It's in the upper town so you have a view of the city, and if you're there at noon you will hear the cannon that goes off every day. So don't be frightened when it does.

Compliments of Italy EU Day | Coffee with Milk | Italy Booth

When I left the Museum coffee shop I wandered around the upper town when I heard loud music and people; naturally I followed the sounds and stumbled upon the EU Day festival. In a square each country had a booth and they were all giving out goodies. German - Beer, Switzerland - Chocolate, Italy Cappuccinos. And while I didn't need another coffee I couldn't pass up a free cappuccino!

Kavanica | Caffe with Milk

The girls at the hostel informed me that "Caffe with Milk" is what all the locals drink. So I switched from my macchiatos and cappuccinos to this, and boy am I happy I did! Creamy, frothy, warm.... I'm foaming at the mouth just reminiscing. As I previously mentioned these little guys are equivalent to a "flat white" or a "small latte" but once you have one you won't go back! Kavanica has booth indoor and outdoor seating, today I got stuck outside as the indoor was full; I ended up here at "coffee hour" aka mid afternoon.

Oliver Twist Pub | Caffe with Milk

Not someone I would have chosen for coffee but my friend and I were looking for somewhere to sit and relax and she'd never been here and the glass enclosure sold me. Coffee was good, they had TVs and beers for the guys, and ashtrays for my lady friend. 

Booksa | Cappuccino

Booksa was a nice place to hang out and a different vibe than the other coffee shops around. This place is a book club so you're relaxing on couches in a library setting. Upon arrival the staff might give you flack about joining the club as the coffee and amenities are intended for members. But I told her I was from the USA and she said "it's ok" but if you're a local I can imagine this being an issue. If you're a non-smoker this indoor joint doesn't allow smoking, and they have nice extras like honey, cinnamon, and coco powder to sprinkle on top of your liquid treat. They're self service so be sure to pick up after yourself.

Eli's Caffe  | Maroccino (Macchiato with Chocolate)

Eli's is the only coffee shop in town that roasts it's own beans. I learned this through an hour long conversation we had with the owner. He's a champion roaster and espresso artist. Upon entering you'll notice the decor of this place isn't like any other in Zagreb, it feels posh as if you were on the Upper East Side of Manhattan stopping by on your 5th Ave shopping spree. The drinks are 1-2 kunas more than the other places but the quality is superb, and they have their own custom made plates, cups, and glasses. The owner is friendly if you get the pleasure to meet him. We opted for a drink I had never heard of a Maroccino, typically when traveling I go for something I've never heard of before. This little treat was delicious! Espresso, milk, chocolate how can you go wrong with that?!

Velvet | Caffe with Milk

Down a long cute alleyway you will find this trendy looking coffee shop. They have gourmet cakes and some croissants, also with every drink you get a little cookie. A few kuna's more than the other places but the space is cute.

Golf | Coffee with Milk

This joint was based on the recommendation of a local. Two stories with a skylight and located in between buildings so it's not easy to find. Coffee was up to par with the rest of the city. 

Noonie's Wall Revamp

A little while ago I wrote about my Move + Revamp. I have big plans for my new bedroom, especially with the walls! If only I had more than 4 to work with lol. Here are my bedroom wall plans broken down.

1- Bohemian Style/Zen Doodle Pattern:

I was perusing Pinterest a few weeks back and fell in love with this design!

I'm planning on doing something similar on the smallest wall in my room so it doesn't look too busy. I will be posting my design a little down the road :)

2- Gallery of Frames

I just love love love the ever so popular gallery of frames concept. Such a cute way to really personalize an area of a room. I can finally bust out all those little knick knack and keepsakse that I've had thrown in a drawer somewhere and really show my personality and interests. Not only will I be adding my little knick knacks, but I will also be adding pieces of art I've created/enjoy, photos and any other little random things that catch my fancy. I know some people like to create a very unified look with their g.o.f. by using the same colored/style of frames but that just ain't me! I love random sporadic designs so I'm planning on using a variety of different colored/style of frames which I'm super excited about! I have started my g.o.f. project which I will be sharing with you in the future. This project is definitely going to take TIME to put together.

3- Paint a Mural

Still need to scheme up a plan for what I want to paint on one of my bedroom walls. It's going to be on a pretty big wall so the options are pretty limitless! I really like the I idea of a piece somewhat engulfing an entire wall, pieces of it sprawling out onto the ceiling but that's about as far as my scheming has come along. But I'm super excited about this future piece + how it will totally personalize my bedroom.

4- Framed Piece of Art Wall

I have a ton of art related posters that I typically hang in my bedroom, but because I am doing all these other things with my walls I'm only going to be hanging one art poster right up above my bed. Of course it's Van Gogh.

So that's my plan for the walls! Definitely will be sharing more updates + photos as it all comes together so be on the look out! :)


Until next time friends...Cheers!!!

<3 Noonie

Lemon Fennel Quinoarotto

Risotto, Risotto, Risotto, I love you!

So creamy, flavorful, filing, inventive, variety.... Need I go on? 

Risotto is often my go to "lazy chef" dinner, which usually gets the leftovers of whatever veggies I have around, and tonight was no exception.

I had a bunch of fennel and scallions and was trying to figure out how to use them all up; and while I usually create a more hearty risotto I figured this one would be a bit more "spring like" and boy it was! In the corse of my research I found a few people who'd made risotto with quinoa, and conveniently I had more quinoa than I had rice.... So this was an obvious experiment that had to happen.

This dish is going to be one of my go-tos from now on! I've already made it 2x this week. Yum yum yum!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Quinoa

1/4 bulb sliced Fennel

2 Scallion stalks

1/4 Lemon juice

Salt

Olive oil

Directions:
1. In a small pot sauté scallions + fennel in olive oil (10 minutes)
2. Add 1/4 cup quinoa, a little salt, + 1/4 cup water into pot and turn on high. When it begins to boil place the lid on top and reduce to a simmer. Set your timer for 15 minutes
3. Add water as needed (1/8-1/4 cup), stir, and set timer for 15 minutes.
4. The quinoa should be fully cooked (but if not repeat the water + another 10-15 minutes), add the juice of your lemon + olive oil + salt; stir + serve.

Serving: 1 portion
Tips: If you want it more lemon-y add the lemon juice earlier +/or add some lemon zest

Enjoy

-Nelli

West Side Waterway

This was my first trip to the Frying Pan in Chelsea, I have to say the crowd leaves much to be desired, but the views are beautiful and you feel like you're floating around the city without a care in te world.

Definite must if you're in or visiting NYC!

Enjoy!

-Nelli

| Cemented Noonie |

Decided to take a trip out to the country a couple of weeks ago, back to my childhood home. It's always somewhat of a surreal feeling being back in my old bedroom, nostalgia running high. I've had the nickname Noonie ever since I can remember (although my stepbrother now calls me Midnight because I've gotten older lol), and it's ingrained around these parts. 

I believe I was 11 or 12 years old when my stepdad decided he was going to pour some cement out on the back patio. Once it was laid and still wet us kids we're given the OK to go write our names (and our dog's name)  in the freshly poured cement. My brother and I were of course thrilled. All these years later our names are still there, just as if they were put there yesterday. Life is funny like that.

Another one of my favorite childhood memories that lives on out at my childhood home are our old Christmas trees. My mom always liked to have the house decorated for Christmas before my birthday came along on December 8th, so at the beginning of every December the family and I would go to a local Christmas tree farm and go chop down our Christmas tree to bring home. Once the holidays were over we (well mom) would go plant the tree out in the driveway. This has led to a little flock of Christmas trees all planted along the driveway. It's been really cool watching them grow taller over the years, and it's really cool to know that they will probably be there for many for years to come. 

Until next time friends...Cheers!! 

<3 Noonie

Apricot-Coconut Scones

There is nothing better than a fresh, well balanced scone.... Well any pastry for that matter. So today's experiment consists of apricots + coconut. Why you might ask? Because it's what was in my pantry and it sounded like a better combination than fig + coconut. I've been on this 'use the things in my cabinet' kick and so far they have been turning out wonderfully! I also like to research and use other bloggers recipes for inspiration, so for this recipe I combined the recipes from both of these bloggers:

The Little Eipicurean's Lemon Blueberry Oat Scones

Vegan Yumminess's Apricot Scones

My other new "thing" is making smaller batches of each experiment. I often end up with 40 muffins or 25 scones then I end up eating them all. And as delicious as they may be, I get tired of the same thing every day. So this recipe was for a more reasonable amount. I made 7 small scones, but you could also make 4 "normal sized" scones. 

I hope you enjoy!

Directions:

1. Mix together dry ingredients + coconut oil

2. Mix in apricots and coconut

3. Mix in coconut milk 1/2 at a time (so you can control how dry/wet they are. Mix until they are the desired consistency: form into a ball without being too wet.

4. Lay on wax paper or a floured surface. 

Form into a 1" thick flattened surface.

5. Cut into wedges and separate on the baking sheet.

6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (optional)

7. Preheat oven to 375'

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes

9. Prep the glaze: mix everything together until smooth. If you want to glaze the entire surface of the scones double or triple the measurements. 

10. Once removed: drizzle glaze on top of scones + sprinkle with shredded or toasted coconut. 

Yield: 7-8 small or 4 regular scones

Tips: go easy on the salt! I accidentally put too much salt in mine. I was able to add more glaze which masked the salt. But be careful. 

Enjoy!

- Nelli

And I gifted a few

Gettin' Outta Dodge

Ridin' along

I know, I know I've been on somewhat of a blog hiatus lately. Life has gotten a little busier and I've been so scatter brained it's been hard for me to focus on just one thing, including BSOM. Things haven't necessarily slowed down for me just quite yet and I'm still feeling pretty scattered so when a few friends suggested we get out of town for the day I was definitely on board! We hopped in the car and about an hour later we arrived to our destination, a really nice secluded area up in the mountains. Not only did we go to a place that was new to me, but I also had my first (well 2nd) experience fishing, which was also really cool! Couldn't have asked for a better day especially since it was about 10 degrees cooler where we ended up compared to the heat wave that was going on in the valley. Definitely a day for the books. Thought I'd share a few photos...ENJOY!

Built in 1946

The Lover's Tree

Gone fishin'

Until next time friends...Cheers!! 

<3 Noonie

P.S. Promise I'll be back soon to share with you updates of my room revamp as well as some of my newest artistic ventures! 

Secret Garden

Coffee pop up shop at Lockwood in Astoria with Native Roasters Coffee weekends this June.

Here are a few shots from my visit the past 2 weekends.

Museum of Broken Relationships

The Museum of the Broken Relationship is unlike any museum you've previously experienced, and unique to Zagreb. It's located in the upper city near the bell tower, you can't miss it. But if you do a friendly local can point you in the right direction. The price isn't bad, 20 kuna (I believe) which translates to about $4 or so.

I went on this adventure with my new friend Sanja. She is a local but had never been, and since we had spent the day discussing relationships we figured it was the perfect time! Our mission was to read every story, and between the both of us I think we did. 

So the premise of this museum is that people send in a short writing blurb describing their story as well as a physical item that had an emotional attachment to them. Often the story explains both the relationship and the item, but sometimes only one or the other. These stories were touching, heart breaking, sad, happy, everything in between. Not all of the stories were about a love interest, some discussed relationships with parents, friends, and children. These stories are sent in from people around the world, and if you can separate yourself from the emotional aspect it's somewhat comforting to know that people all over the world have the same feelings. We all hurt, we all experience joy, and we can become stronger because of it.

If you spend a day in Zagreb, this is a definite must!

The images below show a few of the items and stories that are featured. Not necessarily my favorite stories but how can you choose just 1?

-Nelli

Inspiration Salad

Over the years I've done a few different cleanses to fix this or improve that within my body. My most recent cleanse was eating raw fruits and veggies. One unknown consequence was seeking out new plant products that I've never tried or never cooked with. This particular shopping trip resulted in: golden beets, Tuscan kale, and porcini mushrooms. I made a delicious salad with a simple dressing of lemon juice.

If you choose to go raw you have many more options than just eating the veggie plain. Another of my favorite raw meals is cucumber rounds with a scoop of avocado and a slice of tomato or onion on top. It's also cute and the combination helps me keep variety in the flavor profile. 

Directions: 

1. Clean and tear kale, place in bowl and squeeze fresh lemon juice on it. 

2. Using your hands massage te kale.

3. Add all other salad ingredients and mix.

4. Serve

Tips: Orange or any other citrus fruit is also a great alternative for salad dressing.

Let us know if you go raw, or try a cleanse. We would love to hear about your experience.

-Nelli

Blue Skies on Bond

I was measuring buildings at work today and caught a glimpse of the beautiful blue sky after the long rainy morning we had.

Enjoy the sunshine!

- Nelli

Beet + Carrot Slaw

This was a simple slaw I whipped up after being inspired by many bloggers beet recipes lately. Super simple, healthy, and refreshing what else could you ask for.

If you haven't noticed neither of us have been blogging as often lately, but -fingers crossed- that has come to an end and I will be back on track in no time!

Cheers!

-Nelli