DIY Inspiration: Dip Dyed Sheets

I love the look of these Indigo Modern Tie-Dye sheets from Ralph Lauren, which are a sophisticated and almost minimalist take on a tie-dye pattern. While I wouldn't shell out big bucks for these particular sheets, it got me thinking that you could easily recreate the look with white sheets and a dip-dye technique. Martha Stewart conveniently has directions for how to get the dip-dyed look on her website.

Julia Child's Gigot a la Moutarde

The last time I posted I was about to host a dinner party, and it was a smashing success. We had such a nice night, and the food all worked out perfectly.

At my mother's suggestion, I roasted the lamb following Julia Child's recipe for Gigot a la Moutarde (Herbal Mustard Coating for Roast Lamb) from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This is a very simple and very delicious way to prepare a leg of lamb -- it got rave reviews from our guests and my boyfriend and I were both thrilled to have leftovers for the rest of the weekend. Give it a try the next time you are preparing leg of lamb. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Gigot a la Moutarde
Adapted from Mastering The Art of French Cooking (Volume 1)

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tb soy sauce
1 clove garlic mashed (I used 5!)
1 tsp ground rosemary (I used more)
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 Tb olive oil

1. Blend the mustard, soy sauce, garlic, herbs and ginger together in a bowl. Beat in the olive oil by droplets to make a mayonnaise-like cream.
2. Paint the lamb with the mixture and sit it on the rack of the roasting pan. The meat will pick up more flavor if it is coated several hours before roasting.
3. Roast in a 350 degree oven, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, for medium rare or 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours for well done.

Notes:
- I bathed the lamb in the sauce several hours before cooking it and then removed the lamb from the fridge two hours before putting it in the oven.
- I roasted my boneless leg in a roasting pan with no rack (I don't own one) following Alice Waters instructions: Heat oven to 375, roast 30 minutes on one side, flip the roast and roast 20 minutes on the other side. Turn again and finish cooking until the internal temperature reaches 128 degrees. Let rest for 20 minutes in a warm place.

Window Film for Privacy

 

Four years ago, I installed decorative window film on the lower half of my bedroom windows for increased privacy. At the time, I meant to add plain, frosted window film to the living room windows, as well. Somehow four years managed to pass before I finally got around to it. However, after much delay, I did finally get the living room windows covered, and I am thrilled with the results. As you can see in the photo above, the film offers and incredible amount of privacy, without sacrificing light. I picked the simplest, frosted option from Home Depot.

 

Here's the window before the film was installed--any passerby could see right into the apartment when we had the curtains pulled back.

The first step to installing window film is to cut it to size. Be sure to measure your windows very, very carefully. You'll want to cut your film about 1/8-inch smaller all around than the actual window size, so you can fit it into the frame. I used a T-square and a rotary cutter for straight lines. When cutting, press down hard, as the film is thick enough that you need to apply some pressure.

The sealant on my windows isn't perfectly square at the corners, so I trimmed every corner of the film into a rounded corner, so it would lie flat and not touch the sealant.

Make sure your windows are very clean. Fill a pray bottle with water and a few drops of dish washing detergent. Spray the windows so that they are completely wet. The manufacturer doesn't instruct you to do this, but I found it helpful to pre-spray the back of the film itself in addition to spraying the window.

The final step is to place the film on the window and smooth it into place. Use your hands to position it and then take a credit card (or in this case a Starbucks gift card) to smooth out all the small air bubbles beneath the surface. It's important to be patient with this step for the best-looking results.