This Blog Has Moved!!!

Hi all! Please note that my blog has moved to The Feisty House. Read more recipes, check out my apartment, and watch me make it through the rest of my list! Thanks for reading, Little Miss Knight

Should I get the Nikon 1 J1?

I really love film. I've always loved documentaries (thank you, Ken Burns) and music videos. In high school I started writing video treatments for songs I liked. And then I'd be totally disappointed when I saw the video and it was nothing like what I'd imagined. Even now I develop a music video for a song as I'm listening to it. It makes listening to music more of an experience for me. If I could film a documentary on the history of music videos...that would be HEAVEN.

I cannot wait to spend more time making movies. I have some videos posted on YouTube, but they're not movies by ANY means. It's just me. In front of my camera. Talking about my hair. WOMP WOMP. What I really want to do is capture scenes from my life and set them to music. Then I may move on to writing scripts. I don't know. I want the process to remain really organic.

I'm not quite ready to purchase a movie camera--I don't know what I'm doing, and I wouldn't know what to look for. My Nikon S8100 is good for capturing quick moments (if there's enough light...), but I need a camera that can make a professional quality film without too much extra equipment. I took a look at the Nikon 1 when I was in Target the other day, and I'm in LOVE. I'm thinking about buying it as a birthday present for myself.

 

 Now, there are some pretty angry photogs out there who have written scathing reviews of the Nikon 1 J1 and V1 models. Reviewers hate the price, hate the simplified buttons and complicated menus, are doubtful of the cameras' small sensors, and are disappointed that the Nikon 1 isn't what they were hoping for--a compact DSLR. I haven't made up my mind yet. I'm not trying to be a professional photographer! I just want to take really good pictures and high-quality video, and the Nikon 1 does that. Eventually, I do want to invest in my own DSLR (I use a borrowed D8 on this blog sometimes), but I'm more interested in capturing the moment quickly and easily. I just want to get really clear images in low light (without using the flash), manipulate my depth of field, and make good movies (with autofocus!!!) If there's a cheaper way to do it than with the Nikon 1, will you guys let me know?

Little Miss Knight

Honey Mustard Glazed Tilapia with Sauteed Spinach

Last week's barbeque ribs made me feel pretty confidant about trying new recipes, so I tried another one this past weekend. It was kinda my own concoction. I was inspired by a honey mustard chicken recipe I got from Q's mom. I used her glaze from that recipe on some tilapia, and it turned out pretty good. I paired the fish with garlic-sauteed spinach! To complement the flavors from the glaze and the spinach, I added lightly-seasoned white rice.

Honey Mustard Glaze
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
2 tbsps lime juice
1 tsp salt
Scotch bonnet peppers (to taste)



I mixed the glaze first and then put it to the side. I used salt, black pepper, scotch bonnet peppers, scallions and garlic to season the fish and put them into a glass baking pan with some vegetable oil. I baked the tilapia at 400 degrees for 20 min. I poured the glaze on top of the tilapia and then let it cook for an additional 20 minutes at a lower temperature (I think 300). I didn't want to overcook the fish--that's always such a deal-breaker on Top Chef.

In hindsight, I would have poured off the "juices" from the tilapia before adding the glaze. The glaze didn't get very sticky because all the juice in the pan diluted it. I also could have pan-seared the tilapia first, then put the pieces into a pan covered with the glaze, and broiled the fish at a high temperature until the glaze had set. I'll try one of those options next time.

I love sauteed spinach. This was my first time making it myself. First I made my own garlic-infused oil by sauteing some minced garlic in a pan with oil until the garlic was brown. Then I removed the garlic pieces and sauteed the spinach in the garlic oil until they just started to wilt. It doesn't take very long to do this at all. Just note that what seems like a lot of spinach at first isn't really that much once it's sauteed. I used about 1/2 a bag of spinach to make one serving, so plan accordingly. I seasoned the finished spinach with Adobe Salad & Vegetable Seasoning and some black pepper.



Everything turned out pretty good. Another edible meal! I congratulated myself with a glass of Gavi. Nice

Little Miss Knight

Barbeque beef ribs - Take 1

This recipe wasn't entirely a fail, but it didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I bought some beef back ribs at Walmart, and they didn't really have a lot of meat on them, but i figured that's just how they were supposed to be. Of course I was wrong.


I coated the "ribs" with Worcestershire sauce to tenderize the meat and get the seasoning to stick. I seasoned with salt, pepper, minced garlic and scallions. I baked the ribs with barbeque sauce at about 300 and kept it in the oven for just under an hour to ensure the meat stayed tender.


It tasted really good. I enjoyed it a lot. There just wasn't enough of it! I made six pieces, but there was BARELY any meat on the bones! Q and I could only laugh. LOL we were definitely still hungry after eating dinner. Then I called my brother to tell him what happened, (he is a beef ribs junkie) and he told me that I should have gotten the ribs on the rack! Of course! All in all, it was a pretty entertaining experience. I'm excited about using the right cut of meat and actually feeling FULL the next time I use this recipe...

Little Miss Knight

Do these make sense?

As I mentioned in my last post, I've become ridiculously addicted to Pinterest. I saw these cute DIY t-shirt pom poms, and immediately I thought they'd look good above my front door...where I have that random looseleaf paper.

Does that even make sense? Will it do a good job of keeping Peeping Toms out? I'm not 100% sure. I'm trying to find a solution that blocks the view, but doesn't block light from coming in. It's proving challenging -____-

Little Miss Knight

I foresee an IKEA trip this weekend...

Happy Sabbath! Look what I found on IKEA's website...

I think my corner woes have been solved. And IKEA has free breakfast this weekend??? Yeah, I'll be all up in that thang.

Little Miss Knight

Hand stiching

My grandmother once tried to teach me how to use a sewing machine. I must have been about 9. I don't even remember why we thought it was a good idea. But she was a dressmaker, she had a "sewing room" in the garage, and I suppose it just seemed like a logical thing for us to do on a summer night.

I couldn't wrap my mind around the sewing machine. Seriously. I couldn't understand how to thread it, first of all, and then I was confused by the foot pedal and the needle. Needless to say we only had a few lessons. My grandma did teach me how to sew by hand, which has come in handy on more than one occasion. In undergrad I made extra money taking in skirts and dresses and doing hems by hand. When I moved to this area I got lazy so I started taking my things to the dry cleaners for alterations. It's really expensive though, especially for something so easy to do on your own.

I have a few items in my closet that need updating, so I'm taking a stab at doing it myself...by hand. I decided to just take the plunge after joining Pinterest (OMG I'm addicted) and feeling inspired by all the wonderful DIY-ers. I miss being crafty! So here are the projects I'm going to be taking on. They're really small-scale, which is why I can do them by hand.

Cropped Sweater

 

 I have a thrifted turquoise sweater with a mock neck and 3/4 sleeves that would look GREAT if it was cropped. I would definitely wear it more often.

Tight Mini with Split

 

 I bought a houndstooth-print pencil skirt on super clearance at Zara 2 years ago. It's really long and difficult to walk in because it doesn't have a split. Rather than give it away, I think an updated cut and added split would look amazing. Clearly it works for Karla.

Loose-fit Mini

 

 I love the fit of this skirt. My other grandma gave me a wool pencil skirt by Tahari with very similar draping in the front. I've had it professionally altered once before to take in the waist, but it's a midi, and I'm more into short skirts right now. A hem job would make me look taller, and would make the skirt much more versatile.

[Find source information for all photos on my Pinterest]

I'm really excited about these new pieces, and I can't wait to wear the finished products. Eventually I will need to invest in a good sewing machine and some lessons so I can cross "learn to sew" off my list. Until then...I'll invest in a good thimble.

Little Miss Knight