Bedroom Design: Should You Have a TV in Your Bedroom?

Post by Tracy Kaler.

Do you watch television in your bedroom? Many sleep experts recommend watching TV in another room and leaving your bedroom for snoozing only. But it’s not uncommon to find televisions in many bedrooms today, especially due to the sleeker wall-mounted flat screen models, which are far less intrusive than the clunky designs from days gone by. Still, there’s more than one reason watching television in your bedroom might not be such a hot idea.

• Stimulation from television keeps your mind active, so you might not be able to fall asleep as easily. That stimulation can also awaken you during the night even if you do get to sleep.

• Blue light emitted from TV suppresses melatonin, which is a necessary hormone so you can fall asleep fast and stay asleep through the night, waking up rested. What’s more, it’s recommended to stop watching television about two hours before bedtime.

• Associating other activities with your bed can make sleep seem less attractive and exclusive to your bedroom. You want to feel that the space is your sanctuary and where you go to turn things off, relax, and rest.

• If watching television does indeed contribute to getting less sleep and fewer hours of deep sleep, chances are you’ll be less productive at work, and your job will suffer.

• Watching television from bed could interfere with your relationship. Couples often use time in bed to catch up with each other and spend some quality time together. If the TV is on, they’re less likely to communicate and fall asleep together.

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Breakfast in Bed – Thai Basil Pesto Scrambled Eggs

Thai Basil Pesto Scrambled Eggs 9
Post by: Alison Hein

If life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. But what do you do if life gives you a whole bunch of Thai basil? Make pesto, of course!

Such was my experience recently when I was trimming my sweet little miracle garden. (See the Rolled Omelet with Fresh Herbs post to learn more.) My little patch of herbs is so prolific that I need to trim it every day to prevent delicate chives, cilantro, parsley and basil from singing their tips on the grow lights. During this process, I inadvertently knocked off my entire Thai Basil plant! Sad but inspired, I set to work on salvage and enterprise.

Thai Basil Pesto Scrambled Eggs 1

Traditional Italian pesto, which originated in the northern Liguria region, consists of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and local sheep milk cheeses. Tangy, fragrant, and lightly richened with nuts, pesto livens up fresh-cooked pasta, slow-simmered beans, or scrambled eggs.

I’ve substituted walnuts for pine nuts in my version, and have omitted the cheeses for better freezing of any excess pesto. I learned a neat trick many years ago – if you have an old-fashioned ice cube tray, fill it with tablespoon-sized portions of pesto, then freeze for individual servings. One tablespoon is just right for a single serving of pasta, or in this case, scrambled eggs. Add any cheeses later, when you are ready to partake of a candlelit Italian dinner, or a tangy, fragrant breakfast in bed.

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Pesto Ingredients

2 cups packed Thai basil (or other basil) leaves, plus additional sprig for garnish
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup walnuts (or pine nuts)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus additional 2 teaspoons for cooking eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Clean and dry basil and set aside. Add garlic and walnuts to blender and chop. Add basil, then with blender running on low, pour in olive oil and purée until smooth and thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes about ¾ cup pesto.

Thai Basil Pesto Scrambled Eggs 7

Thai Basil Pesto Scrambled Eggs

2 eggs
1 tablespoon Thai basil pesto
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Heat olive oil in small, heavy pan over medium low heat. Break eggs into small bowl and whisk well. Stir in pesto and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Add egg mixture to heated pan and allow to cook slowly and gently. Stir and lift frequently with wooden spoon to avoid sticking. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper, garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving.

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Bedtime Stories: The Curse Workers: White Cat

curse workersPost by Mark T. Locker.

The Curse Workers, Book 1: White Cat by Holly Black.

Here’s an exciting series for teens who like something akin to down-to-earth magic. This series is about a family of curse workers living in New Jersey. Certain people are born with certain abilities. They are known as curse workers, or just workers. With a simple touch of a finger, they can manipulate someone’s emotions, dreams, memories, luck. Some can kill. Some can transform others. The interesting aspect of this is that whenever a worker “works” somebody, the worker is also affected. This is known as blowback. If you erase a memory, you lose a bit of your own. If you manipulate someone’s emotions, your own become unstable for a while. Nevertheless, the organized crime syndicate does not let this stop them. Not knowing who may or may not be a worker has created a world where everyone wears gloves, just in case.

Cassel Sharpe is a teenage boy who comes from a long line of workers. He himself is not a worker, but his grandfather is a death worker, his mother an emotion worker, and his brothers are memory workers. They are all deeply embedded in a crime family. Cassel has spent his life not feeling included because he lacked the skill of the rest. He has also been haunted by the memory of killing his best friend, a girl named Lila, daughter of a major crime boss. But one day, he starts having strange dreams. It would seem a dream worker is communicating with him. But why? He begins to dig and realized that even his own memories cannot be trusted and that everything he thought he knew about himself, and his family, is not what it seems.

This is a unique and intriguing series. It blends the supernatural with the very real angst of being a teenager. Cassel’s life is full of the social stress of high school, compounded with coming from a crime family and being a killer.

Good book for teenagers and adults.

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Bedroom Design: What to Do Before You Hire a Designer

Post by Tracy Kaler.

Don’t have a design direction for your bedroom? Maybe you have one of those rooms with too many doors and windows, and you don’t know where to place the bed. Or, maybe picking colors isn’t your strong suit, and you always turn to ho-hum beige. Hiring an interior designer to decorate your sleep space might be worth your time and money, but before you make a commitment to work with any decorator, here are a few things you should do first.

Create an inspiration file.
Use Pinterest or look through magazines and websites to create a file of bedrooms you like and would love to be yours. Doing research will establish a direction for you and the person you potentially hire.

Meet with several design pros.
Ask friends and look online to peruse portfolios and check references. Meet with at least three designers, and get a feel for how each would approach your project. Even if you have to pay a consultation fee, you’ll get practical advice, and chatting for an hour or two will get you one step closer to selecting the right person.

Know your budget.
Before you start your bedroom project, have a number in mind and communicate that to your would-be designer. Some decorators have minimums, so you might be expected to invest a hefty sum. Others will accept any project, and be happy to work with you, even if you’re scope is small and your budget smaller. By establishing a number in your mind, you’ll also know pretty quickly if you can afford to hire someone in the first place.

Be clear about what you like and don’t like.
Even in your initial meeting, be clear about what you like and don’t like, as well as your wish list. King bed? Upholstered headboard? Storage? A sitting area? Be sure that you’re on the same page as the person you might work with and your expectations are reasonable. Plus, establishing great communication from the get-go sets the tone for a working relationship with the interior designer you select.

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Breakfast in Bed – Spiced Apple Hand Pies

Spiced Apple Hand Pies 11

Post by Alison Hein.

Oh no! I cannot believe I forgot to do a Valentine’s Day post!

Well, as they say, better late than never, so here’s a sweet recipe you can either save until next year or surprise your beloved with an unexpected, heartwarming anytime breakfast in bed.

These little pies are deliciously spiced with an amalgam of exotic flavors, and tuck neatly into a small hand for nibbling on the go. If you like, use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out a heart in each half-moon. Then gently lay the little heart back over the filling before baking.

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Ingredients

Pie Crust
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water
1/3 cup butter

Pie Filling
2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sugar, plus an additional 1 teaspoon for topping
½ teaspoon flour
¼ teaspoon cloves
A dash each of cardamom, ginger, mace and nutmeg
1 egg white, lightly beaten

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Preparation

To make crust, sift together flour and salt. Remove half of the flour mixture and add to a separate small bowl. Add water to flour mixture and stir to make a paste. Cut butter into small cubes and cut into remaining flour mixture, using a pastry cutter or two forks. Mix all ingredients together until a smooth, uniform dough forms. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut in half. Gently roll out one piece of dough on a lightly floured board, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Roll dough to form an approximate 12×12-inch shape. Cut 3 to 4 6-inch circles from the dough, using a large cookie cutter, a tin coffee can, or cutting around a small plate. If possible, re-roll any leftover dough to form an additional 6-inch circle. Set circles aside until ready to use.

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To make filling, peel and finely dice apples. Add to a large bowl and stir in cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of sugar, flour, cardamom ginger, mace and nutmeg. Place about 1½ teaspoons of filling on the lower half of each circle, leaving enough room to crimp dough ends together. Fold top half of dough circle over filling to create a moon shape. Crimp edges together with the tines of a fork. Repeat with remaining dough. Poke a few holes in the top of the pie for venting.

Place pies on lightly greased baking sheets. Brush with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with remaining sugar.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Makes 6 to 8 hand pies.

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