My trusty friend, Bridget, also found a new hiding spot in my sewing desk, so she stood watch while I finished up the project.
2.28.2011
play ball.
I felt like I'd pretty much mastered sewing a square pillowcase, so I've moved on to bigger and better shapes -- pentagons and hexagons. I made this ball for our friends' son's first birthday party a month ago. I was fairly pleased with how it turned out, although it did call for an invisible seam -- which I definitely don't know how to do. But then I figured that he was one year old and probably wouldn't notice the difference.
My trusty friend, Bridget, also found a new hiding spot in my sewing desk, so she stood watch while I finished up the project.
My trusty friend, Bridget, also found a new hiding spot in my sewing desk, so she stood watch while I finished up the project.
2.25.2011
2.23.2011
upcycled chair
Awhile ago -- so long ago we can't remember when -- we purchased this chair for $4 at Goodwill. What can I say? I'm a sucker for upcycling anything.
It was really a multi-person effort. One day my parents were down, so I put my dad to work taking it apart. It was in a bit rougher shape than I originally thought. (Stella didn't care though.)
CJ sanded it all down for me. I spray painted the metal. We honestly couldn't tell whether the wood was plastic or metal (because it was so cheap), but I took a chance and stained it anyway -- and it worked.
Rougly 4-6 months after our initial purchase, here's the final product:
It was really a multi-person effort. One day my parents were down, so I put my dad to work taking it apart. It was in a bit rougher shape than I originally thought. (Stella didn't care though.)
CJ sanded it all down for me. I spray painted the metal. We honestly couldn't tell whether the wood was plastic or metal (because it was so cheap), but I took a chance and stained it anyway -- and it worked.
Rougly 4-6 months after our initial purchase, here's the final product:
2.21.2011
maple-mustard pork chops
Here's a super quick, easy, and delicious recipe for your Monday!
Maple-Mustard Pork Chops
Cooking Light - March 2010
Serves 4
4 pork chops
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
1/4 C. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. parsley
Sprinkle both sides of pork with 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. (I eyeballed it and was fine.)
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat pan with Pam. Add pork and cook 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from pan.
Add butter to pan, swirling to coat. Add shallots and saute until tender. Add broth. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Stir in mustard, syrup, and remaining salt. Cook 1 minute more. Return pork to pan. Cook 1 minute on each side or until thoroughly heated. Serve with extra sauce.
Enjoy!
Maple-Mustard Pork Chops
Cooking Light - March 2010
Serves 4
4 pork chops
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
1/4 C. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. parsley
Sprinkle both sides of pork with 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. (I eyeballed it and was fine.)
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat pan with Pam. Add pork and cook 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from pan.
Add butter to pan, swirling to coat. Add shallots and saute until tender. Add broth. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Stir in mustard, syrup, and remaining salt. Cook 1 minute more. Return pork to pan. Cook 1 minute on each side or until thoroughly heated. Serve with extra sauce.
Enjoy!
2.18.2011
showing grace.
Happy Friday! We're that much closer to spring!
I ran across this quote a few weeks ago and it just really resonated with me...
I ran across this quote a few weeks ago and it just really resonated with me...
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
- Plato
Awhile ago, I found a jewelry designer online and I just love her work. I've never purchased anything, and I've never even sent the link to CJ as a not-so-subtle hint. Each year, she designs a simple, pretty necklace that she titles the Word of the Year necklace. I think the point is that the customer can pick out whatever word they want to be their word of the year. This year, she picked out the word grace.
After thinking about it awhile, I've decided I want that necklace (although I still haven't bought it), as a reminder to myself. God has shown me grace time and time again. And, in return, I'm expected to show grace to everyone I come in contact with. In life, I find it hard to do that. People annoy me a good part of the time. And I'm one of the least patient people you'll ever meet.
I don't really use this blog to share my thoughts, unless it's about how to redo furniture or how much I love my new curtains, but pairing these two thoughts together stuck with me enough that I felt like I should share...
2.16.2011
i'm in love!
A few months ago, my mom suggested (quite a few times, actually) that we needed new curtains in our living room. I mostly just nodded and smiled, because I didn't think ours were that bad and further, new curtains weren't high on my home improvement priority list. She even offered to buy us new curtains. I guess mom really hated our curtains or I just underestimated how awful they were.
When we were in Cincinnati last month, I found new curtains at Ikea. AND...
I'M HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE!
I can't stop talking about them, I'm so stoked about them. The night I put them up, CJ was at work, so I left him a detailed voicemail on how much I loved them. The next day when he was at home, I pointed out at least five times how awesome these curtains were. He didn't seem as into them as I was, so I had to blog about them.
Here's our before and after shots:
As you can see above and below, Bridget loved these curtains. Neither cat has ever really scratched up the furniture (with the exception of one piece that Bridget also loves), but as you can see, the fabric is pulled about a cat's reach from the bottom.
I had always equated dark curtains with blocking out the light. Turns out these white curtains block out the creepy neighbors in the back and also let plenty of light in! And of course, it just makes our living room look more welcoming and bigger. It's an all around win.
So, bottom line:
Mom was right after all.
When we were in Cincinnati last month, I found new curtains at Ikea. AND...
I'M HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE!
I can't stop talking about them, I'm so stoked about them. The night I put them up, CJ was at work, so I left him a detailed voicemail on how much I loved them. The next day when he was at home, I pointed out at least five times how awesome these curtains were. He didn't seem as into them as I was, so I had to blog about them.
Here's our before and after shots:
As you can see above and below, Bridget loved these curtains. Neither cat has ever really scratched up the furniture (with the exception of one piece that Bridget also loves), but as you can see, the fabric is pulled about a cat's reach from the bottom.
You can't see the much of the detail of the new curtains here, but there are squiggly lines in different shades of brown and blue. You'll also have to look past the dog bowls and tape measure...
I had always equated dark curtains with blocking out the light. Turns out these white curtains block out the creepy neighbors in the back and also let plenty of light in! And of course, it just makes our living room look more welcoming and bigger. It's an all around win.
So, bottom line:
Mom was right after all.
2.14.2011
squared chair
For Valentine's Day, I thought I'd show off my new hot pink chair!
My staging stinks, I know, but we're in the middle of another project (who's surprised?) in my sewing room, so I couldn't put it in its proper setting.
Anyway. CJ made this chair for me. Knock-off plans can be found on Ana-White.com.
The original version of this chair retails for $149.99. We made it for $3.00!
My staging stinks, I know, but we're in the middle of another project (who's surprised?) in my sewing room, so I couldn't put it in its proper setting.
Anyway. CJ made this chair for me. Knock-off plans can be found on Ana-White.com.
The original version of this chair retails for $149.99. We made it for $3.00!
2.13.2011
valentine's day art
Just in the nick of time, I came up with a cheap Valentine's Day picture. The artwork was free (find it here) and so was the pink poster board (who doesn't have pink poster board on hand?), and slapped it in a $3 frame.
I originally intended this just to be art I displayed for Valentine's Day, but I kind of like it and want to keep it on display, but I already have so much on display already. Such big decisions I have to make around here...
I originally intended this just to be art I displayed for Valentine's Day, but I kind of like it and want to keep it on display, but I already have so much on display already. Such big decisions I have to make around here...
2.12.2011
wine & canvas
Leah and I went to Wine & Canvas this past Monday to use up a Living Social voucher. If you're ever looking for something different to do, I highly recommend it. You get canvas, paint, and a lesson on how to paint the same picture. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out and CJ was even a little impressed.
2.11.2011
sweet potato puree
Yesterday, I posted the chicken satay recipe (which, again, we really liked), which calls for sweet potato puree. And it's pretty simple.
Four sweet potatoes/one pound makes enough puree for quite a few recipes. I baked the potatoes until they were tender enough (I think around 40-50 minutes), scooped out the pulp, and pureed it.
Most of the recipes call for 1/4 or 1/2 cup of puree, so I just froze them in 1/4 cup portions. A muffin pan worked perfectly and gave me 12 1/4 C. purees. I froze them in the pan and then transferred them to plastic baggies later.
Because I now have 11 sweet potato purees leftover, I plan to make the other recipes that call for sweet potato puree. For no more than we eat a meal together at home, I don't need a freezer-full of five different kind of purees. So, stay tuned and hopefully I'll have more recipes to share!
** Yesterday's recipe and the sweet potato puree comes from Jessica Seinfield's two cookbooks, Deceptively Delicious and Double Delicious.**
Four sweet potatoes/one pound makes enough puree for quite a few recipes. I baked the potatoes until they were tender enough (I think around 40-50 minutes), scooped out the pulp, and pureed it.
Most of the recipes call for 1/4 or 1/2 cup of puree, so I just froze them in 1/4 cup portions. A muffin pan worked perfectly and gave me 12 1/4 C. purees. I froze them in the pan and then transferred them to plastic baggies later.
Because I now have 11 sweet potato purees leftover, I plan to make the other recipes that call for sweet potato puree. For no more than we eat a meal together at home, I don't need a freezer-full of five different kind of purees. So, stay tuned and hopefully I'll have more recipes to share!
** Yesterday's recipe and the sweet potato puree comes from Jessica Seinfield's two cookbooks, Deceptively Delicious and Double Delicious.**
2.10.2011
chicken satay
Quite awhile ago, I purchased Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, at one of the library's book sales for two bucks. Her cookbook is geared towards getting kids to eat more vegetables, so she crafted recipes that use vegetable purees. I bought it, thinking I might want it a few years down the road when we have kids, and haven't touched it since.
Then I saw her on Oprah several weeks before Christmas and requested her newest cookbook, Double Delicious, for Christmas.
Long story short, I just wanted to show off one of the recipes I made from the cookbook.
Chicken Satay
Jessica Seinfeld - Double Delicious
Serves 6
Sauce:
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1/4 C. lite coconut milk
1/4 C. sweet potato puree
3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. lime juice
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
Skewers:
1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
30 10" wooden skewers
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Directions:
Chop the garlic. Add all sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Cut chicken into thin (approx. 1" strips) and thread onto skewers. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika.
Warm 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add half the skewers. Cook 7-8 minutes per side, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through. Repeat with the remaining skewers. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
And here's the final product:
CJ's a big fan of Asian food. I could take or leave it. We might make stir fry every so often, but generally speaking, we just don't have Asian food at our house. But, we loved this!
Here's my tip: Omit the skewers. After I had threaded my chicken onto the skewers, I realized it was more for show than anything. These recipes are geared towards making healthy/healthier food appealing to kids, so I can see where the skewers would make it fun. I probably could have cooked our chicken a bit quicker if I wouldn't have used the skewers, but decided that we could stand to have a fun meal for once too. Plus, we already had a lot of them on hand that I wanted to use up.
I'll be back tomorrow with the puree how-to.
Then I saw her on Oprah several weeks before Christmas and requested her newest cookbook, Double Delicious, for Christmas.
Long story short, I just wanted to show off one of the recipes I made from the cookbook.
Chicken Satay
Jessica Seinfeld - Double Delicious
Serves 6
Sauce:
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1/4 C. lite coconut milk
1/4 C. sweet potato puree
3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. lime juice
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
Skewers:
1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
30 10" wooden skewers
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Directions:
Chop the garlic. Add all sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Cut chicken into thin (approx. 1" strips) and thread onto skewers. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika.
Warm 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add half the skewers. Cook 7-8 minutes per side, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through. Repeat with the remaining skewers. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
And here's the final product:
CJ's a big fan of Asian food. I could take or leave it. We might make stir fry every so often, but generally speaking, we just don't have Asian food at our house. But, we loved this!
Here's my tip: Omit the skewers. After I had threaded my chicken onto the skewers, I realized it was more for show than anything. These recipes are geared towards making healthy/healthier food appealing to kids, so I can see where the skewers would make it fun. I probably could have cooked our chicken a bit quicker if I wouldn't have used the skewers, but decided that we could stand to have a fun meal for once too. Plus, we already had a lot of them on hand that I wanted to use up.
I'll be back tomorrow with the puree how-to.
2.09.2011
the LAST snowman!
Spring better hurry itself on up, because my house is slowly being overtaken by snowmen.
Here's CJ's latest creation:
Here's CJ's latest creation:
2.07.2011
green chile chicken alfredo -- crockpot!
Stick with me for a minute. Combining green chiles and alfredo sauce really does work. And, I got to use my awesome programmable crockpot (thanks, mom & dad!) for this one too, so that makes it even tastier. (Oh, and the cookbook came from them too, so thanks again.)
Green Chile Chicken Alfredo
Busy Woman's Slow Cooker Cookbook
6 servings
1.25 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
16 oz. jar Alfredo sauce
2 4.5 oz. cans chopped green chiles
10 oz. pkg rigatoni noodles, cooked & warm
2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour Alfredo sauce over the chicken. Top with green chiles. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Add rigatoni noodles to the slow cooker and mix well. Sprinkle cheese over top. Cover and cook on high 25 minutes.
My (helpful) notes:
Instead of using a total of 9 oz of chopped chiles, I bought one 7.5 oz can instead. We still had good flavor, but it wasn't overwhelming or too spicy.
I accidentally cooked this on high for five hours. It still turned out fine.
I would go with less cheese the second time around. I added the two cups like the recipe called for, but it made it a bit stringy. I mean, I love cheese as much as the next guy, but I also had to double up on the fiber for the day to make up for it.
Green Chile Chicken Alfredo
Busy Woman's Slow Cooker Cookbook
6 servings
1.25 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
16 oz. jar Alfredo sauce
2 4.5 oz. cans chopped green chiles
10 oz. pkg rigatoni noodles, cooked & warm
2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour Alfredo sauce over the chicken. Top with green chiles. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Add rigatoni noodles to the slow cooker and mix well. Sprinkle cheese over top. Cover and cook on high 25 minutes.
My (helpful) notes:
Instead of using a total of 9 oz of chopped chiles, I bought one 7.5 oz can instead. We still had good flavor, but it wasn't overwhelming or too spicy.
I accidentally cooked this on high for five hours. It still turned out fine.
I would go with less cheese the second time around. I added the two cups like the recipe called for, but it made it a bit stringy. I mean, I love cheese as much as the next guy, but I also had to double up on the fiber for the day to make up for it.
2.06.2011
us
Here's an update on us, in a not-so-small nutshell.
I have one more class under my belt and four -- COUNT IT, FOUR! -- more classes to go. I wrapped up my Applied Economics class on Thursday night. This one really wasn't that bad, comparatively speaking. I'm not entirely sure I got an A, but then again, I'm not entirely sure that it even matters/that I even care anymore. This marks the end of our core classes, so I move on to my specialty (Applied Management) with some of the same people from my class and probably some new ones too. I'm hoping that the load isn't deceiving. There doesn't appear to be a heavy math concentration. So if all I have to do until August is read and write, then I'm the happiest camper ever.
On Saturday, we went to the Rhythm! Discovery Center downtown to use up two groupons that were set to expire soon.
As you can probably surmise, it's a drum museum. I don't want to get slapped with a lawsuit, so I'll just leave it at this -- this museum has its own market, and that market does not include us. We blew through it in 20 minutes.
I've spent most of the day today being quiet, working on projects, doing laundry and dishes, and making vanilla cupcakes for work tomorrow. In general, I've been doing everything I can to avoid doing any work that's due on Thursday night.
I'll have some projects to show off soon, but these are projects that have been completed for awhile and/or have taken us months to complete. Between work, a night of class, and 1-2 days each week of clinicals at a hospital, CJ doesn't have much time for woodworking -- or really anything else for that matter.
So we're trucking along...very, very slowly, but surely. We just keep reminding ourselves that we just have to make it to May, which will mark the very last time that either of us will be in school at the same time. It's only three short months away!
I have one more class under my belt and four -- COUNT IT, FOUR! -- more classes to go. I wrapped up my Applied Economics class on Thursday night. This one really wasn't that bad, comparatively speaking. I'm not entirely sure I got an A, but then again, I'm not entirely sure that it even matters/that I even care anymore. This marks the end of our core classes, so I move on to my specialty (Applied Management) with some of the same people from my class and probably some new ones too. I'm hoping that the load isn't deceiving. There doesn't appear to be a heavy math concentration. So if all I have to do until August is read and write, then I'm the happiest camper ever.
On Saturday, we went to the Rhythm! Discovery Center downtown to use up two groupons that were set to expire soon.
As you can probably surmise, it's a drum museum. I don't want to get slapped with a lawsuit, so I'll just leave it at this -- this museum has its own market, and that market does not include us. We blew through it in 20 minutes.
I've spent most of the day today being quiet, working on projects, doing laundry and dishes, and making vanilla cupcakes for work tomorrow. In general, I've been doing everything I can to avoid doing any work that's due on Thursday night.
I'll have some projects to show off soon, but these are projects that have been completed for awhile and/or have taken us months to complete. Between work, a night of class, and 1-2 days each week of clinicals at a hospital, CJ doesn't have much time for woodworking -- or really anything else for that matter.
So we're trucking along...very, very slowly, but surely. We just keep reminding ourselves that we just have to make it to May, which will mark the very last time that either of us will be in school at the same time. It's only three short months away!
2.04.2011
we're dehydrating fools
For awhile now, CJ has talked about getting a food dehydrator. I blew it off for awhile, thinking it'd be one of those big expensive appliances that we'd never really get around to using. I'm happy to report that we've gotten quite a bit of use out of it so far!
We checked out this book from the library, which is super helpful and has recipes for dehydrated foods in it:
So far, we've only made fruit leathers (which is like a fruit roll-up, but is just fruit, so it's not loaded down with other stuff):
Our problem with fruit leather is that it doesn't make a whole lot. This tray that you see took a whole pint of strawberries and one banana. We can eat on it for about a week, but I'd still like to figure out how to make more without having to clean out the grocery of all their strawberries.
The other hindrance to making fruit leather is the cost. I'm not exactly buying fruit during peak season, but I'm also not willing to wait until summer for strawberries to go on sale for a dollar or two cheaper. So, we might try frozen fruit, but we'll probably lose flavor.
And we're also making jerky:
They say you shouldn't watch two things being made: laws and sausage. They really should add jerky to the list. This is obviously the pre-dehydrated version and looks disgusting. If you've never made it at home, this does end up looking like jerky in the end, just not in the pretty pre-packaged, all sorts of stuff added version you'll find in the store.
What spurred getting the dehydrator in the first place was CJ's love of jerky. Up until a few months ago, unbeknownst to me, he was buying a package of beef jerky on every shift day. That's every three days. Do you know how much the stuff in the store costs? Like $3.49 for one package! So, turns out, this is a big cost-cutting measure for us after all.
I'm sure everyone is interested in our dehydrating efforts, so I'll continue to keep everyone updated on our successes and failures. If anyone else out there dehydrates (all three of my readers, that is), feel free to let me in on any secrets or recipes!
We checked out this book from the library, which is super helpful and has recipes for dehydrated foods in it:
So far, we've only made fruit leathers (which is like a fruit roll-up, but is just fruit, so it's not loaded down with other stuff):
Our problem with fruit leather is that it doesn't make a whole lot. This tray that you see took a whole pint of strawberries and one banana. We can eat on it for about a week, but I'd still like to figure out how to make more without having to clean out the grocery of all their strawberries.
The other hindrance to making fruit leather is the cost. I'm not exactly buying fruit during peak season, but I'm also not willing to wait until summer for strawberries to go on sale for a dollar or two cheaper. So, we might try frozen fruit, but we'll probably lose flavor.
And we're also making jerky:
They say you shouldn't watch two things being made: laws and sausage. They really should add jerky to the list. This is obviously the pre-dehydrated version and looks disgusting. If you've never made it at home, this does end up looking like jerky in the end, just not in the pretty pre-packaged, all sorts of stuff added version you'll find in the store.
What spurred getting the dehydrator in the first place was CJ's love of jerky. Up until a few months ago, unbeknownst to me, he was buying a package of beef jerky on every shift day. That's every three days. Do you know how much the stuff in the store costs? Like $3.49 for one package! So, turns out, this is a big cost-cutting measure for us after all.
I'm sure everyone is interested in our dehydrating efforts, so I'll continue to keep everyone updated on our successes and failures. If anyone else out there dehydrates (all three of my readers, that is), feel free to let me in on any secrets or recipes!
2.02.2011
dill vegetable dip
I made this dill vegetable dip for a New Year's Eve party. Then I forgot to take it with us, so this left us with a lot of dip. (Oh well - more for me.) And, I'll also mention that I made it for uber-cheap. (I scored the sour cream on sale for a buck!) So if you're looking for a better-than-store-bought dip recipe and don't already have one, add this to your file.
Dill Vegetable Dip
Allrecipes.com
1 C. sour cream
1/2 C. mayo
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. seasoned salt
Dill Vegetable Dip
Allrecipes.com
1 C. sour cream
1/2 C. mayo
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. seasoned salt
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