This and That in the Kitchen

I got a couple things done in the kitchen last weekend.  One, I've been meaning to do and the other I kind of fell into.

Saturday my Mom and I went shopping at our favorite thrift store, Albertina Kerr (as in Kerr jars).  I found some great jeans, a summer tank, and a t-shirt, all of which cost only $25!  Love thrift store shopping!  We also wandered over to the antique store also on the Kerr property.  There I found this towel/tie/scarf hanger.

I brought it home and painted it with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint (Linen)

The paint chipped nicely.

I finished it with Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil 250ml

I then hung it on my cabinet over the sink.  Now I have a place to hang towels to dry!  

After this little project was complete, I opened the cabinet that holds all our glasses.  That was probably a mistake.

I've long since resigned myself to the fact that we don't have more than two glasses that match.  At one point in my life I had a matching set of glasses but, alas, they broke and over the years and have been replaced with miscellaneous glasses we get when we go to beer festivals.

What with a whole summer of beer festivals staring me in the face, I needed to make room for the inevitable incoming glasses.  Time to purge.

With much debate and input from the whole family (everyone has their favorite glass after all), we finally managed to whittle our collection down to a size that would now fit comfortably in the cupboard.

Now we're ready for the Summer Beer Festivals!  Bring it on!

Repurposing a Sewing Machine Desk

It's been a while since I brought home this sewing machine desk.  It was given to me free and to be honest, at first I didn't want it.  I felt like I should use the sewing machine, then I felt like I'd never get around to using the sewing machine, then I thought I'd never get around to doing anything with the desk because the sewing machine was taunting me.  Needless to say, I was a little bit in my head over the whole thing.

Finally, one day I said screw it, I'm going to fire up that sewing machine.  So I opened the lid to the desk, and lifted up the machine.  It was then that I noticed it didn't have a foot feed.  I kinda rejoiced.  Missing that piece gave me permission (in my mind) to get rid of the machine and just re purpose the desk.

So I unscrewed the machine from the desk and hauled it to Goodwill.  Not before my Mom told me I could pick up a new foot feed at most sewing machine stores.  I pretended not to hear that (*mind was made up*).

Once free of the machine, the desk took on new life.  I painted it in Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint (Shutter Gray)and left the top of the table as is.

I love how the paint brings out the basket weave on the front faux drawer.

I sanded it in a few places to give it the chippy look.  The pulls on it were beautiful so I added them back.

Now, what to do with the hole in the top?  I really didn't have a plan for that so the desk sat as is for several months.  Then Jeff brought home a drawer he found free on the sidewalk.  It was a little long to fit in the empty hole so we cut a few inches off it.

I attached the drawer to the desk with steel angle brackets similar to these:

Now when you open the top, you have a little drawer to hold writing supplies or whatever!

I lined the drawers with contact paper for a finished, clean look.

As a bonus, the chair I reupholstered works perfectly with the desk!

Five Things for Friday

My Gawd am I thankful it's Friday!  What a week.  I'd make a little progress on something then *WHAM* progress has stopped and I've actually lost ground.  What's a person to do when their week is like that?  Cruise the internet?  Ok, I did get in some of that and here's what I found in between set backs this week.

VACATION PLANNING!  That's what a person does with a crazy week.  Doesn't this look fun?  This could be a quick and easy vacation home if you had some nice property by the water.

I'm a sucker for bread bags.  I've shared a couple before and I really find that they prolong the life of your homemade or rustic bread by several days.  I saw this one the other day and instantly loved it!

Need a gift for someone who is hard to buy for?  I thought this Sundail was cool and clever!  It actually prints the time on the ground!  No more staring at shadows trying to figure out if it's 3:45 or 3:50....

Remember my succulent that had a bud on it?

Well it finally bloomed!  It's a little understated but it's still a flower.

Speaking of flowers, this Clematis Hagley Hybrid (Pink Chiffon) Vine - 2.5" Pot
 is about to burst into Spring!  My sister and I planted this several years ago over our garage doors.

We planted one clematis on each side of the house and watched and waited until they grew together. The last Spring she was alive they finally met and every Spring they bloom I think of her.

Enjoy your well-deserved weekend.  I've got a furniture remodel to share with you next week!

Is it Mexican Night?

YAY!  Another casserole dish meal!  Can't beat that for a weeknight.  This time we're changing it up a bit and going Mexican!

Doesn't that look good?  It's simple too.

Start with grilling the onion and garlic (really, this is how all good recipes start).  The more the better!

Add in a can of tomatoes, re fried beans, black beans, corn, and seasoning.  You can play it loose here.  Throw in whatever you think would be good, browned ground beef, spinach, jalapeno peppers (ooooh I should have thrown in peppers!), whateva!

Now start layering in your casserole dish.  First place corn tortillas on the bottom then add your bean mixture.

Toss on some cheddar cheese, then layer more tortillas, bean mixture and cheese.

Pop in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Grab a glass of wine and enjoy until casserole is ready.

This is a simple, quick and delicious meal and bonus that it makes great leftovers too!

A big THANK YOU to Alec who was STARVIN' and just got home from school and was NOT in the mood to cook but still made this recipe while I took pictures!  Way to power through kiddo!

















As always, here's the cut and paste recipe format.

Mexican Tortilla Casserole

Adapted from Three Many Cooks and The Mom 100 Cookbook

You’ll need:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1 large yellow or white onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 14-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained, 1/3 cup of juice reserved

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn

2 15.5 oz cans black or pinto beans (or a mix), drained

3 cups coarsely chopped regular or baby spinach

kosher salt and ground black pepper

8 corn tortillas

2 cups Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese or both

Optional toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped fresh jalapeño, sour cream, salsa

Preheat the oven to 400F and lightly grease a casserole dish (approximately 8×11 inches or 9×9 inches) with cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat and the garlic, onion, chili powder and cumin. Stir for 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Stir in the tomatoes, reserved juice, tomato paste, corn, beans and spinach. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring, until the spinach has wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place two corn tortillas in the bottom of the casserole dish and top with 1/4 of the bean and vegetable mixture, spreading evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Repeat the layering process with the remaining ingredients, finishing with cheese.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until the casserole has cooked through. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with the optional garnishes, if using.

Five Things for Friday

Wow!  What a beautiful week we've had.  Blue sky
and 60 degree weather; can't beat that for February, unless your a polar bear (*sad*).


















Weather like this makes me really appreciate those early blooming plants, like the delicate daffodil and the hellebore, that get you even more excited for Spring!

This week I'm really loving my Japanese Cornelian Cherry Tree!  This tree is always an early bloomer and I appreciate the fact that it's yellow and not pink, what with all the other cherry trees about to bloom pink this tree really stands out (look at that blue sky!!!).  Although it's called a cherry tree, it's actually a dogwood so if you ask for it at your local nursery, tell them that (they probably already know though).

What's a week without me talking about boots?  So, keeping with the boot theme, I found this article about what to look for in a good boot.  I totally agree with #2--Make Sure They're Resole-able!  Have you ever got a pair of shoes or boots resoled before?  It's like getting a new pair but better because they're already soft and broken in!

How many times have you or your child been sick and the last thing you wanted to do was drive to the doctor's office and sit and wait in a waiting room with other sick and miserable people?  Side story: one time I took my son to the emergency room because he was under the weather and he was developing marks all over his body.  As soon as we showed up they got us in right away, diagnosed him with chicken pox and quickly ushered us out the back door.  That was the fastest I've ever been seen in an emergency room!  Moral of the story, if you want to be seen right away, show up with a highly contagious disease! Actually, don't.  Today there is a better way.  Doctor on Demand, Now Clinic, and American Well are new ways you can remain in your bed, reach for your laptop or phone and talk face to face with a doctor who can, if necessary, even write you a prescription!  Most online visits do not require an in office follow up visit, per Doctor on Demand's website and most online visits cost around $40, covered by some health plans.  I wish this was around when my son was young and we made all those midnight urgent care or emergency room visits for ear infections!

This cracked me up:


I love that they included every possible non-related item popular on the internet in the title. Cat. Steampunk. Vintage. Upcycled.  Aaaand it's adorable!
 

Have a beautiful weekend!  I've got another great casserole recipe coming up next  week and I hope to get those long-awaited planter boxes made!

The Beauty of a Casserole Dish

I have a confession, I love the casserole dish.  You know that 13" X 9" glass wonder that's shoved in the back of your kitchen cabinet?  The one that when you first started cooking and you were making a cake from a box and it called for a 13" X 9"  pan and you pulled it out but for the life of you you couldn't find ANYWHERE where it was actually written 13" X 9" (seriously why isn't that marked more prominently?)?



I love this dish because you can throw just about anything in it, bake it for 30 minutes and you've got a meal!  You can also, if you're so inclined and really organized, throw stuff in it, freeze it for future use, thaw it, bake it for 30 minutes and BOOYAH another meal!  Needless to say, I have a few casserole recipes up my sleeve and lucky you today I'm going to share one!

Who doesn't love pasta, tomato sauce and cheese?  Seriously, anyone?  Fun fact, my son when he was younger, actually didn't like spaghetti.  Yes, I thought it was weird but I tried to not permanently traumatize him for this and I worked around it all the while questioning whether he was swapped at birth.  Annnyway...back to the recipe and for good nature, my son is helping me with this because NOW he likes spaghetti and someone needs to make this dish while I'm shooting pictures.

To begin with, cook your noodles.

While the noodles are cooking chop up your onion and garlic---the more the better!

Add olive oil to a skillet and brown the onion and garlic.  Add ground beef (we use Quorn Foods Meat Free Beef Grounds, 12 Ounce -- 12 per case.)









Once the noodles have finished cooking, whip up one egg and 1/2 cup milk.  Drain the noodles then mix the egg mixture into the noodles.

Now the fun part!  This is where the casserole dish comes in!  Spread the noodles in the bottom of the greased casserole dish, spoon the tomato sauce on top of the noodles.

Now top with mozzarella cheese and pop in a 350 degree preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes!

There's something about baking the dish that blends all the ingredients and their flavors together.  Better than if you just ate it without baking it.  Also, another fun fact, that 20 minutes while it's baking is the perfect amount of time to drink a glass of wine!

Now, if you feel this recipe is a little low brow for you, well here's basically the same recipe with some greens and fancy cheese and baked in a spring form pan (I know! High class, huh?).

Here's the recipe in 'copy and paste' format (we didn't have the bell pepper so we made it without and we added garlic, because, well, that goes with out saying. You just add garlic.):

Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into thirds
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 jar (14 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 to 2 cups (4 to 8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Nutritional Facts

1 serving (1 each) equals 286 calories, 11 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 65 mg cholesterol, 718 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 17 g protein.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat egg, milk and salt. Drain spaghetti; add to egg mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.
3. In a large skillet, cook beef, sausage, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Spoon over the spaghetti mixture.
4. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
5. Freeze option: Cool spaghetti completely before tossing with egg mixture. Transfer to baking dish; cover and refrigerate. Meanwhile, prepare meat sauce and cool completely before spooning over spaghetti mixture. Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Five Things for Friday

Here we are at the end of another week and where did my internet travels take me this week?

This link came to me from a dear friend of mine after reading last week's "Five Things".  If you don't want to invest in a Cat Cave Bed - Handmade Felted Merino Wool House for Cats and Kittens - Original Cat Caves By Earthtone Solutions (Enchanted Forest)
for your feline friends, here's a great DIY video where you need only a box and a T-Shirt!  Who doesn't have an extra box and T-Shirt to make this even if you don't have a cat?



These photographs really caught my eye.  I just love how the look of windows seem to have a cultural and geographical identity.  Beautiful.

One of my favorite ways to mindlessly peruse the internet is to look at design blogs.  I'm a sucker for before and after features and this one gave me pause, especially the third picture.  I couldn't stop staring at the tile.  I love how they used square white tiles and laid them as though they were subway tiles.  So unexpected and subtle.

Another flashback to last week's "Five Things" post; I mentioned all the great sales going on right now on winter clothes.  Well, I picked up these kick-ass Frye boots for $80 at Nordstrom Rack! That's right, not only are they black AND they've got a buckle, but they've also got STUDS!  I'll get plenty of winter and spring wear out these babies!



I know you've been waiting for this!  The Peppermint Soap is now available in my online store!
Make a commitment to remove harmful ingredients from your skincare products and pick up a few bars of these beauties!  $5 each and free shipping for orders over $30!

Here's to another great weekend!  We're actually entering the "what will we plant in the vegetable garden?" phase of the year.  I hope to get another outdoor planter box made this weekend complete with photos and instructions (spoiler alert: it's not really a box, as in square box! WHAAAA!!??  I know CRAY-Z!.).  Look for it next week on my blog!