Sunday, September 26, 2010

Gadgets

I love gadgets! There. I admitted it. I love going into a kitchen store and looking at all the cool things they have to make your life easier and your cupboards more cluttered. You name the gadget and I either have it, want it, or have deemed it unnecessary. Slap chop? Got it. Soda fountain milkshake maker? Got it. Quesadilla maker? Got it. Automatic scissors? Got em, and they're awesome! The list goes on and on. I have often been the brunt of jokes because of all of the gadgets in my cupboards. (Coincidentally, the people that have teased me the most about my gadgets are the same people who encouraged me to have a blog, because they think that I do cool stuff. . . . don't they know that gadgets are the source of all my powers?) 
I digress. I thought that I would share with you, my faithful readers, some of my all time favorites. I think all three of these are well worth the money. 


The Apple Corer/Peeler/Slicer
This thing does exactly what it says it does. It cores, peels, and slices apples all at the same time and does it well. It especially came in handy on the day that my friend and I got a ton of apples and made jars and jars of applesauce and apple butter. It can also peel a potato in about 5 seconds. I love double duty gadgets!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A6E91E/ref=oss_product


The Salsa Express
Along with gadgets, I love county fairs! One of the things I love most about the fair is all of the booths with all of the new gadgets! This summer I went to the fair knowing that I wanted to get a salsa maker. I had tried my hand at gardening and wanted to make some salsa with all the tomatoes that were supposed to grow. Well, the tomatoes were a bust, BUT the salsa maker was not! I love the fresh salsa (made with store bought tomatoes . . . . .who can't grow tomatoes?!?!?) One of the best other uses that I have discovered is chopping other vegetables for recipes. Garlic, carrots, onions (without causing tears to stream down my face), anything that needs to be chopped small. It works great!
http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Chef-Express-Salsa-Maker/dp/B0012ZDZEK/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285450739&sr=8-1


The Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner
Talk about a time saver! You hit the button after you get out of the shower, and it CLEANS THE SHOWER FOR YOU!!!! For someone who hates to clean, this is a great thing! I have one in each shower and it really does keep your shower clean. Every once in a while I will still scrub the shower down, but only about once a month. 

http://www.amazon.com/Scrubbing-Bubbles-Automatic-Shower-CleanerStarter/dp/B001QJAHIY/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285450773&sr=8-1
I am sure this is not the last posting of gadgets that will be present on this blog. I wanted to ease you all in to the madness! Thanks for reading! I am off to make some coffee in my newest gadget . . . a Keurig coffee maker!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Chicken and Biscuits

This recipe is one of my all time favorites. I make it all the time, and people always ask for the recipe. It is so good, that I was too excited to eat it and forgot to take a picture for this post. I was glad that we hadn't eaten it all, so I could get a shot of it. But don't think for a minute that those leftovers lasted until the next day. They became a late night snack.

Chicken and Biscuits
3-4 cups of cooked shredded chicken  - I usually buy an already made rotisserie chicken and cut it up. If I am cooking the chicken myself, I put 3 or 4 chicken breasts in a pan, sprinkle them with poultry seasoning, and add about 2 cups of chicken  broth to the pan before baking. 


2 t poultry seasoning (if you baked the chicken yourself with the seasoning - don't add it here)
1 large can of Veg All mixed vegetables (really any mixed vegetables would work)
3 cans of cream of chicken soup (I always use the reduced fat.)
Fresh vegetables - Whatever vegetable is on sale. I have used broccoli, asparagus, green beans, it all works.
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper


Mix all together. Add to a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. 
Serve with refrigerated biscuits that you sprinkle with a little salt and pepper before baking.  


Bulletin Board

This Summer I made a bulletin board for the middle school room at church. I took pictures of the process knowing that this whole blog thing was on my to do list. Yesterday, I was talking with my dad when he asked what my next blog was going to be. I told him it was, "how to make a bulletin board". To which he replied, "can't you just buy a bulletin board?" 

Of course, you can just buy a bulletin board. However, they can be expensive, especially if you need a custom size (like we did). 


Here's what I did. I went to my favorite place . . . .Home Depot.
I bought one 4'x8' sheet of white building board (it's kinda like dry wall) for $15, and four 1"x3", 6' strips of pine for $5 each.


We needed a bulletin board that was 4'x4', so I cut the building board using a box cutter. (BTW - The sharper the blade, the cleaner the cut.)



Then  using a miter box, I cut the ends of each pine strip to a 45 degree angle. 


Then I lined up each pine strip against the building board before marking the opposite end to cut. 


Everything got painted black. (with paint leftover from the kitchen cabinets)


Starting with the strip that was going across the top, I glued, then screwed it into place, making sure it was level.



Then the board was glued and hung with screws before adding the rest of the strips.  


 Here it is. Complete with pictures from Summer camp. 


Thanks for reading! This night owl is going to bed now. 

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Staff Meeting Dinner

Once a month I cook dinner for the Middle School Ministries volunteer staff. It's my way of showing them how much I appreciate all of their hard work and sacrifice. 
I try to have some sort of theme for the dinner, and since it's September/the beginning of fall/the start of school, I went with an apple theme. The menu was Apple Barbecue Pork Sandwiches, Blue Cheese Coleslaw, Cheesy Hash brown Potato Casserole, and Carmel Apple Trifle for dessert. The pork and potatoes are my mom's recipes, the coleslaw was a new recipe I tried from Barefoot Contessa (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blue-cheese-cole-slaw-recipe/index.html) , and the trifle was a new recipe from Taste of Home Magazine (http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Colossal-Caramel-Apple-Trifle).


The potatoes are everyone's favorite. (http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1950,144185-231196,00.html) The pork is so easy it's ridiculous. It's a pork loin roast (5-7 lbs), a can of apple pie filling, and a bottle of barbecue sauce (I used a generic brand, original recipe) cooked in a slow cooker for 8-12 hours. 


 I thought the coleslaw was really good (especially when added to the sandwich). When I make it again I will greatly reduce the dressing amount. I had already reduced it by at least a quarter, and it was still too much for me. I would at least cut it in half the next time. 


My plate. I used Hawaiian Sweet Rolls for the sandwiches. 


Caramel Apple Trifle
I reduced the recipe by about a quarter, and it was still plenty to serve our crowd of 25. The next time I make this I will make some changes to the recipe. I will cut it in half, possible omit the yellow cake (I didn't see what it really added to the texture or flavor.), and add more caramel.


All in all, it was a successful meal, with only a few things I would have done different. I think I will go have some leftovers for lunch!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Painting the Kitchen Cabinets

When we bought our house, this is what the kitchen looked like . . . 

not bad, but definitely not me


One of my decorating philosophies is, "if it doesn't match, paint it!" But, one of my pet peeves about painted cabinets is that you can see the brush strokes. I use spray paint a lot and I had seen a commercial for a new kind of spray paint that I had a feeling would work on cabinets. So off I went to Home Depot (one of my favorite places to be . . . .seriously . . . sometimes I just go and roam aimlessly through the aisles, looking at all the cool stuff they have). I got the spray paint I wanted, did a test patch on the back of one of my cabinet doors, saw that it would work, then went back and bought every can of this paint they had. The best part about using the spray paint is that I didn't have to sand the cabinets before hand, I just started spraying.


I knew I could remove the doors and paint them, but the rest of the cabinet was going to be an issue. So I bought a can of black paint in the satin finish and used an artists brush. It took a long time to do, but you can't see any brush strokes on the cabinets at all. 

The whole process took about a week. The longest part was waiting for the paint to dry. I didn't have a lot of  spray paint space, so I could only do 3 doors at a time. Multiply that by 2 coats each side, with the drying time in between. I wasn't rushed for time, so it didn't really matter. 

I couldn't be happier with the finished product. I am glad that I chose the satin finish, the gloss would have been too shiny. (It looks shinier in the picture than it does in real life.) I love how you can still see the wood grain.

It's been about a year since I finished, and the paint job has held up very well. Every once in a while the paint will get chipped, but I just break out my artists brush and in no time it's back to beautiful. 
I also just redid the backsplash . . . but I'm saving that for another post.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Easy Fall Recipes

I LOVE FALL!! It is by far my favorite season! One of my favorite things about fall (besides the cooler weather, football season, and the scented candles that smell like leaves) is the warm and inviting food. I just got back from visiting my family in Ohio, where the leaves were starting to change and the air was getting crisp. It put me in the mood for fall. Here are some of the things I made this week to celebrate the new season.


Fall Mix
If you have ever visited my house or my parents house during the fall, you have probably sampled what is affectionately known as the Fall Mix. I don't know where my mom got this, but it is one of the best combinations of sweet and salty goodness. You mix a bag of candy corn (get the name brand), a bag of M&M's (extra points if it's the autumn colored M&M's), and a jar of dry roasted salted peanuts. That's it!! It's not officially fall until there is mix in my house!






Roast Beef Panini
I have a new favorite sandwich, thanks to my Food Network Magazine! I made it for lunch on Sunday and ate it during football, which made it taste even better. 


Sourdough bread, muenster cheese, roast beef, dijon mustard, and carmelized onions. Buttered and grilled in a pan. Absolutely delicious!





Brownies
I made these for a 7th grade girls slumber party the other night. I always use the Ghirardelli brownie mix, added a can of frosting and some candy corn. I thought they turned out cute (and kinda looked like a quilt).

Cookie Pizza

Cookie Pizza is one of my favorite desserts and it's easy to make!!!


I buy refrigerated sugar cookie dough.
Spread it in a pan, and bake according to the package directions.
Soften 8 oz. of cream cheese.
Mix in 1 cup of sugar.
Spread it on the baked cookie.
Then add fruit to the top.
My favorites are strawberries and blueberries,
but sometimes I use kiwi, raspberries,  blackberries,
or whatever fruit looks good in the store.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Sink Project

Here goes nothing. . . . . This is one of my all time favorite projects. 2 years ago, my husband took a new job and we moved into a new house. Our new home gave us the ability to entertain large crowds, with that comes a lot of dishes to be washed (my least favorite chore). I soon became dissatisfied with my double sink. (Our previous home had a single basin sink that was huge!) However the sink was Corian and built into the counter top. One day I had the idea that if I found a drop in sink that was large enough, I could cut out the current sink and drop a new sink into the hole. Then I found it! A drop in sink, that would fit the hole that would be left in the counter top, and it was less than $300!!! It was time to get serious. I have a good friend who is a contractor. He looked at the sink and supports, and told me that my idea would actually work! I ordered the sink and studied up on what would have to be done to accomplish my crazy goal. 
Here is a look at the process.


old sink
unhooked the garbage disposal and other pipes
( I found a youtube video about how to
uninstall and reinstall a garbage disposal)


unhooked the faucet (way easier than I thought it would be)


placed the new sink upside down over the existing sink,
then traced around the new sink to mark where to cut
drilled a pilot hole (aka the point of no return)
then came the very dusty process of cutting out the sink,
I used a hard surface blade for my jigsaw
At this point in the cutting process,
I realized that the sink was going to fall
when I was finished cutting.
I was home alone, so I started taping the cut sections
to the counter top as I went along.
The tape held the old sink up long enough
for me to get a good grip and lift it out. 
it's gone!
the dry fit (sorry it's blurry)
installed the faucet (a birthday present from
the same friends who have pestered me
 into this whole blog thing),
and installed the new drain with
plumbers putty for sealing purposes 
ran a bead of caulk around the underside of the sink,
put the sink in place,
 hooked up the hot and cold water,
and reinstalled the garbage disposal
(probably the hardest part of this whole process)
caulked around the edge of the sink and voila!!! 
I love the result of this project! I have been using my new sink for about six months and it works perfectly! The whole process was easier than I thought it would be thanks to youtube, and some patience. This reminds me . . . I need to go do some dishes.