Patty-Cake, Patty Cake, Leprechaun Man

I'm a big fan of under-rated holidays.  A Marti Gras doesn't go by where we don't blare jazz music and make Louisiana Low Boil.  Cinco de May hits and we are watching Spanglish and eating enchiladas and homemade chiro's.  And St. Patrick's Day is no different.

This year, because St. Patty's falls on a Saturday, we are planning on hosting a few of our favorite people to help us ring in the Leprechaun!

So, what's on the menu for St. Patty's.  So far, this is what we've got:

Green Beer (just add a couple drops of food coloring into your beer.  We use Michalob Ultra.)

Mini Reuben Sliders (That was my idea!  How cute, right?)

Spinach Cheese Swirls

NW Low Boil (a hosting fave!)

Shamrock Cake 

...And of course, the family favorite, Shamrock Cookies

What are your St. Patty's ideas!  Share them with me and I'll report back!

Two Hour Paint Project

I was bored so I painted.  What a difference two hours and a quart of paint can make in a room!

Before: The Fireplace Overwhelmed the Wall

After: Cohesive and Unifed

Patio Project on a Budget

I always watch these shows on HGTV where they go out hunting garage sales and garbage cans and find these fabulous pieces of furniture they restore for next to nothing.  I've always wondered how that happens, because it seems every time I go to a garage sale, I generally just find worn out kids stuff, clothes that reek of moth balls, and furniture that's dated, worn, and unstable.

I have had luck, however, on Craigslist.  My latest prize?  A $50 teak patio set.

It wasn't even a week prior when I was paroling the Pottery Barn catalog and I saw this patio table.  I loved it, but thought $1,900?  Not on my budget!

Later that week while doing some searches for outdoor stuff on Craigslist, I came a cross an ad for a "wood patio set."  I immediately called them and asked when I could pick it up.  This is what I got:

 At first glance, it wasn't much to look at.  But as we brought it in, we realized it was actually teak.

So, my husband (with the help of my son) began sanding it down to it's beautiful bones.

Days (and lots of dust) later, it was ready for some teak-friendly stain and protectant.  I chose Behr Cordovian Brown in Semi-Transparent.

This is the finished product.  My husband surprised me by adding decorative stenciling throughout.  I'm pretty happy with my $50 find!

When It's Good to Be Cheap and Easy

I like cheap and easy.  I mean, just because it's cheap and easy doesn't mean it can't be elegant and delicious.

Take, for example, this Saturday night meal we made.  I only had a few things left in the fridge to work with, but luckily, I believe in the goods, so even when I'm lacking, I've still got some delicious things to work with.

Some people believe "staples" to be bread, milk, cereal, margarine.  No, no, not I.  Here's a few things my fridge is never without:

• Fresh basil
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Green Onions
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Wine
• Parmesan

And from these "staples" (and not much else), I can create a last-minute, budget-friendly dinner like this:

First, the wine.  I think this is a great wine, and it's only $2.99/bottle, so I picked up a few cases.  Good thing I did, because they don't make it anymore. :(

We ran out of bread (happens a lot because we are huge fans of carbs), but I had some whole wheat pita in the cupboard, so I broiled it in the oven and then topped it with a saute.

My Flatbread Bruchetta consisted of garlic, olive oil, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and Parmesan.

I found some frozen shrimp in the freezer.  A little shrimp, lemon, Parmesan, homemade croutons, lettuce, garlic, and olive oil, and you've got a Shrimp Cesar!  Find my secret to a good salad here.

Also in my freezer? Frozen butternut squash raviolis from Costco.  Add a little lemon, basil, olive oil, tomato, salt, and Parmesan.  Three raviolis fill you up for around 6 Weight Watcher points.

I figured out this entire meal cost less than $20 (including the wine) and served four. That's cheap and easy done good!

You've Got One Weekend and $180...

Some people Spring clean, we Spring improve.  I don't know what's gotten into us lately--maybe it's the cabin fever that has got us begging for a project--but in three weeks, we've:

1. Added shelf liner to all the cabinets
2. Added hardware to the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom
3. Manicured the front lawn
4. Added four yards of barkdust to the front lawn
5. And finished our fireplace project

We bought our house in December and as beautiful as I thought it was, I had one thing on my mind that I swore would make all the difference: stoning the fireplace to the ceiling.

I was inspired by this picture that was in an ad in the Mountain Living magazine:

 

I was convinced that if I stoned the fireplace to the ceiling, it would: make the fireplace the central point of the great room, show off the beautiful leaded glass windows, and give my house that rustic mountain feel.  I was right. Two days, lots of dust, and $180 later, and my fireplace project is complete.

Before

After

But every project has a story and this one is no different.  Our problems began over a year ago, when we decided to do this project.  What's the first thing you need to complete a stone project? Stone.  But since half of the fireplace was already completed, we had to find the stone to match.  No where in the builder's records was there a single reference to type of rock used, nor was there a spare block of it anywhere to be found.  I scoured the Home Depot, Willamette Greystone...you name it.  But when I'd get there (equipped with a photo of our fireplace in hand), they ALL looked like the right stone.

Our break came when we were enjoying cocktails on the deck one day and our neighbors were also outside and we began talking.  Turns out their son was the builder of our house, AND they happened to have a box of the rock in their garage.  But then came the bad news.  When we started calling around to find someone who carried that manufacturer's stone (Rogue River Rock), we were informed the manufacturing facility went out of business and no longer makes that stone.

So I started calling around to see if anyone had a stockpile of that stone anywhere in within 40 miles of our house.  I stumbled across the number for a mason who said he thought he saw some of that stone in the boneyard at Cement Products Manufacturing in Redmond, Oregon.  Sure enough, we headed down there and they guy at the desk happened to have about seven boxes of rock left...in corner pieces.  The good news was, he was willing to sell it for 50 percent off.  He recommended we use a mason blade on our miter saw and cut off the corners to puzzle piece the blocks together.  But what choice do we have...they had the rock, and they offered at 50 percent off.  So, that's exactly what we did.

How to Stone a Fireplace with Cement Ledgestone (con't):

How To Make a Picture Wall That Doesn't Look Like a Catastrophe

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DIY photo wall

Has this happened to you? You open up Potterybarn magazine and see a beautiful display of family photos, arranged haphazard, yet orderly; subdued, but not bland; not too many photos, but not a lack thereof, either.

You want this...

 
But you get this...

Building a photo wall or college is more of an art than a science, I've discovered.  I've spent hours hanging and rehanging frames, printing and reprinting pictures, adding and subtracting pieces; but it's finally done!  Ladies and gentlemen...my family photo wall (up the staircase to boot!).

My stairway family photo wall No. 1

My stairway family photo wall No. 2

 Because this was such an arduous process, I've decided to share with you what I've learned about the hefty task of creating a photo wall collage.  Here are Amber's tips for creating a photo wall.  Now, I'm not a designer, so these are meant to be tips for amateurs.  Please chime in if you have some of your own advice to give!

Stairway Photo Wall

1. Hang the center line at eye level.  This means that if you are going up a set of stairs, your photos will have to climb, too.
2. Uniformity is not required in size shape, or even color of your pictures/frames.  But there has to be some element that keeps it consistent, like overall height of the entire collage, equal horizontal spacing, or photo sizes.
3. To make things look organized, and not haphazard, make sure top and bottom, and left and right of your picture collage are equal aesthetic weight.  This means you have to balance out large frames, bold photos, or heavy matting with equal visual weight on the other side.
4. Put portaits in the middle because they become focal because of the tightness of the shot.  Putting tight shots on the outside makes them feel like they are floating away.
5. Break up the monotony by adding framed objects such as clocks, mirrors, and artwork to the mix.  I've seen people add all sorts of things to their collages...anything flat or framed will do!  I'm not much of a risk-taker, so I chose a clock, but let your creativity shine!
6. Be prepared to move and remove photos.  It's nearly impossible to get it right the first time.  It's better to just make small holes.
7. When printing your pictures, make extra copies in different sizes and finishes, so you have lots to choose from.  Sometimes it's not the frame that's throwing off the arrangement, it's the photo, so switching it for another can bring unity to your picture wall.  Note: I bought framed artwork from Ross for around $20 with pictures that were 20" square then cut open the frames and put in my own prints.  I got the enlarged prints from Persnickity Prints online, and for less than $30 for each picture, these look like the real deal.
8. Choose your photo finish and coloring.  Decide ahead of time whether you want your photos to be matte or glossy; black and white, bold color, or muted antique/sepia tones.  I chose to do a combination of black and white, sepia, and antique finish (matte), but all the photos have muted color.  This is a risky choice, because it's harder to create unity.  It is much simpler to choose all black and white, or all bold color.
9. Find your line.  You need to select one visual line that the eye can follow throughout your collage.  It can be a horizontal center of gravity line, like in my collage, but other options include: 

I chose to use a horizontal center of gravity visual that followed the pattern of the stairway banister... 

However, it got a little tricky, when wrapping the corner.  Still need to work on this.

You may also opt for a horizontal line through the center

A vertical line

A horizontal line on top, bottom, or (like here) both

Or, I call this the "center of gravity" line because the visual goes right across the center, even though no negative space exists there.

 Finally, to ensure the best visual for your picture wall, you can trace the frames onto large sheet paper, cut them out, and tape the arrangement on the wall to get a visual.  Just be aware that this does not take into account the frame width, matting, or imagery, so you still may need to adjust the arrangement after 

Kudos for Cous Cous and Curry

Some kids ask for "pop." Some want "candy." My kid asks for both of those...but he also asks for "trees" (i.e. "broccoli"), "balls" (i.e. "peas"), and his new favorite..."Cous Cous." Yes, he's developed quite a taste for the yummy little carbohydrate balls. But so have we all. He nearly jumped out of his high chair screaming, "Cous Cous Mommy!" when he saw Sunday's dish hit the table, and then he ate nearly the entire bowl (although he wouldn't touch the curry).

I've heard a lot of people say they don't like Cous Cous. I say, "try it from the bulk section." I swear, you won't even recognize it as the same stuff. The packaged stuff is sticky, mushy, and flavorless. Reminds me of boxed mashed potatoes. Now you wouldn't eat boxed mashed potatoes and compare it to delicious fresh garlic mashers, would you? Then try the bulk Cous Cous. I promise, you'll like it!

I got this recipe via the Savory Spice Shop. I grabbed it along with a package of Lemongrass Green Curry. I've adjusted the recipe a bit, but all and all, it was quite tasty, and low in Weight Watcher Points.

Thai Green Chicken Curry with Lemongrass

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric (I didn't have any, so I used yellow mustard)
2 cups coconut milk
2 tbsp. Thai lemongrass green curry powder (from Savory Spice Shop) mixed with 2 tbsp. of fish sauce
2 cups eggplant, zucchini or yellow squash peeled and diced
1 tomato, quartered
1/2 cup water
6-8 fresh cilantro sprigs

Instructions:

In a large bowl, toss cubed chicken with turmeric until coated and set aside. In a large skillet, heat coconut milk over low heat for 5-6 minutes. Thoroughly mix in Thai Green Curry paste, add the quartered tomatoes and continue cooking over low heat for 5-6 minutes. Add chicken and cook, covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining ingredients excluding the cilantro sprigs, stir thoroughly, cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Add cilantro and continue cooking, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve over Cous Cous with warm tea while listening to the "Slum Dog Millionaire" Soundtrack.

To prepare the Cous Cous, I combine 1 cup of bulk Cous Cous and 2 cups of water into a rice cooker.  Once ready, I mix in a couple tbsp of Olive Oil, two green onions and salt.  Pour Curry over the top.  Eat.  Enjoy.  Eat some more. Package left overs.

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Supercalifragedelicious! Mediterranean Chicken

It may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised.  Surprised at what, you ask?  Surprised at how many people throw dinner parties with bad food.

On the other hand, when you go to a dinner party where the food is good--real good--then be ready to jot down recipe a few dozen times.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were invited to a dinner party for a person I work for.  It was lovely.  In fact, I would have been completely happy with just the delicious wine and cheese spread.  Little did I know that the hostess had such wonderful cooking skills.  She made a Mediterranean Chicken dish with Cous Cous and claimed it was "very simple."

After a week or so of begging, I got the recipe.  I sure hope this wasn't a coveted family recipe, because I'm posting it online. Bravo, Jill and thanks for the recipe.

Why I like this recipe:

• It's easy
• Prep time is about five minutes
• You can make it a day ahead of time (in fact, it's better that way!)
• It's original 
• The flavors burst in your mouth
• 1 chicken breast, 1/2 cup of sauce, and 1 cup of cous cous is less than 10 CORE Weight Watcher points
• It looks harder to make than it is
• It's colorful
• You can make it for a ton of people

Convinced yet? Ok, here's the recipe:

Mediterranean Chicken with Cous Cous

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Refrigerate the following ingredients in a pan (about a 9x13 or larger) overnight or several hours.  Massage the chicken and turn it over a few times in a 24 hour period.

4 pounds  of boneless, skinless chicken

1/4 c. oregano

1 head garlic chopped (or 4-6 oz. of garlic already minced in jar)

Pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

3/4 cup or more pitted prunes (cut in half)

1/2 to 1 cup Spanish (green) olives

1/2 cup (or more) capers

6 bay leaves

Combine and pour over when you bake:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white wine

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

After half the bake time on the chicken, make the cous cous.  I found large-grain, whole wheat cous cous in the bulk section of Fred Meyer.  It was by far the best tasting, and cheapest cous cous I have ever bought.  I combined one cup of cous cous with two cups of water into my rice cooker for a 1/2 hour.   

When the cous cous was done, I mixed in three diced green onions, a tablespoon of olive oil, garlic salt, salt and pepper and stirred.  

When everything is ready, serve chicken with 1/2 cup of sauce from the pan over 1 cup of cous cous.  Enjoy!

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How Christmas Happened At Our House

Me and my son Christmas Eve

Ok, so this post might seem a little dated, and in fact, you maybe thinking, "Am I really following a blogger who probably hasn't even taken her Christmas lights down yet?"  The answer is, "Maybe."  What I mean by that is, yes, my lights are down, but I have fallen a bit behind lately.  Mostly because there has been a string of illness flying around the house, and second, my consulting business seems to have gotten suddenly busy (and sorry folks, that's just a bit more lucrative than my AdSense account!).

But I didn't want to turn the corner to February without a small entry about Christmas.  I hosted Christmas Eve and morning this year and it was quite a hit.

Cranberry Almond Brie

First the fun stuff: The Menu. My brother made it up from California on Thurs night, so we started our happy holiday weekend with a batch of homemade spaghetti and--you guessed it--handmade spaghetti pasta noodles.  What a great way to kick off the holiday, don't you think?

For Christmas Eve, we followed up that ever-so-light spaghetti dish with a traditional Christmas dinner.  So, truth be told, I'm not much of a ham fan.  But since my brother is, and he drove all the way up from California to have it, I gave in and made a Cherry-Glazed Ham.

Here was our Christmas Eve menu and links to the recipes:

Cranberry Citrus Salad - Very light and yummy.  Recommend, especially if accompanying it with a heavy meal.

Cranberry and Almond Brie - Delicious.  Must have at every holiday meal from here on out.

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Cherry-Glazed Ham - Liked it and would recommend it.  Even for non-ham lovers.

Cinnamon Apples - This was risk.  I mean, apples? I was worried only my two-year-old would like them, but turns out they tasted great with the ham.

Homemade Green Bean Casserole - This was such a hit at Thanksgiving, it was requested I make it again.  So I did.  I'm not one to turn away from rants and raves, afterall.

Cheesecake - This one was a little selfish. I enjoyed the cheesecake so much at Thanksgiving, I made it again.  But unfortunately, the only one who actually eats dessert at my house is my husband, and he doesn't like cheesecake.  So only one slice was taken out of it, and the dog ended up getting it.  He loved it, though.

The Decorations.

Well, you are just going to have to trust me on the menu, as I must have had too much "holiday cheer" Christmas Eve because I forgot to take pictures of anything cooked after noon (I do have some pictures of the lovely brie appetizer though).  Luckily, I did set the table early so I actually have pictures of that.

I used my good china--which happens to be Christmas China and the only China I own.  I found some gold chargers for a $1/piece at The Dollar Tree, as well as some napkins that matched.  Then I mixed and matched wine, beer, and port glasses, plus one port glass filled with Martinele's for Noah!