Fantastic Find Friday: paint. cheap.

Need I say more?

 

Spring Cleaning: the Kitchen

A good friend of mine has recently challenged a bunch of us to the daunting task of spring cleaning. Since we just moved into a freshly built house, I thought I had this in the bag.
"Everything's clean and new!" I thought. "I won't have much to do..."

...

It's amazing how much dust and dirt can build up in just a few months. My friend's idea was for each of us to just take it one room at a time, one room per week. This way it doesn't feel as daunting. Genius, she is.
We started with the Master bedroom, and then headed to whatever other bedrooms we had in the house. This week's room is the big one - the kitchen:

-Wipe cupboard doors
- De-clutter/ sort-out/and clean cupboards inside
- Wipe appliances outside and in (yes that includes the oven)
- Move appliances and clean behind
- Of course the light ;)
- aaaaand shine your sink 

As I sit here in my pajamas with my second cup of coffee, so far I've got the cupboard doors wiped down. Go me! While I was wiping them down, I had the idea to do a post on some of the organization and de-cluttering "tricks" (for lack of a better word) I've done with my kitchen. They're generally pretty straight forward, but I thought I'd share them anyway. 

Let's start with the drawers. We decided to go with an IKEA kitchen when we were building, partly because a) they're cheap, and pretty comparable in quality b) we've used IKEA kitchens in our two previous homes and were very happy with them and c) IKEA has tons of great drawer and cupboard inserts for organizing.

OK, I didn't think of item c when we were deciding on the kitchen. It was mostly the cost factor. But IKEA really does have great organization options! See here. 

I have a ways to go yet with where I want the organization to be, but let's get to the pictures.

These drawers are fitted with the Rationell drawer divider for shallow and deep drawers, and the Variera insert for spice jars. I totally recommend the spice jar insert, if you have the drawer space - it makes it so easy to see all your spices. Maybe one day I'll get matching spice jars and nicer labels.... 

 My next favorite thing: these pantry pull-outs:

I definitely need to organize each drawer individually yet, but units have been so much better than an under-used built in corner pantry.  

Now on to some non-IKEA related notes. I'm not too sure where I came up with this idea, if I had seen it somewhere before or if it just came to me one time, but I think it's pure genius, in my humble opinion. I used to stuff all of my plastic grocery bags in the cupboard under the sink, just by themselves. As you know, or can probably imagine, it got to be quite messy. So I had this unused baby wipes container. I swore to myself to never have more plastic bags than what fits in this box, and it has kept things so much neater! And you can even take it one step further and decorate the box.

Next is a decluttering trick. I hated, loathed, despised having the microwave sitting on my counter taking up precious counter space. But I wasn't quite ready to ditch it completely yet (even though it crossed my mind many times). So, one night I got CJ to move it here: 

That awkward huge cabinet above the fridge that gets used for...... what, exactly? Putting the microwave up here has made my quality of life so much better. I don't have to stare at the ugly thing all day. And it only took moving the back panel of the cupboard a bit for the cord to fit through. The outlet was already there for the fridge!

So as I sit here in my pajamas (but this time because it has taken me a. whole. day. to write this post), and no more done on the kitchen then the cupboard doors, I challenge you, too, to take spring cleaning one week at a time. It really does make a difference and a feeling of great achievement you shall soon have.

Wow I need to go to bed.

Til next time,
-J

 

 

Deep Fried Meatballs

Deep fried WHAT!? That's right, you read it correctly. Deep fried meatballs. I made them for dinner tonight. And guess what? I didn't use a recipe! I just made them up! I'm sure they've been done before, but I had never heard of it. So before writing this post, I Googled it. And yes, they've definitely been done before.

But probably not like mine. Ok, the actual meatball could've been a bit more seasoned, but I coated them in seasoned panko breadcrumbs and I think that's what did it.

A crunch. Then your teeth sink into the soft, moist goodness that was the meatball.

Wish I took pictures of the process, but I'll try to describe it as best I can.

For the meatball I combined:
- about a pound of ground beef
- one egg
- a splash of milk
- a sprinkle (and then some more) plain bread crumbs
- a pinch of pre-chopped garlic (you know, the stuff in the jar)
 I rolled them into fair sized balls, and put them in a 350 degree oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 15 minutes (because I wasn't sure how long to cook them for and didn't want to over cook). I checked the temperature after 15 minutes and they weren't quite done, but were close, so I just left them in the turned-off oven until I was ready to fry 'em. 

For the coating:
In one shallow dish I combined about three tablespoons of flour and a dash of pepper. 
In another shallow dish I combined a bunch of panko breadcrumbs, and a pinch of each: rosemary, basil, and thyme. These herbs were just a wild guess, but I think they worked pretty well together. 
In another separate dish (I used a measuring cup) I whisked an egg with about a tablespoon of water. 

Now to fry them! Heat up some oil in a deep fry pan (a wok? *shrug*) to 375 degrees. While it's heating, take each meatball and roll them in the flour mixture. Dunk them in the egg, and then roll them in the breadcrumb mixture. Drop each ball into the hot oil and fry until golden. You don't have to worry if the meat is cooked because you already did that! Awesome! 

I served these with mashed potatoes seasoned with vegetable seasoning, and frozen peas. I know.
Let's say I wanted the meatballs to take center stage. Yeah, we'll go with that.

The husband loved them (toughest critic). The daughter liked them (good enough for me). So we'll do these again. Soon.

Til next time, deep fried meatballs. Til next time.

Noodle Boots

Here's a quick and awesome project that is cheap and super practical. How's that for use of adjectives?

 If you have knee-high, thigh-high, or even slouchy ankle boots, then head on over to the dollar store and grab a bunch of those Styrofoam pool noodles. All you have to do is cut them to the size of each boot, stick 'em in there, and your boots stand up perfectly! They don't take up any more room than they need to by falling over, and your boots won't crease at the ankles.

Awesome, right? Well, if you want to take it one step further, you can grab some fabric and a glue gun and decorate the boot supports. Like this:

You an find a tutorial for that at A Spotted Pony. Plus, as she says, they have the potential to make a great gift. I may just have to start making some of these!

Fantastic Find Friday - Vintage Change Table

So I have a list of items that I look for on a local buy and sell website. I'll grab a bowl of ju jubes, some sort of drink, and sit down at my computer after the kids are in bed and start browsing.

The other night I came across this. gorgeous. vintage. child's dresser.

It wasn't on my list, but I knew I just had to have it, or at least take a look at it. And for the price it was, I knew I had to be quick. So I contacted the seller and set up a time to go take a look. You know how they say "don't judge a book by it's cover?" When it comes to buying used things, I judge the item on the house. I pulled up to this gorgeous old craftsman style home and had a feeling I would be going home with this dresser.

The couple had it themselves for thirty years and it had come in the house when they bought it. It has the original glass knobs, and is a very solid piece of maple.

Obviously it needs work, but that was my plan from the time I laid my eyes on it.

My plan is to convert this dress into a change table for my boy's room. I can't wait to show you the final product, I just hope I can get to it in the next little while.
In the mean time, here are some of my inspiration shots:

Keep it natural?

Love this colour!

Simply white

White frame, natural patchwork doors. Love!

I'm super excited to get this project done. Come back and see the transformation!

-J

Hasselhoff Potatoes

A while back, my sister made these awesome potatoes when we were visiting for dinner. She got the recipe from a friend, who got the recipe from Pinterest. Good ol' Pinterest. The original ones are called Hasselback potatoes. Mine are called Hasselhoff potatoes in honour of my brother in law, who couldn't ever remember the real name and forever called them Hasselhoff (as in, David Hasselhoff...). Not too sure why hoff was easier to remember than back.

Anyways, the other day I pulled some leftover farmer sausage from the freezer for dinner and thought I needed a good, flavorful side to go with it. I looked up this potato recipe, realized I didn't have all the ingredients (story of my life), and figured I'd just tweak it to make it my own version.

They. were. so. good. Which makes me wonder just how good the real ones are. See original recipe here.

So here's how I made my version.

Ingredients:
-Potatoes. I used Russets.
-Butter. Preferably real butter, but I didn't have any so I settled for margarine.
-Oil.
-Grated parmesan.
-Salt and Pepper.
-Shredded cheese.

Preheat your oven to First slice your potatoes into about 1/2 inch slices, but not all the way through to the bottom. A tip I got from the original recipe is to use two wooden spoons so your knife doesn't go all the way through. Like this:

I was quite impressed with how well this worked. Funny thing though, while proofreading this post, and after reading the original recipe post again, I realized they said to rest the potato IN the wooden spoon. That would probably work well too. Plus, it's one less spoon to clean.
Next, slice your butter and put in between each (or every other) slice. In my case, I just had to kind of gloop the margarine in there.

Put these babies on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil, sprinkle the parmesan and salt and pepper.

Throw 'em in a 400F oven for 45 minutes to an hour. I found they didn't need a whole hour, because mine turned out a little crispier than I would've liked.
Sprinkle some of that shredded cheese on top of each potato, throw 'em back in the oven until the cheese is melty. Not crunchy, like mine were.

See? A little too crunchy. Nevertheless, they still had an amazing taste. Next time I'll just take them out a little sooner.
I served these with steamed carrots and asparagus, and that farmer sausage I was talking about, and it turned out to be a pretty decent bite.

Maybe I just need to learn about food photography.

-J


P.S. Stay tuned for the next Fantastic Find Friday! I can't wait to show you what I picked up!

Fantastic Find Friday!

Have you ever bought something glass - for example a picture frame, or a glass vodka infuser (see post here) - and the darn price sticker was stuck right. on. the. glass? I have. And I can tell you that I (used to) HATE trying to peel off the sticker. I was always left with the annoying under-glue (for extreme lack of a better term). 
One day I came across this little cleaning secret. I can't for the life of me remember where I read it or who came up with it, so I'm sorry to whoever thought of it. All credit goes to you.

I was extremely skeptical at first, but after trying it for the first time and realizing that it actually works, I'm super excited to share it with everyone. Normally I would have just soaked the item in hot water and then scraped as much of the sticker off as I could, but this method is way easier and involves less scraping. Plus, it actually removes all of the stickiness.

And the ingredient? None other than peanut butter!

That's right, all you  need to do is spread some of this household staple on your sticker, let it sit, and scrape (or even just wipe!) it off! I've done this multiple times on thrift store vases that I found, but the other day I tried it on one of our doors. One of our doors still had the manufacture stickers on it, and I was starting to see past them so it was about time for them to go.

I spread on some peanut butter (a pretty thick layer), and let it sit for almost 24 hours (mostly because I kind of forgot about it). I scraped it off with a wide putty knife, and it came off pretty well. These particular stickers were a bit stubborn. The price stickers that I've tried this on before came off super well. So I just put another layer on these guys and let it sit for another half a day (ish).

I scraped it off again, wiped the peanut butter off with a damp Norwex enviro-cloth followed by the window cloth, and the door is good as new! Because it is new. But now it's sticker free!

Voila! And it only makes me wonder a little bit about what's in peanut butter to have this quality.......

-J

Nutella French Toast

So I've been watching a lot of the Food Network lately (while folding laundry when the kids are in bed...honest!), and it inspires me to be more creative with cooking. If something turns out I will probably post it on here, so keep checking in for yummy food.

My husband and I have a spoken (as opposed to unspoken lol) rule in our house that he does the pancakes and I do the french toast. For some reason my pancakes never turn out and his french toast is either too soggy or too dry. So the other morning I felt like french toast, but wanted to put a twist on it. I've been seeing a lot of recipes on Pinterest using Nutella (see here and here), so I figured I'd try this household staple out in my french toast.

The way I make french toast normally is just by mixing a few eggs in a low dish, add a bit of milk and a dash of cinnamon. I put in a piece of bread, and let it soak for about 30 seconds on both sides. When I put it in the preheated pan I add a bit more cinnamon.

This time, though, instead of putting cinnamon in the egg mixture, I added a heaping soup spoon of Nutella (which works out to about 2Tbsp). Feel free to add more or less depending on your relationship with chocolate.

The Nutella seemed to sink to the bottom, but giving it a good whisk will help mix it more thoroughly.
Cook each piece for a couple minutes per side on medium-low, checking the first side for doneness before flipping it.

I thought they'd turn out more chocolate-y looking, but they definitely tasted like Nutella french toast. They were so good! My husband even liked them! Which says a lot.

I just like to drizzle these babies with syrup, but I'm sure they'd taste super good with other toppings as well (whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, chocolate chips/shavings...)

Let me know what you think if you give them a try!

-J

Easy Chair ReUpholster

I got this chair for $5 from a thrift store years ago and it had a nasty ugly green fabric. So I reupholstered it with this fabric...

It was a big change, but after a few years I started getting sick of it. Plus, it recently acquired these lovely grease stains, so it was about time for a quick re-upholster.

And it would've been a quick reupholster, had I had everything organized and ready to go. But, if you know me, you know that I usually just come up with these ideas and start ripping apart whatever it is and then realize I need to actually put it back together. Thus was the case with this chair.
But moving on...

Here's what you need to upholster a chair:
-a chair (!)
-staple gun
-screwdriver
-butter knife (or something similar)
-fabric
-marker

Step 1:
Flip the chair over and unscrew the screws that are holding the seat in place. My chair had four.

If you're redoing the whole chair, here is where you would sand and paint/stain the frame. But we're skipping that part for now.... I might finish it later.

Step 2:
With your butter knife or something similar, undo the staples that are holding the previous fabric on, being careful not to rip it too much.

Now normally I would be inclined to just rip the stuff off, but we need it for the next step.

Step 3:
Lay your new fabric out and place the old stuff on top. With a fabric marker (or just a sharpie), trace the old fabric onto the new fabric. If your fabric has lines in it like mine did, you may want to make sure they're straight. I had to cut mine twice. Which proves the saying that you should measure twice and cut once.

Don't really know why those corners are so different....

First attempt

Second attempt. Please excuse my crazy 2yr old's "helper's" feet.

Step 4: 
Lay the fabric right side down, and then place the seat (also right side down) on top of it, making sure it's where you want it in the end. Pick a side and pull the fabric slightly up and around to the bottom of the seat. Staple in place. Then from here on in, you can just staple it to the underside of the chair seat.

With my previous reupholster job I just left the edges raw, but for this one I wanted to be neater so I tucked the edges under and stapled.

I found the corners a little tricky, but if you just pull the fabric right at the corner, tuck your index finger underneath the fold, pull back and staple...

... and repeat...

...you end up with something like this, which works for me. I'm not sure how the professionals do it.

When you run out of staples, painters tape is a good option... 

Step 5:
I forgot to mention in the previous step not to cover the screw holes with fabric. Which I did, of course, but it was easy to pull back a bit...
Put your seat back on the frame of the chair, screw the screws back in place, pour yourself a glass of wine, and take a seat!

If you have any questions, concerns, or more wine, please leave a comment! Til next time,

-J