1. A pretty focal point for my desk

    February 8, 2010

    My home office is, unfortunately but necessarily, a dumping ground for items that don’t fit the rest of the house. Right now, it’s holding five computers (three functional), two broken printers, the filing cabinet, a spare side table, an old toy chest (turned coffee table with a marble top), and my American Girl doll Kirsten, which my dad brought me when he came to visit last year. Just what I needed to store. Thanks, Dad. :-P

    So I’ve tried to make my corner of the office feel more glam. Last fall, I made two plant silhouette paintings that hang above my desk. They were an improvement. But I wanted more of a focal point, so I re-painted an old floating shelf using leftover paint from my kitchen makeover, and hunt it just below the paintings, so any items that sit on the shelf overlap slightly with the bottom of the paintings. I used little knick-knacks to fill the shelf, and suddenly items that had been in my throw-away pile have a home!

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  2. Iron-on Patch Owl Pillow Cover

    February 6, 2010

    Because of a snowstorm that wouldn’t stop, I was stuck inside today with nothing to do. So I decided to use items I had around the house to transform an old pillow that’s been taking up room on a closet shelf.


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  3. Lemon Garlic Marinade for London Broil

    December 31, 2009

    Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious. I used spicy brown mustard instead of dijon, because that’s what was in the fridge. I didn’t want to waste a lemon, so I used all of the zest and juice.

    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • Juice of one lemon
    • 8 large garlic cloves
    • 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
    • 1 sprig chopped fresh rosemary (I picked from my garden)
    • Zest of one lemon

    Puree in food processor. Smother a top round steak in glass baking dish. Let marinade for several hours in the fridge. Broil to your liking! Let rest a good 10 minutes. Slice on a bias and serve with salad, potatoes – whatever!

    Note: Make sure to properly season the steak with salt and pepper as well. This smelled amazing while it was cooking.


  4. Spooky Details

    October 18, 2009

    DSC03476 DSC03487

    Halloween decorations don’t have to be expensive. I collect wine bottles and cover them with labels from the craft store, use battery-operated tea lights behind books and objects, and repaint hand-me-down decorations. Every year, I buy one or two new decorations, so that I slowly build a collection of pieces I really like (like last year’s finds, my glitter crackle ghost from Pier 1 and ghost tea light holders from a shop in Smithville, NJ). A final touch is stretching spiderwebs (re-used year to year) over everything.

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  5. Plant Silhouette Artwork

    October 14, 2009

    In Cape May last month, I stopped into one of the boutique stores on the mall and spotted black and white floral silhouettes on stretched canvas. I loved the look, but the paintings were $25 each, and I didn’t have any of the plants in my own garden.

    So I went to the crafts store and picked up a 2-pack of canvases for about $7. I used inexpensive acrylic craft paint (under $2 a bottle) to create a washed-out cream background on each canvas, which I let completely dry. On the next sunny afternoon, I traced silhouettes cast by a red salvia and a peony in my garden in pencil. Then I mixed a custom gray with hints of turquoise, which I used to fill in the silhouettes. It took a few layers to fill in the silhouettes completely, about two hours per painting. The result? Inexpensive art featuring real plants in my own garden – definitely not something I’m going to find in a store!

    paintings

    DSCF1672


  6. Gardening for Halloween

    August 25, 2009

    Curb appeal is key at Halloween, even in the daylight. I like my garden to appear ever-so-slightly neglected and faded.

    Early October, I let my potted plants die and leave them in their pots for an element of neglect on the front porch.

    DSC02153 copy

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  7. Apple Pie

    July 21, 2009

    Apple pie with acorn cutouts

    Apple pie with acorn cutouts. I haven’t got the crust crimping down yet, but at least it looks homemade!


  8. Evening office makeover

    July 12, 2009

    Chris went to a Nickelback concert Saturday night, leaving me with an entire evening free. I had bought panels at Pier 1 with a bold, modern floral print last weekend, but he hadn’t installed the curtain rod for me, so they were lying around.

    Panel and curtain rod

    Panel and curtain rod

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  9. Quasi Chili Tacos

    December 24, 2008

    I had a zillion tortillas, one pound of frozen ground beef, a can of beans, a can of corn, and half a packet of taco seasoning. Voila!

    1 pound of ground beef (I thawed mine out in a hot-water bath)
    1 can kidney beans, drained (black beans work also!)
    1 can white & yellow corn, drained
    1 packet taco seasoning (or half packet & additional spices)
    1/2 cup water
    salt
    6 flour tortillas
    taco sauce

    Brown the ground beef and drain excess fat. Return to the stove and reduce heat (I used low-ish). Add 1/2 cup water, kidney beans, corn, and taco seasoning. Stir and add salt, to taste. Let it hang out and bubble for a few minutes.

    Stack the tortillas on a plate, covered by a damp paper towel. Zap for 15 seconds on HIGH in your microwave. Leave them in there with the door closed until ready to serve.

    When you’ve let the creation bubble for a bit and it looks ready to consume, spoon a generous portion onto a tortilla. Eat rolled up or open face. REALLY excellent with taco sauce poured on top. Easy to heat up the leftovers the next day.

    Serves 4-6, depending on hunger levels.


  10. Macadamia Nut Encrusted Chicken with Warm Cranberry Sauce

    I had a bag of macadamia nuts in the kitchen, chicken and cranberries in the fridge. This resulted.

    4 chicken cutlets
    handful of macadamia nuts, finely chopped
    1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
    1 egg
    vegetable oil (your frying favorite)
    salt and pepper to taste

    For cranberry sauce
    1/2 bag fresh cranberries
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/2 cup water

    In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium until sugar dissolves, then add cranberries (be careful – this can splash you). Put a lid on the saucepan for the first two minutes, or until all cranberries have popped, otherwise you’ll have red juice on your shirt and stovetop. Once the cranberries have popped, uncover and let simmer for another eight minutes, or until thickened slightly. Remove from heat.

    In large frying pan, heat a thin layer of oil, generous enough for pan frying, but certainly not high enough to engulf the chicken cutlets. I use medium to medium-high heat.

    In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and macadamia nuts. In a second bowl, whisk one egg with fork tines. Dip each cutlet in egg wash and coat both sides thoroughly with breadcrumb mixture.

    When oil is hot, place the chicken in the frying pan (use tongs – you don’t want to get burned by the oil). I fry the chicken for about four minutes on the first side, then turn it over and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Feel free to turn once more to complete cooking, if necessary. Once the meat is done, transfer to a clean plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.

    Serve each cutlet with a spoonful of cranberry sauce.

    Serves 2 or 4, depending on hunger level and side dishes!