Strikes my fancy

Oh how I wish we had time for a before picture of this one! But here is the after. We found this sweet gem being sold by a guy who cleans out houses after he buys them. Apparently the owners had left a bunch of stuff in there. This one had great bones, but was messed up just about everywhere, and the drawers were a nightmare to open. It was a typical piece, typical stain, typical use marks by someone who did not care about it, and rather boring. So D sanded the top for me, and didn't it turn out pretty! We had thought is was a veneer, but got surprised by a beautiful wood top underneath all the grime and stain.   I primed and fixed all the drawers after removing the hardware. Then I opted to go a very different route than usual for me. I had seen an idea, and wanted to try it! I enjoy the juxtaposition of paint and wood together, and this piece was the perfect guinea pig. Why? Because honestly, I did not think the drawers would ever be righted, so I saw t...

Oh the joys of one pot cooking - I've discussed it here before!  This one messied up a few more dishes simply with prep (and the fact I added a wee bit more zucchini then called for an had to get a bigger skillet....) Tex Mex Skillet Supper (click here to see the recipe in it's original form) TEX MEX SKILLET SUPPER Serve with warm corn tortillas, and any accompiments you like: salsa, avocado, guacamole, sour cream or chili sauce. This can serve as a stand-alone supper, but adding a plate of crunchy crudite or salad on the side makes a nice counterpoint. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 large yellow or red onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons ground chili powder Pinch red chili flakes 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1/2 pound ground beef 2 medium zucchini, cut into large dice 1 cup uncooked corn kernels (fresh off the cob or frozen) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained (one 14 to 16 ounce box or can) 1 ...

If you've spent any time with me you know I'm not a huge fan of red sauce.  It can make or break pizza or pasta all on it's own.  I'm very, very picky.  I think we decided this week that it's the acidity of the sauce that affects me.  I digress....  I love pasta and any idea for sauce I'm willing to try - especially if I already have all the ingredients at home! Broccoli Feta Pasta Sauce (as modified from LaaLoosh, click on the name to see the original recipe) Broccoli Feta Pasta Sauce A delicious, creamy and silky sauce that works wonderfully over pasta or potatoes. It’s loaded with healthy broccoli and is a delightfully unique pasta sauce recipe that will help keep your Weight Watchers goals in check. Ingredients 16oz package of frozen broccoli florets 1 cup feta cheese, I used the herb kind as that's what I had in my fridge 2 tbsp butter 1 small onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp olive oil 1/3 cup water Juice of 1...

If you need any proof that my sisters and I think alike - even while miles away - just keep reading.  I was gifted this beautiful rocking chair - because the giver had seen some of the work I've done and thought I could do a "marvelous" job with it.      Now, I'll admit right now that sister #3 pays much better attention to detail to me & I was intimidated by this chair!  Great bones, but it needed some lovin.   Luckily the wood and frame were in pretty good shape and I could focus on simply reupholstering it.  That's when I call my resident This Old House expert....sister #3.  She pointed me to products and a great site for material.  And then she answered every.single.frantic.text I sent while working on this chair.  But my first question was "what fabric?!"  I switched between what I knew would be "historically accurate" (= leather) and wanting to do a bold, modern fabric (since when did I become a bold, m...

It's summer time in the south.  Which means when I actually cook dinner it's usually fast and 1 pot (ie stir-fry).  But I made this to switch things up a bit (and convince my boyfriend I COULD actually cook ;-)) Recipe from here : Ingredients 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 4 fillets 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced 3 slices extra lean turkey bacon, cooked and diced 3 oz reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature 2 tbsp fat free chicken broth 1/4 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded Salt and pepper to taste Instructions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a shallow baking dish with non-fat cooking spray. Using a mallet, pound out each chicken fillet to get a larger, thinner fillet, and then season both sides with salt and pepper. In a medium sized bowl, combine cream cheese, broth, cheddar, jalapenos and bacon. Spoon the cheese mixture onto on half of each chicken breast fillet. Fold in half to close, and secure with a toothpic...

From wood to wood I refinished this little guy this week. I originally bought him to paint, but something kept holding me back. I didn't really want to paint him. We got it over the winter, so everything looks a little dead and washed out. But he had been through a lot, and was in need of a few things to reach his full potential. I had to sand off all the old finish which was flaking off. I also sanded the top, so that all the paint drops would come off. I then used one of my favorite tricks that my Grandmother taught me: Oxalic Acid to remove black spots in wood. She learned it in an old book on refinishing (when you could get Oxalic Acid in the pharmacy.) Now you have to purchase it online. I buy it by the pound, but a little bit goes a long way. Wear gloves and an eye mask if you use it! You mix it with water (paste consistency), spread it over the area, and let it dry. Oxalic Acid is a bleach, and it bleaches out the black spots on wood. I then vacuum up th...

Finished another chair! Turned out to be quite a beauty. I really thought about keeping it, but wanted to see if we could sell it.  This is how it started out! The material was very worn out, showing holes in many places. So, I took it off, fixed the stuffing, and painted the wood. The carving on the wood was absolutely beautiful! I had to cover the bottom twice, because it wasn't straight the first time. Thankfully, I had ordered an extra yard of fabric (ordered 4 yds total). Turned out pretty well and sold it within 24hrs! We like that! Made my decision of keeping/not keeping rather easy.