Framed!

     I know that we have all seen many versions of this idea floating around on the internet or in various Do-It-Yourself Magazines that are cluttering the stands these days, but after much ado, I decided to make my own.  I have not one, but two jewelry boxes, that have served more as a wasteland for dust and tarnish than a proper storage device. (I have a tendency to throw my necklaces in a drawer or in the bathroom) I am tired of losing the money and the other earring by not taking care of my jewelry, hence 

  the PICTURE FRAME JEWELRY HANGER!

I found this oak frame for $2.99  at the Goodwill with a beautiful deer print, which I quickly discarded.

Then I found this filigree Lattice pieces at Michaels for 3.99 each (I bought 2, but only used 1) And I painted everything white with Glossy Finish Craft Paint.

 Once everything dried, I cut the lattice to the size I needed and attached it with heavy duty staples. Then I screwed in 2 eye-hole screws to the back corners of the frame and strung picture wire so it would hang like a picture.

                      Then I grabbed all of my treasures and hung them from the lattice and now....

TA-DA!!!  A Wonderful Piece of functional art to display my goodies!  I love a functional Saturday!

Just Ducky

So I know that in my original post I knocked the duck, but I stand corrected.  Yet another surprise was delivered to the K house this week via the wonderful surprises the butchers have been leaving for me to find.  This week, Duck Breasts.  Yes, siree, a perfectly paired and priced treat just for me and my honey.
I have never cooked duck before and after a little research and some digging through my fridge and cabinets I pulled off a pretty successful meal for two. He said it was the best duck he has ever had!  Yay Me!

Roast Duck Breast with Currant Champagne Reduction  

Served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and String Beans

Two Duck Breast

Salt and Pepper for Rub

Sauce:

1/4 cup Peach Preserves

1/2 cup Chicken Broth

3tbs. Champagne Vinagarette

2tbs. Clover Honey

2 Cloves Garlic

2tbs. Herbs de Provance

1/4 cup Currants

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl and set aside. Score the fat of the duck and rub with Salt and Pepper on both sides.  In a large skillet over med-high heat, fry duck fat-side down for 4 minutes, then flip and cook and additional 3 minutes.  Set aside and cover with tinfoil to continue cooking.  Add sauce to the pan.  In a small dish add 1tbs of cornstarch to 1/4 cup of hot water, stir and add to the sauce in the pan.  Continues whisking until the sauce has thickened about 2 minutes then return the duck breasts to the pan to heat through for an additional minute. Thinly slice duck breast and serve with garlic mashed potatoes and string beans. Enjoy!

Left Overs

To truly manage a budget, one must be able to manage the left over situation.  Often when I cook, well almost always when I cook, because of packaging and recipe servings, I have lots of left overs.  This would not normally be an issue, except I HATE leftovers.  now my honey would eat his way through the fridge, no matter its' contents but I don't like anything twice. This however, often can not be helped therefore one must learn how to create something from something else.  Hence Mexican Lasagna.  I had some left over fajita skirt steak which I marinated in green chilies  and just stacked it with the other all too common left overs such as half used cans of re fried beans, some steamed rice, mexi cheese and black beans all between corn tortillas that I pan fried.  It was D-licious!

Mexican Lasagna

Can Re-fried Beans

Bag of SteamAbles Southwestern Rice

Mexican Cheese Blend or Sub

Left Over meat of Choice (I used skirt steak)

Black Beans

Salsa

6 Corn Tortillas (2 tbs.oil for frying optional)

Sour Cream and Lettuce

Preheat all ingredients except cheese. In a skillet add oil and heat over med. high and preheat oven to 350 Add tortillas and fry until golden about two minutes on each side.  For a lighter option omit the frying. Spread re-fried beans on the first tortilla and layer rice and cheese.  Place the second tortilla on top of cheese and spread another layer of re-fried beans.  Add steak and black beans.  Add a spoonful of salsa and cheese.  Then add the third tortilla spread salsa on top and finish with a little cheese.  Then bake until cheese on top is melted. Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Ain't She Sweet

I would like to introduce everyone to a good friend of mine, Mrs. Kelly Sloat and her "Moptop" Cookies.

She is a wonderful and talented baker and a good friend and last night she introduced me to a fun new cookie idea.  Her peanut butter cookies are excellent stand alone, however, they are about to become all the more famous when paired with a double chocolate chip recipe that makes me Glad All Over.  Afterall, Happiness is a Warm cookie. Tell me what you see?

John, Paul, Ringo & George

  That's right! The Fab Four.  The one and only BEATLES.  What a great gift idea these would be for that Beatles fan in your life.  Kelly is a HUGE Beatles fan herself so it is no surprise that she would discover such a cute idea.  Not only that, but she is willing to share her recipe!

 MOPTOPS

Peanut Butter Cookie Side:

1 Cup peanut butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and place in the fridge.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Side:

2 sticks softened butter (1 Cup)
1 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 Cups flour
1 1/4 Cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugars. Slowly beat in eggs and vanilla. Place flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl; mix with fork. Add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips.

2. Take a Tablespoon of Peanut Butter Cookie Dough and a Tablespoon of Chocolate Cookie Dough and gently press together. Place them on a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. (I like to pull them out a little early, when the tops are slightly cracking, and let them finish cooking on the baking sheet).

So there you have it!  A very big Thank you to Mrs. Sloat for this amazing idea! You see To Know er is to Love Her.  So put on your favorite Beatles album, do the Hippy Hippy Shake and get your baking on.

BABY TIME

No, no, no, not for me, but for everyone else I know it seems. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but for my best friend, Sam, it is baby time.  She just found out a month ago that she is pregnant with her second child, welcome a new  addition to her already beautiful family. So for me that means plenty of time to craft all new small and happy gifts to shower her with.  I like when I actually know someone who is having a baby, as it makes me appear less nuts when buying can't pass up baby items at St. Vinnies. I have a stack already going and waiting to be sent.
In this first shipment I am also going to include a bird mobile and a baby blanket.  The bird mobile was something that I found while looking for favors for our wedding.  Originally, I had hand sew about fifty of these birds with the intention that they would hang from the center pieces of our wedding tables and act as our favor, but when I hit fifty I hit a wall and I could do no more.  Subsequently our venue canceled on us (after invitations were mailed causing major confusion) and I was left with a bag of these stuffed birds.  So I figured why not make the mobile that the bird pattern originated from, which can be found on here at Spool,

 http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/

And here is my version,

Taken with iphone (sorry about the quality)

    And of course what new baby would be welcomed without his/her own baby blanket,

Here Alice is modeling.

The Pattern is from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms: Beautiful Designs Using Organic Yarns by Louisa Harding.  A wonderfully adorable book if you are interested. Every project in there is so cute, a rarity in a knitting book. Next I am going to make the hat that is with this pattern and attach it to the blanket for a stylish hoodie-wrap. Pictures to come.

Back to School

Ohhhhhhh
Back To School
Back To School
I've Got My, Lunch Packed Up
My Boots Tied Tight
I Hope I Don't Get In A Fight
Ohhhh
Back To School.

- Adam Sandler

    School is back in session this week meaning that both my honey and I are full-time students again.  The exciting thing about this semester though is it's our FINAL semester, as in EVER as in my Masters is where this road ends. I'm punching my ticket. This girl and Academia are breaking up, for good, for ever.   I don't need no more education, my dark sarcasm is freed from the classroom. We are both graduating (fingers crossed) in May and I couldn't be happier.  Now we just need to find ourselves some jobs.

     Back to school also means that we don't always have time for dinner. It's when he smiles in the grocery aisle picking out his man food, his cans of Chef Boyardee, blue boxes of macaroni and cheese, and frozen eggs rolls. He knows that during school he can do this, and he loves it. I, however, will resort to the good old fashioned sandwich.  There is a lot to be said for a sandwich. Often overlooked for it's simplicity, I think the art of sandwich is one that should not be forgotten. 

Historical Breakdown care of the great Wikipedia:

Bread has been eaten with any meat or vegetables since Neolithic times. For example, the ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder is said to have placed meat from the Paschal lamb and bitter herbs between two pieces of matzah (or flat, unleavened bread) during Passover.^[2] During the Middle Ages, thick slabs of coarse and usually stale bread, called "trenchers", were used as plates. After a meal, the food-soaked trencher was fed to a dog or to beggars, or eaten by the diner. Trenchers were the precursors of open-face sandwiches.^[3] The immediate cultural precursor with a direct connection to the English sandwich was to be found in the Netherlands of the 17th century, where the naturalist John Ray observed^[4] that in the taverns beef hung from the rafters "which they cut into thin slices and eat with bread and butter laying the slices upon the butter"— explanatory specifications that reveal the Dutch belegde broodje was as yet unfamiliar in England.

Initially perceived as food men shared while gaming and drinking at night, the sandwich slowly began appearing in polite society as a late-night meal among the aristocracy. The sandwich's popularity in Spain and England increased dramatically during the 19th century, when the rise of an industrial society and the working classes made fast, portable, and inexpensive meals essential

It was at the same time that the sandwich finally began to appear outside of Europe. In the United States, the sandwich was first promoted as an elaborate meal at supper. By the early 20th century, as bread became a staple of the United States diet, the sandwich became the same kind of popular, quick meal as was widespread in the Mediterranean.^[5]

 

With that said, and her husband fed on a can of sodium-laced, ring-shaped pasta, last night I made myself one delicious ham and salami sandwich on white bread with mayo. I know that there are a lot of white bread haters out there, and I know that wheat bread is a healthier option, but I can't resist the way that white bread sticks to the roof of my mouth like faking a retainer.  Not very interesting, but a treat all the same. I paired my savvy salami sandwich with my trusty mug-o-coffee to get me through my "Forms and Techniques of Poetry" evening class.  A nice batch of Dunkin Doughnut's aromatic French Vanilla (A spoil as usually this house drinks Yuban.)  with a dash of hazelnut cream. Therefore, dinner was easy for this broke wife.

Savvy Salami and Ham Sandwich

Bread, your choice

Hard Salami, four slices

Honey Ham, shaved thin

Lettuce

Colby cheese

Condiments for choice, I used just light Mayo

Fresh cracked pepper to finish

Stack all ingredients on one slice of bread, smear other piece of bread with condiments, sandwich condiment bread on stack of ingredients, condiments facing down, and enjoy.

Dinner for Two

        This is an intangible art form as far as I am concerned.  Many cookbooks have been publish, sold and are currently torturing broke new wives, like myself, all across the country and I am tired of it.  Not only do I not have access to half of the ingredients necessary for such amazing dinners as Duck L'Orange, I can't afford those items even if I did have them.

Silly "Cookbook for Newlyweds" more like "Cookbook for Newlyweds with Trust Funds."

       Where I live, the most exciting of culinary happenings is the Truck Load Fish Sale at EconoFoods that occurs twice a year or so. (Closely followed by the plethora of fresh meats, butchered to order, available after the 4-H competitions at the County Fair.) Yes we do have a never ending supply of Whitefish pulled  fresh from the crisp waters of Lake Superior, but sometimes a sister needs more than Whitefish to please her palette. Therefore, when opportunity knocks, I answer and last week at the grocery store I noticed a sweet treat in the meat section.  Two little surprises: 1) lamb loin chops & 2) thinly sliced veal steaks.  I bought them both and brought them home, happy with my discoveries.
   I think it is important to note here that I have never cooked either veal nor lamb before this experiment, but armed with the knowledge that only the internet can provide, I set out last night to broil the lamb chops and broil I did.  I only salt and peppered the chops before broiling them about two minutes on each side (they were very small chops, I did say I was on a budget.  The pair cost about $8.  Just a few bites for each of us to savor.)

See tiny Salt and Peppered Lamb Chops

   I paired them with I am calling, Jew Mex Southwest Pierogies. (My great-grandmother would kill me.) Which are simply pierogies boiled then sauteed with red peppers, onion, green beans, corn and finished with some fresh cilantro.  Along with two Birch beers, it was a meal good enough to make us forget how broke we really are.  Total Cost: $18 for two.

JEW MEX SOUTHWEST PIEROGIES

Two Servings of frozen pierogies (about ten)

Half a bag of frozen French Cut Green Beans

Half a can of Corn

Two Red peppers sliced in thin strips

One Large Onion Cut thin

3Tbs. Butter or substitute

Fresh Cilantro to Garnish

Boil the pierogies in water as suggested on the package.  Meanwhile in a skillet or large saute pan over medium heat, add butter, red peppers, and onions.  Allow to caramelize about ten minutes, then add corn and green beans.  Drain and pat dry cooked pierogies and add them to the pan with the veggies.  Allow to brown about five more minutes and finish with about two tbs. of fresh cilantro. Yumm!!!