Herb Drying 101

I'm really into drying and preserving herbs this year. Mostly because buying them in the spice aisle is expensive, and plants are not. Plus, they keep on giving year round here. If you don't live in a warm climate, you can plant your herbs in containers and bring them inside a sunny window during the winter.

Drying your plants is so easy to do! You can always hang dry your cuttings, but I am impatient, so I use a dehydrator. You can get mesh trays to keep the tiny little leaves from falling through the cracks (they'll shrink as they dry).

Just cut your herbs and wash thoroughly. I usually lay mine out to air dry just for about 20 minutes after washing to let excess water drip off.

Thyme, chives, basil, rosemary, and mint. Fresh from the garden.

My dehydrator is an old Nesco. It's a hand-me-down from my mom. The brand is still around, but I think they're a little snazzier now.

 Trim the stems or any unusable parts of your cuttings. Arrange leaves in a single layer on your trays.

Because my appliance is older, it only has one heat setting. Newer models have varying temperatures available. You may have to play around with your particular settings based on the humidity in your home. It generally takes at least a few hours for everything to dry thoroughly. You want to ensure that everything is dried completely. If moisture is left in the leaves, they could mold after you store them.

This is how they looked after a few hours. Not quite done yet.

I have Tupperware spice containers that worked perfectly for storing my newly dried spices.  I used my label maker so I'd know what was in each container. 

How easy is that? Now you've got spices for a whole lot less, and you can preserve your fresh herbs in case you can't use them all right away!

Note: I've been told that keeping the leaves in their full form until use will guarantee the best flavor. I don't know if this is true or not, but I tend to follow this rule. I just crumble the leaves when I get ready to use them in my cooking.

Hello! Five Minute DIY

I have been MIA forever! It's not like I haven't been doing things. I have. I've documented said things with photographs (that I'll post soon). But to get back in the swing of things, here's a fast project I did tonight.

Coldwater Creek is going out of business, so I picked up a super cute black maxi dress on the cheap the other day. However, I'm super short, and it was super long. I cut off several inches to hem it tonight, and made a quick infinity scarf out of the leftovers. I just used my serger along the seams. I used white thread. I wish I could say I did it because of the contrast, but I really just didn't want to rethread my machine. It did turn out cute, especially for a 5 minute DIY.

Mother's Day Movies

Happy Mother's Day, all! In the spirit of the holiday, I thought I'd just share a list of some of my favorite mom-centric movies. Some of these aren't solely about the mother, but all have awesome mom figures. What is your favorite movie about Mom?

• Baby Mama
• Stepmom
• Where the Heart Is
• Little Women
• Raising Helen
• Because I Said So
• Parent Trap (the original, not the Lindsay Lohan version)
• The Sound of Music
• Anne of Green Gables (I know Marilla isn't her mom, but still...)

I know I'm missing a bunch but this is what I have for now. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fabulous Mother's Day!

Vacation Momentos

So you go on that awesome vacation where you pick up t-shirts, take tons of pictures, or maybe bring home a bottle of wine. But, it's hard to put all of that stuff on display (especially if you already drank the wine). Try this instead:

Keep a little bit of currency when you return home from traveling abroad. Frame it. Voila! Souvenir!

I picked up these currency frames a while back at Michaels. They were on clearance for less than $4 each. They came with photo corners and I just stuck some tape runner on the backs of them and on the backs of the coins.

Relax...I know that's a hundred in the bottom frame, but everything in that frame is really less than $2 USD. I'm not crazy, ya know?

Valentine's Day Cresents

Hey all!

The hubs and I actually celebrated Valentine's Day by going out for a wonderful lunch on Friday, because an overcrowded restaurant or movie theater is not my idea of a good date. But even though we weren't celebrating, I did attempt some heart-shaped crescent rolls for dinner on V-Day. Unfortunately, they were more heart shaped before they were baked, but it was worth a shot.

I just unrolled the crescent rolls, and sprinkled with a little garlic salt and "pizza" mix shredded cheese, then rolled over the long corners of the triangle to create the heart. I baked according to the package instructions.

Even though these didn't turn out quite how I planned, I totally love experimenting with crescent roll recipes, don't you? In hindsight, I probably should have just used a heart shaped cookie cutter or something. Check out my cute little muffin pan calzones that I posted a while back, or browse Pinterest for infinite ideas! I keep these little bad boys in the fridge at all times.

Stairway Family Gallery

Oh. My. Blog. I feel like I haven't been here in FOREVER. But at last, after about 6 months of working long hours and a driving a long commute, I am now working part time as a college instructor, so obviously I can get back to important things. Like Lemon projects and blogging about them.

I've been itching for a family picture gallery in the staircase for sometime now. I chose all my own pics (no professionals) so I could easily edit and order what I wanted. I ordered all of my prints from Shutterfly (which I love) and had them delivered. I chose black and white or sepia prints. I showcased family pictures we've done in years past, right alongside vacation shots. I even threw in a few candids for good measure.

Being the frugal crafter/decorator that I am, I scored my frames from a retail store that was getting new displays. They had used these frames in the past and were getting rid of them. I saw my opportunity and seized it. I just had to remove the silhouette pictures in them, and clean them up a bit. Moral of the story: if you see a store with displays you like, ask the manager if they ever change them, and to let you know when they do so you can purchase (usually for pennies on the dollar) or take them instead of them getting thrown out.

All of the frames were either black or silver, and quite large (8"x10" or bigger), so I used a few smaller frames I already had to add to the collection. If you don't have the option for cheapo frames like I did, consider thrift or garage sale shopping for frames you like, then spray painting them all one color or color story (i.e. white, blue, teal, and tan for a beach theme, etc).

After my prints arrived, I took stock of what sizes I had, and the sizes of frames I had, then made a trip to Hobby Lobby for some pre-cut mats in black and white. If the pre-cut mat colors and sizes work for you, this is definitely the most cost-effective way to go. The Lobby of the Hobbies carries them starting at $1.99. Now, I did have square frames and square prints, but I got those cut in simple white mats for only $6 each.

After framing was complete, I set out to create my layout and get them up on the wall. I found lots of inspiration on Pinterest, natch. Be inspired here, here (cute ideas for more than just stairways), and here. You can also get very descriptive tips here. Pinterest and I have already done the dirty work for you. You're welcome.

So here's my stairway (excuse my spackle patches and monkey hooks from previous hanging attempts - those are getting painted later this week):

from the landing

from the top

Pretty much all the DIY sites or pins show making a template, putting it on your wall, then putting in your nails, blah blah blah. I'm more adventurous (or stupid) than that. I planned out my layout in the middle of my game room floor, taking pictures of each layout as I went so I could compare.

I then figured, based on the width of my frames and the spacing I wanted that I'd be centering each column of frames over every other stair. I picked the height (47") I wanted for the bottom frame in the left column and ran with it for the rest. Between frames vertically, I went about 3-4".

I hung all the bottom pictures, getting my spacing right, and then went up from there. Since I wanted each column centered, I used my level to align the monkey hooks (in my humble opinion, by far the easiest hanging tool) so the pictures would automatically hang correctly.

Note, my last two columns start at the same height because they are based off of the landing of the stairway.

And voila, my finished product for less than $50, frames, mats, and prints included! Not bad for my first foray back into the project world.

More lemons coming your way soon.

Perfect Pot Roast

I created this recipe several years ago mostly by trial and error, just adding things as I went.  It is so easy - lots of ingredients, but you basically just throw everything in a dish, bake and serve.  

Here is what you will need:

1 beef chuck roast (at least 2 lbs.)

1 package of baby carrots (16 oz.)

1/3 cup chopped white onion

1 bag small red potatoes (size C works well - 2 lb. bag)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 t rosemary

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t Italian seasoning

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t garlic salt

2 dashes Tony Chachere's seasoning

1 t freshly ground pepper

1/2 t - 1 t freshly ground sea salt

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 cup water

1 cup red wine (any variety, except dessert wine)

Preheat oven to 350.  Place thawed roast in the center of a 13x5 glass baking dish.  Surround with carrots, potatoes, and onion.  Rub one clove of chopped garlic on roast, and mix the rest of the garlic in with carrots and potatoes.  Drizzle olive oil on carrots and potatoes.  Sprinkle dry ingredients over beef, carrots and potatoes.  Pour water in at the corners (about 1/4 cup water in each corner).  Drizzle about 2/3 cup of red wine over the roast, and the rest over the carrots and potatoes.  It should look something like this:

Cover with foil.  Bake approximately 2 hours or until roast is cooked throughout.  At least once during baking, take out of oven, remove foil, and spoon juices over entire dish to keep moist.

I served with freshly made rosemary batter bread (a recipe I have altered from a Betty Crocker one).  I will post the recipe for the bread later.

Grown-up Grilled Cheese

I posted this recipe on my other blog a while back, but it went so well with my fried broccoli that I had to share:

I had this grilled cheese through hotel room service at a Hilton a few years back and made up my own recipe for it.  Though it's not as quick as slapping a slice of American cheese between two pieces of Wonder bread, it's really easy and sooooo delicious!

All ingredients should be fresh for best taste.  If you live in Texas, you can get all of it fresh at H.E.B.

* Mozzarella cheese (sliced or sliceable - it comes in little balls sometimes, or shredded - don't get either of those)

* Provolone cheese

* Asiago cheese, shredded

* Romano cheese, shredded

* Butter or margarine

* Sourdough bread, sliced for sandwiches

Heat skillet or griddle on medium-medium high heat.  Pair two slices of bread for each sandwich.  Butter the outsides of the bread and then sprinkle lightly with Asiago cheese.  Asiago has a very strong taste, so don't go too heavy with it.  Using the back side of a fork, lightly press the Asiago into the buttered bread to keep it from falling off.  Open your sandwiches, with the buttered sides down.  Cover one piece of bread with slices of mozzarella.  Layer it on thickly - if slicing it yourself, use about 1/4 inch slices; if you are using pre-sliced cheese, you may need a few layers.  Add a few thin slices of provolone on top of the mozzarella.  Sprinkle Romano on top - again this cheese has a strong flavor, so make sure to use a thin layer.  Finish your sandwich with your naked piece of bread, making sure to keep the buttered side out.  Place your sandwich in your skillet or on your griddle and press firmly (but don't smash it!) with the back side of a spatula.  Cook a few minutes, or until the cheese in the middle starts to melt and the outside turns golden brown.  Flip and repeat on other side of sandwich.  Remove from heat source, and cut in half.  Serve immediately.  Goes great with tomato soup, french fries, chips, or fresh veggies.

Pan-fried Parmesan Broccoli

I had some leftover fresh broccoli from the farmer's market that was borderline going bad, so I had to come up with a quick, delish recipe to use it up. This is so fast, easy, and a great way to get everyone to eat their veggies!

2 cups raw, thinly chopped broccoli
2 or 3 T olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 T shredded Romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for about a minute. Mix cheeses and salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Add broccoli to the skillet and sauté on all sides for a few minutes. Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture on top of the broccoli and cook for a few minutes. Flip broccoli and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the other side, cook as is for a minute or two. Continue cooking and stirring broccoli every couple of minutes until cheese becomes crispy. Add more olive oil, if necessary, if broccoli becomes dry during cooking.

In my opinion, the crispier this stuff is, the better, just be careful not to burn it. You may need to turn the heat down to medium to avoid burning. Once your broccoli has the desired amount of crisp, remove from heat and serve immediately. It pairs well with my grown up grilled cheese recipe, too. Enjoy!

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Today is mine and my husband's 2nd wedding anniversary, and while I had been making something to commemorate it, I, of course, didn't quite finish it in time.

I'll post a tutorial and photos as soon as it's ready. As a teaser, let's just say, it involves maps, pillows, a wedding dress and my grandmother-in-law's hope chest. Can't wait to share!

Painting the Deck

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for a while. I've been really busy doing not fun projects. And by not fun, I mean repainting our deck in 85 degree weather. It really wasn't fun, and it's probably not that interesting, but just to prove to you that I have, in fact, been busy and not neglecting you, here's some pictures as evidence.

Before: the deck was white. Which sounded like a great idea until you factor in our four dogs and their footprints. Not cool.

Two of my pooches. On the left, Lola the Pomeranian, on the right, Bridgette the lab mix/pound puppy. Lola tries to copy everything Bridgette does.

Midway through painting.

Finished product. I might go back through and paint the cross rails red, too, and touch up the pickets. We'll see how hot it is next week. 

Also, for some reason, the red is scraping off in a few places. Not sure what's up with that. The hubs thinks it may sink in better if we use an oil based paint. I used an acrylic solid stain specifically designed for outside surfaces. I should figure it out and fix it, but it's really hot, I'm a little sunburned and covered in mosquito bites. I would have so been the first one to die in The Hunger Games.

Speaking of T.H.G., who went to see it this weekend? We went to a 3 a.m. showing on Friday morning because all the midnight screenings were sold out. It was totally worth it. I'm a HUGE fan of the books, and enjoyed the movie. Probably would have preferred a few things done differently, but that's just because my imagination is better than any movie!

For now the deck works for me! I think I'll figure out a solution later. Unless any of you have suggestions? In the meantime, I'm ready for summer barbecues and pool parties!

Repurposing for a Purpose

Today I want to talk about repurposing items. I am not talking about items in your house that you no longer use, that you turn into something else, although I do love that. I'm talking about items that you buy or acquire with the intent of using it for another purpose from the get-go.

I do this a lot around my house. So much, in fact, that I actually had problems figuring out what to take pictures of in my house because I have used these things for unintended purposes so long I forgot that they weren't originally created for the way I'm using them. And then I re-read that last sentence and realized I confused myself. Hopefully you're still with me.

I've got some repurposing ideas that I think are pretty crafty - and useful - to show. Maybe they'll inspire you.

First up, window finials! You know, those cute little curtain rod caps that add flair to window coverings? 

Curtain rods with finials from Pottery Barn

In an effort to change things up (and to avoid excessive holes in our freshly painted walls), we opted out of traditional curtain rods in our formal dining room and my hubby's office. 

Instead, we found some finials on clearance at Lowe's for a couple of bucks each. They already have a screw on the back side, so we just screwed them right into the wall a few inches above the window. 

Note: if you are placing the finials into a stud, you may need to pre-drill before screwing it in. Also, unless you're sure you're hitting studs, you will either need to use sheetrock anchors or use a lightweight curtain, like the sash I used.

And now, moving on to decanters. You often see these things on wedding registries or in nice housewares stores, but honestly, I don't know anyone that uses them. Usually made of crystal or a less expensive look-alike, they are pretty but not super practical. 

Lenox crystal decanter

I found a monogrammed decanter on clearance for $7 at Tuesday Morning. I had been looking for an olive oil bottle, but the decanter is so much more fun! Plus, with the stopper, I don't have to worry about bugs or dirt getting down those oil pour spouts.

If you've got a decanter laying around your house, why not put it to use with olive oil, vinegar, or some other liquid you use with frequently, while displaying it on your counter?

On the other side of my kitchen, I've enlisted the help of Realspace DVD/CD storage bins from Office Depot to hold recipes and coupons. The embossed pattern of the bins matches the damask print of my floor rugs, and the teal and black colors look good with both the rug and the glass bottles I have behind my glass cabinets.

In our master bathroom, I took the idea from the DVD/CD storage bins, and picked up some fabric lined baskets from Target that are also meant to hold DVDs. The hubs and I each have one, and they serve to hold all of our toiletries so they counter stays clean. Whenever we're getting ready, we just grab our basket, and then put it back on the shelf above the tub when we're done. 

All of these items are cute, functional, and being purposely repurposed!

Be inspired! Go forth and repurpose something today!

Ikea Medicine Cabinet and First Aid Kit

I finally finished my Ikea medicine cabinet/first aid kit. If you remember from my initial post about it, it was a salvage from the "as-is" corner of the store, and therefore it had no internal shelves or shelf pins. Simple enough fix, right? Ha. Not so much.

I figured I'd pop right down to Home Depot and pick up some shelf pins. Well, it turned out the shelf pin holes were a totally non-standard size. Shocking, considering this is a piece of Ikea furnishing, right? They were a way, way small size of 1/8". 

My dad suggested buying a steel or aluminum rod and cutting it, but neither HD or Lowe's carried those small enough. My hubby suggested cutting pieces off of a wire hanger. Too small. Back to the store I went. We finally found some nails with a 1/8" head, and I decided I could make those work. I don't know what kind of nails these are, but they have a little white "top hat" at the head of the nail. It worked out perfectly, because it extended the amount of the nail that was 1/8" so, put in head first, they fit securely in place.

Now that my shelf pin problem was solved, I set out to change the doors. They opened from the right, yet, with the location I was hanging, I needed doors to open on the left. After careful inspection, I noticed that Ikea had cleverly left spaces on both sides of the cabinet, so you could configure the doors however you wanted. I found holes on the exact opposite side of the cabinet from where the hinges were currently mounted. You can see (circled below) that they are bigger than the shelf pins, which is how I knew what they were:

I easily unscrewed the hinges where they were attached to the side of the cabinet, pried out the plastic insert using a flat blade screwdriver, stuck it in the other side, flipped the door, and screwed it back in. I then repeated with the top door. With this one I had to make sure there was a spot for the lock to swing into, and luckily there was, otherwise I would have had to get the hubs to route out a spot.

I then used a very legit measuring device to determine my shelf placement. 

And, using needle nose pliers for leverage and grip, I shimmied the nails into place. It was a pretty tight fit, so I don't think I'll be adjusting the shelves anytime soon. I used 4" wide, thin pieces of aspen (probably about 1/4") to create shelves. 

I found a first aid kit at Sam's Club for under $20, and removed the contents to put into my first aid kit. I put loose items like the individual antiseptic wipes, q-tips, gauze, single packets of things like pain reliever, antibiotic ointment and burn relief cream into Really Useful Boxes that I got at Office Depot. I LOVE Really Useful Boxes because they are cute, durable, and come in lots of sizes and colors. I also picked up some cork tiles for inside the lower cabinet door. The cork board can be used for emergency numbers, or important instructions or contacts for the kids, or a pet or house sitter (or a baby sitter for those of you with little ones). A Command hook holds scissors and tweezers.

Again, since this was an as-is item, it did not have any hanging hardware, but it did have two nickel sized, metal-reinforced holes in the back, through which I guessed it was supposed to hang. I picked up some toggle bolts, and washers (since the holes were WAY bigger than the heads of the bolts), and drilled holes into the sheetrock (after using a stud/electrical finder to determine there was nothing of importance behind where I was hanging). Toggle bolts are good when you can't mount something to studs. Just follow the instructions on the packet or - thread the bolt through the washer, then through the hole inside the cabinet, then screw the toggle on the bolt (behind the cabinet). Squeeze together the toggle, insert into the hole in the drywall all the way, then tighten the bolts.

Since the top locks, it's the perfect place for cold medicine or prescription medications. My cabinet is high enough that any little hands that might be over can't reach it anyway, but just to be safe, it's there if we need it. I positioned the cabinet in the laundry "room" - which is really a closet - since it's centrally located between the garage, kitchen, and backyard/pool - where most boo-boos tend to happen.

Seeing it next to my white laundry cabinets, makes me want to paint it and get matching knobs for all the doors. Hmm...