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!