Monday Randomness: Two New Recipes

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Well happy belated Father’s Day.

Although I am sure there aren’t many fathers that read my blog.

I did a lot of cooking this weekend.

All for family but still, it kept me busy.

A family member had a baby last week so I took a meal to them.

And then I also made most of the meal on Sunday to celebrate the holiday with my siblings, parents and grandparents.

Meatballs were on the menu.

Not because my dad likes them.

But because my Grandpa Deuink loves them.

Apparently Dad’s wishes got trumped this year in place of Grandpa’s.

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When my grandparents were first dating, my grandpa went to my great grandparent’s house for dinner.

In preparation for dinner, my Great-Grandma Pauline Hinrichs asked if he had any requests for dinner since he was the “guest of honor.”

He said he really liked spaghetti.

So they had spaghetti.

And that’s it.

Lots of dry pasta.

See, my great-grandma thought that he must not like sauce since just mentioned the pasta.

:)

And he thought it was incredibly strange that the only ate dry pasta with no sauce.

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So in honor of him this weekend I made spaghetti with lots of special sauce. :)

My husband and I were watching “The Best Thing I Ever Made” on Food Network the other night and saw this recipe for meatballs by Ted Allen.

My husband said, “You must make this for me.” Because honestly it looked amazing.

It is not a traditional recipe for tomato sauce but more like a thin Italian gravy, perfect for summer time eating.

The resulting meatballs and sauce were great.

I also needed a dessert.

My family loves the hummingbird cake I make but it’s super sweet and heavy.

Makes me sweat just thinking about it.

So I opted for a low fat/low sugar option by Iowa Girl Eats, Carrot Cake Bars

They are incredibly moist, delicious and include a little less calorie guilt.

I hope you had a great weekend.

Happy Monday.

A Summer Salad, Biking and My Favorite Greens

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When I am cooking light, usually my biggest challenge is choosing recipes that are filling, and man friendly.

Because let’s just admit it, (most)guys “need” (aka want) meat with their dinner and they want to feel full.

Well after three years of dating and 8 short months of marriage I think I am finally getting the hang of picking healthy recipes that appeal to men (more specifically my man).

My man took me biking on Wednesday evening after work (because I asked him too).

 I almost died.

Like I literally almost passed out.

I am going to blame it on the 95 degree temps and not on my out of shape body.

I am a huge wimp. But I didn’t complain because I asked for it.

Then I remembered why I like biking at the beach. There are no small mountains to bike up.

But I survived. Barely.

After he loaded the bikes and we got back in the car at Heritage Park, he said, “By the way, nice turquoise underwear.”

I looked at him in horror.

Apparently, my black opaque athletic leggings are not so opaque.

I asked him why he didn’t tell me sooner.

And he said, “Oh I didn’t want you to feel self conscious the whole time we were biking.”

So if you were at Heritage Park in Simpsonville on Wednesday I apologize for my apparent see-through pants.

Anyway after the bike ride, I fixed this quick meal of Ginger Steak Salad by the pioneer woman.

I substituted honey for the sugar, and I left out the soy sauce in the marinade because I think it makes the steak too salty.

If you don’t have any Sherry, any vinegar will work. Rice Wine Vinegar would be great.

I also threw some frozen sweet corn in the skillet with the steak for a little more color and flavor.

One steak thinly sliced is all you need for two people.

And then I used this new-to-me greens and herb mix by Organic Girl.

I am in love.

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So much flavor in just the simple greens put this salad over the top.

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The Pioneer Woman’s Ginger Steak Salad

My preparation notes in green.

Ingredients

  •  MARINADE INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (I leave this out)
  • 1 Tablespoon Sherry (or vinegar)
  • 2 cloves Garlic, Minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
  • 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar (or honey)
  • 1 whole Rib-eye, Strip, Or Sirloin Steak
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  •  _____
  •  FOR SALAD DRESSING:
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons White Sugar (or honey)
  • 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice (I think that orange juice would also work with this dressing)
  • 2 cloves Garlic, Finely Diced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced (you can substitue dry ground ginger)
  • 1/2 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Diced (optional, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes work too)
  •  _____
  •  SALAD INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 whole Green Onions (optional)
  • 8 ounces, weight Salad Greens (baby Lettuce, Endive, Radiccio, Etc.) I like the Organic Girl Herb and Greens mix
  • Sweet Corn

Preparation Instructions

Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Mix and place steak into bag. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. ( I usually marinate it overnight)

Combine salad dressing ingredients and slice green onion. (I usually do this the day before)

When steak is finished marinating, add 2 tablespoons olive oil (I use coconut oil) to a hot skillet. Cook steak about 1 1/2 minutes per side , or until medium rare. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly. (over medium heat, my steak usually takes 10-13 minutes depending on the size, and I add the frozen corn to the skillet for the last five minutes of the steak cooking time)

Toss salad greens in 3/4 of the salad dressing. Place steak on cutting board and slice thinly, then pour juices from the plate over the top. Mound tossed salad on a platter, then place sliced steak on top of salad. Pour remaining salad dressing over the top. Sprinkle green onions over the salad, and add cherry tomatoes (and sweet corn).

Variation: I think this salad would be great with chicken too. Use the same marinade, and brown them over medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat,  let rest for five minutes and then slice. 

Monday Randomness: For Wednesday and A Bathroom Game Plan

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Well this post is way over due.

But then again blogging is a hobby.

Can hobbies be overdue?

If they can, I am in trouble.

Anyway, I spent the weekend doing four things.

Working.
Sleeping.
Eating.
And trying to be creative.

I was successful on at least two tasks.

You can guess which ones.

I met with a client on Saturday morning to go over some new plans for her living room/powder room.

I can’t wait to see how the new accessories, paint colors and wall art transform her space into a fresh living area.

I am in love with this two new paint colors we are working with.

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Then I went to lunch with my little sister because we had not seen each other in what felt like ages…like five days and Chipotle was calling our names.

Sunday night, Joe and I attended our mission’s trip information meeting. We are starting to get excited about going to AK next week. Eck I have so much to do before then.

And in case you thought this post was about bathroom games…don’t worry. It’s not.

We also went over our game plan for both bathroom renovations for the end of the summer (hopefully).

I love the designs we came up with. He picked the master selections and I worked on the kid bath.

To see the before pics of the bathrooms click here.

Master Bathroom

Master bath

Vanity Source, Tile Source, Light Source

Kid Bathroom

kid bath

Tile Source, Vanity Source 

Thankfully in the kid bath we have already replaced the light fixture,  bath accessories, art work etc.. Just the vanity and tile are left to complete.

Hope your summer is starting out great.

Ours has been cooler and wet.

Not that I am complaining.

And I made this quiche last night. YOU MUST TRY IT. I substituted spinach for the kale because that’s what I had on hand.

And yes, real men do eat quiche.

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Recipe Source

Click the source link above for the full recipe.

Happy Wednesday.

We Have Come a Long Way Baby House Tour- Before, During and After

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Like a lot of great things in life, you don’t appreciate where you are now until you realize how far you have come.

Hence, a LONG blog post on our progress so far in our home overhaul.

We still have lots and lots to do, but baby we have come a long way (especially considering  have only been married for 7 months and we have only been renovating for 9 months and the fact that I work two jobs).

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Our Home Before the Overhaul

Why won’t you come in for a little while?

Can I get you some lemonade?

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Living Room

Living Room

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Sunroom

Sunroom painting project

Master Bedroom

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Boys’ Bathroom

Guest Bedroom

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Removing wallpaper on the Great Wall

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Ugly Fan in the Dining Room

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So far we have filled three Bagsters with construction trash.

New 3/4″ solid pre-finished hardwood floors.

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This was the start of the HUGE hardwood flooring project.

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Reupholstering our dining chairs

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Two weeks after our wedding, I was finally settling in and figuring out what needed to go where.

Hanging our stained glass windows we purchased on our honeymoon.

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During and After:

Our freshly painted front door and new hardware

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The living room’s new art and tv stand makeover

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Yard sale chairs and ottoman

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Our DIY Pottery Barn Look-a-like Drum Pendant and freshly stenciled wall

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Flea market zebra art and sconces

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A little hallway makeover

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Freshly painted sun room with slip-covered chairs

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Master bedroom thrift store finds with lots of updates 

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Boys’ Bathroom Project
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And last but not least the guest bedroom/office projects 

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We have made a lot of progress but have so much more to do.

Next up:

Finishing all the baseboard/shoe molding,

painting our orange “wood” kitchen cabinets,

tileand new vanities for the bathroom

and full basement overhaul

I am airing my dirty laundry okay??

Don’t worry, that fish shower curtain is gone.

How I Got Over Being A Dud and Learned My Gifts

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Someone posed a question to me recently asking what adults (other than my parents) had a great influence on me in my formative years?

So this week I have been reminiscing about such people.

This post is a rambling of my thoughts today.

Thanks for bearing with me.

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I grew up in a small but very talented community.

My church and school friends were all incredibly gifted in music, athletics, speech, or academics.

I always felt like a dud.

Seriously.

I got okay grades but not great.

I took 11 years of piano lessons, but I can barely play out of a hymn book.

I was horrible at any and all sports, especially the popular ones for girls in my school: basketball, soccer, and volleyball.

I remember physically feeling ill when we were had to “play” these games in PE because I was really that uncoordinated, and it embarrassed me to participate.

I was the only girl who tried out for cheer-leading in 10th grade and didn’t make it.

I didn’t go around feeling sorry for myself; understandably, I did feel like the odd man out a lot of the time.

But I loved to work with fabrics, cook, and help my mom entertain guests in our home.

Thankfully, I was in a  high school that had an excellent home economics program.

And that’s how I learned my gifts.

 I had a teacher who invested time in me.

She taught me how to make a basic roux.

And the muffin mix method.

And how to iron a shirt properly.

______________________________

And every time I am standing at the board with iron in hand, I am forever grateful for her.

Monday Randomness: Cooking and Napping

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We started off this past weekend at 5 pm Friday with a grocery trip.

Then Friday night I made corn dip, salsa, sugar crusted blueberry cake, lemonade, 2 batches of baked beans (seriously the best baked beans), and 2 batches of cream corn.

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And in case you were worried, we did not eat all this goodness for dinner.

The beans and corn were made to take to a big surprise birthday party cookout on Saturday evening for my brother.

The rest of the feast was prepared for our church Life Group get together at our house on Sunday night.

And the reason I did all this in advance?

Napping.

I just wanted to be able to take a nap on Saturday/Sunday afternoon.

I now have to schedule my naps.

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Happy Monday.

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Our Trip to the NC Arboretum with the Sled Dog

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First of all, when my husband said he wanted to visit the “zoo for plants” in NC I told him he was pronouncing it incorrectly because the word arboretum totally sounds made up to me.

Then I went on to make up my own pronunciation of arboretum which I slaughtered.

But it made him laugh.

And I like making him laugh.

Anyway Joe and I, the kids and Poppi all drove up to Asheville on Memorial Day weekend to see the arboretum, but mostly  to visit the bonsai tree exhibit.

My husband is into bonsai now.

While we were there Poppi definitely left his mark on the zoo for plants.

At some point we just started carrying him because he was overtaken with the need to mark every tree and bush in the place.

He also felt the need to “mush” everywhere we went.

He was like a 12 lb sled dog that marks every tree he runs past.

And then the kids got bored halfway through the park and started trying to carry each other.

The thing is they are both tall. Really tall. Like one is pushing 6’3″.

I am sure we were a sight to see.

But the modern bonsai exhibit was truly amazing, huge and well curated. Well as huge as an exhibit of tiny bonsai trees can be.

The time and effort it takes to make these works of art in botany is amazing.

We hit Biltmore Park and then Antique Tobacco Barn to do a little shopping and get lunch after our morning of plant gazing(all within ten minutes from the Arboretum).

If you are into plants or just like admiring creation I would definitely recommend the North Carolina Arboretum.

And their outdoor theater would be an awesome place to get married!

Happy Friday.

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Home Improvement: Our Little Front Porch Makeover

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Saturday 7

In March, we started this little makeover by removing most of the hedge in front of the porch as well as some overgrown bushes.

I wrote about it and the chihuahua cabana in this post.

Just that little project made a huge difference.

Then I added some new plants in the flower bed.

Then we went on to other projects for a while.

Well three weeks ago we finally finished the makeover.

Joe painted the front door and installed new hardware.

And I painted all the shutters.

The house looks so much happier now.

Project totals including exterior paint, new door hardware and exterior light fixture: $330 plus the price of a few plants.

Kwikset 800HE-LIP-S Hawthorne Single Cylinder Sectional Handleset with SmartKey, Iron Black

After looking around at all the big box stores and not finding exactly what we wanted, we settled on handlesets.com

A quick Google search for coupons codes kept the price under $200 for the whole kit including the special egg shaped interior handle that we wanted.

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The shutters only required one coat of paint. The door however….

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The door required much more work. We started with two coats and by the next day the paint had chipped in a few places.

Then we decided to read the back of the can.

Oh we are supposed to let it dry at least 24 hours between coats.

Oops.

So we lightly sanded down the door and started over.

Joe was a trooper. He took over the door as his project.

Eventually we got the finish we had hoped for.

Lessoned learned: If you are using paint you are unfamiliar with, read the can first:)

We would love to eventually replace the metal door for a wood arts and crafts style door, but at $1000 we are going to wait a while before tackling that project.

Surprisingly, the easiest task in this whole project was the shutters.

If you are intimidated with changing the color of your shutters, don’t be.

IT WAS SO EASY.

The tall boys in our household removed them. I ran a sanding block over each shutter and then wiped them down.

The freshly painted navy shutters are so happy looking.

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And so is the front door.

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IMG_2756If you noticed the new height of the front shrub as well as the removal of two overgrown shrubs made a huge difference.

We will hopefully be replacing the whole front porch this year. There is no longer any real foundation underneath it and it has major dry rot. Lovely.

And we would also like to add stone edging to the flower beds….all in good time.

Before:

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After:

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Paint colors:

Front Door: Sherwin Williams 6508 Secure Blue (ironic name for a front door color)

Shutters: Sherwin Williams Rainstorm 6230

3Show me what you’ve got link party, Not Just a Housewife.

Product Review: Jergens New 3 day Sunless Tanner

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Natural Glow 3 Days To Glow Moisturizer, $8.49

I am a firm believer in sunless tanning products, whether it’s spray tans or the do-it-yourself lotions/sprays.

Recently, I came across this new product from Jergens…I am hooked. It even worked well on my face.

They totally remade their original sunless lotion (don’t worry they fixed the smell, too).

And the new 3-day  lotion works amazingly well.

I was impressed after the first use.

So as we embark on this Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of summer go pick up a bottle. You will be glad you did!

For a great tutorial on how to apply the lotion go here.

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And no, that’s not really an old proverb. One of my decorating clients told me that one time, and I thought it was hilarious.

Happy Memorial Day!