Thursday, May 13, 2010
I'm spoiled
So I know that there are real, serious problems out there in the world. Forgive me for being obsessive about my kitchen.
Original as seen in this blog post:
After I painted 3 different shades of green, I still don't like it. 
I think the real problem is the cabinets/countertops/old appliances. I am wavering about doing anything because really, if I paint, I want to get new countertops, and if I get new countertops, we'll need new appliances, and if we're getting that deep, I really want to knock out both walls and put in a kitchen island. I think I'm going to settle for painting and possibly new countertops (which does definitetly mean a new sink. The old owner was a smoker and used to put her ashes out in sink, and it was acrylic, so you get the picture.)
Here's the deal: I don't really want to paint the cabinets, but I don't know how much good I can do if I don't paint them.
Old cabinets: Painted cabinets:
Labels: house and home, kitchen
Sunday, May 09, 2010
New project
I'm trying out the bloggong feature on my new smartphone...its smarter than me.
Carrie and I printed a new project yesterday. Sticker labels for all your organizational needs.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Nashville is Hurting
Last weekend Nashville, Tennessee experienced possibly the worst natural disaster it's ever seen. My second hometown is sadly wrecked. 13+inches of rain in a 2 day period washed out roads, hundreds if not thousands of cars, friends of mine lost all they had or at least their basement. Many many people were stranded in their cars, homes, neighborhoods and away from their loved ones for days.
To see some photos of the devastation, this is the best website I've seen for photos that tell the story. What's not being said is that most people and businesses didn't have flood insurance. Because the word "flood" has never crossed their mind. It's just mind-blowing.
I've been putting off this post because I don't know if I can really do the subject justice. Suffice to say that Nashville is in need of serious help. Here are a couple of things you can do.
- Donate to Hands On Nashville. This is a FABULOUS organization that gets a lot of people volunteering efficiently and fast. They get it done.
- Text the number 90999 to Donate $10 to the Red Cross (or click here)
- Say some prayers for all the poor and the lower income children of Nashville. My old neighborhood was hit hard, and while a lot of the coverage has been about suburban houses underwater, the poor and indigent will need so much more help. It's one thing to lose your possessions when you have a job and friends with money and insurance. It's another when you make minimum wage and no longer have a car because it was flooded out in your parking lot.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Beth, why are taking photos of your bread? Part 2
Further explorations of my new breadmaking book: English muffins.
They were simply amazing. Not a time saver by any means, but a good Saturday morning treat. I caved and bought myself some crumpet rings to cook them in, and it was a great investment! Now if I just had a griddle and could cook more than 3 at a time!
Here's the recipe, from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday (click here to go to the amazon page)
The best English muffins you've never had:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 Tbsp shortening or butter (at room temperature)
3/4 – 1 cup milk (at room temperature)
cornmeal for sprinkling
1. in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. mix in the shortening and 3/4 cup of the milk. add the remaining milk if the dough is too dry.
2. transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. place in a lightly oiled bowl and roll to coat. cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour. divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape into balls. lay parchment paper on a baking sheet and spray or lightly coat with oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. move the dough balls to the baking sheet evenly spaced apart (giving them room to rise more). cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for another hour.
3. heat the oven to 350 F and heat up a skillet on medium heat on the stovetop. brush the skillet with oil and gently transfer the dough balls to the skillet a few at a time. allow them to cook on the skillet for 5-8 minutes, until the bottoms are nicely browned. carefully flip and cook the other side for about 5-8 minutes more. they should flatten as they cook.
4. when the muffins look as if they are about to burn, remove them from the skillet with a spatula and transfer quickly to a baking sheet. bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes. do not wait until all of the muffins have been cooked on the skillet before moving them to the oven – as the first batch is baking, move the second batch of muffins to the skillet.
5. transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving. serve with lots of butter and jelly. store them as you would muffins you buy in the store – in a sealed ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer.