New Cabinets

We were rudely awakened at 6:00 this morning.  Ordinarily that wouldn't be a problem as I have been having trouble staying asleep for a whole night.  But this was one of those rare mornings where I was soundly asleep.  So I was not happy.

We were called to let us know that the kitchen cabinets we had ordered from Home Depot were being delivered in an hour.  I guess I would rather be awakened by a phone call rather than a pounding on the door while still in my jammies and with bed head.  Someone has to be the first delivery!

   

It was a huge truck and no way could they get around to the back of the house.  We had him drop them in the garage and we ferried them to the back in the bed of the mule, one or two at a time.  Then we put them on a hand truck and are storing them in a room away from where we will be tiling....someday...if we ever get the bids back.

   

I was thinking of Maple cabinets, but Lee really liked the Hickory ones, so that's what we went with.  They are kind of pretty with the variegated colors and I guess it means they will go with any wood furniture we end up buying!

After some early morning weight lifting, I went to the barn and did the morning routine with Claire.  All these trips back and forth reminded me that I had yet to clear out the parts of the garden that I hadn't cleared for the winter.  There are always a few plants that are still green and pretty when I chop back most of the plants for winter.  Not any more.

There is a kind of ground cover that looks like the perennial called Lamb's Ears, so I guess that is what they are.  The leaves are a fuzzy, light green and they grow very well here.  Every winter the leaves turn an unappetizing gray.  Then, just before it warms up and right around the time the daffodils pop up, they green up under all the gray.  If you don't rake out all the dead stuff at the right time, you risk raking out the good stuff along with it.

   

They look even worse right after I do the job.  But they will look great in a few weeks.  See the GREEN!

   

This is a job I have had on my list for a few weeks.  It has either been too cold or we have had other plans that day.  So I made a few piles and I will have to take them to the compost or the burn pile later.  Maybe tomorrow.  I feel like I have done a full day's work already.  And it isn't even 11!

A Whole Lot of Nothing

We are constantly busy and even actually accomplishing things.  But nothing so exciting that I think I can make an interesting story about it.

   

The big news is that Lee has finished all the electrical work.  He just finished the last three this morning.  That is a huge job and I imagine his fingers are grateful to have a break.  Every outlet and switch is now operational and all the overhead lights are in.  There are places that aren't as bright as we would like, but we didn't want glaring bright lights everywhere.  We intend to put in a few table and floor lamps to finish things off and for all levels of light.

Speaking of which, I am going up to visit my brother and his wife soon.  They are kindly hosting us and arranging to show us some of their favorite estate sale sites.  Whatever we don't find on this trip we will get later, or maybe Jane will find it in her heart to pick up a few pieces when she finds them.  There is no rush on furnishing an unfinished house.

We are waiting for the tile contractor to give us a bid.  Kinda scary.  Like Lee says, though, "It's only money."  Wait a minute.  ONLY money??

I took off the railing in the stairwell to paint the walls.  It is made with unfinished wood and I decided to put a Tung oil finish on it.  A long time ago, back in the days before HGTV (yes, Virginia, there was such a time) there was a show I used to watch with Homer Formsby.  He did some beautiful furniture refinishing and he used Tung oil.

Based on his recommendation, I have stripped and refinished some pieces using it and I really like the effect.  It gives a nice finish to the wood and protects it, yet it is not a varnish and super shiny.  The intent is to nourish the wood and give the appearance of a hand rubbed finish.

   

Lee set up some saw horses and I sanded the railings with smaller and smaller grit paper.  Then I polished it with some very fine steel wool.  I used 0000 steel wool and then wiped off all the dust.  A tack rag works well.  Smooth as a baby's bottom!

    

Homer ( I call him Homer because we are like this...picture fingers crossed ) would use his bare hands to apply the finish and rub it in. The instructions on the Tung oil container...and it IS his formula... say to use gloves, so I do.  I discovered I only had a left hand glove.  The right hand one was ruined on the last project, so I got a quart size Ziploc bag, put my hand in it and it worked great.  It wouldn't have worked for a big project, but this is a little one!

   

Tung oil should be applied in three coats.  The first one soaks right in the raw wood and you can barely tell that you have applied anything.  You have to wait 12 hours and then use the 0000 steel wool lightly before applying the next coat.  I usually just do it the next day.  The first time I did it I wondered if I was taking all the finish off I had just put on.  Do it anyway.  Don't forget to wipe all the dust off before applying the second coat.

   

You can really see the results after the second coat.  The temptation is huge to just stop there.  And you can.  But you already have at least two days into this project.  What's one more?  You can see how it looks, even in poor light.  On the left is after two coats and the right is after three. 

  
   

We will re-install the railings tonight and then I will feel safer when walking up and down the stairs.  Not a fan of stairs without railings!  And one more thing off the huge,  gigantic,  enormous list.

Tile Time

   

The painting is done.  And so it MOST of the electrical.  We picked up a few tile pieces we liked and brought them home.  We are currently waiting for a tile installer to come and give us a bid.  Ouch.

   

I found a tile I like for the entry and the kitchen.  I will go with a lighter and smaller tile for the powder room. 

   

The shower/bathroom is still a decision to be made, but the price for installing should be the same. 

It would be good to have a deadline.  Force us to make a decision.

Tomorrow we go to Home Depot to pick out a powder room sink/cabinet and a light fixture.  I think I will wait on the mirror.  Maybe I can find a great one at an estate sale.  My sister-in-law is taking me shopping and I hope to find some things there.  Do you call it shopping when you prowl around estate sales and warehouses?

And when I pick out a couple of toilets, is that shopping, which is fun?  Or is it work, which isn't as fun?

Breakfast Casserole for Dinner

I have been busy working on the basement.  There WERE even more places to paint.  But that is DONE.  On the other hand, I know there will be touch up painting necessary after installing doors and tile and carpet.  Oh, yeah, and baseboards.  So I can't THROW away the rollers and brushes like I want to and put away the paint for the NEXT owner of this house.  Do I detect a little frustration?  Yes, I do.  Tired of painting?  Yes, I am.

So that explains why I haven't been keeping up writing about what we do.  Just too tired doing it to want to write about it.  Plus, I didn't take the time to get any pictures.  A picture-free blog is no fun. 

However, I did make some actual food!  My aunt gave me a breakfast casserole recipe.  Well, I had to modify it to make it low carb and then I had to modify it to make it a dinner.  This involved adding vegetables.  So I made a breakfast casserole for dinner.  Perhaps I'll call this one...

   

Sausage Zucchini Casserole

1 pound bulk sausage.  I used sweet Italian
1/2 onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Herbs you like.  I added 1 teaspoon fennel, some dried sage and dried parsley.  Basil, oregano, fines herbes and Italian herbs would all work.
1 large zucchini.  I could have added 2
1 or 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
garlic salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
1/4 cup Half and Half  (milk would be OK)
1/2 package shredded mozzarella

Prepare a square casserole baking dish by spraying with Pam.  Pre-heat the oven to 400.

   

Put a Tablespoon of EVOO in a large skillet.  Add the diced onions and cook until they are soft.  Add the garlic and the sausage.

   

 Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. 

   

Add the herbs and the chopped zucchini. 

   

Cook for about 5 minutes until the zucchini starts to soften.  Add the tomatoes. Season with the salt and pepper. 

   

Stir everything together and scrape the meat mixture into the baking dish.  Mix the eggs and the Half and Half (or milk) in a medium bowl and mix with a fork.  Pour the egg mixture over the meat in the baking dish.

   

Sprinkle the mozzarella over the whole thing and put it in the oven for 15 minutes.  I used a lot of mozzarella and it was good, but I could have gotten by with just a sprinkling. There was a lot of delicious, stringy cheese ,though and we enjoyed the heck out of it.  For several meals!

   


I served it with low carb fruit.  I usually opt for strawberries.

Suspect by Robert Crais

   
   

I love Robert Crais.  I believe I have mentioned that here before, but it bears repeating.  I love Robert Crais.  Not in a romantic way. I am happily married.  And after all, he could be creepy and weird and stay hunched over a typewriter all day long shouting for his wife and kids (assuming he has those) to bring him coffee or beer or cursing them when they interrupt. 

Robert Crais is a phenomenal writer and I love him in the way that when I get one of his books I stay up late reading it and then get up early to finish it.  Suspect is one of those books.

I first read Robert Crais in the late eighties and have continued to read him.  His funny, yet highly competent private detective, Elvis Cole, is a hoot and grabs you by the throat and keeps you hanging until he solves the mystery.  I always like a good Elvis Cole mystery.  The Joe Pike novels are equally good, but you aren't allowed to know Joe as well as Elvis.  You would probably like to invite Elvis Cole over for dinner.  You might be too afraid the have Joe Pike over, but if you had a serious problem, he could be your best friend.

I hate when I love an author for a particular series and then they write a stand alone novel and they let you down. Or it is good, but not as good as you were hoping or expecting. That is not the case here.  If you like a good mystery or police procedural you will like this novel.

Suspect starts with introducing you to Maggie, a Marine dog in Afghanistan. She proves heroic, but loses her handler in a terrible way and comes home with canine PTSD.  Then the lead human protagonist, Scott James, has an equally horrific event where he is severely wounded, loses HIS LAPD partner and also develops a case of PTSD.  These two find each other when James joins the police K-9 unit and gets Maggie for his dog.  They each seek to connect and heal and then solve the case that injured James.

Dog in jeopardy, partner in jeopardy, a buddy story, loyalty even after death and revenge against evil.  How can you not love that?  There were parts towards the end that were so suspenseful that I had to put down the book and pet the cat to calm myself before I could continue.  Of course, part of that is that I didn't want the book to end and by stopping I put off the inevitable. This was a great book.  Go get it.

The only thing that is keeping me from being upset that the book isn't longer or part of a new series is that I have a new David Rosenfelt book waiting in the wings and I am about to dive in.

The Thrill Is Gone

Well, all my posting on delicious recipes has caught up with me.  You know and I know that I didn't JUST notice it.  It has been creeping up on me.  But now my jeans are getting tight...and not in a good way.  In a muffin tops kind of way.  And not muffin tops in a good way.

So I am back to low carb eating for a few months.  THIS time I intend to stay mostly low carb for life!

You didn't buy that did you?  Naw.  Me neither.  I have great intentions but lousy follow through.  And that whole thing about portion control?  If I could do that, don't you think I would???  So it is back to low carb eating.  I intend to be very strict with myself.  Then in a few weeks I go to Alexandria to see my brother and sister-in-law and daughter and eating will once again be fun.  For the weekend.  Gotta get looser jeans and I don't mean by shopping.

So I fixed a tasty, yet not fun, NO BREAD, dinner.  I am giving you the recipes in case you want to loose weight, too. Now, you look GREAT, but just in case.

Also, no great B&B or dessert recipes for awhile.  Unless I get company.  Won't someone please visit me???

Mashed Cauliflower  (With green beans and pork chops)

This is a lot like mashed potatoes.  But with low carb cauliflower.  They taste pretty good!  Just don't tell yourself they are better for you, or you won't like them.

1 head of cauliflower  This makes a lot, but then you have leftovers!
1/2 onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup half and half.  You could use milk, too.
1/4 cup ricotta cheese  I had some ricotta cheese left over, so I used that.  Parmesan or cheddar would be good, too.

That's about it, except for s&p to taste and a bit of butter or olive oil for sautéing.

   

Start some water heating to steam the cauliflower,  Cut off all the green parts and cut the head into flowerets.  Place them in a steamer basket over the boiling water.

   

Heat some butter or EVOO in a large pan.  Sauté the onions until they are soft.  Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more.  Place them in a large bowl.

   

Place the pork chops in the now empty, but not cleaned pan.  Cook until starting to brown and then turn them over.  Wash and trim the green beans.

   

In the meantime the cauliflower should be soft.  Place them, on top of the cooked onions in the large bowl.  Return the steamer basket to the boiling water.  Add more water if necessary.  DON'T let it burn dry.  Place the green beans in the steamer.

   

Add the milk and any cheese you might want (it is optional) to the cauliflower and using a stick blender, make the cauliflower as smooth as you desire.  Salt and pepper to taste.  It won't ever get as smooth and creamy as mashed potatoes, but it is still good.

   

By now the chops should be done and so should the green beans. Make sure there is no pink in the middle of the pork chops.  Place the beans in a bowl with a dot of butter.

   

 Toasted almonds make a great addition. Just 5 minutes in a toaster oven at 325.

   

I like strawberries for "dessert".  Actually I like strawberries on top of decadent baked goods for dessert, but this is what I do when low carbing.  Is that a word?  Spell check does not think so.

   

This is a perfectly nice dinner, even if you are not trying to eat low carb.  It's just KNOWING that you can't have those things is the problem.  I need a different mindset.

Snow Day?

   

So my snowcation is kind of a bust.  It started snowing last night and I went to bed planning my day off.

   

This morning is was still lightly dusting snow here and there.  But I awakened to a mostly bright day.  Yes, it is overcast and yes it is cold, yet it is still rather bright.

Well, snow or no snow, the animals still need to be fed, so on go the lined coveralls, scarf, knit cap, boots and gloves.  That's the bad thing about animals....and children.  They want to eat EVERY day.  Sometimes more than once!

   

One good thing about having a husband with a tractor is that he can get up and plow the road to the barn for you.

   

 I highly recommend getting one.

   

There is a great view of Purgatory Mountain on the way to the barn.  Does this mean hell has frozen over?  Could it possibly mean that every one in Congress has quit and is letting somebody else run the country?  Naw.  Probably not.

   

It was too cold to let Claire out in the field for the day, so I turned her loose to clean her stall and add more food.  She ran around, bucked a few times to set the dog off and then prospected for grass under the snow. 

   

Her blanket was wet so I took it off to dry and I'll put another back on this evening.  It's in the 30s but not too windy or super cold.

   

Then I had to empty the dishwasher before I could put away the breakfast dishes. So far this is the same thing I do every day.  Only with the added complication of cold and snow.   I don't want to sound pitiful here, but when does my snow day start???