Bargello Needlepoint

Another Bargello needlepoint in the making. More than half way done. I'm so glad I found this hobby :)

Raspberry tiramisu

 SO good. And simple. I wasn't sure I could do it. But I did. And it was a big hit!

I got the recipe here and I wouldn't change a thing. 

Though, I would suggest to watch your lemon juice--

I used less than called for and I still think I used a tad too much.

I made beef jerky in the dehydrator and so can you.

If I can do it, you can do it.

Trust me.

It's easy.

Marinate the flank steak overnight or at least a few hours. The longer, the better.

But don't use fresh garlic like I did here. Use garlic powder instead- it's WAY better.

Throw it on the dehydrator.

This took 4 hours. Depending on how thin you slice it. I didn't want it super crunchy.

Beef Jerky in the dehydrator

2 lbs Flank steak, sliced thin

1/4 C soy sauce

1 T Worcestershire

2 T Brown sugar

2 t salt

1 t black pepper

1 t garlic powder

1 t paprika

You could add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, cloves etc

Let marinate overnight.

Dehydrate 4-6 hours.

Stocking up on Sriracha, the obvious thing to do

 Since the recent Sriracha dilemma that has been going on as of lately, I decided to stock up on the delicious, red stuff. I initially was going to go for 20 bottles of it, but I didn't have enough room in the cart. I know there are other brands and people even make their own but IT IS NOT THE SAME!!! I figured if the plant does shut down for whatever length of time, I will be covered. My love for the fiery juice is very strong. So no, I won't share ;)

Baked balsamic butternut squash

Phew-Lots of Bs in that title!

-Cut the squash in half and use a vegetable peeler to get the skin off.

-Cut into cubes, then toss with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, (fresh) rosemary, S&P.

-Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes, depending on size. Make sure to check it every 10 minutes-ish so that it doesn't start to burn. If it does, just add more balsamic or olive oil.

Yum. Tastes like fall!

I bought this book and I am totally excited about it

I've been meaning to learn how to sew forever now. I know I like to sew because I took Home Ec in 7th grade (a million years ago when they still offered it.) I sewed a purple polka-dot shark stuffed animal which is probably in a box somewhere in my parents' house. Oh, Sharky. With all these needlepoint projects done, just sitting in the closet, I figured it was time to make a move. And for $8 whole dollars, I thought this was the book for me. Now I need to dust off the machine and get to work! Any tips are appreciated :)

 "Make it work!" -Tim Gunn 

 

More Barello work.

Another needlepoint is finally finished. This one took only 14 weeks. (Haha "only") That sounds long but in that time I moved, had 5 house guests, my father-in-law moved in, life was being lived... So really, it's not a fair judgement of time. Now I just need to learn how to sew to make it into something. Maybe a pillow? Or a bag? What else? Any suggestions?

I made a (mostly) homemade pizza

I used a Betty Crocker pizza crust - the instructions are to add warm water, stir, wait 5 minutes and press out the dough. It's easy! And super convenient. (Cheap too. I often see them 3 for $1. Can't beat that price.) I always have some in my pantry. You can pick your own toppings, whatever you have laying around.

 This time I made a Margherita: 

  -olive oil

-mozzarella (both block cheese and fresh buffalo)

-home grown heirloom tomatoes

-random hot peppers from the garden

-LOTS of fresh basil

-dried oregano, garlic powder, basil, s&p

I looove a caprese salad!

This is my version anyway...

-mixed greens
-tomatoes
-red onion
-fresh mozzarella
-pine nuts
-basil
-balsamic vinaigrette (with tons of pepper)

I went to the Wisconsin State Fair and all I got was poop on my shoe

Okay, I didn't really get poop on my shoe, but if I saw that t-shirt for sale somewhere, I would totally buy it! For one fun-filled afternoon we ate fried food on a stick, drank cheap beer and people watched. And let me tell you- there were some fat pigs there! (See pictures below.) We looked for the fried beer stand but there was no such thing. Must have been a dud from last year that didn't go over too well. Also, we missed the midway completely (not sure how we managed that one!) There's always next year, I guess. But at least we didn't go home with a hot tub. Or a $500 Vitamix. Or a billy goat.

Who is taller?

Tater tots wrapped in bacon- on a stick!

I cannot-for the life of me- figure out how to flip this darn picture!

Rambutan & fresh lychees

I found these glorious, exotic fruits at the Asian mart and I just had to have them, whatever they were. I knew that this top fruit was a lychee and I was familiar with its weird, rough exterior skin and mushy, sweet insides. Many restaurants use this product in the juice or canned form but this was the first time I bought the real thing on my own. I ate half of them in one sitting...

 Then there are these fuzzy things that are called rambutan (no, they're not hairy strawberries...)

Aren't they cute in a creepy way?

Crack it open! 

The lychee pit is quite shiny and large for the size of the actual flesh of the fruit.

So I decided to try and grow a plant from it. We shall see what happens! Weeeeeeeeeeeee!

 Any cool recipes or ideas for these guys that you know of?

Bye-bye microwave!

We just moved into our new place two weeks ago. The kitchen (seen in this stock photo here) is totally awesome and probably my favorite room. We have a ton of counter space and everything is exactly where I want it (thanks Ikea!) Though there is a lot of room, there isn't that much space against the wall, which I left available to the coffee maker and the dish rack which are both priorities. I was trying to find that "perfect" spot for the microwave. That got me thinking that we don't need one at all. I grew up not having one and my parents still to this day do not own one. So I asked my husband what he thought of not having one and he was hesitant. Then I asked him to list the items he would use if for. He answered "A can of soup." I WIN! No microwave it is!

Where to find the perfect curtain? That is a goooood question!

Curtains are so damned expensive. And so not cute. Every curtain I've seen lately reminds me of a stuffy church parlor with no air conditioning. In other words: OUTDATED. Like 100 years outdated. Why can't I find anything cute? Or plain? Or inexpensive? I am sure I could make my own, if I could find my sewing machine. Is there a secret society of window treatments I do not know about? Please tell me if you know. Pleeeeease!