Home-Made Black Pepper Sauce

Hi everyone! Sharing herewith the Black Pepper Sauce that I made last week for hubby's birthday. Very creamy and certainly make you enjoy the chicken much more. I served the sauce with Rosemary BBQ Chicken.

Beef & Barley Stew

This delicious Beef & Barley Soup can be prepared with no sweat using slow cooker - just dump everything in it, no frequent check necessary and ready by the set time! That's what I did for hubby's BBQ last week when energy level is low (sorry if anyone been waiting this long for the recipe).

Mashed Potato with Brown Sauce

 This was menu before Ramadhan that I made for dinner menu. The Mashed Potato was served along Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Tomato Bruschetta and made specially for Liana and the brothers.

MASHED POTATO

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium Potato

1 tbsp Butter

Fresh Milk

Salt & Pepper

METHOD:

1. Peel & then prick the potatoes with fork.

Wrap with safe plastic cling & microwave High for 5 minutes.

Let it cool slightly before unwrapping.

2. Mashed potatoes using hand masher, adding butter, salt, pepper and milk 1 tbsp at a time until it is smooth and reach the required consistency.

TIPS: Do not process using machine or else the potato will be starchy.

3. Serve with brown sauce. 

HOME-MADE BROWN SAUCE:

3 tbsp Butter

3 tbsp Flour

1 Chicken Cube

2 cups Water (add more if necessary) 

1/4 tsp Browning

Salt & Pepper

METHOD:

Melt butter & add flour, stir quickly & cook few minutes until golden.

Add water gradually until smooth.

Add in chicken cube, salt, pepper and let it boil until thicken.

If too thick, add more water & let it boil again.

**********************************************

BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Ini bukan menu bulan puasa.... lambat tayang sbb kesibukan harian. Alhamdulillah, sudah 2 hari kita berpuasa.... menu puasa yg dua hari tu biasa2 jer & tak sempat nak tayang sebab kesibukan yg teramat, semua nak makan cepat tak sempat nak snap2. ok lah, meh tengok menu fevret anak2 ni....

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

MASHED POTATO

BAHAN2:

2 bj Ubi Kentang saiz sederhana

1 sb Mentega

Susu Segar

Garam & Lada Sulah

CARA2:

1. Kupas kentang & cucuk2an dgn garfu.

Bungkus dgn plastik cling yg selamat-guna utk microwave.

Microwave kuasa tinggi selama 5 minit.

Sejukkan sebentar sebelum di buka bungkusan supaya tidak terkena wap panas.

2. Lecek kentang dgn pelecek tangan.

Campurkan mentega, garam, lada sulah sambil di lecek.

Campurkan susu beransur2 sesudu setiap campuran sehingga kentang lecek menjadi licin & mendapat kepekatan yg di kehendakki.

PETUA: Jangan lecek dgn mesin sebab kentang akan menjadi berlendir.

3. Hidangkan dgn brown sauce. 

HOME-MADE BROWN SAUCE:

3 sb Butter

3 sb Tepung Gandum

1 ketul Kiub Ayam

2 cwn Air (tambah jika perlu) 
1/4 st Browning (kalau xda, gantikan dgn kicap pekat) 

Garam & Lada Sulah

CARA2:

Cairkan butter & masukkan tepung. 

Kacau cdgn cepat supaya tidak bergentel & masak sehingga keperangan.

Masukkan air sedikit2 sambil di kacau.

Masukkan kiub ayam, garam & lada dan masak sehingga pekat.

Tambahkan lagi air jika terlalu pekat & didihkan.

Grilled Brinjal-Tomato Bruschetta

 One long French Loaf usually isn't enough for four of us if I make this for breakfast.... My two boys just love it very much. The brinjal and tomato are flavored with garlic, olive oil and balsamic sauce and then sprinkled with chopped fresh basil leaves.... very tasty and nice aroma. Apart from serving for breakfast, this certainly will be a big hit if served as starters during a party.

By: Roz@HomeKreation

INGREDIENTS:

1 French Loaf* - sliced oval shape

Brinjal - sliced oval shape 

Tomato - sliced 

2 cloves Garlic* - pounded 

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar*

4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil*

Chopped Chili Padi*

Salt* (* mixed) 

Cheese Slices

Tomato Sauce

Chopped Fresh Basil Leaves

METHOD:

1.  Toast French loaf slices in an oven on one side until crispy.

Spread tomato sauce on the other side and top with cheese slice.

2. Dip brinjal or tomato into balsamic sauce* and toast until slightly browned on top.

Arrange on top of cheese slice on toast.

Sprinkle with chopped basil leaves.

Grill until golden brown.

Serve right away.

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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Hirisan roti Perancis di panggang dengan topping begini memang kesukaan anak2 teruna Along kat rumah ni. Topping terung dan tomato ni Along perisakan dengan sos balsamic, memang sedap sangat jadi nya. Boleh di hidangkan sebagai sarapan atau pun pembuka selera di waktu parti.

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

BAHAN2:

1 batang panjang Roti Perancis * - hiris bujur nipis

Terung - hiris bujur nipis

Tomato - hiris nipis

2 ulas Bwg Putih* - tumbuk

2 sb Balsamic Vinegar*

4 sb Extra Virgin Olive Oil*

Cili Padi* - potong kecil 

Garam* (* campur) 

Cheese Slices

Sos Tomato

Daun Selasih segar - cincang halus

CARA2:

1.  Panggang hirisan roti Perancis sehingga garing, hanya pada satu belah permukaan sahaja.

Terbalikkan & sapu sos tomato dan letakkan sekeping kecil cheese slice.

2. Celup terung atau tomato ke dalam sos balsamic* & panggang sehingga keperangan.

Aturkan terung atau tomato ke atas kepingan cheese atas roti tadi.

Taburkan hirisan daun selasih.

Panggang sehingga keperangan.

Hidangkan segera.

Lobster Mac and Cheese – Only Looks Hard

Every once in a while I post a video that makes a recipe look way harder than it is, and this “simple” lobster macaroni and cheese is one such dish. The problem has to do with the fact that for this kind of recipe, we’re preparing each of the main components simultaneously.    

While you finish your cheese sauce, you cook your pasta; in between stirs you cut up your lobster, and make your breadcrumbs. Nothing technically difficult, but since I decided to film the steps in the order I did them (instead of prepping things ahead and filming each component start to finish), this does look kind of daunting. It’s not.

You can actually prep these ahead, and bake before that romantic, possibly Valentine’s, dinner. You probably want to take them out and let them warm up for 30 minutes before before baking. By the way, only bake these until the tops are browned, and the inside is just hot. If you leave them in past that point, you’re risking the cheese breaking, and things will get greasy.

As far as the lobster goes, tails are pretty easy to find, and one 5 or 6-ounce tail per person is plenty with the rich, cheesy macaroni. Of course, you’ll want to check to make sure your sweetheart isn’t allergic to shellfish, because that would be a little awkward. Otherwise, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large portions:

2 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 lobster tails (5-6 oz each)

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups cold milk

cayenne to taste

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

pinch ground nutmeg

few drops Worcestershire sauce

4 ounces grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 1 generous packed cup)

1 ounce grated Gruyere cheese (about 1/3 cup)

1 generous cup elbow macaroni (1 cup, plus a tablespoon or so)

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

*Note: Like I said in video, make sure your mac and cheese mixture is wet and saucy in the pan, otherwise it might get dry when it bakes. Don’t be afraid to add a splash of the pasta water to loosen things up.

For the crumbs:

3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon melted butter, or enough to moisten
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano 

 - Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until browned

Onion Soup and Something for the Slow Cooker People

I’m not sure where you live, but for the sake of this post let’s assume the weather is terrible. With that in mind, I thought I’d repost our two French onion soup recipes, as well as this link to an article by Vanessa Greaves, on using a slow cooker to make caramelized onions.

I have a small, but passionate group of viewers that regularly submit food wishes for slow cooker recipes, but for whatever reason I can never seem to make it happen. To very nominally make up for that, I’d hope you check her post out, and maybe give it a try. If you do, you can use them in either of these great soup recipes. Just click on the title, and away you go. Enjoy!

	French Onion Soup Don't let the bad photography fool you; this is one great soup recipe.
	American French Onion Soup I show how to use an oven to caramelize the onions, instead of the traditional stove top. You know, in case you don't have a slow cooker.

Fresh Raspberry Sauce – Easy and Effective

As promised, here’s the fresh raspberry sauce we served with our recently posted chocolate decadence cake. While originally intended to be a companion video for that dessert, this stuff is so beautiful and delicious, you and your Valentine may not even need the cake.

Like I mentioned in the video, this will absolutely work even if you use frozen raspberries, but nothing compares to the flavor of the sauce if you can somehow find and use fresh raspberries.

Of course, that’s only half the battle, because the real key, besides the fresh fruit, is not overcooking the sauce.  We don’t want to boil and reduce this mixture. We’re not trying to make a thick heavy syrup, but instead a light, fresh, and vibrant pool of raspberry goodness.

This was perfect with our chocolate decadence, but would be equally as effective with pretty much any quality, store-bought dessert; in particular cheesecake, or vanilla ice cream. I’ve checked with the legal team, and even if you put this on something from the market, you’re still allowed to technically call your dessert "homemade."

By the way, if this gorgeous sauce doesn’t help you seduce the object of your desire this Valentine’s Day, don’t be too upset, as it probably wasn’t meant to be. So good luck, and I hope you give this fresh raspberry sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 Cups Fresh Raspberry Sauce:

4 half-pint baskets of fresh raspberries (1.5 pounds), rinsed, drained

2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste

*0 to 4 tablespoons water, depending on desired thickness

*Depending what you’re going to serve the sauce with, you may want to add some water before cooking the berries. If you want something a little thicker, to serve over ice cream for example, then don’t add any water. On the other hand, if you want and lighter texture like I did, toss in a few tablespoons of water before heading to the stove. Be careful; we’re not boiling and reducing the sauce, so we can’t cook out excess liquid.

Chocolate Decadence - The Eighties Most Iconic Dessert

This “flourless” chocolate cake was all the rage in the 1980’s, and looking back, it all makes sense. As I vaguely remember, the decade celebrated decadent overindulgence, and this dessert is that, and more. By modern standards, this cake is ridiculously rich. In fact, some of you may find it too intense, but most true chocolate fiends will be in heaven.

This was invented by chef Narsai David, in Berkeley, California, and while close to the original, I bumped up the ingredient amounts a bit, so we can use a standard 9-inch pan.  Also, he doesn’t use cayenne. By the way, if you don’t use the same chocolate I did (milk, white, etc.), I can’t tell you what will happen, because I don’t know.

I dusted the buttered pan with flour, because that’s how Mr. David does it, but my sources in the pastry world tell me that cocoa may be a better choice, since it won’t leave a light film. Doesn’t bother me, but I have to write something for these posts. 

Be careful not to overcook this. It goes for a relatively short time in a hot oven, so while mine took about 14 minutes, you should start checking around 13. The top will be just barely set, with a jiggle below the surface. If it’s really soupy, then leave it another minute and check again.

This is best served very cold. It’s easier to cut, and I enjoy the texture more than at room temp. As I mentioned, stay tuned for the raspberry sauce video, which I’ll post on Friday. That will give you plenty of time to practice both for Valentine’s Day. I hope you give this a try soon.  Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 9-inch cake pan (this is extremely rich cake, so you can easily get 12 to 16 servings):

18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (62% cacao)

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour

5 large eggs, room temp, or slightly warm for best results

tiny pinch of cayenne and salt

- serve with ice-cold fresh raspberry sauce

* Bake at 425 F. for probably 12-15 minutes depending on the oven, until just barely set, with a jiggle below the surface. The cake will firm up as it cools.

TIP: If you want to remove your cake from the pan for presentation, just set it in a pan of hot water for a minute, and it will pop right out. 

Beef and Barley Stew – Cold Enough for You?

We’re currently right in the middle of stew season, and this beautiful bowl of beef and barley would be perfect for your next super-storm. 

Nope, we can’t do anything about our crazy weather, at least according to a handful of climate scientists employed by the oil industry, but what we can do something about, is what we’re going to eat while we watch the snow pile up.

When it comes to stick-to-your-ribs stews, it doesn’t get any better than shank.  There’s so much gelatin-producing connective tissue, that it makes an especially satisfying sauce for your meat and grain. 

Speaking of grain; I use something called “naked barley,” which I thought was just a catchy name for polished, or “pearl barley," but apparently it’s actually a rare variety where the hull comes off naturally during harvesting. I still say it’s a clever marketing ploy, but no matter which barley you choose, you’re still going to just cook it until tender.

By the way, with recipes like this be sure to have some extra broth or stock on hand, in case your stew gets too thick at the end. And yes, you can add extra liquid and easily turn this into a stellar soup. If you can find some fresh horseradish root, I highly recommend trying my snowy garnish. It really adds a nice, little sharp counterpoint to the sticky stew. I hope you give it a try soon.  Enjoy!

Ingredients for four servings:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 pounds beef shank (2 thick slices), seasoned generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
2/3 cup diced celery
2/3 cup diced carrots

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 cup pearl or naked barley

salt to taste (if it tastes bland, you need more salt)

freshly grated horseradish root

- Cook beef shank until tender, then remove, and cook the barley in the stewing liquid until tender. Heat beef in cooked barley. That's it.

Seattle Wins Super Bowl XLIX! The Bones Were Right!

You saw it. I saw it. The whole world saw it. The Seattle Seahawks had Super Bowl XLIX won. All they had to do was give the ball to the best running back in football, and it was over. Two yards, a cloud of dust, and they’re the champs.

But, inexplicably, a pass was called, and defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory. It will undoubtedly go down as the dumbest, most ridiculous, and perplexing coaching decision in the history of sports. So, why did it happen?

Did the Patriots have compromising photos of Pete Carroll, and use them to blackmail him into throwing the game? Or, maybe he's crazy? Is he crazy? Or, did New England somehow tamper with the chicken bones I used? Hey, I wouldn’t put it past them. Unfortunately, we may never know for sure, but what we do know is this; the bones were right, again.

Haven 2015!

Yes it’s Saturday and I’m blogging! :) This is just a very quick announcement to let you know that our annual blogging event, Haven Conference, is back again this year!

As the button says, it will be held from July 16-18 – this year at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta. And tickets will go on sale this Monday, February 2nd at noon EST!  

We are thrilled to announce our main sponsor, Home Depot, joining us again:

And our keynote speaker this year is bestselling author and blogger Jon Acuff:

I’ve heard he is an incredibly inspiring speaker and I can’t wait to hear him!

As always our sessions will focus on blogging, decor and DIY and I can promise you will learn a lot from those and fellow bloggers who attend!

You can keep up with news and announcements via our Facebook page or Instagram:

Now have a great rest of your weekend!

When in Doubt, Dip

Still deciding what to serve at or bring to that Super Bowl party? You can’t go wrong with a great dip. Here are some of my favorites, and trust me, they've all been extensively tested. Just click on the title, and away you go. Enjoy!

	Baked Crab and Artichoke Dip Nothing says, “this party rocks” like a creamy, cheesy, baked dip, and when you’re talking about a hot crab and artichoke dip, people have been known to put an extra choice word or two before “rocks.”
	Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip Not only is this baked spinach artichoke dip easy and delicious, but it's also a first in culinary history.
	Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip Arguing about what salad dressing is more appropriate for a baked Buffalo chicken dip recipe is kind of like debating about which shoes to wear with that Hawaiian shirt.
	Clams Casino Dip A big tray of hot clams casino would make a handsome addition to your Super Bowl spread, but that sounds hard, so make this dip instead.

Here are some additional Super Bowl resources
from my friends at Allrecipes. 

Ultimate Guide to Chicken Wings

8 Hot and Cheesy Dips That Should Magically Appear At Every Party

6 Super Bowl Party Meatballs

Dark Door Trim

Hey there all and happy Friday! I’m editing this post to let you know I changed it up from the original content.

Above everything else my goal is always to blog with integrity – and whether I believe I’m doing that at all times doesn’t matter if even a few question it. I shared a knock off project today that struck a nerve with some, and even though most were incredibly respectful about it, people were going back and forth in the comments so I chose to just remove it. I can take criticism, I just don’t care for drama. :)

I’ve shared knock off projects for years now and will continue to do so – but I decided to remove this one just to avoid any more back and forth (and I took down the comments on this post for that reason as well).

So…this post is now a super lame one with two pictures about the door frame I painted in the mud room. It’s very exciting, I know, please calm down.

I have to tell you – painting the beadboard in this room a darker color (it’s called Reflecting Pool) was a out of the norm for me but I LOVE it so so much. I painted the door trim white last year but quickly realized it looked off with the rich color everywhere else. So I got one frame painted in the blue and it looks so much better!

You can see the difference between the white trim on the left and the blue on the right:

I’ve started a fun little gallery wall that brings in some more bright colors that look great against the white walls. I got the Happy Place sign from Meijer but it was at least a year ago. The raindrops art is from Hobby Lobby – absolutely love that one!

This room has really come together over the past year but I still have a long list. I have to finish painting the trim, cut down a piece of beadboard and install it over by the light switch, paint the ceiling, install crown and build the storage unit over the bench in this room:

I LOVE how it’s coming together though!

Yes, that’s all I have for you. ;) Don’t forget Monday is the February Before and After link up and then I have a BIG project I’m super excited about that I’ll be sharing next week! Have a great weekend all!

The Mundane

Well my friends, the no spend month is ending soon. I can’t say I’ll be sad to see it go but it sure does help me refocus when I do this. When I’m not spending on house stuff I can concentrate on bettering what we already have. I’ve decluttered a TON and whenever I felt the urge to go out and walk through a store I just found a new spot to sort through.

I’ve gotten a ton done this month but there’s so much more on my list! When I’m focused on the larger projects I find the smaller ones tedious. But when I’m working on a to do list and not bringing anything new into the house the mundane little things are oddly rewarding.

I’ve put off painting the inside of the built in cabinets in the family room for months – I finally sat down and just did it:

Even though you can’t see much with the doors closed you can tell it’s darker and more uniform in there which I like. For this girl who never even paints the inside of the cabinet doors, this is huge!! ;)

Speaking of painting…a lot of it is happening in the kitchen. I’m still working on the second coat on all the window trim in the bay window:

I won’t finish the white on the walls till the window seat is done, which will be sooner than I planned!! Whoot! Next time you see this spot the seat should be there. :)

We went through all of the toy bins in the basement and I finished up a few little things down there. We have an AWESOME ottoman with storage that holds our DVD books and other stuff:

Problem is the kiddo pushes it around all the time and we never know which way it opens. We have to move around it and pull till we get the right side. This is struggle people.

My solution took five minutes – I found some old belts while going through stuff and since I don’t wear them anymore I used one to make little handles:

I just screwed them into the ottoman framing and now we know exactly where to open and it’s easier to pull up:

I was laughing because as I was doing this I knew I had used another belt in a similar way years ago -- but for the life of me could not figure out where I did it. I placed my little DIY tray back on the ottoman and realized it was on that tray. Ha! I’m smart.

When something needs to be hung I tend to leave it leaning for months – it’s one of those little things that I put off. I finally hung a cute sign in the laundry room:

Love it! I will be installing shelves between the cabinets but until then I went ahead and hung it. Knowing me that could be another year from now. ;)

We’ve had a big mirror leaning in our newly organized closet for at least six months – and it took me all of five minutes to get it hung:

On a whim back in late December (I’ve technically been on this no spend gig since mid-December) I decided to hang a bunch of the random photos we’ve had laying around:

This wall in our loft is HUGE. I have to get a taller ladder to keep going, but it’s not empty for the first time in years!

And finally, as I mentioned I did a lot of purging, but not a lot of organizing just yet. I did switch the contents of a couple dressers around and things make much more sense now. I put all of our linens in the dresser in the dining room turned library – and I have a couple of empty drawers now too!:

I’d still like to get some shallow baskets to organize things a little more – baskets may be my first purchase. :)

These no spend months remind me that sometimes it’s the smaller projects that make me feel the most accomplished. It also reminds me that I’m pretty darn lucky to get to do the “mundane” in a house we love – I’m grateful for it. :)

Bagna Cauda – A Real Bathing Beauty

I’m more of a shower guy, but Bagna Cauda is one “hot bath” I’ll take any time. While this qualifies as a warm dip, it has nothing in common with the typical versions that will grace snack tables across America this Sunday.

It doesn’t contain pounds of melted cheese, or come in a bread bowl, but what it does have going for it, is simple, rustic goodness, and proven crowd appeal. Besides, unlike those other "hot dips," this one actually stays hot.

If there were ever a recipe to tweak to your own tastes, it’s this one. You can adjust the amounts of garlic and anchovy, as well as the proportion of olive oil to butter. You can also control how long you cook the mixture before it’s presented.

I think about five minutes is perfect, but many people cook it much longer. Other than that, the hardest part of this recipe is deciding on what to drunk in this ancient dip. Anything goes, but as I mentioned in the video, some chunks of crusty bread are highly recommended. I hope you give this bagna cauda a try soon. Enjoy!

UPDATE: I'm hearing from my friends in Northern Italy that they use TWICE as much anchovy and garlic as I did. So, be advised. 
 
Ingredients for 1 1/4 cup Bagna Cauda

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

6-8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

6-8 anchovy filets

2 tsp red wine vinegar

chili flakes to taste

Next Up: "Hot Bath"

2015 Super Bowl Prediction Using Chicken Wing Bones

Once again, it’s time I let you cash in on my magical method for picking the Super Bowl winner, using the ancient art of chicken wing bone reading. I can't tell you how I learned this, or why anyone would take it seriously, but I can tell you the bones are NEVER WRONG.

As you’ll see, the Seattle Seahawks will beat the New England Patriots. It's a guaranteed lock. Bet the farm, the house, and the farmhouse. Many people are saying that the Pats are going to lose because of bad karma, but that can’t be the reason. Have you ever seen a Bill Belichick press conference? If that were true, they'd never win a game.

Anyway, good luck, and I’ll apologize in advance for all those relatives bothering you for loans after you collect your winnings. Good luck, and as always, enjoy!

Final kitchen island plans

Hey there! I’m back with an update for the plan in the kitchen and I am SO EXCITED because I think I finally have the island figured out. It takes me awhile to get the look of certain things nailed down, and I don’t move on them till I have it all figured out. When I do I move forward fast. :)

Right now our island is four by three feet, a standard builder size. I’ve spruced it up over the years, including adding a butcher block top from IKEA. It actually came in a larger size and I had it cut down and a pretty edge added to it:

When we had the floors patched during our reno last year, I went ahead and had the area under the island patched as well. When we got new floors years ago we had them installed around the island, which I knew right away was a mistake. Trust your gut people!

I had them patch underneath so we could move the island out into the room just a bit. Unfortunately, they had to take all of the pretty trim off in the process. It was a sad day, and our island has looked like an art project gone wrong since. :)

It’s not a big deal – since I knew I wanted to extend it anyway. We’ve hosted friends and parties over the past four months with it looking goofy and it’s not made me twitch too much. But I’m hosting two baby showers in the next month so I really want to get this thing looking good again!

So…the original plan was to double the size from four feet long to eight feet. I also wanted to make it a bit wider too, so the overhang would go over the chairs a little more. The plan included adding a base cabinet for more storage and then building on a bookcase at the end to house a microwave:

(source)

The microwave part is still happening. But I realized two things after doing some more research – one, we’d have to order the cabinet since it would need to match the current ones in our kitchen. We upgraded a little bit when we built, not a lot, but they’re still not cheap. And we’d have to wait weeks to get it in.

The other biggie was the countertop – I was planning to do stone on the island and wood countertops everywhere else originally. But after doing some research I decided I didn’t want to worry about the wood counters around our sink and over the dishwasher. I read some reviews from folks who loved the wood but all (that I read) said they would not do wood again, just because of the stress factor.

And the huge slab of stone for the island was going to cost close to what it will just cost to do the countertops – so now…we’re going stone around the room and sticking with wood on the island. I’m used to the wood there and love it.

Problem is – the only island butcher block I can find is six feet long. I found one that is eight feet but is more expensive. We considered adding a wine fridge to add the length (instead of ordering a cabinet), but then when we thought about it and realized we really only drink red wine. I think you can still put those in there but we just wouldn’t use it.

SO…you with me here? I’m trying to think about how we’ll really use this thing and save some money. So the new plan is to do a six foot countertop. No new cabinet, no wine fridge, just a built in at the end.

I also had to adjust how I want it to look a bit. I got these stools last year and then months later found a third one and grabbed it up:

My first plan was to build out the sides with skinny bookcases. So out from the current island on each side of the three stools:

But as you can see with the six foot island there’s not enough room. (Edited to add that yes, the stools are bar height. I’ll be cutting them down like I did our last set, I just didn’t want to do it until I was positive we were using them.)

I still want that custom look so I am going with even skinnier sides like Jen’s island I’ve shown you before:

It still gives the island a more substantial feel and we’ll have additional storage at the end.

These are little adjustments that I honestly think will look better in the end – simpler and more streamlined. And I think it’s a good thing that the larger island top was going to be too expensive because when I taped things off I realized eight feet was going to be REALLY big:

The tape on the floor next to the island (sorry it’s hard to see) is measured at six feet out. The window seat tape shows where that will go. Funny how I thought having that open space where the table used to sit would be too open – now we love it! Many of you mentioned living with it for awhile and it’s so true. We got used to it pretty fast.

So, it’s not the original plan but it will still be super functional, wayyyy cheaper and really beautiful when it’s done!

Now…our final decision is the countertop. I can go with a basic maple, in a similar tone to what we have now. It’s at a local lumber store and the prices is OK, but more than I spent at IKEA for sure. I also found a few options at Lumber Liquidators. When I called they said they had a basic maple for a GREAT price -- $200! But when I got there to check it out this is the maple:

It’s considered their basic version and it includes the knots which I don’t like. (This is the look with oil on it.)

They also have walnut that’s beautiful but my husband didn’t like it as much:

Of course the one we both love, an acacia wood, is the most expensive:

But I don’t mind paying a bit more for this considering we’re “saving” by not doing so many of the updates we originally planned.

Here’s the deal though – all this time I thought IKEA didn’t carry the island sizes of their butcher anymore, but they do? Readers have told me for years that they don’t have the one we bought years ago but I looked online and you can get it, but you have to order it online. Odd. It says they can ship to our house, and maybe even the store? (Two hours away.) The thing is, I have used this butcher many times and am really happy with it. The price online is less than $200, crazy good!

Has anyone used the island-sized butcher block from IKEA? I’m going to call them to try to get it figured out because if I can get it there I will – the price can’t be beat! AND the island size comes 40 inches wide – exactly the width I’ve been hoping for. After all this research and driving around the place I wanted to get it at from the start may have exactly what I want! :)

I hope my train of thought in this process makes sense – I know it can hard to keep up with sometimes. (Ask my husband.) But I’m thrilled with the plan and am so excited to get started on this first kitchen reno project!!

Next Up: Dem Bones

Making (DIY) art pop

Hey there all! Hope you had a lovely weekend! Hope those of you in the NYC area are stocked up – please be safe over the next few days!

Real quick, I wanted to remind you that the eBook sale finishes up tonight – it’s your last chance to get the 76 eBooks I told you about here. Baking, crafting, DIY, photography – it’s all covered in the books and it’s an incredible deal for less than $35! You can order yours here – I believe the sale ends at midnight tonight (EST).

OK, onto my latest DIY! So this is another one of those little projects I’ve had on my mental list forever, and this no-spend month is as good a time as any to get it done. Seriously, I want to go shopping SO bad. But this has been a GREAT month of getting lots of projects done and I will power through. :)

Back when I was finishing up our family room reno I needed some art for a wall and did a very quick piece of my own using a canvas I had picked up for another project. It turned out OK but it was a little dark and moody for the family room. The colors went gray instead of blue so I didn’t love it there.

I was changing things around in the master so I ended up hanging it there – and quite liked it. I don’t know if it will stay forever but for free art it will stick around for awhile:

A couple months ago I was finishing up small projects in that room and went ahead and framed it out with basic wood lattice trim from the hardware store:

I didn’t miter the corners or anything – they just butt up against each other. I quite loved the natural wood with the gray painting too:

I’ve been wanting to do the same with the painting I did years ago that now hangs in our foyer:

I just knew it would look more professional and finished off with a little edge to it. Problem was, I’m not spending on DIY this month and I didn't have enough of that lattice stuff. So I searched through the wood pile in the garage and came up with a solution. Cause I’m a hoarder crafty like that. :)

Remember the underlayment I used to do the inexpensive wood treatment over our fireplace?: 

Well when I had them cut it down at the store I kept the scraps. It’s really hard for me to give up stuff I know I can use later. And that I did:

I had a couple pieces that were a little over two inches in length so I sanded down the rough edges, then gave them a coat of black paint on the front and back:

This stuff takes paint really well so I never have to prime first.

Since it’s so thin I was able to avoid the garage and just cut with my miter box and handsaw:

Old school baby!

I used my nail gun to secure them to the side of the canvas:

And I couldn’t believe what a difference it made! It really makes it pop!:

The thickness is just perfect – even better than the lattice stuff. It’s a lot more substantial:

You can see here how I didn’t miter the ends – I just boxed it out:

The edges of the underlayment stuff weren’t great but after it was painted, you can’t even tell. I really really love it! I love touches of black and now this all ties in together nicely with the stairs and the bench underneath:

Not bad for FREE. You can see how I transformed this old canvas into our personal art (I did it with the Bub) here. It’s something I treasure and I’m glad it has even more of a presence now:

If you don’t have scrap laying around the lattice is about $4 for eight feet – for less than ten bucks you could give a canvas some oompf. :) And if you have a big piece of art that underlayment is only $15 for an eight by ten sheet – you could have it cut to whatever size you need.

I did the same look with the giant IKEA map in the basement as well and it really finishes it off nicely:

Boom! Another one off the list and no money spent! I’m concentrating on getting a big project done this week and hope to declutter a few more spots as well. It’s been a productive month for sure!