'Tis the Season!

I just made my first batch of eggnog in my own little house. With my brand new KitchenAid hand mixer just like Mom's.  (Although it's SO much easier with a stand mixer and hand mixer.)

As usual, the recipe was a smashup- this time the sources of inspiration were Alton Brown's recipe and this one, called Diamond Eggnog.  Last year A lot of R&D went into this recipe... but even the batches we didn't love were still FAR better than that stuff they peddle at the supermarket.

Based on my own experiments, I know it's easy to tweak any eggnog recipe to suit your own taste, and plan to continue tweaking this one. I am definitely going to cut the amount of sugar, as I've cut WAY back on my sugar intake since last year and I now find this recipe ridiculously sweet.  (UPDATE: I'm through tweaking, now!) The other day a coworker and I googled lactose free eggnog recipes and they actually sounded yummy as well. Mmmmm, coconut cream...

*Laughs*

Yes- I have, indeed, read the ingredients list in my own recipe.

Watch this space... you never know what I'll end up doing...

Eggnog
Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 additional tablespoon
1 pint whole milk
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 1/2 ounces Myer’s Dark Rum
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving

Directions:
In a stand mixer (or large bowl and hand mixer), beat the egg yolks 5-10 minutes until they thicken and lighten in color.

Gradually add the 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved.

Slowly add the milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, rum, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Stir to combine.

In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer until soft peaks form.  While the mixer is running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. (About 12 minutes.)

Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

Whisk again before serving and top each portion with freshly grated nutmeg.

Yield: approximately one half gallon

The magically delicious stuffed date recipe!

Yesterday I decided, since I clearly didn't already have enough going on, to make stuffed dates for a party I attended last night.  I posted about these elsewhere a while ago, but I never actually wrote up the recipe that came closest to those at Firefly in Las Vegas, the dish that started this whole obsession.

Basically, I altered this recipe to suit since I'm not naturally gifted in the culinary arts.

Bacon Wrapped Dates stuffed with bleu cheese and almonds, with a red wine reduction

1 pound bacon, cut in half lengthwise
1 pound Large Medjool dates, pitted
Whole almonds (I most often use whole raw almonds)
4 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled (I used a raw goat milk Roquefort- it was pretty and smelled like heaven... but am ridiculously inconsistent when selecting cheese for this recipe)

Preheat oven to 400°
Cut length wise slits into dates, remove pits and add almond and bleu cheese
Pinch closed
Wrap with half-slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick (which has been soaked in water)
Place seam side down on a wire rack inside a large parchment paper-lined casserole dish or cake pan
Bake 30-40 minutes, until bacon is crisp. If you don't have a wire rack, they may be cooked directly on parchment, but turn dates over after 20 minutes

May be served warm or at room temperature.

Also, since Firefly's stuffed dates are served in a red wine reduction (and I find them to be a bit "less than" without it):

The red wine reduction I made is really simple:
I use 2 cups of whatever red I have available (this time I used an Argentinian Malbec, because it's my red of the moment and always on hand) and reduce it down to about 3 ounces.

I place the dates on a platter deep enough to contain the liquid, drizzle them with the red wine reduction and crumble additional bleu cheese over them for serving. So, so yum. 

Smelling good

 I tried two new cleaning product recipes this weekend and the house smells wonderful.

Carpet Freshener (I merely reduced the amounts given in tipnut's recipe, because my house is tiny and I only have a few area rugs over hardwood):

2 cups baking soda
1 cups dried lavender buds/flowers*
1/3 cup cornstarch

Directions:
Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container. Set aside for a couple days before using. Sprinkle generously on carpet and let sit for one hour before vacuuming.

*Instead of using dried herbs, you can substitute essential oils, experiment with amounts for best results. Make sure to mix it in the recipe thoroughly and let sit for a few days before using.

When restocking the baking soda, in addition to the gianormous box I also picked up an Arm & Hammer Soda Shaker which is brilliant for dispensing this stuff!




The other recipe came about from bits and pieces from a whole lot of recipes all over the 'net and went with:

Air/Linen Freshener Spray:

1 cup distilled water
1/2 cup ridiculously cheap vodka or witch hazel (I've discovered I prefer the latter, as it lacks that bottom note of "panhandler")
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops grapefruit essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle.  Allow to sit a few hours before using.  Shake bottle well to mix contents prior to each use.

In which our heroine battles a leaky faucet

I sorta had to. The cold water at the faucet in the bathroom has been doing some bizarro stuff - not just dripping but spontaneously slowly running at random times and could only be stopped at the shut-off valve under the vanity.  The work-around was a pain, but effectively motivational.

And the shower head had a slow drip.  Last time Dad visited, he stopped the drip at the faucet in the tub.  I've since noticed this leak while standing on the side of the tub to remove some tape gunk left behind from recent painting.  I didn't even realize my head was under the shower head... until...

So, I educated myself.  I have little to no interest in plumbing, so it wasn't by any means a fun adventure. And after helping hook up the gas stove and being near by during the frustrating bathroom sink plumbing experience, I actually dreaded it.

I HAD NO IDEA that to repair a leaky faucet, usually all you have to do is replace a washer (or o-ring, depending on the faucet style).  Of course, getting to it and putting everything back together again isn't quite so simple (even for DIY inclined, tool lovin' chicks like me).

I also learned a handy trick for protecting finishes from your tools- wrap tape around your wrenches.  Brilliant!  Much easier to see what's going on than my old "throw a washcloth around the shiny stuff" method.

And today, well, I love the shiny teapot style faucet and my vanity with drawers a little less than I did before.  BUT *today* the faucet isn't leaking. 

I need to run out for the washer needed for the shower head that's been soaking in vinegar all night.  It's totally worth it to clean all this stuff while it's dismantled- it's MUCH easier! 

And productivity begets more productivity- I also braved the attic (sorta- I went halfway up and poked the boxes down with the mop) and am a few steps further along in getting the guest room whipped into shape.  AND I came up with an idea for window treatments that will be FANTASTIC and relatively inexpensive since I have almost everything on hand.  YAY!

It's nice in the midst of all this butchy sense of accomplishment to have silly little reminders that I am, indeed, a girl. :)

Two things that are brilliant

1. Those Scandanavians are so clever and I adore them for it.  I don't know how I lived without Ikea's STABIL pot strainer.  (Well, I do.  I made a mess.)
2. My love of Quickie isn't so consistent because they change their products so often it's hard or impossible to find refills... and not very green_ly left with a useless mop as a result. And while this isn't the exact model I have (the refill will fit mine), and the irony that they've declared it "green" isn't lost on me, I present the microfiber hardwood floor mop. I love the large head and how swivel-y it is, and that the elasticized microfiber cover is washable and reusable.  I am a bit more hopeful about the company's greener focus, at least.  They do have a lot of new products made of bamboo, recycled materials and microfiber.  I'm curious to see how this progresses, and plan to watch the styles' longevity. Quickie products are usually found at DIY/hardware stores. 
   

Now following:

Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op.  I just discovered it today- it's fantastic! 

Better late than never.

For years I've been meaning to do something about the switches in the bathroom.

Crazy stuff happens to half century old rental houses in low income neighborhoods. Things like two single switches (one for the light and one for the fan) installed so closely together that two single light switch plates couldn't be mounted over them without "customizing" one (but too far apart that a double switch plate wouldn't work, either).  It looked ridiculous.

I know wiring isn't rocket science, but I respect (read: fear) it enough that I just don't mess with it. I also never got around to asking one of my handy friends to help...

After years of being annoyed by the ghetto switch plates, I finally asked for help and had the switches rewired to a double box and they're finally covered by ONE double switch plate.

Which meant I had some drywall patching to do.

And I already had everything I needed!  This is probably the first project since I've returned that didn't require a trip to the hardware store.  Which also makes this the least expensive project to date!  I only had to purchase the electrical box, a new switch (the old one was decrepit as all hell) and a switch plate cover- everything else had been purchased previously for a bigger drywall project.

More after the jump... 

The Bathroom Vanity Re-Project

The vanity was one of my first projects when I bought the house.  I walked around with maximum measurements on my person for weeks (this was 2001 and pre-smart phone- I actually carried this information around on paper!) and eventually found the perfect sized thing... which was a bit more of a challenge to plumb due to the fact the chest has drawers (rather than doors).  I didn't think to shop sinks beforehand to learn some standard dimensions, but I got lucky- the sink was the smallest available my [then] employer offered.  Sold!  Then I learned about all the different types of faucets (the holes in my sink = widespread).  The plumbing guys who were leery of me when we opened the store (cuz I was a girl and from an uppity department store) grew to love me... and shared their years of experience and knowledge with me.  

In the end, I ran out of time and rushed the project, so the top wasn't as well protected as it could've/should've been.  (Also, people are MESSY in bathrooms and tend to splash a lot I learned.  So when you come to visit, please make sure the vanity top is dry as you exit the very tiny bathroom.  While it's much better protected than it was before, you really can't be too careful.  Kthx. )

The vanity was stored in Dad's shop while I was in AZ.  When it came back to ATL, I determined the top needed much love, so I loved it right down to the bare wood and back again.  I really like the color of the finish, so I hoped for color matching mojo...



See how it turned out after the jump...

Project: stripping paint

In today's episode, I'm not very green. I'm rather anti-green since I use icky solvents and such.

This morning (before coffee, even!) I slapped a coat of stripper on a small bookcase/room divider thingey with which my mom grew up. It's been in my possession for years and I've meant to undo that unfortunate paint job I gave it in the late 80's.

Apparently, today was the day.

Let me tell you I LOATHE this type of work. It's not fun. It's not pretty. It's not the fun sorta messy. Unfortunately, it's rather necessary.

After fetching a cuppa and while the stripper did its thing, I did a bit of sanding on an old desk/vanity I picked up somewhere along the way (some yard sale in Birmingham) that's also needed love for quite some time.

Until something happens to make me reconsider, both these items will get a stain finish rather than my usual mess around with paint until something interesting happens treatment. Gah- am I getting boring? Surely not...

There's tons of helpful stripper how-to info out there, so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel. Helpful links:

• Paint stripping: the site isn't very pretty, but it is quite informative
• How stuff works "how to strip wooden furniture"
  

And I always forget to take "before" photos, but here's a "during" after giving up on the icky chemicals (aka: I ran out of icky chemicals and didn't want to buy more because it's icky and I have plenty of sandpaper):


As a bonus, I stumbled across this cool tip for removing paint from hardware sans chemicals at youtube while googling for helpful linkage. It has nothing to do with these projects, but I wanted to save it for posterity just the same.

Resource: vacuum cleaner bags

Discovery of the week: the vacuum cleaner bag compatibility list.

I was able to run out and buy a bag to fit my vacuum just when I was beginning to lose hope.

Of course I know practically anything can be bought on the 'net, but I was rather desperate...

Insert product info here:

The bathroom vanity (a project from 8 years ago) needed love. So, it got love. Now it's back! (Oh, how I missed having a bathroom sink!)  Note: I posted about the project here.

Plumbing it all up again proved to be complicated, as has most everything related to the house (somehow nothing at all is standard). As a result, research ensued. Then I did some hardware related stuff as I want to replace the door knob and deadbolts that were damaged and since lost.

This entry serves as a means of documenting said "stuff".

Bath Faucet: Delta Teapot Series 3577 Series (white handles) - style discontinued (drain assembly purchased- yay!)

1. Delta RP23103 (lift rod assembly) here and here
   
2. Delta RP5651 Chrome (drain assembly) Google, site offering free shipping (the most likely option- there seems to be an issue with the drain, which isn't the original drain...)

 

Baldwin door hardware*: 
(keyed-alike replacements purchased- from this site)

 




 

1. Baldwin egg knob keyed entry (1)
2. Deadbolt (2)

*NOTE: need remaining lock's key info in order to match

I didn't do it.

After all that research on refinishing hardwood floors, I learned it would be best for me to hire someone else to do it.  While I'm confident in my mad DIY skills, the move and joblessness things have maxed me out.

Way before: apparently dropcloth utilitzation never occurred to the previous owners. I was aware this lurked under the wall-to-wall carpet because my real estate agent and I are nosy.

Just before refinishing: the house was built in 1948 and the floors haven't exactly been loved.



During: they sanded down fine- just as I expected.  I knew there were some deep gouges and dark water stains that would remain, but let's be realistic- it's a sixty year old house that most recently was a rental in a low income neighborhood. I didn't expect showroom perfection; I just wanted them to be better.

More during: the polyurethane stage went well, too.

The guys were nice enough to humor me when I popped in to see how things were going. 

The next day I went to see the floors.  They looked good at first glance, but upon closer inspection I was prompted to call the business owner to let him know I wasn't happy with the results.  There were several rough spots where saw dust mixed with polyurethane, there were puddles of polyurethane in a few places, and any nails that'd slipped past me when I removed the carpet weren't pulled (I pulled them while waiting for them to come back, though- they were much easier to spot at the time).  The business owner was pleasant about it and they got right to work.  While the end result showed some improvement, I noticed the same lack of attention to detail and some of the same issues after the second pass.  I considered the cost (great price/"get what you pay for") and compared "before" to the "after", and deemed the floors acceptable.  I was also quite ready to get on with the nesting phase; the gypsy routine can be wearing.

And I still have some water damaged corners to repair- the attempted patch job the floor guys did wasn't acceptable.  at. all.  I have materials on hand to do that, I just need to plan the messy job and borrow some tools and an extra pair of hands.  

After:

Some dark spots, a result from leaky roofs and standing water:










Close up- what the majority of the floor looks like:

my accidental discovery of not-so-ancient OxiClean not-so-secret

Sodium percarbonate, which is essentially powdered hydrogen peroxide, gives OxiClean it's magical cleaning powah apparently.

I came across this info via some article about something else on a friend's page at facebook earlier, and was reminded by this today when I lost my mind googling for suggestions on how to deal with my bathroom's was-once-white tile floor. (See also: original. See also: 60+ years old. See also: bleach makes me wanna die.)

And so far with the floor? Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda FTW. The in-the-corner-and-behind- the-toilet_ness is just taking forever. Empty houses get dirtier than I ever imagined possible, especially in those hardest to reach but plainly visible spots.

Some informatively helpful links:

• Oxygen bleach research
• Oxygen bleach cleaning tips

And I since have an empty spray bottle Imma mix up some hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate (/soda ash... or washing soda) for something sorta like liquid OxiClean (an alternate recipe using baking soda can be found here). Note: I've yet to try the baking soda/second recipe, so I can't vouch for it. I DO always have a spray bottle on hand with the hydrogen peroxide + washing soda mixture, though and LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  A lot.


The least expensive sodium percarbonate online sources I've discovered thus far:

• ebay
• chemistrystore.com

Another note: we're working with pounds of a raw material here, so expect shipping to cost more than the actual product.

I've not yet had a chance to seek it out locally, but it's on my to do list. Also, if anyone finds a great source for this stuff, please gimme a shout!

UPDATE: Not much luck in a local search until discovering Ecover's Non-Chlorine Bleach is 100% sodium percarbonate.  In Atlanta, it's available at Whole Foods and many independent natural/health food type places. I have yet to check prices, but I love the option to avoid the big "raw materials" shipping fees!

UPDATE to the UPDATE: I've discovered Green Cleaners USA, who carries sodium percarbonate. While the product price is a bit higher than other online sources, the price per pound decreases the more you buy AND they offer FREE SHIPPING.

So... I bought 2 lbs for a trial run and had no problems with the purchase what so ever.

One label on the [inner] (there are 2) bag identifies the product and another contains words of caution and the url for mixing instructions. OMG I can clean anything (well... except silk, wool or redwood). 

*Squee*! I'm completely geeking out on this now... even though I should be prepping to go camping this weekend...

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: (JAN 2012) The awesome source above stopped offering consumer sized portions. I'll re-look into the Ecover product as well as the discount store option, Sun Oxygen Cleaner (sodium carbonate peroxide, which is sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate,  which is soda ash, which is washing soda).

Backlog- I has it!

I have been so busy with the house I've not really documented anything. But... I've done 900 gizillion little thing that aren't exactly worth documenting.

I have made some interesting discoveries along the way.

I didn't refinish the floors myself, though. I researched myself right outta that project!

As things settle, I plan to give this place a little attention and love...

Reprioritizing

The house has been empty for a while, therefore it is a sitting target.

The front door was kicked in and the appliances were removed. Fortunately my Dad was able to get over there to secure the house until we all descend upon it in a couple of weeks. The first item on the to-do list is now 'replace door surround'. It's not a job I'll be able to do by myself; fortunately I've got handy family members within driving range.

*sigh*

First things first: refinishing hardwood floors

First order of business for the house will be to refinish the hardwoods. (Unless there's painting left to do...)

It's the original floor and it's in sound shape, it just hasn't been handled with care in the house's 70+ year lifespan. I plan to give it love and make it shiny and happy again.

Ah but decisions, decisions and more pro/con lists. Oil or water based? To stain or not to stain? Argh!

DIY advice is not created equal-links I found helpful (in completely random order):

• cost helper: advice on estimating project cost
  
• extreme how-to: thorough how-to, includes floor repair
• directoryM.com: detailed prep and repair info
• NOFMA Finishing Hardwood Floors: (opens pdf) A. Whole. Lotta. Information.
  
• Popular Mechanics: prep advice and info re:water based finishes
• Ask Anthony @ cafemom.com: Anthony Gilardi from HGTV gives gentle first time advice, references this hometime.com how-to
• This Old House: refinishing school- a wealth of information TOH style
  
• This Old House: Tom Silva's advice on applying basecoat + waterbased polyurethane to a sanded hardwood floors (how-to video on the page)
  
• easy2diy.com's Refinishing floors with a drum sander: basic how-to video
  
• easy2diy.com's Refinishing floors with an oscillating sander: basic how-to video
• Associated Content: 5 minute how-to video (sans dust walls...)
  

And Northside Tool Rental seems to be THE place if'n you're in Atlanta.

yet another blog!

I was perusing some other blog discussing how to organize thoughts, inspiration, ideas and such for remodeling, etc. and someone mentioned they created a blog for that very purpose. I love this so much more than the 3 ring binder idea- I do all my research online and I always have the shiny baby blackberry within reach, so I'll not have to worry about not having accesss to information when it's needed.

Et voila, another blog for me!