Cute table make-over

As all you who know me may know, I love a bargain and see beauty where others may see only junk!

So, next time you need something, don't buy/over pay...RENEW!

As a Home-Staging Realtor, I am always looking for budget items to stage with, but I can't keep everything. This table is a good example of how to put life into things that seem to have no life left. I got it on CL for $20 and spent $8 on paint, plus used fabric I had to recover the seats. In all I estimate my total at $35.

I later resold it for $142 to a young couple who just loved it! Maybe I could've sold it for more but I wanted them to have it.

WHAT I DID: Cleaned the glass, painted the base and chairs, recovered the seats with some material I had. I as you can see I stencilled the word sit on each chair. I had another more fun design in mind, but making the stencil was easier with this simple word!

FOR THE STENCIL: I just printed out the word "sit" (again, I went for ease here!) and traced it on wax paper. If youd don't have a printer, you can tape the paper right on your screen and trace! Cut out the letters and sprayed the was paper with removable spray adhesive(get a bit tacky & sticky but not totally glues on), centered on the material and spray painted over it (using a brush didn't work for me!).  You have to hold the can about 6 inches away and spray evenly and light coats until the shape is evenly painted. Let dry and remove stencil!

I used RUST-OLEUM Painter's Touch in matte black for this and other projects.
Once I stapled the material to the seats I trimmed the excess off.
Ta dahhh!!!! All in a day's work!

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Pasta Puttanesca

This meatless dish could not be easier to make and more delicious and healthy!

I love making it with thin spaghetti or a flat noodle. The fresh parsley and basil give it an amazing flavor and aroma that is simply irresistible! I first had this when my good friend, Debbie K. made it for me years ago in Fremont, CA. 

I've added a few other ingredients I love, like the olives, parsley, and the capers, but the essence of the dish is the pasta, garlic, tomatoes, basil, and the wine.

INGREDIENTS:
Pasta - I use thin spaghetti, about 7oz/half a box.
1 Tbsp EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)
4 Tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces (very chunky)
2 Cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
1/2 Tsp Red pepper flakes
1/2 cup White wine
1/2 cup Basil, chopped
1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
1 cup Kalamata olives
1 Tbsp Capers
S&P to taste


INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Heat EVOO and add pepper flakes and garlic and as soon as the garlic starts to brown and you can smell it, add the tomatoes.  Cook tomatoes for just a couple of minutes and add the wine and the rest of the ingredients.  Season with S&P to taste and turn off the heat and cover the pan, letting the tomatoes cook in the steam for 5-10 minutes.
Serve over hot pasta and enjoy.  I love having a glass of white wine with this dish.

DIY Gift Tags

Gift tags are like birthday candles and umbrellas, everyone has them but can't find when you need them! And in my case, I can never seem to have "right" ones!!

Well, being that it's so easy to make/cut your own tags, why not just do that when you need them? 

So, here are some examples I've done for this Christmas, but that I'm now (that I saw the light!) planning to use throughout the year!

Find shapes of tags you want to make, or use cookie cutters, jar lids, and just trace them on cardboard (I use recycled boxes from cereal, crackers, or alike!). 

Save and use/upcycle interesting papers you get from all kinds of sources, save scraps of craft paper to make different shapes and size tags for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Housewarming, or ANY other gift tag-requiring event!

One other thing I do is save/reuse EVERY ribbon, string, or anything that can be used to wrap/tie gifts! Like below the brown/white rope ribbon was save from something else.

I also save tags from things I buy as templates to duplicate the shapes.  Making your tags makes gifts that much more special I think!  

Merry Christmas and happy gift tag making!!

HomeMade Croutons

These deliciously crunchy & tasty little morsels are made out of old bread, from my own homemade bread, but you can use any bread you have! I'm actually not a big fan of croutons, unless they're homemade! Store-bought croutons are always either too hard or too light and void of substance, to me!

INGREDIENTS:
Half loaf of bread.  Here I used my own homemade bread.  Denser crustier bread works best.
3 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
Salt & pepper to taste

BAKE: 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with foil.
Slice bread lengthwise, like you're going to make a sandwich, then into slices at an angle,  and  finally into bite size cubes.

In a bowl just big enough for croutons or in a plastic bag and drizzle croutons with oil while tossing to get a bit of oil on each crouton.  Then sprinkle salt & pepper to taste. And finally sprinkle garlic and onion powder, while tossing.

Spread on single layer on foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Check them and see they're to your liking, and if not, bake for another two minutes.  ENJOY!!

Turkey Orzo Soup

Did you save your turkey carcass??
By The Way, there should be another name for carcass when it's used for cooking! I'm just saying.

Hope you did, I ALWAYS do and then we have turkey noodle (orzo) soup all weekend following Thanksgiving! I use orzo because the regular noodles soak up too much liquid and then become super large and soggy.  Using orzo was my later mother-in-law, Carolyn's idea - not mine!

INGREDIENTS:
Turkey carcass (I also use the carcass of store-bought rotisserie chicken)
4 cups chopped celery
4 cups chopped carrots
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp dry thyme (or 4 fresh sprigs)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup green onion, chopped - optional
Tabasco sauce, to taste - optional

MAKES: 10-15 large bowls

INSTRUCTIONS:
In large pot add enough water to cover the carcass.  Gently boil with onions and salt until meat falls off the bone, about 1 hr or so. 

Remove/skim as much of the fat from the top as possible. 
Take out all the bones and let them cool, then remove as much of the meat as possible and put it back in the broth.

Add the celery and carrots and cook another 20 minutes or so until they are tender. While veggies are cooking, cook orzo according to package directions, then add to soup. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. DONE!!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I love adding freshly chopped green onions on top and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce for a bit of kick. ENJOY!!

No-knead Bread, Fast!

Ever been in the mood to make bread but then found out you had to let it "rest" OVERNIGHT!? NO WAY!
 

Crusty exterior with soft light inside, but not to doughy. Great for sandwiches too!

Well, since I'm not the world's best planner when it comes to cooking, do not own (or plan to ever own) a bread machine, this happened to many a times.  Frustrated I set out to find a way to make bread on a whim, and make it without a huge production.

Thus....this simple recipe I perfected after making it only three times!

INGREDIENTS:
3 Cups all purpose flour
1 Tsp Kosher salt
1 1/4-oz envelope RapidRise Highly Active Yeast( I use Fleischmann's)
1 3/4 Cups warm water

REST TIME: 2 hrs
BAKE TIME: 40 mins @ 450 degrees

 MIX all ingredients with a wooden spoon until well combined.  Dough will be sticky.

LET REST for 2 hours in airtight container. I put mine inside my microwave.  It will about double or triple in size. 

KNEAD dough just until bubbles are gone and dough is smooth...about a minute.
At this point you could add flavors like: cheeses, garlic, olives, ect.  This is right before kneading and forming into a loaf. I've only added garlic, but plan to experiment with adding other flavors!

SHAPE into bread shape(s).  You can make one or two loaves. AT THIS POINT, before shaping, you can add other flavors, like pan roasted garlic, kalamata olives, cheeses, ect.

Here I browned some garlic in some EVOO and added it to the dough before baking.

 Here is shaped it into two loaves.

You could also shape into a round shape, as below. To this I added some dried thyme and EVOO right after taking it out of the oven.  Delish!!

 COVER bread loosely with crinkled foil. I crimp the edges of foil to the side of the pan and with a long spoon lift the middle to make a "tent" for  over the bread.  If you skip this you may burn it!

 BAKE  on cookie sheet at 450 for 35 minutes covered, then remove foil and bake 5 more minutes until golden brown.

Result, beautiful and delicious bread with a nice crust and soft inside.  This bread is not so think so you can slice it for sandwiches, or in rounds for crostini! ENJOY!!!

Great Find - Bamboo Glass Top Table

 So, why pay full price for anything when you don't have to?? 
Well, unless you like paying more, here is just one of my great Craigslist finds! Some times it's a thrift store find or garage sale, you name it.

Results....this like new beautiful thing!!

 Below is how this table came to me. No glass and cushions ripped and stained. I paid $30. Everything else though was in great shape and sturdy!

 This glass table above was $15, which is what I used for the bamboo table.  The glass is think and beautiful.

 I recovered the cushions in this beautiful cream material I had for drapes that I had never used. I think it cost me like $2.00!.  I used a 25"x25" piece for each chair.

 I cut off all the excess material and I made sure ALL PLEADS WERE FACING IN THE SAME DIRECTION for more a more smooth look.

The chairs look fantastic in person and recovering them couldn't have been easier and more fun!

Okay, now I'm just going to stare at it a little longer and enjoy the fruits of my labor, because saving money never gets old to me!!!