Recovering ugly chairs

I bought my dining room table about 10 years ago. I didn't have children, or money. It was a small table with 4 chairs and I think I paid about $100. Quite a bargain! Over the course of the years the veneer chipped, bubbled and warped. The top of the table was uneven, stained and pretty unappealing. Also, I have two kids now. The smaller table wasn't working well for crafts, dinner and everything else that dining tables are used for. So I packed up hubby and monsters and headed to Lowe's where I found a very large piece of wood and some nice stain. I removed the old, ugly table top and screwed on the now stained wood. In no time I had a super-sized table!
But the chairs. They were falling apart. Literally. Pieces would break off, screws would fall out and I had to reattach the seats constantly. This poor table. I should just put it out of its misery and send it to the dump, but the thought of shopping for a new table does not fill my heart with glee. Instead I keep replacing, recovering and refinishing. I have twice before recovered the chairs and I think I have replaced every screw at least once in all 4 chairs. Through all that, I was now left with one original chair. I had this great plan to get 5 more chairs, all of various design, and recover them all with the same fabric, possibly even paint them. It would look eclectic and cute (I hoped).
Before I could find even one chair I wanted to refinish, let alone 5, the lone hold out from the original 4 dies. No chairs. My dining table has no chairs. How did this happen?! So I grabbed my younger brother and we set off to scour thrift stores in search of 6 similar, yet different chairs that I would then make look fabulous. We walked into the first thrift store and found 5 of these.

Hideous purple things that look like they belong on the patio of a Mexican restaurant where you pour your own soda. But I saw potential! And at just $5 a piece I was willing to give them a chance.

I removed the seat with a screw driver and laid it on some fabric like so:

Cut the fabric, making sure I had plenty to wrap all the around and simply starting stapling. I used a Stanley t100 staple gun, just $15 at WalMart. The fabric I had from previous projects, but I didn't have quite enough for all 5 so I had to use coordinating fabric on 2 chairs. Maybe not the eclectic look I had originally envisioned but I now have seating for 5 and what amounts to a whole new dining set for a grand total of: $50

Baskets on a wall

Found this idea on pinterest and I applied it to my own bathroom.

My bathroom is large enough, it's just oddly narrow. So storage is a premium and vertical space needs to be utilized. Thankfully I had a few of these wicker baskets that my kids have somehow allowed to escape from their path of destruction. A stud finder, some screws and voila! Instant (and free!) towel storage.

Gluten Free chicken nuggets

1 cup rice flour
1/3 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp each: garlic salt, chili powder, pepper, & salt
5 chicken breasts
Deep fryer, full of oil

Cube chicken, place in freezer for 10 minutes.
Combine all dry ingredients.
Stir in chicken.
Fry approximately 12 minutes in very hot oil.

I made a bunch to freeze. Now my little sweetie has chicken nuggets, ready to go.

And they are gluten free, dairy free and egg free. Which means Killian Friendly!

Gluten free creamy chicken pasta

My house has been hit by the wrath of the wheat monster. Yes, we are now almost completely gluten free. I will possibly delve into this in another post and/or on another blog. But for now, here is a wonderful, if not exactly healthy, gluten free chicken dinner.
Enjoy!

1/2 box gluten free penne pasta
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped well
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup prepared pesto sauce (I prefer Costco brand, better than homemade)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
salt, pepper, olive oil

Cook gluten free pasta according to directions.
In large frying pan heat olive oil. Add chicken strips and cook until almost done. Add garlic, salt and pepper and cook additional 3 minutes.
Transfer prepared pasta to casserole dish. Mix in pesto and broccoli. Top with chicken, sprinkle peas over pasta.
bake at 375 for 15 minutes
Sprinkle cheese on top and broil for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Serve and savor!

Stacy's Chicken Enchiladas

So good, so easy, so filling!
*see additional instructions below to make this dairy-free

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked & shredded chicken
1 brick cream cheese
2 cups salsa (spiciness to taste)
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper

2 Tbl Olive oil
8 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350'
Combine first 6 ingredients.
Coat 9x13 pan with olive oil.
Fill tortillas with Chicken mixture & wrap in burrito style.
Place wraps in pan.
Bake 20 minutes
Cover with cheese
bake additional 10 minutes
Cover with warm enchilada sauce
Serve with corn & large side salad. YUM!

If you want to make these super-healthy I have included some easy add-ons. Feel free to use any or all, they should go unnoticed by all but the most sensitive of tasters.
Puree 1/4 cup canned white beans and sub these for same amount of cream cheese.
To chicken mix add 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach.
Add 1/4 cup chopped carrots to salsa.
Cover with 1/4 cup chopped fresh or canned (chopped) tomatoes, along with enchilada sauce.

To make this dairy free and more allergy friendly simply use soy cream cheese and omit the corn. I have it on good authority that soy cream cheese is an excellent and nearly undetectable replacement for cow's milk cream cheese.

How to shred chicken for dinner tonight

There are a few ways to shred a lot of chicken in a hurry.

First method involves a rotisserie chicken bought from any grocery store.
Just, ya know, take it apart. It should basically shred on its own, as you disassemble it. Get quart freezer bags to save the meat in serving portions to suit your family's needs. The average family should be able to make at least 3 meals from a whole chicken out of the deli.
1. Roasted chicken with potatoes and green beans
2. Shredded Chicken Quesadillas with broccoli and black beans
3. Taco Soup (will post recipe asap)
All of these can be made with very little preparation and in less than 30 minutes.

The second method would be to use a pressure cooker. I have a fancy new digital or electronic pressure cooker but I used to use an older style pressure cooker. Either way will work to cook in a hurry.
I hate to send you away, but the best method for cooking a whole chicken in a pressure cooker is found here
If you plan to use your pressure cooker to cook one of those bags of chicken breasts found in most grocery stores then you'll:
place the roasting rack in your cooker
empty the bag of breasts into your pressure cooker
add 1/2 cup water or stock
cook on High (let pressure regulator rock on high) about 15 minutes
allow pressure to drop naturally
shred with a fork and freeze in quart bags, portions according to your family size

You can then use your shredded chicken for SO many recipes. Enchiladas (recipe to follow asap), quesadillas, taco soup, stir fry, alfredo pizza, chicken scampi,chicken chili, thai pizza....

Online Learning Games from Fisher-Price – For Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers

Online Learning Games from Fisher-Price – For Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers

Leftover Turkey or Chicken

After picking apart the remains of your Thanksgiving turkey or perhaps even a rotisserie or whole roasted chicken use the leftover meat and turn it into this zesty asian-inspired soup.

To slow cooker or crockpot add:
3 cups leftover turkey or chicken
3 cans chicken broth
1 can refilled with water
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup instant brown rice
1 cup chopped cabbage

Cook in crockpot till done. Yummy!
Side note about the last four ingredients. If you like it less spicy reduce both curry & pepper by half the amounts listed.
Add the rice & cabbage during the last 3 hours, if possible. If they cook the whole time they'll be a little too mushy for my tastes.

Welcome back

I am back from my seemingly everlasting maternity leave/computer meltdown. I now have a working computer & two boys. I believe as of my last post I had a computer teetering on the edge of death and only 1 son. Kolter Gauge Burnside is healthy, fat & so happy.
Killian's allergies are news-worthy. His milk and egg allergies are almost non-existent according to the allergist's blood tests. His egg decreased from about 1.5 to .54 and his milk was at .98 at one year old and down to .49 at his two year appointment. Which means he is in the mild/sensitive category for those two. Unfortunately his peanut went from what we assumed was 0 to a whopping 7.74! Yuck. He is likely to have an anaphylactic reaction if he happens to ingest peanuts or peanut products. On the bright side we have made the family transition to almond butter to replace peanut butter and we all love it.
We remain hopeful for a cure and/or that he will outgrow allergies. Our allergist did say he expects a peanut allergy cure to be readily available in 5-10 years, as Duke University and others are having raging success curing food allergies through very slowly introducing tiny amounts of the known allergen into the system.
I'll try to continue to update this page with the lastest in allergy news, allergy-friendly recipes, short cuts, time savers etc. Thanks for reading!

Slow Cooker Carnitas (Re-posted due to popularity)

2lb. Pork Shoulder roast, or boneless loin, ribs etc.
1/4-1/2 cup water
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1 can seasoned, stewed tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup orange puree, if available, or throw in some chopped carrots
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Add water, seasonings, tomatoes and orange puree (or carrots) to Crock Pot, stir until well blended. Add roast and coat in seasoning juice.
Pour garlic over roast. Cover and cook on low until roast is done, 6-8 hours, turning & stirring occasionally if you can. The carrots will disappear as they turn to mush. Your family will eat secret veggies!
Once done pull out roast and cut netting off, then shred and cut up roast removing any fatty pieces. Return to Crockpot, add beans and continue to cook as long as possible, up to an hour.
Serve with tortillas, cilantro, guacamole, cheese, hot sauce and sour cream.

Rice Krispie Treats

What?! A recipe for Rice Krispie Treats? Surely she jests?
Yup, go all the way back to 7th grade home economics and remember that first recipe you tried on your own? That's what we're making. But these Rice Krispie Treats have super powers! They are very allergy friendly (Not for celiac sufferers, unfortunately) and they have some actual health benefits. They contain iron, fiber, calcium and protein. They will stay soft, even overnight. I didn't measure the standard ingredients, so I'll guess, but feel free to add the last 2 ingredients to whatever recipe you like.

1 Tbl. Parkay squeeze (or other non-dairy margarine)
1 bag mini marshmallows
8 (or so) cups Rice Krispie-like cereal
1 Tbl. wheat bran (Bob's Red Mill or other bulk bran)
1 Tbl milk or soy milk

Now melt the margarine, add the marshmallows. Just as the marshmallows are getting smooth add the wheat bran. It looks a little suspect at first, so don't let anyone catch you at this step! Once the cereal is mixed in, you'll never be able to tell there's anything in there, I promise. Once it's thoroughly stirred in, add the milk. The milk is what will make your Treats stay soft for days, instead of hours. Add your cereal and flatten into a large glass dish.
Because these are so soft you should wait at least 20-30 minutes before you eat them. After that, feed your family a deliciously healthy treat!

Make your own nursing bra

After a grueling search for a nursing bra that is comfortable and padded (reducing 'headlight' infractions) I found this site to make your own. I am now off to go buy a few bras. I plan to cut the clasps out of the bras I used while nursing Killian and re-sew them into the new bras.
I can't even begin to relay how excited I am at the thought of being able to wear a push-up and have some oomph while being a milkmaid!
Who knew you could put those giant things to good use in more than one way at a time?

Homemade Bread, all vegan friendly and everything

As usual I found this on Allrecipes and changed it drastically. The result was super-duper yummy fresh baked bread. I am still experimenting with other changes but I've listed the two recipes that have so far turned into the best baked loaves.

Light & Fluffy Bread

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons, or 1 packet, active dry yeast

Using the order listed above, place all ingredients into the bread machine.
Set to dough cycle.
Once mixing is complete you can remove your dough from the machine.
Knead into a ball, then stretch to resemble a thick rectangle, approximately the same size as your loaf pan.
Punch dough into greased loaf pan
Set on counter and allow to rise again
Once dough is over the top of your pan place in oven
Bake 375' for 25 minutes

Seasoned Bread

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tsp season salt
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  
• 1/2 tsp oregano
  
• 1/2 tsp basil
  
• 1 tsp dried onion
  
• 2 1/4 teaspoons, or 1 packet, active dry yeast

A Year of CrockPotting: CrockPot Rice Pudding Recipe

A Year of CrockPotting: CrockPot Rice Pudding Recipe

Anyone up tp make this vegan or allergy friendly? I'll let you know if I do. It sure sounds yummy, but I would need to use only soy milk and cut out the eggs somehow....

Pumpkin Pancakes (Veganized for your pleasure)

Adapted from allrecipes and thoroughly changed by Katy

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 & 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups vanilla soymilk
• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup applesauce
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, applesauce, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a frying pan over low-medium heat and add a bit of Parkay Squeeze (vegan!) margarine. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
3. Cook all batter and freeze leftovers. Microwave for about 30 seconds for a quick breakfast with hidden fruits & veggies!
   

Breakfast Cookies for Killian

Killian and I (and Preston, but that's a different post) started attending play group. It's very "feel good" and crunchy, focusing on non-violent parenting and establishing independence in your toddler. I hate it. Not because of what they teach but because Killian is forced to change activities every 15 minutes or so and he hates to sit still for story time. He will at home, where he can touch the book and help turn pages, but not in a group setting with so many other things to do.
In addition they serve snack which seems to consist of stupid Goldfish crackers! The playgroup is sponsored by the Idaho Healthy Families Initiative. How, exactly, do Goldfish crackers fit into that? Killian can't have Goldfish crackers, as I remind them almost every week, so he gets whatever I brought as a replacement and I am wracked with nameless bad feelings and guilt over my son's allergies. I hate separating his food like he's some little freak and I get so annoyed that they continue to serve these rainbow colored demons within arm's reach of him.
Last week I left Killian's graham crackers there so I wouldn't have to remember them every week. But someone stole them! Of course this week they were serving breakfast cookies with egg listed in the ingredients and I had no replacement. Granted Killian's allergies are mild enough that baked cookies with egg as an ingredient don't bother him but they don't know that and I try to keep the egg and milk intake to a minimum. He does get an upset tummy and we both pay the price if he overdoes it. The very, very kind lady that ran the group took the orange out of her lunch and served that for snack instead. I was extremely appreciative!
So this whole long vent leads to a great outcome. I modified a No Bake Cookie recipe from Allrecipes.com to come up with healthy, delicious Vegan Breakfast Cookies. They contain loads of anti-oxidants, oats, not too much sugar and protein in the form of peanut butter. Recipe follows:

Vegan Breakfast Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan over medium heat combine the maple syrup, oil, & cocoa. Boil for three minutes or until thickened and smooth, stirring constantly.
   
2. In separate bowl combine peanut butter and vanilla until well blended.
3. Add oats and stir as much as possible into peanut mixture.
   
4. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and stir in the oat mix. Stir until well blended.
   
5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper and chill to set, about 30 minutes.

Never Know It's Healthy Chili

An easy and delicious slow cooker chili. It is allergy-friendly for most allergens. It has tons of hidden veggies and enough seasoning that you'd never guess it was low fat! I always make this large recipe and freeze individual servings for quick re-heats.

Ingredients

2lbs Ground beef, turkey or game

1/4 Onion, chopped

2 cans Black beans

2 Small cans tomato sauce

2 cans Diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon Chili powder

1 Red bell pepper, chopped finely

1 Yellow bell pepper, chopped finely

2 cups Baby carrots (about 20) chopped finely

1 teaspoon Paprika

Pinch of oregano

1/2 tablespoon Garlic powder

1 teaspoon Cumin

Salt and pepper

1/2 tablespoon Season salt

Preparation

Cook both meats through then add onion and cook until soft. Drain off grease and place meat and onion mix in a colander over your sink. Open both cans of beans and empty into colander over meat. Rinse everything thoroughly under hot water. Add to Crockpot.

Add all remaining ingredients to Crockpot and cook on low for at least 3 hours and a maximum of 10. Enjoy!

Sites to Ease the Pain of Domesticity

Visit Geezeo
This is a personal finance site. Set a budget, track your spending, personalize your bill pay reminders. Do it all in one free, easy to use site!

SpringPadit
This is a site for all of those who love a To-Do list! Instead of trying to find that crumpled piece of paper wadded up in your purse just keep it online. Make grocery lists, keep recipes, even plan ahead a week of meals, all just a click away.

ConsumerSay
You know when you think, "A mom/woman/person could not have invented this or it would work so much better?" Well, make them listen here!

Visit Venus Smile Makeover
And once you've gotten all your bills paid, added to your savings, planned all your meals, gone grocery shopping and made the world a slightly better place you can visit this site and give yourself a virtual makeover! C'mon, you deserve a laugh and a break.

Literally Sick of the Time Change

Ugh! Killian was sick all last week and I spent all weekend throwing up and struggling to keep down gatorade so I didn't get everything finished. I feel like I should get a reprieve and I am generously allowing myself an extra week to finish. I guess that's a mom's prerogative, though, right? See ya soon!

Time Change is Approaching

So I have accomplished a lot but I am not done with my list yet. Since I only have until Sunday I better get crackin' on my bi-annual cleaning spree! Here is my original list:

1. Check all smoke detectors.
2. Replace fridge's water filter.
   
3. Clean out kitchen cabinets. Donate what's unlikely to be eaten and rarely used small appliances.
4. Move and clean behind stove and fridge.
5. Clean all interior windows.
6. Clean all exterior windows. (YIKES!)
7. Get carpets professionally cleaned.
8. Dust all light fixtures and replace at least 1 bulb in each room with a CFL.
9. Get yard ready for winter *directions to follow* including getting all toys boxed up and inside.
10. Clean baseboards!

And here is my revised list:

1. Reclean all interior windows and make Killian stop licking them.
   
2. Schedule carpet cleaner
3. Replace fridge's water filter.
4. Organize kitchen cabinets. Collect unused appliances and give as Christmas present to poor, unemployed brother.
5. Clean behind stove. (Did the fridge!)
6. Finish the light fixture cleaning.
   
7. Clean baseboards!

I am more than halfway done if you look to see that many of the BIG jobs have been removed. I mowed my lawn and had the sprinklers winterized already. All toys and wood from the deck project have been placed in an appropriate area until next year. I may do a bit more work, like chop the weed field down and get the junk pile on the side of the house to the dump but all necessary lawn care has been finished. I have gone through both the kitchen and the cold storage for excess food and donated it all to either the food bank or the poor/unemployed brother so now I need to go through my mixing bowls and small appliances to get my cupboards nice and bare. Some light fixtures have been cleaned but unfortunately I had to replace all the bulbs in my ceiling fan so all my cfl bulbs are in use and will not be spread throughout the house at this time. I will continue to replace burnt bulbs with a cfl though.
As for the exterior windows, they were really not that hard to clean. I fear no ladder so I just climbed up with a bucket of soapy water, a squeegee from Bed, Bath & Beyond, a few dry rags and Windex. For detailed instructions post a comment and I'll get them to you. It was actually kind of fun playing with a bucket of soapy water on a nice warm and sunshiney day. Of course there was a storm that same week so all my work was for naught. Such is the life of an overly ambitious housewife!
I am now down to a few very manageable tasks that are all under the 20 minute range. If I could make myself do them instead of reading a new novel every spare minute...