RECESSED SHELVING

This is what happens when it's 30 below, and I have too much time on my hands...

.

I start ripping up walls...This is in my 10 foot by 10 foot kitchen, where I have 3 doors, and 2 windows. There just is no room for all my "pretties. I knew I would find use for that 6 inches between the walls!

If you aer planning a project like this, please check for any wiring first, and only  break thru inside walls, as all outside ones will be packed with useful insulation.

Here is the "after " pictures after wallpapering with that great faux beadboard pattern. All said and done, less than 50 bucks for trim board,white paint, and wallpaper. I GOT THIS!

                Table full of  all the pretties from my shelves...yep I may be a hoarder....

SOUTHERN FRIED PORK CHOPS

 

Ingredients

 

4 boneless pork chops, thin sliced

1 cup of flour

3 large  or 4 medium eggs

2 cups of  Panko or cracker crumbs

salt and pepper

coconut oil for frying

Sauce

 

1 cup evaporated milk

 

1 T. flour

 

1/2 cup mushrooms (fresh or canned)

4 teaspoons djon  mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

 

(add to a small kettle, stir constantly and bring to a boil.Boil 1 minute til thick, remove from heat.)

Salt and pepper the pork chops. Coat pork chops in flour . Dip in the beaten egg mixture. Coat with Panko or cracker crumbs. Let them set for about 5 minutes and the coating will set very well.

When the oil is hot, place pork chops into the pan, and fry for about 3 minutes .Flip the chops, and fry another  minutes until a delighful  crispy golden brown. Drain on paper towels before plating.

 

 

I made onion rings, salad and Artisan bread with mine..it's all a preference.

 

 

 

 

      And the next night make sammiches with the leftovers!!!

 

 

 

 

 

FRIED CHICKEN

 If you are planning ahead for this recipe, if you brine your chicken for 4 hours or more, this will be exceptionally delicious. 1 cup salt to 1 quart water, add chicken pieces, and let sit . Drain and start recipe....

 

 

 Ingredients

• 1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup ranch dressing
• 2 Tablespoons Djon style mustard
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon  pepper
• Self rising flour, for dredging~about 2 cups
• Vegetable shortening, for frying, I like Crisco

 

Melt enough shortening (over low heat) to come just 1/3-inch up the side of a 12-inch cast iron skillet, electric or heavy fry pan. Once shortening is melted raise heat to 325 degrees F. Do not allow oil to go over 325 degrees F.
Drain chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Combine salt,mayo, garlic powder, ranch, mustard, eggs and pepper in a large bowl.Mix well with a fork . Coat chicken with this mixture. Place flour in a paper shopping bag, add a couple pieces of chickenat a time into the bag and shake until coated with  flour and shake off excess.
Place chicken skin side down into the pan. Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 180 degrees. (Be careful to monitor shortening temperature every few minutes.)
Drain by setting chicken directly on your brown paper bag you used for flour .

 

 

 

 

DUTCH BABY

A Dutch baby pancake, sometimes called a German pancake, a Bismarck, or a Dutch puff, is a sweet popover that is normally served for breakfast. It is derived from the German pfannkuchen. It is made with eggs, flour, sugar and milk, and usually seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon, although occasionally fruit or another flavoring is also added. It is baked in a cast iron or metal pan and falls soon after being removed from the oven. It is generally served with fresh squeezed lemon, butter, and powdered sugar, fruit toppings or syrup.

The Dutch Baby was originally served as three small Dutch babies served with powdered sugar and fresh squeezed lemon juice but eventually the "Big Dutch Baby" was invented and gained popularity. The Big Dutch Baby is usually what is referred to when reading about Dutch babies.

I like these sweet or savory. Fruit and whipped cream is the bomb, but if you slice some apples in the pan before adding the batter, that is awesome too. If I don't have any fruit, chocolate chips or a nice drizzle of hershey's syrup is awesome also.

For a savory dutch baby the sky is the limit. Just about any ingredient you would add to an omelet would be great. Experiment, the sky is the limit!

RECIPE

4 eggs
1 cup All Purpose flour
1 cup milk
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp.salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 T butter (melted in pan)



Preheat oven to 450. Put Cast iron skillet in oven while it preheats so skillet is very hot. Once oven and pan are up to temperature, add butter to pan to melt.

Mix ingredients in blender. Remove pan from oven, pour melted butter into batter, give a quick blend, then pour batter back into pan and place back in the oven. Cooking time is about 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown .You can peek at it thru the oven window, but do not open cause you might make that po' baby collapse!
Tips:
Mix up the batter only right before baking.
Use room temp ingredients.
Hot oven, hot pan before starting.
   

HEARTY HAMBURGER POTATO CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

• 1 lb  ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 4 potatoes - thinly sliced
• 1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
•  1 large can condensed cream of chicken soup 
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 2 carrots peeled and sliced thin
• 3/4 milk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a skillet cook the ground beef with onion, until well cooked. Rinse and drain fat.
2. Add in garlic, salt and black pepper, soup, milk, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder; mix well to combine. Add carrots and potatoes.
3. Cover with lid for about 1 hour at 300 degrees F.
4. Top with cheddar cheese, and serve.

DYEING FEATHERS

It is quite easy to dye feathers, you just have to use not-to-harsh chemicals so that you do not destroy the feathers.

 Mix 2 teaspoons Rit Dye(or) Kool Aid, 1 teaspoon vinegar ,and  a pinch of salt in 3/4 cup of warm water. Make sure the container is not metal. I use a mason jar. 

Add feathers and make sure they are covered in liquid.

Put the container in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir, and repeat for 2 more minutes. Let sit or 10 minutes.

Remove feathers, rinse under cold water , and blow dry. That's it!

BEFORE

AFTER

Great for crafts, fly fishing lures, hair extentions, etc.

HOMEMADE GINGERALE

Who doesn't love a healthy homemade fizzy lifting drink?

I recently gave up all that nasty soda, and splurged on a Sodastream.

Here is an awesome recipe , and who knew Ginger had so many health benefits!

 Benefits of Ginger

Ginger improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body.

Ginger clears the ‘microcirculatory channels’ of the body, including the pesky sinuses that tend to flare up from time to time.

Feeling airsick or nauseous?ginger, preferably tossed in a little honey.

Can’t stop the toots? Gas—oops—guess what?! Ginger helps reduce flatulence!

Tummy moaning and groaning under cramps? Munch on ginger.

Reeling under joint pain? Ginger, with its anti-inflammatory properties—can bring relief. Float some ginger essential oil into your bath to help aching muscles and joints.

 Chewing ginger post-operation can help overcome nausea.

Helps to get rid of throat and nose congestion.

Bedroom blues? the Ayurvedic texts credit ginger with aphrodisiac properties

Ginger’s antioxidant activity is thought to explain its possible anticancer effects.

Ginger is as effective as ibuprofen in relieving menstrual pain. Ginger has also been reported to be effective at reducing pain and swelling in patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee, rheumatoid arthritis and general muscle discomfort.

Ginger contains essential oils, protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin C, choline, folate, inositol, manganese, panthotenic acid, silicon, and vitamin B3.

Ginger is soothing and helps clear up phlegm, and aids in reducing a cough.

It helps with impotency, premature ejaculation and increase sperm count.

Ginger makes an excellent pain killer, even when applied externally. In headache, apply ginger juice to the forehead. With toothache, apply it to the external area either on the cheek or jaw area.


Ginger Fizzy Lifting Drink 

1 cup chopped ginger
1 cups granulated or raw sugar, I use Stevia
3 cups water

lime wedge (optional)
a little bit o’ bitters (optional)
ice
1. chop the ginger as much as you can and place the ginger, water and sugar/stevia in a blender and puree for 3 minutes,
2. place gingermix in a kettle, and on medium/high bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for an hour to an hour and a half, or until the liquid has reduced down by more than half. when it looks like thickish it’s finished.
3. Remove from heat and let syrup cool completely .Store in a jar of some type in the refrigerator .It will last for a month, but mine is always gone befor that.

Make your 1 liter soda water just as you would any other time in your Sodastream. Add your ginger syrup instead of the soda syrup. Add bitters if you like. Serve chilled over ice with a lime wedge .
Yummy Fizzy Lifting Drink!!!!

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

This dish is one of my all time favorites . After digging our way out of the snow today, it was wonderful to walk thru the door, and smell the smokey ham and onions dancing in my electric skillet. It sure did warm us all the way down to our toes.

1 can evaporated milk
1 cup regular milk
2 T. butter
4 potatoes (peeled and sliced thin)
1 onion (chopped fine)
1 T dijon mustard
1/3 cup mayo
 shredded cheese .

Combine all ingredients except the cheese.Turn skillet on 300 degrees and cook for 45 minutes or until potatoes are done. Top with cheese, and serve...delish!!!

 

Bitches with Hitches GLAMPING PHOTO SHOOT

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BARBIE DOLL HAIR FIX

How many of you throw perfectly good barbie dolls out just because their hair has become tangled and frizzy? I know my mom did all the time.

Well, It's TIME TO SAVE BARBIE!!!

Even if you do not have a barbie of your own, you can pick up ones at thrift stores for pennies on the dollar, and restore them to their original beauty.

 Here's one I ordered off of Ebay. She is a Winx doll from 2004. There was only one picture on the listing, and the seller did not disclose theat the back of her hair was one big knot , and smelled of smoke!!!UGHHH. 

So what did I have to lose but to try and fix her. Here's what I did....

Wash with shampoo in warm water
Add conditioner and brush all snarls out starting at the ends
Rinse out conditioner.
Let air dry.
Set with straws and bobby pins
Spray with a light coat of hair spray
Let sit overnight
Remove straws and finger comb hair
Spray lightly one more time with hair spray.