Mama Can Multi-Task

 I read somewhere that a woman's brain becomes more flexible after having children because of all the multi-tasking.

Who's the Cake Cookie Boss now?!  Sixty cupcake cookies for my niece's first birthday. Ready to be shipped to NY.

Pipe Dream Before & After

  Thanks for all the kitchen kindness! It's been really rewarding reading the comments. Since you know, the cupboards aren't exactly speaking up to say thanks. And they really should! It was a huge job! But the one who owes me big time is Mr. Lincoln- the bizarre stove pipe. He was a hot mess.


Before:  The Challenges
1. Big metal stove pipe that makes me think of Ma Ingles or Abe Lincoln.

2. Does anyone know what the weird plastic cups hanging off my range hood were for? I have this fear that they are grease catchers or something and one day I am going to regret taking them off. Seriously.

3.Duct tape. I love duct tape. I even used Gorilla brand duct tape on my headboard. Still, duct tape is like a good bra, it needs to work behind the scenes. I don't know the root problem, but I am going to trust that the duct tape is doing it's job and leave it alone.

 
Middle: It's already looking better.
 
While painting up here I noticed that it looked like there may have been a cupboard up here to conceal the pipe. Perhaps it was cut out to fix the pipe or something.  Or maybe the cupboard was destroyed to make room for the pipe. I find it kind of creepy.

Getting Better: Can you see what I did?


I went and got a $3 piece of molding from Home Depot. I had them cut it to the exact measurement. The cupboard wasn't cut evenly so it turned out to be such a tight fit I didn't even need to screw or glue it in place. I used some wood filler to fill in the gaps and cracks and painted it up.

Now for the fun stuff. That spot right above the stove is the only wall space to decorate in the whole kitchen. I had several choices for art, but couldn't choose just one. Ana White $10 Ledge to the rescue!

Now I can change out pictures, salt and pepper shakers and so on. The folks at Home Depot cut the wood for me, then all I did was screw it together, paint and screw it into the wall. Truly a very easy project. I have the wood in my trunk to make three more this weekend.

Ah, so much better!

Future plan: Spray paint the top "control panel" where the clock an and timer are. It will have to wait until summer, but the scratches (mostly concealed by my teapot) are bringing down my high rent makeover!

Just one more kitchen post tomorrow and then I'll let it rest. Promise.

 I am linking this up to the January Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick because it still is my favorite "before and after" in the new place!

Let's Talk About Dutch Boy Refresh Paint

Way back when I painted this coffee table the people who represent Dutch Boy Paint contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in reviewing the Refresh line. Sure. The only problem is that at my other apartment I couldn't paint. I had a big plan to give the paint to my friend who just bought a condo. I'm so proud of her and all of her achievements. She is a remarkable person and I would love to help her paint. Of course, the you know what happens to the best laid plans. Life is just so daily! Whew!

Anyway, who knew I would soon be in a new place where I could paint?!

Paint I did. Like I said yesterday the brown and white scheme was inspired by my favorite striped shirt. I loved the "Beach House Brown" when I painted Michelle's coffee table and knew pretty much from the first moment I saw that kitchen I wanted to go with that color.

Here's the funny thing, it's not on the Dutch Boy web site at all.  Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) has it as part of their "California Collection." Maybe it's a special deal with OSH?

Enough about colors. All paint comes in colors!

Moving on to the really important thing: No VOC! The Refresh line has all sorts of features that make it "green." This is important to me because Cliff suffers from migraines and they had been especially bad right after the move. We suspect it may have been that the whole place was just freshly painted. I was a bit concerned to start painting, but the smell didn't bother him at all. Frankly, I couldn't smell anything. You can read more about the environmental advantages of Refresh here.

Now, I have to be honest. I am not all that brand loyal. Oh sure, I prefer Crest and Tide, but if Colgate or Era are on sale...well, I'll cross that aisle to save a nickle. There is a reason however, that I will be loyal to Dutch Boy and it's not the paint. It's the can!
 

I am pretty sure a woman designed this can because it is so smart. First off it's recyclable, light weight plastic. It has a built in handle similar to a gallon of milk. No more skinny wire handle cutting into your hand.
 
  It has a pour spout! Thank you!  It's so much neater than a regular can. And the last feature that I love about the can is that it has a screw on lid. Again, thank you! I ended up using leftover paint for the cupboards and by the end of the week that pry off/ hammer on lid was a gunky, inefficient and annoying mess. Painting is enough of a chore without adding the can mess to the whole ordeal. The Dutch Boy can? Jug? It is the best!

Now, on to coverage. I was painting dark chocolate brown over stark white. I thought for sure it would take primer and a couple of coats to get an even finish. My father in law once painted my sister-in-law's dining room 5 times to get a deep red finish. And that was with tinted primer first. With that in mind, I was a bit nervous. Also, I have that rough "knock down" finish on the walls.

I used that satin finish and the paint went on like a dream. It was smooth and very easy to get even coverage. The guy at OSH told me I could skip primer. I did two coats of Refresh and it is flawless.


I used a paint brush to cut in sometimes. I used this really cool edge tool with little wheels to scoot along the edge of the ceiling, and I also used a roller. With each tool I was able to get a nice even coverage even on the goofy Little House on the Prairie chimney.

My kitchen isn't huge and has a good amount of cupboards, so I used about 1/4 gallon. Most likely I could have bought the tester size, but like I said, I was sure I would need to do three or more coats. Clean up was easy. Really, I have nothing but good things to say about Refresh Paint. Way to go Dutch Boy!

Now when I finally get around to helping Michelle paint her condo with her Dutch Boy Refresh paint, I will be a real painting pro and Dutch Boy will get two reviews-everybody wins!

Can This Shirt Be A Room? The Painted Kitchen

Remember that great feature from the old Domino magazine?
  
Well this favorite shirt was this inspiration for my kitchen makeover.

Here is a before shot: It's a little cold and disjointed looking.


Here is half way: Already the cupboards look better. I used Dutch Boy Refresh Paint in "Beach House Brown."


 Painting the "Little House on the Prarie" pipe was Cliff's suggestion-best idea ever!

Here I am mixing paint with an old curtain rod. You can see here how damaged the cupboards really were. Fortunately, I had no idea how much work it is to paint cupboards or I wouldn't have done it. The paint for the cupboards was white semi gloss left over from the professional painting the kitchen had before we moved in.

(Drum roll please.) The Reveal:

More pictures and more details to come tomorrow!

Zucchini Pie

This post is for Chirsty and her large zucchini harvest.  Many years ago I worked at a sweet little school in Wyckoff, NJ and this was a favorite at our school breakfast pot lucks. Since then this has been one of my "go to" brunch recipes. I must warn you though, some men become very disappointed by the name "pie" so you may just want to call this "Zucchini Bake" and spare yourself some grief.

Zucchini Pie/Bake

3 cups diced unpeeled zucchini
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup Bisquick mx
4 eggs slightly beaten
3 or 4 T miced parsely
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and bake in either a greased 9X9 baking dish or a 9" pie plate. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Have a great day!

DIY: School Party Treats

My classroom (affectionately called the Crayon Box) is in a very poor barrio. This year things are especially tight for everyone and I made the executive decision to scale back our holiday party. LAUSD has a rule that parents have to buy baked goods and treats for school. With 30 kids in a class this adds up quickly.

I explained to the kids that we are in a serious recession and with the holidays coming, their parents were under even more pressure to make ends meet. They all nodded with a knowing look. I explained that their parents could put the money they would spend on treats to better use and that they would most likely use that money for Christmas anyway. I told them that this year they were forbidden to ask their parents for junk food for our class party. That I  would provide one special treat and that they would have to trust me that it would be enough.

This is what I have made in the past and it has always been a big hit. You can find the recipe here.

However, this year I was super tired.Cutting the brownies like this for 30 students requires extra batches of brownies. While Cliff enjoys eating the scraps, I wanted to save time.

 What do you think? Will I end up on Cake Wrecks?

I baked the brownies in mini muffin tins.  I had this dream of going to bed early, so I skipped frosting all together and just pushed the pretzels and mini M&Ms into the still warm brownies.

Just as I was finishing, I dropped the last pan on the floor. Too hot! I could have cried. I lost a dozen brownies and now I was three short! Cliff suggested that 7:30 wasn't too late to go to the store and buy another mix, but I was just too tired. When I get tired, I get stubborn . So I improvised taking the three regular sized brownies I had made for him and using them as well.

The next morning, before the rooster crows, off to school I went with this sad box of less than perfect, mismatched brownies.  Bah humbug!

And, at the first traffic light the box  slid right off the front seat of my car onto the floor.

Fortunately, it had a lid. However, the formerly sad looking reindeer now looked truly war torn.

At party time, I told the Crayons my woes. About how I was about to cry when the pan fell, about the car wreckage, and that I hoped they would understand that their special treat was pretty wonky.

I quickly replaced eyes, noses and antlers as I passed them out, but they had no staying power. I was pretty disappointed. This is a doctored up picture, but you get the idea. It was sad.


But then I heard the Crayons' reactions,
"Look! Mine's Stevie Wonder Reindeer!"
"Mine's a pirate!"
"Mine's winking!"
"I can't smell you!"
"Ouch my antler! It's been chopped off!"

They actually were enjoying the mishap!

Willa Cather was quoted saying, "Where there is love there are always miracles."

Isn't that what Christmas is all about? Not perfection, but joy in the moment.

As for the three big brownies, those went to the three students who improved their fluency the most. Everyone cheered for those students who glowed at the idea of getting rewarded for their success. As it turned out those three students were three of my special education students! Hoooooray!

Merry Christmas dear blog friends! I hope that you are able to ditch perfection and embrace joy in the moment this Christmas and in the coming year!

Linking to Kimba's DIY Day!

Chalk Board Party & Chalkboard Give Away!

It's been six days since I finished the chalkboard refrigerator and I thought I would do an update for the Chalkboard Party at The Shabby Chic Cottage. Then as luck would have it, I was contacted by Suzanne from Living Rooms Direct about doing a give away! I decided to choose some fun chalkboard related prizes in keeping with the theme. More about that at the end.

Here is my chalkboard fridge!



1. We love it! Both Cliff and I are so glad that the wallpaper is gone and love the dark color. Since our kitchen is open to our living room it is important to us that it look nice.

2. Suddenly, that hunk 'o junk refrigerator we hated is making the rest of the room look really dated. Unfortunately, as renters, there is only so much we can do about the '80's cabinetry.

3. The refrigerator has a "leather" type texture and even with 3 coats of primer and 3 coats of chalk board paint, it still has that texture. So, there is some dust involved in writing. I don't imagine using it as a chalkboard daily. I think I will update it monthly.

4. There is a bit of upkeep. Already we can see how fingerprints and grease spatters show up really well. You can not just chalk over the grease, but it did come right off with a Mr. Clean Sponge. Extra erasing eliminates finger prints. I use a micro fiber towel from the automotive section as an eraser. It works really well.

5. **On a side note, I washed a Mr. Clean Sponge by accident and it came out of the dryer like brand new!! That was such a happy accident! I don't think I will try to wash it twice for fear of disintegration, but I sure was pleased to recycle it once!

6. I only painted the two sides that show. It took all day because I needed to let it dry between coats of paint, however each coat only took minutes to apply with a foam roller. I used low VOC paint and the chalkboard paint was pretty low VOC as well. I have almost a full can left over for other projects, but I can foresee wanting to freshen up the paint once a year.

OK, how about a fun chalkboard give away!

Living rooms direct sells all kinds of beautiful living room furniture and accessories. (I was especially impressed because they have a whole apartment living section!) I have selected three potential prizes. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me which prize you would like and I will select one winner next Friday.


First up, Apertif & Boissons 9.5" porcelain chalkboard. This would pretty up any kitchen counter.
Next, this is the Wall Candy Arts RoCoco Chalkboard Removable Wall Decal. I can think of so many fun applications for this. I would put it in a guest room with a welcome note to the guest on it.

Finally, I like the clean lines of this modern notNeutral Light Blue (comes in green and orange too) Chalk board panel. This is fresh and sleek.

Thanks Suzanne for offering such fun prizes!

Now, I am off to The Shabby Chic Cottage to get more ideas for my leftover paint!
And, for more fun, check out Hooked on Houses for some Friday fun and another giveaway!

My Advice : Learn to Make Your Own Pizza

I recently discovered 500 Pieces of Prudent Advice for My Daughter from reading my site meter and read through it all in one sitting. I love the advice and the matching art. I really believe there is a book deal in this one. It's that good. Plus, I was really tickled (as my grandmother would have said) to see that she reads my blog!

Jaime's list is pretty comprehensive (as of 118) but I thought of one to add:
Learn to make pizza.

I come from Northern New Jersey. (Yes, near those housewives, but please don't judge.) I thrived for many years on pizza from Nellies and Kinchleys. While down the shore I ate pizza at Panzones and Slice of Heaven. The pizza part of life was exceptional, but I didn't fully appreciate it at the time.

There is a sad truth that I have learned the hard way: good pizza is not universal. You may find yourself in a pizza poor land. Best to be prepared.

LA is known for it's beautiful weather, beaches and people. Pizza not so much. So, 9 times out of 10 I make my own. Many times it's quicker than delivery.

Currently we are enjoying my Trader Joes version of this Paula Dean recipe that I found reading the very funny Big Mama.

Blackened Shrimp Pizza (Inspired by Paula Deen Made So Simple By Trader Joe)

1 good shake of some Cajun seasoning
1 bunch of frozen shrimp thawed
4 tbs. butter, divided
4 Trader Joe's frozen garlic cubes
2 tbs. all purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine, cooking sherry, or a splash of white wine vinegar depending on what I have
3/4 cup milk
3 cubes Trader Joe's Frozen Basil Cubes
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup or less grated Parmesan cheese.
1 tomatoe seeded and diced if you like
Trader Joe's Herb pizza dough

First prepare crust as directed. It needs to breath a bit so plan ahead. I also pre-bake the crust for about 6-8 minutes to make it crispier.

Sauce:
1. Melt the butter, garlic and basil over a medium heat.
2. Add a sprinkle or two of Cajun spice to taste.
3. Cook the shrimp in the butter, garlic and basil and then set the shrimp aside.
4. Add the flour and stir.
5. Add the milk and wine stir until sauce thickens
6. Add parm to taste. I like more than Cliff and vary from a generous sprinkle to a 1/2 cup.

Now, layer sauce, spinach, cheese, bacon, tomatoe and shrimp and bake as directed for the crust. It's about 15 minutes at 450.

YUM!

Refrigerator Makeover

This is a time line of my fridge. For such a piece of junk it sure has had an interesting life.


First I took it from early 80's mismatch (cleverly disguised as a file cabinet) to colorful wallpapered conversation piece. The best thing I did was remove that ugly handle. While it was an improvement, no handle took it's toll on the wallpaper. I was never in love with the wallpaper anyway. So with company coming this summer I decided to change it up.

Now it sports two coats of low VOC primer, three coats of chalkboard paint, and chalk!

Not too sure what to write on it, but I am glad it goes better with my mid 80's stock almond and pine laminate cabinets.

Must get busy formulating plan to transform those beasts.

Linking to Nester's Chalkboard Party!

School's Out for Summer! ( My Track Anyway!)

I went a little crazy making last day of school cupcakes for the Crayons. My insanity included using a toothpick to make teeny tiny goggles.

I am pretty sure I was inspired Bakerella.

When I got tired though, I went for the easier shark attack cupcake which is all mine. I am sure the kids will love it!

Proving that the opposite of Nesters famous saying is also true:
It doesn't have to be beautiful to be perfect!

An Old Favorite in a New Home

I have some new ideas for my blogs and come vacation (two weeks!!) I am going to switch it up a bit. Anyway, I am moving the non teaching posts from my old blog over here. Cliff has been doing all of the cooking for nearly a year now. (I know! I am so lucky!) When I go on my summer break, I am going to take back the reigns and this may be my first meal. It's an old favorite of ours. I hope you enjoy!

Weight Watchers Make It in Minutes: Easy Recipes in 15, 20, and 30 MinutesThis is a cookbook that I borrowed from the library. It was so good that I needed to own it. It has lots of easy, varried, healthy dishes. Every recipe has a picture. I love that.

We use our George Forman Grill almost daily, so I modify my recipes for that.

Here is a favorite:

WW Make It in Minutes Salmon with Fresh Tomato-Basil Relish

Relish
2 tomatos, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil ( I have used a couple of cubes of frozen Basil from Trader Joes.)
1 small garlic clove minced (Again, I use frozen garlic cubes from Trader Joes.)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/8 t black pepper
Mix together in a small bowl. Set aside to let the flavors mix. You can also warm this up if desired.

Salmon-

2 6oz salmon fillets (I use frozen salmon fillets from Costco.)
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper

I coat the salmon with a bit of oil and sprinkle on the seasonings. Then I grill on the George and top with the tomato relish. Just a few minutes and it's done.

Good Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

It's been so blasted hot here in LA- already in the 90's! Whew! You know what they say, "When life gives you sun, make sun tea!"

This Good Earth "Original" is the *best* sun tea I have ever had. My friend Phylis turned us on to it and we are brewing a pot a day! It's spicy and delicious. I fill my bowl, oh just about 8 cups more or less and add two tea bags. We start it out on the balcony in the afternoon and let it sit overnight or longer. We like it strong and spicy! Even the scent is delightful!

Upside Down Pineapple Cupcakes

Upside down pineapple cake is my father's favorite. It was his birthday tradition when I was a kid. Nowadays, my mom is a tax preparer and Dad's April birthday is a bit neglected. Even I was late this year. However, I am making up for it by sending a box of Upside Down Pineapple Cupcakes!

Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix
1 can crushed pine apple in juice
1 small jar of maraschino cherries
3 eggs
some butter
brown sugar
cupcake liners

1. Preheat the oven following the directions on the cake mix box.
2. Put a small pat of butter in each cup and set it in the oven for a few minutes to melt the butter.
3. Add about 1/2 T of brown sugar to each cup.
3. Add a cherry to each cup.
4. Spoon in a bit of crushed pineapple around the cherry.



5. Drain the pineapple and save the juice.
6. Mix the cake mix as directed, however -substitute the pineapple juice for water in the mix. You may need to add a bit of water to get a full measure.
7. Spoon in batter into cups. You won't need much because the cups are pretty full of topping.
8. Bake about 15 minutes watching to see that the cupcake part is golden. Again, these are pretty moist so it may need more or less time depending on your oven.

8. Allow them to cool on a rack for a bit.

Unwrap and enjoy!

Pantry Peer Pressure

My dear husband, Cliff, suffers through a lot of mess in the name of creativity. He's Felix and I am Oscar. Well, this month's Craft '09 challenge with Finny & Donk was to organize the pantry.
Here's to you my dear Felix!The beginning: Cramped, narrow shelves make this pantry a challenge to improve. Step one: Clear out junk. Stocking up on canned goods just doesn't work for me. So much expired food! The waste made me sick!
Step two: I lined the backs of the shelves with light blue wallpaper. Now it's so much brighter. I can see the stuff in here! Hopefully I'll see things before they expire now! I also designated shelves for spices/ oils, dinner supplies, more dinner supplies, lunch and breakfast, and there is left over space at the bottom for duplicates and overflow. Click here for notes on this photo.Step three: Containerize! This handy thing is from the Container Store ( a few years ago) and it does a great job holding those pouches of taco seasoning and such. The talking George Forman thing came with our first grill (Thanks Viv & Gordon!) and I still get a kick out of George reminding me to "knock out the fat!"
This John Deere lunch box was a gift from Cliff a few years ago- to remind me of my Grandpaw. It was too small to really use, so it sat on a shelf. Now it's going to be enjoyed daily holding our opened pouches of marinades and such.

Thanks for the inspiration ladies! Once again, blogging has motivated me to get organized.

Not a Chance...

of passing these off as homemade! I was in a rush to prepare for my church book group and these snickerdoodle slice and bake cookies caught my eye. The perfectly square cinnamon cracks me up! Must admit they were tasty.