DIY weekend strikes back!

At work we sell these lap desks. The top writing surface is a cheap plastic, and the pillowy bottom is a soft fleece, stuffed with little foam beans. They cost around 20 bucks, and are not all that cute. Higher end lap desks we sell (hardwood, leather, etc) run for $50 or more, not the amount I want to shell out for a lap desk.

So we decided to make our own. And dang, are they cool - and CHEAP. Total cost, per lap desk: $10. TEN. DIEZ. CHEAP. This is not including things we already had, the wood stain, the sealant, the sponges, or the fabric. However, those are things that most DIY'ers already have around the house, so no worries on that one.

To make your own lap desk, you will need:
-1 fugly pillow, preferably from a yard sale or second hand shop
-1 piece of stain-ready wood. these come shrink wrapped at lowes or home depot, all sorts of sizes. I went with a circular shape because I had never seen a round lap desk!
-about 1/4 yard of fabric
-4 big plastic buttons, no need to match fabric
-4 cotton balls
-4 sew on snaps, size 10
-very small nails, or wood tacks
-220 grit sand paper and 600 grit sand paper

-hammer
-wood stain
-wood sealant
-sponges or paper towels
-needle and thread
-sewing machine


1) Start by destroying your fugly, fugly pillows. If they are fugly enough, they deserve it, so don't feel bad. Remember - they are about to be ridiculously cute! The pillow I used had no zipper or snaps, so I just cut off the outer fabric, being careful to not cut through the pillow itself. Alas, my pillow consisted of lots of balls of fluff sandwiched between 2 fabric softener-like sheets, not sewn together. Be careful handling these so you don't lose all your fluff! Fortunately, Matthew's pillow had a zipper, and his pillow was a nice contained one, so no fluff to worry about losing.


2) Lay your pillow onto your fabric. Trace around the sides, and cut a piece about 1 inch larger than the pillow. If you are using 1 type of fabric for your pillow instead of 2, simply cut a rectangle of fabric twice as big as your pillow, instead of a square that is the same size.



3) Stich together 3 sides of your fabric squares, right sides together. You may or may not choose to cut around the edges with pinking sheers. We went ahead and did. Turn your new, adorable pillowcase rightside out, and stuff your pillow inside.



4) Put your pillow in your lap, open end up. Fold the sides in on itself, so you make a nice fold on either side of the pillow case. Pin these sides together, and stitch closed.


5) Your pillow is almost done! Now to make the upholstry buttons. Cut circles of fabric 3 times the size of your buttons. So, if your buttons are 1", then cut 3" circles. Definately pink these edges, as they will not be sewn shut, and will remain raw. Using a needle and thread, stich around the circles edge. Leaving your needle hangin, place a cotton ball in the circle. Top it off with a button. Holding the button firmly in place, tug the needle and thread, so the circle bunches closed around the puff and button. Pull tightly, so everything is secure, and make a few stiches where your needle left off, so it stays closed. Voila! You now have an upholstry button. Repeat 3 more times. It's helpful to put the TV on for reruns of your favourite show while you do this.



6) Once all your buttons are done, you'll want to sew them onto your pillow. Mark 4 dots on the back and front of your pillow, so you'll wind up with a nice even square. Using a long length of thread doubled over and tied at the end, punch through the front to the back. Pull thread all the way through, then punch through again, from back to front. Tug the thread tight, so the pillow puckers gently. stick the needle through the loop at the end of the thread. Stich your button to the pillow, then puncture your needle again from the front of the pillow to the back. Pull it tightly, then sew a few stitches at the back to secure the button there. Repeat 3 more times. Still have those reruns on?



7) Sew the "female" half of your snaps onto the back of your pillow. It's a good idea to lay your pillow on top of your wood at this point, so you can have a good idea where to place your snaps. My snaps are about 1 inch inside the ties for my buttons. Alternateivly, you can only do 1 or 2 snaps. Matthew has 1 snap, right in the center of his pillow. He is lazy.

8) Start working on your wood. We didn't spend a lot of time sanding, as we topped ours off with a sealent. You will sand 3 different times. The first round of sanding is done using 220. Follow this up with your first layer of stain, being sure to follow the directions on your particular stain carefully. Allow to dry, following your stains instructions. Once dry (8 hours for us), put a coat of polyurathane sealent on it, again, following your specific sealent's directions. Allow to dry (4 hours for us). Complete your second sanding, using 220 grain sand paper again. Apply a second coat. Allow to dry again (24 hours this time). Sand for the final time with 600 grain sand paper. Clean your wood using a nice wood polish, so it's all shiny and stuff.



9) This part is great. Snap the male side of your snaps into the female side of your snaps. Put a dollop of fingernail polish onto the back of the male side snaps, then carefuly lay the backside of your wood against the pillow. Do this on the floor so you can lay on top of it, making sure to get the fingernail polish dot onto the wood. Remove wood carefully from pillow, and allow polish to dry.

10) Line the male side of your snaps up with the fingernail polish dots on your eood. Using the small nails / tacks, attach them to the wood. Be careful not to smash any thumbs!


11) Snap your pillow onto your lap desk. Throw on your laptop, your journal, your new Jim Butcher novel, and enjoy every second of it!

Independence

That word forever reminds me of the scene in Everything Is Illuminated, of Jonathan (Jonfen!) and Alexander (but please, everyone dubs him Alex) driving through a war torn Ukraine.

"What happened?"
"Independence."

Of course, here in America, we like to celebrate with fire - that which we cook with, and that which we blow things up with.

This Independence Day marked the first holiday in which Matthew and I have cooked for the extended family. It had it's bumps. Timing, communication, head counts. It was not the greatest cooking experience, but it most certainly was not the worst - and I guarantee you, my parents can attest to the worst (30 ingredient stir fry, anyone?)

It was, however, fun. I got to grill! How bad can that be!? Everyone seemed mostly pleased with the food. I know I enjoyed it. Then again, I had spent the better part of two days being sure it went mostly to plan. And it's not like I caught anyone on fire, even though I threatened multiple times to throw my future cousin in laws very tiny dog onto the grill (hehe. Hot dog. Hehe.)

What can I say though? It was a great night. And even if the fireworks had nothing on Richmond (hey grandma and grandpa! Hey dad and John!) they were still fun. Even if they completely terrorized the pooches.

And so, without further adieu, tonight's photographic portrait of freedom, fire, and fun.

faux au vin

Ahaha, get it? Faux? Cause it rhymes with coq?

Aaaaahhhh, I kill myself.

I have a feeling that this "faux au vin" will become the staple for chicken noodle soup in our house. Everything just smells fabulous. It's like a pot roast, but with chicken. I am so in love with all these smells right now, it's just ridiculous.

Also, it should be noted that we are skipping a night! Last night was our Mediteranean pot, and man it was GOOD. However, there were no pictures! Bummer! My camera batter was dead, and I was reminded, yet again, of why I need a backup battery for th D50. I am sure that we will make it again though, so be sure to look out for that post!

But, onto tonights dinner. Four of the one pots this week take place in Europe, and during our lolligagying, we thought it would be nice to stop in France. Considering the only French food I have ever had in my life (that I am aware of) is coq au vin, and hey - it's made using one pot! What a coincidence!

As a plus, these are some of my favourite pictures from the week thus far. The white wine and chicken stock just make everything so golden and lovely, it really feels very homey looking at these shots.

Browning your chicken.


Sauteing the arromatics.


White wine for deglazing.


Chicken in the pot.


Add chicken stock.

More vin!


Straight out of the oven.



Dished up with noodles.

Oh, man.

Faux au Vin
3 good sized chicken breasts
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into coins
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
1 bottle white wine
2-3 cups chicken stock
4-5 slices bacon
egg noodles
butter
salt and pepper


1) Start by cooking your bacon. I chop mine before cooking it so I don't ahve to mess with it afterwards. Move bacon to papertowel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons bacon grease in your pot.

2) Clean your chicken breasts, cutting each one in half and sprinkling with salt and pepper. Heat drippings in pot, and put in your chicken, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Move to plate with bacon.

3) Melt butter in pot. Add chopped arromatics and saute until slightly transluscent. Pour about 3 cups of wine into the pot to deglaze the bottom. Arrange chicken on top of arromatics, and pour in chicken stock. Top it off with more wine, pouring until chicken is just covered. Put bacon top.

4) Place in oven at 300 degrees until chicken is falling apart. After about 3 hours in the oven, put a pot of water on to boil, and cook your egg noodles. When everything is done, fill a bowl halfway with egg noodles, and top it off with a ladle of delicious soup. Serve with crusty bread, and enjoy.


**While this isn't technically a one pot, it can be. You just have to cook your noodles way in advance, then throw them in at the end.

peppery peppers and pips

Here lies chapter two in our one pot wonders week! Tonight we visit the Southwest, so that means, hot, hot, and hotter. I made this dish with chicken, but ended up picking the chicken out of my own, because I liked it better with just the vegetables. Go figure.

One of the things I wanted to try and do with this week's menu was have a little traveling fun. When I was making the menu, I got almost to the end when I realized I hadn't chosen anything "American". Honestly, coming up with this meal took a lot longer than all the others, if only because I couldn't wrap my head around a specific regional food. I've never loved southern food, but what I did love, I couldn't imagine putting a pot together: corn bread, pulled pork, greens, black eyed peas... you can imagine how that would be. Maybe one day I'll figure that one out. Anyway, I finally remembered one of my favourite things to make anyway. A pot of rice, with a bunch of cooked vegetables thrown in. Why not spice it up, and call it southwestern? Sounded good to me.

Cut up chicken bits.


Seasoning the chicken.


Cooking the chicken.


Onions and jalapenos.


Diced yellow pepper.


Red ripe romas.


Sauted onions and jalapenos.


Add the peppers.



Can you tell I love garlic?


Add in some beans.


Chicken back in.


Rice uptop. Toss it well, folks!


Used up lemon wedge.


Big ol' pot of the southwest.


Plate.


At last, at the dinner table.

Required:
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 large onion, diced
chicken cut to bite sizes
4 roma tomatoes, cut up
2-4 garlic cloves, diced
1 bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch bits
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cups cooked rice
1 lemon wedge

chili powder
crushed red pepper
paprika
salt and pepper
olive oil

1) Layer your chicken out into a single layer, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Meanwhile, heat your pot and drizzle in some olive oil. Once hot, throw in your chicken, and cook through. Remove from pot, and set aside.

2) Heat your pan back up, and add more oil. Throw in your onions and jalapenos, let cook till the onions become slightly translucent. Add in the bell pepper, cook till slightly soft. Add in tomatoes and garlic, and lower the heat a bit. Dump in your beans, and add the chicken back to the pot. Dump in your rice, and sprinkle with crushed red pepper, paprika, and any extra spicy goodness you want to add. Squeeze a wedge of lemon over the top.

3) Plate, and enjoy!

begin the week of one pot wonders

For starters, a shout-out to Paul, Matthew's entrepreneurial farmer friend in backwater North Carolina. He has bees! And watermelon! I am so jealous. Find his honey here, and go buy some!

This past week has been ridiculous. We are house shopping! We believe we have found "the one", and are meeting with a financial adviser on Wednesday. The whole ordeal is just insane. However, we have a really great real estate agent, whom I absolutely adore. We will hopefully have someone from the bank in the house this week or next to appraise it and everything. In the meantime, we're ridiculously giddy.

This week, however, should be a little more relaxed. Well, at least in the kitchen that is. I decided to plan a week of dinners that require exactly one pot each. Minimizing clean up sounds good to both of us, while also preparing some seriously good comfort food yummies.

Our week of One Pot Wonders will include:
Monday: Italian Pot - short cut pasta with onions, bacon, spinich in a white sauce, baked
Tuesday: Southwest Pot - rice with cubed chicken, beans, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, and chili seasoning, baked
Wednesday: Mediterranean Pot - linguine tossed with olive oil, lemon, parsley, zucchini, olives, and roasted red peppers
Thursday: French Pot - chicken thighs, carrots, onions, celery, white wine, cook slow and low (basically a really simple coq au vin)
Friday: German Pot - egg noodles with beef tips, onions, and gravy
Saturday: Asian Pot - rice, cabbage, broccoli, orange juice and zest, bean sprouts, stir fried
Sunday: Free night

I. Am. So. Excited.

PS - Laura is coming over for dinner! Yes, that Laura, the Laura who said one of my favourite quotes which you can find on the bottom of this page. Go ahead, scroll down. I'll wait for you.

Yeah! THAT Laura!

Laura offered extreme moral support in the kitchen. That's why everything turned out so awesome.

Draining your pasta.

Chopped onion.


Chopped bacon.



Toss goodness in pot to brown.


Move goodies to paper towel to drain.


Oh, man. Delicious brown bottomed pan.


Building the white sauce.


Add spinach to wilt.


Add some herbs, too.


Toss a bit.


Throw in bacon and onion.


Dump in pasta.


Toss well, sprinkle with parm.


Baked bit of lovely.


Dig in!

Italian Pot, here's what we'll need:
your favourite short cut pasta
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 pieces of bacon
a big ol' bag of spinich
a few springs of basil, oregano, parsley. or dried.
olive oil

cream cheese
white wine
butter
milk
salt & pepper

1) Start by boiling your pasta. Go ahead and chop up your onion. Cut your strips of bacon into 1 inch pieces, move to a small bowl with the onion. While your pasta is boiling, rinse your spinich and set it aside.

2) Spoon about 1/4 a cup of pasta water and set it aside. Drain pasta and move to collander in the sink. Drizzle with a teeny bit of olive oil, it'll be sitting there a while.

3) Drizzle some olive oil in your pot while you have it out, and allow it to heat up. Throw your bacon in, and allow it to let off a little grease. Toss in your onions, and cook entil everything is golden and pretty. Skim off as much off the fat as you can when everything is cooked.

4) Scoop out onions and bacon, move to their origional bowl (which you washed, of course, because it had raw meat in it, right?). Put about 2 tabelspoons of butter into your pot, and allow it to melt. Add in a scoop of cream cheese, a bit of milk, and just a splash of wine. Pour in your pasta water. Whisk continuously to break up the cream cheese and allow it to relaaaax. Throw in salt and pepper to taste. I usually end up adding a little heap of flour at this point, just to make things nice and thick, but it is not neccesary.

5) Once your sauce has completed, throw in your spinich and herbs. After it wilts, add the pasta, bacon, and onions. Toss so everything is nice and coated. Sprinkle with a handful of parmesean, and throw in the oven until everything is nice and gooey. Turn on your broiler at the end for a few minutes so everything is brown and delicious.

6) Scoop it up, share with friends, and enjoy your incredible lack of cookware to clean at the end of the night!

roasting something wonderful

About an hour and a half ago, I was doing the same dance 2 year olds do when they have to potty.

That, I-am-so-anxious-that-I-cannot-possibly-be-expected-to-stand-still dance.

Why? Because tonight I harvested and roasted the first zucchini I have ever grown. Ever. From seed.

It's last moments on the vine.

And, let me tell you, it was delicious.

But I'm probably biased.

Less talk, more food porn.

Since I wanted to zucchini to be the star of dinner, I had to choose something to do with it that would not only enhance it's glory, but be filling and complimentary as well. I thought about sauteing it over pasta, or throwing it on the grill. But then I saw those new potatoes in the produce aisle, and I knew I wanted to roast this sucker.

Let's meet the players, yeah?

Vine ripe tomatoes, just because I love how they blister in an oven.


One medium sized red onion.


About a pound of new potatoes, red or yellow.


One gorgeously succulent zucchini, fresh from your garden.


Slice your zucchini...



...and layer everything onto your parchment covered sheet.


Mmmm... I think I have a new desktop image.


Drizzle everything with olive oil, sprinkle on the salt and pepper.


Isn't this little scoop adorable!?


Straight out of the oven.


Oh. My. Goodness.


Into my bowl.

Once out of the oven and plated, everything got a little dash of soul food seasoning. I buy this at my grocery; basically: salt, paprika, crushed red pepper. It just gave the party a little kick.

This was a pretty typical roast for us. The only difference was that instead of using one of my 9" x 13" Pyrex dish, I threw everything on a piece of parchment that was on a lipped baking sheet. Lemme tell you. BIG difference. In the Pyrex dish, all of the juices are let out, and since everything's piled on everything else, they just sat there so everyone got soggy and the party was over pretty quick. On the baking sheet however, everything is in one nice layer, so they release the juice, and that's it. It also helps that I didn't use a ton of veggies. Plus it's prettier, in my most humble opinion.

Zucchini was cut into about 1/4" to 1/2" slices, potatoes were cut into fourths (or halves, for the teenier ones), and I sliced the red onion into rings. I cut the tomatoes into eights (halved, then halved, then halved again), and everything got a nice long drizzle of olive oil, plus a generous sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper.

Other ideas: serve roasted veggies over a delicious whole wheat pasta, or brown basmatti rice. Also, throw some garlic cloves in there, paper on, like I forgot to do. $10 says it makes the dish that much better.

God bless the zucchini.

how about a picnic?

Did you know that today is Mary Cassatt's birthday? I'd like to say we celebrated it with a picnic, but the picnic was really done without her in mind. Still, I think she would have enjoyed it.

Man, is it ever glorious outside.

Matthew had a half day today, so we thought it nice to do something spectacular. Since it's so beautiful out, and since we know some lovely places, we decided that the best idea was a picnic. This was our first picnic together! It's a little silly, and a little fun, and way dorky when we do something together and realize it's our first time at doing said thing (like 3 weeks ago when we danced together for the first time). I have a feeling that both activities will be ever present in our lives frm here on out.

It was also a great opportunity to wear the pink Jane Austin dress.

The picnic meal consisted of:
Limeade
Curried Chicken Salad on Pita
Sliced Cheddar with Triscuits
Red Skinned Potato Salad
Strawberries in Fresh Whipped Cream

Oh, it was divine.

It was also a great setting for some really fabulous photos. The lighting was so perfect, and everything around us just so vibrant and colourful. It was a fabulous few hours spent together.

Matthew all corn-ball with the picnic basket.



Sandwiches!



Delicious potato salad.



Matthew's set up.



Fabulously chilled limeade.



A full plate.... mmm.



Digging in.






Matthew enjoys some of those delicious strawberries.



Moi!



Ohmygoodness all those berries.



Matthew's fresh whipped cream.


Clean plate!

As you can see, it was just fantastic. Plates, cups, and basket courtesy of Michael's. No veggies from my own garden, but soon! So soon!

Mm. A afterthought. How about some recipes?

I will now confess that I did not make the potato salad - I bought it! If I had had more time, it would have been home made. Oh well. Next picnic, I promise! Here's one for the sandwiches, at least.


Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Foodness:
2 chicken breasts, cooked
1 half an onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons mayonaise
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tabelspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon yellow curry powder (more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

mixed lettuces
sliced roma tomatoes
sprouts
pita pockets

Mix all ingredients for chicken salad in bowl. Cut pitas in half. Stuff with lettuces and sprouts. Top with heaping piles of chicken salad. Throw some tomato slices. Enjoy outside!

Today was lovely. How was yours?