Home Improvement: The Coffee Table

Let me start off by apologizing for my pictures being such crap. We've had almost no sun for just about a week now and it makes for really gloomy pictures (and slightly depressed me).

I went to Goodwill the other night to get out of the house and have some recharge time. I was looking for a Dining table, but they didn't have anything that large. I will have to try again in a week or two.

After looking around the store for awhile - I was also looking for sheets to make into curtains - I traveled to where I saw some furniture. Lo and Behold I found this!

It was buried under a large TV, but I could see it easily. Ben has been wanting a coffee table for quite a while so that we have a place in the living room to put drinks and things. It's a honey color, which we don't really like. Plus it's also a little beat up and has some crayon marks. So Ben is planning on re-staining it to a dark cherry/mahogany color. It's a about 2 x 4 feet and it fits perfectly in front of our couch. I can't believe I found it! Quite a steal for $30. I will post pictures of it during and after the refinishing.

What's Cookin': Honey Wheat Bread

We go through a TON of bread in this house. My boys would probably eat nothing but bread if I let them. I make bread on demand, which usually turns out to be every Monday. I found the original recipe in the Betty Crocker cook book, and have since added and changed things to my taste. There are all kinds of ways to make a good loaf of bread. This is the way I do it.

Honey Wheat Bread - makes two 24(ish) slice loaves

2 1/4 C warm water - .00
4 1/2 tsp yeast - .18 (This is not the current price. This will be the price when I buy yeast at 6.99 for 2 lbs.)
1/3 C honey - .42
3 C whole wheat flour - .87
1/4 C butter or shortening - .24
3 Tbs brown sugar - .09
3 tsp salt - .01
3-4 C all purpose flour - .76

In a large measuring container or a bowl, mix the water, yeast and honey together. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to get happy and frothy. I do this every time to make sure my yeast is alive. In a separate bowl mix together the whole wheat flour, butter, brown sugar and salt. I kind of mix it like I'm making biscuits, so it will be coarse crumbs. Add in the water/yeast mix and combine thoroughly. Add in the AP flour, one cup at a time, until the dough is soft and pliable, but not sticky. You want it to be a consistency that you can knead without getting it all over your hands. If you are close but it is still a bit sticky, add more flour in one Tablespoon increments until you get what you want.

Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is springy. I do this in my KitchenAid with the dough hook, so it takes a little less time. Maybe 8-10 minutes. Once it is well kneaded, put it in a large greased bowl and let rise until double in size. This takes anywhere from one to two hours for me, depending on the warmth in the house.

When it is done bowl-rising, press your fist into the dough to "punch it down". Turn it out and knead it a little bit more, to distribute the yeast bubbles. Just be careful not to squish it too much. Divide the dough in half, then press out each one into a large rectangle. Starting on a long end, roll the dough up into a log. Pinch the seam together then place into a greased bread pan, rolling the ends under. Rise again until doubled, or the size you would like your loaves.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. I used to bake it longer than this, but our new gas oven gets a little over excited so I decreased the time. It will be done when the crust is golden brown and gives a hollow sound when you knock on it.

Total: 2.57


Variations: The original recipe calls for shortening rather than butter, but I like the richer flavor. I also added in the brown sugar. I think it gives it more flavor too. I have used this dough for cinnamon rolls and apple cinnamon bread. For the rolls, just brush the dough with melted butter when it is in rectangle form, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up, cut into 1 inch rolls, let rise in a baking dish, then bake for about 20-25 minutes. Glaze with whatever you like. For the apple cinnamon bread I dice up fresh apples, then mix them together with some honey and cinnamon. Spread this over the rectangle, roll up and continue in the same fashion as the regular bread.

I started making our own bread to save money. Until recently I never really considered if I was actually saving money by doing it. So I decided (before I started the blog) to figure it out. The bread I make comes out to about the same weight and slice count as the kind we bought at the store. Store bought: 3.89 per loaf. Homemade: 1.28 per loaf. I'd say we're saving money. :)

Ben Rating: 4. He said it was a little hard for him to decide since 5 is "Oh my gosh amazing", but he likes it just as well as store bought.

Home Improvement: The Beginning

Move in - April 2009

We haven't done much to our house since we moved in April '09. We did the basics of cleaning, painting (one color in the whole house) and putting our small amount of stuff in. Ben greened up the front and back yards and put a few plants in the planter. We painted the kitchen cabinets white and changed out the pulls. We bought a rug for the living room. But for the most part we were busy having a baby and settling in.

This year we want it to be different. This year we have a big list of things to do to make it our own and the way we want it. This year is a year of change. We want a shed, a chicken coop, a garden. I want to decorate the house and redo the kitchen. We want to put new colors and chair railing through out the house. And a whole bunch more. We know not everything will get done in one year. It all takes money and time. But I think we have a pretty good chance at doing a lot this year.

We've come to realize that the style we like (we got lucky and pretty much have the same style), is a little bit farm house, a little more modern, a little bit fancy. Fancy Modern Farmhouse? Not sure how you could put it. Whatever you want to call it, we know what we like and what we don't like. So keep an eye out over the next year to see a little change from house to home.

"Whatcha' Got" Cooking

Apparently, there is some buzz going around a few blogs about using this month to eat up what you have in your freezer and pantry. This way you save money by not having to go to the store as much. I didn't know this was such a rare thing. I do this all the time! But since everyone seems to be doing it this month, I figured I would join along.

Here's how it works. Take an inventory of what you have in your fridge(s), freezer(s), and pantry(ies). Then plan your meals based off of those. Simple! Don't by anything off the sale flyers (unless it's a really, crazy good deal). Of course you might need to go to the store for things like milk and eggs and other perishables, but for the most part the idea is that you have most of everything you need and you make do with whatever it may be.

I went through my various food holding places using an inventory sheet that I made up in Excel. Here is just a little bit of what I have:

5 whole chickens
1 bag of turkey (probably about 3 or 4 cups)
1 beef roast
1 bag of shredded pork (about 5 cups)
Rice (white and brown)
Various cans of beans, and one bag of dried red beans
Tomatoes - sauce, paste and diced
Macaroni and spaghetti noodles
Brownies, cookies and banana muffins (in the freezer)
A whole ton of baking supplies
... And a bunch of other things

I didn't realize just how much food we had. I can do so much! Tonight I had cooked rice and a little shredded chicken from the whole one I cooked up last week. So I threw those together with a taco seasoning packet and we had tacos for dinner. The whole meal was probably $2.00.

I told Ben my idea for trying not to get much of anything from the store this month and he's totally down. I think it will be a nice challenge.

What's Cookin': Red Beans & Rice

I am a southern girl. Not technically - I was born and raised in California. But my mother and just about her whole family is from Louisiana. This means a LOT of beans and rice. Up until just recently I hated beans and rice. Couldn't stand them. I think it's from years and years of "beans and rice" being horrible, bland, over cooked pots of black eyed peas. My grandmother and great grandmother seemed to make them all the time. And then I started cooking. And realized that I could make beans and rice however I wanted. Added on to that the fact that beans and rice are CHEAP. So here is the recipe for the beans and rice I made yesterday. It's not the traditional version, but it was very good.

Red Beans & Rice - makes about 10 - 12 servings

1 lb dried red (kidney) beans - .98

6 C water - .00

3 Tbs dried minced onion - .89

1 tsp garlic powder - .03

1 tsp cayenne pepper - .83

1 tsp sugar - .01

1 bay leaf - .09

1/2 tsp salt - .00

2 C ham, chopped - 2.73

2 C rice - .64

Dump your beans out onto a something you can sort them with. Plate, cookie sheet, whatever. Pick through them and make sure there aren't any rocks or sticks or sickly looking ones. Rinse them, then put them in a large bowl. Cover them with 2-3 inches of water. Let soak over night.

The next day, drain the water and put the beans in a crock pot. Cover with the 6 C water, stir in the rest of the ingredients, then cook on low for about 6 hours, or until the beans are soft and edible. I wanted a little richer flavor so I stirred in 2 Tbs of tomato paste (.10) in the last half hour. Serve over cooked rice, and if you're feeling really southern, with corn bread.

Total: 6.30

Variations: Ok I was lazy and should have used fresh onions. I didn't feel like crying at 9 in the morning. But if you were to use fresh go for about 1/4 - 1/2 cup. That would have saved me just about that whole 89 cents. Also, you could omit the cayenne for price reasons, but I liked the little bit of spice that it added. I thought about adding some diced bell peppers too. Maybe next time. If you want to be authentic then shove a whole ham hock in there rather than the diced ham.

This made a TON of beans, and we had a whole quart zip bag of rice left over (always make extra). So I would say this actually made 2 meals worth. If I were to price it per meal that would make it $3.15 for last night.

Added 1.25.10 - I made these again this morning but I changed them a bit. I used a small fresh onion (.02) instead of minced, added a 1/4 pound of bacon (.62) and I found a cheaper and larger ham at the store (1.32). So the new price is $4.64 (with rice). Since it makes two meals worth (or more) that comes out to $2.32 per meal.

Ben Rating: 5! But I have been requested to put bacon in next time. :)