A Healthy Recipe and One That Is Anything But....But Is Unbelievably Delicious

I've been working on lots of projects lately that I'm looking forward to sharing with you. I've done a bunch of home decor sewing, some redecorating in our master bath, and a fun project in the family room that I'm just beginning. I've had a kitchen project on the back burner for quite some time and I'm anxious to get moving on that too.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a couple delicious recipes. The first is gingerbread muffins. I have tweaked it a bit to up the nutritional value, but I'll list both options.

Gingerbread Muffins:

1C Flour (i use whole wheat)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 slightly beaten egg white
1/3 C molasses
1/2 C water
3 T cooking oil (i use unsweetened apple sauce)
Sifted powdered sugar

Line eight 2 1/2" muffin cups with paper liners. In medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, b.p., ginger, cinnamon, b.s., and salt. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the egg white, water and oil. Stir the molasses mixture into the flour mixture just until blended. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes in 350' oven. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm or cool.

This really only makes 8 muffins. You'll probably want to double it. And of course, you can add anything you think sounds good- raisins, nuts, craisins, chocolate chips, whatever floats your boat. These are really yummy and with the whole wheat and add-ins they are pretty filling. My kids love 'em.

The next recipe I got from a friend at church. She used to run her own bakery so she knows a thing or two about yummy recipes. This one she seems to have gotten from Martha Stewart, who also knows a thing or two about yummy recipes. And Martha seems to have gotten it from Julia Child, so there you go. Click on the link for the recipe.

Rhubarb Shortbread

I just used some vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean. I also threw in some strawberries with the rhubarb because I love that combination. This is simply to die for. Literally. A pound of butter. 4 cups of flour. I don't know an equivalent measurement for a pound of rhubarb. I wish the recipe called for cups instead of pounds. I just guesstimated.

Happy baking!

Another Little Project I've Been Working On...

My kitchen has lots of the same wood tone in it. The cabinets, the floors, the island. Even the walls are a beige. I had to do something to break up all that wood tone.
(Here's a before and after within a before and after. I installed under cabinet lights recently. Boy do I LOVE the extra light in the kitchen and on my workspace.)





The island seemed like the perfect spot to get to work.

Dull, boring, more of the same.


I decided I would install beadboard around the sides and back, trim it out, and paint the whole thing in chocolate brown. I also added some hardware to dress it up a bit.


I love how this gives the island more of a furniture look. And it's hard to tell from the pictures, but the brown goes beautifully with the countertops.

Some recent treasure finds...

Let's start with this cute little footstool I found at a garage sale. I LOVE the woven top.



I wasn't too crazy about the light bamboo base, though. Too much tan. So I spray painted it and I love the results.



And how 'bout this dresser and this bunny I've had around for a while. I got the bunny at Goodwill and the dresser off Craigs List for $10.


I FINALLY got the dresser done yesterday. I will probably get new handles, but for now the old ones spray painted in a brushed nickel finish will work nicely.

I love how this detail stands out now that the horrible rag painting finish is covered up.


And this bunny looks so much more sophisticated now, all dressed up for Easter.


And lastly, here are some pieces for my china hutch that I've collected from Goodwill and yard sales.

I love the ironstone tureen. And the pitcher/vase. Who am I kidding. I love them all.

My best find recently is not ready to show yet, but I am SO excited about it. I can't wait to share!

*Sorry about the poor quality photos. I'm still trying to find a good spot in my house for photographing stuff.

My Dream Home

Recently I purchased a copy of the magazine House Beautiful because I did not have the power to resist the images of this gorgeous Houston home. I enjoy and appreciate many various decorating styles, but without a doubt, this is the one that is the most me.

Just look at this beautiful entry. All of the wood and stone in this house in reclaimed. This is a brand new house made of antique materials. I think I would change out the doors for something similar but with windows.


It's like being in a castle. I like the play of light from the window here.

I'm pretty sure I could be a better cook in this kitchen. My favorite part? The fridge covered in zinc. I love how rustic it is.


And after cooking a fantastic meal in the kitchen, we could retire to this fabulous dining room. I've already posted about my love affair with this clay color. I think the chairs are a bit ornate for my taste. I would replace the dining set with something more casual, a farm table perhaps.

After dinner, I would curl up next to the fire with a good book. My favorite thing in this image? Those double doors in the background.

Who doesn't want a gorgeous grand staircase like this?




And those shutters make me swoon.


I love love love the shutters here. The chandelier and chair are just the right touch in this space.

And my very favorite image:


Seriously, I love everything about this so much it makes my heart ache. I kid you not.

You can click on the link for a few more photos I didn't include here.

Progress at a Snail's Pace...

The basement project is progressing, just very slowly at this point. We decided we would frame the bathroom and the next bedroom and install the electrical in both, before we proceeded with the drywall in the first bedroom. We needed to have the inspector come out to look at some changes to the electrical and we figured, why not have all the electrical done so he could make just one more inspection. This seemed simple enough, considering how quickly we banged out that first room. However, a few factors are now coming into play that weren't before. First of all, I had squirreled away some funds for the start of the project. Now we have to have some time to squirrel away some more. Next, now that Lincoln is here and participating, we need to work around his schedule as well. He and I want to learn as we go so we can do this ourselves at some point. And lastly, we have a plumbing question that needs to be answered before we can build the next wall.

But here is what we have accomplished in the past week or two.

More electrical work in the first bedroom and hallway. The proper outlets have been installed. The first ones we put in did not meet a brand new code. They must now be the tamper resistant kind. Doug also put in a light fixture in the new hallway and wired for the other two. These will eventually be recessed lights.

Our friend, Jesse, came and put two new circuits in the box to accommodate the bathroom and the second bedroom.



Lincoln and I put in a heat run to the first bedroom and consulted with our friend Spencer to determine what our plan for cold air returns should be.


We have picked up the building materials we need for framing the next two rooms. Hopefully I can get a plumber out here today to answer our question and give us an estimate on future plumbing work. Once that is done we can proceed with framing.

In the meantime, maybe I'll start working on my kitchen backsplash today...

While The Cat's Away...

Lincoln recently had to travel to Boston for a few days for work. While I was sad to see him go, I was excited to start working on a project while he was gone to surprise him.
I hatched my plan a couple weeks ahead of time. I started squirreling money away and looking for accomplices to aid me in my scheme. Once I had my cousin, Karen, and her husband Jamie on board, I started to get really excited. My plan? To build a room in the unfinished basement.
I knew we wouldn't be able to complete it in the three days, but i figured it would be pretty fun to at least get it framed up.
Karen and Jamie came by a few days before Lincoln left and the three of us laid out our plan. With Jamie's professional, or at least, experience-based advice, we decided which room to start on and came up with a materials list. Lincoln left on Sunday, and Monday morning Jamie and I went to the home improvement store to pick up all the materials. On the way back into town, we stopped at the town hall and I acquired our building permit.
We returned home and unloaded the truck, with the assistance of Karen and our friend Billy. Jamie has some severe physical limitations due to a serious work injury a few years back, so we determined that we had accomplished enough for day one. That evening, our friend Doug came by to assess whether he felt he could do the electrical for us or not. He was sure he could and told me to let him know when we were ready for him.
On day 2, Jamie, with a little assistance from Karen and I, framed up the room almost in its entirety. I called Doug and told him we were ready and he came by that evening and put in all the electrical.
On day 3, the building inspector came to check the electrical. He determined we needed to change a couple things, but overall was pleased. Karen and Jamie came in the morning and framed up the closet.
Lincoln arrived home late that night and was surprised to see a building permit in our window, but not nearly as surprised as when he saw a room taking shape in the basement.
On day 4, yesterday, Jamie came over to put in a few nailers. Doug and the building inspector came at noon to talk through the electrical plans.
Tonight we will pick up what we need to tap into our HVAC and run heat and a cold air return. Hopefully that will go in tomorrow morning, then we can move on to drywall.
I'm looking forward to documenting our progress on this blog. This is soooo fun! OH! And the best news is that the window I thought was too small to meet code for a bedroom, isn't. So we can OFFICIALLY call it a fourth bedroom! Hurray!
(This is what the basement looked like when we first looked at the house.)


The rest of the pictures are of the new room.


(As you can see, unlike the previous fitness- and cleanliness-minded homeowners, we use the space as a dumping ground for dead furniture.)

Daisy Cake

I made this little daisy cake for a dinner at church tonight. I think it turned out pretty darn cute! It's chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, with a hidden pool of chocolate pudding inside. I've never tried that before, so I hope it turned out OK. I made chocolate pudding just like I would for a chocolate pie, but instead of pouring it into a pie shell, I poured it into a well in the center of the bottom cake. I refrigerated it overnight so it would set up, then assembled and decorated today.