Rice Pudding-Thai style

As you know, I love Thai food. Today I thought it would be delicious to eat rice pudding with a Thai twist. I was right.

I used your standard Betty Crocker rice pudding recipe but swapped out Jasmine rice for regular rice. I spliced in 1/2 cup low-fat coconut milk with 2 cups skim milk and added powdered ginger instead of cinnamon. I omitted the raisins. It's yummy. Next time I think I will increase the coconut milk ratio and add a pinch more ginger. I erred on the cautious side so I didn't over-power it, but it could be stronger.

Evolution of a Portrait

Well, I finally did something creative. Boy, my projects sure are few and far between these days. The last time I painted a portrait, digital cameras hadn't been invented yet. Needless to say, while doing this one, I got a little addicted to catching each stage on 'film'. I thought the beginning stages looked like some Mattisse paintings I like.

Such a beauty, that Shan!

Plastic Bottle Christmas Tree

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted on here. It's true, I have had some gaps in creativity, but when Christmastime rolled around, I was all over it! And now that I've finally disassembled my tree, I'd like to show you how I made it.

Step 1: Collect as many bottles as you can.

Step 2: Use "cool temp" hot glue to connect them in a circle, starting with the bottom and working up.

Step 4: Decorate with as many recycled/homemade ornaments as you can. I also made cool ornaments out of old light bulbs and pop cans. Oh, and an empty toothpaste tube! But they aren't in this pic. To my knowledge (and I did extensive research online) this is the first tree of its kind!! I intended it to be 7 ft tall, but didn't have enough bottles so it topped off around 3/3.5 ft. I still feel like a "green" genius! :D

OTT?

I bet you guys were sick of looking at that rice or cous cous, whatever it was. Well, as you know, I am on the Historic Home Tour list which is coming up in a couple weeks. YIKES! So, today I've been doing some decorating projects in preparation. Mostly window treatments and some light gardening.

What we have here is my primary bathroom. It used to just have the mini-blind (which I hate but have to have till I can come up with a better privacy-yet-light-filtering solution) till I snagged the curtain from the red living room and put it up. The rod was a challenge, as it involved my electric drill (2nd time I've used it).

This is not a great picture. Sorry. What you are missing are the adorable colors. The wall is a real pale turquoise and there's lots more going on in this tiny room. But it's really tough to photograph.

This next photo is of my red living room. I finally moved the gauzy sheer with the baskets of flowers OUT of there and into a more appropriate room (see above). I replaced it with this awesome antique white linen sheet I forgot I had. It has a gorgeous embroidered hem and a monogram (?) which turned upside down, make a beautiful bottom hem for a curtain. The sheet was too long for the window and I did not want to cut it, so I decided to "gussy up" the extra into a valance. Do you think the rose is too much? Well, you'd kind of need to see the whole room before you decide.

OOH! I just had an awesome idea. I'm going to move those little tassels to the middle of the scallops so they make a gothic V instead! That will diminish the slight grandma look it's got now. I might also change the ribbon on the rose to black. Still playin'!

I also used that giant wicker vase I used for my derelict Christmas tree to house an arrangement of stems I've collected over the past several Christmases. I have to put something on top of the armoire. I'd like to put some shorter items around it too.

OK, here's the revised version:

Can She DO That?

Well, I don't know if you're allowed to mix cous cous and tofu, but I did. And is it ever YUMMY!

I wanted to share it with you in case you love tofu like I do and wanted a made up recipe to try.

Here's what I did:

Marinated 2/3 of a pound of firm tofu, cubed, in

• 1/3 cup veg. oil
• enough red wine vinegar to make a total of 1/2 cup with oil
• one clove fresh garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• generous tsp. dark molasses
• 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger

for one hour in the fridge.

For the cous cous:

• 1 grated carrot
• 1 stalk celery, chopped fine
• 1-2 green onions, sliced

Boil 1 & 1/2 cups water (or veggie stock) with 1 tbs. butter (optional) and the veggies, and about a half tsp. curry for funsies. As soon as it's boiling, add 1 cup cous cous (I used whole wheat), cover, and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 min. No peeking! :) Oh I think I added some sea salt to the cous cous water too. Cous cous can be so bland!

Once the cous cous was ready, I added my marinated tofu. I just dumped the whole thing in, leftover marinade and all. It's up to you if you want to do that. It solved the problem of the cous cous choking me, like it usually does. I stirred it up and covered it with tin foil for a few minutes to heat the tofu.

Anyway, I found the whole thing delightful. And it worked out well, although I would have loved to have some soy sauce for the marinade, but had none on hand.

Alright! You Got Me!

I admit, I did take time to do some yoga with my pal Shania today and bake these:

I thought I'd attempt to bake with natural sugar. I still used partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening (shame shame shame) but you can't go 100% healthy cold turkey! These are Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies. No special recipe, just different ingredients. I noticed they did not flatten out in the oven but stayed round and puffy. They are also quite delicious. I had 4. Oops.

OK, now back to work, Trish! K-shaw! (sound of whip cracking)

I'm BIZ-AY!

For real, people! I am super busy! Have any of you ever tried to stock a whole entire store of only handmade items by yourself????? If you have, please commiserate with me. It's a thrilling prospect. And I know I'm gaining lots of valuable experience for the store front I'd like to open one day. But DANG if it isn't a DAWG's life! I just can't seem to keep up. The designing, the production, the photography, the techno, the marketing, the admin stuff (hate hate hate), and oh yeah, eating and sleeping.

This is not a complaining session. It's all very exciting to me! I just thought I'd let you know what's been going on at Domestick Kingdom. Or Dom Sticking Dom as my friend Laura says.

Sorry for no entries lately. I'll try to be better about it. I don't really have any housy projects going on right now on account of the new biz.

FINALLY!

OK, I finally got up the courage to open my Etsy store. It's meager but hopefully will grow in time. It'll be awesome when I get my logo and banner, etc. Plus, I need to create more inventory. :)

Lunch

I've been going to a four week class Sunday nights at church to learn more about our church. Last night we (the people at my table) were discussing our latest culinary fixations. Of course I talked about popcorn. The guy next to me said he is really into making pork fried rice. His description was so exciting that it inspired me to make my own version today for lunch. I already had some leftover rice in the fridge which I had cooked in tumeric. Tumeric is used a lot in southeast Asian countries (like Indonesia) and it costs way less than saffron (the most expensive spice in the world) with the same yellow effect. I picked up a big bag of it in Singapore.

I also had a bottle of Sambal on hand, another Indonesian staple. It's a chile sauce which adds a nice kick. In the end, my concoction was a tad bland, so I'd probably add more garlic and sambal and salt, next time............if I ever make it again. I tend to not repeat myself too much. Oh also, I made it vegetarian style. I've hardly been eating any meat lately except chicken. Just not into it.

Trial Run on the Clay Bake

These have a steep learning curve for me. My little brother (Chumba Wumba) and I made a few switch plates in AZ. They seemed to turn out a little better than this one. But I will continue working at it.

These are the ones we made together.

Pretty in Pink

This year must be a year of firsts for me, creatively and technically. While I have made many a Roman shade in my day, I have NEVER installed them myself. If you've been following along, you've no doubt read of my fear of power tools, which I conquered mere days ago. The idea of me installing my own Romans...on 6 feet windows....seemed as likely as me draping a brightly colored, extremely heavy python around my neck at some exotic animal park for a photo. (Lest you think these pictures might suggest such an event ever taking place, it will not.) So, besides being proud of myself for actually finishing this relatively simple project, I can hardly believe that I performed a feat that was so challenging for me. (I know Shlomo and Anshel can really appreciate what I've done.) I won't say I'm on snuggling terms with my drill yet, but I do see us spending a little more time together in the future.

Crispy Parmesan Chips

My second favorite cookbook is Better Homes and Gardens New Diabetic Cookbook. If you love healthy, gourmet-ish, delicious food, this is the book for you. Today I made these yummy chips!

30 wonton wrappers

Nonstick spray coating

2 TB olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed

1/4 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese

1. Use a sharp knife to cut wonton wrappers diagonally in half to form 60 triangles. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick coating. Arrange a 1/3 of the triangles in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
2. In a small bowl stir together the olive oil, garlic, and basil. Brush the wonton triangles lightly with some of the oil mixture; sprinkle with some of the grated cheese.
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining wonton triangles, oil mixture, and cheese.

Makes 60 chips (15 servings).

70 cal., 3g fat, 3mg chol., 123 mg sodium, 9g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g prot

Now, obviously, there's no limit to where you can take this recipe! I added sea salt and cracked black pepper to this specific recipe. I have a feeling you could easily go the sweet route too with a little cinna-sugar mix. You might not want to use olive oil in that case though. Blech!

So enjoy and let me know if you come up with a variation you love. Ooh, how about the spicy route? Ouch!

I finally bit the bullet

A few months ago I bought a drill. This was a huge step for me, given my fear of power tools. Although it was a huge step, it was only one step. Once I got the thing home, I put it upstairs and forgot about it. Any project requiring the use of my drill got put off.

Yesterday all of that changed! I have this thread rack that came with no holes in the back. I wanted to hang it on the wall with my other one. (This is something I've been wanting to do for about 6 years.) I finally got up the courage and drilled holes in the back of that sucker! Woo hoo! Please see pictorial storyline.

Let's Cut a Rug!

I first cut out an oval shape and did a 1/2" hem around the outside.
I laid out the fabrics so I could decide how I wanted them to look.
I first pinned the braided cord around the inner circle, and topstitched it in place. Then I attached the rectangle to the velvet by folding under a 1/2" around the edge and placing the gimp over the top. I secured it all with pins and machine stitched in place.
The outer fringe was the final touch. I pinned it in place and machine stitched it with a zigzag stitch. The whole thing went pretty smooth. The velvet is upholstery velvet, so it already has that backing on it which makes it great for a rug. Ozzy loves it! And I think it's perfect for my Red Room! So luxurious. And just about free for me! Scraps are a great thing!

Puffy Apple Oven Pancake

It's been my personal opinion, since I began baking at the tender age of 6, that Betty Crocker ROCKS! My mom had an old 1960's edition and that was my baking bible. In fact, they republished that version in the 90's and my mom gave me a copy in '97. I just checked and the edition I use all the time is from '96. Anyway, it's not super gourmet, but I can always take a basic recipe and run with it. With the advent of the internet, I often find myself using online cooking websites for recipes. But my BC cookbook is still the backbone of my culinary adventures.

This morning I was in the mood for a pancake. I don't have any pancake mix onhand, so I thought I'd see what Betty had to say on the subject. I found a yummy, big, fritter-looking recipe which I have passed over many times while perusing her book. I had some apples I needed to use, so I was excited to try this recipe out. It really turned out delicious. Except I baked it too long and have a little burnt aftertaste now. I also didn't realize it was for 2-4 people, so I tried to eat the whole thing. I'll just say I'm going to take a little break from this recipe before making it again. Next time I want to try it in my cast iron skillet.

Puffy Apple Oven Pancake oven 400 degrees. 2-4 servings

2 TB stick butter (or Blue Bonnet)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

2 TB brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 medium baking apple

powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In 9-inch glass pie plate, melt butter in oven; brush butter over bottom and side of pie plate.

2. In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly with wire whisk or hand beater. Beat in flour, milk and salt just until mixed (do not overbeat).

3. Sprinkle bottom of pie plate with brown sugar and cinnamon. Arrange thinly sliced apple and pour batter into pie plate.

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until puffy and deep golden brown. Turn pancake over onto plate immediately. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. (I also drizzled it with syrup. Yummy!)

The Time Has Come

Yes, the time has come to remove the yucky carpet in my front room. I'm going to use this room as my studio, so it will be great to sew on hardwood. It's way easier to clean up. I knew the floor was ok underneath the carpet so I wasn't expecting any surprises. Let's just say, if anything, I was pleasantly surprised with how great it looks!

Tea Dye and I

I just tea dyed my Wal-mart curtains. I actually bought the curtains at a thrift store brand new and my friend told me they were from Wal-mart. They were stark white and I don't know why I thought they would be perfect in my front room, which has no white in it. But then I thought, "Hey, can't I just dye them with tea bags?" Well, I looked up how to do it online and was disappointed to find very elaborate instructions that were way over my head (or I just didn't have the patience for). Some of them involved overnight baths, that sort of thing. No thanks. So, as commonly happens with me, I threw caution to the wind and went for it---instructionless. It turns out it could not be simpler.

I boiled about 1.5 to 2 gallons of water in my biggest pot. Once the water was boiling, I popped in 6 bags of decaf tea. Just regular Lipton. No special flavor. I kept the water boiling the whole time, but I took the bags out after about 2 minutes. Then I just dunked one curtain at a time. These are cafe' curtains, so they aren't big. I kept each curtain in for about a minute, since I wanted them to be off-white, not tan, and certainly not brown. This turned out to be the perfect amount of time. Once I rinsed them out with cold water, I put them in the dryer. It was weird how wrinkly they came out since they were a poly/cotton blend, but mostly poly. Anyway, they turned out perfect and I am very happy with the results.

Disclaimer: If you are a pro at tea dying, sorry. I'm sure this process seems silly to you. I really enjoy reinventing the wheel.

An enCOUNTER with Mod Podge

I think I was flying over New Mexico when I had this idea. (That's not relevant to the idea. It was just where it happened.) My counters were part of a kitchen that was added in the 60's. I'm cool with the 60's, but not as much in a house that's 104. So, I decided to decoupage my countertops. I happened to have an extra vintage cookbook, so I was halfway done before I started, in my head. Here's a before pic from before I bought the house this summer:Sorry I don't have a closer shot of the golden marbleized Formica. Maybe if you squint hard, you can picture it in your mind's eye.
Here's one section done:
I added in scrapbook paper too and primed the cabinets and counter edges. Thing that took the longest was deciding which recipes to keep on top. Otherwise, things moved along pretty quickly. I don't have a lot of patience, so most of my projects provide "instant" gratification.

Here's the final product!

I painted two coats of water-based Polyurethane over it too.

Now that I've been using the counters for a few months, I would recommend a couple more coats of Polyurethane. Somehow, sitting water still tends to seep under all the layers of Mod Podge and sealant. It dries pretty quickly, so I never have water stains, but it's obviously not sealed completely. I love how it looks, though, so I don't mind. Form goes way before function in my book. Ha!

An introduction to my kingdom

This is my home. My research tells me she's a Queen Anne Victorian. The nice man down at the town museum tells me she was built in 1903. It's my opinion that owning an older home comes with some responsibility of preservation. However, being that we are in the 2000's, there are some changes that just have to be made. Budget-willing, I plan to make any changes with as artsy of a touch as possible.
In order to catch my new blog up to speed, I will be posting several projects in a row. I may not teach how to do certain things step by step, but my main goal is to inspire.
I also really enjoy taking pictures, so I may include samples from my photography expeditions from time to time.