Guess Where We Went....

Guess where we went for the day............

"The Biggest Free Party in the World"

 MARDI GRAS in New Orleans!!!  

Okay, so it was a month ago, but I keep forgetting to post pictures.

We went for just one day and night, since it's about an 8 hour drive from Nashville.  We left our house about 4 am on Saturday morning, and spent all day and night in New Orleans.  We went to a couple different parades, and got MASSIVE amounts of beads during them.  We actually weighed them when we got home and between my husband and I, we ended up with almost 20 lbs of beads.  TWENTY!  That is crazy!!

Halfway through the first parade....we more than doubled the beads after this.

Other than the parades, we walked throughout the French Quarter to see and taste part of the city.  We were told we had to try a beignet, a po boy sandwich, a muffuletta sandwich and a king cake.  Well, we tried all but the king cake.

We went to Cafe du Monde for one (or two) of the BEST beignet's.  Ever.  No need to go anywhere else for one.  Those were sooo yummy, gooey, delicious and powdery!  I don't have a picture since our hands were tied up with all the powdered sugar.

Josh got a Muffeletta at Central Bakery Co, the home of the original muffeletta.  Now, I'm not a fan of olives, but it tasted pretty good, and looked even better!!

I can't remember the name of the place I got the po boy sandwich, but unfortunately it wasn't that impressive.  I guess that's my fault though since I got turkey/cheese instead of something meaty/hearty.

Homemade Wheat Tortillas

My husband and I have tried to cut out purchasing pre-made groceries as much as possible.  Two reasons -- so we know what's in our food, and its much much cheaper to make/bake than to purchase things at the grocery store.

So this has lead to another homemade product: Wheat Tortillas.

Now, we've tried NUMEROUS recipes and most of the whole wheat ones came out really tough, but this recipe is PERFECT, in my opinion --- few ingredients, only 67 calories per tortilla, and pretty easy to make. This also goes great with my homemade taco seasoning.

Beef with taco seasoning, sharp cheddar, spinach, salsa and little bit of sour cream.  Perfecto!

Whole Wheat Tortillas
Ingredients:
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Directions:
Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in large bowl.  Pour boiling water over mixture and mix thoroughly.  Knead with a dough hook for 2 minutes.  This will help the gluten in the flour to develop properly and absorb the water.  Shape into 24 balls and let rest for 20 minutes.  Heat a cast-iron or non-stick pan on medium-high heat.  Roll out balls on an unfloured, ungreased countertop.  Roll as thin as you can and streth the dough when you pit it up to place on your pan.  Cook on both sides.

Storage:
Store hot tortillas in storage container.  I use a paper towel on the bottom of the container so the tortilla at the bottom doesn't get soggy.  The trapped steam will keep the tortillas soft.  You can also freeze them once the container is cool, however ours never last long enough to need to freeze them.

Outsmart Craigslist: How to Buy and Sell

Source

It never occurred to me that people could really be getting used on Craigslist until a co-worker came to me for my "expert" CL advice since I'm a CL frequenter. Whether it be buying goods for more than they should be, or selling goods for way less than they could get, a person can really get "taken" on Craigslist if you aren't careful.

Note: I don't consider myself an expert, but these are the things that have worked for me in the past. Many of these things I've learned from experience with buying and selling on CL.

Selling
-If you're willing to wait it out, you can make more money --- I posted a stereo multiple times and people offered pennies compared to what I was asking. I just kept re-posting it and one day a guy offers full price if I would meet him within 15 minutes. SOLD!

-If your goal is to just declutter and get rid of the item, low ball the price --- This has worked for numerous items for me.  It will get rid of the goods quick. SOLD!

-Post the price higher than what you'd like to get --- With all bargain shoppers, they're exactly that, bargain shoppers. Everyone is looking for a good deal. I've posted things $50 or more above the price I'd like to get (for a big/expensive item) just to give myself some wiggle room with negotiations. SOLD!

-Do your homework -- Make sure you aren't posting at ridiculously high prices. Check out the value on eBay or other sites to see what it's typically sold for today. Most things aren't worth what you originally paid. Hardly ever actually. SOLD!

-Don't be afraid of negotiations --- Most people will try to talk you down even once you've agreed on a price. Stand firm on what you've agreed on, if you're adamant about getting that price.  SOLD!


Buying
-Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate --- Don't hesitate to negotiate with others. Many people post things higher because they're expecting you to counter offer back. CHEAP!

-Set Your Standards --- I recently purchased a dresser with a very long, picky list of wants, one of those to spend less than $50. It may have taken longer, but I got exactly what I wanted. CHEAP!

-Again, do your homework --- Don't be afraid to look up prices online before buying. Many people don't research the actual value before posting and will ask what they want to get out of it. It's much harder for them to argue with you if you can show them a printout from eBay with the current value.  CHEAP!

-Be willing to walk away --- If you can't get it for the price you want, the product isn't what you expected, or are uncomfortable with the transaction walk away.  CHEAP!


Additional Buying/Selling Smarts
-Last but not least, when buying or selling play it smart --- When possible, meet in a well populated area during the day if you can. Also never go alone.

-When having people come to your house, always have another person home --- Many times my husband will also walk people around to the garage or basement so they don't walk through our house looking for items to steal (hey, you never know!)

Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 5 - FINAL!!!!

THE TV STAND IS DONE...

Check it out!!

What do you think??  Have you tried to re-create any old or secondhand products as something new?

Price Breakdown --

Dresser from Craigslist - $50

Uhaul to transport dresser - $22

Primer $7

Paint $5

Spray Polyurethane $8

Spade to drill holes $10

Total ONLY $101!!!

Price for a store bought similar dresser.... $800 or on sale for $400 on Amazon.

That means, I saved $700!!!!!!!  WHOOHOO!!!!

Source

Follow the Entire Dresser Turned TV Stand Project Series:

New Project - Dresser Turned TV Stand
Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 1
Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 2
Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 3

Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 4

Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 4

So, we did one thing a little backwards with the dresser....

We hadn't purchased anything to cut out the holes for the back of the dresser, in order to be able to pull the cords through.

Long story short..... we were done with all the sanding, priming, painting and top poly coat, and realized we still had to drill the holes.  Ooops!!

We went out to our local Home Depot and purchased a 1 1/2 inch spade bit to drill the holes in the backside.

First, we measured halfway between each section, to be sure it was centered, then measured up one inch, so it was close to the bottom and would have a less chance of being seen.

Next, we taped the wood around where we planned on drilling, so we would have a less chance of splitting the wood.

Then we drilled holes from the inside out.  That way, if the wood happened to split or tear, we wouldn't harm the inside "pretty" pieces that we worked so hard to paint.

Once we were done drilling, we just vaccuumed out the dust and wa-lah, DONEZO.

Follow the Dresser Turned TV Stand Series:

New Project - Dresser Turned TV Stand
Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 1
Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 2

Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 3

Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 3

Last Post, I mentioned that we screwed up with the paint, which resulted in streaky paint.  So we went to the paint store and got some more paint.  Thankfully they register the product to our name, so they were able to pull up the exactly paint color we previously purchased.  

Once we had the new paint, we decided to go over nearly everything REALLY well to make sure we didn't have any streaks left from "the mistake."  

Once the 3rd coat finally dried, we decided to go ahead and poly the top. 

In the past, we've always purchased paint on poly, but for some reason, this time when we went to the store, they had a spray poly.  We mutually decided it was better to use the spray so we don't have to try to clean the poly after all the trouble we had with it last time.  Note: do NOT get polyurethane on your hands... it's a pain in butt to clean off!  We tried EVERYTHING in our house to get it off.... body scrub, alcohol, dish soap... nothing worked!!

Color Sneak Peek......

Follow the Dresser Turned TV Stand Series:
New Project - Dresser Turned TV Stand
Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 1
Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 2

Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 2

After the primer dried, the next day we decided to start painting.  Of course, painting seems to take forever, especially since we did 2.5 coats and had to wait for it to dry in between.  We wanted to be sure it dried completely before putting another coat on top, so we only painted one coat per day.

Now, I say we did 2.5 coats because we did 2 coats over the entire dresser, but the last coat was meant to go over sections we felt needed additional coverage.  HOWEVER..... we were scrimping by on the last little bit of the paint and apparently it had a bit of white in the bottom of the can, so of course this means the last couple of sections turned out blue streaky.

Ooops!!

Once we realized what happened, we decided to go get another small can of paint, but since the paint store was already closed for the night, and we wanted the paint to dry completely, we decided it would have to wait until the next day....

Follow the Dresser Turned TV Stand Series:

New Project - Dresser Turned TV Stand

Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 1

Dresser Turned TV Stand - Day 1

So as I mentioned in my last dresser post, we bought a dresser and have been rushing this week to get it done since we have ZERO extra storage space in our apartment.

When we first started, we were going to completely sand it down to the bare wood and prime/paint from there. Once we got started and realized our time crunch, we thought we'd try just lightly sanding and priming/painting over that since we read somewhere online that its possible.

The first night, we decided to lightly sand and prime. We also purchased 3 pieces of wood to add to the top row of the dresser. Without the wood, the consoles we are putting in there would have nothing supporting it. Now, you may be wondering why we used 3 pieces of wood, but that was the only way to fit them inside since there are wood support bars in front.

Below is the dresser once it's been lightly sanded and with the piece of wood.

Stay tuned for additional updates...

Follow the Dresser Turned TV Stand Series:

New Project

Save Some Money, Make Your Own... Chalkboard.

Lately I've been oogling over all the fancy chalkboards on Pinterest.  Now a days, there are so many options for what to use chalkboards for -- decorations in home or office, labeling food at a party, framed on the wall and many many more.... below are a few of my favorites.

Labels on goods at a party
Source

Dipped wine glasses
Source

Basement Bar
Source

Home Office To Do Wall
Source

When thinking about what I wanted to make, the best thing I could come up with was a framed chalkboard, since we live in an apartment and cannot do any painting.  I purchased a piece of $4 plywood and some $1 acrylic chalkboard paint and went to town on my project.....

First...

I sprayed the board and framing with primer.  A couple of hours later when the primer was dry, I painted the first layer on the chalkboard.  The paint I bought said to do 2 layers.  One layer horizontally, one layer vertically, and it needed to dry 12 hours in between to cure.  While I was waiting on the first layer of chalkboard paint to dry, I painted the frame with a couple of coats of paint.  

Second...
Once everything had dried, I decided to glue the frame on the board.  Now, of course in order to keep it attached, most people would typically use clamps.  Me on the other hand... I just dig through my closet to find whatever heavy objects I can...  :)

Lastly...
I hung the board in the kitchen and drew this weeks menu on it.  I attached it with nails directly through the chalkboard.  One nail in each corner to be sure it wouldn't come off when bumped by the trashcan that's typically in front of it.  Since the nails are dark and my frame was white, I didn't want to hammer thorough the frame since it would drastically show.  I like the way it turned out and how the nails are nearly invisible.

Cost of Supplies

• 24x48 inch board $4 from Home Depot
• Black chalkboard acrylic paint $0.59 from Michaels with 40% off coupon
• Frame $0.69 from Home Depot (and we cut in the store before buying since we don't have the supplies at home)

Total cost $5.28

Cost of a 24x48 inch chalkboard at TJ Maxx? $50.  Regular price? $100!!!  I saved nearly 95% off the original price for about an HOUR's worth of work (and that's being pretty generous.. might be more like 30 minutes plus drying time).  

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Looks even better than the store bought kind.

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, most of my homemade food is made because it costs less than store bought, and the ingredients are "pure" without the preservatives etc.  This taco seasoning was made for the exact same reason.

Now, if you ask my opinion, tacos just aren't the same without the seasoning.  It's all about the seasoning in my book.  Just plain beef?  Eww!  Chicken with no flavor?  Ick!!  So, just gotta add the perfect blend of ingredients, preferably not from a packet, a yippee, there ya have it, the perfect taco with just a few extra toppings!

I grew up with the "American style" of taco-eating, if you'd call it that.  Taco shell, refried beans, ground beef with seasoning, lettuce, salsa or tomatoes, a sprinkle of cheese and of course sour cream.  Today, I've tweaked the toppings to make it a bit healthier, but still enjoy eating something pretty similar to that.  I guess, it's true what they say, you never forget where you came from.

Seasoning before being mixed, look at all those colors!

Taco Seasoning
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp ground cumin
3 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.  Store in airtight container.

To Use:
Once meat is browned, add 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix with meat to replace usual taco seasoning packet and 2 tsp cornstarch and 1 cup cold water.  Simmer on low until it has reached the desired thickness.

My "tweaks" to the recipe:
Instead of using crushed red pepper flakes, I actually used ground red pepper for fear of random hot bites with the flakes.  I love it with the ground red pepper!  I also try to use as little salt as possible.  So rather than using 3 tsp, I probably use more like 1/2 to 1 tsp.

I've also made this recipe a couple of times now, and the first time I added the 2 tbsp of cornstarch I felt it was too thick.  The last time I only added 1 tbsp of cornstarch, and it seemed as thick as it would typically be from a packet, but then again, it may be my preference.  You kind of have to tweak it to your liking.

PS - Do NOT forget the Oregano!!  I did once and it was SPICYYY!  Lesson learned, always read the recipe. :)

Source: Adapted from Smells Like Home

New Project - Dresser Turned TV Stand

I'm soo soo soo excited right now!!  The husband and I finally found a dresser on Craigslist that's exactly what we've been looking for.

For us to buy the dresser, it had to fit into the following criteria:

• Cost less than $50
• Have a bit of an antique look or character
• Not too modern or sleek (I never thought I'd say that)
• Must be solid wood, not press board
• It had to be a long horizontal dresser, not a vertical chest
• Wanted to do work to it....
• But didn't want the drawers falling apart.
• Drawers that pulled in and out easily
• Be able to organize drawers easily with DVDs and/or gaming controllers etc.

After holding out for months, we finally found exactly what we wanted... AND it has all my picky specifications above,

Stay tuned for the next.  big.  project.  :)

Homemade Tahnini

As I mentioned in my last post, I decided to make my own tahini (an essential ingredient for hummus), rather than buying it.  Just like with hummus, it costs a ton more to buy it... so I made my own.   

I'm sure many of you are wondering, what is tahini??  I thought the same thing prior to making hummus.  It sounds so exotic, right?   

Ready for this?   


You're gonna laugh at how simple it is...... 


It's..... 


Sesame seeds and olive oil. 


Yep, that's all. 


Again, a super easy recipe, and it smells AMAZING -- can't beat that, right? 

This recipe yields about 2 cups, but you only need 6 tablespoons for the hummus recipe. 

Tahini Recipe 
Ingredients 
2 cups sesame seeds 
1/3 cup olive oil 

Directions 
First, toast the sesame seeds --- heat a saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the sesame seeds and toast lightly -- about 2 minutes, shaking the pan so they toast evenly.  Watch out, sesame seeds can burn very easily.  Once they start slightly turning brown, they're done. They'll go from toasted to burnt very quickly.  Transfer to a bowl and let the seeds cool completely. 

Next, process the sesame seeds in a food processor and slowly drizzle in the olive oil.  Pulse for 3-5 minutes, or until as smooth as possible.  Add additional olive oil as necessary.  Remove from processor and store in refrigerator (or add to the hummus recipe, then store in the fridge ;))   

Source: adapted from Cupcake Project

Homemade Roasted Garlic Hummus for less than $3... Mmm, Mmm!

Roasted Garlic Hummus and Pita Chips... Yum!

I've been wanting to make some homemade hummus for quite awhile, but haven't found a recipe that I really liked... until now.

There are many reasons I decided to make it homemade.

• Price
• Preservatives
• Knowing the ingredients
• Convenience

When I decided to make Hummus, a lot of my reasoning was based on price.  The Sabra brand that I typically buy, will cost a few dollars and is only about 7 or 10 ounces (I can't remember).  So my husband and I started buying it in bulk at our local Sam's Club and we could get the large (25 ounces) for $5.98  The problem with the large container is that we both go through spurts with hummus and don't consistently eat a large amount.  And, I'm not sure if you're like me, but if it sits in the fridge too long, it starts to taste different and I'm not a fan.  So we'd end up throwing it out and wasting the food and money.  

To make it from scratch it was minimal compared to buying in the store -- more on that later, and I know exactly what's in it, and that means NO PRESERVATIVES or added unhealthy crap, as we all know the side effects of those.

I typically just like plain or garlic hummus, though I've tried a black bean hummus that was really good, too.  The thing I really liked about this recipe, was that it's super simple to make and used few ingredients.  It didn't take long to prep, but the garlic cloves do have to bake in the oven for an hour prior to adding to the recipe.  As much as I like garlic... or should I say love?  This recipe seemed to have quite the bite to it due to the amount of garlic added.  Next time I may try to tweak it a bit by adding less cooked garlic, or just using all fresh, not cooked, chopped up cloves.  We'll see.  

Have you made hummus before?  If so, what did you like and dislike about it?  

Total cost of all ingredients $2.58

Roasted Garlic Hummmus

Ingredients:
2 heads garlic, intact
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup water
6 tbsp. tahini (check out my homemade recipe)
1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper (very, very small pinch)
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Remove the papery outer skins of the garlic heads, leaving them otherwise intact.  Chop off the top quarter of the head so that all of the cloves are exposed.  Wrap the garlic in foil and bake until very tender.  This will take about an hour.  Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the sliced garlic cloves and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.  Transfer the garlic to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the cooking oil for later.  Set aside.  Once the roasted garlic from the oven is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves from their skins.  This should give you about 1/4 cup.

In a small prep bowl, combine the lemon juice and water.  In another bowl, whisk together the reserved garlic cooking oil and the tahini (I couldn't find any, so I made my own.  More on that to come -- check it out here).  

In the bowl of a food processor, process the chickpeas, the roasted garlic puree, the remaining clove of garlic, salt and cayenne until the mixture is finely ground.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl to get off any access.  With the machine running, add the lemon juice-water mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream.  Scrape down the bowl and process for an additional minute.  With the machine running, add the oil-tahini mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream.  Scrape down the bowl and continue to process until the hummus is smooth and creamy.  Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, top with toasted garlic slices and minced fresh parsley, if desired.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats/Pinterest

Cost Breakdown

Can of chickpeas -  $0.89

Bottle of Olive Oil - $0.15

2 heads of garlic  - $0.81

Lemon - $0.49

Tahini (homemade) - $0.24

Cayenne Pepper - already had on hand, but I believe it's about $3 at Trader Joe's

Water FREE

Salt - already had on hand

TOTAL $2.58 for 4 cups (32 oz) of hummus.

Lucky Day!

Today is my lucky day...

My hubbs and I just ran to Walmart to get some ice cream for dessert (aka midnight snack) and when we opened it up, guess what we saw.....

Yep! A FOUR LEAF CLOVER made out of an Oreo. Lucky us? I think so!! :)

Homemade Dog Bones

I've been seeing a ton of homemade dog biscuits and treats on Pinterest, and thought I'd give one a try.  Jake  tends to have a sensitive stomach, so I'm always really careful of the types of food and treats that I buy him.  I'm always checking the ingredients to make sure it's healthy, especially his dog food.

When I came across this recipe on Pinterest with only FOUR ingredients, I knew I had to try it, since most dogs LOVE peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Dog Bones

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flower
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup low-fat milk

Preheat over to 375.  Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl.  Mix peanut butter and milk in another bowl.  Add wet and dry mixtures together.  Mix well. --- On a side note:  I used powdered peanut butter as it is healthier and has less calories than regular peanut butter.  I prepared it the same as always, with water, prior to combining with the milk.  I also don't buy dairy milk, so instead used almond milk.  I frequently bake with it and haven't had any issues yet. 

Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead.  Roll out to approximately 1/4 inch thickness and cut out with your favorite cookie cutter.  Place on a greased or non-stick baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly brown.  Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.

Yield 35 biscuits, but of course this depends on the size of the cookie cutter.  I had enough to fill almost 3 baking pans.

Jake LOVES them... if you can't tell, he's pretty excited :)