Coffee Station Beginnings

I wanted a dedicated station for coffee in our dining room, but was having trouble finding the type of table I liked (vintage-y or dark wood, counter height, and ample storage space, kind of like this) for a good price. On my way into town during a blizzard, and obviously not driving as cautiously as I should, I saw a potential table in the window of a used furniture shop and decided to stop in the next day to take a look. It was only table height and didn't have much storage... but it was only $50 so I bought it! Eventually it will get moved to the living room as a sofa table after we find the perfect coffee station table, but it will work great in the dining room for now.

We have that same honey oak wood on our floors and cabinets, which is already way too much orange, so it was decided to re-stain the tabletop to a dark wood. I unscrewed the top, stripped the old stain off, cleaned and sanded the wood, beat it up with an assortment of hard objects for a worn look, stained, sanded, stained, sanded, sealed, sanded, re-screwed, and changed the knob. And here is the finished result:

The knob is from the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I bought 10 or so for about $.25 each. The others are currently being used as a face on a snowman. :) 

Here is where you can see some of the different marks made by beating the table up, using a hammer, screwdriver, wire brush, bag of nails, etc. The stain settles in the indents, leaving a darker color.

I want to put overhead storage shelves in, but as this won't be our "forever" table, I will wait for now. And yes, we do have a coffee station before a kitchen table. C'est la vie!

What do you think?

Christmas Dog

Until I get a few project complete, here is a few cute (and naughty) pictures of our one year old dog, Jax:

Oh what a nice dog in front of the Christmas tree!:

Wait, what is that?:

Less then 12 hours after putting the tree up, Jax destroyed three ornaments and multiple branches of holly. Within one week, eight ornaments were chewed up, including a glass one. At least he is sorry about it.:

I would be mad at him, but he is so darn cute!:

And really like the snow!:

What a cutie!:

*In case you were nervous, Jax was fine after chewing up the glass ornament. The Christmas tree now gets sprayed with smelly dog deterrent everyday to keep him away from the festive snack. :)

Fabric Christmas Trees

Look how cute these are! I was wanting a few tall Christmas trees to set on the fireplace mantle and couldn't find any that I liked in the stores. They were all too short or too shiny. So, I made my own.

Supplies needed:

• 2 small tomato cages (like this)
• At least 3 poster board sheets (thick paper sheets in the largest size you can get, like this)
• Masking tape
• Hot glue
• Fabric of your choice (I used 2 feet of green fleece, about 1 foot of cream flannel, and 1 foot of textured cream upholstery fabric.)

First, flip the cages upside down so the largest ring is on the bottom. Decide how tall you want the trees. I cut off the bottom ring of one cage to make it shorter that the other. Tape where the wires are connected to the ring; this is to keep the sharp wire edges from scratching wherever you set the trees. Then, tape the three ends together to make a big cone, like this:

Lay the tomato cages down on the poster paper, long side down. Tape down the long wires as you roll the cage across the paper. The paper wrapped better by putting it at an angle, which left some corners hanging off the bottom. Just cut those off and save the trimmings.

Once completely wrapped and taped on the inside, seal the seam by taping along the edge. Use the paper trimmings to patch any gaps left by the paper not being big enough. This is what the inside and outside should look like.

Cut a long strip of fabric (long enough to wrap around the bottom of the tree) and glue the strip to the outside bottom of the tree to hide the paper bottom. Then, start a movie and cut out hundreds of fabric petals. :) I made them about 1 inch wide and 2 inches long. It will go faster if you fold the fabric before cutting, so you can get multiple petals in one swipe.

Once cut out, start hot gluing petals in rows all the way around the tree. I made one tree mostly green with a few cream petals and one mostly cream with a few green petals. The picture below shows the bottom fabric strip, and beginning of gluing. You can also see where I used magazine sheets to fill in tree holes when I ran out of poster board. (I only used two sheets instead of three.)

Keep gluing petals on until the whole tree is filled. Overlap a little bit to hide the straight tops of the petals and hide the paper. Once you get to the top, fold a petal around the tip and glue to make a nice cone top.

This is what you end up with. (The cute trees, not the cute dog.)

This project cost less than $15 total to make two trees, especially since I used discounted fabric from the remnants bin at Walmart and cheap tomato cages, because no one buys tomato cages in November.

Here are the trees on the mantle, next to TJ Maxx reindeer. So cute!

 This, my friends, is a My Neighbor's House original. Yes, I came up with this idea all on my own... and it actually worked! Haha!

Thanksgiving Fireplace Mantle

When touring houses as prospective buyers, one of the first details that caught our eye was the fireplace in our now home. The whole house is covered in icky honey oak trim, which is not my style, but the living room was redeemed with a really nice dark mantle. We will put a TV on the wall some day, but until they go on sale (Black Friday), I had free rein of the entire space.

The ceiling is pretty high, with a long slope, so tall items were needed to balance. I have been trying to find a way to use a few old windows for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity. A Ben Sollee poster and plant also add height. The poster also hides the outlet and cable hook-up you can see in the upper right corner of the photo below.

There are a few fall touches: two pumpkins and a cornucopia. I plan to change the mantle out with each major holiday/season. A long metal candle holder from our wedding and three rectangular peach candle holders from our honeymoon sit in back.

This is my favorite part! Cute little birds sit in an antique bird cage. When I first put the display up, the bird on the perch kept falling over so it looked like a hanging bat or a sad dead bird, which is not cute. A twist-tie solved the issue!

Lastly, a metal G from Anthropologie and one of our engagement pictures in a bike chain frame sit in front of the poster. I originally wanted to put the "G" above our bed, but it is heavy and I am afraid it will fall off in the middle of the night and knock one of us out... The frame was a going away gift to Mike when he had an internship in Indiana for a month last summer. He put it on his bedside table at the hotel. :)

I'm happy with the way the mantle turned out but already excited to decorate it for Christmas!

Hobo Day Soup Buffet

The University I work for has a yearly homecoming celebration called Hobo Days. Yes, slightly insensitive to the plight of the real hobos, but tons of fun! One of the festivities is called "Bum-a-Meal" which consists of a group of students visiting a community member's house for a free meal. Mike and I signed up to provide dinner, so a hobo-chic buffet was set for us and five guests.

The buffet was complete with galvanized steel, cans, newspaper, twine and old lace. We served chili, chicken tortilla soup (did you know real homemade tortilla soup has corn tortillas in it?), condiments, bread sticks (thanks HyVee!), from-scratch vanilla cupcakes (not a fan of this recipe- too dense), and juice. We haven't bought a dining table yet, so the table and chairs were borrowed from Mike's work. Not hobo-y, but better than the floor. 

 

Happy Hobo Day!

New House and Dog!

Hello blogging community!

I have not abandoned the blog, though it may appear I have... We just moved into our new house and got a handsome new dog, so I am a bit distracted by all the excitement going on. Good thing for all of you, there will be many upcoming home improvement posts. I will update you all as we go along. This will be fun!

In the meantime, here is a picture of my cutie dog, Jax.

Asparagus and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast with Hollandaise Sauce

Yes, this does look very similar to a previous post, it was just so good I can't help but share!

This is basically the same as the Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast but with a different filling and sauce. Three bites in, I turned to the Mr. and said "I think this is the best meal I have ever made..." and I meant it!

Ingredients for 2 servings:
2 chicken breasts
Seasonings- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
Asparagus- Amount depends on size of shoots
Shredded mozzarella cheese (or your favorite kind)
Seasoned bread crumbs
Hollandaise sauce- I just use the stove-top powder packet that is mixed with milk and butter. Cheating, but still tasty!
Choice of side- Roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, stuffing (I used stuffing)

Basically, start off by doing exactly like the Caprese Chicken, by pounding two chicken breasts with the flat side of a meat mallet until about doubled in size. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic power, and onion powder. Place asparagus shoots on top of the chicken so they stick over both sides of the chicken. I used quite a few shoots, but they were very skinny. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up the two ends of the chicken to overlap in the middle. Stick with two toothpicks to keep the chicken from unraveling while baking. Like so,

Place in a greased glass baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165.

Meanwhile, make the hollandaise sauce according the packet, or be cool and make it homemade. Also prepare the side, whatever that may be. A vegetable is incorporated into the main entree, so you can get by with just something starchy like potatoes, rice, etc.

Once the chicken is done, place on a plate and drizzle generously with the hollandaise sauce. Sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the deliciousness!

Black Bean Brownies

...What? Black bean brownies? Brownies made with beans... really?

 

 Yes, really!

Simply puree one can of black beans (do not drain) and mix with a standard out-of-the-box brownie mix instead of the eggs, oil, and water. Bake as listed on the back of the box. It is really that easy! 

The treat still isn't necessarily healthy but is definitely healthier than the normal brownie, without compromising taste. Perfect for an ice cream sundae!

Boston Cream Cupcakes

So I cheated on this recipe... After making the cream filling, I wasn't in the mood to make the actual cupcake. In swooped Krusteaz Basic Muffin Mix for the rescue. I hate using any sort of mix from a box instead of creating homemade, but this muffin mix is delicious and super easy. Perfect for a lazy day!

Cream Filling- Filling recipe taken directly from Annie's Eats with a change in size (1/4 amount):

1 large egg yolks

1/8 cup sugar

1/16 cup cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1/2 cups milk

1/3 tsp. vanilla extract

  

To make the pastry cream, place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Gradually add the milk in a steady stream and cook until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble, about 5 minutes.  Whisking constantly, slowly add about a third of the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks to temper.  Return the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.  Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a full boil and is thick enough to hold its shape when lifted with a spoon, 2-4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Then, create cupcakes using whatever vanilla cupcakes suits you best. This is when I baked a partial batch of muffins from the Krusteaz mix with vanilla extract and a little bit of cinnamon. Once cooled, cut the muffins/cupcakes in half and spread with the cream filling. Place top back on cupcake and mix chocolate glaze. 

Chocolate Glaze:

1 square of unsweetened chocolate

1 Tbsp butter

3/4 powdered sugar

2 Tbsp milk

Place chocolate square and butter in a bowl and microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Add sugar and milk and stir again until smooth. Drizzle over assembled cupcakes and lick the bowl clean!

Bedroom Inspiration

Great news everyone! Mike and I put an offer on a house and it has been accepted! We will be moving September 27th and are excited to start this new adventure of home ownership.

The house is fairly new (2009), has good bones, but does need a little bit of work. The wood (cabinets, vanities, molding, stairs, etc) is all an orange-y oak color which isn't quite our style. We have already begun researching ways to refinish the woodwork as a far off, very time-consuming project. The basement is also not completely finished and the backyard needs some of my mother's green thumb to perk it up. Until moving day, I am stuck in dreamland getting anxious to begin decorating and creating our first home.

Here is my inspiration for the master bedroom. I want a romantic but rustic feel with muted and relaxed colors. We will probably end up making the headboard on our own, and buying or refinishing the bedside tables and dresser to match. Does anyone know where to buy quality unstained furniture? We are thinking this may be the easiest way to get everything to match.

So gorgeous! Found here: My Home Sweet Blog

Christmas present please? Found here: Crate & Barrel

A new house also means we FINALLY get a dog. We are so excited! Found here: Decor8 Blog

Great headboard tutorial. Found here: Thrifty and Chic

Color scheme for room. Found here: Design Seeds

So what do you think? I am so ready to get started!

Peach Cheesecake Wontons

Boy do I have a treat for you guys today!

Yesterday I made southwestern chicken wraps with avocado ranch sauce, found here, with a simpler dip (1 part avocado, 2 parts ranch, with a pinch of dried cilantro). They were totally delicious and a very filling vegetarian meal. I may have stuffed them a little full, because I ended up with quite a few eggroll wrappers left over. I had planned on making a cream cheese peach tart for dessert, but had a stroke of genius! I will make a peach cheesecake eggroll to get rid of my aging peaches and leftover wrappers! After ten minutes of research, the only recipes I could find were fried in a deep fat fryer, which I do not have. So I had no choice but to get a little creative. The results were fantastic!

4 oz (1/2 a brick) of cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1  teaspoon cinnamon
1 pitted, peeled, and diced peach
Cooking spray
2 egg roll wrappers
Pinch of both cinnamon and sugar

Mix the first 4 ingredients until smooth using a whisk in a small bowl. Add the diced peach and mix until combined. Spray two cups of a jumbo muffin tin (3 1/2 inches wide) with cooking spray. Place an eggroll in each and push down slightly to make a bowl shape, overlapping the roll over the edge on all sides. Divide the peach mix into the two wrappers and fold the wrapper over to completely cover the tops. Lightly spray tops of folded wrappers. Sprinkle with remaining "pinches" of cinnamon and vanilla (I used Penzyes vanilla sugar). Cook at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before removing from tin. Serve hot over ice cream with caramel drizzle.

Caprese Stuffed Chicken

Yum yum! Caprese stuffed chicken is a fresh, cheesy, and crispy main dish that is surprisingly easy to make. The recipe can be easily modified to work with other stuffing combos (cheddar broccoli, boursin asparagus, Swiss ham, etc).

Start by making a tomato bruschetta-like topping with tomato, basil, garlic, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix 1 chopped tomato, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (from the garden!), 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pound 2 thawed chicken breasts between parchment pepper with the smooth side of a meat mallet until flat and near doubled in size.

Dip one side of the chicken breast into Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Place a couple spoonfuls of the tomato mix in the middle of the flattened chicken breast. Place 10-15 fresh mozzarella pearls on top of the tomato mixture. Fold up both end to roll over the cheese/tomato mix. Stick two tooth picks through the roll to hold in place. Sprinkle with more bread crumbs and place in greased glass dish.

I had some tomato mixture and cheese leftover that got covered in raw chicken juice, so I dumped the remaining filling in the pan around the chicken breasts and sprinkled with more balsamic vinegar. This got all crispy and super yummy while cooking!

Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until the inside temperature reaches 165 degrees.

We served the chicken over mashed baby red potatoes with garlic toast. Make sure to either take the toothpicks out or warn others before eating. Make sure to serve with the crispy cheese from the bottom of the pan; it was my favorite part!

Enjoy some good cooking from your Neighbor's House!

Chicken Vegetable Casserole Topped with Biscuits

Today, I made a chicken vegetable casserole topped with biscuits by cooking with "feeling" instead of measuring ingredients. My dear husband always complains that I follow recipes too closely and am not willing to make changes to what is written. Here was my chance to prove him wrong and get in touch with my inner chef.

First, I started with sauteing a handful of chopped onion (from the farmers market) in vegetable oil until soft.

Meanwhile, two chicken breast were sliced into strips as cooked in a large pan.

Next, a small handful of flour, Italian seasoning mix (because I couldn't find basil and thyme), salt, fresh crushed pepper and a glug or two of milk was added to the pan of soft onion. I then found the basil and thyme (apparently I alphabetized the spice cabinet) and threw some of that in there too. I brought to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until thickened.

Once the chicken was cooked through, a bag of frozen veggies and the onion mixture was added to the large pan and heated slightly. The mix was transferred to a greased glass cooking dish (after biscuits are made).

While the chicken/vegetable pan was heating, I mixed, just till combined, a handful of flour (my guess at 1/2 cup), a small bit of sugar, a few turns of the salt shaker, and a bit of baking powder. This was spooned over the filled glass dish once the chicken mix is spread. I could only cover half of the casserole, so made a second batch of biscuits. This time it was very wet and goopy, not sticky, as you can see the variations below.

The mixture was cooked at 375 degrees for about half an hour, until the biscuits are golden.

Ta-da! What did I learn with "feelings" instead of written recipes? Sugar does not belong in dinner biscuits, cheese should not be forgotten, and I need to remember my spice cabinet is alphabetized.

Adapted from the 2010 Best Ever Chicken Cookbook by Taste of Home.