Archive for April, 2012

Menu Plan Monday – April 30

Monday, April 30th, 2012

Menu Plan Monday!

A little bit back, Scrumptious had a post over at In My Box about her Bowl System. The system involves making up a lot of goodies that can be mixed and matched throughout the week for meals. I thought that this was a great idea that fit in really well with my marathon cooking style.

So this week, I am doing my own variation on the Bowl System which should pretty much feed us for the week.

I’ll be making:

Vegetable Soup
Steamed Broccoli
Steamed Asparagus (just a little from what was left in my garden)
Pickled Beets
Hard Boiled Eggs
Sauteed Potatoes
Plain Cous Cous
Hummus
Baba Ganoush

Cheese Sauce
Curry Sauce

I may add some Baked Tofu for a little extra protein.

This sounds like enough food. We will see how it goes!

Sandra

Upcycled Bench 1:12 Scale!

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

This post will probably sound a little convoluted at first, but that is the way things are sometimes.

It all started when I saw a mention on Mini Modern of an upcycled pallet coffee table in 1:12 scale offered at the etsy shop Artistique. The table was kinda cool, but with a price tag of $76 plus change and shipping, I thought to myself, I could do that! Okay, maybe my version wouldn’t be exactly the same, but it wouldn’t cost $76 plus change and shipping.

Then I started researching upcycled furniture and saw pictures like this one:

And I also saw the bench over at 31 and Change which I had seen mentioned at Mini Modern as well.

Well, the whole thing got me thinking about kit bashing which got me thinking about kits which got me thinking about Chrysnbon which resulted in:

So there you go!

Sandra

Menu Plan Monday – April 23

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Before I started my minis blog, I blogged about cooking and participated in Menu Plan Monday.

Being an empty nester (if you don’t include the 8 cats, the 2 dogs, and my husband), I find I don’t necessarily need to cook every day, but I am still cooking. Now, I tend to have cook-a-thons, mostly on Mondays. So, I thought, why not go back to Menu Plan Mondays.

My original personal chef post:

Even though I like to cook, I have always enjoyed Peg Bracken’s I Hate To Cook Book.

She knew how to keep it simple – a boon for busy moms that have to cook almost every day. Her book also contained many recipes (okay, not so many vegetarian ones) that could be done ahead in the event one woke up full of energy and wanted to get the cooking for the day done with the rest of the daily chores.

When I wake up full of energy and the stars are aligned right and I know full well that I will be occupied with tasks that are not kitchen related, I like to go a step further than Peg Bracken recommends. I become my own personal chef.

I take my menu in hand (assuming I have one!) and make two or three dinners at a time.

There are a number of advantages to getting multiple dinners done in advance.

I don’t have to worry about cooking after a long day doing something else.

I stick to my menu plan.

I am forced to clean out the mystery containers in the fridge to make room for the new meals.

I take advantage of the kitchen day to do things like make croutons or applesauce or a pot of vegetable soup (keeping with the cleaning the fridge theme).

The time it takes to make multiple dinners is usually less than making the same dinners separately.

Ditto with the clean up time.

Altogether, my personal chef cook dates are quite satisfying. I hope Peg Bracken would have agreed.

End of original post.

On my menu this week (and already made and in the fridge):

“Beef” Chow Mein
Brown Rice
Lentil Soup
Focaccia Bread
Egg Salad (for lunches)
Shells and Cheese with Peas

With some last minute Tofu Dogs and Vegetarian Baked Beans or Pizza, this should feed us for the week. 🙂

What’s on your menu?

To see all those old menu plans, go here.

That 70’s Living Room – Sorta Kinda

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

I just can’t stayed focused on the 70’s when I have so many fun pieces of furniture to try out. Here I combined the Mediterranean pieces with modern.

You can get an idea of how small these rooms are by the amount of furniture that fits, which is not much.

And a big Mea Culpa to the poor little animal that gave its life to make the Elf Leather Couch. I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years and I don’t wear leather, but I couldn’t resist the couch on eBay. Sigh.

I was doing some looking around and happened on this sideboard. I want one of these in 1:12 scale!

Time for more playing!

Sandra

That 70’s Bedroom – First Attempt

Saturday, April 14th, 2012

This is my first try at a 1970’s sort of bedroom. It has the look and feel, but it’s not exactly historically correct. I couldn’t resist trying out the AG Minis bed I found on eBay.

I actually had purple and lime green in my bedroom as a young teen. But it was an odd room with 1950’s furniture and 1970’s tchotchkes and a spray painted wicker chair. This room is much nicer. And MUCH neater!

Of course, I had to add a cat.

Sandra

What I Did On My Blogging Vacation

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

I did not realize how long it has been since I wrote anything until I looked at my last posting date. Yikes!

We are having a beautiful spring. Some pictures from the yard of flowers that have come and gone:

Now, on to more important things! I finished the exterior of my Contemporary Ranch!

(Oops! I just noticed an edge I still need to paint.)

I left the interior mostly a blank slate to play with for now.

To make my life a little easier, I just went with the kit as is this time around instead of doing any major bashing. And I will have say, after the Fascination Station and the Eastside Townhouse, the rooms in the Ranch seem rather small. No matter. Now it’s time to play!

Sandra