New TV/Media Cabinet

Hi friends.  Can you believe the school year is almost over?  My daughter only has two days left of first grade!  I still can't believe how fast she is growing up.  The last few weeks of school have really been keeping me busy.  I've been told that I must live in a bit of a time warp since I seem to be able to get more done than most.  I don't know if that's true, but I do have a heavy dose of OCD and once I set my mind to do something, I get it done!  Which leads me to my latest project... If you checked out my Summer Home Tour on the blog the other day, you may have noticed that I have a "new" tv/media cabinet.

We like to watch TV at our house.  Probably a little too much.  I confess I'm counting down the days (10) until the third season of Orange is the New Black is released.  My husband always complains because I binge watch my shows and then I have nothing else to watch.  Right now we've been watching the first season of Game of Thrones.  Wow... what a show.  Anyhow, we've had a 40" flat screen for a few years now, but my husband really wants a bigger tv.  The cabinet we had just wouldn't hold one so I've been keeping an eye out for something that is bigger and would work.

I came across this guy at Goodwill a few weeks ago and knew it would be perfect.  Plus at only $29 dollars it was within my budget.

I didn't really take any progress photos, but I can walk you through the steps I took to give this piece a makeover.

First I sanded down (with a hand sander) a few of the rough edges which were splintering.  I also took all the hardware off and removed the doors. Since the door handles were obviously not original and had some extra holes drilled into them I filled them with some wood filler.

I also filled any nicks and cracks in the rest of the piece.  I'm not gonna lie, this guy was in rough shape, but had lots of potential.

Next I chose a paint color.  Since I had two shelves that I wanted to flank it with to give it more of that Pottery Barn media unit feel, I knew I wanted to stick with black, but the current paint was a glossy, gloppy spray paint and would not work.  I chose a color - Tomcat by Benjamin Moore and had a quart mixed up.  I was torn between sealing it with wax or using polyurethane so I picked up a can of rub on poly as well.

Chalk painting is pretty much the only type of painting I do anymore, and I mix my own to save money.  I am certain that Annie Sloan paint is awesome, it's just not in my budget.  I use a high quality plaster of paris and really hot water to make my paint.  You can find my exact recipe here.

Once my ingredients were mixed a applied a coat of paint to the entire cabinet, including the inside of the cabinet.  I ended up applying 3-4 coats and let each coat completely dry in between.  Once the entire piece was dry I needed to apply some type of a seal so the chalk paint won't peel or chip.  You must do this or your paint will not be protected and it will chip eventually.

Since I have young kids I really wanted to have the inside cabinet sealed with poly.  I just think it will keep the paint from scratching as much when they pull out their baskets of dvd's and mess with the dvd player.  I used the wipe on poly on the inside and it turned out great, but it didn't give it that depth and texture that you get from a wax, so I decided to go with a wax for the outside of the cabinet.  I used clear and dark wax and buffed it with a microfiber cloth.  Find out more about the wax I use here.

I ended up just spray painting the hinges with some leftover oil rubbed bronze spray paint that I had on hand.  It looks black and blends so you can hardly see them.  I really liked the gold brass knobs that were on the doors already and didn't mind the pulls on the top drawers, but I didn't like the other brass pulls.  I looked at Hobby Lobby but they didn't have anything that would match the knobs I wanted to use so I ended up getting these simple pulls over at Home Depot.  They worked our perfectly and are really close in color.

I'm so thrilled with the way it turned out!  I'm not gonna lie, this basically took me two days to turn out and my back is still sore a week later, but it was definitely worth the effort. Dontcha think??

Do you have a any big furniture painting plans this summer?? Let me know if you have any questions about chalk paint, wax, ect.  I'm no expert, but I have done a number of pieces now and can offer lots of advice!!

I hope this inspires you to see beyond the less than beautiful dresser at the thrift store and inspires you to get painting!

Sesame Chicken

Do you shop at a local Asian or International Market?  If you don't you might want to give it a try. We have a pretty big selection of Markets on the South Side of Sacramento, but not so many up in the area where we live.  However, there is a pretty large international market called KP that isn't too far away.  Especially on the weekend when there's no traffic.

I headed over there yesterday to pick up a few things that I needed.  I ended up with a cart full of fresh produce, some egg roll wrappers and some de-boned chicken legs, and let me tell you, I would have easily spent twice as much if I'd bought the same things at Raley's.

I knew I wanted to make sesame chicken and the leg/thigh meat is so much more flavorful, and it was also really cheap!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it worked pretty well.  I'd definitely try it again!

Ingredients for the Chicken

1 large egg
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken leg/thigh portions
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)

Ingredients for the Sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp water
½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1½ Tbsp brown sugar
1½ Tbsp rice vinegar
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp cornstarch 

Instructions for the Chicken:
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and 2 tbsp cornstarch.. Trim any excess fat from the chicken leg/thighs, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.
Heat a large skillet with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil over very high heat. When the oil is very hot (it should look wavy on the surface), add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken, stirring only occasionally, until it is golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes). Drain off the excess oil, if desired. (If you double this recipe you may want to brown the chicken in batches so it all gets golden brown instead of just steaming.)

Instructions for the Sauce:
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds.
Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce. The sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce thickened, turn off the heat.

Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over top.

Summer 2015 Home Tour

Welcome to my 2015 Summer Home Tour.

We're so glad you stopped by!  I currently don't have a fancy camera so I took all these shots with my iPhone.  I'm really hoping and dreaming for a Nikon 3300 for my birthday this year.  (hint, hint ;-))

Even Daisy is glad you're here!  Come on in and let me tell you a little about our house.We live in a 1400 sq ft home in Sacramento, CA.  Our neighborhood is lovely and we are right down the street from my daughter's elementary school.    

When you first walk in the living room is on the left and the dining room is to the right.

We recently had all new windows put in and the amount of light we have now is amazing.

The living room is my favorite room in the house.  It's also were we spend the most time.  I wish I was one of those moms who come up with all kinds of activities and projects for the kids to do, but the truth is, we watch TV a lot.  Which is why I wanted this space to be functional but still pretty. The media cabinet was a recent Goodwill find and I repainted it and installed new hardware.  It holds all of our DVD's and some games and books too.  It also hides the wireless router and DVD player.

Like I said, the dining room is to the right making this a very open and non-formal room.

Here's a little secret about this table... When I painted and stained it I forgot to do the leaf!  Since I kind of just combined a few shades of grey to get the one I liked best I don't know how to recreate the color.  So, for now the table will only seat 8.  Oops!

Just beyond the dining room is my kitchen.  Have a seat at the island and I'll pour you a glass of lemonade. 

Since my kitchen is very short on storage I opted not to make it an eat in kitchen, but instead to get a big island with extra shelving and storage.  On other side I have two stools for the kiddos to sit at and have breakfast or help me cook.

I'm under no illusion that blue counter tops are "in" right now.  They are, however, easy to clean and within budget (there is no budget!).

I love that my kitchen sink overlooks the back yard so I can keep an eye on the girls when they are playing outside.

Lily Claire loves making me little pictures for the fridge.

As you can see counter space and storage are minimum here, but I love the open shelving for the everyday items that we use most.

On the other side of the house, past the living room is the bathroom and the kids bedrooms.

Again the new windows make this bathroom so much bigger and brighter.

I painted the vanity a few months ago and finally found a shelf for above the toilet and a shower curtain I loved.  This is the kids bathroom, but also the only guest bathroom in the house, so I wanted it to have more of a grown up feel.

Ella's room is bright and cheery and she loves her little bed!

My room is the last room on the tour today.  It is the only room upstairs in the house and it has more of a loft feel.  It is a generous size though and it is nice to have the quiet get away.

I forgot to move the dog's bed, but lets be real, folks, she this is her room too.

Thanks for stopping by my home.  I hope you enjoyed looking around!  I know I loved having you here!

Spring Pea Pesto Pappardelle

I've mentioned my love of cooking shows on multiple occasions.  Not having cable has been easy for the most part, (we gave it up a few months ago because it was so darn expensive!) but I do miss the Food Network.  Luckily we have Hulu Plus and I can watch episodes of The Chew whenever I want.

The other day Mario Batalli made pappardelle with peas and parm.  It looked amazing.  I had some fresh peas that I bought at Trader Joe's so I decided to make my own pea pesto.  It varries a lot from Mario's but I promise, it's delicious!

Ingredients

2 cups fresh shucked peas (substitute with frozen)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (plus more)
1 pound fresh pappardelle
1 cup of fresh basil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling add the peas and cook for 5 minutes.  remove the peas with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl of ice water to preserve their color and stop the cooking process.  

2. Use the boiling water to cook your pasta.  Follow the instructions to make al dente pappardelle. Remember to salt your water generously.

3. While the pasta is cooking  drain the peas and add them, the basil and parm to a food processor and pulse several times.  Drizzle in about 1/4 cup of olive oil or enough oil to make a smooth pesto sauce.

4. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.  In a large bowl combine the pasta and the pesto add a little pasta water at a time until you get the desired consistency.  Top with more fresh parm and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Tequila Lime Chicken

Things have been crazy around my house for the last few weeks.  We're nearing the home stretch of the school year, but it wouldn't be life without a few hiccups along the way.

In the last month we've had sinus infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, ruptured ear drum, stomach flu... I suggested my husband bring a roll of caution tape home from work and wrap our house in it.

Getting out and going shopping at the grocery store has been pretty much impossible.  I had some chicken leg quarters in the freezer and thought they would work for dinner.

Ingredients:
2 limes
1 clove of garlic minced
2 chicken leg quarters (you could easily sub breasts or thighs, but you do need skin on bone in)
1/2 cup of tequila
olive oil
handful of cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place defrosted chicken in a large zip top bag. Add tequila, zest and juice of one lime, garlic, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper to the bag and seal.  Massage the chicken until all the ingredients coat the chicken evenly.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Heat a cast iron skillet in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Take skillet out and put on a burner over high heat.  Add a little oil to the pan and place the chicken in skin side down.  Cook 3-5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden.  Turn chicken and put skillet back in the oven.  Cook for 40 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes.  Serve with fresh lime wheels and cilantro.

A few of my favorite recipes for Cinco de Mayo

Who doesn't  LOVE Mexican food???  I know I do.  My only dilemma about Cinco de Mayo is how do I choose what I want to eat??  I wanted to share my dilemma with you, of course and give a few suggestions for your dinner tomorrow!  I promise, you won't be disappointed with any of them! 

Crock Pot Pork Tacos

This Chicken Taco Salad is perfect for a light easy lunch or dinner and has 

all the flavors of Mexican food that I love!

Carnitas Nachos.  No more needs to be said.

Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

And of course my tradition Red Sauce Enchiladas.