Come As You Are!

Elyzabeth reporting.

The Green Fairy

As usual, it's been a while. I wanted to do a post on costuming, but don't have the pictures of the costumes I wanted to highlight. So, I'm hopping into Mr Peabody's Wayback Machine, and showing of my Photoshopping at the same time.

This picture was taken about 5 years ago. It was Halloween and wore this to the office. I hate to say that most of the people I worked with had no appreciation for the amount of effort I put into my costumes.

I like this photo for the sole reason that it's the only one of me when my hair was green. But, I had to do something about the background, because I was standing in front of some filing cabinets. Not exactly the enchanted forest look. I just cut me out and put me in front a mystical background.

I Love My Wings

Probably most of you have seen this picture of  me on Facebook. I love it because it shows off the wings and the costume from behind. The wings are from Fancy Fairy.  One of these days, I'm going to have to look into getting a more petite pair of wings. These are hard to wear in a crowded room.

One particular Halloween, at least a dozen years ago, my kids both requested an "Under The Sea" costume. Trevor requested a shark and Lyza wanted a copy of the outfit her Mermaid Barbie was wearing.

The Mighty Trevor Shark

I really loved the way the costumes turned out, but the pictures I took of them were pretty boring. Since I took the pictures in front of a neutral background, they were not too difficult to Photoshop.

Trevor of course is hanging out with some tropical fish and his other shark friend. Lyza is hanging out with a whole crowd of Mermaid Barbies.

Mermaid Lyza

The year before this underwater extravaganza, Trevor was a stegosaurus, and unfortunately, I didn't get a single decent photo of him that shows the plates and spikes down the back.  Lyza requested a Barbie costume copy that year as well. It was a Fairy Barbie, with wings you could use to blow bubbles with.

Fairy Lyza

I love the way I have her sitting on a cloud, but this picture doesn't really do the costume any justice. Also, it was much harder for me to find a decent picture of that particular Barbie. The shot of Lyza on the lower left, she's actually holding her Fairy Barbie.

Sir Trevor

Since I couldn't show you a decent picture of Trev as a dinosaur, I will end this with a photo that isn't Photoshopped in any way. It just shows what a very handsome fellow my son is. He has quite a collection now of swords and daggers, but the one he's holding in this picture might be the first real sword he owned. It's from Starfire Swords and it was given to him by his wonderful Nona (that's my Mum!). She was the business manager for Starfire for a number of years.

I hope I will have another blog post soon. Well, sooner than a month from now at any rate. I'm working on a fun new costume, that I'm making out of mostly recycled material. I wanted to show it off in a blog, but I'm at a bit of a halt because my adorable new puppy chewed through the cord of my serger. I also want to show of the Wild Wild West gambler outfit I created for my husband. I just need to pin him down long enough to model it for me.  Soon I hope!

Regards, Elyzabeth

Is GF Your New BFF?

Elyzabeth reporting.

Gosh, I am such an irregular blogger. And speaking of irregular, we are on a gluten free diet around our house.

There is a joke in that statement; I am certain that some of you will know just what I mean.

When it started, we were just trying to eliminate starches and sugars and so forth. Then Mum discovered that anything with gluten did not do her digestion any favors. And I have to admit, skipping the gluten makes my digestion happier too.

So, no gluten isn't difficult for us. It is not as if we were eating bread with every meal, and rarely did we indulge in cookies, cakes or other gluten filled delights.

That being said, your's truly does like the occasional baked goods.  And by golly, I'm good at baking.  You should try my rum cake.  Heaven on a plate.

And, while you can find a million recipes online for gluten free baked goods, most of them call for hard to find, and sometimes expensive flour substitutes. Fortunately for me, one of my favorite cookies is the humble oatmeal cookie. In fact, you could say that I have a mania for oatmeal cookies. Combine that with my love of all things coconut, and you have the makings for a pretty tasty gluten free cookie.

If you don't like coconut as much as I do, you can substitute out the coconut flour for almond flour and leave out the toasted coconut.  Or you can leave out the raisins and instead use a half cup of chocolate chips and another half cup of your favorite nuts.  The combinations are endless.

My New Favorite GF Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 

¼ cup butter

½ cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut flour

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats , divided use

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

½ cup no sugar toasted coconut

½ cup raisins or craisins

1.      In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups of the oats with the 1 cup of applesauce. Let sit in refrigerator at least one hour, until the oats are hydrated.

2.     Using a food processor or blender, process the other 1 cup of oats until it is the texture of a coarse flour.

Preheat oven to 325ᴼ. Grease your cookie sheets.

3.     In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add egg and mix in thoroughly. When light and fluffy, add in honey and vanilla.

4.     Add in the oat and applesauce mixture, blend thoroughly.

5.     Beat in coconut flour, oat flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda; mix well.  Stir in the toasted coconut and raisins.

6.     Form cookies into walnut sized balls, and place on greased cookies sheets. Allow room for these to spread a little. Slightly flatten each cookie ball with the palm of your hand.

Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until done. The time can vary depending on your oven temperature and how big you make your cookies. The edges will look done but the centers should still be soft. Cool on cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. Then remove to a wire rack until completely cool and set. 

I wanted to post a picture of the cookies, but we already devoured them.

Regards, Elyzabeth

I Am A Shining Star

Christmas Trifle

Elyzabeth reporting.

At the end of this post, you have got to check out the blast from the past, vintage 2006, Next Food Network Star three minute video entry. I cannot believe how cute Mum and I are.

I bring this up because I just put in an application to be on one of my favorite Food Network shows, Chopped. Can you just see it? Hail to the conquering Chopped Champion! I can almost taste the victory.

Mum and I love that show. As soon as we see the secret ingredients revealed, we race to come up with a dish.  Hey Food Network, she and I would be great on a "Family Feud" episode of Chopped.

So, listen up Food Network! I can roast a whole pig, I can my own produce, and I would make you cheesecake for the dessert round. I think it would be amazing to be on Chopped. Pick me, pick me!  And watch that video, we are adorable.

In a few sentences, please share your story: Tell us who you are and your current situation.:I am unable to work outside the home, because I have Fibromyalgia. My retired mother came to live with us some years ago, after I was diagnosed. She does many of everyday things around the house I cannot do with any consistency. She and I are both great cooks and when we get together in the kitchen, we can turn out a feast. I think Mum and I would have a great time on a Family Feud episode of Chopped. 

Salmon on Salt

Describe your background/history-where are you from?:When I was in my 20's I spent some years traveling around doing Renaissance Festivals. My mother thought it seemed like so much fun, she left her executive position and joined in. In the end, she actually stayed in the career longer than I did. Later, I settled down to raise my family and worked for years in the Financial Services industry, which was indeed boring, but at least I could afford to buy food. No kidding, Rennies are all broke!
List family members and note any that may be involved in the culinary industry:None currently, but my brother used to be a chef. 
Why do you like to cook? Who do you cook for and how often?:My family eats home cooked meals every day. I've always enjoyed cooking for family, friends and strangers. Every day on the Ren Faire circuit is like an extreme Chopped episode. No kitchen, not a lot of money, but a lot of hungry people. What can I make for dinner for 6 people with $5 and nothing but an electric wok? Being a working mother was also similar to being on Chopped: look in the pantry and fridge and what can I whip out for dinner in less than 30 minutes, with just what's on hand.
Do you cook professionally? If so, where, and in what capacity?:Never been a professional. Oh, but I wrote a cookbook when I was 24. It's called "Family Recipes" and every member of my family has a copy. Even my daughter-in-law, who wasn't born yet when I wrote it.
If you are not a professional chef, list any goals past or present regarding cooking professionally.:I've sent in a few entries for the Next Food Network Star. I have a dynamic personality, great enthusiasm and not a trace of camera shyness. And I would love to write another cookbook. Maybe I will call it "More Family Recipes".
Describe your cooking style and any specialty dishes.:I have a broad range of styles. I love to cook southern comfort food, tex-mex, asian, italian, thai, and more. I have dabbled in just about every ethnic cooking style. Unless it\'s a special occasion, I avoid fussy dished that require a lot of prep work. I have over a hundred cookbooks, but rarely follow a recipe. For me, cooking is about the journey as much as the meal. I smoke my own bacon, I have a

Backyard Pig Roast

southwestern beef brisket to die for and my shrimp and polenta is amazing. 
Describe ingredients you love, simple to exotic. What do you experiment with and how do you use it?: I love to experiment with exotic ingredients and spices. Ethnic markets are a big favorite of mine. I also love fresh vegetables. We have a crazy farmers market in a town near here. You can drive through, and they sell by the crate. Just roll down your window, and ask \"how much for the crate of..." tomatoes, squash, peppers, corn, whatever looks good that day. Negotiate a price and they will load it in the trunk and you never needed to get out of the car. 
What are you like in the kitchen when you are cooking?:Cooking should be fun and social. A glass of wine and good company. Our cooking styles are different, but when Mum and I get in there together we work in harmony. When I cook for a big occasion, like Thanksgiving, I plan everything out ahead of time, prep as much ahead as I can, and then when T-day rolls around, I just throw myself into the frenzy of cooking. Love it!
Discuss some of the results/rewards of your cooking, the ways your culinary work has touched others.:I have always loved to share my cooking with others. We love to have friends over and cook a big feast. The more people I can cook for, the happier I am. I have always found it very gratifying when someone asks for my recipe for something (even if I don\'t have one). I have had a few friends who never thought they could learn to cook until they joined me in the kitchen and saw how fun and rewarding it can be.How would your friends/family describe you?:A little different. Confident in who I am. Interesting in all the right ways.

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

List any cooking competition experience.:I have sent in a few recipes to cooking competitions. Thus far nothing has come of it. Since I rarely work with recipes, and I rarely write down what I have put in a dish, it\'s always a little different each time.
Describe your passions/hobbies besides cooking:My Fibromyalgia Syndrome slows me down, but it doesn't stop me. Costuming has always been a big love of mine; fantasy, science fiction, renaissance, medieval. I was in to "Cosplay" before the term had been invented. I also love crafting, decorating and home improvement. I can remodel the kitchen, and then cook in it.
Describe your greatest accomplishment. (Culinary or otherwise):Oh, I have to get sentimental here. My son, Trevor. He is the most awesome person I know. I can't believe I made someone that terrific. I also can't believe he doesn't like cheese. 
What is something that we wouldn't know about you by looking at you?:I usually look like a mild mannered girl next door (middle aged version), but I'm really a wild and crazy woman on the inside.
Why do you think you can be the next Chopped Champion?:Because I can make a wonderful meal out of anything. I see so many chopped competitors say things like "I only work with fresh locally sourced organic ingredients" and then they are presented with the sometimes wacky stuff in the Chopped mystery basket and they have no idea how to proceed. I have been in the position of having no money and needing to make a meal out of things like canned blue cheese escargot and red bean puree.
What would you do with the $10,000 Chopped winnings?:Money has been tight since I've been unable to work. In addition to using the $10k just to help make ends meet, I would do something very special for my husband and mother. My husband has been so supportive of me and my health condition, and he has welcomed my mother into our home. My mother has basically given up her retirement years to help care for me.

We Can Do It

Describe any TV appearances and approximate dates. (Demonstration, competition, documentary or otherwise):When I was in High School, I was in Junior Achievement. One year (1979 if I recall correctly), our corporate sponsor was Channel 7, in Denver CO. Our product was a one hour variety news show for teenagers. Colorado Teen Magazine. I was a roving reporter and was on the show with a special segment every Saturday. I have also been on various news clips on various stations over the many years, because when you have a camera, I will be in front of it. 
In ONE sentence, tell us why the Food Network needs YOU on a special episode of Chopped:You've never had anyone like me on the show before, and I am ratings gold.
How did you hear about the casting?:I was thinking about how great I would do in the Chopped kitchen and I checked the Food Network web site.

Elemental My Dear Photoshop.

Red Rubber Ball

Elyzabeth reporting.

If you follow this blog or are one of my FB friends, you've probably seen some of my very cool Photoshopped pictures recently. Why is that, you ask?  I'm so glad you did, because I've been taking this awesome class in Photoshop.

I've had the Photoshop Elements program for some years and have been able to do a few cool things with it, but not nearly as much as I wanted to. You would think, since I have the program, I would have signed up for the PS Elements class and not the straight Photoshop one, but just between you and me and the rest of the internet, I didn't really know the difference. Now I am so much older and wiser than I was a month ago.

I can hear you all crying out, "So, Elyzabeth, tell us what IS the difference between Photoshop Elements and Photoshop?"  Once again, I'm so glad you asked. PS Elements is geared toward the casual user, with lots of guided processes to walk you through various techniques. PS has a much more robust offering and skips the whole part where they make it easy on the casual user. After only one lesson (create a red rubber ball picture), I figured out that there are quite a few things that PS can do that PS Elements does not.

Trevor Hog's Head

Photoshop Elements is not an inexpensive program, but Photoshop is way out of my budget. However, a bit of research on the internet and I soon discovered that Adobe was kind enough to make the CS2 version of Photoshop available for a free download. The old CS2 isn't the same as the CS6 that I'm learning in class, but close enough that I've been able to recreate all the lessons at home.  Click here for the  Adobe CS2 Download

Lyza Marbles

I used Photoshop to create the two signs that we put up in the kitchen, Le Rue Sainte-Anne Bistro and La Reine Elisabeth Bar a' Vin. You can see pictures of them in our previous blog from March 22nd.  Hmmm... Sainte-Anne and Reine Elisabeth. "However did you choose those names?" you might be asking.  Okay, you probably aren't.  But hey, it's our kitchen, I can use whatever names I want.

On Stone Steps

I am still an almost complete novice when it comes to the world of photo editing, but I've been having so much fun with it!  I haven't decided if I will take another class after this one is done, or move on to some other creative learning. I'll keep you all informed. In the meantime, enjoy my many varied and creative uses of Photoshop.

Check out our FB page to see the before and after of the picture of me here on the stone steps.  Facebook Elyzabeth's Timeless Creations

Regards,
Elyzabeth

The Devil Is In The Details

Panoramic View

Ann reporting.

Elyzabeth and I had a vision of what we wanted our kitchen to look like.  We wanted a kitchen that was light, airy, comfortable, and, above all, a kitchen that was useable.  We do cook, can, freeze, make most things from scratch and even smoke our own bacon.   In other words, we did not want a do-not-touch-me showplace kitchen!  BUT, we did want it to look nice.

Warm and Welcoming

In order to achieve the look we wanted we used quite a few design elements from French country kitchens.   These details include such items as using a different surface for the island versus the other countertops,  the placement of the free standing cabinet (which really isn’t free standing) to eliminate wasted space, the hanging pot rack, and leaving appliances we use frequently on the countertops  instead of storing them in an appliance “garage”!  We left the interior of the upper part of the free standing cabinet natural to blend with the natural butcher block top of our island.  We felt we needed some warmth to counteract all the other black and white elements in the room.

Lobster in the Sink

We decided a white sink would be much too glaring to plunk down in the middle of that long expanse of black countertop so opted instead for a black acrylic one.  It is a double sink – albeit not a standard double.  One side is larger and deeper to accommodate large pots and the other is smaller and shallower making it very convenient for cleaning vegetables.   The addition of a gooseneck faucet in the same black and copper of our cabinet hardware just pulls the entire look together. 

Bistro Table

To totally pull off our French Bistro look – we added a bar height bistro table (in black, of course) with bar stools in the bay window eating area of the kitchen.  As a touch of whimsy – the barstools are covered with fabric that extols the virtues of Cajun food.   We really don’t want to take ourselves too seriously, right?

And, as the pièce de résistance, the two signs in French pictured below.  I think we really pulled it off – don’t you???

If you haven't read them before, check out our previous kitchen blogs, from March 6th, 10th, 11th and 14th, for some before and during pictures.  Then, please drop us some comments below to let us know what you think of the new kitchen.  We are hoping you will like it as much as we do.

Keep Reading!

Ann

Taking a Stand

Elyzabeth reporting.

I know you are all on pins and needles waiting for us to finish our kitchen remodel saga, but I thought I would take a break and show you all a little project I've been working on.  I decided to do a little woodwork and make use of some of the fallen pine branches.

As you may or may not know, our house sits on over an acre of land. All but the part near the house is pretty much as mother nature grew it. We've got an assortment of wild palm trees, cypress trees and long needled pine trees. This whole area used to be swamp land until sometime back in the late 1950's when a developer had the brilliant idea to drain the swamp and sell the land.  Yep, we are living in the middle of "You want to buy some swamp land in Florida?"


All of which brings me to back to the pine.  We have a lot of fallen branches, which given the amount of thunderstorms in the summer, are a bit of a fire hazard.  We've been gathering them up and using them for firewood.

I've been working on hats again lately and I decided I needed to throw together a few more hat stands out of the scrap lumber we have lying around.  And then it occurred to me that I could make a much nicer hat stand out of fallen pine instead of scrap lumber.

I have to say that I love the way they turned out.  Fortunately for me, my husband has a pretty well equipped work shop.  We did all the wood cuts quickly and easily with his big radial arm saw.  I chose parts of the limbs with some interest; knot holes, broken bits and branches.  Stained a nice mahogany and with two coats of urethane, they look amazing.

The part I love the most is the way the surface ends up looking like it has been carved. Well, I guess that's because they have been carved, just by nature, not by people.

By the way, the top picture above, with the rustic brick background is one of the results of my new uber-photoshopping skills.

If you are interested in owning one of these or a similar hat stand, I will be putting some up for sale in our Etsy shop soon.    Feel free to check us out any time at https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnElyz or you can just click the link at the top of the right sidebar on our blog page.

Regards,
Elyzabeth

White As Snow, Black As Ebony

Ann reporting.

Our black and white kitchen looked so beautiful except for the horrible old laminate countertops to say nothing of the big gaping space next to the refrigerator that I had covered with a board.  At least the board was useful and allowed me to use the space.

Old Laminate Counter Tops, Before

BUT we had all sorts of problems with obtaining new countertops.  Everyone we talked with wanted to install granite.  Granite was not in our vision.  We wanted black quartz!  Nothing doing though.  We even called the manufacturer of one type that we would have loved, however, after talking with a representative - we found that no one in this part of the world stocked the product.  What to do?  After a lot of thought, we came up with the most awesome and affordable solution.  We decided to go with a stained and finished butcher block.  After all, we did know where to obtain butcher block and how to install it, right?  The Ikea butcher block we used for the island had turned out perfectly.

 New Ikea Butcher Block Counter Tops

How did we get from the stacked boards in this picture to the beautiful black countertops we wanted?  It took a lot of elbow grease, sweat equity, and hard labor but the results were certainly worth it. 

Freshly Installed Finished Counter Top

First we cut everything to fit including the cutout for the new sink.  Then we sanded and sanded and sanded!  We followed that up with a coat of sanding sealer and the fun really began.  I used three coats of Minwax Black Satin Stain and Poly.  I did one coat each day. I rubbed the tops with 00 steel wool between coats.  

Right Side Finished Counter, With Tile Backsplash

Despite all my care and caution and using very good brushes, there were still brush stroke showing in the finish.  I, personally, think this was due to the length of the counters - certainly not the fault of the painter.  So once again, we're back to sanding to remove the brush strokes.  Once, the super sanding was complete, we had the beautiful color we wanted but not a good finish. 

Left Side Finished Counter, With Tile Backsplash

  
Minwax Rub On Poly came to the rescue.  We did a test board to make sure this would work out the way we wanted.  It did!  So, we installed the countertops before applying three coats of Minwax Rub On Poly.  Again, rubbing with 00 steel wool between coats is mandatory.  They look wonderful thus fulfilling our vision for the kitchen.

Our next kitchen blog post should be the last one we write about the kitchen.  We can give you the big reveal and show the whole finished space.

Keep Reading!
Ann