We Made: Train Table

This is an old project, but Mr J has recently become interested in it again.

For Christmas, I made Mr J a train table that fits nicely into a nook in the living room.  The train table is made of left scraps of wood, some trim, and an old Ikea Trofast storage compartment.  The Trofast cubbies provide Mr J with extra train storage and is set at a perfect height for two year old play.  The opposite side of the table is supported by two legs that allow benches and chairs to slide beneath it and the top is completely removable so the entire table can be easily moved or stored.

I actually come up with the idea while searching a completely time-consuming website called Ikea-Hacker while searching for chicken coop ideas. If you live in a town with an Ikea, then you may want to skip the site because it will fill you with grand ideas of remodels and make you feel inferior for your lack of handiness up to this point.

We Made: A Sweater and a Quilt

On my list of tasks before my next birthday, I'd included knitting Mr. J a sweater and finishing a large quilt. Check and check.

When I got the estimate for the quilting lady to finish the quilting on the Robot quilt, it was over $250. Not really in the budget. So I just did it myself. It was not easy but obviously it was not impossible. The quilt is rather large and the space under the arm of my sewing machine is rather puny. I felt like I was trapped in a prolonged wrestling match with a blanket. But I prevailed with only a few missteps. I haven't gotten any good pictures of the quilt since there is a small boy always laying on it. And it now means that I sewed the whole darn thing myself.

Speaking of darning, I started Mr. J's sweater on the Canada trip. The body went really fast, but I made a bunch of modifications to the yoke to fit my child's big shoulders and giant head. The arms a little snug since my kid is built like a lineman, but I think they'll end up stretching out and being perfect.

Both of these projects were super fun and I'm very happy with how they turned out. I develop music crushes where I listen to an album with great intensity for a short amount of time (sometimes even one song on repeat for hours). As a result, certain albums become associated in my head with a very specific series of events.  So, Blind Pilot 3 Rounds and a Sound will forever equal the finishing of this quilt and the sweater. I'm still in the Blind Pilot obsession so we'll see what else it gets hooked onto.

We Made: Tofu and Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce

Why,  hello Mr. Long Bean. What's that you say? We've eaten up quite a bit of you lately. Well, yes. But you keep appearing in our farm share and are ever so tasty and crunchy. Especially when slightly charred. Yummy. 

Tofu and Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce

Make 4 servings 

WW = 4 points

16 ounces extra firm tofu, cubed

2 - 3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss tofu with soy sauce and olive oil. (You can add crushed red pepper or garlic or ginger. The boy likes them a little plain so I didn't.) Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the tofu has absorbed all the liquid.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 white onion or 1 bunch of large scallions sliced thinly

3 cups long beans or green beans or snap peas (whatever works) cut into 1 - 2 inch pieces

3 - 4 large chinese eggplant sliced into rounds on the diagonal

1 red pepper diced

While the veggies are cooking, combine the ingredients below and set aside:

4 Tablespoons black bean sauce

3 Teaspoons sugar

1 thumbish size piece of fresh ginger, grated

1/3 c water

While the tofu is baking, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add in onion and long beans and sear for 3 minutes. Add in eggplant, gently distributing all over the skillet. Cook for 10 minutes, checking occasionally and redistributing eggplant evenly around the skillet as it cooks. When most of the eggplant looks brown on the edges, add in the red pepper. After 5 minutes, add in sauce. Add in tofu and mix gently to combine. Take off the heat and serve over brown rice.

Can Do, Can Do.

The product of "Saturday Date Night"

A few things learned while canning...

• When they say "Hot Sweet Pickles" in the recipe, believe it. These pickles are more like candied pickles that will also singe your tongue. Adjust recipe accordingly.  And stop eating the pickles until your mouth burns.
  
• Do not - I repeat - do not overestimate the amount of cucumbers the simmering pot of sticky pickling liquid on the stove can hold. When it over flows, it will create that lovely burnt sugar smell that manages to drown out the smell of vinegar.
  
• After chopping 6 pounds of jalapenos, remember to wash your hands several times before you touch your lips. You have learned this lesson before, but have some sort of mental block.
  
• No, the jars are not leaking salt into the water. You need to remember that San Antonio tap water is just barely liquid and contains so much calcium and magnesium than when it boils down it will leave snow drifts in the bottom of the canning pot. Really.
  
• Stop checking to see if the lids have sealed! They will seal on their own time. Just as a watched pot never boils, a watched jar never seals.
  
• Don't be so proud of yourself. Most women a generation or less ago knew how to can food as a basic household task. It's not rocket science.
  
• Take a moment to marvel at the fact that you managed to marry someone who is perfectly happy to spend a Saturday evening canning jalapenos with you and ran to the grocery store twice to pick up reinforcement supplies. Be proud.
  
  We are canning again this evening since we seem to be experiencing a plague of cucumbers.

What We Made: Chicken Run Expansion

About a month ago,  Jenny and I realized that we desperately needed a more secure chicken run for the ladies.  They had taken to hopping the four foot fence between the backyard and front yard, and they could easily do the same into the street.  Before leaving for Canada, I set up a temporary chicken run for them by patching an old six foot fence enclosure attached to our alley.  Aside from it being completely ram-shackled, we quickly found out that six feet was not enough to contain Houdini.   She could perch on the coop and hop over the fence and occasionally would fly out from the ground. 

For a few weeks we kept them in the portable chicken coop and attached run with about 35 sq. ft. of ground space.  They did not appreciate the cramped quarters so I spent all day Tuesday building them a palatial 12'x12' chicken run.

The sides are made of poultry netting with a reinforced 3"x3" welded wire fence panel overlaying it (not pictured).  The top is a plastic multi-purpose netting to create a visual barrier for the chickens flying out and predator birds flying in.  The portable coop was used as one corner of the structure so it is portable no more, but I think the extra space is well worth the loss of mobility.  Truth be told, I nearly gave myself a hernia every time I picked the dern thing up!

Here I am looking very proud of my nearly finished work.  Please note that this is after a shower and a good night's sleep.  Remind me never to spend all day outside in the San Antonio Summer heat.  To say the I was tired, cranky, and hungry by the end of the day is an understatement.

You may notice our dogs lurking in the background of each picture.  By building the coop/run in the front yard, the dogs again have unfettered rein of the backyard through the doggy door.

We Made: Garbanzo Bean Curry

While we were on vacation at the super fancy condo we had a full kitchen. So on the Saturday after we arrived in Invermere we took a trip to their little farmer's market. Much of it was gifty sort of items and lots of honey. But we also got some fresh, local veggies (including the mostly wildly delicious cherries) to act as the base for our meals during the week. We ended up with spinach, potatoes, carrots, cherries, tomatoes, beets, and bread.

One of our go to meals at home is a Garbanzo Bean Curry with whatever greens are currently available and fresh or canned tomatoes. Like nearly everything we cook, it's very flexible and can be stretched or cut to fit the number of people we're feeding. If we have extra time we'll roast the garbanzo beans in a 425 degree oven before adding to the curry.

Garbanzo Bean and Spinach Curry with Coconut Rice
(Makes 4 servings)


1 cup white rice
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
4 crushed cardamon pods

Cook white rice as usual but replace half the cooking liquid with coconut milk. Add spices to cooking liquid with rice. Remove seed pods and cinnamon stick before serving.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
4 - 6 tablespoons curry Powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 cups cooked Garbanzo beans
4 cups spinach with the center stem removed
1 can diced tomatoes OR 3 large tomatoes, diced with 1 cup veggies broth

Heat the olive oil and add the onion. After the onion is browned, add in the garlic, ginger and ground spices. Cook briefly until the spices are well distributed and you can smell the garlic. Add in the garbanzo beans and stir to coat. Add in the canned or fresh tomatoes and veggie broth. Turn to low simmer. Add spinach and cover until wilted.

Serve curry over hot coconut rice.