I Busted A Mirror...

"I busted a mirror and got seven years bad-luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five."
 - Steven Wright

This month had a Friday the 13th. I can be a little superstitious at times. I don't walk under ladders if I can avoid it, if I spill salt I reflexively toss a pinch over my shoulder and I NEVER put new shoes on the kitchen table (right mom?). Black cats don't phase me (I have two) and I have yet to break a mirror that I am aware of...

Two weeks ago I decided the inside of my fireplace needed to be painted...It was a big, black, gaping hole that didn't showcase my cute electric stove. I went to it and started with the same colour as my walls, grey. I didn't love it so I painted on the cream semi-gloss that lives on the mantel...it looked boring and stark. So I sat on it for a week.

On Friday the 13th, with no serious plans and a glaringly white fire place staring me down, I made the four minute trek to Home Depot. My favourite paint lady was there and with her holding my hand, I picked a punchy turquoise (yes I am a little nuts) and bought one of the four dollar samples (Tip-that is enough for most projects and you aren't left with oodles at the end). While my paint was in the shaker, I was flipping through the flier and noticed the door I have been meaning to pick up, the one that I have been dreaming of for over a month, was on sale for 15% off. I ran down like a maniac, convinced there would be none left. Well I was close, there was only one with a left-handed swing. I loaded it onto a trolley faster then I knew I could even move. Even though it was pouring out, I had on four inch heels and I only had my three door VW Golf, I wasn't phased and I pushed that door to the cash with all the confidence in the world.

The cashier rang me up and the door came up at 40% off.....they had priced it wrong by accident. YA-HOO (double fist-pump)! They were happy to know about the mistake but had to give it to me at that cost. $160 for the new front door I have been lusting after! Happy Friday the 13th to me! Now all I had to do was finagle the door into my car and use twine to hold her in place. The guy at the pick-up door was far from impressed...but we made it happen and I drove my stick-shift all the way home with the trunk wide open, hanging onto an exterior door for dear life. My turquoise paint securely nestled in my cup holder...
Sometimes luck is just on your side!
-m

Perseverance Is....

"Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.."- Julie Andrews

I had an epic fail this week, an EPIC fail. I usually plan and research enough that when it comes down to it there is little room for error, for the most part...

The back story is that around eight months ago (which may as well have been a lifetime ago) I purchased the most beautiful mosaic glass tile for my kitchen back splash. White marble tiles surrounded by frosted mint and crystal-clear blue tiles, it was a pleasure to behold.  At less than $4.00 a square foot, I could not pass it up! I brought it home and it slipped down into the black hole that is my basement until I had the time and the wherewithal to use it. Fast forward eight months and my cabinets have been painted cream and my house is slowly taking the shape of the picture I have had in my mind since the day I took possession. This would seem like the perfect time learn how to and to tile a back splash now wouldn't it?

How quickly we forget, I had picked the tile with the anticipation of removing the current counter and replacing it with charcoal grey polished concrete (which will happen someday down the road). And how quickly we adjust, going from hating a brown counter-top, to being able to live with it, to almost being fond of it (cream cabinets make anything brown look better!).

 This weekend I watched at least five "how-to" videos on tiling a back splash. I went to home depot and spent $50 on a trowel, a sponge, a grout float, a tile cutter and a glass tile epoxy. You know, the usual stuff. I spent an hour or so measuring and cutting glass tiles to nestle perfectly beneath my cabinets and closely hug the top of my counter tops (that I forgot I once despised). I took my epoxy and my 3/16" notched trowel and I spread that stuff on like a pro. Perfect lines of epoxy, not too thick, right to the edge, itching to have tile settled into it. I put up my first sheet of tile, it fit like a dream, and I pounded it into place with my palm. The next one fit just as well, my research and planning was paying off. When the left hand side of my kitchen was complete I stepped back, proud, to admire my handiwork..... and I HATED it. Two hours in and I absolutely despised the tile and counter combo...the glass, although beautiful, look horrendous next to the counter. My heart sank and I pulled it all off. I used a putty knife to scrape off all the epoxy then washed the rest off my walls. Luckily it hasn't set. I washed the epoxy off the tile and poured myself a big bottle, I mean glass, of wine.

I am saving the tile for an accent when I tile my bath surround down the road and for now I am living with the kitchen as is,  until a new counter has been secured.  Le sigh...
-m

When All Else Fails....

"When all else fails, take a vacation.."-Betty Williams

Vacation has come and gone. I am back to renovating my middle aged home and working (at work). I have been dreaming lately of travel. Travel anywhere really would do. Maybe it's because so many people I know are en route to somewhere fabulous or maybe it's just because travel is still so far in the future for me..

With vacation lingering on my mind,  I sipped on the end of my Blue Mountain coffee laden with Jamaican Rum cream and I decided to try my hand at traditional jerk chicken. Jamaica was my last vacation (PEI, albeit beautiful, tranquil and wonderful does not count) and the food was superb, especially the jerk.

Little did I know the marinade had 18 ingredients alone! Although that seems excessive, all you have to do it is throw it in a food processor. Press start and HUZZAH, the best chicken marinade you will ever have. Full of rich, flavourful spices with just a bit of heat, it keeps the chicken tender and moist while making your taste buds dance. It made three whole cups, jerk chicken for days (and I froze some too!). If you want to spice up your cooking and chicken is just a little bit dull lately, check it out. Just be sure not to dice the hot peppers then scratch your nose and subsequently your eye...it burns. Enjoy!
-m

Jerk Chicken
Yield- ~3 cups (one cup marinades 4 chicken breasts)

In a food processor, or blender combine:

4-5 chopped green onions
A few spring of fresh thyme (or 1/2 tbs dried)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs of brown sugar
2 tsp ground all-spice
1tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2-3 scotch bonnet peppers (2 if you are a wimp..)
1/3 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
2 tbs of veg. oil
1/4 cup of vinegar
1 diced onion
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 cloves diced garlic
1 tsp fresh ground ginger

Combine above in food processor and pulverise. Pour marinade over chicken, I used breasts but I have a feeling a bone in cut would be even better. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Pour chick and marinade into a baking dish and cook at 350 for an hour or so (until cooked through). If you chose a cut with skin, broiling it at the end will ensure crispy, flavourful chicken!

How Will I Eat Cake...

"How will I east cake if my head is over there and my hands are over here?"- Marie Antoinette

I LOVE to bake. I find it calming and enjoyable. There is something methodical and comforting about combining simple ingredients and ending up with a sweet masterpiece that will (hopefully) be enjoyed by everyone. Baking is also a challenge, if you skip a step or cut corners you risk ending up with a disappointing concoction. It's simple chemistry. Don't get me wrong, I am no Julia Child, my biscuits are hockey pucks no matter how little I touch the dough. Yet I can bang out a pie crust no problem (I will master the biscuits some day!).

Yesterday I couldn't sleep after a night shift so I started flipping through my cook books with the intention of bringing something sweet to my sweet co-workers. My Smitten Kitchen cookbook turned up the perfect challenge- a citrus olive oil loaf. Loaves can be tricky business, over bake them and they dry out. Under bake them and they collapse.... dun, dun, dun.

The recipe called for grapefruit but low and behold I didn't have any and I sure wasn't going to run to the grocery store in my pj's post nights. I did have half a dozen lemons so I improvised. The cake was moist, the crust was perfectly browned and the flavour was impressive.  I would make it again and everyone who tasted it enjoyed it as well. Next time I will try grapefruit! Happy chemistry/ baking all!
-m

Lemony Loaf (adapted from D Perleman's Smitten Kitchen)

Cake:
1.5 cups of all purpose flour
2 tbs of freshly grated zest (I used lemon, she suggested grapefruit..yum!)
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup raw sugar (this stuff is the bomb!)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs (room temp)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs fresh lemon juice (or grapefruit!)
1/3 cup plain yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream (whatever you got!)
1 tsp vanilla

Syrup:
2 tbs sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice (or grapefruit)

Glaze:
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp of vanilla
pinch of salt

In a bowl combine both sugars and add citrus zest. Mix with hands, rubbing zest and sugar together to release essential oils (this will smell AMAZING!). Whisk in eggs and oil, continue to whisk 'till smooth. Pour into sugar/zest and stir. In another bowl sift dry ingredients together. In second bowl combine lemon juice, dairy and vanilla until just mixed. Alternate dry ingredients and wet ingredients into sugar/oil mixture starting with dry ingredients and ending with dry ingredients (remember that chemistry stuff I was talking about...dry, mix, wet, mix, dry, mix, wet, mix, dry and then finally mix once more). Pour into a buttered and floured 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45mins to 1 hour, until tester or toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 10 min or so in the pan before removing. While cooling make syrup by combining sugar and juice in a small sauce pan and simmering until sugar is dissolved. When cake is out of pan, poke top with a toothpick and spoon syrup over top of cake while still warm.

Combine glaze ingredients and whisk well. When cake is syrup-ed and fully cooled, drizzled glaze over top and serve! My glaze looks thicker than it probably should be...I was rushing and cooled my cake in the freezer (bad idea...please avoid this step) so they glaze didn't drizzle very well!