Massive Planter Stand

So over the winter, I discovered I have a gardening problem. I really, really, really like planting things. Since I’m in between houses and at my parents for the moment, I wanted to keep all my herbs and lettuces in pots for easy transplant and so that I can bring them inside during the winter, assuming my new house will have room for an indoor greenhouse haha. So I needed somewhere to put all my planters that would be out of the way but still get sun and be close enough to the house that I could go snip a few herbs for dinner. Thus began my disgusting process of hauling rotting 2×6’s (complete with nasty bugs) and most everything else with the lawn mower across the yard. I’m pretty happy with the end result and I did it all myself! Except for cutting the 4×4’s as I am still not allowed to use a saw.

Here is the end result!

I’m pretty proud of it. Here is a picture of just the frame

It’s made out of 2 stair risers, 3 2×6’s, and a couple spare 4×4 posts. You could definitely just use 4 stair risers if you have them or want it to look nicer, but I wanted to use what I had. That also meant using nasty, rotten wood. Hence all the 4×4 supports. I also am only using plastic planters on it right now just in case. My dad did test it and walk up it like stairs, and it’s still standing so that’s a plus. He wouldn’t walk on the top shelf though as that one was pretty iffy.

This project took a lot more work that it looks. The original stair risers were already connected to stairs so I had to take them apart and then get the new (rotten) 2×6’s. I could have used 2×8’s since they are 8 inches deep, but I didn’t have those available. Once I had connected all of the 2×6’s, I had my dad cut 4×4’s to the height needed and then just screwed them in place. It is free standing as it is just a temporary fixture until I get my own place.

Ignore the broken bird bath in the bottom corner. I owe my mom a new one since I dropped this one moving it out of the way. Whoops!

The sad part is that my dad didn’t understand why it had to be so long. 8 feet?! He thought that was ridiculous. Until I filled it up. And still have 5 planters on the deck, three in the kitchen, and a decorative one on the pool deck. In addition to what I put in the vegetable garden. We will be eating good this year! Oh and I still have basil seeds to plant and some weird mini pumpkins on a stick. The gardening never ends! At least I don’t have to weed 😉

Mother’s Day Garden Sign

I think I actually did a craft that turned out from Pinterest. This would not end up on this Buzzfeed post. At least I hope not. This was my first time ever using a wood burner and I really loved doing it! I will have to invest in some goggles though as my glasses did not stop the smoke from going into my eyes. For some reason, it didn’t occur to me that the burning wood would smoke. Who knew?! Anyway, I’m just going to show you some pictures now

Inspirational Pin

And here is how mine turned out =]

Yes, I realize you can’t tell what it says right now. Hold up, here’s a few working shots

The first one is after I got all the burning done and then this next one is after my dad cut it. Apparently, at 22, I’m still not allowed to use a power saw. Probably a good parenting decision, not gonna lie.

Then my sister and I stained it and nailed it to a 2×2 and put it in the ground. I thought I had more pictures, but apparently, I don’t. So these will do as they are lovely. Yes, I did look up local weeds as well so that it was an accurate description of my mom’s garden haha.

 

Las Vegas!!!

So over Cinco de Mayo weekend, this girl was in Vegas! Anyway, just wanted to share a few of my experiences and pictures with you guys!

We had a lot of plane and airport trouble and didn’t get in until about 2am so the first night we were exhausted. So we bought champagne at Walgreens and called it a night. This was honestly good champagne, minus the fact that I exploded it all over my friend’s suitcase, but that’s not important. It was so bubbly that I could barely drink it but the next day it was perfect! And, pretty cool souvenir if I say so myself.

On Cinco de Mayo we went out to Senor Frogs and got drinks and dinner. The drinks were delicious and the food delicious but the best part was I got sat in front of the “I’m sexy and I know it” sign and there is a lady who makes balloon hats! I’m not sure where you go to school for that, but she was awesome. So I got a lips balloon hat, and yes, I wore it all night. Even after we left the bar =] No shame!

This is the Hoover Dam. It was boring. This isn’t even the dam cause the dam was ugly, so this is the body of water over it. Boring.

We did an O2 bar for the first time too. It was pretty weird, but it smelt good. Had to try it once, right?

Oh, and favorite meal. Shrimp Scampi Crepes! These were seriously delicious and I could eat them everyday for a year. Or ten. Just saying…

We did a ton more stuff but I don’t have the pictures for it so here’s just a sample. I had an awesome time in Vegas and can’t wait to tag along when my relatives go later this year!

Lemon Chicken with Garlic and Basil Zucchini

Over the weekend, the boy mentioned to me about trying gluten free. It was just a passing comment, but I took on the challenge! I am taking on this challenge with no gluten-free substitutes, i.e. bread and pasta. I am taking this to throw extra veggies his way and the zucchini was a success! I personally use a julienne peeler to julienne my veggies but am looking into something better if anyone has suggestions. Has anyone used a spiralizer? Are they easier? The peeler is great, just very tedious for large amounts. My mandolin also has a julienne attachment but it sucks so any and all suggestions are welcome =]

Original Recipe

Lemon Chicken with Garlic and Basil Zucchini

2 Chicken breasts

1/4t Thyme

1/2t Rosemary

2T Lemon juice

2T EVOO

Dash of salt and pepper

2 Medium zucchinis

1T Butter

3T Minced garlic

1/2T Basil

1 Chicken bouillon cube

1. Cut your chicken weirdly. The only way I can explain it is to slice it, but not all the way through. This will help it marinade quicker, like this

2. Mix thyme, rosemary, lemon juice, EVOO, salt, and pepper together and marinate chicken. I just threw mine in a plastic baggie on the counter for 20 minutes

3. Julienne your zucchini. Do this however you can, see my notes above for gadgets

4. Melt butter in pan and add garlic, basil, and chicken bouillon cube. Saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes

When I made this I used the 4T of butter called in the original and most of the butter was sitting in the pan after we ate it, hence why we cut it down to 1T. If you like it saucy, feel free to use 2T

5. Add your zucchini and toss to coat. Cook until zucchini is tender but not mushy

6. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet and add your chicken. I always cook it with the marinade so that went in there too. Cook it until it is no longer pink in the middle, flipping halfway through. Ours took about 10 minutes total.

This was seriously delicious and the boy actually said he wanted more vegetables when he was done! That is impressive!

Birthday Party!!!!! (100th Post =])

Ladies and  gentlemen, I bring you the most anticipated blog post of the year! My birthday party food!

Now, if we can be honest for a minute, I do not have the money to throw elaborate birthday parties. At all. So I did a BBQ and it was awesome! I made everything myself which was honestly one of my favorite parts of the day. I never get to cook for anyone so that was awesome that I finally did! And I learned I can definitely handle a big crowd. I made five pounds of Juicy Lucy’s and 3Q (yes, quarts) of Salsa! I also made some homemade guacamole and sangria for which I will include the recipe for here. But first, can we seriously marvel at all this salsa?!

That’s a lot of freaking salsa!

Guacamole

5 Avocados

1 Jalapeno, seeded

1T Minced garlic

1T Lime juice

Salt to taste

1. Put jalapeno into the food processer and chop up real smooth

2. Get the avocado out of the skin. I usually cut them in half and scoop it out with a spoon

3. Mix everything together in a big bowl and let sit in the fridge for a few hours for the flavors to meld

 

Cooler Sangria

Yea, I ran out of room in my crock pot which was what I was originally going to use to hold it but oh well. The cooler worked double duty as it was also cold

2 Gallons Moscato Sangria, I used Carlo Rossi

2c Raspberry Bounce, my uncle makes this so I’m not sure of a substitute. Raspberry pucker maybe? Anything super fruity with liquor

2c Frozen raspberries

2c Frozen strawberries

1. Put everything in a cooler

2. Drink lots of sangria

3. Snack of drunk fruit =]

New pad!

I’m so excited, I finally got a replacement for my hazardous computer and I am in love with it! I’m updating you from my new tablet with docking station. And it’s windows 8 so it’s just like my computer and so perfect! I just got it last night and was a good girl and waited for it t charge and everything before I used it so go me =] Lt night our water pipe broke so I got a little time to play with it while we were waiting for the water company to get here to shut off the water. I just love this thing. And I got it off groupon so score! Anyway, we made pizzas last night and I will put that recipe up when I got some more time later today for you guys. Have a happy Wednesday!

 I tried to just add a picture but apparently I don’t know how to do that yet haha. It’s on my list to figure out!

Black Pepper Chicken and Shrimp

I’m going to post a recipe that I have tried before I started blogging and made the other day after a few cocktails. Alright, two very strong cocktails. It was not picture worthy. I also took a few very stupid shortcuts which made it very good with the cocktails and decent enough to eat for lunch the next day. Also, sometime you should all try a Redd’s hard apple cider with a shot of Fireball in it. Don’t do it before you cook though or you will end up like me without anything to show for it. I do actually follow this recipe I just subbed out half the chicken for some shrimp this time as well. Enjoy!

Original Recipe

Herb Dryer!

I bought a ton of tomatoes and jalapenos at the farmers market this week which means it’s time to make Salsa! It also meant I needed to go get some cilantro from my herb garden. Let me just say, it’s been a while since I cut much from my herb garden. I cut a huge bowl of everything. Tons of dill, cilantro, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, parsley, and green onions. I had one green onion that I swear was three feet long. It took me forever to cut the green onions up for freezing. Since I was  going to make salsa, I didn’t hang any of the cilantro up to dry but I did hang the rest up. For Christmas, the boy made my this awesome herb hanger so we don’t have to hang them on a tension rod over the sink anymore, thank goodness haha. In his words, “It’s eclectic and I don’t want to throw it away”. That’s impressive as my taste is much more eclectic than his is =]

This is my massive bowl of everything straight from the garden

And a few shots of the herb hanger in use

I still have a ton of dill that should probably be cut down so seafood salads will be happening soon!

Back in Business! Kinda…

My computer is still mostly broken but the man is out at a football game so I’m jacking his computer tonight. Muahaha. Also, I fell asleep on New Year’s Eve at like 10. So I’m drinking a very large mimosa and may make a few spelling mistakes. Forgive me, I will fix them later and I hope it doesn’t ruin any of your recipes. I also am going to apologize to everyone who is subscribed to this blog via email as your inbox will blow up tonight. Sorry, but not that sorry =]

I also went home with the boy for Christmas and have some awesome pictures so I will post a few of those as well.

We saw this tree in Southern Minnesota, whoever took the time with all of those lights in my favorite person ever. It was around 11pm when we drove by it on our way up and luckily it was still dark around 6am when we drove by it on our way out so that we could snap a picture

The first day we were up there we went to Taylor’s Falls to see the St  Croix river and so the boy could drag us over to Wisconsin just so he could say he had been there. He snapped this awesome picture of the river right where it began to freeze.

And I got pushed in the snow by my sister…

For Christmas dinner we always eat crab legs. Since I wouldn’t be up there until the 26th I bribed them with some fresh shrimp for the gulf to get them to wait. They devoured them. We finished 7lb of colossal snow crab legs and 5lbs of shrimp. Needless to say, walking up sledding hills later was definitely needed.

On our last day we went to the Minneapolis Art Institute and got to check out the skyline and some awesome art. I don’t think we saw even half of it. That place is HUGE and we kept getting lost.

After the art institute we went to Minnehaha Falls since they were frozen and they looked awesome! We decided to play it safe and not venture down to the falls and we’re kinda lazy. But they looked beautiful all the same!

I hope everyone had a bless Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Broken Computer…

So here is my life. I was looking at getting one of those tablets that hooks up the keyboard but not bluetooth, like docking wise. Then the next day, my computer wires get stripped, heat up way too much and melt part of my screen and start smoking so it’s currently out of commission. We have to leave the battery out just in case it blows up while we aren’t home. So my blog posts will be a little fewer until I get something that won’t burn down the house and kill the dog. Cause I don’t want that to happen. So Happy Holidays and I hope to see you all soon =]