Candlestick make-over

One of my favorite things to do is to give something a make-over.  And, paint is one of the easiest ways to do that!

I picked up this candlestick on one of my trips to the flea market/thrift store for *drum-roll* ...seventy-five cents!  This is what it looks like now, after its transformation.  The picture below is the way it looked when I found it.

Not much of a beauty huh?  But I saw its great potential!  It's metal, a bit heavy, and had a deep bronze finish, but what I really liked about it (aside from the price), was the texture and knowing I could give it a good make-over.  A rainy afternoon, some chalk paint, along with a little clear and tinted wax, and my desire to transform it into something worthy of displaying in my home, all had it looking just perfect in a short amount of time.

After first cleaning it of dust and grime, I then painted it with white chalk paint, two coats were needed to cover it well.  After the paint dried I applied a coat of clear wax, and after a few minutes of drying time I lightly buffed it using a soft cotton cloth (an old t-shirt works well for this too, btw), the wax seals the paint and provides a protective coating, and after buffing it gives a nice sheen.

Next, I wiped on small amounts of dark brown tinted wax with a paint brush in small sections at a time and then quickly wiped it off using a paper towel.  I made sure to get wax into all the crevices and gently wiped over those areas to leave some wax in them.  The tinted wax gives an antiqued finish and tones down the bright white.  I buffed over the tinted wax with the cotton cloth after a few minutes dry time.   

I'm pleased with the new look of my candlestick.  I think it's a beauty now and it looks much better.  So worth the small amount of time and effort, and the seventy-five cents!  I love a good make-over project!  My trash-to-treasure, treasure, I can treasure!

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I had been itching to get back to the flea market this week, I'd been missing it and I think I was suffering from withdrawals!  We certainly can't have that now can we?  I went on a little adventure to a new discovery of a place I'd noticed recently, and let's just say I got my fix and then some!  And, I certainly found some goodies I'll be sharing real soon!  

I hope you've had a nice weekend!....

Pork Stew Nuevo León Style / Asado de Puerco

I'm sure I have mentioned a time or two, how much we really enjoy Mexican food.  It's one of our favorites, and it is a frequent choice when we are considering "what's for dinner?" 

Just back from a recent business trip to Mexico, Hubby was enthusiastically telling me all about a dish he'd had while there and that he was able to obtain the recipe for.  He described it as these "delicious pork tacos" and said he really wanted to prepare the dish one evening, and assured me how delicious it was.  

He made a special effort to search online and then order the peppers needed for the recipe.  Once the peppers arrived we were fully prepared with all the other ingredients to proceed together in recreating this delicious authentic Mexican dish, one he had raved on about!  My curiosity was peeked and I looked forward to trying it.

Turns out those "delicious pork tacos" are actually called Pork Stew Nuevo León Style / Asado de Puerco. 

I did enjoy the dish and found it to be both unusual, and surprisingly good.  It wasn't difficult to prepare, but it did require a little patience with preparation.   The peppers were mild and flavorful, and they also give the dish it's deep rich color.  This is a must try if you are looking for something different, for sure.  

     

Pork Stew Nuevo León Style / Asado de Puerco

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 pounds of pork (with a little fat) cut into small cubes

(I used boneless pork chops with most of the fat removed)

4 tbs. of cooking oil or lard

water as needed

corn tortillas - soft, not crisp

shredded cheddar cheese 

For the sauce:

4 ancho peppers

4 guajillo peppers  

1/2 of an avocado pit (seed)

4 garlic cloves

5 peppercorns

1 tsp. dried oregano 

3 cloves

3 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 inch of a cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon thyme

Salt as necessary

Note: Using a small electric coffee grinder to grind the spices will make it easier and faster to grind them.  First grind all the herbs and spices, then add the avocado pit half and grind.  The result will be a powder like texture with a delicious aroma.

Directions:

In a large heavy pot cover the pork with water and cook over medium/high heat until the meat is tender and the water has evaporated. This should take about 30 minutes. The meat will begin to brown.  Add the oil or lard and stir fry until the meat is just browned and tender.

Sauce:

While the pork is cooking, use your kitchen scissors to split open the peppers, remove the seeds and veins, then lightly toast peppers on a warm skillet, but do not allow them to burn. Cover the toasted peppers with hot water and leave to soak for about 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly, reserving the water used.

Put 3/4 cup of water into the blender, a few of the peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, thyme, cinnamon and a 1/2 avocado seed and blend for at least 1 minute. Add a 1/2 cup of water and blend for a few more seconds to mix thoroughly. Add the rest of the peppers a little at a time and blend until smooth adding more water as needed to mix thoroughly.

Pass the sauce through a strainer and add to the pot with the meat. Cook over medium heat and stir frequently to prevent sticking. Add more water as needed, salt to taste, and keep stirring until the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick gravy, this will take about 15 minutes.

Serve with white rice and soft, warmed corn tortillas, and garnish with shredded cheese(optional).

We enjoyed ours by placing an ample amount on a warmed corn tortilla, added a sprinkle of cheese, and then folded them in half to form a taco.  They were delicious!

Enjoy!...

Recipe adapted from: mexicoinmykitchen

It's a dog's day ...National Dog Day!

In honor of 

National Dog Day

Our Beloved Dog 

~ Aeon ~

~ : ~

Our lives have been furr-ever changed by the love we share with this truly special, and very handsome boy!

We love him dearly and are so happy he is part of our life!

A Kitchen is the heart of a home!

I think most would agree with the statement...'A kitchen is the heart of a home!'

Our Kitchen has seen many years of gatherings with family, and friends.  Moments shared with great foods, lots of celebrations, and an abundance of fond memories.

We've been toying with ideas of major changes in our kitchen for quite some time now.  Currently we have a lot of white via appliances, counter tops, back splash, etc, with pickled-oak cabinets.  It's been like this for several years and we've loved it all the while.  I think we are more than ready for the change, but haven't truly focused on making it!

I've always enjoyed making little changes to my kitchen with accessories.  I get to change it up when the mood strikes or I'm ready for something different, and for holidays.  Having space above the cabinets is great for adding decor items.  It's a blank canvas for me, and another area where I can make seasonal and holiday changes as well.

   

There's the practical element in the kitchen with use of items that are necessary and need to be on hand, or close at hand.  In my case for instance, we have a toaster oven that gets a bit of use so it's an item I work around, and I even treat it as another surface to 'dress-up' or perhaps mask.  And, I have never liked seeing the burners exposed on the stove!...I feel it's just not attractive.  (Burner covers to the rescue!)  

I like to add a bit of personality to the space, to add some interest, my kitchen without that, to me would truly be boring. 

As I always say, "when decorating your home use things that you love, and what makes you happy."  You are the best judge of that!  Even if it's a space you can't make major changes to, you can make simple changes that can make an impact.

P.S. This is what I have in mind for changes to my kitchen, with the lighter cabinets and granite countertops.
So pretty!

image source

I'll continue dreaming for now, and changing things up to please my need for something different!  

Happy decorating!...

Thoughts and Things - This week ... August and more...

Hello August!  Although it began with milder than normal temperatures here for us, I know it will quickly be the typical hot August-heat chasing us indoors to cool off.

Yes, I'm back!  I've had some time away from my blog duties at late.   This and that going on, but to make the story short, to begin with I wasn't feeling well at the first of the month as I was overtaken by a virus/bug of sorts.  It took me over a week to feel I'd re-gained my strength, and to feel somewhere close to 'normal' again ...ugh!  Glad to have that behind me.  All better for now!  

I then happily had a mini vacation/trip to Florida last week to visit with my Sister and Brother-in-law, and my Parents too!  My Sister recently moved to Florida from Indiana, and now we live a little closer.  And, my Parents live in Florida also, so they made the short drive to my Sister's so we could all be together.

I'm so glad I got to see them and spend some time with all of them!  Although my visit was short it was sweet!  And, it was especially nice to be able to give my Sis real hugs & kisses and "Happy Birthday" wishes on her birthday!  Now I'm missing them all, greatly.  

{The photo above is of some lovely palm trees near my Sister's home.  They looked just perfect on the morning I was leaving to drive home.}

... ... ...

I couldn't resist adding this photo, because it's too funny and almost true.  

There were a few afternoon showers that definitely had me thinking this!

... ... ...

Yes it is!  I hope to get to share in more 'Sister time' now that we live a little closer to each other.

And, a little Family time is always good for the soul!...

Monday Message

~ My Monday Message ~

Always!...