Shellac

Okay, this is a post about cabinetry. You may find it interesting if you're a homeowner or have an uncanny obsession with cabinets. Or, if you're like me, you're probably so bored that you'll read anything.

My house is 65 years old, and has a lot of woodwork in it. The cabinets, trim, floors, and windows are all made of pine or a similar softwood, and all have the same stain on them. When my parents came to visit us last fall, they bought us a couple of oak cabinets from Home Depot. At first I was going to paint the new cabinets because, really, it seems impossible to match stains in the first place, and then when you have a product that's a totally different wood species, well, you're just asking for trouble. But nooo, Zach said painted cabinets are tacky (I beg to differ), and he felt sure that we could match the stain between the two types of cabinets.

So I began trying out different stains. I found one that turned our oak cabinets a color similar to the original pine cabinets, but it wasn't shiny like the stuff on the pine cabinets. I thought that maybe they had put a layer of polyurethane over the stain to make it shiny and durable, but it seemed unlikely. So I brought a piece of the old cabinetry to the Evansville Ace Hardware store, and the nice man who worked there said stain/polyurethane combos weren't around in 1940, and that our cabinets were probably coated with orange shellac.

I was like, "Shellac? What the heck is that?" and the man told me it's a coating that people used to preserve and enhance the color of wood products before the days of stain and varnish.

I bought a can of shellac, brought it home, and started applying it to a piece of oak veneer. In the middle of the coat, I accidentally knocked the can over and shellac spilled all over our carpet. Doh! Fortunately, the carpet is old and scary, so I might as well replace it anyway.

Anyhow, the oak veneer looks very much like the stuff we already have in our kitchen, now that it's shellac-ed. And I'm a very happy camper.

So this weekend I'm going to shellac the remaining cabinetry and the new stuff Zach is working on for our kitchen. I will be careful not to knock the can over this time.

This is a pretty old picture of our kitchen (we have a new fridge, a dishwasher, and new cabinetry beneath microwave). But you can see the color of our cabinets.

Carrot cake

I made a carrot cake for a co-worker, and decorated it with cream cheese frosting. The frosting was so good, I just had to lick the spoon when I was done with it.



Today's Lunch:
Ham sandwich on light wheat bun with yellow mustard
Apple
Chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting

My dirty little secret

I have always been proud of the fact that I've never liked "girly" TV shows. I was never a big fan of Friends, Felicity, Ally McBeal, whatever. But now... I'm obsessed with America's Next Top Model.


Yes, it's embarassing. That show is aimed at the teenage crowd, young girls who dream of becoming models. I'll admit I once dreamed of looking like a model. I used to hate my nose. I've since come to my senses.

Tonight is the season finale, and I've been looking forward to it all week. I've been reading the forums on Television Without Pity, which just adds to my obsession. It's ridiculous.

I'm hoping Caridee will win tonight. I've planned my evening so that I can go home, make pizza for dinner, and sit back and watch.

Today's Lunch:
Ham sandwich with yellow mustard on light wheat bun
Apple
Chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting
Vanilla yogurt

Eggroll burn

I got burned by an eggroll, and now it looks like I have a cold sore.

We bought some frozen egg rolls, and heated them up in the oven. When they came out, I started eating mine right away. It was really hot but soooo good. That is, until oil squirted out of it and burned my lip. It hurt.

The eggroll:

The burn:

Did you want to see that up close?

It hurts.

A great way to use leftovers

Thanksgiving was almost 1-1/2 weeks ago, and we finally finished the leftovers today.

I thought I was practicing some real ingenuity in finding ways to use leftover turkey, stuffing, tough green beans, and venison roast. Here's what I did:

Crystal's Rockin' Turkey Casserole

Cooked turkey: 3 cups
Stuffing: 4-6 cups
Green beans: 2 cups
Turkey gravy: 1/2 cup
Venison gravy: 1/2 cup
Cream of mushroom soup: 1 can

Combine all in a huge bowl. Place in greased casserole dish and bake, covered, at 350 for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes.

Philly Cheese-Steak Sandwiches, the Midwest version

Roasted venison: 2 Cups
Green pepper: 1/2, chopped
Mushrooms and onion: 1/4 C each (optional)
Cheddar cheese: sliced
Buns: sub buns (hamburger buns work just fine for dainty people)

Cook green pepper, mushrooms and onion in skillet over medium heat until somewhat tender. Add venison and stir, keeping heat at medium, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat and veggies are well-combined. Slice buns open and place on foil-covered baking sheet. Spoon meat and veggie mixture on top of buns and top with cheddar cheese. Cook in 350 oven 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and buns are toasted.

I was excited about these recipes because Zach doesn't like to eat leftovers. But if I use them to make a new dish, he'll gobble it right up. I didn't even have to force him to eat the turkey casserole two days in a row.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover Philly-cheese venison steak sandwich
Apple
Gingersnap

Rock Opera Marathon

Lately, Zach and I have been watching a lot of rock operas.

It started with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Zach was surprised that I hadn't seen it, considering I was into musicals in high school. But back in high school, my fellow theater friends were into movies like Grease (yuck), so I never had the chance to see RHPS.

I like how that show has some shock value to it. It explored some topics that I'm sure were quite taboo in the '70s, such as transvestism, homosexuality, and voyeurism. I especially liked Tim Curry's character, Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Before seeing RHPS, I only saw Tim Curry as a chubby, middle-aged guy with a creepy, gummy smile. But he was absolutely stunning in RHPS. Who knew?



Next, I watched This is Spinal Tap, a mockumentary about a band called, what else?, Spinal Tap. This was my favorite movie out of the three (I will discuss the third next). I used to date musicians in college, and I could see some similarity between the band in the film and the bands I used to hang out with. There's just this obsession with music, where the person thinks they're being really creative but their music actually kind of sucks. They just work so long and hard at it that they begin to think it's good, but they're just kidding themselves. Excuse me if I'm being ruthless. Here is a scene from the movie:

[Nigel is playing a soft piece on the piano]
Marty DiBergi: It's very pretty.
Nigel Tufnel: Yeah, I've been fooling around with it for a few months.
Marty DiBergi: It's a bit of a departure from what you normally play.
Nigel Tufnel: It's part of a trilogy, a musical trilogy I'm working on in D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I find. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don't know why.
Marty DiBergi: It's very nice.
Nigel Tufnel: You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like - I'm really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it's sort of in between those, really. It's like a Mach piece, really. It's sort of...
Marty DiBergi: What do you call this?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, this piece is called "Lick My Love Pump".

Wow man, that's deep.



The third rock opera we watched was Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It's a story about a transvestite named Hedwig, the lead singer of a rock band. The movie follows the band while they're on tour, using flashbacks to reveal the reasons why Hedwig is called Hedwig and what the angry inch is. There were times in the movie where I hated Hedwig, because she was such a diva and treated people so badly, but there were times where I loved her and felt sorry for her. The songs were pretty catchy, too.



Today's Lunch:
Leftover cheeseburger with yellow mustard on wheat bun
Leftover butternut squash with pecan topping
Apple

My experience in court

Yesterday I attended a court hearing in an attempt to reduce the points issued for my tail-gating citation.

The judge sat at the head of the courtroom, and I was seated with about 30 other people in the peanut gallery. The judge called up people one by one, stated their charge, and asked what their claim was. A lot of people pleaded "no contest." Now, I'm not a lawyer or anything, but from what I understood, to plead "no contest" means you do not feel you are guilty but the evidence says you are. I think another reason why it's good to plead "no contest" is to avoid legal trouble after the trial.

Some of the people who went before me seemed to be in really tight spots. I felt sorry for the people who could not pay their $70 traffic fine and would need an additional two months to scrape together the money. Some people were out of job, or didn't work enough hours to have a steady income. I realized how lucky I am to have a good job and be financially secure. Which.. I understand isn't luck alone, as a college education and a good attitude have helped me get to where I am today.

Anyhow, I pleaded "guilty" to the charge on my citation. The judge asked me to explain, so I told him that I was in some ways glad the police had pulled me over and given me a ticket, because I hadn't realized I was driving too close to the car in front of me. It was a nice reminder to drive more carefully in the future. Then I asked if I could do community service or attend traffic school in exchange for the points on my record. After some deliberation, the judge said that instead of my $109 ticket and 4 points, I could do 40 hours of community service and pay $78. It was a great deal! I left the courthouse feeling happy and patting myself on the back for a job well done.

I think people are more willing to help each other if they have a reason to do so. If I had just stood at the podium and asked to get my points reduced without offering something in return, thinking the judge would just see me and decide to give me a break, he probably wouldn't have reduced my points. But I think that by offering to attend traffic school or do community service hours, I was offering him something in return.

Now I just have to figure out what to do for community service. :P

Today's Lunch:
Peanut butter (Jif) and jelly (strawberry jam) sandwich on whole wheat
Banana
3 Hershey's Kisses

Random thoughts

It's cold outside. I had to yank on my car door to get it open. Yet another way to talk myself out of taking a walk.

My plants are almost dead. I just haven't had the slightest amount of motivation to water them. Except for today. I finally watered them. They'll look fine by the time I leave today, I guarantee it.

Speaking of plants, I need to repot my aloe. It's had about 7 baby aloe plants and is growing out of its pot.

Why do I feel so lazy when it comes to watering plants?

I keep putting off looking at my bank statement because I'm afraid to look at the damage. I remember doing that in college. It was a lot less stressful that way. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

I realized today that I'm a morning person and Zach is a night person. In the morning, I'm usually hyper and wanting to kiss and hug him, and he's that way in the evening.

Yesterday I was cranky, and I don't know why. Today I'm going to court to try to get the points lowered on my tail-gating ticket.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover venison with mashed potatoes
Leftover green beans

Miss White

That's another nickname for Kitty. Here's a new picture of her. Check out her front paws!


She wasn't particularly thrilled with all the "invaders" in her territory over the weekend. Even though they left at 8:00 sunday morning, she wouldn't leave her closet all day. Chicken.

Today's Lunch:
Turkey sandwich with yellow mustard and cranberry sauce on whole wheat
Apple

A crazy Thanksgiving

My parents, brother Joe and his girlfriend Mary, and brother Tom (aka Chico) spent the Thanksgiving holiday with us. Even though I prepared some foods ahead of time, thursday and friday were pretty much devoted to cooking. We celebrated Turkey Day on friday, since my family drove over on thursday. I followed the Cook's Illustrated plan for putting together a Thanksgiving feast. If you like cooking, I'd suggest checking out Cook's Illustrated. It's the shiz-nat.

The Menu

Hors d'ouvres

• Chex mix
• Veggies with ranch-dill dip
• Mary's chipped beef dip with Triscuits
  

The Feast

• 18-lb grain-fed, home-raised turkey, brined then roasted
  
• Roasted venison
• Mashed potatoes
• 3-hour gravy
  
• Homemade apple and bacon stuffing
• Green beans sauteed in onions and vermouth
• Brussels sprouts cockaigne (from the Joy of Cooking - it's brussels sprouts for people who think they don't like brussels sprouts)
• Pecan-crusted butternut squash
• Mom's cranberry-orange-nut sauce
• Homemade rolls
• Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc

The Pie

• Mom's blackberry pie
• Mary's gingersnap-pumpkin pie
• Apple pie
• Strawberry-rhubarb pie

Some pictures

Cooking the bacon for the stuffing (wednesday)

The never-ending gravy-making process (thursday)*

*The gravy involved cooking the turkey's neck, heart, and gizzard with onion, then straining. The strained juices were used to make a broth. The broth is then thickened and allowed to simmer for a long time. Then, on Turkey Day, the broth is added to the roasting pan and the drippings are used to make the rest of the gravy. The process was long and grueling, but the gravy was very flavorful and what I would consider a great example of umami flavor.

Brining the turkey with Chico*

*The green bucket contains the raw turkey soaking in a salt solution. We placed a piece of concrete rock in the pot and set it in the bucket to hold the turkey underwater. We then placed the bucket in the cooler, surrounded it with ice, and let it sit overnight. Brining the turkey results in rich, juicy, flavorful meat and is highly recommended!

On Turkey Day, we set the bird in a roasting pan with a V rack, dried it off with paper towels, and Mary massaged it with butter (and no, you pervs, she didn't give it a "happy ending.")

I'm really bummed we didn't get a photo of the cooked turkey in its entirety. It was very beautiful. It's just that things in the kitchen became VERY hectic during the last half hour.

And last but not least, the finished product:

I'm happy with how the meal turned out. Mom, Mary and I were seriously busting some tail getting it on the table. Everything tasted great. And now I won't have to cook all week because Zach and I have tons of leftovers!

Today's Lunch:
Turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce and yellow mustard
Leftover brussels sprouts (yummy)
1 Peanut butter cookie and 1 Ranger cookie

Free thoughts

I have nothing to write about today, and I had nothing to say yesterday. Work's pretty quiet with the holidays just around the corner; all sorts of people are using up vacation time, not to mention taking days off with all the colds that are prevalent this time of year. I spent yesterday holed up in my office, and by the end of the day I was utterly exhausted. It really helps to get out and move around a bit. Social interaction is a good thing, too.

I'm trying to scrape together some motivation to start some number crunching. Normally, I like crunching numbers, but the numbers I need to crunch aren't easy to find, so it's difficult for me to get started. I'm just feeling lazy, I think.

And I've been having a lot of thoughts about my career and my life. Where do I want to go next? I figure, if I don't do what I want to do, what's the point in living life? I am the only person who has the power to shape my future, and if I don't change things, no one else will for me. If I am unsatisfied with the way my life is working out, I am the only one who can make it better. Not Zach, not my parents, not my employer. It's just me. We alone can control our lives. It's so easy to put the blame on someone else for our problems, but really, we're the only ones who can control them. In our attitudes, in our decisions, we create and solve our own problems.

I think life should be enjoyable. I used to think that if I could plow through life, make it through my job, and retire at the age of 55, I could retire and that's where life would really begin. But I have begun to realize my own immortality, and I know that I could die young or develop a serious illness or injury. And if I do, I'll regret not enjoying my life while I could. I don't think we should wait to retire to live life fully. If I could find something I really enjoy doing and be able to live that way, I'd definitely do it. And I'm asking myself - what is that?

I just know now that I want to explore my world, explore my self, explore who I really am. I know that I like working with food. And I like computers. And I enjoy knowing exactly what needs to be done and coming up with ways to do it. I like puzzles, everything from crosswords to jigsaw puzzles. And I like nature. I think I like people, but that may just be a survival skill - if I talk to people and make friends, I am a happy person; but do I really like people? This is a new thought, something I'll have to spend some time considering.

At this moment, I want to live out in the country on a Wyoming or Montana ranch, cooking for people and spending a lot of time reflecting. I also want to be on a PBS reality show where people have to live in a different century. I dream of being a frontier woman, but I need to know if I'm cut out for the daily grind that's involved in that lifestyle. It's like a way of testing myself. I just need to know.

I want to join the Peace Corps to get a chance to see another part of the world, another lifestyle, another culture. I want to see firsthand just how cushy my life is here in the U.S. I don't think it'll really hit home until I live a life that's harder. I want to say to myself, "Wow, I really had it great back in Wisconsin. Why did I leave?" I also want to learn another language, learn the arts of another culture, and help people if I can.

There's just so much going through my mind right now. I am almost overwhelmed by the thoughts swirling in my brain at this moment. I almost feel like crying; anything to clear my mind.

My therapist says all this is good. It's good to be confused, because it means I'm getting closer to following my path. I like that metaphor. My therapist says we all have a path, and at the end of the path is the place we really want to be in our lives. It's almost like the Buddhist goal of finding total enlightenment. Everything we do can either bring us closer to our path or take us further away from it. I feel as though I'm wandering around in the woods, trying to get on the path. I hope that once I'm on the path, I will be doing what I enjoy and will find ways to stay on it. I may stray from my path every once in a while (like when I was in college), but I know I can get back on it.

This has been a blog entry of free mind association - just writing down what I'm thinking, without trying to make a point or find purpose in it. It's really helping me clear my head.

Today's Lunch:
Ham sandwich on whole wheat with yellow mustard
Mixed frozen veggies (green beans, peas, carrots, corn, lima beans)
Hershey's kiss, Hershey's mini bar, 2 Starbursts

Peace Corps

Sooo... I've been thinking about joining the Peace Corps. I want to do some traveling, learn some things, see new countries and cultures and ways of living, and challenge myself. This isn't my first time thinking about it, either. If it weren't for this job I have now, I could have already served somewhere.

My fourth year of college, I didn't know what to do when I graduated. The job market was in rough shape, and my fellow wood science and forestry students weren't finding any job openings. I had always wanted to go to grad school, and I learned that the Peace Corps had a master's degree program, where they'd help pay for students' education after serving overseas. I had turned in my entire Peace Corps application - fingerprints and everything - and was only short one reference letter. The application could not be processed until that letter was handed in.

Somewhere during this time I met my future boss, Bob. He was presenting a poster at the Lake States Logging Congress, and he met my dad. Here's how I envision their conversation:

They first found out that they both went to school at Michigan Tech, and were both in the forestry department. Holy crap! Then Bob says that he was actually a wood science major, and my dad goes on to say that his daughter (that would be me) was in the wood science program, too. Wow! So Bob asks what year I'm in, and my dad says, "Oh, she'll be graduating this spring." Then Bob says, "what does she want to do when she's done with school?" and my dad says, "Oh, she's not sure. She just really likes research." Suddenly, a light goes off in Bob's head - wood science major? Female? Michigan Tech grad? Likes research??? Perfect candidate for the Lab!

So he tells my dad about this program the Forest Service has, where students who want to be scientists can get their education paid for and are guaranteed a job with the Forest Service upon graduation. My dad called me a few days later to tell me about it, and that is how I ended up at the lab. My Peace Corps application was never fully completed, and now I've realized that the Peace Corps is something I really want to do.

So I'm going to start applying. The biggest problem I can see right now is selling my house. We have some unfinished projects that need to be completed before putting the house on the market. Zach needs to clean up the basement, and I'd like to re-do the bathroom. And then there's all my furniture.. where could it go? I'm reluctant to put it in a storage locker because from what I understand they're not insulated and I'm afraid the wood will do crazy things in the humidity. And then there's my truck payment. Maybe when I sell the house, I'll make a killing on it and can pay off my truck. But you never know. And then there's Zach. We'd have to split up. I'm not really sure he's "The One," but that doesn't mean I'm ready to let go of him by any means. So that's a little scary, too.

So many things to think about...

Today's Lunch:
Leftover beef stroganoff over egg noodles
Apple
2 gingersnaps

Curtains

Well, it's about time I finished those curtains for the bedrooms. I made roman shades similar to those in the living room, but this time I did not put dowels in each layer - there is only one on the bottom. As a result, the shades kind of bunch together when pulled up, but I think it looks cool.

Here are some photos:





In other news, I'm going to Menard's today to get Z's birthday present. He asked for a reciprocating saw. Very exciting, I know. I am also stopping by JoAnn Fabrics to look at patterns and fabric. I'm hoping to make a dress for an upcoming wedding.

Today's Lunch:
Ham sandwich on whole wheat with yellow mustard
Banana
I realize my lunches aren't very exciting any more. I will have to work on that.

A whole bunch of stuff

First of all, I'd like to show off the great cake I made for a baby shower. It took a lot of time and effort, but I am really happy with how it turned out. The cubes on the bottom say "Twins," on the sides of the top blocks they say "Congrats," and on the top of the blocks "Baby."

What I'm NOT happy with is the fact that two of the cubes fell off during transit, and the frosting got smushed and looked like crap. However, my customer was my friend Pam, and she's very understanding so it was okay.

But I think I will avoid making specialty cakes like this in the future, because they take up sooo much time and I'm not very good at them. When they don't turn out the way I expect them to, I get really bummed out. And I'm not sure if I want to put a lot of time into something like that. This baby shower cake easily took 30 hours to make.

Here are some photos from the girls' weekend at Randi's house.

I seriously never thought I could get sick of eating chocolate, but it really did happen at the Chocolate Extravaganza. My favorite part was the cooking demonstration. I had about a million questions for the chef, but contained myself and only asked 2.

We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, and Alexis ordered some pretty spicy wings. She had tears in her eyes as she tried to choke them all down.

In other news, Zach has been working on our kitchen and I'm finally finishing the curtains that have been sitting on our dining room table for 3 weeks. Tonight I'm going to mount them. I will post photos of the final product.

Today we have a bake sale at work, but since I worked on the baby shower cake all last week and left town for the weekend, I didn't contribute much. I brought in half a pumpkin pie (leftovers) to sell by the slice. We also have salads at our bake sale for those "healthy" folks, and I made a greek salad.

I'm getting fired up to make beef stroganoff tomorrow for dinner. We always seem to have a good dinner on wednesday. The rest of the week is just leftovers.

Today's Lunch:
Ham sandwich on whole wheat with yellow mustard
Apple
Hershey's Kiss