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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Monday, Monday - What's for dinner


One of my favorite dishes is salmon. Grilled, blackened, baked, or in salmon cakes; I love it. So today I share my recipe with you for blackened salmon. This is a quick and easy recipe, so let's get started.

I use salmon filets. Cut each section in 5" pieces and wash good. Pat dry and set aside. Now on to the seasoning mix.

1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp old bay seasoning, pinch of salt, and black pepper. Mix well and put on wax paper. Take each piece of fish and roll in the seasoning mix and then place in a preheated skillet on med/high heat. Cook each side for 3 to 5 minutes. The salmon should feel firm to touch. Be careful not to overcook. This will result in a dry texture. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

As you can see, my favorite way to serve the salmon is with wild rice and steamed brocoli. To make it even simpler, I have used Uncle Ben's microwave rice packages. Steam the brocoli while you are cooking the salmon and dinner is ready in no time.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Until next time.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Festive Friday

Been a busy week with flea markets, thrift stores and working on new merchandise for my upcoming show. This is a benefit to raise money for the Levy County animal shelter. I am looking forward to getting back out there and see how my new line of merchandise is working.

I repurposed several items that I found at the flea markets and thrift stores. I took a canvas that was mounted in an ornate plastic frame. It originally had fruit painted on the canvas; it was primed barn red over black and then sanded to give that well worn look. A frosty beer mug and the words "Free Beer Tomorrow" were added and then grunged with paint and stain. I think it turned out well.


I had several rectangular boards, so the perfect fit, a checkerboard. Again I used the technique of painting barn red over black, grunged and painted a black checkerboard pattern. And look, it actually has checkers. A hook on the back allows for a great wall accent.



The finale; I painted an old rusty hand saw. It was sanded, cleaned and painted in a warm cream. Note the handle was left as it was. Then after applying a warm antique process, the words, Faith, Family, Friends was added in black paint. Several barn red stars add the finishing touch. Another great accent for that primitive decor.


I hope you enjoyed these makeovers. I will be off to the show this weekend, my first of the season. Wish me luck and I will see you on Monday with a great recipe for blackened salmon.

Till we meet again.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Hump Day Wednesday







Boy the north and northeast are getting pounded this winter. I know we complain down here in Florida about the cold weather, but it isn't snowing, today anyway, and though it is colder than the normal, we can still enjoy the outdoors. So that is where I take you today. I am taking you to a little beach along the nature coast, as it is so aptly called, to see the water, the gulls, the manatees and just relax. Sit back, get a cup of joe, and I bet you can smell the salt water, feel the breeze through your hair and the sun on your face. Close your eyes; there it is...enjoy!.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Monday, Monday 2/22




Whew! Finally back in the studio. The weather has taken a turn for the better down here in Florida and the sunshine just makes me want to get out and do something creative.

I just created a nice slate with a primitive crow design. I think you will like it. As well, I took an old dingy candle holder (I think you might recognize it from my thrifting post) and made it into a lovely chamber candle holder. Complete with a battery operated flicker candle. I love it.

Today, I will work on some primitive checker boards as well as some new dog and cat items. I am doing a show this weekend in Branson, Fl for a friend. It is a benefit for the local animal shelter. It should be fun and I expect to sell a lot of dog bones. Who knows, I might find a new friend along the way. Not that I can replace my old buddy Bear, but it is time I found a new dog. I will try not to compare, but it will be hard.

Well, here are some pics and hope you have a wonderful day. Until we meet again....

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Bedroom Remodel






Good morning. I thought today I would share my bedroom remodel pictures. As I have told you we currently reside in our MH. It is a classic motor home and we love the charm and the freedom it allows us to travel and meet new people. It does however, have a few things that we want to change and repair, one being replacing the two twin beds in the back with a queen. This project requires that we relocate the water tank which sets under one of the beds. When we removed the frames and looked, we found the walls were in very bad condition. So a simple job took on a whole new mission. We found rot around the windows, a couple mouse nests and a rotted support beam on the sealing. Not to mention the missing insulation. So my hubby is now remodeling the bedroom. I am very excited. I picked out a nice bead board that I will use on the walls and with the new configuration I can build a built-in shelf unit with a place for a tv. Sit back, watch the progress and enjoy the project without getting your hands dirty. Until next time...

Monday, February 15, 2010

Monday, Monday Feb 15


Another day in paradise. Well, perhaps not that good, but the sun is shining and there is no snow. I am going to spend the day updating some found objects from my thrifting trips and work on some of my sewing projects. I am going to work on some shamrock ornies as well as some stars and hearts. I will post pics on Wednesday of these projects.

Husband got home just in time for valentines day. Made me breakfast and today he will begin the task of replacing the twin beds in the MH to a queen. I found a great buy on a queen mattress the other day, so now we will be able to snuggle again...what a treat. I will have to find all my bedding that I have tucked away, waiting on this day..but it will be worth it.

Well, just wanted to keep in touch. Here are some of my thrifting finds from last Thurs as I didn't get to posting them. Imagine what you might do with these and look to see on Wednesday if we have similar idea
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Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentines Day


Today is the day of love and adornment. The day we give that extra something to the one's we love. That is the tradition. I have decided to take it one extra step. I have decided to make this the first day of love for the rest of my life. I am going to carry this love for mankind into the year and throughout my life. It is a day that will inspire me to give love to everyone I meet. The guy that rudely cuts in front of me in the line at the market, the rude driver on the road and thoughtless others. This will be my experiment to see if one person can make a difference in mankind. So you are my first "victims". Go out and spread love where ever you go. And by the way, don't forget to love yourselves first. It all begins there.

I hope you have a wonderful day and I love you.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Chicken Soup for the Soul


It is a dreary day in Florida. Raining cats and dogs as they say; so choose not to paddle to the garage to offer pictures of my workings and thrift store finds.

I am going to offer a guest post from my niece Jill, who works as a publisist in New York City. She has posted a very unique recipe chicken soup to ward off those colds and chills that is common this time of year. So, read on, whip up a batch, sit back and relax. It will get better, I hope!



Posted by Jill at 11:30 AM 1 comments
Thursday, January 14, 2010
recipe #1: chicken noodle soup.

so, i don't really like traditional chicken noodle soup. i like all of the things that go into it separately, a lot, but together they do nothing for me. and since i lost my voice this week (which is almost back now and yes i will totally credit my new soup recipe thankyouverymuch) i thought this to be a perfect first experiment.


i figured i'd keep the colors the same for consistency's sake, so using my handy produce bible i picked nutritional powerhouses kale and sweet potatoes as subs for celery and carrots. i figure if this is supposed to be the go-to when you're feeling down, make it pack a lot of punch! i also threw in red beans for their fiber and high antioxidant value and cancer-fighting pearl onions. enjoy...


Jill's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Soundtrack: My Best Friend's Wedding Movie Soundtrack (shut. up.)
Time: 1.5 hours
Servings: 8-10

Ingredients: 2 chicken legs w/ bone, 5 pearl onions, 1 large sweet potato, 1/2 pound of kale, 1 can red beans (not kidney), 1/2 box of Ronzoni 7 grain fusilli pasta. For seasoning: olive oil, rosemary, thyme, 2 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, chicken bouillon, cloves, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper.
The plan: coat the bottom of a large soup pot with olive oil. slice onions (i kept mine in rings) and mince garlic and add to pot to "sweat", or cook until clear, over low heat. next, add the two salt and peppered chicken legs until skin is browned and then add 8 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon. cover and bring to a boil, then keep over medium heat for 45 minutes. next, add 2 tablespoons each of rosemary, thyme, red pepper, salt and pepper, the two bay leaves and 3 cloves. using a fork, remove the chicken legs from the soup and strip the meat from the bones, adding the meat back into the soup. add cubed sweet potatoes and let cook for 15 minutes, then add pasta, kale (remove from stems and cut into ribbons) and beans and let cook for another 15 or until pasta is tender. remove bay leaves, add more salt/pepper to taste and then get out a big ole bowl and serve yourself up some of this goodness. i sprinkled some parmesean cheese on top too because when is that NOT a good idea?
Things I learned: firstly, that i enjoy my best friend's wedding movie soundtrack as much as when i was 15, which is a whole lot. secondly, that i wish i had browned the chicken legs like i said i did above, because i am that gross person who loves the skin and kept it in my soup. thirdly, i used too much water at first (10 cups) and as such my pot boileth over, so i had to use a mug to remove some before i could add any more ingredients. fourthly, that although while i was cooking it i wondered if i should have used squash instead of sweet potatoes, when i tasted it i knew i had done good.

SO hope you enjoy this as much as I did/am since I have 7 more servings left in my fridge. bring on your thoughts/suggestions/favorite moments in "My Best Friend's Wedding." jsx







Posted by Jill at 10:07 PM 4 comments

Monday, February 8, 2010

Monday, Monday

Good morning! Well, at least it I think it is morning. I found myself getting up at 4:00 a.m. to watch the space shuttle launch. As many of you know, I wanted to see the last night launch. It appeared I would get that chance as my husband came home on Sat, and we ventured to see it, but it was cancelled due to weather. He had to go out on Sunday, so not traveling again or staying over. I was determined and since Florida isn't that far across, I thought I would give it a shot watching it from Crystal River. Well the night lit up like the world was on fire, I could see it like it was next door, and then the shuttle launched and the most I saw was something that resembled a flare. I was totally dissappointed, but it is done. But this is why I am dragging this morning. I am not the kind of person that gets up at 4:00 a,m. goes outside to take pictures in the cold (yea I know, 30's isn't cold), and then come back inside and goes right back to sleep. I had to play solitare for about an hour before I went back to sleep. Okay, that said, lets get on with today's blog.




Today I am going to share a recipe that I ran across at one of my shows. I did a show a few years back in Crescent City, Fl. It has a lovely old cracker town feel but limited restaurant choices. We set up in the town square and were able to walk to a downtown Mexican market which also offered a diner on one side. I ordered chicken tacos. Now with Taco Bell being my favorite restaurant, I didn't think of options. Out came my tacos, soft and very minimal. They were the best tacos I have ever had and I very thoroughly figured out the recipe and I have it as often as I can, especially when my hubby is on the road.

Chicken Tacos
You will need 1 rotissere chicken from deli
Corn tortilla shells
Shredded cheese
Cilantro
Taco Sauce or Salsa

Debone the rotissere chicken and discard the carcus. Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and set aside.

Wash cilantro good to remove sand and dirt. Remove the leaves from the stems. You will need approx 1/2 tsp per taco.

Using a flat skillet, larger than the size of the tortillas, heat up and add small amount of oil to bottom. Take each tortilla and fry until it begins to bubble and just turns light brown. Remove and place on plate with paper towel between each tortilla. You might have to add oil throughout this process.

With that step done you are ready to start the assembly. Take each tortilla, add chicken, top with cilantro, salsa and cheese. Now bite into them and take a trip down south of the border.

You can use any toppings you like, onion, sour cream, but I love the original taste so much, I don't want to muddy the waters.

Enjoy.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Winter Storm

Well, though I am in Florida, the winter storm in the North has affected me. My sister was to fly in from Ohio tomorrow and we were going to drive to Cape Canaveral and watch the space shuttle launch on Sunday morning at 4:30. What a sight that would have been, the firey rockets lighting up the sky. One would think a once in a lifetime shot huh?

Well, I actually went over the last time to watch it. My husband and I had been at a show further up the coast and decided to drive the MH down and just sit and watch it. We had torn down our display, loaded and packed everything, so we were tired, but I guess we didn't realize how tired. We layed down when we got there for a nap and didn't wake up until 5 minutes after it was launched. Now we were only 2-3 miles from the launch site across the bay, one would have thought it would wake us up just by launching. So needless to say, this was going to be my chance to see it before they are retired this year.

I got up early today, cleaned the MH up and was getting ready for her visit when I got the news. It is raining in Florida so I can't do much outside, so I will spend the time sewing on some bowl fillers, a bunny or two and perhaps some other items I have been putting off. If you saw my post yesterday, you saw the stash of wool clothing I found at thrift stores, so today could be a good day to felt it down and make some patterns to make use of those.

For those of you in the frozen North, stay warm, and be careful if you have to go out. Use this time to pick up a book or a project you have been too busy for in the past. Enjoy!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

THRIFTING THURSDAY

Today was a very productive day. I spent the day thrifting through the town at the various thrift stores. If I haven't mentioned it, I am now in Florida and this town is full of thrift stores, from church supported to sheriff stores. I found a wide of variety of items. Some to resell on Etsy as is and some to use in my business to repurpose and resell. Look at some of my items...





can't wait to felt the wool items and make a wonderful candle mat.

Well glad you stopped by. Check back often as I will be adding new features daily.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Catching Up

Well, this is a new venture for me. Just a simple get together to share stories, recipes, patterns, how-to's and life. I have taken the name of this blog from my husband. Mike and I have been married for 19 years and it seems like just yesterday. We are soul mates and I look forward to spending the next 22 years with him. You see, he fell gravely ill a few years back and when he was given a clean bill of health, I made him promise me he would give me at least 25 more years...so here we are. And it is he that gave me the name "Messy Crocker". He says that when I cook I dirty every pot, pan, dish and countertop in the kitchen. He should know, he cleans after I cook.

I love to cook. Especially the good old home style cooking that I was raised on. The good old basics. I have tried the french cooking, the lavish meals as seen on those gourmet shows, but in the end, it is the good old fashion meals that always seem to be the best. So as one of my weekly posts, I will give you a recipe from my past. I also love cooking on a budget, so I will be bringing you some very frugel recipes as well.

Painting and crafting are is my profession. I have been traveling throughout the eastern US doing various arts and craft shows and festivals for the past 10 years. It has been a wonderful time and I have made some delightful friends in that time. So I will be sharing different experiences from the road, projects I have in the works, patterns, how-to's and show highlights. As well, I will be introducing you to some of my fellow crafters and friends.

Thrifting is a big part of my life so I will cover various projects and outings of the thrifting nature. I am currently in Florida and this is the land of thrift stores and flea markets. So look for that.

And family. We will share laughs and tears as I share my family with you. As I said, I am currently in Florida. One to do shows, but more importantly, my father who turned 82 in June has Parkinson's disease. It has progressed to the point that he doesn't know me most days, but he is still my Dad and I enjoy spending the time for those brief glimses on good days.

Well, that is about it. I hope you come back often to spend a few minutes with me so we can keep in touch.
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