EdHart.me
Inspired by the DIY farmhouse table design by Ana White, I decided to try this project out. It’s a great project for an ambitious beginner and because it’s a “rustic” design, it’s a pretty forgiving project.
(P.s. If you like this post, check out my Rustic Farmhouse Bed)
I’m writing this post on a pad of notebook paper. I haven’t done that in a long time, but there’s a reason for it. Recently I was waxing eloquently on my WordPress dashboard. I was in the zone and it was pure genius. The poetry of prose flowed and my mind glowed. And then, in an instant (you of course guessed it), it was gone. I hadn’t saved a draft periodically. An amateur mistake. And I know you know the feeling; like a deflated balloon.
Tell me something I don’t know. That’s what we like to hear about.
But the problem with this is that we’re already pretty smart people. And we’re awash with information. The answer to this often results in some pretty cray stuff often accompanied by a cheap stock photo. How often have you seen truth compromised for traffic. Or placid prose which at best is lukewarm.
How about this: Remind me of something I know but haven’t thought much about lately.
This is one of my “go to” recipes when I’m looking for something that’s fast, healthy & totally delicious! Especially if I’ve got some leftover brown rice in the fridge that I’m looking for something to do with. My version here is a knock off of a similar recipe that I saw in Runner’s World back in March and the variations are almost endless.
For me, stir fry comes in 2 categories: sweet and savory. This recipe is in the sweet category with a little heat mixed in. It’s really awesome and if you’re anything like me, you’ll look for a good excuse to have a second helping.
The thing I love about this one is that you can substitute the protein of your choice (shrimp, chicken, beef, tofu) and it’s still just as good. Also, play around with the veggie mix and get what you like. Be creative!
The technique here is key. Once you get the flow down, you can make all kinds of substitutions and come up with your own variation.
First, heat oil in a large pan or wok over medium high heat. Sauté the minced garlic & red pepper flakes briefly and then add the package of frozen veggies. Stir fry until they begin to get tender, around 5 minutes or so. Add the shrimp (read protein of your choice) and cook for 3-4 minutes until pink. Add 1/2 can of pineapple chunks and the juice as well as a generous pour of your jarred sweet & sour sauce. Stir fry together for another 2 minutes until all ingredients are hot & cooked. Serve immediately over brown rice.
My version of this serves 2 people generous portions with sometimes a leftover serving depending on how hungry we are. Use more shrimp & the full can of pineapple chunks (with 1/2 of the juice) and you can stretch it to serve 4. For an added crunch, consider throwing in some unsalted peanuts or cashews.
This is a delicious and really fast recipe and usually only messes up one pan, so cleanup isn’t bad. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do! Let me know what you think.
Friday night is usually family pizza night. With a houseful of children, getting pizza that everyone likes usually means multiple pizzas and compromises all around (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!). And when you’re buying a lot of pizza, it can get pretty expensive, so we usually go the route of Little Caesars, Hungry Howie’s or Domino’s when they’re on special. Pretty standard fare.
I’ve been meaning to get a couple Excel tutorials up here since I’ve been getting so many questions about how to manipulate and analyze data in Excel. Here are two videos that review using filters and pivot tables in Excel 2010.
Almost every morning, I try to have breakfast. For me, not only does it set the nutritional tone of the day, but it also has an impact on the day’s flow. I don’t know exactly why, or if it’s just unique to me, but I find that if I’m rushed and frazzled through my breakfast routine, falling back on a few go-to items that I’m too hurried to enjoy, then I tend toward a more erratic day, almost as though a ripple effect is taking place. That’s not to say that I can’t overcome it, I can. It’s more of an observation, really.
After an entire day of laying hardwood floors in Elizabeth’s bedroom, I was pretty wiped out but still hungry for something different for our date night. Laying on the couch to rest my sore back (if you’ve ever laid hardwoods, you know what I’m talking about!), I flipped through the July issue of Bon Appétit
Making the transition from recipe to creation is both liberating and a bit intimidating. I’ve always considered myself a “creative cook,” but what that practically means is that I like to fuse together different recipes and tweak the ingredients if something else sounds better or if the ingredients are so obscure or expensive that it’s jut not worth going to the trouble.
Continuing with my recent obsession with bruschetta and bistro dinner experiences, our Date Night Dinner this weekend was a couple appetizer recipes that are standby faithfuls and that together comprised a meal. I was feeling a little under the weather and didn’t want anything too complicated to make and Laree wanted lighter fare so we decided to go with a Sun Dried Tomato, Basil and Feta bruschetta, and another with Shrimp, Tarragon and Arugula. Then, because I wanted something sweet to compliment the flavors and because peaches are in season in Alabama, we tagged on Roasted Peaches with a Balsamic Vinegar Reduction.