October 28th, 2010
I don’t love turkey, but I do love Thanksgiving. It outscores Christmas by far. Thanksgiving around our house is joyous, loving, unstressed and very happy. By Christmas I’m grumpy, irritated and rushing around with an UN-holiday spirit. No holiday should evoke such a bad side of a person. In my own way, I’ve subbed in Thanksgiving as THE holiday of the year.
A few years back, I decided to hijack the cooking to make my extended family understand that I do in fact, know how to cook. I just choose not to most of the time. So, the turkey became my keynote dish. I’ve tried it all. Deep frying, brining, honey roasting, lemon, white wine and rosemary, and on and on. Turns out, plain old roasting, basting and watching carefully turns out the most delicious turkey. Check out the Curbly Ultimate Thanksgiving: Turkey Roasting Roundup to see if you need to change things up. We’ve also started grilling pork tenderloins for an extra meat offering. Very popular with the men folk.
January 29th, 2010
Photo Image: Studio Rosso Ubarri
Painting kitchen cabinets is no weekend project. Cabinets take serious wear and tear, not to mention the grease and grime they accumulate. You can save lots of money by undertaking this DIY job, but it does take some important prep work and patience to get the best results.
This Old House is my DIY Bible. Even if you edit and adapt some of their information, you can be sure they know what they’re doing. Here is a preliminary list of materials you’ll have to gather to get started with the prep work.
Materials
* Low-tack blue masking tape
* Rosin paper
* 0.5-mil plastic sheet
* Tack cloth
* Liquid deglosser and abrasive pad
* Lint-free rags
* 100-grit silicon-carbide sandpaper (clogs less than aluminum oxide)
* Two-part polyester wood filler or autobody filler (if holes need filling)
Tools
* Drill-driver
* Paint scraper
* Putty knife
* Shop vacuum with drywall-dust filter
Safety Gear
* Goggles
* Respirator (fitted with organic-vapor cartridges)
* Chemical-resistant rubber gloves (long-sleeve style)
What I have discovered is that projects just turn out better when well planned. I used to just whip out the 409, paper towels, primer and brush and go to town. Three houses later, I know better.
This Old House provides you with everything you need to know, as well as professional tips and techniques that will save you lots of headaches.