French Cleats: How To Easily Hang Large or Heavy Items On Your Wall

Funny the things you end up learning about yourself; after a recent hardware store trip to purchase not one, but three French Cleat hangers, I realized I'm obsessed with large mirrors and wall art.

We have standard drywall in our house and just about anything we hang on the wall requires wall anchors in addition to screws.  Drills, hammers, and dust.  Really, large heavy mirrors and drywall are not a great combination; it was never quick nor easy to hang things.  But that was before we discovered French Cleats.

Here's three items we've hung using a French Cleat and eash installation took less than 10 minutes:

1) A very large (45" x 70") and heavy (130 lbs) mirror.  We've actually hung this mirror twice using a French Cleat ... the first location was our Den, pictured below, and now this mirror hangs in our Dining Room (I hope to post our finished Dining Room soon).  Because the French Cleat makes the hanging process quick and easy David couldn't even give me a hard time about moving the mirror!

2) A very large picture at 43" x 54" and also very heavy due to the DIY lumber frame we crafted to upgrade the IKEA metal framing around the picture (yep, we have a frame around a frame).

3) My DIY framing and photo enlargement project (I wrote about it here).

Click "continue reading" for details about using French Cleat hangers.

Simple and Quick: Seared Tuna with Tomatoes Marinated in a Sherry Vinaigrette

{Seared Ahi Tuna with Chopped Tomatoes Marinated in a Sherry Vinaigrette, cooked medium rare}

The food holiday season has officially begun!

During the holidays you may occasionally desire a lighter entree, one with fresh, simple, and healthy ingredients that is low in calories.  And a versatile entree as well ... sliced thin and served with a sprinkle of vinaigrette this makes a elegant appetizer / first course for a celebration dinner.

But back to this dish as an entree: in addition to being a light but very satisfying meal, this is also very quick to prepare ... yet another benefit during the busy holiday season :)

With holiday entertaining in mind, this entree would be lovely at a dinner party, allowing the hostess / chef to actually visit with guests because such little time is spent in the kitchen!  But this entree also makes a great "stay in" Saturday night special dinner ... think "steakhouse fare" but in the comfort of your home.

* I use fresh Ahi Tuna but if you prefer Yellow Fin and / or frozen tuna steaks, that will work too

Seared Tuna* with Chopped Tomatoes Marinated in a Sherry Vinaigrette

For the Tuna Fillets:
Allow approximately 6 ounces per person; we often eat a slightly larger serving. Leftover seared tuna - if there is any, can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and can be used thinly sliced with the vinaigrette as an appetizer, or can be flaked and used for tuna salad or tuna cakes as long as it does not have the vinaigrette on it.

For the Tomato Vinaigrette:
You can serve this vinaigrette as a condiment on the side OR this vinaigrette can be liberally served on the tuna and count as a vegetable for the meal because of the tomatoes. We love the marinated tomatoes and we love this vinaigrette, so we make a hearty serving to accompany the tuna and we drench the tuna!  To help you determine how much vinaigrette you should make, for our 2 person household of marinated tomato lovers, I use a minimum of 2 cups chopped tomatoes, and the ingredient list below is scaled to our use; adjust accordingly.

2 cups tomatoes, diced, amount determined by serving use note above.

In the winter, good fresh tomato choices include Roma, Compari, and any “on the vine” tomato available; I don’t recommend using a cherry tomato because you just don’t get enough tomato “meat” (pulp). Also, in the winter, you can use a “best quality” chopped canned tomato; drain the canned liquid and use only the tomato.

⅓ cup sherry wine vinegar

1/4 cup (unseasoned) rice vinegar

⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt (sounds like a lot, but you'll never consume all the marinade so you don't actually end up with that much salt)

Optional: If you like onions, you can slice a few scallions (white part) and include in the vinaigrette

Mix all vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl; keep on countertop until served.  If you have time to mix the vinaigrette earlier in the day, the ingredients can brighten the flavor of winter tomatoes, but this vinaigrette does not need to be made in advance.

Cooking the Tuna:
Smear about a tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet and heat on low-high (don't turn the burner to full strength; if your burner has a max of "10" then "8" is approximately the cooking strength you want) until the oil starts to "shimmer". Place the tuna steak(s) in the skillet and cook to desired doneness; a seared exterior and rare interior will only take about 2 1/2 minutes per side ... you can watch the cooking progress by looking at the side profile of the tuna to help determine when it is time to turn the steak. Plate tuna and serve with marinated tomatoes and the vinaigrette.

Dinner Planning Tip: A sweet potato, or sweet potato fries, makes an excellent side dish for this entree; the sweetness of the potato and the tang of the vinaigrette are a great combination!

If you'd like to print this or any recipe on this blog, scroll to the post's comment section and you'll find this icon:

This icon allows you to select the text and / or photos from this post to create a PDF or print the file directly ... hope you find this handy, and as always any feedback about printing options or anything else on this blog is welcome and appreciated in the comments section.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy this tuna some special evening,

Linking to these parties:

Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; 11/29/11 | Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free
33 Shades of Green,33 Shades of Green: Tasty Tuesdays #47
This Chick Cooks, This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked Featuring Your Recipes from All Around Blogland
The Sweet Details, The Sweet Details: Savory Sunday
The Healthy Home Economist, Monday Mania 12/5/2011 — The Healthy Home Economist
Home Savvy A to Z, A Savvy HomeMade Monday!!! | Home Savvy

A Seashore Dream weekend and My Painting Tips

I'm blaming hormones for an impulsive action this weekend ... I could have just eaten some chocolate, but instead ... after studiously staring at "primer white" walls in the office area for months and being determined not to pick up a paint brush until I found "just the right color", I grabbed a can of paint and went to work.

The office area - which is fully open to the foyer (behind where I stood to take this photo), now also displays the foyer color I describe as "Tiffany box blue".  Others may call the color turquoise but Mythic paint named it "Seashore Dream" (045-4).  More on that later.

In the meantime, just wanted to share a few tips I've picked up over the years applying gallons and gallons of glorious color paint to our walls ... yes, sometimes I treat our home as a coloring book!  These are my tips for working with latex or other non-alkyd (oil) paint:

Baby Wipes
Best paint splatter, spill, overpainting clean-up tool ever!  I keep a container of wipes on my ladder at all times.  They don't shred, leave lint or paper filaments, are highly absorbent, and are pre-moistened so I don't have to dash to a faucet before I can clean up an oops!  I have a supply of baby wipes in the house because we also use them for Beaver's paws and "other"; even if I didn't use baby wipes for other purposes I would definitely purchase them solely for paint jobs.

The Refrigerator
OK, so you didn't quite finish painting and you must call it quits for the day.  What about the paint roller or brush you've been using all day, that is coated with paint; take the time to clean those now or toss them in the trash and start fresh the next painting session?  Neither.

{Tightly wrapped and sealed "in process" paint brushes and rollers being stored in the refrigerator between use.  This is our beverage fridge (second fridge) in the garage; I never have noticed a paint smell in the fridge when I do this because I at least double wrap the tools THEN place them in sealable plastic bags.  If you have concerns about smell or VOC transfer to the fridge contents you may want to consider a no-VOC and non-toxic paint such as Mythic which is labeled as non-toxic, children friendly, and pet friendly.  So far my experience with Mythic paint has been great!}

Tightly wrap brushes and rollers in a really good plastic wrap (one that actually holds).  Then wrap the item a second time ... air is your enemy and you want to keep it off the brush or roller.  Then place the individually wrapped item(s) in a sealable plastic bag, burping all air from the bag before closing.  Toss in the refrigerator.

Paint cures and hardens with air exposure at typical room temperatures.  The plastic wrap  eliminates air and the refrigerator is below room temperature so your brush and roller will stay soft and "fresh" for up to a couple of weeks as long as they are well wrapped.

When you are ready to continue painting allow your tools to come to room temperature and paint as normal ... you can continue painting even with the paint on the brush or roller from your previous session!

Disposable Plastic Gloves
Unwrapping the plastic sealed brushes and rollers can be messy.  Wear gloves to unwrap your tools and toss both the wet paint coated plastic and gloves in the trash and quickly move on to finishing that paint job!  I also keep a pair of gloves with me while painting - just in case the doorbell rings or other; I slip the gloves on before touching anything so if I do have wet paint on my hands I don't transfer it around my house!  It's amazing how one tiny droplet of wet paint on your hand can leave a trail of fingerprints and smudges around your house, so either wash your hands before doing anything else or temporarily don a pair of gloves.

Liquid Fabric Softener
When it comes time to clean your brush or roller, sometimes just water and soap isn't enough.  Just a little liquid unscented fabric softener in water (1 part fabric softener to about 4 parts water) makes an excellent soak to release the paint from your tools.  Even for really hardened paint you shouldn't need to soak longer than an hour.  After soaking, wash, rinse, and pat dry as normal.

Wire Hangers
Just because you've toweled dry the brush or paint roller, they aren't ready to be put away quite yet.  In this case, gravity is your friend!

{Hang paint brushes and paint rollers to dry after cleaning ... wire clothes hangers inserted through the ends of paint rollers work really well!}

Hang brushes and rollers over an area where they could drip without damaging other items ... a sink, the bath tub, or even just a bucket.  Lay a paper towel or two under the hanging items to catch those drips.  All kinds of things can be used to hang your tools for drying but if you need a suggestion, I always find a trusty metal clothes hanger works well!

So the next time you get an urge to change a wall color I hope you'll try some of these tips and then let me know how they worked for you!  Do you have other painting tips you'd like to share ... just leave them in a comment below.  I still have another room or two to paint so if you have a great tip I'd really love to hear it!  Thanks for stopping by and see ya' later,

Linking with these parties:
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia: Tuesday's Treasures

Help Needed: Beloved and Broken Christmas Ornament

This is my oldest personal possession; it has always been mine ... this Christmas tree ornament was purchased before I was born and given to me on the day of my birth.  

{My beloved Christmas tree ornament ... with his "injury" of a broken cheek and missing nose.  We called him Cyrano because he once had a large red nose but I don't know for certain that he is suppose to be a representation of Cyrano de Bergerac.  Does anyone know where I can have him repaired or purchase another like him?} 

Unwrapping this beloved Christmas ornament and hanging it on the tree is consistently my highlight memory of each Christmas season.  I used to love sitting by the tree and gazing at his happy, playful face; he always made me smile.

I'm grateful that despite "his injury" I can still see his happy face.  I'm grateful to have this ornament at all since a "miscommunication" during our house fire recovery resulted in most of my ornaments and Christmas decor being wrongfully disposed of ... bygones ... can't go there ... end of that story.

I would love to have this ornament repaired or to purchase another like him and that's where I could really use your help:

Do you know of a fantastic craft person who could repair this fragile glass ornament?  I have the large silver fragment from his cheek but his long red nose was shattered to bits.

Do you know of an ornament collector who could help identify this ornament and locate another?

If you can help with either of these quests I will forever be your best friend (and not in some creepy online stalker kind of way!).  Please click "Continue Reading" below for more photos and details on this ornament.

Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

Must have been "Indian Summer" here in Richmond, Va. yesterday ... upper 70's and bright sunshine.  After working outside all day I was in the mood for ice cream a frozen dairy treat.  

{Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt made with greek yogurt, topped with a "praline sauce" of toasted pecans and a tiny drizzle of syrup ... I used agave syrup but maple syrup would be lovely!

I had seen a similar recipe on blogs.babble.com that inspired me so I experimented with transforming a Thanksgiving classic - Pumpkin Pie, into a healthy frozen treat.  Kept it as simple as possible: 4 ingredients + toppings.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 Ingredients

Equal parts* Pumpkin Puree and Greek Yogurt

Sweetener **

Spices (just a pinch or so of cinnamon, and a bit less of nutmeg and ground ginger)

Toppings: For serving I tossed on toasted pecans and drizzled a little agave syrup and this created a "pumpkin pie praline" kind of treat!  Maple syrup would also be great in lieu of agave syrup and die-hard chocolate syrup fans go for it ... pumpkin and chocolate go together well (what doesn't chocolate go with?)  If you have gingersnap cookies or graham crackers around, I could see crumbling a little of those on top as well.

* I used a 15.5 ounce can of Organic (solid pack) Pumpkin (not the pie mix pumpkin) ... when measuring this was approx. 1 1/2 cups pumpkin so I used 1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt

** I don't use granulated sugar in my cooking; you can.  For this I used Truvia / stevia and Truvia measures 1:1 to granulated sugar, so for my 3 cups total mix, I used about 3 Tablespoons sweetener ... so as a guideline, 1 T sweetener per 1 cup mix.  Just do a taste test before freezing (clean spoon each time!) and add more if necessary, but remember you can add a syrup as a topping and when that all mixes together I don't think you want a too sweet ice cream base.

To make this spur of the moment treat, I mixed everything together and tossed it in my ice cream maker.

{The pumpkin mixture swirling around my ice cream maker.  This is a "commercial style, instant on / freeze" machine and this yogurt froze in 10 mins.  That's quick even for my ice cream maker ... expect this yogurt to freeze in approximately half the time ice cream would typically require in your machine.} 

Because the ingredients were already semi-solid, this mix froze to a soft serve in 10 minutes whereas a traditional ice cream mix would take approximately 20 minutes in my machine.  I should note that I have an "instant on / freeze" commercial style machine, so if you have a more typical residential ice cream maker, just plan on the freeze taking half the time it normally would.  After I made the yogurt I did put it in the freezer for about 3 hours before we ate it and it was the perfect scooping consistency.

You can freeze leftovers BUT this "ice cream" will then be very, very hard.  I hadn't planned to post about this treat but since we liked it I decided this morning to write it up ... went to retrieve what was left from the freezer for a photo and it was h-a-r-d.  Really, I always think homemade ice cream is best fresh and since this is so easy to whip up and quick to freeze in a machine, I'd recommend this to be consumed on the day it is prepared.

Pumpkin Pie flavor (this will not taste identical to pumpkin pie) ...
cool and refreshing ...
and none of the guilt or bloat afterwards?!?!

By making this dairy treat with pumpkin you get a fiber and nutritional boost and greek yogurt brings protein to the party.  I'm seriously considering this as our dessert for Thanksgiving.

If you try this I'd love to hear about your experience!  What other spins on traditional desserts do you serve up at your home ... please share in the Comment Section below, I'm always looking for new recipe ideas!  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Thanksgiving just in case I don't see you again before the big day!

P.S. ... thinking about the fast approaching holidays?  So far I've made some gift and wine tags, here's a peak:

You can read about my DIY Personalized Gift Tags here.

Linking with these parties:

This Chick Cooks, This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked Link Party - Featuring Your Recipes from All Around Blogland #26

Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; 11/14/11 | Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free

Tammy's Recipes, Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Tips for making mashed potatoes | Tammy's Recipes

DIY Holiday Gift Tags

"... you better not shout,
you better not cry,
you better not pout I'm telling you why ..." 

{"Santa Beaver Pup" demonstrating how unattractive pouting is (especially during the holidays) ... can that dog pout, or what!  But the real reason for not shouting, crying or pouting is below ...}

Because the holidays are just around the corner and if you plan to craft gifts or decor elements, you really don't have time to waste shouting, crying, and pouting!

My first holiday craft project this year went "high tech" ... I designed wine tags, gift tags, and gift name card enclosures using Photoshop Elements and am printing via Costco Photo.  Of course, any digital editing software and commercial photo printing service can be used, and I'm neither endorsing nor being compensated for mentioning these brands.

Here's what I've come up with so far ...

{This two-sided Gift Tag can be used any time of the year.  I have multiple versions of the "Thanks" side including "Congrats", "Thinking of You", and "Sweet 16, Again".  The second side of the tag is our signature.}

{These gift tags use wonderful graphics for personal / non-commercial use from the GraphicsFairy.com ... thank you Graphics Fairy!  I cannot claim to have thought up the text on the wine tag; I saw this years ago on a gift and thought it was hilarious ... what I've written here is not an exact quote but I still like it.}

I thought it a savvy move to choose hassle-free high quality printing and try a photo printing service for "non-photo" items instead of dealing with my moody, ink guzzling printer!

Of course, it doesn't hurt that tucked inside each of the 5 sets of frames I recently purchased from Costco (for the DIY art project I wrote about here) was this:

{The coupon included in the OldTowne frames (pair) at Costco.  If you don't personally use the printing coupon it might be a great inclosure in a card for someone on your gift list this year.}

5 coupons x 100 free prints = 500 total free 4x6 prints.

Score for frugal me!
But even if you don't have a coupon, the cost per print at different services is very little, especially when you consider that you will have custom, personalized, professionally printed gift tags, and you can easily fit three large tags per 4"x6" print.

It's a holly, jolly, digital crafting holiday, for me!  Now, I'm not going to print 500 sheets of gifts tags, so that should be a clue that I'll have more crafting ideas to share soon using "photo printing" services.

To print my gift tags as 4"x6" "photo prints" I choose to design 2"x4" gift tags and was able to fit 3 tags per photo print with the following layout:

{Screen shot of my layout for the gift tags; (2) "portrait orientation" 2"x4" tags and (1) "landscape orientation" 2"x4" tags fit on a 4"x6" photo print size.}

Once I designed the gift tags I saved my work as a .JPEG and uploaded the image to my photo printing service.  And a paper cutter, or old fashioned scissors, turns the "photo" into 3 individual gift tags.

What do you think ... does this give you ideas of how to use photo printing services for non-photo items?  Please share your ideas with us in the Comment Section below!

P.S.  I could really use some help locating a craft person who can repair a precious Christmas ornament or a service to locate an identical ornament for purchase; if this is something you are familiar with, here's the post I wrote about the broken ornament.

Thanks for visiting,

Sharing with these great parties:

Between Naps on the Porch, Between Naps on the Porch: Giveaway: Custom Invitations and Holiday Cards: Welcome to the 147th Metamorphosis Monday!
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia: Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style, Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesdays #40
Somewhat Simple, SYS Blog Link Party with The Dating Divas | Somewhat Simple
At The Picket Fence,At The Picket Fence: Time for Inspiration Friday No. 41!

A DIY Art and Framing Project

Today I'm sharing an art project from our still on-going Great Room "redo" that combines two different DIY components:

1. Creating art using basic photography, and
2. Hacking lots of ready-made picture frames into a single unified 43" x 52" frame. 

For this art project we used:

{Five sets of OldTowne frames purchased from Costco; of the total of 10 frames purchased we only used 9 for this project.  The individual frames measure  14.25" x 17.25".}

and

{The hardware used in this project includes (l. to r.) lots of small screws, a French Cleat hanger, and "tie plates" found in the lumber / construction section of your hardware store.  Additionally, we used a drill, a screw driver, and a framing square.  And fortunately I also had a very patient hubby available; a second pair of hands comes in handy on the frame assembly portion of this project!}

and

{This is a screen capture from iPhoto of my digital photograph of peony's blooming in my garden.  This photo was taken with an older digital camera with only 10 MP resolution so typically it isn't recommended to enlarge the photo more than an 8x10 size, but there are ways ...}

Note: This project is designed so I can change the art on a whim; once I (finally) paint the walls and make the drapes and pillows for this room, very little will change for a while, so I need an element to play with, otherwise I will get bored with the room.  This initial photo was selected for its organic shape and vibrant color - and the fact that I'm already missing the foliage of warmer months.  Once I proved to myself this style of enlargement was possible I started working on several other photographs, and I'm searching for maps for use in this project as well.

You've heard of mood rings?  This is my mood art!

 The art I used initially in this project may or may not be your style preference, but the ideas and options presented by this project might be something you want to explore.

We created this ...

{The 42" x 53" art project shown with a sofa for scale and context.  This room is not finished but we are sharing completed elements as we work through the process; hopefully the room will be completed in 2011!  The wall is only in primer white at this time ... anyone have a color suggestion?}

Remember I mentioned maps as a possible art element? I continue to search for maps because that would offer a totally different look from this vibrant "pop art" style.

Here's a pin of my map inspiration ...

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Robin on Pinterest

Click Continue Reading for all the how-to details with photos.

Chicken Parmesan: An Updated Comfort Food Classic

{The browned to perfection Chicken Parmesan entree straight from the oven and ready to plate for serving.}

A classic comfort food with "toiled cooked all day flavor" 

and now, easy preparation: savory spices, a light marinara, and cheese, glorious cheese, updated for healthier eating with oven baking, whole grains (or gluten-free options), and lean protein.
Update 11/14/11: Or a meatless entree option using Eggplant; tried it this weekend and it was good.  Used approx. 1/2" thick eggplant slices and followed the same process as with the chicken.

This dish reheats nicely in the microwave and doesn't taste or look like "leftovers", so be sure to prepare extra when you make our Chicken Parmesan.

Served with a tossed salad and a whole-grain pasta or bread to mop up soak up the tomato sauce, this is a complete and balanced meal.  

Need a suggestion for a salad dressing that pairs well with this dish (or anything for that matter) ... try our Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe here).

Here's all you'll need to prepare this entree other than the boneless, skinless chicken breasts (the type of flake cereal you use is up to you, so if you are Gluten-free, use your favorite dietary appropriate cereal):

{Simple ingredients, probably already in your pantry, are all you need to make Chicken Parmesan ... with the addition of chicken, of course!}

Chicken Parmesan Pictorial Step By Step and the Recipe follows ... click Continue Reading below.

Buffet Tables: Lifts and Levels

With the food days holidays just around the corner I bet many of us are yearning to create a food presentation worthy of the delicious dishes we'll prepare.

So I'm sharing a secret for creating basic "lifts and levels" ... the foundation for a great buffet table.

You'll need tablecloths and towels, and items such as gallon paint cans.

Huh?

{Creating basic "lifts and levels" on a buffet table using paint cans concealed under tablecloths.  Of course, any brand of paint can will do!}

{Under the tablecloth hides the paint can shown in the above photo ... should have wrapped a towel or two around the paint can before placing the tablecloth over the can and on the table ... that would have given the tablecloth a softer and fuller drape and it wouldn't look like a kid under a sheet on halloween dressed as a ghost!}

I threw the above table vignette together quickly to demonstrate how to use paint cans as lifts and levels in a table setting.

If you have large platters you can always arrange multiple paint cans together to provide a wider base than the platter size; wider = stable.

Large unopened food cans of the same size always work very well as lifts and levels when grouped in clusters, say 4 or 5 cans together to support a plate.

And remember to swath any objects in a towel around the sides before placing the tablecloth on top; this creates a softer, fuller drape of the cloth over the object.

Once you create a functional base for your buffet table you can accessorize and add to the display with decorative items including cake stands.

If you don't have a lot of cake stands or would like to learn a trick for creating temporary cake stands, I wrote about that here.

Linking with these parties:
Somewhat Simple, SYS Blog Link Party with Decor Tips and Ideas | Somewhat Simple
Finding Fabulous, Finding Fabulous: Frugalicious Friday!
Home Savvy A to Z, Creating Your Disclosure Policy & A Freshmen Friday Party | Home Savvy

DIY: Cake Stands, a Technique for making Temporary Cake Stands

I love cake stands ... they're so uplifting (no pun intended), making anything on the stand a little more important, a bit more festive.

So how is it that my "collection" only contains two?  

{Does 2 cake stands make a "collection" ... probably not!}

"Two will do" when you know a tip for making
sturdy, stable, and serviceable, temporary cake stands.

Of course, you can still purchase cake stands, but when you need just one more in a pinch, this tip could come in handy!  No messy, smelly glues used ... my tip is almost instant!

Click Continue Reading for my tip & instructions for temporary cake stands.