Easy and Quick Rack of Lamb

Food.

Source

In an effort to clean out the freezer, I made this rack of lamb last night.  Organizing and cleaning has been my thing lately.  Maybe its the summer break, but I am also equating it to nesting (25 weeks today).  Jeff loves lamb and we bought a bunch from a local farmer - one of the perks of living near farms.  I forgot that we had this beautiful piece of meat in the freezer until I cleaned it out.

The name of the recipe truly explains it all, The Laziest, Most Delicious Rack of Lamb.   It really is super delicious and very easy / "lazy" to prepare.  Jeff was not a big fan of the paprika / pimentón as much as I was so next time I will substitute it with fresh rosemary.  Seriously...what goes better with lamb than rosemary?  I served roasted rosemary potatoes along side with a nice red wine, so I heard.

A few hints...

- Use a good meat thermometer.  Jeff received the Thermapen instant read thermometer for Christmas last year and it rocks. Its a bit pricey, but totally worth it.  What else received 700 5 star reviews on amazon?

- After cutting the potatoes for roasting, put them in the microwave for about 8-10 minutes.  It will partially cook them and lessen the roasting time in the oven.

I needed to share this recipe as it was that good, but it was gobbled up before taking any pictures.  It did look just like the pictures right from the source.

Enjoy!

<3 mk

Simple DIY Pipe Shelf

Home. 

Simple DIY Pipe Shelf

Industrial pipe shelves seem to be popping up everywhere. They are on sale in stores for big bucks and there are tons of DIY ideas to make your own.  When Jeff and I were finishing our basement, we were going for the industrial feel so what better of a project than a shelf made from pipes.

Many of the ideas have numerous levels and can get a bit intricate and time consuming.  We didn't have the space or need for a large unit yet, so a single shelf was made. 

Supplies list:

• Iron pipes
• Pipe flanges
• Pipe caps
• Pipe brackets (they hold the shelf to the pipe)
• Metallic spray paint
• Lag screws or serious drywall anchors (not recommended)
• Pine panel - ours was 16" x 8' ($23) but they cut it to size 
• Polyurethane

Pipe, flange and end cap for simple pipe shelf

When purchasing the piping, we needed the shelf to be 18" in width, as an audio receiver is going to sit on it. The pine was 16", but we planned on keeping it a few inches away from the wall so wires could go behind it. The hardware store sold the pipes pre-threaded, but it was much more expensive than buying the pipe by the foot and then having an employee use the pipe cutter and threading machine. The employee may try to sell you on the pre-cut and threaded pipes because it's time consuming for them to cut and thread the pipes.You'll save quite a bit more this way though.

Test fitting pipe flanges for shelf

Test fitting board on pipe shelf

Prior to painting, we used a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water plus steel wool to remove as much grease and grime as possible from the pipes, of which there was a ton.  You'll need to do this so the paint adheres properly.

We also applied a coating of polyurethane to the pine, but it doesn't show very well in the pictures.

Putting the shelf together is very straight forward, especially our single level design.  Make sure to attach the flanges to the studs in the wall, or your drywall may be coming down with the shelf!

Simple industrial DIY pipe shelf

We got the look we were aiming for and the shelf is not only serving its purpose, but it is also appealing to the eyes.  No matter the type of wood and number of shelves, this project is a sure winner for any DIYer.

P.S. - More on that gym later!

<3 mk

Our New House - Interior “Before” Tour

Home.

It took me a while, but I finally got the chance to do the tour of the inside of the house…back in the fall as you can see by the pumpkins on the front porch. The outdoor "before" tour was done this past summer when we moved here and I promised an inside tour.  When filming it had been a few months since we moved and I was feeling confident that it was clean enough and presentable to show you all.  Then the editing of the video took me some time plus the fact that I am procrastinator, now it’s spring (ok... almost summer) and I am just getting to posting it now.

I actually had to do the tour a few times because of a few technical glitches.  I guess you would call those a dress rehearsals?  Watching the video a few times I realized that I missed a few things and wanted to fill you in on all of the projects we want and already have completed.

Home Tour (interior) - The "Before" from Food Fashion Home on Vimeo.

Dining Room

• new table
• new chairs to replace the benches
• area rug for under the table
• hang all pictures
• paint bar table
• paint the ceiling

Living Room

• new pillow covering to incorporate the blue into the living room
• mount the tv and hide the wires in the wall
• new sectional couch; move the current one downstairs when the basement is fully finished
• remove all the builtins and shelves and put in a more modern system 
• tile up the fireplace higher with possibly no mantel

Kitchen/ Kitchen area

• put new outlets and outlet covers throughout the kitchen
• line all cabinets and drawers with liner
• pantry shelf liners
• soft closing slips for cabinets
• two smaller sitting chairs and small table in open area  

Office

• remove french doors and put in solid wood door with sound deadening
• curtain system
• doors on the upper cabinet
• new art
• filing cabinet
• larger area rug
• more substantial desk

Laundry Room

• wall décor
• valance
• ironing board with DIY cover
• drying racks
• replace light fixture
• folding station counter

Garage (sorry not on the tour, Jeff was inside doing work)

• organize storage shelves
• wall system for yard work tools
• shelving system for all large tools and supplies
• gardening bench

"Pink" Room- Baby's Room

• couch/sleeper
• decorative pillows and poof
• mount tv
• paint the walls a different color (?)
• DIY wall art
• remove carpet and add wood floors
• make a shelving unit
• DIY decorative lamp 
• curtains

Guest Bedroom

• curtains
• remove carpet and add wood floors
• another piece of furniture - maybe a side table for sitting chair
• decorative lamp

Guest Bath

• paint cabinets
• frame mirror

Master Bedroom

• update bedding
• long curtains
• paint/refresh dresser
• framed pictures for behind the bed (coming soon)
• Large mirror
• replace chair

Master Bath

• Caulk shower
• paint his/her cabinets 
• pictures or art for each sink area
• frame mirrors

Upper Patio

• planters
• new patio furniture (table, chairs, lounge chairs)
• spiral staircase down to ground level
• replace the plastic balusters with acrylic or glass baluster

Lower Patio (not seen)

• hang outdoor lights
• lounge furniture
• garden area
• swinging chair or hammock
• powerwash (again)

I am getting agita just reading this list, but I realize how much we have done since the video was filmed in the fall.  The amount of posts on our house projects is increasing just as I am writing this.   Even with a relatively new house, the projects never end!  The only thing now...where is all the money to complete these projects coming from? DIY saves money, but the materials aren't free!

<3 mk