Bragging :)

I mentioned in my last post that there was some excitement over the Christmas holiday.
Here she is :)

My first niece, Isla (Eye-la) Mae was born December 26, 2013.
6 lbs. 12oz. and 19" of perfection :)

Post-Holiday Juice Cleanse

I don't think I'm the only one who over-indulged this holiday season, but I do know that I entered into a serious food coma last night. After all the excitement we experienced this year - and ALL THE FOOD I consumed - I left the office yesterday, had a quick dinner, and fell asleep sitting up at 6:00.
That said, I asked for and received a juicer for Christmas from my grandparents - hopefully, a strong shot of vitamins and nutrients will help to shock me back into a diet that makes some sense!
I have done some reading on these sorts of cleanses, and I'm going to give it a shot to see what kind of difference it makes, if any. My first experiment was three medium-sized carrots and two Granny Smith apples. I have to say...it was delicious!

Capitol II Theatre - Newton, Iowa

I snapped a quick picture while visiting the Capitol II Theatre in Newton, Iowa last week - the place does show its age in places, but it's really gorgeous and has great potential!
Newton is half an hour north of us, and the owners of the theater there are going through many of the same things that our group here in Knoxville is, or will be once we start renovations and the digital conversion at our theater. It's nice to have friends in the industry! :)
If you're in the area, stop by and check them out....you might even meet Joy, the family pig that helps with popcorn cleanup after showings!
Our project: Grand Theater - Knoxville, Iowa - PO Box 151, Knoxville, Iowa  50138
All donations are tax deductible, and we would LOVE to have your support! :)

Just the other day, we received a donation from this woman's granddaughter! This was the owner of two movie houses here in Knoxville through the 1930's and 40's - this photo (and several others she shared with us) were taken inside the Grand and will be tremendously useful during our renovation!

Thanksgivukkah

This year was the first year in over a hundred years that Thanksgiving and the first night of Hanukkah have overlapped, leading the Internet to coin the term Thanksgivukkah!
Seeing the opportunity to host a big dinner and loving the concept of being part of a once in a lifetime event, several friends and I decided we'd get together the day after Thanksgiving to commemorate the day.
Frying in oil, as is tradition: Potato latkes.

Pretty delicious..but what's not to love about fried potatoes and onions?

Getting everything set before people started arriving. I started making desserts and seasoning the brisket a couple days in advance. Then, for about 10 minutes before everybody came, I popped everything onto sheet pans and warmed it in the oven so it would be warm, flavorful, and delicious when we all sat down to eat. 

My twist on an Ina Garten brisket recipe - tender and delicious..falling apart! (I studded mine with slivers of garlic cloves, added a little brandy and red wine to the vegetables as they sauteed, and covered the brisket with chicken stock and water before popping into the oven for 3 1/2 hours)
Roasted carrots from the same Dutch oven as the brisket, roasted balsamic red onions, fingerling potatoes with garlic aioli, Brussels sprouts, latkes, several different flavors of rugelach, a rustic pear, apple, and cranberry tart, and a huge challah to break with friends. Wash it down with a little manischewitz, and you've got yourself a feast!
There were leftovers....but there weren't THAT many leftovers! The sign of a successful night :)

HUGE News! :)

So, a while back I showed a picture of our local Theater and mentioned that we would soon be purchasing the building and renovating/reopening it. That process took a BIG step yesterday morning when we were presented with a check large enough to secure ownership of the property and start in on our projects! :D 

A rather 'large' check, indeed!

Our hope is to not only update and modernize the interior systems (including electrical, HVAC, the restrooms, and new digital projection and sound equipment), but to bring back what history still exists in the building.
For example, this beautiful brick facade has simply been covered up for the last 75 years - first by large glass tiles in an Art Deco style, then by metal siding. We'll strip the siding off, re-point the brick where needed, and replace the short, wide window and bold, neon signage over the marquee.

So. Stinkin'. Exciting!
The Grand Theater

An investment in this project is an investment in the entire town and our future. Not only will the reopening of this business create a couple part-time jobs in its own right, but it will help to support and complement countless other businesses in town, not to mention boost local housing sales, and create a greater pull for new businesses and business expansion within the community.
Of course, the most direct benefit is that we'll have our theater back! The place we all went for our first dates; the place many of our grandparents went for their first dates! A place to take part in the shared experience of being entertained, educated, and expanded beyond our current possibilities. In addition to new and classic films and film festivals, we'll host smaller live performances and special community events, speakers and lecture series, poetry readings and community theater. It's going to be a true jewel for our Downtown District, and for the region as a whole. Once we're operational and sustaining ourselves, any net proceeds generated by this business - if not reinvested into the Foundation - will be poured right back into the community. Very, very cool.
Our total project goal is $500,000 - if you or someone you know would have any interest in contributing to this project, please let us know! We're a 501(c)(3) Public Charity, and any contributions made to our group will be tax-deductible and VERY well utilized!
The Grand Theater Foundation, PO Box 151, Knoxville, Iowa  50138

Walking through the neighborhood :)

Walking home for lunch today after our first snow of the season.
I had to stop and take a picture of the sunlight around my neighbor's houses across the street with the crunchy leaves still poking through the fresh snow. Another subtle reminder of why I live here :) 

Chicken Stock..ready for soup season!

I had been keeping a couple chicken carcasses in the freezer the last few weeks - any time I do anything with chicken, I'll wrap and save the bones until I've got enough to make a batch of chicken stock. I supplement the bones with chicken hind quarters I buy from the deli counter at the grocery store. After the meat has cooked through, I'll strip it from the bones, keeping the meat and returning the bones to the pot to finish simmering. All-in-all, it's about a three or four hour process, but it's so incredibly worth it.
In the pot I've got my chickens, three heads of garlic chopped cross-wise, three yellow onions chopped into quarters, a handful of carrots and celery stalks, a couple bunches of parsley and thyme from the garden, whole black peppercorns, and kosher salt to bring out the flavor.
I brown my ingredients before covering them with water - it adds a little more flavor to the stock and lends a deep brown color. Homemade for sure! :)

Because I use a large pot designed for canning/jarring to make my stock, I end up with SEVERAL quarts for the freezer. The last time or two I've made it, though, I've taken the added step of simmering the stock after pouring it off of the other ingredients but before packing it up for the freezer. It seems to concentrate the flavor that much more...plus, it ensures I'll actually have room for all of it ;)
And not a minute too soon! After I finished this, I gathered up the leaves from the yard and burned them in my vegetable garden. I had used up everything in it for this year, so was ready to clear and prep it for a new season next year. And wouldn't you know it, only a few hours after the fire died out, we had our first snow of the season!

Barbacoa Beef Update

I haven’t posted anything since the Barbacoa Beef update a while back. In part because I was busy eating this beef with every freaking meal I made – it was delicious!

I used a rump roast instead of a brisket..I also cut back slightly on the amounts of cilantro and cloves called for in the recipe, in part because I wasn't sure I was going to be wild about those flavors, but also because my roast was smaller than called for in the recipe. Otherwise, I followed everything to the ‘T’ and it was moist, delicious, and falling apart tender. I shredded the beef and piled it onto buttered and browned tortillas with refried beans, homemade guacamole, caramelized onions, salsa, and cheese. Great flavor…lots of layers.

On another trip to the grocery store after making my beef, I found a couple other ingredients that I’ll try for next time, so stay tuned! ;)

New Recipe..cross your fingers! ;)

Getting my ducks in a row for trying a new recipe for this weekend: Barbacoa Beef
It's different from anything I've made, but similar to things I've tried and liked, so I thought I'd give it a shot!
I'm using a smaller rump roast than the brisket called for in the recipe, so we'll see how it goes...wish me luck :)
Barbacoa Beef

Getting buttoned up for winter :)

Yesterday was a pretty productive day around the house!
A few days ago, Lady Friend and I had started planting spring flowering bulbs, but didn't finish before the sun started setting on us. Yesterday, I took the time to finish that project off, so hopefully the house will be surrounded with all kinds of tulips, allium, narcissus, and crocus come spring time!
There was also the more mundane chores of catching up on laundry, mowing the yard, and straightening up around the house, but I also cut back the rest of the moonflower, hosta, and other perennials..I even pruned the Limelight hydrangeas outside the solarium!
When that was done, I decided I'd spread my cutting board and wooden kitchen tool 'collection' out on the bed of my truck and give everything a good sanding. Over the course of the last year or more, they've become scratched, stained, dull and dry, and they needed some attention. This dark, round, end-grain board actually had a few separations around the edges - the combination of sawdust and the penetrating moisture from the Board Cream tightened everything up again. Good as new, and ready for winter cooking!

Palmyra Church, 1870

While out driving back roads for work this afternoon, I came across the Palmyra Church built in 1870. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is absolutely beautiful..even through the peeling paint :)

Love a good bracket :)

The windows were what initially caught my eye from the road - HUGE, and all down both sides (and across the rear) of the church.

This old church was built just two years after the original portion of my house.
I'd say both are pretty cool places :)

Pumpkins!

Fall is finally here - my favorite time of year!
Mom and I went to the pumpkin patch yesterday (before the crowds at the Farm Crawl next weekend) to buy pumpkins for my office, the Brewery, and ourselves. All of that amounted to a pretty good truckload of pumpkins! There's this pile by the side door and a few more out front...it's looking so nice :)

Sweeeet :)

Appreciation from the neighbor I helped roof a few weekends back.
He saw me admiring his knife and knew I liked using it, so he bought me one! What a guy!

Productive (FAST) weekend!

In between helping the neighbor roof his house, hauling rock with my parents, and all of the other fun stuff going on, I decided I needed to make 'fall' happen. It's been way too hot lately, and I needed fall weather and fall food. So, on a recent trip to Trader Joe's, I bought a BUNCH of arborio rice, a packet of pancetta, and a little wedge of Parmesan to make risotto. Roasted carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower along with onions, white wine, and homemade chicken stock.
Tastes like fall, AND the cooler weather rolled in almost immediately! :)

Yesterday afternoon was spent at my sister's house in Ankeny. She is expecting a baby girl midway through January and is crafting and decorating enough for twins! :)
She and I had talked about a mural of some kind for the nursery - she found an artsy little tree online and decided that's what she would like for me to do. So, my lady friend and I made the trip to Ankeny, mapped out a tree over most of the wall, and painted it for her while she made little flowers out of felt and pretty fabrics downstairs away from the paint smell. We hung all sorts of embellishments on the wall even after this picture, but this gives you the best view.
Didn't turn out too bad, did it? :)

Last BIG Harvest of the Season

Even though we've got another small heat wave rolling in this weekend, autumn is still coming..time to start thinking about cleaning up the garden and trimming back landscaping around the house.
This will be the last big tomato harvest of the year. Which is sad and fantastic all at the same time. My freezer can't take ANY MORE tomatoes!

Had about five gallons harvested when the dust settled. I also trimmed the plants back quite a bit - hopefully they'll get a little more sun and air this way, and they can focus on ripening the fruit that's still left on the vine. Not sure where I'll put all the fruit that's left on the vine..but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

So happy :)

This is what we were starting from: the original beadboard barrel vaulted ceiling over the front door.
This was uncovered when we removed the steel siding and aluminum trim. I had seen it in old pictures of the house and wanted to put it back in place - luckily, it was still there! Dad attempted to remove the chipping paint, but this was more of a job than anyone wanted. So we installed new, freshly primed and painted beadboard in its place!

The underside of the overhang (and the wood face with the arch cut out) was wrapped in the same PVC I used for the trim everywhere else. This will be resistant to rot and will hopefully last a really long time!

After using a plumb bob to find where the center of the pillar would be, we got to drilling the hole for the lag bolt that would secure the base to the step. We actually just expanded the holes from the previous bolt holding the iron posts in place, which was much easier than drilling an entirely new hole in this solid old mortar.

One down. And the roof didn't even fall in! ;)

After bolting and gluing a piece of pressure treated (and primed) lumber to the step, we wrapped it in PVC and made this base to support the new pillar. We used a spade bit to drill a hole down into the base to receive a wooden dowel. There's a corresponding hole in the top plate as well. 

Voila! Snapped into place and fit perfectly on the first try!
We glued the dowels and pre-drilled and counter sunk four screws into the top and bottom of each pillar.
You could hang a (tiny) hammock from these babies!

On pillar (and day) number two, I started out solo when Dad was called into work.
Since we had already done all of the hard work in trying to figure out how best to do this job, the second pillar went much quicker!

My grandpa came over after we had lunch and helped me trim a half-inch off the bottom of the second pillar.
I failed to account for the the slope in the step from side to side to help with water runoff...so one of the bases is a tad higher than the other if you look closely.
No matter, though...we trimmed the pillar, installed the dowels into either end, and snapped this one into place all the same!

I couldn't stop looking at these yesterday - I was so happy with how everything turned out!

Mom and I filled the screw holes, sanded away any excess, and caulked all the joints or seams all around the ceiling, arch, and top and bottom of each column. After a coat of paint, this is going to look even better than it already does.
HUGE thanks to everyone who helped! This was the last big construction project around the house and it was such a weight off my shoulders to actually have these popped into place and finished that I was all of the sudden really inspired to throw down grass seed and start focusing on this ratty looking lawn of mine! ;)

Tomato Harvest

A couple of my heirloom tomatoes finally came around!
The big guy on top is an Italian Heirloom, in the top corner is a handful of Cherry Romas, the Russo Sicilian (look at the seeds on this one - it was like cutting open a bell pepper), and a Black Krim that I probably picked a couple days early but couldn't wait for :)

6 AM

Since I never really see the outside (or inside) of my house at 6am, I've never really seen it in this light.
From this angle, it almost looks like things are coming together! ;) 

Blooms on my new hydrangea on the front corner. 'Limelight'

Moonflower getting ready to close back up for the day.

My succulents hanging out, looking pretty. :)
At the bottom of the picture, you can just see the little sprigs that were grown from cuttings and recently transplanted into this large metal bowl. So far, so good!

Inspiration

After coming back from California, I was just so ready to try new things here in Iowa. I've done a little research about hardy varieties of fig and am playing around a little more with my succulents.
In finishing up some of the detail paint work on the backside of my house, I came to a point about halfway through the back wall where the neighbors' peach tree was starting to grow over the fence. She and I had talked about it and she was going to trim them back. After checking with her to make sure it was OK, I snipped off a couple smaller shoots, shaved off a little bark near the cut end of the branch and coated it with rooting hormone, and potted it.

It's going to look a little sad for a while, but hopefully the cut end of this shoot will send out new roots and take hold in the pot. I amended the soil with a little organic fertilizer before planting, firming, and watering the branch. If it doesn't work, at least it hasn't cost me anything...if it DOES work, I'll have my own peaches a couple summers from now!