Chop House

So it's been awhile since I've posted about my woodworking journey.  My infamous 50's side table is basically done but I'm waiting on an unusually warm day to put the poly on outside so that I don't kill myself with the fumes inside {then I wouldn't get to enjoy my table so what would be the point}? Finally, I will be able to put the lovely hairpin legs on and {voila!} - it will be done - then I'll post the pic...stay tuned.

My current project is the lovely 2" thick end-grain cutting board crafted from walnut and purpleheart.  My hearing has almost returned from running these hard-a*# boards through the planer - I think everyone in a 30 mile radius heard it.  What?  Did you say something?

I've almost plucked all the splinters from my fingers too - so basically, I can't hear and my fingers are polka-dotted-red from digging around with a needle.  This is so much fun.  Anyway, next class, I'm looking forward to gluing more than 20 strips of the wood and clamping it to form the actual cutting board.  So, let's recap - I can't hear, I have needle marks on my fingers from splinters, and it's likely I will have to peel a gallon of glue off my hands and arms, of course the skin will come with it.  Did I mention this is really, super, some kind of big fun?

It's going to be a beaut when I'm done - I may not be, but my cutting board will...

image courtesy of me

J'aime la petite cuisine de Paris

My new obsession...no not really...well actually yes, I think I may stalk her - Rachel Khoo from The Little Paris Kitchen. Rachel is a professionally trained chef as well as a writer and lives in a teeny tiny flat in Paris. Did I mention she always wears crimson lipstick {I heart her}.

By chance, I caught her show on the Cooking Channel {by way of BBC, where all good shows start} and she's been my DVR's favorite ever since! Mademoiselle Khoo brings quirky English mannerisms right through the tv as garlic is flying around the kitchen and she's crawling on the floor to access her one and only kitchen outlet. Her kitchen is completely amazing to me because it's the size of her arm span - she can pretty much touch wall-to-wall. It's outfitted with a portable 2-burner gas hotplate, a small toaster/convection oven and a sweet little icebox...and let me not forget her vintage white enamel bowl that she simply cannot do without. Parisian magic comes out of that pint size kitchen - it's really unbelievable! Her recipes are all classically French {Julia Child would be so proud} but with a Rachel Khoo twist - AND - they are super easy with few ingredients.

The Little Paris Kitchen cookbook hits shelves in the U.S. at the beginning of February - yes, I've pre-ordered mine and will be waiting impatiently by the door for the mailman on its scheduled delivery date - as a matter of fact, I may go down to the end of my street and wait at my neighbor's house because the mailman starts his route there. Good idea...weird...but good.

Est-ce que tout bruit n'améliore pas en français de toute façon ?

video courtesy of You Tube; Choquettes - The Little Paris Kitchen

Putting the Fun in Fungi

Nothing says party like fugi.  I think this is so FUN {get it?...ok, I'm making myself sick with my stupid puns}.  Anyway, Williams-Sonoma {heart them} sells these logs that are inoculated {love saying that...inoculated} with shitake mushroom spores.  So you can order this log from them for under $30, soak it in water and you can harvest these delicious mushrooms every two to three months, for two to three YEARS {yes people, YEARS}!  It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Do you think they had this in the 60's and 70's....party!  I'm just sayin...

image courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

Doin' A Little Jig

After many weeks, tears, scrapes, bad words and therapy my 50's side table is coming along. This picture is actually from a few weeks ago but it's still relevant being that I've been cutting box joints, or shall I say, fixing the box joints for weeks on the table saw. There is now a light at the end of the tunnel because I'm ready to sand and glue next week...hallelujah! Whoever said woodworking is relaxing is dead wrong...I'm just sayin...

image courtesy of me

Face Time

What were your two favorite words in grade school? Snow day? Yes, but no. No homework? Yes, but no again. FIELD TRIP {oh yea}! Coco's class was lucky enough to go to the Renaissance Festival yesterday and she came home with a lovely colorful mask on. Her spending money was burning a hole through her pocket but was well spent on not only face painting, but she scored two pairs of earrings and a pepsi...and came home with a whole 4 bucks in her pocket. That's my girl.

image courtesy of me

Torture Chamber

No, this is not some sort of torture device eventhough it looks like it! What you see is the progress of my woodworking project, duh. Just a recap, I'm making a 50's inspired side table out of walnut with hairpin legs, exciting isn't it? I have successfully cut down the wood, ran it through the jointer, and glued the pieces together to form the top/bottom and sides. Tonight, it's all about planing the wood and cutting it into the proper sized pieces to form the actual table. Oh the pressure! The hairpin legs are also on their way so it looks like my little project is coming together...I wasn't sure it would happen.

However, there is still treacherous territory I have to cover - making a jig tonight to cut the box joints to attach the top/bottom to the sides. I'm shaking in my safety glasses here! God speed.

image courtesy of me

My Sweet

What a better way to spend a cold and rainy day then going to get Hot & Now's from Krispy Kreme.  The Hot & Now light is like a shining beacon that possesses some magical force that literally makes you pull into the parking lot and run through their door knocking down anyone that gets in your way {or is it just me?}  Nah, Krispy Kreme has it going on...since 1937.

image courtesy of me

If I Can...You Can

What do you do with 40 lbs. of tomatoes?

• Option 1) Go to open mic night at a comedy club
• Option 2) Make an "uh-oh I've been sprayed by a skunk" bath
• Option 3) Can them

My parents had gone to the beach to pick a ton of fresh tomatoes.  Yes, they drive to the beach in the morning, pick tons of tomatoes {and pick up fresh fish and shrimp-YUM!}, and drive home.  Weird I know to spend 8 total hours driving but to them it's worth it as they appreciate the homegrown variety {as their garden doesn't produce near the amount they need.}  Therefore, tons of tomatoes that need a nice warm home; well I gave them one.

Yes folks, today I finally learned the fine art of canning.  Apparently there are two types of canners - people that can, and people that don't can.  I come from a canning family but I've never really paid that much attention to all the steps.  So today, I finally told my mother that I wanted to do it myself, of course with her instruction.   I successfully canned seven quarts of fresh tomatoes that will eventually be used in soups and sauces.  You would not believe the difference in these tomatoes and the bland, but I know sometimes necessary, store bought cans.  No preservatives, no chemicals, just the soothing sound of {POP!} when the lids seal.  Music to my ears.

Now that I know how easy canning is {yet a bit time consuming but worth it}, my goal is to have a huge pantry filled with fresh canned tomatoes, beets, green beans, salsa...chocolate {just kidding, but I would if I could.}  Anyway, one more thing to check off my simplicity checklist.  I {heart} mason jars, I really really do!

image courtesy of me

Just Plane Ol' Fun!

Here is your weekly shop class report - try to contain your overwhelming excitement!  Did you know there are six steps to squaring up a board?  Ha, I knew it!  Well, up to this point, I only know three of them {bummer}.  Here are the first three steps in abbreviated detail of course:

• Step ONE - Make one face flat and smooth by using the Jointer.  Basically this machine shaves the crap off of the bottom face of raw lumber and spits out these shavings perfect for the hamster cage.

• Step TWO - Make the other face flat, smooth, parallel, and to the correct thickness on the PLANER {the mammoth machine in the pic above}.  The rough wood on the top face never stands a chance once it goes through this fine machine to make it smooth as a baby's bottom - ok, it does take multiple passes and possibly a bit of sanding at the end to really get it super-duper smooth.  However, you put the rough splinter-filled lumber in on one end and something very Willy Wonkaesque happens to where this gorgeous rich smooth piece of wood comes out the other end.  It's magic.

• Step THREE - Make one edge flat, smooth, and perpendicular to both faces on the {nope, wrong guess}, on the JOINTER again.  Do you see where I'm going with this?  Well, I don't because I don't know what Step Four is, aaaahhhh the agony.

Anyway, next week we are finishing up the remaining three steps, then starting our project planning and will incorporate wood techniques as needed like dove tail joining, turning wood for legs, FUN, FUN, FUN!  The best part?  I'm gonna have skills AND I get to buy safety glasses this weekend, jealous are you?

image courtesty of WW Thayer

You're Like School In The Summertime...No Class

To start this post, I'd like to pay tribute to one of my most favorite cartoons growing up, Fat Albert. One of my favorite characters was Russell who always dropped the best one liner ever, "You're like school in the summertime"..."no class."  Aaaannndddd, I loved the fact that he always wore a thick hat, big coat and big boots no matter what the weather was.  As a matter of fact, I do the same thing...with flip flops.

All this to say "no class" for last night's "shop class."  It was cancelled due to a power outage.  I know you were sitting there on the edge of your seat just waiting for a new update, at least in my mind you were.  More next week.

image courtesy of ZAP 2 it