Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 87
October 22, 2014
$20
The (mostly) finished product. Best $20 we've ever spent!My parents visited over the weekend and though they're here on vacation, it's always a working vacation. This time we removed the old, cloudy, cracked windows and put in a beautiful sliding glass door and windows on either side. The best part (other than it's a crystal clear view outside and the set up is GORGEOUS) is that it cost us about a total of $20 to purchase and install everything (I'd say even more awesome than our $25 wi...
October 21, 2014
Buttery Caramel Sauce
Here's a quick, delicious caramel sauce recipe that goes great with everything. Literally. Everything we drizzled it on automatically turned into a treat.Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup whipping cream
In a saucepan, combine sugars, syrup and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil in about five minutes. Remove from heat and cool five minutes. Stir in whipping cream. Use over f...
October 19, 2014
Saturday
Jack made us one of his favorite Mexican breakfasts.
Letting the horses out.Here's a typical Saturday for us.
Helping make breakfast.
Finishing up the siding gap.
If I have to be teetering at the top of a ladder, I at least want the view to be awesome.
Mowing paths into the leaves.
Sliding down into leaves.
Wearing out the adults.
Taking out old, foggy, cracked windows...
...and putting in new windows and a sliding door...
...and some broken glass (at least this time it was intentional!).
Putting away t...
October 14, 2014
Lasagna Soup
Quicker than lasagna but just as delicious.This is a great substitute if you're craving lasagna but don't have the time to make and bake a traditional lasagna. Serve with garlic bread and a salad and you've got a complete meal!Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound sausage
3 cups onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 tomatoes, chopped OR 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup f...
October 12, 2014
Puppy Love
These two barely ever sit still.Raven's had a friend over for a week and he's just her type: active, fun-loving, loves chew treats. I think it's puppy love.They could run like this alllllll day.
October 11, 2014
The Great Pumpkin Run
Finished fifty-fifth overall, seventh in my age group--ran the course in 26:37 (not bad for lots of hilly, slippery mud!)It's been a few months since my last race (the half marathon back in June, to be exact) so I decided to do something fun to get back into it. I found The Great Pumpkin Race and decided to sign up.
This sweet little goat just laid around on the platform, waiting for people to bring her handfuls of oats. That's the life...We got up a little earlier than we normally do on the w...
October 10, 2014
Fire
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This little fire raised the house temperature five degrees. I love our wood burning stove!The colder-than-normal winter last year motivated us to buy and install a wood burning stove when they went on clearance in the spring. Though Jack is able to whip up a blazing fire in a matter of seconds (being an Eagle Scout has served us well!), I don't have the gift of pyromania. I took the opportunity to try--again--yesterday, realizing Jack wasn't going to have time on those chilly winter mornings...
October 7, 2014
Blank Slate
Starting with a blank slate.I love what we refer to as the shoe closet (though there's a lot more in there than just shoes--there are coats, holiday decorations, craft bins, unhung pictures, etc). But, I'll love it a lot more once it's got a fresh coat of paint, new carpet and all that stuff is neatly back inside.
October 5, 2014
House Salvage
An antique horse weathervane and glass globe lightning rod!I was so excited that I'd finally budgeted for Jack to get a new suit and had made plans to take him to the store with the girls and pick out something. But as usual, plans change. The night before, I stumbled across an ad on Craigslist for a house and barn the owner was deconstructing. He had lights, windows, flooring, vanities, siding, etc for sale.
I've got more doors, trim and baseboard than I know what to do with!We're always on t...
October 1, 2014
Homemade Tomato Soup
I found this recipe as I was scrambling to use our tomatoes once they finally decided to ripen and turn red. We made plenty salsa, tried our hand at spaghetti sauce and now, have tomato soup on our list of tomato recipes. It doesn't taste a thing like canned, is pretty easy to put together and is thick, creamy and smooth. Enjoy with a grilled cheese sandwich or as a side for any meal.Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 pounds tomatoes
2-3 ga...
