Painting Bathroom Cabinet

Original post was written in 2015:

School was out last week and I have been busy painting the bathroom cabinets ever since! I am very particular about paint and have been disappointed in the past with how some of my other paint projects have turned out. My husband calls me a paint snob and I suppose I am.

My last painting project was an armoire that I painted white. I bought a paint that a man from Lowe's recommended, however the paint is sticky and it stains easily. I only painted the armoire a year ago and it's already in need of another paint job because of the stains! I really love the oil-based paint that is on my parents baseboards because the paint is smooth with no brush marks and they are very easy to clean. However, I do not like dealing with the chemicals in oil-based. Plus, our bathroom cabinets were previously painted with water-based paint.

I am very excited that I just found out about this paint that is supposed to be very similar to oil-based paint! It's called Bher Alkyd Semi-gloss Enamel sold at Home Depot for about $35.00. I had Home Depot color it pure white and bought it in hopes that this paint is the one. I found out about this paint on this blog about how to paint a bathroom vanity like a pro. I have been following some of advice on this blog that has been helpful: http://providenthomedesign.com/2014/10/18/paint-bathroom-vanity-like-professional/

Other similar paints that resemble oil-based paint: Satin Impervo by Benjamin Moore - "The best solution to avoid the hassle of oil-based paint is a new-technology waterborne acrylic enamel paint (such as Satin Impervo by Benjamin Moore) that delivers the good flow, leveling and hardening characteristics of an oil-based paint without the odor and long drying time."  from: Family Handymain - How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

Another paint is: Advance by Benjamin Moore which is supposed to be for wood.

At Home Depot I also bought Zinsser Primer & Seal in white, A 100% Nylon Paint Brush & Sand Paper (100 grade). At the Dollar Tree I found painter's plastic that comes in big rectangles (about 9 x 12), 1/2" blue painter's tape, and painter's masks. So I will probably end up taking back the $25 painter's plastic and $6 blue tape that I bought at Home Depot. The dollar store merchandise works just as well.

BEFORE PICTURES:

Here are the before pictures of the bathroom cabinets...

I found this blog post unpublished today (9/6/2020) and realized I never added after pictures. So, 5 years later I can report that the paint is holding up strong and is easy to clean. There are a couple of tiny spots of unchipped pain on the top of the big drawer, but other than that I am so pleased with how this paint feels even after 5 years later! It is smooth and easy to clean and does not stain at all. I highly recommend Bher Alkyd Semi-gloss Enamel for your wood projects!! Here are the after pictures...

AFTER PICTURE:

BBQ Meatball

I recently experimented with BBQ Meatballs. I was inspired by a meatball recipe I found online and my Aunt Vicki's old yummy meatball recipe (which contains grape jelly and BBQ sauce) that she has been making for years at holiday parties. I wanted a BBQ meatball recipe to suit my low carb, low sugar lifestyle. I also wanted something with a combination of sweet and tangy. The following recipe did the trick! Let me just say, these were a hit!  I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Sweet and Tangy BBQ Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb. ground beef (preferably grass fed, but if you can not access or afford, use what you can!)
1 lb. pork sausage
3 eggs
Italian seasoning
Garlic, minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

BBQ Sauce:

1 cup jelly (I used E.D. Smith Black Cherry Raspberry Blood Orange from Costco. Use low sugar jelly.)
2 Tbl. Worchestershire sauce
1 can Hunt's Tomato Sauce (15 oz.)

Mix together ground beef, sausage, eggs, seasoning and garlic in a bowl using your hands. Then form the meat mixture into about 2"-3" balls. Place the balls in a hot skillet (set on medium high to high) that has olive oil in it. Brown the meatballs until the outsides are all done. It is ok if the middle of the meatballs are not done all the way through. Drain the oil from the skillet. Then add to the skillet of drained meatballs: jelly, worchestershire sauce and tomato sauce. Mix together and turn the stove on low heat. Let simmer for about 30 minutes or until meatballs are done all the way through. Mix the meatballs around every now and then.
 

E.D. Smith Jelly is super good! It is sold at Costco and has 6 g of sugar and 6 carbs, most of them coming from the fruit. Hunt's tomato sauce has about 3 g of sugar and 5 carbs (I think) and Hunt's tomato sauce cans are BPA free! BPA (Bisphenol A) is a synthetic estrogen...yuck!!!  Worchestershire sauce contains 1 g sugar and 1 carb.   

Here is what the meatballs look like when they are browned and drained right before BBQ sauce ingredients are added.

Here are the meatballs simmering in yummy sweet and tangy BBQ sauce...yummo!!! :-P

The Best Pot Roast Ever!

A hanging at a local restaurant in Asheville, NC - Aug 2012
 

The Best Pot Roast With Vegetables & Beer

This is the most flavorful moist pot roast ever!  I was never a fan of pot roast until I tried this recipe and now I'm hooked which is ok because it is healthy.  The gravy is what makes it which is why I will never make a pot roast any other way.  I first made this a year ago when my brother and his girlfriend came to visit me in Virginia.  It was a huge hit among everyone!

2 tablespoons oilve oil

1 (3 pound) beef pot roast (Preferably organic, local, grass fed beef - but whatever you can afford is fine.)

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound carrots, cut into chunks

2 tablepoons all purpose flour (or use King Arthur's gluten free flour)

2 cups beef stock

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer (Guinness Draught)

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350⁰ or turn on Crockpot.  Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven.  Brown the pot roast on all sides in the hot oil; remove from pan and set aside.  Cook the onion and garlic in the hot oil until they begin to soften and turn brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes to the pot;  cook and stir until they begin to color, 2 to 3 minutes.  Mix the flour into the vegetables;  stir continuously for 1 minute.  Pour the beef stock and beer into mixture and bring to boil, stirring continuously.  Add the Bay leaf, thyme, brown sugar, mustard, tomato paste (optional), salt and pepper.  Place the pot roast atop the entire mixture.  Cover pot with lid.

For Oven: Bake in the preheated (350⁰) oven until the meat and vegetables are completely tender, about 2 1/2 hours.  Or cook on a lower temperature for a longer time.

For Crockpot: Cook for about 3 hours on High, or about 8 hours on low.

Note:  I made this in the oven on a lower temperature and let it cook all day; My mom made it in a Crockpot to cook all day and both times they came out wonderfully!  I have made this without the Dijon mustard & mushrooms because I didn't have any and it turned out just as well!  Also, my mom has made a low-carb version by omitting the flour and she also left out tomato paste because she doesn't like using tomato products from aluminum cans.  It was thinner gravy - but it tasted fantastic!

Peanut Butter Granola

Granola is a wonderful snack and one of my staples for camping, hiking and road trips.  Here's my favorite recipe for granola made with healthy natural ingredients.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!  

Peanut Butter Granola Bars (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) or almond butter (if you want to make almond granola bars)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups granola base*
2 cups nuts/seeds** 
1 cup dried fruit***

*GRANOLA BASE could be:

Gluten free oats (toasted)

Gluten free cereal (like Maple Buckwheat Flakes OR Nutty Flax, etc)

1.5 cups gluten free oats/cereal + 1/2 cup shredded coconut

**NUTS/SEED combinations could be any combination of the following:

Pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

Almonds

Pine nuts

Pecans

Walnuts

Sesame seeds

Sunflower seeds

Flax seeds

***DRIED FRUIT can be any combination (or single fruit) of the following:

Dried cherries

Dried blueberries

Dried cranberries (like Craisins, if you want sweet ones)

Dried apricots (chopped into small pieces)

Dried dates (chopped into small pieces)

Dried figs (chopped into small pieces)

Raisins

Prunes (chopped)

Directions:
Butter an 8 X 10 inch pan generously OR line it with parchment paper than also comes up the sides of the pan about 1/2 of an inch.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Toast your nuts/seeds in the oven for a few minutes until slightly golden. While you are doing this, make your “granola glue” or peanut butter sauce.

To make the “granola glue” or peanut butter sauce, combine honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat, while stirring, until the brown sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a simmer and simmer for 1-2 minutes until evenly foamy/bubbly on top. Remove from the heat. Add one teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir (it will steam a bit). Add peanut butter and stir briskly until lumps are gone and the consistency is uniform.

Mix granola base (oats or cereal) with your toasted nuts/seeds. Pour peanut butter mixture over the top and stir until evenly distributed. Add dried fruit and stir again to distribute.

Pour mixture into pan (on to parchment paper). Spread evenly and then press down in to the bottom of the pan. Press the granola together firmly.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350F.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely (it will firm up as it cools) before cutting.

Cut into bars (1″ wide and 4″ long). Wrap bars in cling wrap or wax paper and store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container on the counter until consumed. (I’ve store mine up to 10 days, but it depends on the weather.) These can be refrigerated or froze.

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Directions in pictures:

Toast your nuts/seeds in the oven for a few minutes until slightly golden. While you are doing this, make your “granola glue” or peanut butter sauce.






"Granola Glue"

"Granola Glue"

To make the “granola glue” or peanut butter sauce, combine honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat, while stirring, until the brown sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a simmer and simmer for 1-2 minutes until evenly foamy/bubbly on top. Remove from the heat. Add one teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir (it will steam a bit). Add peanut butter and stir briskly until lumps are gone and the consistency is uniform. 

                                                                                 

"Granola Base"

 Mix granola base (oats or cereal) with your toasted nuts/seeds. Pour peanut butter mixture over the top and stir until evenly distributed. Add dried fruit and stir again to distribute.

Pour mixture into pan (on to parchment paper). Spread evenly and then press down in to the bottom of the pan. Press the granola together firmly.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350F.   

 I like to make big batches of this yummy granola and freezing it to stretch the supply since they freeze well and thaw quickly.  Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan

Here is one of my favorite recipes that I have made over and over again.  It is gluten-free, low-carb, vegan and delicious! 

Eggplant Parmesan
From: The Sonoma Diet Cookbook

A wonderful gluten-free vegetarian dish that includes layers of vegetables with marinara sauce mixed with herbs and Parmesan cheese. 

Prep: 15 mins  /  Bake: 20 minutes + 30 minutes  /  Stand: 10 minutes  /  Oven: 375  /  Makes: 8 servings

Nonstick Olive Oil Cooking Spray

2 medium eggplants

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon minced)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, oregano and/or majoram

3 cups purchased marinara sauce

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (6 oz)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.  Trim ends from eggplants and discard.  Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices.  Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheets.  In a small bowl combine olive oil, garlic, and thyme.  Drizzle over eggplant slices.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender but still intact. 

2.  Coat a 2-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  In a medium bowl combine marinara sauce and basil.  In another medium bowl combine mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the prepared baking dish.  Top with one-third of the eggplant slices, overlapping if necessary.  Top with one-third of the remaining sauce and one-third of the cheese mixture.  Repeat layers twice, starting with eggplant and ending with cheese.

3.  Bake, covered, in the 375 degree oven about 30 minutes or until heated through.  Uncover; let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition facts per serving:  196 cal., 11g total fat, 18 mg chol, 644 mg sodium, 17g carbo., 6g fiber, 10g pro.

If you are a wine drinker, The Sonoma Diet Cookbook suggests pairing Chianti wine with this dish.

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Directions with Pictures:


Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices.

Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheets.

 In a small bowl combine olive oil, garlic, and thyme.  Drizzle over eggplant slices. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender but still intact. 

 In a medium bowl combine marinara sauce and basil.  In another medium bowl combine mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the prepared baking dish.  Top with one-third of the eggplant slices, overlapping if necessary.  Top with one-third of the remaining sauce and one-third of the cheese mixture.  Repeat layers twice, starting with eggplant and ending with cheese.

Bake, covered, in the 375 degree oven about 30 minutes or until heated through.  Uncover; let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog, Pure & Simple where you'll find inspiration for recipes, health, green living, family & more!  As I am reforming to a healthier natural lifestyle, I hope to pass on to you the wisdom & ideas that has been imparted to me from others or that I picked up on my own.  Most of what you'll find on here will be practical ideas that I hope will be helpful to you and your family!