Cleaning Cupboard

We had this odd empty space at the end of our kitchen counter.  I think the previous owner had a freezer with a top opening lid.  We decided to build a storage cupboard to hold the vacuum and cleaning supplies.  But after all the home improvement we've done around here we needed a place to house some of the work materials as well.  Plus, it gave us a chance to use the other wardrobe door.

I drew up some plans (the photo of the paper is useful, right?) and had 18 mm (3/4 inch) plywood cut at the lumberyard.  I used the Kreg Jig, screws (I think 1 1/4 inch, maybe 1 1/2 inch) and wood glue to join the plywood.  Then the handyman adjusted the wardrobe door and attached it.

There are a few short shelves along the back of the cupboard for supplies.  But I wanted to leave a large enough space in the front for easy access to the vacuum, mop and brooms.

Refurbishing Antique Wood Furniture

We love antique wood furniture and are always on the lookout for old pieces.  Sometimes we find things that are in pretty good condition but need a little sprucing up.  I've found that using Boiled Linseed Oil and steel wool is an easy way to refresh old furniture.  I bought both at a hardware store ages ago and keep finding more uses for it.  Most recently I used the oil and steel wool on a little table we wanted to use for our telephones.

We loved the table overall, but it had scratches and water marks that wouldn't come off with a soap and water.

Once the wood had been cleaned and dried I used some fine steel wool (it's 000) with Boiled Linseed Oil.  The steel wool comes in a large roll, so I ripped off a piece and applied the linseed oil directly.  I then applied the oil along the grain.  It's kind of like putting lotion on dry skin; but it also cleans out grime that has gotten into the wood over time.  As a bonus it helps make scratches less apparent.

I usually leave the oil on the wood for a few hours to give it a chance to sink in.  One some pieces I've left it for more time, some less...and I can't tell a huge difference.  The Boiled Linseed Oil does have a strong smell so I like to use it in a well ventilated area.  On a large wardrobe it seemed to took weeks for the smell to go away completely, but on this small table the smell only lasted a few days.

I use a clean soft cotton cloth to wipe off all the remaining oil and am always so impressed at how clean and shiny it leaves the furniture!

I love such a simple process that leaves us with lovely old pieces!

Tall Cupboard

One day we were walking in an unfamiliar part of town.  There was a beat up wardrobe out on the street and I loved the doors.  I didn't have any tools on me to remove the doors and I thought MAYBE we could use the entire wardrobe.  So I asked a friend to pick it up for me.  It was a heavy wardrobe and he managed to put it in his van and deliver it to us so I gave the friend 20 pounds.  It turned out the wardrobe was in too poor of shape to save, but my pride was on the line.  I either had to admit to Niall I paid money for garbage or find some use for the wardrobe.

We have a funny alcove in our kitchen that is narrow but very high.  I didn't want the space to go to waste, but because of the odd shape I couldn't find anything that would work.  I modified the Single Locker plans from Ana White to design a tall cabinet.  And used one of the wardrobe doors.

My favorite thing about the wardrobe door is the handle.  Niall used Brasso to clean it up and I think it looks lovely.

I made the tall cupboard out of 18 mm (3/4 inch) plywood.  I tried cutting it myself with a circular saw, but the cuts weren't straight enough.   So I took the wood to a lumber yard and had it professionally cut.  I had to get a little help from a handyman to get the cupboard straight, attach the door and get it anchored to the wall.  (It's so tall it could easily topple!)

My second favorite thing about the door is the detailing at the top.  The veneer was so damaged that I didn't think I could strip the door (and I didn't have the patience) so we primed and painted the door to match our kitchen cupboards.

We primed the plywood with two coats and then used and Eco-Friendly eggshell in white to finish it.  To keep the door securely closed we used a long double sided magnet strip.  Now that funny alcove is being put to use.

Recycling Center

We had a shelving space at the end of our kitchen counter that felt like wasted space.  Do you see the shelves on the left next to the sink in the photo below? 

The shelves came out and Niall and I decided that's where the garbage should go.  But I wanted the garbage out of sight and out of reach of a very curious little girl. 


I decided to build a unit for our garbage and recycling.  I modified plans from Ana White for a recycling center and used Ron Hazleton's video on building a slide out trash bin for additional guidance.  I carefully drew up plans and had MDF cut at the lumber yard so the cuts would be straight.  However, my plans weren't spot on at the project was difficult.  One of the handymen helped me with this (or more like I helped him as he did the bulk of the work) and he told me it was a headache! What made it difficult was the slide out drawers with the tops cut for the plastic garbage liners.  Can you tell there's a plastic garbage can in there?

We painted it to match the kitchen cupboards and added the oak handles. Now it's finished and I never knew I could be so pleased with garbage.

Suspended Underfloor Insulation

Guys, we bought a house that needs so much work.  And I had this stupid idea that I could try doing some of the work myself.  So I started going all DIY and stopped taking pictures of food.  (I still cook but not quite as much.  I'll get back to it soon.)  So will you forgive me while I talk about some of the non-food things I've been trying to make?  The first is suspended underfloor insulation.

I love older homes, but the floors are so drafty (by design).  I wanted to make our period property warmer and insulated the floor with suspended insulation.  I am posting this just because I looked all over the internet for a step-by-step and  couldn't find it.  Maybe my search skills need serious help. 

We bought a terraced house from 1920 that has the typical build for a British house of the time.  I don't know the technical terms, but the house foundation is made of bricks.  There are supporting walls that make up the rooms, and then in between there rows of little brick walls. About a meter above the ground the mini-walls stop and long joists rest on top of the bricks.   The floor is made up of floorboards laid across the joists and then nailed in place.  You want to see a picture of me demonstrating, right?  All the floorboards in the room have been removed and I'm standing down on the dirt between the mini-walls.

In order to insulate (oh, and repair some rotten joists), we took up all the floorboards.  I did this by removing the baseboards (skirting) with a crowbar and then carefully prying up each of the boards.  I wanted to lay the floorboards again so I numbered them and removed them carefully. (Some still broke.)  Also-these are photos from two different rooms.

Once all the boards were removed, I got breathable roofing membrane (PermaVent-it was cheaper on Ebay than anywhere I could find locally) and used duct tape to tape the individual sheets together.  I wanted to make a breathable, hanging "net" for the insulation.  I taped the front and back of all the adjoining pieces.  I made it big enough to allow for about six inches of insulation between each joist.

The goal was to allow the joists to still be exposed to the air from the vents but then to have breathable insulation on top.  (So the floorboards would have the benefit of the air without the cold drafts!)

We rolled the breathable membrane over the joists.

We used batons and screws to fasten the membrane to the wall.  We also used some spray foam in some of the gaps to prevent thermal bridging.  We wanted to allow the ends of the joists to still breath (and not touch the wall), but also to make the membrane layer as tight as possible.

Once about half of the membrane was fastened (we wanted to still have wiggle room to make adjustments as we started putting the floorboards on) we put back the first floorboard.  (This is where I was so glad for the numbers!)  I used floorboard brads from Screwfix, they're about 2 1/2 inches long.  We hammered them in by hand. 

We put a second board on and then starting pushing the insulation (it looks like dirt, but really it's loose fill insulation made from recycled newspaper that I got from the EcoCentre) under the floorboards.  So what we have is dirt, then about 2 1/2 feet of air, then the membrane draped over the joists, six inches of insulation and the floorboards on top.

We kept adding more boards and adding more insulation. 

And then filled the insulation to the end of the room.

And hammered in the rest of the boards.

The floorboards have been down for about four months and it has made SUCH a difference. Our house has been under renovation with no heating all winter (don't worry, we're in a rental) but these rooms still felt warm.  It was a huge pain and because I'm so slow and I waited for the salvage yard to get the right replacement boards it took about two months.  But (as long as we did this right and the wood stays nice and dry) I am so glad we did it.  

Sturdy Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Niall passed his driving test.  Yesterday he asked me to make some sugar cookies with passion fruit frosting.  I had made some soft sugar cookies over the weekend, but wanted to find a sturdier dough so I could take these to Niall's work to celebrate.  I ended up using a recipe from Cookie Madness.  I'm copying the recipe from Anna's blog below because her entry has a few recipes.  The only modifications I made were a little more almond extract and no shortening (I haven't been able to find a shortening in the UK that works in sugar cookies.)

The dough is unbelievably sturdy.  It has a half cup of cornstarch!  The cookies are still pretty soft and taste pretty good as well.  (I still prefer a softer dough if the cookies aren't traveling, but these cookies hold up well.) 

The frosting I made using a passion fruit reduction mixed with a swiss meringue buttercream frosting.  (1 part passion fruit puree with 1.25 parts butter cream.) I used a fresh passion fruit reduction to make a puree.  It was okay, but I wanted it to have more passion fruit flavor and tartness. I'm not in love with this frosting and don't plan to make it again, so I'm not posting it.  But it looks pretty!  (The yellow in the frosting comes naturally.)

Sturdy Cut-Our Sugar Cookie Dough
(adapted from “Big Fat Cookies"-from Cookie Madness)

2 3/4 c flour
1/2 c cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c unsalted butter — at room temperature
1 c sugar
1 egg
2 tsps vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and extracts and mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and stir until incorporated. If you have a Kitchen Aid, you can use the paddle attachment on low speed. Otherwise, you might have to use your hands – the dough seems dry at first (I thought I'd done something wrong), but comes together nicely.

Divide dough in half and form it into 2 smooth disks about 6 inches in diameter. Wrap disks in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  I found the dough was very firm when it came out of the fridge.  It was nice to have it already in the disks; it made it easy to roll out and cut straight away.

Roll out dough to 3/16 inch thick. Cut out cookies and transfer to parchment lined (baking paper) baking sheets.  Bake until bottoms are lightly browned, about 14 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Quorn Balti

Yes. I do watch the TV show Come Dine with Me. I was intrigued by the Chicken Balti Kishor Paw made on the Birmingham series.  The episode showed him making curry with specific spices. (So often someone will make curry and say a few spices and then add "a secret spice blend" made by a brother or uncle or something.)  I was intrigued because every spice he mentioned we have!!  I made a few alterations and halved the recipe.  Niall and I were pleasantly surprised with the recipe.  It tastes like curry, but using our own spices (rather than a paste, which is what we usually do) made it so much lighter!

Ingredients
1/2 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
1 onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, diced
2 birds eye chilies (I used pickled chilies)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 package Quorn
½ teaspoon hot chili powder (I used Korean chili powder)
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon medium curry powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon tomato puree

In a large pot melt the butter with the oil.  Fry the cinnamon and cumin for a few seconds. Add the onions and stir gently until the onions begin to sweat. Stir in the garlic, ginger and chilies and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Pour in the tomatoes and cook, then add the Quorn.  Sprinkle in the remaining spices. Stir in the lemon juice then add the water and tomato puree.

Bring the curry to a simmer and turn to low.  Cover and cook for 45 minutes.  Serve with rice.