No-Brainer: G.O.G

I saw this idea on Steven and Chris (Canadian talk show - my daily vice) a few days back and I had one of those "DUH, Why didn't I think of that??" moments.  It's just TOO simple that's why and I love to over complicate things! It's no secret that I'm kinda a cheapskate so the idea of buying minced garlic or ginger in the jar is out of question.  They are seriously way too expensive and most of the time lacking flavor and strength these aromatics possess.  When you make your own mixture, prepare to have your socks blown off or maybe burnt off by your dragon breath (Whoa oh..your socks are on fire!).  Holy Shitballs, it is strong. When Mr.Loonie came home last night from work and saw the concoction he had to have a try...he was a little surprised at G.O.G's power.  What's even funnier is Penny stuck her tongue in her daddy's mouth soon after and broke out into tears, maybe a little too strong for her tastes! The french kiss is her new thing...you try and give her a little smooch and she tries to slip ya the tongue.  Freaky lil' girl she is...takes after her mama I guess. ;)

So the recipe is simple, the chef on the show recommended 40/20/40:Ginger/Onion/Garlic but you could do it anyway you like.  With or without any of the three.  With all three it is the perfect combo and starting point for any Asian and Indian recipe.  As for the method, there is nothing to it.  All you need is a food processor or blender to puree your combo to whatever consistency you desire.  I didn't have to add any liquid but you may need to add a tablespoon or so just to get it all going.  You could use water, lemon/lime juice or maybe a vinegar   Another good thing to note is this mixture can be stored in the fridge in a non-reactive container such as glass for weeks without any worry of bacteria growth for a long time.  If you add oil, be careful as the storage time decreases significantly.

So stop wasting your money and make your own jar!!

Kitchen Backsplash

Sorry to keep all of you in suspense! I am the worst blogger ever.  Some weeks I am so interested in keeping this up and others, I just want nothing to do with it....this has been one of those weeks.  Just in a bit of a funk...Mr. Loonie is almost at the end of a long work cycle, it has been cold, snowy and windy and we are still going through the sleep issues with Penny.  I honestly had no idea of the internal struggles I would be having deciding on what type of parent I want/should be.  The amount of information out there in books, blogs, forums, mom's groups, etc. is overwhelming, it honestly makes my head spin. Just when I think I want to do things one way, someone throws their opinion at me and it makes me second guess myself. I then do endless research weighing the pros and cons of both sides but always end up going back to my original method, what feels natural to me.   Whoa....a little off topic, just getting things off my chest I guess!  My rant deserves a post of it's own I think.  So, back to tile.....

We are super pleased with the end result, the kitchen feels much more bright and updated. And remember the tile only cost us a dollar a sheet. So in total we used 27 sheets therefore $27!! Mr. Loonie has asked me like ten times since we finished, "So, are you happy with your kitchen?".  It's hilarious, he is just that happy with himself! I have to say I am pretty proud of us too, I feel like we could tile anything now.  It took us just over three hours which is a little long probably but trying to keep Penny entertained at the same time was a handful. We added water to the mortar a few times since it was drying out.  The next few days included grouting (we went with a white grout), wiping and sealing and then cleaning.  

Wondering why there is one dark handle and the rest brushed nickel?  I'm just trying one out before I change them all.  Let me know what you think? All dark (oil rubbed bronze) or all brushed nickel, a different style though?? HELP ME! I can't decide!!

The Weekend of Tiling

The grout is a flyin' this weekend......finally! Well finally for the bathroom anyways.  We started the bathroom reno May long weekend with a little progress made in the summer but has been at a stand still now for which seems like forever.  So here we are in November getting this bathroom finished up! My Dad and Mr.Loonie are up there now laying it down while I get the kitchen blacksplash prepped and hangin' with little Pens of course. 

Bathroom Sneak Peek!

Yes, we are also tiling the kitchen back splash...something I never really planned on doing but when a deal came up at Wal-Mart for this glass mosaic tile pictured below, I couldn't refuse.  You are not going to believe me when I say this but a box, one 1ft x 1ft sheet was on the clearance rack for $1.00! One frekin dollar for real glass mosaic tile and it matches our colour scheme perfectly!! I saw almost the exact same sheet of tile at Home Hardware for $19.99.  We picked up 32 sheets which means we will be tiling the backsplash for $32.00 not including the cost of grout though.  The colour is called "ocean mist", found on the Creative Surfaces website.

Floor Tile, Countertop, Backsplash $1.00 tile!

Check out the before shot below. Yeesh, I could have at least put the dishes away and folded up the tea towel neatly before taking the shot.  Oh well, just keeping it real around here.  You can see one box of tile leaned up against the wall behind the sink, doesn't it just seem too perfect? I think so! Once the backsplash is done I am thinking of replacing the cabinet hardware as well.  The current handles are just a little too modern for me.  I picked them out five years ago while we were painting the cabinets but my style has changed over the years to a little more traditional/eclectic. I think that's how it would be described. Well, I must get back to work before the guys yell at me for being a slacker! haha

Stay tuned for the finished shots!!