Lemon-Lime Soda Syrup

We are, for the most part, water drinkers here in the hobby household.  Of course there's milk (we need healthy bones, after all) and the Mister has his afternoon Coke Zero and I have my morning green tea+Emergen-C, but otherwise the beverage of choice around here is water.  Make that, sparkly water.

I am not a huge soda drinker, but I love the fizz.  As my mom says, I like my water to bite my tongue and so does everyone else living here.  For just about ever I have watered-down the boys' juice and now they're snobby about it--it has to be carbonated water and only a splash of juice (they don't even want to drink straight juice anymore unless it comes in a container that needs to be punctured by a tiny straw).  You can imagine the amount of sparkly water coming into the house.  It's almost always on sale for less than a dollar, so the expense isn't a big deal, but it's heavy and annoying to lug around.

I'm sure you know where I'm going with this . . . we took the plunge and bought a home soda-making machine.  So far it's been great.  It's nice to not be lugging around bottles of water and I don't miss filling up the recycle bin each week with empties.  I've been trying to get away from using plastic for food storage, so was really happy to find a machine that uses glass carafes instead of plastic bottles.

Of course there are TONS of soda machine syrups out there--if you ever go to the grocery store I'm sure you've seen a display of tiny laundry detergent-shaped bottles with brightly colored lids.  I have never tried those syrups (except for a truly exceptional Williams-Sonoma classic root beer syrup) and I'm sure they're fine, but I like to do things from scratch so I have control over the ingredients and quality.  I don't think I will be dabbling in any sort of cola or root beer, but there is a whole world out there of fruity, herb-y sodas to explore and explore I will.

The kids got to pick the first syrup I made and they went with lemon-lime and I wasn't surprised, it's a favorite.  I used all the zest and juice from about two pounds of citrus so this syrup is just crammed with flavor and that's how we like it--tons of flavor and a hint of sweetness.  For that reason, I need to tell you, this does not taste just like Sprite or 7-Up.  Also, full-sugar soda is not good for you in large quantities; we are not adding more than a teaspoon or two to a large glass of  sparkly and not more than once or twice a day and neither should you.  Don't have any fizzy water at your place?  Not to worry, just use plain water, it's pretty good that way, too.  The recipe is above, just click to download and you're good to go.

Where are you on the soda flavor scale--classic like orange Crush or crazy like Jones Soda Thanksgiving dinner?

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Technique of the Week: Seasoned Croutons

In an effort to be open and honest, I want to share a recipe fail and what I did to redeem it.  For the July edition of Bake Your Own Bread, I decided to not wait until the end of the month (crazy, right?) and I made some whole wheat sandwich bread a couple weeks ago.  It was going really well until the second rise . . . Needless to say, I had two lovely-smelling loaves of squat, dense bread.  Boooo.

After all the effort, I really didn't want to throw out the bread, so I did something I usually do with leftover bread: I made croutons.  If you have never made your own croutons, you really ought to.  It's really, really easy and you can make croutons that taste so much better than the ones you buy in a foil zipper bag in the produce section from the grocer.  To be honest, sometimes I just buy a loaf of good bread with the express purpose of making croutons and I leave it out for a couple days so it gets stale.

I typed up the recipe so it's here for a reference and you can download it as always.  But basically, all you need to do is take some bread cubes and toss with oil (or melted butter or bacon fat) and spices and bake until crispy.  My favorite thing to do is use Penzey's Spices Pizza Seasoning blend or their Country French Vinaigrette blend because the spices are already perfectly mixed for me.

So it's back to the drawing board with the whole wheat sandwich bread and while I work on that, I'll be having another salad topped with tasty croutons.  I guess the failed bread worked out pretty well for me after all.

What do you do with failed recipes or projects?  Toss it and start anew or keep going until you have something that works?

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Sew Your Own Roman Blinds

Oh. Happy. Day.  I finished the blinds that I've been working on for my kitchen and breakfast nook.  One great thing about this house: HUGE windows.  One negative thing about this house: HUGE windows.  I love the light that comes in, but during the summer the sun sends hot, sizzling rays right into the place were we spend our time and it's pretty miserable.  

Enter the blinds.  I've been sewing and pressing and sewing some more which is a laborious process when you have six-foot-wide windows.  It was totally worth the work, though; I have definitely noticed a difference in the afternoon/evening temperature in the house with the windows covered.  What a relief.

the blah Before

the classier After

I used two different tutorials and my own modifications to make these blinds and I decided partway through to not do a tutorial for you all.  Alissa at 33 Shades of Green did a super job describing what you need to do and she took great pictures and you can get a different perspective on the same project from Martha Stewart.  Overall, this is not a difficult project, it's just time consuming (and that's only if you have big windows).  If you need shades and don't sew, never fear, you can still have custom roman shades.  Oh yeah, you heard me right, check this out.

I can never resist a chance to use Command adhesive strips, so instead of installing cord cleats and putting holes in the window trim I just put up two hooks back to back vertically.  Quick and easy.
  

Okay, that's all.  I just wanted to show you what I've been up to.  What project/recipes are you working on this summer?

Ten on Ten: July

Unbelievably, another month has gone by.  We are making end-of-August plans and it's making me feel like the summer is already over when it's only just begun.  Up here in the Pacific Northwest summer begins on July 5th, never fails, so it's just now getting warm.  The afternoon sun goes straight in the kitchen window and I need to put up some shades so cooking dinner is bearable again.

I bought the fabric and supplies at the end of May and been procrastinating all this time.  I finally started on Monday and I'll tell you, it's taking a lot more time than I thought it would.  I kind of figured that all my pictures from today would be of sewing, but I was glad to look back over my day of photos and see that they weren't all of sewing or fabric.

The Ten on Ten photo project is really just an opportunity to take some time out of your day once a month and capture some moments and appreciate the little things.  Find out more about the project at a bit of sunshine and check out the photo sets other people have submitted.

What was your best moment of the day today?

New-ish Name, Same Blog You Know and Love

You may (or may not) have noticed that this blog is no longer located at thehobby-room.blogspot.com.  I have long wanted to get a .com address and made the decision to change my blog name a little to do that.  I tried to get thehobbyroom.com, I did, but it just wasn’t possible.  After much deliberation, I picked a new name . . . the blog you are reading is now called (drum roll) . . . 

Which isn't really that different of a name, and that's what I was going for.  When I thought about it, this blog really is a diary of my different hobbies, so the name fits.  Also, it's better than the other choices:

• iliketodohobbies.com
• hobbiesandunicornsandrainbows.com
• hobbiesyo.com
• starwarsblogwiigame.com (this was Camo's suggestion)

I don't know what the future holds for this little blog, but it seemed like getting a web address that I really liked would be something better done sooner rather than later.  What I do know is that I am having the best time writing posts and making things and interacting with all of you.  To that end, I want to ask all you readers what you like and don't like so that I can keep the hobby room diaries relevant and interesting.  I made a short survey on Survey Monkey (motto: the best thing since the opposable thumb) and would really appreciate if you would take a couple minutes to give me your honest opinions.  This isn't a "do these jeans make my butt look big" sort of survey where I only want positive feedback, I want to hear any and all feedback you have.

Click here to give your two cents.

By the way, the name change really shouldn't affect you--the feed will remain the same and as this is still hosted by Blogger, the content hasn't moved and the old address will still work. 

Thanks for reading!

Technique of the Week: Halving Cherry Tomatoes and Grapes

Okay, this might sound kind of stupid.  Do I really need to be telling you how to cut cherry tomatoes or grapes in half?  No.  But.  If you've ever been faced with cutting a carton of tiny tomatoes in half for a Greek salad, you know how long it takes and how tedious it is.  Ugh.  And if you have small children, there is no getting around cutting loads of grapes in half.  Save yourself some time and effort and use my super-slick way to halve cherry tomatoes and grapes.

Wash your round fruits and place them on an upside-down plate.  You want one with a ridge around the bottom, preferably just big enough to contain all the fruit.
  

Top with a matching plate.  Ideally, you're using lightweight plates so as not to squish the fruit.

Place one hand on top of the plate stack and use the other hand to slice between the plates with a long serrated knife (like a bread knife).  And that's it, round things perfectly sliced in half in about 30 seconds.

Okay, now your turn.  What's your favorite kitchen trick?

Mini Woodworking Project: a decorative sign

The thing that irks me the most about being home during the day is solicitors.  It seems like every other day someone is knocking or ringing the bell with the hopes of taking some of my time and possibly some of my money.  I don't know if it's just my neighborhood or if this is something everyone experiences.  I get it, sometimes this is the best way to get new customers, but still, it's annoying.

The problem is that we get packages from the UPS or FedEx man somewhat frequently, so I do have to check to see who's at the door.  Also, we have a barky little dachshund to alert us to visitors and of course the boys go running to see anytime there's a knock.  So people know that someone is home.  And they wait. And I guess I'm just too polite to walk away after someone waves and smiles through the window.

I decided to be one of those people and put up a No Soliciting sign.  I feel a little rude about this, though, so I also decided to add a "welcome" sign to the door itself and some cheerful flowers.  Somehow letting people I actually want to knock on the door know that I want them to be here compensates for telling everyone else to go away.

I added "please" to the sign to make it a little more polite and I put it right under the doorbell, so I think there's no excuse not to see it.  I guess the only way to find out if it works is to wait and see if solicitors are still ringing the bell.  At that point, is it rude to ask if they can read or not?

Rather than buy a sheet of fiberboard for the project, I went up to my parents' house where my mom has a veritable warehouse of tools and project supplies.  My mom is a project-making genius and although I could have done this myself, it only took me one try and 45 minutes with her help.  Not 8 hours and a box of tear-stained tissues.  That said, using a jigsaw is really easy once you've had some practice and there are lots of things you can make with one.

You might not have a need to keep solicitors away, but this is really a tutorial for getting your feet wet with woodworking and making a decorative sign.  What you choose to say with it is up to you.

1.  To make your own sign, determine what shape you would like and make a template.  Trace with a dark marker onto fiberboard.  

2.  Using your jigsaw, cut the traced portion out of the bigger piece of fiberboard and cut out another piece of similar size.  Stack the pieces with the design on top and clamp to a work table.

 

3.  Using the jigsaw and a steady hand, slowly cut around the design through both pieces simultaneously.  You will need to un-clamp and shift the boards a number of times to get the best angle to cut, so make sure that the boards don't shift apart when you do this.

  

4.  One piece will be the bottom of the sign, so leave as is.  Take the piece you are using for the top and draw the next cut line around the piece, about an inch from the edge.

5.  Using a drill bit wider than your jigsaw blade, drill a hole near the inside cut line.  Starting in the hole, use the jigsaw to cut around the inside of the piece.

6.  Lightly sand all edges of both pieces.

7.  Prime both pieces, then paint the frame portion of the sign black (or some other dark color) and the bottom of the sign a light color.  Allow to fully dry.

8.  Add letters--I cut out letters in vinyl with my Cricut machine, but you could also use rub-on letters.

 

9.  Wood glue the pieces together and add weight or clamp until the glue is dry to ensure maximum adhesion.  I attached the sign to the house with Command adhesive strips which do not adhere to the textured back of fiberboard, so I glued a scrap of fiberboard to the back of the sign, textured side to textured side leaving me a smooth surface to attach the adhesive strips to.

Now I have a lovely little sign that will hopefully keep unwanted visitors away.  The beauty is that if it doesn't work, I can just peel the vinyl letters off and use it for something else.  I love multi-use things, don't you?

Do you own any power tools?  Do you ever use them?