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Year of the House - Half Bath Update, Part 2
Heidi Shenk "home" "projects" "year of the house"
By now we should be done with our half bath, right? Wrong. Seems there was a little measurement issue that I may or may not have warned Andrew about. And that measurement issue may or may not have turned out to be as I had suspected. Thus, our toilet did not fit back into the half bath and was off by a quarter of an inch. Crap. (Did you think that pun was as funny as I did?)
There was also the small part about water leaking from the sink water hookups under our new cork floor. And the part about a fan air drying it for a 24 hour period. And so Andrew was back at square one, re-hooking up the sink, with not a minute left in the weekend to start worrying about moving the pipe for the toilet.
Now the sink is back in its place and we have been leak free for another 24 hour period of time.
Andrew is now busy fixing the piping under the toilet, so that we can finally move the toilet out of our living room and back to its proper location. First, he moved the drain collar over about 2 inches, which meant doing a little cork floor patch for the adjustment as well. This is what it looks like in the bathroom:
And this is what it looks like in the basement in our laundry room:
Yes. That is a gaping hole in the drywall that had to be opened in order to get everything back to working condition. So as I traipsed down to the basement to do some laundry the other night, I found Andrew sitting on the dryer with some PVC pipe in hand, getting some serious work done. And by serious work, I mean making a telescope out of PVC pipe.
Finally, after the fun was over, he got back to work. Lilah decided it was best if she stayed out of this mess this time around and opted to be lazy in her bed instead.
Hopefully all will be finished in the next few days so that we can finish up the rest of the original project, which was to install the horizontal wood panels. Here's to hoping that the next time I update you, the half bath is at least back in working condition with little left to be done!
There was also the small part about water leaking from the sink water hookups under our new cork floor. And the part about a fan air drying it for a 24 hour period. And so Andrew was back at square one, re-hooking up the sink, with not a minute left in the weekend to start worrying about moving the pipe for the toilet.
Now the sink is back in its place and we have been leak free for another 24 hour period of time.
Andrew is now busy fixing the piping under the toilet, so that we can finally move the toilet out of our living room and back to its proper location. First, he moved the drain collar over about 2 inches, which meant doing a little cork floor patch for the adjustment as well. This is what it looks like in the bathroom:
And this is what it looks like in the basement in our laundry room:
Yes. That is a gaping hole in the drywall that had to be opened in order to get everything back to working condition. So as I traipsed down to the basement to do some laundry the other night, I found Andrew sitting on the dryer with some PVC pipe in hand, getting some serious work done. And by serious work, I mean making a telescope out of PVC pipe.
Finally, after the fun was over, he got back to work. Lilah decided it was best if she stayed out of this mess this time around and opted to be lazy in her bed instead.
Hopefully all will be finished in the next few days so that we can finish up the rest of the original project, which was to install the horizontal wood panels. Here's to hoping that the next time I update you, the half bath is at least back in working condition with little left to be done!
Beef Tenderloin with Potato Risotto
Heidi Shenk "cuisine" "recipe"
I'm not one that usually needs meat in my life, but Andrew is part Irish, part English, and grew up with meat and potatoes on a regular basis. Aiming to please once in a while, and wanting to try something new, I decided to go the meat and potatoes route the other night. This beef tenderloin, accompanied by potato risotto, is a recipe that worked perfectly for a Friday date night at home. The tenderloin was seasoned just perfectly, and the potato risotto was rich and creamy-- a perfect side that I'll be sure to use with other meals.
Want to have a go at this delicious (and fairly simple) gourmet dinner? I'm happily passing on the recipe below.
Ingredients
Melt butter with the onion in a large deep sauce pan. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until the onions are clear. Add the cubed potatoes and cayenne pepper, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the burner to medium heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (about 8 minutes). Add cream and continue to simmer for about another 10 minutes. At this point, the potatoes will begin to hold their shape. You'll want to continue stirring the potatoes so they do not stick to the pan. Finally, stir in chives and the Parmesan cheese.
Directions for the Tenderloin
Sprinkle coarse salt, pepper, and thyme on both sides of the steak. Rub the spices into each side of the steak. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on a medium-high burner. When the oil is heated, add the steaks and cook until they are done as desired. I found that for a medium steak, each side needed 4-5 minutes.
This meal went fabulously with a red glass of wine and the best chocolate cake ever. We enjoyed a bottle of La Posta Cocina Malbec with the meal which ended up being the perfect pairing! What have you been cooking up in the kitchen lately?
P.S. I know a lot of you have been requesting my black bean salad recipe, so stay tuned for that recipe in the next few days! :)
Want to have a go at this delicious (and fairly simple) gourmet dinner? I'm happily passing on the recipe below.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then 1/8-inch cubes
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Coarse kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
- 2 6-ounce beef tenderloin steaks
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Melt butter with the onion in a large deep sauce pan. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until the onions are clear. Add the cubed potatoes and cayenne pepper, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the burner to medium heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (about 8 minutes). Add cream and continue to simmer for about another 10 minutes. At this point, the potatoes will begin to hold their shape. You'll want to continue stirring the potatoes so they do not stick to the pan. Finally, stir in chives and the Parmesan cheese.
Directions for the Tenderloin
Sprinkle coarse salt, pepper, and thyme on both sides of the steak. Rub the spices into each side of the steak. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on a medium-high burner. When the oil is heated, add the steaks and cook until they are done as desired. I found that for a medium steak, each side needed 4-5 minutes.
This meal went fabulously with a red glass of wine and the best chocolate cake ever. We enjoyed a bottle of La Posta Cocina Malbec with the meal which ended up being the perfect pairing! What have you been cooking up in the kitchen lately?
P.S. I know a lot of you have been requesting my black bean salad recipe, so stay tuned for that recipe in the next few days! :)
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
Heidi Shenk "music"
Nope. Not talking about the Wilco version of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. In fact, I'm going out on a limb here and saying that this cover of the song is by far better. The original just feels so dead to me. And, quite frankly, I'm kind of tired of the "Wilco is the coolest band ever and I'm so cool because I love Wilco b.s." Sorry if you're a Wilco fan. Not trying to put you down, but I think I warned everyone long ago that I'm a pretentious music snob.
Needless to say, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound really put a great spin on this song. A spin that gets me dancing. The band out of Chicago has a lot of other really good songs as well, my favorite being Sister Ray Charles which you can listen to here if you have Spotify. I would have put that video on here. However, the only video I found of the song was a live version that also had an annoying drunk couple dancing. So I wanted to spare you all. Oh heck, I guess I could at least give you the link for the video since you're probably curious about the drunk couple now. But don't say I didn't warn you.
What have you been listening to lately that makes you dance? Let me know! I need some new dancing-in-the-kitchen-while-cooking music.
Needless to say, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound really put a great spin on this song. A spin that gets me dancing. The band out of Chicago has a lot of other really good songs as well, my favorite being Sister Ray Charles which you can listen to here if you have Spotify. I would have put that video on here. However, the only video I found of the song was a live version that also had an annoying drunk couple dancing. So I wanted to spare you all. Oh heck, I guess I could at least give you the link for the video since you're probably curious about the drunk couple now. But don't say I didn't warn you.
What have you been listening to lately that makes you dance? Let me know! I need some new dancing-in-the-kitchen-while-cooking music.
I Finally Admit It
Last Thursday night I busted out a super cute outfit for school that was perfect for the arrival of spring. I pulled out a pair of wedges that I'd been dying to wear again, but was waiting for the right weather and outfit. I got home, kicked off my wedges at the spot where we leave our shoes and enjoyed the rest of my evening.
For the last hour of the night, I decided to be lazy on the couch and watch some tv. As I came up our basement steps and into the living room while heading to bed, there on the living room rug, I saw Lilah sitting with both of my wedges, munching on the back of one of them. Immediately, she knew she was in trouble, and she ran down the basement stairs to her daddy, Andrew, to be consoled. Andrew, realizing what had happened, was not going to have it, and upon Lilah realizing her predicament she went right to her crate for bedtime.
I went upstairs, infuriated, and literally threw my shoes into the closet hoping that maybe the next morning the leather would magically be healed with no sign of a dog's destruction. And then I cried. Yes, I cried over that pair of shoes. And, yes, I finally admit it, this is not the first time I have cried over shoes. I cried the first, second, and third time previously that Lilah destroyed a pair of my shoes. She seems to especially like my shoes. Not Andrew's. Only mine. But she hadn't destroyed either of our shoes, or anything for that matter, for over a year. Thus, I thought I was in the clear.
But there is a happy ending to this sad, sad story. And that happy ending comes in the form of not one, but two new pairs of shoes. And again I must make an admission, that maybe, just maybe Andrew is right in calling me Imelda.
And then I got this super awesome package in the mail at school the other day.
You may have seen my joyous remarks about said package here and here. And now if you're in love with these just as much as I am, you can get yourself a pair (or two) as well. Just click through the photos to get to the shoes (if you're not a big fan of yellow, there are other fun colors as well!).
Any new pairs of shoes you just love these days? The best part of both of these is that they are super comfy! What types of shoes are you shopping for lately?
For the last hour of the night, I decided to be lazy on the couch and watch some tv. As I came up our basement steps and into the living room while heading to bed, there on the living room rug, I saw Lilah sitting with both of my wedges, munching on the back of one of them. Immediately, she knew she was in trouble, and she ran down the basement stairs to her daddy, Andrew, to be consoled. Andrew, realizing what had happened, was not going to have it, and upon Lilah realizing her predicament she went right to her crate for bedtime.
I went upstairs, infuriated, and literally threw my shoes into the closet hoping that maybe the next morning the leather would magically be healed with no sign of a dog's destruction. And then I cried. Yes, I cried over that pair of shoes. And, yes, I finally admit it, this is not the first time I have cried over shoes. I cried the first, second, and third time previously that Lilah destroyed a pair of my shoes. She seems to especially like my shoes. Not Andrew's. Only mine. But she hadn't destroyed either of our shoes, or anything for that matter, for over a year. Thus, I thought I was in the clear.
But there is a happy ending to this sad, sad story. And that happy ending comes in the form of not one, but two new pairs of shoes. And again I must make an admission, that maybe, just maybe Andrew is right in calling me Imelda.
And then I got this super awesome package in the mail at school the other day.
You may have seen my joyous remarks about said package here and here. And now if you're in love with these just as much as I am, you can get yourself a pair (or two) as well. Just click through the photos to get to the shoes (if you're not a big fan of yellow, there are other fun colors as well!).
Any new pairs of shoes you just love these days? The best part of both of these is that they are super comfy! What types of shoes are you shopping for lately?
Happy Hour at Home
Heidi Shenk "cuisine" "food" "Lilah"
What better way to enjoy a Friday evening at home on the roof top deck with your own little happy hour. While it's fun to meet up with friends after a long work week, sometimes it's more enjoyable to kick back and relax. And that is just what we did this weekend. On the menu was homemade crostini and crab dip, a black bean salad with tortilla chips, and a couple of home brews. A pup by our side and a chance to enjoy the sunset over Baltimore City made this may favorite part of our weekend.
What was your favorite part of the weekend?
What was your favorite part of the weekend?