Yes Ana White! I had never heard of her or her blog but now am a huge fan. You have to see it to really get a sense of what she has done for the average DIY homeowner. Not only does she post what she has made herself at home, she lays out every little step so you can't screw it up. She tells you what to buy, what items you need in the way of screws or nails and a cutting guide. There is also a visual step by step in showing how to put it together.
She has a $10 cedar planting box that should cost $10 but cedar is not $2 per board but I will still make the planting box. I might use cedar or pressure treated but I will make the box. She also has instructions on beds, shelves, tables, stools, chairs, storage and anything else you can make with wood! Check out her site because I have yet to go through everything. You can make the majority of the furniture in your home thanks to her.
We also have just finished our first project of 2011 around the house. A rock garden at the front of the house which took some research but turned out fantastic. Not that hard to do and thanks to living near lake ontario, free rocks of all sizes to fill our rock garden. The big ones we needed were a bitch to carry and a real workout but Nicole and I both completed the project together and quickly. It also helped that I was able to buy a tipping wheelbarrow off Kijiji that retails for $300 for $50.
Cheers!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Date Night
Wednesday April 20th, Nicole and I are having a bit of a date night with another couple we are friends with. We are going to see Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy at the GM Centre in Oshawa. I hope to laugh my ass off and have a great time. I love comedy shows but we don't get to go enough. We did hit Yuk Yuks in Niagara Falls when we had a night away last year and had lots of fun. Hopefully some dinner before the show but if the other couple can't commit then Nicole and I will have a nice meal out. We haven't been able to get out and have a night or even a few hours alone so it is nice and we need to do more of it. I love the kids but we need time to talk and enjoy each other.
The reviews for the comedy show are really good and if you haven't had the chance, watch the Blue Collar Comedy Tour on DVD. It features Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry. Absolutely hilarious. I think they also have a second DVD but can't remember.
If you love to laugh and listen to some really funny comics then these guys are for you. I highly recommend the DVD and will let you know how the show goes. I am really excited and can't wait to see the show. We have seats up on the sides which are about 1 section away from the stage so we are getting a great view.
Cheers!!
The reviews for the comedy show are really good and if you haven't had the chance, watch the Blue Collar Comedy Tour on DVD. It features Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry. Absolutely hilarious. I think they also have a second DVD but can't remember.
If you love to laugh and listen to some really funny comics then these guys are for you. I highly recommend the DVD and will let you know how the show goes. I am really excited and can't wait to see the show. We have seats up on the sides which are about 1 section away from the stage so we are getting a great view.
Cheers!!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Beer Can Chicken
Ah yes! hhhmmmm......beer. To quote Homer Simpson! I found this to be the most fool proof way to cook a chicken and really have amazing juicy chicken. I looked on the Internet last night to get an idea of what people are doing to cook their beer can chicken. Not much to say. Chicken, rub, beer, oil. That is basically it! Now I will walk through the first ever beer can chicken and definitely not the last that I cooked hours ago on the BBQ.
I took the chicken out of the fridge and remove any unwanted organs. Washed the chicken in cold water and patted dry with a paper towel. I took out my beer can chicken stand which is a dish about 2 inches deep and has a 3 legs to support the chicken and hold the beer can. Awesome little invention I must say. Now hear come the first and best part. Open a can of beer and drink half. Yes! Drink before we get into the cooking but this is prepping believe it or not! I added 3 cloves of garlic to the beer which I read would give it some flavour. I also read to place chopped course onion up in the top of the chicken so it sits on top of the beer can. This also gives it flavour. Place the beer can into the dish and place the 3 legs into the slots so they clip in. I guess the beer can will hold up the chicken but I had the dish so I'm using it! Rub some olive oil on the chicken and then apply your favourite rub or make one up that smells good! Preheat the BBQ to around 350 degrees with one side on only. I guess mine was about there but can't say for sure. Once the temperature gauge on your BBQ has settled after about 10 minutes place the chicken over the side of the BBQ that has no heat. We are cooking indirect baby!! Cook between 60-90 minutes. I also basted the chicken after 30 minutes with butter. Then again at an hour but took the drippings from the pan and basted with them! Oh yeah...that pan came in handy alright!!! When you think it is done then take it inside to cool down before you try to remove the chicken from the beer can. Very hot can and pan!! Rip that chicken off the can and dig in!!
Now the chicken was incredibly juicy and I stabbed it with my BBQ fork and clear juices squirted out of it like a woman having an orgasm...or so I hear!! LOL. I also gave it a little cut to make sure the chicken was cooked. I would have used a thermometer if I had one for meat but that will be my goal tomorrow when I run around doing errands! I cooked an 8-10 pound chicken and it was about 90 minutes or so. I also turned the chicken when I basted at 30 minutes, 60 minutes and then it was every 10 minutes until the 90 minutes. Now this chicken was very moist but not much flavour. I used an epicure spice called red garlic which is very tasty on the skin but doesn't get into the meat. I will be injecting a marinade next time to see what that is like. The girls loved the chicken and we did also. No complaints but now it is experimenting time since I did a pretty good job on the beer can chicken. Now to try injection to see what that might do!!!
More to come....
Summary:
1 - 8-10 pound whole chicken
1 - can of Miller Genuine Draft
1/2 - cooking onion
2 - Tbsp olive oil
3 - cloves of garlic
many - dashes of red garlic spice over chicken
A must try and if I would have known how amazingly easy this was I would be cooking all my chicken like this!!
Cheers!!
I took the chicken out of the fridge and remove any unwanted organs. Washed the chicken in cold water and patted dry with a paper towel. I took out my beer can chicken stand which is a dish about 2 inches deep and has a 3 legs to support the chicken and hold the beer can. Awesome little invention I must say. Now hear come the first and best part. Open a can of beer and drink half. Yes! Drink before we get into the cooking but this is prepping believe it or not! I added 3 cloves of garlic to the beer which I read would give it some flavour. I also read to place chopped course onion up in the top of the chicken so it sits on top of the beer can. This also gives it flavour. Place the beer can into the dish and place the 3 legs into the slots so they clip in. I guess the beer can will hold up the chicken but I had the dish so I'm using it! Rub some olive oil on the chicken and then apply your favourite rub or make one up that smells good! Preheat the BBQ to around 350 degrees with one side on only. I guess mine was about there but can't say for sure. Once the temperature gauge on your BBQ has settled after about 10 minutes place the chicken over the side of the BBQ that has no heat. We are cooking indirect baby!! Cook between 60-90 minutes. I also basted the chicken after 30 minutes with butter. Then again at an hour but took the drippings from the pan and basted with them! Oh yeah...that pan came in handy alright!!! When you think it is done then take it inside to cool down before you try to remove the chicken from the beer can. Very hot can and pan!! Rip that chicken off the can and dig in!!
Now the chicken was incredibly juicy and I stabbed it with my BBQ fork and clear juices squirted out of it like a woman having an orgasm...or so I hear!! LOL. I also gave it a little cut to make sure the chicken was cooked. I would have used a thermometer if I had one for meat but that will be my goal tomorrow when I run around doing errands! I cooked an 8-10 pound chicken and it was about 90 minutes or so. I also turned the chicken when I basted at 30 minutes, 60 minutes and then it was every 10 minutes until the 90 minutes. Now this chicken was very moist but not much flavour. I used an epicure spice called red garlic which is very tasty on the skin but doesn't get into the meat. I will be injecting a marinade next time to see what that is like. The girls loved the chicken and we did also. No complaints but now it is experimenting time since I did a pretty good job on the beer can chicken. Now to try injection to see what that might do!!!
More to come....
Summary:
1 - 8-10 pound whole chicken
1 - can of Miller Genuine Draft
1/2 - cooking onion
2 - Tbsp olive oil
3 - cloves of garlic
many - dashes of red garlic spice over chicken
A must try and if I would have known how amazingly easy this was I would be cooking all my chicken like this!!
Cheers!!
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