Operation Back Yard Part 1

Out here in West Texas there is sun. Lots and lots of sun. There is also heat. Lots and lots of heat. There are, however, very few trees. 

In our back yard, there was basically no shade. Zip. Zero. None. As a matter of fact, there was basically nothing in our back yard at all other than a fire pit, a grill, and an ugly fence. Apparently, we decided it would be better to add to the heat with fire than add shade.

In the shade the heat of West Texas is somewhat near bearable. Solution? Pergola. 

We forgot to take multiple pictures of the hideous back yard. Trust me. It was bad. So here's a picture of just before we started.

We used Oz Posts instead of digging holes and using concrete. They're nifty spikes that are about 3' long that you drive into the ground with a sledge hammer. Much less mess. 

We opted for treated wood over cedar for two reasons: 1-Cost. Treated=Cheaper, more readily available and 2-Look. I prefer the cleaner lines of treated to the rustic lines of cedar. Travis and his dad routed all of the edges of the wood we used for a more finished look. They said that was the most time-consuming part of the whole process (it also left a ton of sawdust in the garage).

The finished size post-to-post of the pergola was 10x14 with a finished span (with overhang) of about 15x15. 

We used 4x6's as posts for our base. Our headers were sandwiched on the posts and were from 2x8's. The runners were from 2x6's.

The top lattice design was made by alternating 2x4's and 2x2's. This layered on top of the runners makes for a pretty nice amount of shade.

 

To make the pergola look more intentional, we tapered the boards up to about 2 inches from the roof line. This helped us avoid any building permits and the hassle of attaching it to the house but still have the built-in look.

All done! This is the view from the back door looking out under the pergola. There's that ugly zombie fence I was talking about.

And a Red Raider ready for some football-watching parties!

Here's the finished pergola from the back corner of our yard. Note the green grass where our neighbor's sprinkler system broke and flooded. Also note the dead grass (record low rainfall + record high heat + lazy homeowners = dead grass). 

We will be cutting the top posts to about 1/3 of the size they are now once our concrete work is done and the wood dries out a little more. We'll finish them with a small routed edge and maybe a decorative cap.

Much more to come! 

Concrete! Furniture! Accessories! Curtains! Football season!

 

Chocolate and Counting

So, aside from crafting another hobby of mine is eating. I <3 food. Unfortunately...my hips also <3 food. I've tried a number of diets including low-fat, low-calorie, low-taste, low-carb, etc. Always lose weight...always gain it back. 

Then I tried weight watchers (bt-dubs they're totally not paying me to say this). It's not for everyone, but if you're struggling with portion control and love food as much as me, it may just work for you. I know how to eat "good," but I love food so dang much that I eat as like a horse. Enter weight watchers. You can have whatever (almost) you want in smaller portions. Perfect!

I'm not a militant point-counter by any means, but weight watchers has taught me to pay attention to what I'm eating and compensate for it. It teaches a new way to eat and helps get rid of nasty habits (like value-sizing that sweet tea at Chick-fil-A) while encouraging good ones (like water).

My key to success is treats. Like you may have heard, I <3 food. I also love chocolate. Lots and lots of darker-the-better chocolate. Naturally, lots and lots of darker-the-better chocolate is point-full. I've always been on a search to find a delicious and satisfying chocolate dessert. 

GOOD NEWS: I found it! 3 points will get you dark chocolate chips, chocolate ice cream, and a fudge swirl DIPPED in milk chocolate.

Holy Moly Roly Poly.

Let's review. 3 points = (dark chocolate + chocolate ice cream + fudge swirl) + milk chocolate coating = Breyer's Smooth & Dreamy Triple Chocolate Chip Bar.

You're welcome in advance.

Although these ice cream bars are delicious (and I will accept any free offers of these products) I'm not being paid in money or ice cream to gush over them at all. 

Funfetti, Family, and the Fourth

Happy Fourth of July! 

We were so glad that Travis's parents were able to join us for this holiday weekend. His dad came up and helped Travis build a pergola for our back patio/yard. It's beautiful! More on that to come later...

Travis's mom bought me some new silicone cupcake liners from World Market to try. I've never tried them myself, and I've heard mixed reviews so I was pretty interested in seeing how they worked. The reviews I found were all over the place - people either loved 'em or hated 'em.

At our grocery store, some patriotic sprinkles were on sale. I picked up a french vanilla cake mix (scandalous! - but I don't enjoy baking much from scratch...). Time for some DIY-funfetti!

DIY "Funfetti" Cupcakes

   After mixing the batter (box instructions), mix in about 3-4 tablespoons of sprinkles. Most "recipes" for DIY-funfetti use about 2 tablespoons, but add more for a bit more color.
   Place the silicone liners on a cookie sheet (no muffin pan needed). Grease if desired.
   Using a cookie scoop (similar to this one), spoon an equal amount into each liner. Using a cookie scoop assures that an equal amount of batter is poured into each liner so the cupcakes will be the same size. Bake according to package directions, adding about 5-8 minutes when using the silicone liners.
   Let the cupcakes cool slightly until they can be handled. Then, slowly work the silicone liner away from the cupcake. Flip them upside down and tap lightly on the bottom. The cupcakes should pop right out!
   Let them cool on a rack, and then they can be put back into the liners to serve and ice. Enjoy!

Based on the reviews I read I thought it might be good to try some experiments. 

Myth 1: The cupcakes stick!

Some people swore they didn't do anything to the liner while others said they greased the liners. I decided to try half and half. In the picture below the six cupcakes on the left were greased with a floured cooking spray while the six on the right were put straight into the liners without greasing. 

The only weird thing I noticed about the cupcakes in the ungreased liners was that half of them overflowed. I'm sure it had something to do with the liners or user error, but none of the others did it.

In the picture below, the left/center liner was greased and the right one was ungreased. You can see the extra bits of cupcake left on the bottom and sides of the ungreased liner.

I also think under-cooking can contribute to the cupcakes sticking to the liners. Remember to add 5-8 minutes to your bake time when using these. Letting the cupcakes cool slightly but not all the way can make them easier to release, too. 

Myth 2: The cupcakes are impossible to eat out of the liners. 

People said cupcakes were popping out and flying everywhere. I tried taking the cupcakes out to cool and then putting them back into the liners to serve. This allowed everyone to pull the cupcakes out of the liners completely without breaking them.

The cupcakes in the greased liners came out beautifully. The ones in the ungreased liners came out with a bit more manipulation, but were still intact. 

Myth 3: The silicone cupcake liners are difficult to clean. 

I had no problem cleaning these, even the ones that dried out. All I did was flip them inside out and use a dish brush and soap to wash. 

Hope you have a great Fourth of July!