Metamorphosis Monday - Sprinkles, Jimmies and other Confections

Since we're having such a rainy fall I decided to get a jump on my closet organizing which I usually do in the dead of winter.

When we were remodeling the basement many times we had to build soffits or closets to hide heat ducts and other unsightly necessities. And right at the bottom of our basement stairs we had a heat duct and some electrical cable connections that needed to disappear so I had the closet built with double doors and very deep, wide shelves. The closet was one of the last things built which means I was construction weary, facing surgery and to make things even more hectic I was called for jury duty! So when the shelves were finally installed I just piled stuff in with no organization at all. And what starts out with no organization just gets worse...and worse...and worse.

In half the closet I keep light bulbs, candles, lanterns and flashlights and this side is actually pretty well organized. But the other half of the closet is where I keep all my confections for cookies and cupcakes, infrequently used small appliances, candy making equipment and large tupperware-like containers for storage and it was a horrible mess.

I mean really look at these shelves!







So I totally emptied the confection/baking side of the closet and put it all in the middle of the basement floor.






I know I have a lot of confections but I do bake quite a bit and I love to sprinkle. So I organized all the confections, sanding sugars, nonpareils and jimmies per holiday or season and then by color.

This is about half of my stash of confections. It was nice to organize them because now I know I'm low on 4th of July and St. Patrick's Day sprinkles and almost completely out of orange jimmies!

Sugar Confections will fade if exposed to light. So make sure to store them in a dark closet or in a lidded box.








I'm going to blame my bulk store for feeding my obsession because they have the most wonderful assortment of decorations for every season and holiday imaginable. There's easily 100+ bins of different colored sugars and decorations.







After I organized all the confections, it really did not take me long at all to put the closet in order. And look at all the room I have!






I feel so much better now!


Next on the list is the other large basement closet which now contains all our wine and my hiking gear plus all the dogs hiking gear. Should be interesting..LOL!







Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Pink Saturday **How my dogs met Pepe Le Pew

Happy Pink Saturday!

I had some big plans for this week's Pink Saturday but some things came up at the last minute and I was unable to even begin my photo journey. At about 10:30 pm Thursday night two of my dogs, aka Big Stinker and Little Stinker, decided to shake hands with a huge male skunk. We have 6 acres of land and I swear that 3/4's of it smells like skunk. I think the dogs chased the poor thing all over our property!

Thank goodness it was a relatively warm night and I could bathe both dogs outside with the hose. PU! I actually hosed them down and washed them twice but this morning the skunk odor was still evident so I bathed them for a third time, and then a fourth time. Then I had to start cleaning up the house. I won't go into detail on my cleaning procedure but my hands are still pruney!

I am dedicating my Pink Saturday to Pepe Le Peu in hopes that if he gets enough attention now maybe he will not feel the need to visit again any time soon!


From Wikipedia: Pepé Le Pew is an Academy Award-winning fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, first introduced in 1945. A French anthropomorphic skunk that always strolls around in Paris in the springtime, when everyone's thoughts are of "love", Pepé is constantly seeking "l'amour" of his own. Chuck Jones, Pepé's creator, wrote that Pepé was based (loosely) on the personality of his Termite Terrace colleague, writer Tedd Pierce, a self-styled "ladies' man" who reportedly always assumed that his infatuations were requited. Pepé's voice, provided by Mel Blanc, was based on Charles Boyer's Pépé le Moko from Algiers (1938), a remake of the 1937 French film Pépé le Moko.


Penelope Pussycat is best known as the often bewildered love interest of Looney Tunes star-skunk, Pepe Le Pew. Penelope is a typical black and white pussycat, though by some means or another, she often finds herself with a white stripe down her back. She talks very seldom, and has a somewhat shy personality...until she falls in love. When Penelope falls in love, and there is nothing to get in her way, she can be just as aggressively passionate and unstoppable as Pepe. Penelope is always on the lookout for romance, but often that romance comes paired with a disturbingly foul odor.









Today is Pink Saturday's One Year Anniversary so Happy Birthday Pink! Please visit Miss Beverly of How Sweet the Sound and see what the other Pinksters are up to!




And don't forget our Pink Saturday motto:

Get Pink !!!
It's not just a color, it's an attitude.









All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whisk Wednesdays -- Poulet a l'ail et a la Sauge

This week for Whisk Wednesdays we made Poulet a l'ail et a la Sauge or Chicken Fricassée with Garlic and Sage. And when they say GARLIC..we used 20 cloves of garlic, 2 entire heads! It was very good and I can't wait to make this with basil!

The recipe also called for a side dish, Gratin d'Aubergines or Eggplant Gratin which was out of this world wonderful and I definitely make it again.

Sorry no pictures today. We had a minor emergency just as I was taking this out of the oven. I grabbed a bite here and there as I traveled back and forth through the kitchen and Mr. Tastebuds finally sat down to eat an hour or so later. Life happens. ;)

Poulet a l'ail et a la Sauge
Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu

4 ½-pound chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
20 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 bunch fresh sage, sliced fine
1 cup dry white wine


Gratin d'Aubergines
Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu

6 small eggplants
Salt
5 TBL EVOO
Freshly ground pepper
6 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3/4 lb tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 sprig thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
3 oz grated Parmesan cheese






My little Rottweiler pups, Jan '08






The End!




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog