Wednesday, September 17, 2008

More House Crud {and a recipe}

I know, this is getting a bit boring, but not to me! {muahahaha}

Finally, finally we put some things on our bare walls. Here's our entryway in its current state:
man alive, i hate the wood baseboards. I really need to be faster in painting them

But I'd like to replace that table with this bench
I just can't justify spending the money on it right now. Seriously, almost $200 for a place to hide shoes and occasionally sit on? No way...but it's pretty...

I hung my antique round mirror above the mantle. Me thinks it's too high, by just a tad {or 6 tads}, however moving it would show holes in a wall that we have no paint to cover with, so it stays for now. Unless I really, really hate it 3 months down the road. I'll at least get the mantle painted and everything on it that I want before I make a final judgment on its aesthetics.


Last but not least, here's a recipe for everyone who craves Cafe Rio nightly. I think they added nicotine to this dressing and that's why. Maybe not.
If you click on the picture you'll notice the container on the left looks more chunky. It is. On the second batch I pureed the ingredients without the ranch and then added the dressing in.

Creamy Tomatillo Ranch

1 packet of buttermilk Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing {prepare according to packet directions}
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 jalapeno
juice from 1 lime
2-3 medium Tomatillos
1 clove garlic

Add all ingredients to a food processor and presto blend-o, you've got yourself dressing to kill for.

*Chelsea's notes: I made my ranch with fat free mayo and fat free buttermilk. I wouldn't do it that way next time. I found my dressing to be less creamy and more runny, but still the same flavor. So if texture/consistency doesn't matter to you, make it low-fat. Also I found that a whole jalapeno was a tad too spicy for me. {purple lidded container} I made a second batch with half the jalapeno and it was delicious.

7 comments:

Natalie said...

Did you use fresh tomatillos or canned? I tried that recipe a while ago and used fresh - right into the blender and it had a strong, "grassy" taste. I think they were meant to either be cooked or canned.

Chelsea said...

I used fresh. I don't know really what you would use tomatillos for, to be honest. I guess I could look it up...sometime...

Hmm, about the grass taste, though. Mine just tasted strongly of garlic and cilantro - just the way I like it.

How large were your tomatillos? Mine were just a little larger than a golf ball. Maybe too large and it throws off the flavor?

Gingerlylizzy said...

Where did you get all those cute A's??? I love it!

Anonymous said...

Those "A's" are so cute. Love your blog! I'm in Kansas City. :)

Kerry said...

You're so clever! I love all the A's. Where did you find them all? I got tired of decorating my house a long time ago... but seeing your cute ideas makes feel like I need to do some sprucing up. Do you want to fly out here and make my nursery cute, PLEASE? Or just send me some ideas... You should have your own show on HGTV, I'd totally watch it.

Micah and Melinda said...

Come decorate our place... I need your thrifty creativity!

Cupcakes and Cashmere said...

love what you did with the walls and man, that bench really is fabulous!