Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Working with Wood
Here's another craft project I did last weekend before the picture frames. I needed something to put above my large Ikea bookshelf, and got this idea. I found some old wood in the garage and had Nathan saw it in half for me. I painted the first coat a lighter green, the second coat a darker green and a brown border all the way around. To get the distressed look I took some sandpaper to it to reveal some light under the dark green. I picked a font I liked in Illustrator and printed it on contact paper. Cut it out with an exacto and placed it on the board as I liked. It came out really nice and it was a fun project. I have three more pieces of wood left so I might make one for a friend as a random gift or something.
You likey? Me likey.
New Wall Art
Nathan and I went to Ethan Allen one day as we were passing by. We couldn't afford a single thing
in that store, but it was a great place to get some inspiration. I saw a set of pictures that I really liked, but
at $220 a piece buying them was NOT an option. I felt I could re-create them with scrapbook paper.
To our surprise Michaels was having a 60% off sale. We got 4 frames at $12 a piece, and two large sheets of matte board for $5. Normally matte board that is already cut is $10 a piece, so I also saved some money there in doing it myself.
3 hours later we have new wall art! I love it...and because I'm constantly changing my mind about art, I can always put different scrapbook paper in there. I love how it turned out!
What do you think?
in that store, but it was a great place to get some inspiration. I saw a set of pictures that I really liked, but
at $220 a piece buying them was NOT an option. I felt I could re-create them with scrapbook paper.
To our surprise Michaels was having a 60% off sale. We got 4 frames at $12 a piece, and two large sheets of matte board for $5. Normally matte board that is already cut is $10 a piece, so I also saved some money there in doing it myself.
3 hours later we have new wall art! I love it...and because I'm constantly changing my mind about art, I can always put different scrapbook paper in there. I love how it turned out!
What do you think?
inspiration above
My Version!
In for a Dime, in for a Trillion
A thought occurred to me as I was reading a couple of articles about the European debt crisis yesterday. Right now, the European Central Bank (ECB) is printing money and loaning it to Greece and Ireland (soon to include Portugal and Spain) because these countries can't pay their bills without access to more loans. The ECB is holding interest rates low to make it easier on these borrowers, but the money is still borrowed and that debt still has to be serviced. What happens when (not if) they discover that, say, Portugal is insolvent?
Once you've printed the money and loaned it out, it's too late to get it back. Unlike loans from German and French banks, no one is going to immediately go under if the loans are simply forgiven and the money is effectively gifted to Portugal. If you aren't going to draw the line now and force bankruptcies and liquidations, what would make you do it a year from now when you've got so much more invested? Once you start down the road of printing money to cover government debts, where do you stop, particularly if the government you're lending to has no hope of ever paying it back?
This is the point Marc Faber has been making for quite some time - these nations are insolvent and will never be able to pay back these loans. The money quote starts at 0:30.
So once the ECB has bought up the debt and the commercial banks in Germany have quietly sold theirs off to the ECB, the only one taking the hit when you finally forgive the debts of Portugal or Greece will be people holding Euros and that will happen through inflation. Inflation is relatively indirect and politicians can point fingers at each other about it while the banks and investors get out from under the loans they made to insolvent countries.
This is a long way of asking, "What's the real problem here?" Is there a real debt contagion risk? Does anyone think that the ECB or Fed, once having printed tons of money to loan to governments is ever going to grow a backbone and demand a liquidation once it becomes obvious the debts will never be repaid? Or will they instead, just forgive the debts and wash away the problem in a cataract of printed Euros and Dollars?
Once you've printed the money and loaned it out, it's too late to get it back. Unlike loans from German and French banks, no one is going to immediately go under if the loans are simply forgiven and the money is effectively gifted to Portugal. If you aren't going to draw the line now and force bankruptcies and liquidations, what would make you do it a year from now when you've got so much more invested? Once you start down the road of printing money to cover government debts, where do you stop, particularly if the government you're lending to has no hope of ever paying it back?
This is the point Marc Faber has been making for quite some time - these nations are insolvent and will never be able to pay back these loans. The money quote starts at 0:30.
So once the ECB has bought up the debt and the commercial banks in Germany have quietly sold theirs off to the ECB, the only one taking the hit when you finally forgive the debts of Portugal or Greece will be people holding Euros and that will happen through inflation. Inflation is relatively indirect and politicians can point fingers at each other about it while the banks and investors get out from under the loans they made to insolvent countries.
This is a long way of asking, "What's the real problem here?" Is there a real debt contagion risk? Does anyone think that the ECB or Fed, once having printed tons of money to loan to governments is ever going to grow a backbone and demand a liquidation once it becomes obvious the debts will never be repaid? Or will they instead, just forgive the debts and wash away the problem in a cataract of printed Euros and Dollars?
Thanksgiving, Part 1
I ask because my kitchen is rich with the aroma of chicken stock on the stove as I write this. Oh wait, it’s Thanksgiving.
In truth, there isn’t much difference between the two holidays now is there? They are both about giving thanks and being grateful.
Of course, if you really want to be grateful, then thank me for the recipe I’m about to detail for you. It’s the Caramel Apple Cake that I used to make at Watershed and it would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving table. If you haven’t already done your shopping, go out immediately with the ingredients for this at the top of your grocery list. You still have time to make it!
CARAMEL APPLE CAKE (adapted from Scott Peacock and Edna Lewis’ The Gift of Southern Cooking”)
For the cake:
1 ½ cups light brown sugar
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 cups peanut or vegetable oil
4 eggs, extra-large
3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 nutmeg, grated
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
7 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I use Granny Smiths)
2 cups pecans, chopped
Butter and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 325-degrees.
Place sugars in a large bowl. Add oil and whisk to blend. Add eggs, one at a time and whisk to blend as well. Add vanilla and incorporate.
Place salt, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda over egg mixture. Use a wooden spoon to incorporate ingredients. Stir in apples and pecans.
Turn mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake for 1 ¼ hours or until top of cake is puffed and golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove to a cooking rack and run a spatula around sides. Let cool for 15 minutes, then turn out on a baking sheet. Invert again onto a serving platter or cardboard rectangle. Spoon glaze over and let it set before cutting and serving.
For the glaze:
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ lb. unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch of salt
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir lightly to combine sugars. Place over medium heat for 4 minutes. Stir, then cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until large bubbles appear on the surface. Cool for 15 minutes, then stir and spoon over cake, letting it drip down the sides.
Yield: 12 – 16 servings
As usual, I have a few things to say:
- As I was peeling the apples, I was reminded of "Sleepless in Seattle" when Meg Ryan peeled that apple in one long strip. Haha, I can do that! Does that mean I get to hook up with Tom Hanks?
- Speaking of apples, don't be daunted by peeling and coring 7 of them. Here's the restaurant trick: cut off the stem and core ends. Remove skins with a vegetable peeler. Use a sharp knife to cut down and around the core in four quick cuts. Cut the remaining flesh into cubes. That's it, you're done!
- Take the time to grate the nutmeg. It will be worth it.
- When you combine the apples with the cake batter, you will think that the proportions are wrong. It will look like there are too many apples for the batter. Get over it. The apples will shrink as they bake and it will all even out at the end. Trust me.
- Oh, and you won't need to visit the gym on the day that you make this cake. Your pecs will get worked out enough by stirring all of this together. Trust me on that one, too.
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