Good lord! I am not the only one with 50 bajillion things going on.. lol!

Oh, forgot to post a picture of the rest of the schtuph.. let's see:

The deck (need 2 pictures to see the size.. heh):

We will cover it all in Feb/Mar.

Then the barn: (I still need to add the roof trim)

I had the slab put in and decided to stain it myself:

Nathan loves it:

Working on framing it all up:

My plan is to frame it up, add insulation (and an AC) and then use cedar fence pickets instead of sheetrock.. heh.. give it a rustic feel.

Also running 100 amps to it and I added a full bathroom with a shower, so will frame that up as well.

The Energy Detective.. got that from their website (you can google The Energy Detective) and it really does save you money. I suspect it will pay for itself within a year. Now, we would probably have done all the things we are doing now without the device, but this gives us a real feel for what we are wasting.

I've been using regular pine fence pickets for my back porch ceiling. I took down my fence and thought, "Hmmm..."

I love the color of your floor. That's very fun. And I see Nathan thinks so, too! That's certainly a nice barn. And a very nice deck.

My plan is to deck my front porch across the house, vs. just one side, under the pergola up to a raised garden bed. Long steps across the front. On the back, a deck off the MBR also with a pergola. I happen to hate the sun.

Nice job there!

Fantastic flooring!! Pretty great looking model too :-)

I'm not around here very much anymore but this morning I decided to take a wander through the forum and what do I find? - two of my favourite people on the same thread telling me what they're up to on all their projects.. Everything looks and sounds great.

Russ and CEFreeman - Cheers to you both!

Good to see you, too
I'm not around much at all, either. Too much working and not enough working on what I want!
Plus, I don't care about white kitchens being timeless or not, should we use drawers. Or not. Cabinet recommendations, nor durability of finishes. Which is why you'll only find me on odd threads these days! :)

Not that Russ and I are odd or anything. No, Siree Bob!

Hope you're doing well!

lol! what a nice thing to say :P I always consider BLFenton as a "fixture" on here ;)

I love coming on here, should post more often, but most folks here need help that is beyond my abilities.. heh

I am planning on cooking some smoked corn on the cob and fried chicken this weekend, so will post some pictures AND.. I will post a couple of the deck after we finish this stage and show you the new view:)

Russ

Russ, love seeing your projects! Keep us posted on the barn; that floor is fabulous.

CEF, please show your projects.

I love DIY; I get exactly what I want, for cheap, and it is one of a kind. Once you start down this path, I think you become more self-sufficient and your creative side is really amped up.

Wow. I am sleepy just reading about all your projects! Can you include pictures of your laundry room project?

You remind me of someone- myself! We're kindred spirits, except my little guy is about 25 years older than yours. I'm working on finishing our basement, but just had the final grading done (3 years after the fact) so I have to get a lawn planted. I also have to plant something on 1/2 acre of brush I just had cleared. In my spare time, I'm working on my '72 F-250 and my '92 Miata...

Oh it feels good to be posting here again.. lol.. I have a lot to do, but it feels like my life is getting back to "normal" again, i.e. my 3 main projects are at least "livable", if that makes sense. Yes, I still need to frame up and finish out the "workshop", but it is there, sealed.. i.e. 4 walls, doors etc..

The deck WILL be "done" this weekend, i.e. the bottom will be able to be sat upon and no boards missing.. heh.

When the spring rolls around, i.e. income tax return... lol.. we will add the roof, but, before then.. we shall have the "hanging of the bell" and a bottle of champagne.

The hanging of the bell is a new thing for me. Since I enjoy talking.. lol.. I will tell you about this..

Everything in a "house" is "stuff" (yes, I use a lot of 'i.e.s and " marks etc.. and a LOT of ......). What makes a "house" a "home" are the people in it. Those are not just bodies, they are also the people of the past. For instance, if I closed my eyes, I would remember my grandmother and her home. I smelled the ham cooking on that old brown electric stove. The butter beans were tremendous, the mashed potatoes with brown lumpy gravy was always awesome. You learned that if you asked my grandfather to "pass the bread", it generally came "air mail".

Evenings were falling asleep late late at night because it was a small house and we slept on the fold out sofa and you had to wait till the adults went to sleep before there was silence. Generally, I would be up late drinking buttermilk with cornbread in it as we always had cornbread with beans and grandpop always had a glass of cold buttermilk when he had cornbread in the house.

They played dominoes till all hours of the morning. I was my great-grandmother'stea glass filler. She had these horn-rimmed glasses that she wore and they allowed her to frown down upon you from up high in ust a way as to make you think that God had invented the scowl just for her. I knew she was a nice person simply because I figured out how she cheated at dominoes and never told anyone and she knew it. I also, evidently, filled her tea just right, and emptied the pile of Pal Mal cigarettes in her ashtray without having to be asked, so she could continue to cloud the room with her smoke. To this day, I never understood how people could smoke as much as they did and live to the ripe age of 90...ish.

Mornings were waking up to my grandfather coughing a continuous cough over and over as he too chain smoked his filter less cigarettes over and over and over. I still remember the blue curtains overlooking the back yard with these fuzzy blue balls hanging from them every inch. I never liked those god-awful drapes, but it defined the kitchen.

Anyway, in her kitchen, few 'things' stood out like the wooden fork and spoon that now hang from my kitchen walls. They bring her into my home, even though she is gone. They bring back so many memories, like asking her to marry me instead of grandpop, when I was 6.. heh.. no, she never did... and I offered her a much bigger and nicer house.. all white with no blue drapes too.

The bell, I found on Craigslist. There was an auction, and it had like 20 pictures. The last picture was of a bell, set on someone's front porch. It said to me that there was an old lady, with a blue curtain with fuzzy little spheres hanging from the drapes, that had died. Someone had inherited that house and all the stuff and was liquidating it. That little lady loved that bell.

I emailed the auction and they had sold it, but I was already thinking of the story. I searched ebay and found one similar. It did not speak to me as much, but I had to have one now... so I bought it. Then, I got a call. They had made a mistake and the clist one had not sold. It was mine!

I drove about 15 miles to get it and as I paid a whole 12 dollars for it I asked for the story.

It had happened just as I had imagined.

So, while this lady had passed, she had breathed a little life into our home, and we will breathe a little back into hers.

So I have saved this bell for our back porch post and I will tell this story and share it with whomever comes over for dinner that night and together, we will hang the bell.

Sorry for the long post ;) I feel it does not do it justice without an explanation.

Anyone caring to come over for dinner that night, I am going to at least cook butter beans... maybe ham also ;)..and mashed potatoes with brown gravy.

I will see if I can locate a picture of the bell, but so many pictures, I cannot find them atm :(

Oh! Found them!

Bel 1 is the one we will be hanging.

Bell 2 is the one I found and gave to another family.

The others are the spoon and fork.. bad pics, but bad lighting ;)

Russ

Made me cry. :)
It sounds like a perfect reason to have a party and prepare a family meal!
Sometimes, albeit rarely, I miss having family close by. This is one moment!
Have a wonderful time.

Thanks.. did not start off to write a thesis.. just snowballed.. lol

I have an Aunt and uncle that are about an hour and a half away.. maybe hour and fifteen minutes, then a brother about an hour away, but that is it.

We litterally had to start over with friends because we moved like an hour or more south and it is too far for them to drive.. heh. We are all still friends, but just do not see each other more than a few times a year, so not easy.

It was the trade we made.. more room to "do stuff" and lower cost...but did not know anyone.

Not easy, but making it... slowly :P

Russ

CEFreeman, I love cattle fencing! Right now we're using panels for our hardy kiwi vines and as A-frames in the garden for vining plants. So durable, and no rust. Oh, and inexpensive too!

Wow.. toitally missed the cattle panels post additions.. lol..

You are busy too! Craigslist is your friend, indeed! What sort of A/C went out? I plan to add a mini-split to the workshop.

I have a ton of cattle panels. I was thinking of painting them black and then using cedar and panels for the railings on the deck. May forego the painting... heh

As for the gumbo.. now this is a BIG secret.. do not tell anyone... ;)

Go to Walmart and get the jar of pre-made roux..

OMG! bottled roux?!!? blasphemy!

lol.. nah.. it is perfect and all you need. Then a whole chicken.. you can cut it into pieces to fit, that is fine.. but you need the skin and bones for the flavor.

Add in some sliced sausage.. not the cheap kind... low cost is good.. low flavor bad.. heh.. I usually add at least 2 long links or I get a 3lb box of smoked sausage and cut it all up.

Now, "I" like to also add about a 1-3lb low fat chunk of pork. My momma frowns on me adding stuff, but that is how I am.. lol. T\You will know when the gumbo is perfect when the pork falls apart into small pieces when you stir it ;)

Now.. the next secret is this. Boil at least a dozen (I do about 3 dozen) eggs and peel them then put them in the gumbo whole.

Okay.. gumbo is a poor man's stew. Forget what ya read and hear about New Orleans, if you live next to the sea, you have seafood.. if you don't, you have chicken and sausage. When you are poor, you have chickens.. and in the country, they all add eggs. Trust me, so long as you like hard boiled eggs, the eggs are what you will fight over.

So, summary:

You need a large pot. I love love love my 5.2qt cast iron pot that is enamel coated, but.... it is too small when "I" cook.. lol

1 whole chicken

2-3lbs of sliced smoked sausage

1-3lb chunk of pork roast (does not have to be fancy)

2-4 celery stalks sliced

1-3 bay leaves

1 jar Kary's Roux

1 large onion, large diced

3 cloves garlic minced

1-2 jalapenos diced

1 large bell pepper, diced

just throw in salt and pepper and anything else ya like.. if you like it hotter, throw some cayenne.

Just get some water and dig out all the roux from the jar.It is not easy.. and you NEED a thick pot for this part at least as this will burn easy.

Get the roux fully dissolved in some water, does not have to be a whole lot.. about 1-2 qt is plenty.. whatever keeps from splashing too much as you stir and break up the roux.

Once that is done, you need to make sure you have a pot large enough to fully cover all the stuff you are adding. Just add all the stuff in the list and subtract anything that you do not like. Let is cook at just barely a boil till the pork starts falling apart and the chicken no longer hangs onto the bone.

Get a lot of rice on the side, warn folks there will be bones, and enjoy.

Remember, gumbo, in a true Cajun home, is like a welcome mat. You leave it out all the time when you want or have company. People eat all during the day and the "coming together" happens due to that. This is not just a "welcome, have a seat, here's your food"... this is what people call "comfort food". Having it on the stove with rice and spoons and bowls already set out tells people" welcome, I have food to share, help yourself" and THAT is when you truly start enjoying gumbo.

I'll make another post for the etouffee.. lol.. I have enough 4000000 word posts today ;)

Okay, Crawfish Etouffee.

Generally, when I make gumbo, I also make Crawfish Cornbread. I'll save the cornbread for later, but when I do cornbread, I sometimes like to make Etouffee as well.

To set you at ease, understand.. Etouffee is french for "smothered". It's a gravy, for lack of terminology. Yes it is rich and flavorful, but, as you will see, the reason is not because it is french or fancy, it is what you add, how you add that makes it the way it is.

So, ingredients (sorry if I miss one, but I cook by a few things :

1 - I generally have 1-4 recipes in front of me and combine what I like of each and alter them all.

2 - I also keep 1-2 videos going to see what others do, so.. even if I have made it 100 times, I make it fresh and new each time. but this is the general rule of thumb.

The below is MY take.. I have cut it down to 1/4 what I cook since I generally cook and freeze.

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup of flour

5-7 celery stalks sliced

4 cups of diced onions (usually about 3-5 onions)

1 large bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 bunch of green onions

1 qt seafood or crawfish or shrimp stock.(can substitute chicken)

2-3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

2 tablespoons Tony Chachere seasoning (creole or Cajun, I forget which it is.. lol)

2 12oz packages of frozen Louisiana Crawfish tails

1/2 cup parsley set aside for garnish

Okay, dice the large onions, bell peppers, slice the celery, set them aside.

The green onions, cut the 1-1.5" bottoms of the green onions (the bulbs and part of the white parts) off and slice those alone and separate. Then slice and mince the green/rest of the green onions and set them aside. You can easily have 2 bunches of green onions as these are going to be cooked AND you want a little portion set aside as a top garnish when you serve this. Trust me, it adds to the flavor and these are cheap.Rather than tell you all about the history and the way to cook this, here is a beautiful video. Now, he does not add Jalapenos or garlic and a few things I add, but, this will very easily walk you through the process and you can add/remove anything I listed but you WILL be able to make a great Crawfish Etouffee, I promise.. very easy to follow video.

Russ

Oh, my I have to reread your Cajun "procedures" again. Sounds so mouth-watering! I've generally had the same attitude when I do make gumbo. There are things I like and things I can do without. But I like the seasonings and green onions! :)

But I wanted to mention that you don't need to face your cattle fence panels, unless you want privacy, that is. Frame them and they make a GREAT, somewhat contemporary fence.

I've got the landscape/shade fabric stretched on mine (found a GREAT place for prices) and then bent into curves over my raised beds. Next year I hope to install the irrigation stuff I bought this year, but just looked at. Thought often, "I should do something with that."

They are inexpensive for the amount of heavy gauge wire they are. Love them! I'm going to bend a few off the pergola, onto the outer edge of the raised bed built onto the outside of the pergola posts for another protected garden.

Ok. Gotta go to work.

Pictures or it never happened!;)

On Thanksgiving Day, our traveling guests, well, travel, so we have the 'big meal' on Friday. Thursday, I make a big pot of Chicken and Sausage Gumbo! Mine is fairly traditional and straightforward, but I make my own andouille sausage and smoke it ahead of time before adding it to the gumbo. We smoke chickens a lot, and save the carcasses to make stock. Being smoked, the stock picks up that smokiness, and that is the base for my gumbo. My go-to loaf of bread is a French Country Bread in a 4-1/2 lb. loaf. It uses a three day starter, and picks up a nice flavor. I make one loaf to go with the gumbo, and the next day, I make a second huge loaf to have with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

This year, my son's future inlaws are coming for Thanksgiving, and that will be the first time we meet them (no pressure!) They are coming in Wednesday, so I'm going to smoke a pork shoulder for BBQ Wednesday night. Whether or not they 'approve' of us, if they go home hungry, it's there own darn fault.

lol! Thanksgiving is about being together.. we could eat mcdonalds and be fine.. anything else is a bonus ;)

Try it with the hard boiled eggs.. you will not regret it ;)

I am going to Eunice this year for Thanksgiving. My mother wants me to cook for her, so will be loading up my truck with all the stuff I plan to use. Not sure of the menu yet, but I plan to go all out.. heh

R

Russ - I remember you posting a picture of the bell before but it didn't come with a story. Thanks for telling us it.. When you hang the bell, do make sure you post a picture of it's new home.

Russ, can you also share your cornbread recipe? I love cornbread at restaurants but have never been able to duplicate it. We were at a wedding in July and they served cheddar cheese and green onion cornbread and OMG it was amazing.. This was a weekend high-end wedding and the cornbread was the star of the weekend.

CEFreeman (I'm trying to whisper here) What the heck is a cattle fence, paneled or otherwise? And yes, a picture would help. :)

Cattle panel/fence is a heavy duty galvanized wire grid. It's used as fencing to keep livestock contained. Here are a couple pictures of ours in use. (Not great quality, getting dark.)

Kate - Thanks! And looks like they have multiple uses which is great. My brother used to grow Kiwi and they are so much nicer than store bought ones.

You guys gotta quit saying "Kiwi" so loudly.
I have this fellow who barters my barn (little did I know he's a horrible hoarder) but he keeps asking me if I'm going to grow kiwis on my new pergola. It's become a joke, but he works it into every conversation.

I did happen, I swear. I just don't like to show how much construction crap I have all over the place!

Hey B, Let me go look for my cornbread recipe that should be like the one you mentioned below.

A couple things though: What I cooked was Crawfish Cronbread. It is a full meal all by itself and has cream corn, crawfish tails, bell peppers, onions, jalapenos, garlic, celery, lots of shredded cheese.. heh.

I think, and just my opinion, is cornbread is a lot like apple pies (I do those a lot too).. it takes a bit to get them just right and once you do... THEN try doing the exact same thing in a cast iron skillet instead of in a 9x12 or round pan. The experience and flavor changes dramatically.. heh

Okay, will go get a recipe I have for cornbread with onions and cheese and post that plus the crawfish one. I will also see if I can find a good video of cornbread being baked.

No matter how much I cook or how many times, I always have more than one recipe out when I cook AND I generally run and/or view a few videos to make sure I do not forget something.. or maybe learn something or find something new.

The last time I went "by memory" and did not pay attention, I forgot vanilla extract in a cheesecake.. heh

Russ

Okay, I gotta run to get some cedar planks. Could not find "my" recipe for cornbread with cheese and onions, so I did what I would have done to make it and pretty sure this is how it would work:

Disclaimer:

1 - I am not a know-it-all nor a chef or whatever. This is what works for "me".. so if I sound like egotistical or I have all the answers, please forgive me.. it is a process I am always working on (cooking.. not being egotistical, I mastered that a long time ago).. so, easier to type it out than beat around the bush).

2 - Like I will explain, no matter what I cook or how many times, this is a process I do every time.. half the fun imo...and helps you refine things.

Okay, Cornbread with Green Onions and Cheddar Cheese.

Rules you cannot budge on when making cornbread: The quality of the cornmeal and flour WILL dictate how it tastes. "Good cornbread" can be made out of a box, "great cornbread" takes "great cornmeal" Don't skimp. If you are in a pinch, Aunt Jemima cornmeal works great and anyone that snubs their nose at it is just too picky. I prefer that or Pioneer, but there is a mill in Arkansas I think that makes it and if you are out to really kick some butt, look at the backs of each and find a local meal that works for you. Either of those first two will be plenty fine. Flour, any all-purpose will do.

Second thing.. CHECK THE DATES. Out of date, heck, if it is not stored correctly, baking soda and/or baking powder can kill your cornbread. Always buy small containers so they are not stored away for a year before you use them. I keep 2-3 cans of clabber on hand and if it is halfway to the exp date, at 60 cents a can.. it is gone (that is what is left.. heh).

Again.. Clabber Girl and Arm and Hammer.. name brands. You get what you pay for and rising is a must for the right texture.

As for the rest of the things, the thinner the pan, the more likely to burn. Also, let everything sit out in the open for an hour or two. Bring it all to room temperature. Cornbread, like any other bread, is picky and cold spots can cause it to cook differently.

So, I never stick to one recipe and, when creating one, I always make 2 or 3 small ones first to see which one I like the most. Cornbread is cheap to make.. cheaper still if you find how you like it and then never have to figure it out again ;)

So, I found a couple recipes I like and would combine (remember, I never follow one recipe as they tend to make it a certain way and I am, after-all.. a know-it-all.. lol

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/cheddar-and-green-onion-cornbread-50000331

That one starts well and has most of what you need.

The part about that one I am not sure about is the bell peppers. If the one you did not like did not have bell peppers, when you leave that out, they will need to be replaced with something.

This one is closer to what I would enjoy:

https://nancycreative.com/2011/10/19/cheddar-and-green-onion-cornbread/

Now, looking over a few other recipes, something I have done in the past and I saw in another skillet recipe (this would be a northern thing I assume) is I saw someone use a little maple syrup. Now, this part would be a little expensive because you cannot get the flavor or the consistency unless you use real maple syrup from the NE... so.. just want to post this link as if it is done in moderation, it can be pretty darn good.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016965-brown-butter-skillet-cornbread?mcubz=1

Note: Some people frown upon sugar in cornbread and so would do the same with maple syrup. Cornbread was "bread" in the southern states and bible belt as well to some degree, so adding sugar is like a "desert" to some...I say ignore folks and have fun.

Avoid adding cheese to the tops of the cornbread unless you do so in the last 10 minutes of cooking. It will brown quicker and make you think you are burning it.

Summary:

GOOD cornmeal

Fresh baking soda and baking powder

Room temp on eggs and butter etc

quality baking pans

Experiment in small quantities and with both convection and non convection if available.

(I would use the second link.. and add some jalapenos finely diced)

If you are not experienced in how to choose a jalapeno, it is very important.. and, once you learn, you find yourself loving them again.

Jalapenos can be bright shiny green, then dull green with brown veins, then dark dark green, then red. Each stage has a different flavor.

Want heat? leave the seeds.

BRIGHT shiny smooth green is what you want for flavor without as much heat. The brown veins show the acidity age and can get hotter, dark green to red has a more "sweet" but hot flavor. Always, when baking, get the fresh smooth with no veins, cut out ALL the seeds etc just like you would in a bell pepper, and then finely dice them.

This is from before the house.. but I love cooking cornbread in a skillet ;) just pre-heat the skillet before adding the cornbread mixture

Russ

Oh wow, Russ, thank-you very much. I'm in Canada, I always have real Maple Syrup on hand.

The nancy creative one looks really good. Off to try some cornbread this week, we're getting to that time of year for comfort food.