Potato cakes

What do you do with that little dab of leftover mashed potatoes?  You make potato cakes.  Here's what you need:
1C mashed potatoes
1 egg
1/4C each Parmesan and cheddar cheese
Panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix everything together except the bread crumbs, form into patties then dip them in the bread crumbs on each side.  Fry in a small amount of olive oil until brown and crispy.
YUM!!!
I served this with baked chicken and green beans but they would be great with just about anything.

handy little helpers

AH has a garage full of tools.  Each has a purpose and it is very important to have the right tool for each job.  The Best tool I've found for staining and sealing cabinets are these little blocks of 2X4 with dry wall screws in them.  I use them to lay each door on as I'm staining.  You can do both sides at the same time.  After you're done you can use them to stand the doors vertically propped against other cabinets or tables.  If the doors are set to dry vertically they won't catch as much dust that will then reduce the amount of sanding you need to do.  Not bad for a few chunks of wood.  Even the little things can be a very big help.

 My brother, sister and I plus spouses gave my parents a new ceiling fan for Christmas.  The original was white, too small for the room and poorly wired. It was AH's job to hang the new one.  Problem #1 was the almost 15' ceilings.  Problem #2 no ladder tall enough.  Off to Menards Andy goes to rent a ladder, $12 for half a day, buy a longer dark stem and a remote.  A couple of hours later it was up and running.  It sure is nice to have such a handy husband.  The parents love the fan.  The change in size and color made a huge difference in their room.
Removing a fan or installing a new one is a pretty easy task for the home DIYer.  You need basic tools, a little bit of wiring knowledge and a tall enough ladder.  Most important tip, be sure to turn off the power to that room before starting or you might get zapped.

reruns

That's what we call left overs.  Already made meals reimagined into something else.  This was left over pulled pork.  Pork, toasted corn tortillas, grated cheese and a chopped salad of leftover vegetables.  Fast, free and easy.  Your family may be more receptive to reruns if you change them up a little.

kitchen update

The hard work of staining and finishing the new cabinets has begun.  Of course we are in the middle of a severe cold snap which means we can't do this project on the porch as we had planned and the stove and furnace are running non-stop to keep us warm.  If you've never done a project like this before what that means is lots more dust floating right down on your project.  plenty of steel wool and elbow grease will take care of the dust.  Right now the newly finished cabinets are in the living room and bed room.  We just left little trails to walk through.  Two full weeks and about 75 hours and the cabinets are all stained, antiqued  and sealed.  I may do a coat of rub on polyurethane. After every thing is in place, I'm sure there will be places that will need a little touch up.

emergency

I know this is a little late for Christmas this year but keep it in mind for next year or use the idea when you need a quick centerpiece.  Our new skinny tree needed a topper. The angel was tired and the the one I bought on clearance was too heavy and flopped over.  A big bunch of faux berries, sticks and a ribbon made the perfect topper for the tree.  I had every thing on hand and it took less than 5 minutes to make.  You could do the same thing and pop in to a vase.

funky coasters

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it would make a good project to do with my grand kids.  Simple 4" ceramic tiles for the base, Sharpies, rubbing alcohol, gloss spray sealer and felt pads for the bottoms are all you need.
Wipe off the coasters with a damp rag.
draw, scribble and cover most of the tile with 2-3 colors.  We found that more solid patches of color worked better than tiny dots or lines, but do what works best for you, you can't mess this up.
Pour a small amount of the alcohol in  a bowl then using an eye dropper or a teaspoon drip the alcohol over the tile in puddles.
Walk away and let this dry then do it again and again until you are satisfied.
Don't mess with it too much or you'll end up with a muddled mess, I know from experience.  You can however blot extra liquid with a paper towel and keep dripping. On the first one I messed with it too much so I wiped the tile with more alcohol to clean and started over. When they are perfect, to you, let every thing dry well then spray with sealer and add 4 felt pads to the bottom of each coaster.
Such a cute gift for parents, grand parents, teachers etc.