Finished Stove -The Dollhouse Saga

I am so excited to have finished the little stove. I wanted to put adorable little details on it so I got out my fimo clay and made little oven control knobs

They are so tiny! I used a technique I read online to bake them in the microwave. I put them in a bowl of water and zapped them for three minutes.

They look so cute! 

I next added little feet to the bottom of the stove. I used earring backs glued in place, then I painted them black.

The door handle is a piece of heavy wire I shaped and then hammered into place.

It all looks better than I hoped.

Time to cook a tiny casserole ;)

I am wondering if maybe I could add a lightbulb in the oven? It would add to the effect I think. Well, I will have to ponder that.

Peldyn

Electricity and a Tiny Little Stove-The Dollhouse Saga

It has been a while since I updated about the dollhouse. I finally got the electrical parts I needed so I finished repairing the copper tape. Parts of it were damaged so I just pulled it up it places. I also added it to areas that weren't electrified. It was a good thing I hadn't finished the floor in the kitchen as I ended up having to run tape across it. Learning how to set the little nails was not hard. 

I got some of the wainscoting done in the kitchen and a window and the doors trimmed.

It is starting to look pretty!

I will white wash the floor and wainscoting when I am done.

As part of working on the kitchen I have been making a little stove.

I think I am going to put tiny feet on it and then it still needs a door handle. I am liking how it has turned out so far. I will need to make a tiny loaf of bread to put on it :) 

That will be another day.

Peldyn

Weeding

Let's get straight to it. I hate weeding. Because I hate it I think I have more weeds than the normal person.

Since I have pets and grandchildren I eschew the use of pesticides. That means it is up to me to hand pick those little buggers.

Yeah.

They get away from me.

Today I did pick some. My chickens were very happy.

"Thanks mom for all these yummy weeds! Hey, let us give you some eggs."

On another note, the new ranunculus and Mediterranean bells bulbs I planted are sprouting. I didn't expect that as I had bought them last year... Or was that the year before last?

My roses are also blooming like crazy inspite of me not having pruned them back.

Maybe a little benign neglect is not a bad thing.

Peldyn

Making Cheese and an Eggplant Strata

After not feeling well for quite a while I work up to day that was warm and bright. I felt so much better that I decided to make cheese. An Italian style fresh cheese, to be more precise. After a bit of gardening I headed to the kitchen where I got out my supplies. I needed a pot, thermometer, strainer, cloth to line the strainer, a bowl, some lemons, and fresh goats milk.

I heated the goats milk slowly to 200 degrees then added the lemon juice and a generous pinch of kosher salt. I let it set for ten minutes. When it hadn't coagulated enough I put it back on the heat and added a couple tablespoons of vinegar. I let it heat back to 200 then let set for 10 minutes again. I poured it into the cloth lined strainer. The cloth I originally chose was too fine grained and did not let it drain enough. I went to my craft room and found some cheesecloth. I let the curds drain for about 30 minutes then I gathered the cloth up and pressed more of the whey out.

I ended up with a beautiful fresh cheese similar to ricotta. I saved the whey because tomorrow I am making real ricotta cheese from it.

So, I have cheese. What to do with it? I decided to make something I call Eggplant Strata.

I roasted one sliced leek, a sliced garlic rape and a head of fresh garlic in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes. I drizzled olive oil and sprinkled the with salt before putting them in.

While that was roasting I sautéed in a bit of olive oil a chopped fresh tomato, small bunch of flat leaf parsley chopped, half a jar of roasted red and yellow peppers, chopped and a can of fire roasted tomatoes in a pan. I tossed in a couple bay leaves, about half tablespoon fennel seeds and a teaspoon each oregano and basil. To deglaze the pan I poured in about 1/2 cup good red wine and 1/4 cup thyme and honey balsamic vinaigrette. After simmering for a few minutes I added a jar of Tomato Basil sauce.  While this was simmering I sliced an eggplant, sprinkled with salt and

drizzled with olive oil. That went into the oven with the roasting veggies for the last ten minutes.

I put the cheese in a bowl and mixed in an egg, fresh ground pepper, about 1/4 cup Romano cheese and some minced garlic.

When the veggies were done I added the leek mix to the sauce. I also had some shredded pork leftover so I added that as well. The hubby gets testy when we go too long without meat. This would be good totally veggie though.

In the bottom of my stoneware baking dish I layered a couple cups of sauce with a layer of eggplant, then all the fresh cheese mixture.

I continued with another layer of eggplant, more sauce, Romano cheese then sliced of fresh mozzarella.

I baked it at 350 for about 40-45 minutes until the mozzarella was melted and turning golden.

Waiting 10 minutes for it to cool was torture! 

Ooey, gooey, cheesy goodness. It was so satisfying.

While a dinner like this is a labour of love it is what make life worth living.

Peldyn

A Birthday Party- The Dollhouse Saga

Today we had my granddaughter's birthday party. Since the dollhouse I am remaking is for her, she got some new items such as her little doll family.

The Calico Critters Buckley Deer Family..

She also got a table and chair set for what will be the tea room and little cups, pitchers, etc.

She placed them in the unfinished room.

She put some of the kitchen furniture in the kitchen to play with for the day. I still need to finish the little stove. So much to do in that room *sigh* at least she is having fun anyways.

Still working on that floor!

Today has been fun but tiring. I am very happy that even at this stage the dollhouse is bringing my granddaughter so much joy.

Peldyn

Total Randomness and a Herb Rack -The Dollhouse Saga

I feel like I have been jumping all over the place this past week. I have been unable to focus on one project with the house so I feel very scattered. I got a bit of flooring put in and some crown molding.

Did a bit of painting.

Then got sidetracked making a cute little herb drying rack.

This will hang from the ceiling in the finished kitchen. I just need to get the floor done, wainscoting, chair rail and door/window trim. It is coming along!

Peldyn