Locked Up and Getting Electrified!

Thursday, March 31, 2011 - Day 45.

This past week has been a blur of activity at the house.  They got the front door installed and the garage doors on, so we can now lock up the place at the end of the day.  They finished up the HVAC and furnace and started the electric installation.  Enjoy the pictures!

Last Thursday, Day 38. They installed garage doors and the front door.

We're still waiting on the Transom Window that goes over the front door.  Hopefully that will be in next week.

They strarted running all the wiring for our electrical outlets and switches.

Lindsey and Carl stopped by to make sure the electricians got everything in the right place.  We made a few adjustments, and everything is looking great.

The Kitchen (below) looks packed full of blue boxes!  We'll have lots of light and plenty of places to plug in all of Lindsey's kitchen gadgets.

They finally finished installing the furnace and all of the heating vents.



The house is definitely going up fast.  The electric should be done by next Monday.  The plumbers are coming next week to install all the pipes.  Insulation goes in after that and the builders should be working on drywall by the middle of April.  We're hoping to move in by June.  Stay tuned for more pictures this week and next.

Calzones

Buddy from the tv show Kitchen Boss made calzones on one of his shows and we thought we give Buddy's recipe a try.

1 box Jiffy pizza crust mix

3 Italian bratwurst sausage

1 Green pepper - sliced

1/2 Onion - sliced

Mozzarella cheese

Pizza sauce

Prepare pizza crust according to the directions on the box and divide into two balls of dough.  Boil bratwurst until cooked through.  Saute the green peppers and onions together with the cooked bratwurst.  Roll dough into two large thin circles. Slice bratwurst into pieces. Fill crust with bratwurst, green peppers, onions and cheese on one half of the crust. Fold the other half of the crust on top of the filling and seal edges. Cut three, two inches cuts into the top of the crusts and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Gettin' Some Air

March 21 & 22, 2011 - Days 35 & 36

They have started to install the HVAC duct work and should be installing the furnace tomorrow.

Strawberry Freeze

Carl was telling me about a frozen strawberry dessert that his Grandma Bernice would make in the summer a few weeks ago and I found the recipe (well a similar one) online and gave it a try. It turned out great and is so delicious. Carl has had many helpings so far and says he can't help it, he's cursed - he has a wife that makes delicious desserts.

For the crust and crumbs:

1 cup butter

2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup finely chopped pecans

For the filling:

3 whole egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 pint frozen sliced strawberries, partially thawed then blended or crushed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups whipping cream



For the crust and crumbs:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan or microwave bowl. Stir in flour, sugar, and pecans. Spread in a large ungreased baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring twice, until nicely browned. Remove from oven, break up any large pieces and cool. Reserve 1/3 of crumbs for topping and spread the remaining 2/3 crumbs into a 9x13 pan.

For the filling:

In a large stand mixing bowl, add the egg whites, sugar, strawberries and lemon juice. Beat on high speed until thickened and voluminous. This will take up to 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the cream until stiff. Fold into the strawberry mixture. Turn into the crumb-lined pan. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over the top. Cover and freeze overnight or up to one month.

This dessert does not need to be thawed to serve. Just remove from the freezer, cut with a knife and serve immediately.

Recipe from the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen Blog.

Windows and Doors Are In

Friday, March 18, 2011

They were able to get all the windows and doors installed except for the front door and the transom window above it.



Living Room




Library/Office/Den



Master Bedroom

Dining Room

Carl had to make sure the truck would fit in the garage. It's close but it fits.

And Carl had to make sure they weren't throwing away any good wood scraps.

The Roof is On

March 17, 2011

Today the Amish building crew came and shingled the whole roof. The insullation guy also came today and sprayed insullation behind the showers.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Bigger and Better

March 16, 2011

The crew is moving right along. The framing is done and the shingles, doors and windows were delievered today so that they can begin installing them next.

It's Getting Taller

Friday, March 11, 2011

The crew continued with framing the house and they made some good progress this week.



Scalloped Potatoes and Ham and Sloppy Joes

Scalloped potatoes and ham is a classic Christlieb family recipe. We have these potatoes at most family get togethers and they go great with so many things.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

6 medium potatoes - sliced thin
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup diced ham
3/4 cup Velveeta

Partially boil potatoes and place in a greased 9"x13" baking dish. In a medium saucepan combine butter, milk, cornstarch, soup, ham and velveeta. Heat through and pour over potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately one hour.

Sloppy Joes

2 lbs hamburger
1 onion - chopped
1 green pepper - chopped
1 can tomato soup
1-2 tablespoons mustard
4 tablespoons brown sugar

Brown hamburger, onions and green peppers in a skillet until cooked. Add soup, mustard and brown sugar. Continue cooking until well combined and heated through.

The Walls Are Going Up

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The rain finally held off and the crew was able to start framing today. It's going up quickly!

Baked Cabbage with Bacon

This is a recipe from Carl's bachelor days in Kentucky. It's a delicious new take on baked cabbage and goes well with steak.

1 head of cabbage - cut in 8 equal wedges
16 slices of bacon
2 sticks of butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

- Tear off a piece of foil (appox 12"x18") and spray the center with cooking spray
- Cut 2 Tbsp of butter into 4 pieces
- Place two pats of butter in the center of the foil
- Place the wedge of cabbage on the butter
- Wrap the wedge of cabbage with two pieces of bacon
- Season with salt and pepper
- Place the remaining two pats of butter on top of the cabbage
- Fold and crimp the foil together to create a sealed pocket
- Bake at 450 degrees for 40 minutes or until cabbage is tender

*We usually half the recipe to make only 4 wedges of baked cabbages

Adding the Garage Foundation

Tuesday & Wednesday, March 1st & 2nd, 2011 - Days 16 and 17

It was back to work at the Ranch this week after the snow melted and we got a bunch of rain on Monday.  The concrete guys were able to get back to work on Tuesday.  They poured the footers for the garage.

The cement trucks cut some big ruts in the driveway.  You can't even tell that stones were dumped there just two weeks ago.

Wednesday, the concrete crew was back again to pour the garage pad and foundation.  They also poured the front porch and the back patio pads.  When they finished, all the new concrete was covered with thick insulated tarps to keep it warm while it cures.

With a little luck and good weather next week they should be ready to start framing up the walls of the house next week.  The concrete needs to cure for 3-4 days before they start.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Mexican food is one of our favorites and here is a quick and easy recipe for chicken tortilla soup.

2 pounds chicken, cooked and cubed or shredded (one rotisserie chicken)

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (15 ounce) can beef broth (or 2 cups)

2 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth (or 4 cups)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 can Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chilis

1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained

I (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Tortilla chips

sour cream, optional

In large pot, saute onions in olive oil for 10 minutes or until soft. Pour remaining ingredients in the pot. Mix and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream, if desired.

This recipe is from Sarah's blog www.grshortstop.blogspot.com.