The Island of Misfit Keys

This is a really simple project, so simple that it's almost not worth blogging about... but it's amazing what a few dollars and a few minutes can do to ease your mind!  EVERYONE should do this!  Every year that passes is just another key to forget the purpose of.  

It makes me think of my grandparents' kitchen.  I always wondered why my grandmother would write the date on things with a wax pencil... how could you forget when you got something, or have it and not use it for long enough that it would go bad?  Well, I found out when I was helping her after my grandfather died.  In 2006, I was finding things in the pantry that were marked as early as 1992.  Turns out that when you're busy and things are around you long enough, you forgot when you got them and what you got them for.  There was even a bottle of liquor in a cupboard in the laundry room marked "opened April 1974"

This little project started when I accidentally broke a window pane in our side door (which we never use) and proceeded to tear through the junk/key drawer and laundry room looking for the keys to it... with no luck.  And to top it off, they were keys to a deadbolt which we had just installed a couple of months before, so I knew they were around somewhere!  I did manage to find the keys within a few days and they happened to be safety pinned to our spare house key (I'm always putting things in "safe" places, never to be found again).  

It got me thinking though... how long will I remember that the little keys on the piece of molding on the shelf by the phone belong to our storm door?  Or that the keys attached to the yellow springy bracelet thing are for my grandmother's apartment (note that those were still in the drawer even though she died two years ago)?

Enough is enough!  I decided it was high time to label every single key that we have and know the use for and toss the ones that we know for sure don't go to anything anymore.  

I whipped out my trusty label maker and hit up the local hardware store for a bunch of fun colored plastic key chains.

colorful organization things + labelmaker = YAY FUN!!!!

As usual, I got caught up in the project and only took the "after" photo!  We threw out lots of keys, including keys for a car we don't have anymore, my deceased grandmother's apartment keys, old work keys, places we don't live anymore, etc...   but naturally it couldn't be that simple because there are still a number of mystery keys that we weren't totally sure about and weren't ready to trash.  So for now there's a zip baggie labeled "keys I think are trash, 2012."  

The rest got labeled (there are WAY more than in these photos).  It took about 15 minutes and I bought a couple dozen of the plastic key labels for less than $10... time and money well spent!  

semi-DIY picture framing

A few weeks ago, I started looking around the house at all the unframed art we have.  This particular poster has been sitting on top of books in the office for as long as I remember which is a shame because it's really cool!  I decided it was high time to put it in a frame, but since I'd just taken three of my grandmother's watercolor paintings to a proper frame shop (and paid the ouchie price), I wanted to find a cheaper option.  

It's an odd size, so buying a readymade frame wasn't an option.  I headed to Jerry's Artarama to see the frame pieces that you buy and assemble yourself.  They've got four frame styles and then you just choose the dimensions.  I did have the frame person at Jerry's cut the mat for me (about $14) and then I bought the 13" and 28" frame segments and the offset clips.  It was so easy to put together!

You just tap the piece of plastic into place with hammer!

Next, lay everything inside the frame (note: I have foamcore and the extra practice mat behind the picture)

I got 1/2" offset clips (the largest they had) and they weren't deep enough, so I stacked squares cut from extra mat board to make up the difference.  I drilled pilot holes, then screwed the clips in place

Looking good!  I cut a bit of the mat board out to go around the monkey's foot... this is why there's a practice one behind the picture - it didn't go well the first time!

Gluten Free Nutella Pizza

I had the most amazing dessert pizza this summer at a restaurant called Nebo in Boston's historic North End.  On their gluten free menu, it is described as "sweet pizza dough topped with chocolate, Nutella, and chopped hazelnuts"

A few months passed and while making pizza for dinner one night I decided to make my own!  I didn't reference my photo of their pizza or look the menu up online, I just remembered that it involved Nutella and nuts.  Nebo's is much classier looking with the delicately piped chocolate lattice, but mine tasted just as delicious!

Nutella pizza with almonds

My go-to pizza recipe is Bette Hagman's "Yeast-Rising Thick Pizza Crust" recipe from her "Gluten-Free Gourmet" cookbook.  It makes crust for two pizzas.  I cannot recommend a Kitchenaid mixer strongly enough for this crust.  It gets pretty doughey at the end and a regular handheld mixer might choke. 

Bette Hagman's "Yeast-Rising Thick Pizza Crust" with my adaptations:

2 c  rice flour

2 c  tapioca flour

2/3 c  dry milk powder

3 1/2 t  xanthan gum

1 t  salt

2 T  dry yeast granules

1 c  lukewarm water

1 T  sugar

3 T  butter

1/2 c  hot water

4 eggs

Mix dry ingredients in the bowl of your mixer.  Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water.  Melt the butter in the hot water.  Pour the hot water/butter mixture into the mixer and blend.  Add the eggs and blend again.  Last, add the yeast mixture and then beat on high for 4 minutes (might be longer with a handheld mixer)

The beauty of gluten free pizza dough is that there is no rolling or kneading or tossing dough above your head.  It's more like frosting a cake.

Lightly grease your pizza pans.  Spread the dough out across the pan using a spatula.  Officially you are supposed to let it rise 10-20 minutes and then bake in a 400 degree oven for 5-7 minutes before adding toppings.  I typically put it in a cold oven and then set it to bake at 400.  I figure that by the time 400 is reached, it's been a nice warm place to let the dough rise.  So after the oven dings that it's hit 400, I let the crust bake until the top starts to brown just a little (around that 5-7 minute range)

Next, take the crust out of the oven, slap your toppings on, and put it back in the oven until it starts browning!  My impulse to do the Nutella pizza was very last minute so it's incredibly simple.  I just slathered Nutella on the crust and sprinkled on a package of slivered almonds and then put it back in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Next time I would plan in advance and get hazelnuts.  I'd also add a little sugar to the dough if I were planning to make a whole dessert pizza.  You could also just bake the crust with butter and sugar and the hazelnuts on top and then add the Nutella after baking.

delicious half and half cheese and Nutella pizza... mmmm...

note the classier design of the inspiration Nutella pizza at Nebo (so tasty that we were halfway through before remembering to take a photo!)