Roasted Tomatoes

I know, I know. You're sick of fresh tomatoes by this time of year, right?  (I'm not, but this is the first year I've had a great tomato in a very long time)

So we've got a new technique for dealing with the August bounty.

Roasted 'maters!  I know, so original and innovative!  Really, though, it's worth trying.

It's easy and delicious.  First, choose tomatoes.

The ones above aren't really appropriate because they're not fully ripened (we take 'em off the vine a little early because the critters'll get to them otherwise).  

Side note: Anybody know which variety that hot pink one is?  It's not the same color as the Brandywine at its ripest but it's unlike any other tomato I've picked.  Guess it could just be color variation.

But these? They look awesome. If you're a purist, pick paste tomatoes like Amish Paste or Roma. They're fleshier.  However, we follow no such rules at The Kiefer Cottage.  Nope, we're equal opportunity tomato roasters, so even the big mamba jambas are included in this recipe.

Slice the tomatoes.  Don't make 'em too thin or else they shall burn (you'll evidence a couple photos down).  Ryan made this batch, and that explains a lot about the outcome (Love you husband!  You're a good apprentice!!).

Put them on a baking sheet (with sides, not a cookie sheet) you've put plenty of olive oil on.  When you get the ends, put them skin side down, not the other way 'round like in this photo.  Brush olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on the tomatoes.

Bake 45-60 minutes at 400 degrees F.  Turn the pan halfway through. Check for burning.  The thin slices may not survive.

At this point, I should have a beautifully staged photo taken on the lime green freezer.  However, my husband proceeded to eat both pans of tomatoes in a matter of minutes.  All of them. I got one bite.  So you'll just have to use your imagination.

Personally, I was planning on putting them on sandwiches or making salads with them. Instead, I shall cry that he didn't leave any for me.

Don't forget our post on making tomato sauce the lazy man's way!

No fall garden, no Tiramisu, but there will be light fixtures!

We came to a tough decision a few weeks ago.  There will be no fall garden planting.  The drought has gotten worse, and I don't have the patience nor the money to water.  So the bare spots shall remain bare.

I've also come to the toughest realization of my life.  I cannot eat Tiramisu.

I know.  I can't believe it either.

For years,  I've been unable to tolerate coffee--my stomach starts seizing within an hour of drinking a cup--but coffee-laced desserts seemed to be okay since the amount is so miniscule.  But no longer.  Goodbye, my Tiramisu.

Perhaps that's unfair. I haven't figured out if it's the caffeine or something else that causes all the distress, so I guess I could try decaf. But that seems to be akin to eating tomato-free pizza. It's okay, but it ain't pizza.

Therefore, I shall comfort myself with photos of things that make me smile (other than the fam and the animal life around here).

Hate the candle thingies, but love the structure.

A little metal twin bed. Perhaps for Drew?

Beautiful!  Maybe for the dining room, but I'll have to find $58, which will take an entire year to raise if I rely solely on "profits" for the blog.

Anywho, have a great weekend!  I hope you never have to abstain from your favorite dessert!

Gift from Jen @ Four Marrs and One Venus

I won a blog sweepstakes over a month ago. It was a huge giveaway, and I got a few months worth of advertising on different blogs as well as some lovely presents, too.

I've been in la-la land this August and have failed to thank everyone for their generosity.  But now I can at least tackle one thank-you (the Devil told me he'd be comin' for me otherwise).

Jen at Four Marrs and One Venus offered to make beautiful up to five letters.  I must admit I usually don't go for that type of decoration--my children never knew their names because I failed to hang cutesy'd up letters above their cribs, and no one, I'm afraid, knows that they should eat in the kitchen since there is no sign telling them to.  However, since I could pick anything, I decided to go with some irony.

I think they actually look great on the piano!  I chose the color scheme that would be affixed to the wooden forms.

I only chose one pattern that was an obvious nod to the instrument. Otherwise, I chose from a lovely selection of purty paper that Jen had on hand.

What's the joke?  Well, this is the quietest room in the house.  Not only is it a calming blue, but *Piano*, in musical terminology, means "Shut the heck up and stop being so loud.  Use your inside voice, kid."

I'm planning on putting something in the family room, the noisiest room at the Kiefer Cottage (and perhaps the loudest in the entire world), using the word Forte, which means "Kick it up a notch, please."  That's on a long list of things I'll get to eventually.

In the meantime, thanks to Jen for such a lovely piece of decor!

FREE DOWNLOAD!

Gratuitous Katie picture.

I haf a geeft for yous!

By yous, I mean peeps like me.

I've compiled a list for bored moms. You know, for times when you feel like all you do is wipe bottoms, make PB&J, and clean up mystery stains on the wall.  I'm sure there are plenty of gals who never ever feel like this, but I'm not one to pretend everything's sunshine and unicorns all the time at The Kiefer Cottage.

You'll find silly ideas, fun ideas, seriously boredom-consuming ideas.  What's great is that I'm giving it to you for FREE, so if yous don't like it, you can either delete the download or even better, you can print it out and burn it in the sink (in Kansas, no burning outside unless you want to start the Great Fire of 2012).  If you choose the latter, film it and send me the link.

Of course, anyone can download the file--it's not like there's a screening process. If you're a childless yogi living in Fairbanks, AK, you can still read my teeny tiny mini publication (FYI, this is not the book I wrote, which is taking me forever to finish up, and for my devoted fans, I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart).

Yes, it's FREE!  It's on my sidebar way up at the top.  Click on the icon "Mommy's Bored" and you'll have three options for download. We formatted it in three ways--it looks great on the iPad as well as the Kindle (you can email it to your Kindle, FYI), but let me know if there is a problem with the files.

And if you have any ideas to add, send them to me at starr@thekiefercottage.com.  I'll give you credit if you like.

Download here!

The cheapest bookshelves on Earth

It's been about a year since we dealt with the upstairs landing.

We painted the walls, the trim, and the built-in cabinet.

But we did not deal with the books.

Instead, we left the wall of awesome and kept the reading material on the floor.

I had dreams of finding a few squat bookcases with glass front doors.  What I found instead? A bunch of Not-For-Sale signs on all the bookcases at the vintage furniture markets. Or they were about $400 a piece.  About $350 more than I wanted to spend.  Yes, I was in la-la land about scoring a solid wood bookcase or two, but really, what was the harm in having unrealistic expectations for awhile?

After 12 months, though, I was ready to move along on this project and finish it.

Thanks to Target and their limitless supply of el-cheapo furniture, I finally did. Recently the Tarjay put its small Room Essentials bookcases on sale for $15.  Usually, I despise pressed board furniture. It's often not any less expensive than solid, used pieces, but since I hadn't found anything I liked, I decided to bite the bullet and buy three. If we ever sell the house, we'll leave the shelving since it's doubtful it would survive any move.  

My wall of awesome has been significantly reduced.  Only left with a collage from Girl Scouts circa 1987.  But it feels good having the books off the floor.

You'll see my books are every which way but neat.  I like books for reading, not for decorating, so I rarely work too hard at placement.  And when I don't read something, it leaves the house.  Imagine at least three times this amount in a 600 sqft apartment in the A-T-L. Picture me moving dozens of boxes of books.  And then imagine me selling the majority of them on Ebay in a fit of rage over the prospect of ever moving them again.  I still keep some sentimental favorites, though, including my Hieroglyphs textbook from college.
 

Anywho, I think I made the right choice.  

Thanks to Ryan for taking the great After photos with no overhead lighting and twilight outside.