Friday, February 23, 2018

Thrift Store Swaparoo!

Today I did a little of the Thrift Store Swaparoo. A knitting friend at the Prayer Shawl Group this morning offered to give me some glass canisters after hearing about our "rustic cabin kitchen makeover."
 She gave me the one in the front (sugar) and the one in the back left (all purpose flour). The other canister came from my mother many years ago (bread flour).
So, after about 35 years, at last I gave away my Tupperware canisters! Adam hated them.
 I've had lots of Tupperware. These were some of the oldest, purchased in college. 
I arrived at the thrift store 15 minutes before closing (boohoo!) I did find this lovely mug, just exactly my style! Kind of old-fashioned diner pattern. 25 cents!
 I nabbed this tea tin too, very pretty. With open shelves coming my way, I want more foodstuffs in pretty containers instead of original boxes. This is now full of Darjeeling. 
 I'm weaving again. This is a scarf made with a mix of variegated yarns in purple/pink/blue.
 Adam had one large concrete leaf that split down the middle during winter. I put the halves along the edge of our new tea garden second herb bed. I'd like to separate my cooking herbs from my tea herbs, but sometimes plants have a mind of their own, and they end up where you have space.
 I'll get them snuggled down in the soil and remove those bricks. I told Adam they look like sunrises. He could make sunrises like that, paint them sunrise colors, sell them at the market. We are always looking for a selling option!
He made the new kitchen shelves:
 You see we've had sunny, pretty weather for working outside.
 He put a little lip along the outside edges of the shelves to prevent things from sliding off. He got a miter box to help him make tidy corners.
Then I stained and sealed them.
Adam made the most interesting thing for dinner recently. He bought a block of soft/creamy feta cheese, dusted it with flour, and fried it in a skillet with some apple brandy.
 It was gorgeous to look at, and we spread it on French bread.
Adam liked it. Feta cheese is too salty and dry for me, by itself. I added dollops of Christmas jam on top, and it was better. Next time he'll pick a different cheese. It was a fun dish!

Oh, did I ever show you the wool carders I received with my spinning wheel?

 They're very old and fragile. That's leather, nailed to the wood, and flax in the teeth. And on the back of one of them is this mark, burnt into the wood:
Even my fiber friends on my facebook group for antique wheels and looms couldn't really help me decipher that one. What do you think?

11 comments:

Unknown said...

I use glass jars for storage on our kitchen hutch too! The new dish sounds interesting...have you ever had the Pecan Apple Brie appetizer at Square Root here in Brevard? It is yummy...and they also drizzles caramel over it, serving granny smith apples for dipping and crackers. I'd better go fix lunch, after talking about all this! Lynn

Lisa Richards said...

Can't wait to see the finished shelves and scarf! The cheese looks WONDERFUL. Cheese makes everything better! It'll be fun finding pretty containers for your kitchen. :)

happyone said...

The new old canisters are very nice. My husband has always hated tupperware too. : )
Looks like a nice job on the kitchen shelves.
I like feta cheese and that looks delicious.

Granny Marigold said...

I like the little lip at the edge of the shelves. Here. where we get the occasional earth tremor, that would be essential I'd think.
The fried Feta looks so delicious. I must try that.

Carol Blackburn said...

You two are just busy bees, aren't you. Interesting what Adam did with the cheese. There is one called Halloumi that comes in a small block about 4"x4" and you fry it too and eat it like crackers or bread. I have a block but haven't opened it to try yet as I still have others I need to use up first. I have to be careful, being the only one eating these things I often have things go bad on me. I want to be more frugal and a better steward of our money. Have a wonderful evening.

Pom Pom said...

Fun stuff, MK! I love your new canisters! Tupperware is funny, isn't it? I used to keep my flour and sugar in Tupperware and I can't remember when I changed.
The broken leaf looks perfect right there!
Oh, your weaving is so wonderful! Huge applause!
I know just the kind of mug you mean. I love them, too.
Sending heaps of love your way!

Carol Blackburn said...

I love the glass jars and colorful tins for your open cabinets. So much nicer than the store boxes and bags. What's nice is sometimes you can find a tin that is a product you use; like there is a Premium Saltines tin out there somewhere that I've seen before. Have a great day!

Henny Penny said...

I like the glass containers a lot. We used to have Tupperware but when we moved in the cabin, plastic and a log cabin just didn't go together. :) I wanted to get rid of all plastic. That cheese dish looks delicious. How lucky you are to have a husband who cooks!

Gumbo Lily said...

Glass jars are nice. I like putting wood scoops or old chipped tea cups in them for scoops. The tea tin is very pretty. I love fried cheese! It looks so good. Ever try Bally Shannon by Kerrygold? It's an amazing white cheddar that we love. It's good every way you can think of using it. I love it sizzling in the skillet.

Una said...

I love a good rummage in a charity shop. I know all the best ones within a 10 mile radius of my home! Your tea canister is very pretty.

GretchenJoanna said...

Long ago I learned to fry mozzarella cheese, after breading it. It was yummy. And in India they often fry the paneer cheese a bit before using it in recipes. I could not believe what a difference it made, softening it and making it so so creamy.