Baked Rosemary Potatoes

WARNING: If you try this recipe, you may become addicted.
Baked Rosemary Potatoes are the perfect compliment to Turkey Meatloaf and are super easy to make.
(And I will share that recipe on Saturday-don’t you worry.)

Please, unfasten your seat belts.
Your tummy needs some more room.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I always avoid the “I-get-around” Olive Oil, personally…)
1 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/8 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
6-8 Red Potatoes

Ziplock Bag
9 x 12 Casserole Dish
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, please…

Pour the 1/4 C of olive oil into a ziplock bag.

Add the 1 tsp Garlic Salt and the 1/2 tsp Paprika to the ziplock bag.

Next, add the 1 tsp Sea Salt and the 1/8 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper to the ziplock bag.

By now, this is what will be staring right back at you from the bottom of your ziplock bag. Inhale it’s yummy odor…

Cut your potatoes into bite sized pieces. Add them to the ziplock bag and zip it shut.

Gently shake the bag, keeping a hand on the ‘zippy’ part. I don’t care what they claim, the bag will sometimes unzip at the most inopportune time.
Thoroughly coat the potatoes with the olive oil & spice mixture.

I lightly sprayed no-stick onto the bottom of my 9 x 12 casserole dish before dumping the potatoes in. Spread the potatoes evenly in the dish.

Pull the leaves from your fresh rosemary stems and distribute evenly over the potatoes.
Bake these little yummy dudes at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until tender.

So yummy, so easy…
So good as a leftover the next day because you made WAY too much for two people.
I hope you enjoy-I know I did. Come back Saturday for the Turkey Meatloaf Recipe!

Until we meet again-Admiral Twin

Francis Ford Coppola filmed ‘The Outsiders’ in 1982 in Tulsa, OK.
It stars a couple of unknowns like:
Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon and Patrick Swayze.

Several scenes from that movie were filmed at the historic Admiral Twin drive-in movie theatre.
It’s hard to imagine that this run-down theatre once enjoyed hoity-toity types like Francis Ford Coppola and his entire crew of Soc’s and Greasers.

(This photo courtesy of Cali2Okie)
Several scenes from that movie were filmed at the historic Admiral Twin drive-in movie theatre.
It’s hard to imagine that this run-down theatre once enjoyed hoity-toity types like Francis Ford Coppola and his entire crew of Soc’s and Greasers.

A few days ago, the uninsured wooden structure that supported the movie screens had an altercation with gigantic flames.
Flames=1, Movie Screens=0

That charred pile of wood is all that is left of the two movie screens.
The bathrooms survived unscathed, unfortunately.

It’s been wonderful to see the response from Tulsans. They are offering their support-from flowers stuck in the chain link fence to cash donations offered to rebuild the historical drive-in.

Although, some of us T-towners need an incentive to part with our cash. I saw several dollar-bill-to-box-candy exchanges. Whatever brings in the cash, I suppose.

And with our help and $300,000, Admiral Twin shall rise again.
I just hope they can do something about those bathrooms, too….

Mod Log Table

I have been dreaming of an outdoor end table for quite some time. When my neighbor decided to chop down his very dead pine tree, the opportunity afforded itself.
I love neighbors with chainsaws.
Here’s a view of the finished Mod Log Table. Yes, it’s inside my house. No, it hasn’t spent a day outside yet. I think it’s kind’ve pretty inside…

In order to make your own Mod Log Table, you’ll need a dead tree-preferably very dead. I hopped the fence into my neighbors yard and picked out my victim from amongst the carnage laying before me.

I let my Little Mini chainsaw rest while I borrowed the neighbor’s beefier chainsaw. I tried to make the cut as even as possible, knowing I would have to sand down any high points on the wood later on.

I had some vintage legs laying around, but you can use pre-made legs that you can buy at Lowe’s. You’ll also want lag screws to fasten your legs to the log, polyurethane, a foamy brush, and gloves. You’ll want some steel wool & a microfiber cloth for in between your poly layers.

You’ll need a drill with a drill bit slightly smaller than your lag screw and a belt sander with 40 & 80 grit sandpaper, a socket set and a level(not pictured-sorry!).

Sand the top and bottom of your log until it’s smooth, starting with the 40 grit. Use the 80 grit for your fine sand.
That’s fine, baby, that’s fine….

Once your log is smooth, use small set screws to temporarily attach the legs to the underside of the log. Outline the table legs (so when you remove them later on, you’ll know where they go) and flip your table over to check for it being level.

Using your level as shown, ‘shim’ up your table leg until the table sits level. Measure the amount you will either need to router out of the underside of your table, or shim up with scrap plywood.
Or you can choose to sand it even more until your shoulder falls off.
Flip your table back over and remove the legs.

I cut out pieces of plywood with a jigsaw to make up the difference I had measured earlier in order for the table to be level. I chose to shim up my legs, mainly because I do not own a router. This doesn’t look quite as finished, but for an outside table, I was ok with it.

Drill pilot holes for your lag screws or for your pre-made table legs using a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the screw you’ll be using.

Use a socket set to insert your lag screws, if you have legs like mine (tee hee). If you have pre-made legs with the screw already sticking out of the end, just screw them into where you drilled your pilot holes.

Wipe the table down with a microfiber cloth-get all the nooks and crannies. Now it’s time to make it pretty! Enough of the functional stuff. WOO-HOO!

Apply your first layer of polyurethane and let dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It’ll be so purty when you’re done with the first layer!

Use your steel wool to get any of the bubbles out by ‘sanding’ it lightly.

Use your steel wool to get any of the bubbles out by ‘sanding’ it lightly.
Wipe the entire thing down again with your microfiber cloth. Apply another coat of poly and let dry.

You now have such a cute table, you may not be able to bring yourself to put it outside. Mine hasn’t made it outside yet. I keep telling myself to let go…but I’m worried it will be lonely outside…

Getting to know you, Grandma

Due to a devastating fire that happened years ago, many of the photographic memories from my mom’s side of the family went up in smoke. My sweet Aunt has a few remaining pictures of the family and has recently been sharing them with me-‘her favorite niece’.
(Note: I am her only niece…)

My Grandpa (my mom’s dad) is the man on the right wearing the ‘old man onesy’. Grandpa didn’t mess about when it came to fishing. Nor when it came to love. Grandpa was madly in love with my Grandma. But she passed away at the age of 53. I was only three at the time-I don’t even remember what her voice sounded like. And up until yesterday, I had only one picture of my Grandma.

I see where I get my sass from and my love for men’s oversized flannel shirts.

My Grandmother looks classy and so full of life. We would have gotten along famously, I am sure.
Because of these photos, I feel a bit of a connection to the woman I never knew. I feel my Grandmother would understand my weird spiciness.
Or at least pretended to understand..but at any rate, I would have another ally on my side. And I need all the help I can get.