The Katrina Cottage

I am not sure how I missed these but they are Katrina Cottages

Originally designed as a dignified alternative to the FEMA trailer, the Katrina Cottage has evolved into a nationwide sensation that is finding popularity as affordable housing, guesthouses, resorts and camps. Marianne Cusato and a team of designer have partnered with Lowes to bring the Katrina Cottages to market as plans and material packages. Cottages in the Lowes series range from 308 ft. up to 1800 sq. ft. Several of the cottages have grow options that allow the smaller cottages to be expanded over time.

Refurbishing a Catskills Hunting Cabin

From the New York Times

No matter. Ms. Foster has her own shabby-chic retreat. It may not have a bathroom or a kitchen, but it is a dream of Victoriana: stacks of Limoges china with tiny rosebud patterns; chandeliers dripping crystal; billows of tissue-paper garlands.

This is all the more impressive because she renovated the 9-by-14-foot cottage, an old hunting cabin, herself. The cost of renovating and furnishing it: $3,000.

Ms. Foster haunted upstate salvage shops from Kingston to Albany for old windows with wavy glass; she found an old porch door in the precise shade of hunter green once used on the boarding houses that dotted the area; she used a jigsaw to create gingerbread trim and cut out openings for the windows.

A Very Modest Cottage

I saw this on Apartment Therapy this week and I really liked both the restoration of the cabin and the yard it was placed in.  Fabulous job in restoring it.

A Very Modest Cottage in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.  According to Apartment Therapy

Tereasa and her husband, David, bought the 1920s shack for $500 in Beardstown, Illinois. It used to be a motor court (aka motel) cabin along Route 125, where Tereasa's grandmother lived. As a kid, Tereasa told her dad that she was going to "move in and make it her house," and he reassured her that nothing—not even a ramshackle wreck—was beyond fixing. She took the message to heart.

As an adult, Tereasa bought a Wisconsin campground with her husband and decided it was the perfect spot for her childhood dream home. She and David had the cabin hoisted onto a trailer and carted it for 10 hours across Illinois and Wisconsin (driving slowly to keep too many roof shingles from flying off). After setting it down in its new home at the Wandawega Lake Resort, Tereasa and David began their labor of love, repairing, restoring, scraping paint, replacing logs, and working very hard to bring the cottage back to life.

There is also a book about the cottage, the move, and the restoration.  You can purchase it at Amazon.com

website | blog | book

Father’s Day Gift Guide

Over at Jordon Cooper Outfitters, Jordon has put together a great Father’s Day Gift Guide.  If you are looking for something for your father or are just looking for some cool ideas for yourself, check it out.

Technorati Tags: Father's Day,Gift Guide

Pork Sausage Kebobs Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Italian, garlic, or your favourite spicy Ontario Pork sausage
• 1 medium green, red or yellow pepper cut into squares
• 1 small zucchini thickly sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp each dried oregano, basil, rosemary
• 1/2 tsp each red hot chili flakes, crushed dried mint leaves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 16 mushroom caps (vegetables like onions or tomatoes can also be added)

Instructions:

• Cut sausage into 1" pieces and place in a large plastic bag with pepper and zucchini pieces.
• Combine remaining ingredients except mushrooms; pour into the bag. Seal bag and refrigerate 4 hours to overnight, turning bag over occasionally.
• Drain marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Alternately thread pieces of marinated sausage and vegetables and mushrooms on long metal skewers.
• Barbecue kebabs over low heat until the sausage is cooked through and well browned, about 15 minutes (or in oven on broil for 12-15 minutes), basting frequently with the marinade to prevent the vegetables from burning.
• Serve over a mixture of wild and brown rice or wrap a generous slice of Italian bread around the kebab; slide out the skewer and eat as a hot sandwich.

Oven-Baked Western Omelette Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 cup cooked ham, chopped
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Canadian cheese such as Monterey Jack, cheddar or Gouda

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper, ham and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes or until mixture is lightly browned. Spread evenly in a greased 11" x 7" baking dish.
3. Mix eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper. Pour over ham mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm and golden. Cut into 4-6 pieces and serve hot.