Adventures in Rental Renos

  Alright so any of you who rent an apartment or even a house know my woes. You want  it to feel like home but at the same time you don't own it and there for don't really want to invest loads of money into making it magical bcause when the time comes you can't take it all with you.

 We lived in our current place for a year before deciding we would stay here till we buy a condo. At that point we went to our landlords and said, hi we love you and we love living here but our place looks like a frat house what can we do? They were more than happy to pay for us to do one project per month and just take whatever it cost off the price of our rent!

 So far we took out the carpet had laminates put in, painted the whole apartment, re-painted and decorated the stairway and had custom curtains made for all the rooms. Now we are onto the kitchen / bathroom. Both came with what is quite possibly the most ugly tile backsplash known to man kind. They have made me insane since we moved it!

 We had planned on ripping them out and putting in a new back splash. But frankly for what it cost and the amount of hot mess and work it would take we searched out other options.

 I have become very friendly with the man in the paint section at our local Home Depot and he knows EVERYTHING lol. So I went to go see him and ask for his suggestions. We ended up leaving with this new prime anything primer to paint over our tiles with and something else ment for decks and patios that would give a stucco effect to the existing tile. Only cost $75 so it seemed like the best option.

 I cleaned all the tiles with just hot water and a rag very well like he told me (I have learned to listen to what the Home Depot man tells me lol). Nate taped off all the edges for me cause I hate doing it. Then I  did 2 coats of the primer and let it set over night.

Today I did one coat with the special textured roller let it set for 3 hours then did my second coat and it was as easy as that! Now if any of you do end up using this paint for something similar be warned it is messssyyyy! The paint it  mixed with cement and sand and it flies everywhere when you are rolling it on. Be sure to wash down all unrealted surfaces as soon as you are done each coat with super hot water and a rag otherwise you will hate yourself later trying to get it all off!


So here is the finished product, not exactly my dream kitchen but way easier on the eyes then baby blue tiles with painted white flowers lol. It makes a hugggge difference!

 

  Next up on the list is redoing the kitchen floors and then refacing all the kitchen cabinets! Can't wait to have the floor done because our kitchen floor is like a sponge for mess. I can mop it in the am and by dinner time it looks like someone covered in dirt rolled around all over it. Makes no sense/drives me nuts cause I am kind of a clean freak. I think it was a tile that needed a topcoat and or sealant and it was just never done wah wahhhhhhh.

  I am a pretty handy lady so if any of you have questions or want suggestions of what to do chez vous don't be scared to ask!

Thats it for now, off to do my gf Sarah's hair whilst we gorge on the remaining Barbacoa beef !!

Adventures in Slow Cooking

So after living down in SanDiego I grew a possibly unhealthy addiction to Mexican food. Mexican food the likes of which you CAN NOT find in Canada. With the awesome summer weather here I have been craving real mexican food more and more! SOOOOO I decided to take it into my own hands and try my hand at some epic mexican treats.

I found a recipe for slowcooker Barbacoa Beef to use for tacos and burritos. I made the beef yesterday so we could have it for lunch today. WOW was the recipe ever spot on! The meat is delish tender and so flavourful! Here is the recipe I used with my own little changes and suggestions

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef 

(original recipe and link here)

1 jar of Tomatillo salsa (presidents choice has a great one)
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed well and chopped
1 red onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 head garlic, peeled and cloves smashed
5 dry bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Juice of 4 limes
1/2 cup cider vinegar
5 to 7 pounds beef brisket
4 to 6 cups beef or chicken stock

Stir together chipotle peppers and sauce, cilantro, red onion, garlic, clove, salt, lime juice, and cider vinegar in the insert of a slow cooker. Place the brisket on top of this mixture.  Add stock to cover the meat and place bay leaves on top. (if meat isn't fully covered cut brisket in half and replace in pot).

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Once finished, turn crock pot to WARM and let sit for 6 to 8 hours.

Remove meat from slow cooker and place on rimmed baking sheet. Use two forks to pull the meat apart.

Place shredded beef in large bowl and ladle cooking liquid over the top a few scoops at a time. You want the meat to hold the liquid but not swim in it.

I kept all the cooking liquid and frozer it to make a stew in the fall because it was so rich and seemed like a waste to toss out!

Here is my end results ( I made fresh salsa to go with them HERE is my recipe for salsa fresca)

 They were delish and this is for sure a recipe we will be making again in the future!
Hope everyones week is off to a great start!