Wooden Pallet Furniture – DIY Project

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Silke

After moving to our new town home in South Carolina we needed furniture for our little screened in sun room. We didn’t have it in our budget to buy new so we decided to make our own wood pallet furniture.

One day, four pallets, $48 in materials, some left over paint & screws and here we go:

Making Pallet FurnitureStep 1: Measure your room and figure out how many pallets you will need. We were working with a very small area so we only needed four pallets, cut in half and stacked four high.

Standard wood pallet sizes are 36 inch x 36 inch, 42 inch x 42 inch and 48 inch x 48 inch. (By the way, wood pallets are sometimes referred to as ‘flats’.) Be careful to remove all the nails that might poke through. Set aside the better pallets so you can keep them for the top where you will sit.  You can paint the pallets if you like.

Step 2: Stack your pallets to see how high you want to go, this depends on your personal preference. Make sure that the top pallet has secure boards on both ends.

Step 3: Cut foam cushioning and heavy fabric (we used drapery panel we picked up on clearance) to the size of the top pallets.

Step 4: Lay the foam on top of the pallet and cover with the fabric. Attach the fabric to the underside and the ends of the top pallet using heavy duty staples.

Step 5: Set all pallets for one bench on its end and measure a piece of wood to cover them. Paint the boards, drill two holes in each and insert the ropes. Tie knots in the ends of the ropes on the backside of the boards.

If you want, you can burn the ends of the rope to prevent them from fraying. We had a propane torch that did the job in no time at all.

Attach the boards to the ends of the pallets with deck screws to give it stability. Repeat this step for the other end.

Step 6: Attach fabric to the front of the pallet benches with light duty staples (this step is not necessary if pallets are painted).

Step 7: Gather some pillows for back rests and enjoy your Wooden Pallet Furniture.

What do you think of our wooden pallet benches?

Furniture from Pallets porch furniture

DIY Wooden Pallet Furniture is an inexpensive way to add attractive seating arrangements to any sun porch, deck or even a sitting room.

This was an easy one day project that turned out really well and we will be sure to use. By adding the handles on the ends we will be able to move our pallet benches around if we have company and need more seating space.

Do you have a DIY Project you would like to share? Leave us a comment or send an email to contact@jagerfoods.com.

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Space Saving Furniture To Help Reclaim Your Home

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Nick

One of the first things you find out once you downsize is that space is a premium and anything that consumes too much or loses significance should be subject to scrutiny.

There’s always a room in your house that becomes a collect all. You know that single car garage that’s filled with ‘stuff’ and anything but your car. The basement that contains things that were carefully packaged and then left behind never to see the light of day again. For us that ‘collect all’ room was our screened in porch. The golf clubs, bikes, storage containers that transported all our belongings but are now sitting empty, tools, and questionable clothing items. We moved from Minnesota to South Carolina and those heavy winter coats and snow boots look a little lost these days.

Resin Multipurpose Cabinet

Resin Multipurpose Cabinet

The first thing on my to do list was once again to reorganize all my tools. Every time I walked out to the screened in area it was constantly nagging at me. From tool boxes full of miscellaneous screws and pliers to extension cords and my electrical power equipment, something needed to be done. A quick trip to Lowe’s provided me with the answer I was looking for. The enviro elements, Resin Multipurpose Cabinet. Getting it home was no problem even for my Ford Focus. The only items needed to construct it was a hammer and screw driver. In no time at all I had it put together and in position. Getting everything up off the floor that had been spread around was such a huge improvement.

The bikes and golf clubs take up their fair share of our space as well. With no where else to put them we had to make do with the space that we had.

Bike Rack

Sparehand Double Bike Rack

Silke had found a bike rack that you could stack the bikes on and eliminate the floor space of two bikes down to just one. At Wayfair.com, we found the Stoneman Sports Sparehand Double Bike Rack. I wasn’t too keen on drilling holes into the walls for anything and this free standing rack was perfect for what we needed. Another key advantage was making the bikes easily accessible. If they were too far out of the way then we would be less inclined to actually use them. This rack will be conveniently located next to the door going outside and will eliminate more wasted space. We had always kept our bikes next to each other and by using the bikes kick stands, we were actually taking up more room.

The patio room was shaping up rather quickly now and the empty tubs would have to be gone through. All that was left were the golf clubs. 

Golf bag organizer

JJ International Double Golf Organizer

They may seem unobtrusive but once the golf bags are set into place and the two legs swing out to support the golf clubs, you’ve actually covered quite a bit of floor space. Once again we headed to the internet to find a storage solution. The JJ International Double Golf Organizer was the perfect match. Being able to set the golf bags into the cradles and eliminate the tri-fold legs from coming out, you’re actually saving more space. The shelving unit in between is perfect for all the accessories. If I would have simply pushed them up against the wall, they would have eventually just tipped over. On top of saving space this little area looks more organized.

The end result. With the help of some space saving furniture, we were able to transform our ‘clutter’ room into something more livable. My next project is a pallet furniture idea that Silke saw online. I’m going to save that thought for another time and for this moment savor the flavor of this small accomplishment.

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Super Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Nick

This is the third recipe for our ‘Easy Recipes for Two’ video series, a delicious and Super Easy Spaghetti Bolognese.

The total time spent on making this dish was only about 12 minutes, with only a few minutes of prep time. If you want to break away from the traditional pasta and canned sauce then this recipe allows you to do just that.

What you need:

  • 1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup of tomatoes undrained
  • 2 Tbsp. tomatoe paste
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup water or red wine (alternative to use both)

Heat a large skillet to brown hamburger and a pot to boil the noodles in.

Drain any grease and water from the pan once the meat is browned.

Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are softened, about 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, Paprika, and Black Pepper to taste.

Add water and/or wine, stir and let everything heat through.

Serve noodles and sauce on plates and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Watch our video Super Easy Spaghetti Bolognese *Easy Recipes for Two with step by step cooking instructions plus a bonus segment on how to open a wine bottle.

End result

Moving away from the traditional red sauce, this Super Easy Spaghetti Bolognese allows you to experience all of the flavors of the recipe. The tomatoes taste fresh and the hint of wine and black pepper are subtle enough not to overpower the meal.

We complimented this meal with roasted red pepper spaghetti noodles from our local farmers market and a bottle of Gnarly Head Authentic Red wine.

If you give this Super Easy Spaghetti Bolognese recipe a try please leave us a comment to let us know how it turned out for you.

Visit our ’Easy Recipe for Two’ channel on YouTube for more great cooking videos.

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The 2nd Annual LowCountry Habitat for Humanity Hog Roast

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Nick

On a recent road trip to Hunting Island State Park, Silke and I literally stumbled upon a Barbecue hog roast that was taking place right at the Whitehall Plantation on Lady’s Island, Beaufort.

There’s something about the words ‘hog roast’ and ‘Barbecue’, that when put together in a sentence your mouth begins to water. Without hesitation we pulled in to investigate.

BBQ Festival and Fundraiser

This was an annual event put on by the ‘LowCountry Habitat for Humanity’. I’ve volunteered for the one back in Minnesota so I was familiar with the work that they do as well as what a valuable asset they are to a community.

A Sample of BBQ PorkWith around 27 different participating cookers all lined up and ready to serve you samples of pulled pork or a rib, you can’t help but be pulled into the little encampment with it’s many aromas and so much to choose from. We slowly made our way around the perimeter always comparing notes on favorites and ones we should go back to. Going back would have to wait. With so much to sample, why fill up on just one?

It was a beautiful day weather wise and everyone was enjoying the food as well as the live band. The Groovetones provided some blue band music that fit perfectly with the event. With our stomachs filled we made our way back to the car to continue onto our original destination. I guess fate falls in our favor from time to time. :)

Contributing Cookers:

  • Smoke Showin’
  • Smoker Ace
  • FatBoys Barbeque
  • Big Daddy BBQ
  • No Pig Left Behind
  • Pigs Last Resort
  • Backwoods Bar-B-Que
  • Hog-N-Around
  • Smokin Sea Eagle
  • Bar-B-Q Pirates
  • Pork U
  • Palmetto Smokehouse
  • Smokin Stacks BBQ
  • Carolina BBQ
  • Ultimate Tailgaters BBQ
  • Hawg Rock Cafe
  • Pimp My Pig
  • Fat Tom’s Backyard BBQ
  • Carolina Smokin Que
  • Ledyard Bar B Que Company
  • See’s Backyard BBQ
  • Bayou BBQ
  • Some-R-Swine
  • Green Eggs and Spam
  • Still Smokin’
  • Yes, Dear BBQ

Southern BBQ in South Carolina

If you would like to donate to the LowCountry Habitat for Humanity you can visit their website or call 843-522-3500. We’re already planning on making this trip again next year!

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Pineapple Sesame Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Silke

This is the second recipe for our ‘Easy Recipes for Two’ video series, a delicious Pineapple Sesame Chicken Stir Fry

The total time spent on making this dish was only about 20 minutes, with over half of it being prep time. If you like your stir fry more on the spicey side you could add some red pepper flakes, a dash of cayan pepper or a Tbsp. of Asian red pepper paste.

Pineapple Sesame Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

Easy Recipe for Two

What you need:

  • 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2     Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts or 1/2 lb. of chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 10 oz.     bag of frozen Sugar Snap Peas or 1 cup fresh peas, trimmed
  • 1     small or 1/2 large Red Pepper, cut into stips
  • 2     Scallions, sliced or 1 small onion
  • 1 tsp. minced Garlic or 2 cloves of fresh garlic
  • 1 cup Pinneapple chunks, canned or fresh
  • 1/4 cup Asian Toasted Sesame dressing
  • 1     Tbsp. Soy Sauce

Heat a large skillet or Wok with a splash of extra virgin olive oil on medium high heat. Add chicken and onions and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add peppers, peas and garlic, stir-fry for about 4 minutes or until the chicken is done.

Add pineapples, dressing and soy sauce. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste. Stir fry for another 2 minutes until heated through.

To compliment the meal we made brown, long grained rice. (Be sure to cook your rice ahead of time.) This stir fry also goes well with Low Mein or chow Mein noodles, as well as plain white rice.

Watch our video Easy Recipes for Two – Pineapple Sesame Chicken Stir Fry with step by step cooking instructions.

End result

This stir fry turned out very nice, it had a sweet and zesty taste. The combination of red peppers and peas wasn’t masked by the sweet pineapples. This is a very pleasing dish to the eye as well.

Unfortunately we were not able to find a bottle of Sake to accompliment our Stir Fry so we opten to make a Cranberry Martini instead. Yum!

If you give this Pineapple Sesame Chicken Stir Fry recipe a try please leave us a comment to let us know how it turned out for you.

Visit our ‘Easy Recipe for Two’ channel on YouTube for more great cooking videos.

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How do we recycle?

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Nick

Recycle, Reuse, Restore. It’s kind of a catchy little mantra isn’t it? In general though, how do we implement it? I usually hear the same line every election season. I’m not going to vote because one vote really isn’t going to make a difference. I guess if we all lived by that garage logic we wouldn’t have to wait in long lines and drive around town looking for our polling places any more.

Luckily the moral majority doesn’t think this way. Instead we do drive all over town and we do stand in long lines so we can fulfill our civic duty. So what about recycling? Do the moral majority of people have the same sense of responsibility to separating out their garbage? Do we throw caution to the wind and just lump everything into one big barrel, sleeping soundly knowing that a strange kind of magic will make it all go away by the time we wake up?

Fusion_Spray_Paint_IIPutting my money where my mouth is. Getting back to the mantra of recycle, reuse and restore brings me to a plastic chair I came across by a dump bin the other day. It was in perfectly good shape and just needed a little cleaning. I brought it home and set it out in the back yard to take the hose and scrub brush to it. Silke saw it before I got that far and asked what I intended to do with it. She suggested painting it and my new free chair suddenly had a purpose. I would restore it to a whole new level!

Old_Chair_After_II Old_Chair_BeforeA quick search in the hardware store brought me to the spray paint isle. There it was! A whole section of spray paints exclusive to covering plastic. I wasn’t too caught up in the moment to not check the price of a brand new plastic chair. What would be the sense of going through all this trouble if I ended up spending more on the spray paint then I would for a new chair? A single can of spray paint was half the price of a new chair. Seeing as how the chair was free, I still felt I was coming out ahead. Besides, I was going for a whole new color that the plastic chair people hadn’t even dreamed of; Sun Dried Tomato.

Old_Chair_Before_II Old_Chair_AfterThe one hit wonder. I had set the chair on newspaper and stepped back shaking the spray can to make sure it wouldn’t come out in big blobs right away. For such a little chair there was a lot of area to cover. I had to be frugal with the amount I wanted to put on so I wouldn’t end up running out before I had finished.

It really didn’t take that long as the paint dried rather quickly. If I had wanted to completely cover the whole chair I would have had to buy two cans of paint. This was not an option. I covered the visible areas and left the under side it’s original color. Not only had I recycled the doomed chair, and restored it but I had every intent to reuse it as well.

Attitudes can change. A lot has changed due in large part to more self awareness. There is no magic that happens when you wake up and bring your garbage can back from the curb. The trash doesn’t disappear but actually goes somewhere. If we keep this in mind we’ll be a little more self aware of how we handle the things we discard.

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Earthly Delights at Your Local Farmers Market

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Nick

One of the things I enjoy most when traveling is setting out to find the local Farmers Market in the area that I’m visiting. These markets are an actual true representation of the town and area as opposed to a strip mall or urban shopping center.  From local artists that are selling paintings and photography to the local farmers that are selling their produce, they all offer a little sample of the region that they live in.

From Seattle to Milwaukee, Silke and I have enjoyed the many different senses that are heightened when casually strolling through these markets. We’ve sampled authentic local cooking and microbreweries as well as taken in all the art work that is unique to each city and region.

Most towns enjoy a seasonal Farmers Market and Summerville South Carolina, is no exception. From fresh garden produce to the local favorites that give South Carolina it’s own distinct taste. Local favorites are offered from Big Daddy’s Pork Skins to the Flying Farmer that sells grits and meal. Flowers and fresh vegetables line the streets and sights and sounds come to life with foods that are being prepared and readied for sampling. Artists have staked their lot as well and bring their craft work to add more of the local art scene to the market.

With so much to see and do it would be hard not to want to capture this truly encompassing moment of everything that residents have to show and offer. If you really want to get a taste of the town that you are in then I highly recommend these venues as a way to get the whole experience of the area.

Want to share your experience at a Farmers Market? Just leave us a comment.

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Italian Style Pork Chop Recipe

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Nick

We found a recipe for Pork Chops Italian Style on the Kraft website and added our own spin to it. This is the first recipe for our ‘Easy Recipes for Two’ video series.

A really simple recipe that will not only cut time down spent in the kitchen, but will also cut down the amount spent out of your food budget. Mixing garden fresh zucchini, oregano, and Italian style diced tomatoes, we were able to transform ordinary pork chops into something much more savory.

Easy Recipe for Two

Easy Recipe for Two

What you need:

  • 4     boneless center cut pork chops
  • 2     freshly sliced zucchini
  • 1     tsp. dried oregano leaves
  • 1/4 cup Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
  • 1     can (14.5 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1     cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese

Heat a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium high heat. Add chops and cook 2 minutes or until bottoms of chops are browned. Turn chops over and add the sliced zucchini.

Sprinkle with oregano; drizzle with dressing; add tomatoes, cover the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes or until chops are done, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle with cheese and cover the pan. Serve as soon as the cheese is melted.

To compliment the meal we added some fried rice as a side. This would have worked well with plain white rice or bow-tie pasta as well.

Watch our video Easy Recipes for Two – Italian Style Pork Chops with step by step cooking instructions.

End result

The taste was light and tangy with just a hint of the oregano and the acidity of the tomatoes went well with the meat and cheese. Every once in awhile I would bite into some of the coarsely ground peppercorns, this was a flavor explosion in my mouth that made me only wanting more.

Pinot GrigioA bottle of Rex Goliath Pinot Grigio was the beverage of choice. The wine had a slightly fruity and crisp flavor that accentuated the tangy chops and pulled the whole meal together nicely.

If you give this Italian Style Pork Chops recipe a try please leave us a comment to let us know how it turned out for you.

Visit our ‘Easy Recipe for Two’ channel on YouTube for more great cooking videos.

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Easy Recipes For Two Video Series

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Nick

Putting food back into the Jager Foods website has been my goal for awhile now.

The original premise of the Jager Foods website was to sell my parents dry packaged soups. Through time it evolved into our own personal blog site and the food part got put on the back burner (no pun intended). The idea that it could be something more was always in the back of my mind.

I pitched the idea of making cooking videos while Silke was cooking some time ago. She was reluctant because of timing and feeling self conscious about our kitchen, her voice (accent) and looks. Fast forward to today and we’re both in a much better frame of mind to do this plus the fact that our kitchen is perfect for shooting videos.

Easy Recipes For TwoEasy Recipes for Two – Silke is a natural in the kitchen and after making several wonderful meals in our new kitchen, I finally got her to consent to the idea. A series of videos that not only shows you how to make the recipe, but feedback on the final product as well.

Each video will be complimented by a blog post on the Jager Foods website, located under the ‘Food‘ tab, that will list the ingredients and also give the cooking instructions. The blog will allow people to comment on the recipes and lets them share their own personal experiences as well.

Ready, set, action! – Silke and I have shot videos before for our hobby blog Bottle-Lamp.com,  so we’re not complete novices with the video production part. We’ve come a long way since our first videos.

Newer equipment has payed off for us in numerous ways. The quality is one of the main things that really makes a video stand out, and when it comes to camera equipment, the old saying ‘you get what you pay for’, really rings true.

Getting real to reel – Our intent is to make cooking videos that are entertaining as well as educational. We don’t script anything, so the end result gives you a feel of truly home cooked meals and how easy these recipes really are.

Take a look at our Easy Recipes for Two video channel. 

We think good video content that will help people build their confidence to tackle recipes in the kitchen is the perfect scenario for success.

Hopefully you’ll find our video series ‘Easy Recipes For Two‘ helpful and engaging. Be sure you let us know how we’re doing by dropping us a line or leaving a comment.

See you in the kitchen,

Nick and Silke

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Training your dog to use the ‘dog door’

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Nick

This whole adventure began with a simple mistake. I simply over looked our dog Lily’s sense of contentment. Silke and I had left her out on our screened in porch before and we never really gave it a second thought. Sure we came back to a few ‘accidents’, but these were only but a few and after awhile she seemed to grasp her new boundaries. Why would our dog be content to just sit in the screen porch when there’s a whole back yard to play in? All she needed to escape was to put all of her massive ten pounds against the screen and voila! she was in the yard. A trip to the hardware store ensued.

With the newly repaired screen in place it only made sense to at least give her the option to go out into the yard. Enter the PetSafe doggy door. They come in all shapes and sizes and are not just inclusive to dogs, but cats of all sizes as well. It seemed like a simple fix. It was anything but easy once you threw in the ‘Lily factor’.

Lily has her own quirks; she attacks other dogs and likes to run in circles. The attacks other dogs part is unreal. No matter the breed or size, it’s fair game. I saw her life flash before my eyes when she got into it with a pit bull once. The circle thing has always been strange. I’m not talking about a cute chasing her tail episode. The circumference varies  but she’ll go for extended periods of running in complete circles. We thought she was nervous when we first got her but this never really went away. Concern has progressed to ‘Oh that’s just Lily being Lily’.

Lily was not down with the dog door. We used the guide on the box to help determine what size dog door to get so I scratched this off the list of possible reasons why she wouldn’t want to use it or is simply afraid to. Silke looked into the problem online and saw that introducing your pet to the entrance and showing that its acceptable to use it is a good way to begin. So we all went on the porch. I looked down at Lily and said “Lily, this the door.” I then turned and looked at the door and gestured toward Lily, “door this is Lily.”

The prize on the other side of the door for our dog

Silke rolled her eyes and picked Lily up and went outside with her. For the next 20 minutes we sat on either side trying to coax her in and out. Just getting her to go through the hole would have been a milestone so we taped the door open. A reward was given for each pass through. Things seemed to be progressing in the right direction.

We decided to go to a movie that night and we thought this would be as good a chance as any to see how well she had adapted to all of this. I really didn’t want to repair the screen again so extra precaution was taken to protect the screened areas of the porch. The door was left taped open and Lily was left to her own devices.

When we got home the door was off and hanging by the tape that we had used to keep it open. Lily was circling but at least she was inside the porch. Nothing was destroyed but the doggy door was definitely being avoided. It was a little bit of a challenge to get the door back in. I could only wonder how fast she was going to be able to take the whole door off. To complicate matters she seemed to be even more freaked out by it.

All hope is not lost. If we spend some time with her each day and reassure her that it’s really nothing to be afraid of, maybe she’ll come around to actually using it. Does your pet have a problem with this or are we an isolated incident? Feel free to comment and share your experience with us.

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