How to Make a Permanent Gelatin Plate

This is one of those projects that I procrastinated trying for several years. Then, I did it and realized how easy it was and felt silly for putting it off all this time.

Do you have projects like that? I love all the cool things folks are doing with gelatin plates, and I've had a small Gelli Arts plate for some time, but I wasn't exploring the gelatin printing process as much as a wanted, mostly because we go back and forth between three different homes, for my husband's job, and the place where we spent the most time was very small and I didn't have space to spread out big projects.

Easy Pineapple Casserole Recipe for Lazy Cooks!

This is one of my most favorite and most versatile recipes. It is wonderful as a brunch dish, a side dish for your ham dinner, or as a hot dessert served with a scoop of ice cream!

I first tried this dish waaaaaaaaaay back, when my husband was a young lieutenant at Ft. Riley, and I was home with three tiny babes. It was a lifesaver for a busy mom, and it always impressed our guests.

Best Ever Smoked Salmon Fillets!

I don't do a lot of recipes on House Revivals, but every now and then, something turns out so amazingly well, I just have to share!

My husband and I love to fire up the smoker on the weekends we spend at the beach house. We often hit the grocery store when we pull into our little beach town and grab something that we think will taste great smoked, but won't require watching the smoker all day long. Salmon fillets are perfect for this, because they don't need to sit in a brine or dry pack for very long, and they usually cook pretty fast.

While my husband usually mans the smoker, I usually choose the preparation method. I've experimented with dry packed salt and brown sugar, for a sweeter product, but this time I wanted something a bit more savory and less sweet.

To start, you will want one large salmon fillet, cut into about four pieces.  Next, pour about a half cup of hot water into a measuring cup. Now, add salt to the measuring cup until the level reaches three-quarters of a cup. Put this mixture into a glass dish (a baking dish works best), and add a couple quarts of cold water (enough to cover your fillets).  Add a generous amount of garlic powder or minced garlic (I added about a tablespoon of powdered and a tablespoon of minced), and add two or three tablespoons of sugar (or less). Experiment with seasonings you may like, such as onion, cumin, cilantro, or paprika. Add a generous amount of pepper, if desired. Mix everything together and add the salmon to the dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or two.

Heat your smoker to 225 degrees before adding the salmon.  If you'd like a "candied" crust, sprinkle the tops of the fillets with brown sugar right before putting in the smoker.

When the salmon reaches 140 degrees, it is done. Smokers vary, but in our electric smoker, a one inch fillet usually reaches 140 degrees within an hour.

While you're waiting for your salmon to brine, you might want to try this recipe for the Best Bloody Mary Ever!

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have planned. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on throughout week on Instagram. Feel free to link today's project to your favorite social media sites.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Easy Valentine's Day Ideas

Are you looking for some easy Valentine's Day ideas? I don't usually do a lot, decor wise. I'll hang a wreath, or hang a garland on the mantel, but that's about it.  After the frenzy of the holidays, I'm not ready to go crazy on Valentine's Day!

I do like to do a few small things, though, whether it be a special recipe or a simple craft.

These cute valentine ornaments couldn't be easier to make, using supplies from the dollar store.

This easy garland was made from old book pages and cardboard from the recycling.

Who wouldn't want cobbler from their sweetheart on Valentine's Day?

These faux tin LOVE letters are so easy to make, using recycled cardboard.

What better way to start your Valentine's Day, than with the world's best Bloody Mary?

This little sweetheart wreath was made from recycled cardboard, vintage book pages, and recycled wool sweaters!

Okay, so this post is not about making anything -- it's all about hooking up!

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have planned. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on daily on Instagram. Feel free to link today's project to your favorite social media sites.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Huckleberry Cobbler Recipe

This is a re-post from an old blog I am shutting down.  I've decided to start including recipes on House Revivals, so some of the old posts can be repeated here, like this yummy skillet cobbler! Here it is:

As many of you know, we are in the throes of moving out of our Colorado house.  This transition has taken us several months, and has involved going through things, throwing out things, donating things, and recycling things.  Just today I was going through what I think is the last small stack of magazines-- ripping off the address labels (why, since I'm moving? I don't know), and flipping through them one last time before donating them.  And I ran across this recipe from the August issue of Sunset.

Yum.  Huckleberry Skillet Cobbler.  Doesn't this look amazing?

Suddenly, I can't wait for summer!  I'm going to try this recipe over the campfire.  I usually just stick to simple recipes like baked apples, or bananas, wrapped in foil and placed in the campfire coals, but I think I need to get a little more creative this year.

The place where we vacation has tons of huckleberries, so I'm just so excited to try this dessert!  Isn't it beautiful?  Here is the recipe from Sunset-- you can find this recipe, plus complete nutritional information on the Sunset website, here.

Cobbler:

Time: 1 3/4 hours, plus at least 45 minutes to cool. One of our all-time favorite desserts, with just a hint of spices to pull out the complex, wine-rich flavor of the huckleberries—and also delicious made with blueberries.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  plus 2 tbsp. sugar (if using blueberries, decrease to 1 cup plus 2 tbsp.), divided
• 1/3  cup  quick-cooking tapioca
• 1/2  teaspoon  cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cardamom
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 2  qts. (2 1/2 lbs.) fresh or frozen huckleberries* or blueberries
• Buttery Pastry
• 1/2  tablespoon  milk
• 1  cup  crème fraîche

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a 12-in. ovenproof frying pan or a 9- by 13-in. baking dish, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar (1 cup if using blueberries), tapioca, cinnamon, and cardamom. Gently mix in lemon juice and berries. Let stand, stirring occasionally, for tapioca to soften slightly, 15 minutes (50 minutes for frozen berries; they'll start to look wet). Spread berries level.
2. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out pastry to a 14-in. round or 10- by 14-in. rectangle, lifting up pastry and re-flouring underneath if needed to prevent sticking. Trim uneven edges with a knife. Slide a rimless baking sheet under pastry and ease it over berries. Fold edges of pastry under so they're flush with pan or dish, pressing together any cracks. Flute pastry edges with a finger and thumb to seal.
3. Brush crust (but not fluted edges) with milk and sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp. sugar. Cut about 6 vents in crust to release steam. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling through vents, 50 to 60 minutes; tent with foil if pastry starts to get too brown, and put a rimmed baking sheet underneath if the cobbler starts to bubble over.
4. Supporting cobbler underneath, carefully transfer to a rack and let cool at least 45 minutes. Serve warm or cool, with crème fraîche to spoon on top.
*Buy huckleberries from specialty produce markets or pick your own, from your garden if you grow them or from the wild. Huckleberries range from blue-purple to red and even white; they thrive in subalpine forests and meadows in many Western states. In the Cascades, respect posted areas reserved for the Yakama Indian Nation.

Buttery Pastry:

Time: 5 minutes
This recipe goes with Huckleberry Skillet Cobbler

Yield: Makes 1 cobbler crust; 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 2  cups  flour
• 3/4  cup  cold butter, cut into 1-in. pieces
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  cup  plus 1 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Preparation

Put all ingredients in a food processor and whirl just until dough comes together and is evenly moistened. Gather into a ball, then shape into a flat disk.

*the huckleberry bush photo is from the International Wild Huckleberry Association website.