DIY: Canvas Do-over

I was tired of the canvas painting in our living room, but wanted to somehow re-create it in-expensively. I re-used the canvas, and purchased a $6.00 picture frame from Goodwill and re-painted it. Perfect for a tight budget!

Here is the before (green) and after!

What you need:
1. Needle nose pliers, or heavy duty staple remover
2. Staple gun
3. Spray paint (or any paint you have on hand)
4. Nail and hammer, or screw and drill
5. Picture frame and picture

How to turn the canvas inside-out:
1. Place your canvas, face side down, on a large flat surface
2. Remove all the staples as carefully as possible (I accidentally put a hole through the middle of the canvas)
3. Once all the staples are removed, flip the canvas over so the blank side is laying on the floor, and position the wood frame so it lays over the creases (making sure the frame is over the creases that are already there helps to ensure you have enough fabric on all sides to re-staple)
4. Staple one corner of the canvas to the wood frame
5. Staple the corner diagonal to the first, making sure to pull the canvas as tightly as possible
6. Staple the last 2 corners, and then around the sides, making sure to always pull the canvas as tightly as possible
7. Now you have a blank canvas that you can paint any color you want! (Mine took a few coats)

How to hang the picture frame:
1. Determine the size of your picture frame, and center it on your canvas
2. Place a mark in the center of the canvas from left to right, so that your nail or screw will go directly into the wood frame
3. Put your nail or screw in through the front, and through the canvas
4. Hang your picture frame with your picture of choice in it, and it's done!

As mentioned earlier, I had a whole Sunday afternoon to spend some time on preparing some new meals. I came across this Goat Cheese Cheesecake and had to try it. I had never made a cheesecake before (I even had to buy a spring-form pan just for this), but it turned out well!

Here is the recipe by Anne Burrell on Food Network:
Goat Cheese Cheesecake

I forgot sour cream at the store, so substituted it with some plain yogurt (the closest thing I had), and didn't miss the sour cream at all. When finished, I topped it with candied walnuts and drizzled honey. Yum!

My first blog post ever! I'm excited to get started sharing inspirations and creations.

Yesterday, Sunday, I was in the mood for making a nice dinner and a homemade dessert. I had the whole afternoon, was feeling patient and wanted something that I don't usually make. So I decided on a Chianti Braised Stuffed Meat Loaf (courtesy of my parents/ Ultimate Italian Magazine 2010), and Goat Cheese Cheesecake for dessert (above).

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs lightly beaten
2/3 C. shredded Parmesan
1/2 C. seasoned bread crumbs (*see tip below)
1/2 C. chopped green onions
3/4 C. fresh basil, chopped & divided
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 C. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. salt Chianti or other dry red wine
1 C. Mozzarella
1/2 C. chopped, toasted pine nuts
1/2 C. chopped sun dried tomatoes

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine eggs, Parmesan, bread crumbs, green onions, 1/2 cup of chopped basil, garlic, tomato paste, salt and 1/4 cup wine.

Next, add ground beef to the bowl and mix well. Set aside.

For the cheese filling, in bowl combine 1 C. shredded Mozzarella, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, remaining basil, and a few tablespoons of wine (if desired.) Mix well and set aside.

Divide the meat mixture in half. In 9x13 rectangular baking dish, pat 1/2 the meat mixture into a 9x5 rectangle, building up the edges to allow room for filling. Then spoon in the prepared cheese filling. (Note: the cheese is mixed with wine, which is why it looks a little un-appetizing right now, but you don't even see it after the top layer goes on!)

Next, top with remaining 1/2 of meat mixture, making sure to seal the edges and reshape the loaf if necessary. Pour 1/2 C. of wine into dish on each side of loaf.

Bake, uncovered, 50-60 minutes, or until it reaches 160 degrees in center. Top with mozzarella cheese and a few table spoons of wine the last few minutes of baking.

I served it with oven roasted potatoes and onions, and a green salad.

*tip: I didn't have seasoned bread crumbs, so to my plain bread crumbs, I added a sprinkle of dried parsley, thyme and oregano, salt and pepper.
** When making this, I missed a few of the cheese filling ingredients, which is why mine looks a little bleak! It still turned out well, but would be better next time with all the ingredients.