Free Patio Chairs

On my way to a meeting at the airport, I saw a free sign and 2 iron chairs.   I hoped that they'd still be there on the return trip so I could scoop them up.  I didn't know that in a couple hours, a wildfire would start only 2 miles from my home.  Needless to say, I rushed home to check on my son and animals.  After a few hours the firefighters were able to put the fire out.  So, I got in my little two door coupe and set off to see if the chairs were still there.

The owner was out mowing his lawn and he said he had an additional chair in the back.  So, I put all three in my little car.  It was kind of a puzzle getting them in, but I'm resourceful :)

Golden Splendor

Faded dirty cushions

Nice details, wrong color

So I had an idea of what to paint and recover these to, but I posted a poll with my friends to hear their ideas.  It was fun getting the feedback, but I'm a stubborn girl and stuck to my original idea.  A turquoise/teal paint with a black and white Damask style cover for the seat.

Kind of like this chair.

First I bought Rustoleum's Satin Lagoon.  Not sure what I was thinking, but I wasn't 100% sure that the color in the can, was going to look the same when it came out.

The more I looked at it, the more smurfy I felt

The seat cover fabric that I choose... and I'm just not in love with the paint color.

So, off to buy more paint.   Next I chose Krylon's Blue Ocean Breeze.  It was lighter than the Lagoon.

But, I was still unhappy with the results.  It was too powder blue.

So, off to the hardware store again to purchase more paint.  This time Catalina Mist.

You can see it's only a slight difference but it gives it the green tinge that I was hoping for.

Final Paint Color!

Time to recover the seats.  I pulled the old red off.  It was held on there with thumbtacks.  And next I find the original color, a cream with stains.

 

The final product!

Now I need a table!

Electric Pulled Pork

This is my first try at blogging my meals. Today I made pulled pork sandwiches with my Electric Pressure Cooker. This is a very simple meal to make and it's soooooo good. Probably one of my favorite things to eat.

A few things that you will need:

A large pork shoulder/butt roast.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Brown Sugar
Salt
Pepper

For the meat, I prefer to get a roast with no bone. The bone is really a pain to cut around. Cut the roast up into chunks. I make them about 1" or 2" squares.  Some fat is good, because it will be a real tender, juicy meat, but I do cut a lot of larger chunks of fat off.

Brown the meat in a skillet (I'm using my pretty dutch oven) with a bit of oil. Browning the meat helps give it a nice texture in the final product. Don't worry about getting the meat cooked all the way through, in the skillet because your going to get it thoroughly cooked in the pressure cooker.

Here is my Electric Pressure Cooker.  I purchased it from the Home Shopping Network.  It's the only thing I purchased from HSN, ever.  I honestly don't even have cable or satellite tv!  A friend has this pressure cooker and she bought it from HSN, so I copied her.

Here is a link to my pressure cooker:   http://www.hsn.com/products/elite-13-function-8qt-electronic-pressure-cooker/6287011

This is the meat, all browned and ready to add liquid.   I browned it very lightly, I was in a bit of a rush, plus I hate getting splattered with oil.  It probably could of used a little more browning, a little more patience and it would of gotten a bit more texture in the end result.

The liquid that I add to the meat, is not an exact science.  About 1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar, 3 large heaping tablespoons of brown sugar, some pepper and some salt.  Mix it up and then add it to the meat.

Cook for about 1 hour.   Carefully follow your pressure cooker's instructions on depressurizing.   This is what the meat will look like.  It's falling apart, flavorful and sooooo good!

Take all the meat out of the remaining liquid and let it sit for about 20 minutes.

Then take two forks and start shredding.  This is so easy, it just falls apart.

Now you can add your favorite BBQ Sauce.  I love Longhorn BBQ Sauce from Spokane, WA.  It's sweet, light and so yummy!   The meat is so good, it doesn't even need sauce.   I like to make a lot, then store some in the freezer for a quick easy meal.