This & That Junk Drawer Wednesday!!

Here is my front yard today after the snowfall last Thursday....We got a lot of snow!!!!

and here is an example of why you should LISTEN to your mother no matter how old you are!

My 50 year old son had to go out last Thursday in that snow storm, even though I told him he was stupid to do it....He got caught in a rut and it threw him...He took out a mail box, telecommunications box and slammed into a telephone pole...The guy that came and looked at it said he was lucky he wasn't hurt...It is totaled!!!!

MAKE A MAIL SORTER OUT WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE!!

You can make it yourself today out of things you already have around your house! use your junk mail, magazines, or newspaper!
What you'll need: Cereal boxes, & an assortment of small boxes, a marker, a ruler, a utility knife or scissors, masking tape, junk mail, magazines or newspapers, flour, and water. Told you you already have what you need!
Measure, mark, and cut your boxes to the shape and sizes you need. Cut the cereal & smaller boxes at a slant (refer to picture below) This is such a great project because you can do it with your exact needs in mind! How big should it be? How many separate places for papers do you need?
Next, use masking tape to arrange the boxes into your desired mail sorter. (Do not substitute a different tape because otherwise the paper mache will not stick.) Also attached some smaller boxes to the side.

Paper mache time! You can get special paste for paper mache, but just mix flour and water. The ratio is about 1 part flour to 4 parts water. Tear your newspaper into strips (avoiding the shiny sale fliers) and dip them into your bowl. Then run the strip between your fingers, removing all the excess. (You only need it to be wet- not globby.)Let it dry overnight...
Then paint or decorate as desired! Use some leftover wall paint,or some acrylic craft paint, or even spray paint! I love the little apple barrel paints you can get at Wal-Mart.

Paper mache is totally underestimated as a medium. The possibilities are endless! Be creative...

Potato, Spinach and Red Bell Pepper Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette:
Serves 4

Not to worry: There's just enough bacon in the snappy dressing to add flavor but not much fat to this colorful salad.

Ingredients:
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper
1 bacon slice, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup thinly sliced celery
2 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves (about 2 1/2 ounces)
Preparation:
Steam potatoes just until tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer potatoes to large bowl. Char bell pepper over flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed and chop pepper. Transfer to bowl with potatoes.
Sauté bacon in small skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel and drain. Whisk vinegar, oil and garlic in small saucepan. Stir over low heat just until warm, about 1 minute. Stir in bacon. Add warm vinaigrette to potato mixture. Mix in celery and spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Per serving: calories, 164; total fat, 8 g; saturated fat, 1 g; cholesterol, 1 mg.