arfink Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 A pot roast... I bet you slow cooked it in your Crock Pot, covered in Coca Cola and potatoes and carrots and onions and spices and... lets see what else can we throw in there? Hrmmmmmmmm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Call me a hippie, but I think this is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ux8tjZnEfR0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 And this can be done with a family! http://tinyhouseblog.com/travel-trailers/family-of-5-and-a-cat-traveling-the-country-in-an-airstream/#more-25870 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 (edited) OK, I saw that. BUT.. as tiny houses go.. .that one is pretty big and crude. Some of them are really little gems.... we have a few out in my area, and a big 'building' company about 40 miles away from here... And... Two years ago I suggested to the Provincial Delegate of our Secular Order that the Order should invest in one of the Tiny Houses for him. He had been saying that he was spending all his time driving from community to community and never slept in the same bed and was spending a ton on hotel rooms, even if Motel 6 quality. I pointed out to him that for a reasonable one time expenditure, he could sleep in the same bed each night, have a basic kitchen and bath, put in a TINY Chapel complete with tabernacle and prayer area... and then drive it from location to location, all over the Western U.S. AND... here is the kicker... when he was home at his own monastery, the Tiny Home could become a hermitage for the other friars to use for days of recollection and retreats! He got totally jazzed about it, sharing it with the Seculars with whom he was staying... but I don't know if he decided to get one or not. (I doubt it, but I think it would be INCREDIBLE): http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/pages/house-to-go/ Aren't they cute!? More info: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/ (and some interiors...) Used to be a video, but I can't find it... will search a bit more to see if I can find it... Edited January 10, 2013 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Oh, I have seem the Tumbleweed tiny houses, those things are AMAZING. You can buy them premade for the cost of a new car, or you can build them yourself too. They guy who founded the Tumbleweed tiny house company has recently left there and started a new venture, which have even better designs, called Four Lights. http://www.fourlightshouses.com/products/marmara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 (edited) Yup, I saw those, ARFink. Looks like the video he had for TW houses is now down... probably because he's moved on. But this link has a bunch of photos of one of the on-trailer homes -- the one you showed above is too big to 'trail.' http://www.fourlightshouses.com/collections/houses/products/weller IRONICALLY... or perhaps not so much? these are almost identical to the 'shepherd huts' taht they showed on the Edwardian Farm program... a 100 year old idea whose time has come. Very obvious where they got the idea.... The Vardo: From Tumbleweed Homes http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/products/vardo/#ad-image-0 Shepherd's Hut from 1850's: Norfolk, UK - A c1850 shepherds hut with shaped sides, complete with bed, table and cupboard with its stove on cast iron Gothic wheels, sold for £10,500 at Gaze's rural and domestic bygones sale last Saturday. http://www.salvonews.com/story/shepherds-hutastic-10500-at-gaze-bygones-sale-x66765x9.html Everything repeats... hard to beat a good design.... Edited January 10, 2013 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Yup yup. :) I must admit, I am very intrigued by the DIY aspect of these kinds of things. And frankly, that one schoolbus conversion was a bit wonky. I have seen far nicer looking too, though not as big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Take a look at this one... it really intrigued me... not bad for a HIGH SCHOOL kid..... now THAT is my idea of a HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMRJ9lwzCaM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Yeah, I heard of this kid! It's very coool. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 (edited) You are exactly 2 mins ahead of me on the viewing... but I got a load of dishes done while I watched it. VERY cool... So one of these days, a tiny workshop?....? Edited January 10, 2013 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 A workshop? Of my very own? Gosh yes, I would love that. Although I don't think my parents would let me do that in our tiny yard. Our lot is mostly covered up with our house and my mom's gardens ATM. Here's the thing- land is not THAT expensive right now, depending on how far from civilization you'd like to be. Otherwise, the bus/trailer thing has the advantage of being very portable and not requiring land. And like I said before, my current line of work requires only an internet connection (which I can piggyback off my phone if I need to for everything, assuming I could deal with the somewhat lower speeds,) power for the laser and my computer, and a post office to mail things from. And a PO box to pick things up from. That's all I would really need where work is required. For housing, I need a place to put a bed, and place to park my clothes and computer and laser. A little kitchen. A workbench. I mean, right now I already live in a 10x10 room, plus bath and workshop space. I think with some tinkering and creativity it could be made to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 I thought this was very very cool. http://tinyhouselistings.com/old-school-bus-turned-into-a-tiny-house/ I mean, it has all the essentials. A work space: Kitchen and commode (in the back): A place to crash: And lots of storage up top: And since it's a bus it already has a 12v power subsystem, tied to the engine. A drive to town or wherever could charge a 12v battery bank without too much trouble. Greywater/freshwater/propane tanks mounted underneath. It'd be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I want one ^^^^ I want a pet house. It can live on the back porch. Please send. My huband will just have to understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 A workshop? Of my very own? Gosh yes, I would love that. Although I don't think my parents would let me do that in our tiny yard. Our lot is mostly covered up with our house and my mom's gardens ATM. Here's the thing- land is not THAT expensive right now, depending on how far from civilization you'd like to be. Otherwise, the bus/trailer thing has the advantage of being very portable and not requiring land. And like I said before, my current line of work requires only an internet connection (which I can piggyback off my phone if I need to for everything, assuming I could deal with the somewhat lower speeds,) power for the laser and my computer, and a post office to mail things from. And a PO box to pick things up from. That's all I would really need where work is required. For housing, I need a place to put a bed, and place to park my clothes and computer and laser. A little kitchen. A workbench. I mean, right now I already live in a 10x10 room, plus bath and workshop space. I think with some tinkering and creativity it could be made to work. I am not sure what 'gardens ATM' means. You could put square foot gardens around the base of it, and possibly window boxes around it. Maybe even some kind of a big trellise over it that you could put plant stands on. Imagine how cool it would be to have a big vine on a giant trellis and you drove it INTO the trellis when it was 'home' and plugged it in.... and drove out. Just parked it like a garage for it. Neat! A giant version of this ... many put together, perhaps.... or this one.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 (edited) Wheeee... gonna make you all jealous as I zoom out the door. Just had a WONDERFUL dinner of an amazing pot roast... and no matter what you guess, you will NEVER guess how I cooked it. Well, you might guess the container, but I doubt you'll EVER figure out how I made it..... And with that tantalizing and delectible puzzle firmly planted in your minds, I leave you to drool.... :brutebeast: A pot roast... I bet you slow cooked it in your Crock Pot, covered in Coca Cola and potatoes and carrots and onions and spices and... lets see what else can we throw in there? Hrmmmmmmmm.... OK, I'll take you out of your misery. You are half right. Yes, I did use the crock pot.. because it makes a super-tender roast. And I used beef, but a big chunk of turkey or a turkey or pork roast would work for this, too. I started by 'dredging' the roast (and it was a cheap one about 4 lbs...) (rolling it in flour, salt & pepper) and then browning it in a big skillet. Next I walked out to the garden and picked a big bouquet branches. Seriously. Specifically, these...: OK, you think Anne's adding some spices, right. BUT... Not exactly. I'm talking about.... bigger branches. NOT just the end twigs. A very big bouquet of the stuff. You want some of the wood here. Specifically abut 10 to 20 times that much. About the size of a big bouquet of flowers. Yup. More than this. About twice as much. Actually, you want enough to make a medium sized wreath. Wash it carefully and put it in the bottom of the crock pot. (Oh, and since YOU are in the land of frozen tundra, ARFINK.... If you are in the dead of winter and planned early... you could have cut those branches earlier and stored them in a cool place.... like a garage or basement). When you have gathered your branches, give them a good wash in the sink -- make sure you don't have any surprises on them. Push them (wet is OK) into the bottom of the crock pot. No special order... just shove 'em in there. Doesn't need to look like a wreath. You are making a nice matress for your roast, at least a 4 or 5 inch rosemary matress for the unsuspecting beast. Drop the roast onto the top of the rosemary. If there is enough in there, it will bounce a little, like a kid jumping on a matress. See if you would be able to close your lid?. If you are lucky, yes. If not, push on the roast until it squashes the rosemary enough to be able to close it. Set the lid to the side.. Take about 5 or 6 cloves of garlic (cloves, not bulbs....) and chop them roughly and dump them on the top of the meat. You can shove some onto the branches and the sides... I guess you could even put all of it in the sides, but I like some on the top. Sprinkle on a bit of salt & pepper (don't need a lot... just a little of each) and maybe some dried onions if you have some around (don't bother to add big onions at this point). (If you want to prep this the night before, you can now put the pot with the roast into the fridge for the night and pick up from here the next day.) I tend to cook mine overnight and serve at midday. When ready to start cooking, put about a cup of white or rose wine (not red wine -- it's too strong) and pour out one cup (8 oz) and pour it over the roast. (You can rinse out the pan you browned the meat with it for extra flavor).. and dump it over the meat and the branches. If someone doesn't like to use wine for whatever reason, you could use broth (and possibly vinegar and water--you'd have to experiment with the latter to get the proportions right....) If you've constructed this thing right, the meat will be suspended OVER the liquid and resting happily on the rosemary. (It will collapse as it cooks, but this is how you start.) Plop on the lid of the crock pot, plug it in and turn it on (low 8 hours, high 4 hours) and WALK AWAY. DO NOT OPEN THE LID. (Each opening of the lid adds an hour to the cooking time....). You can hold it a bit over the time, but it will get too tender if you hold it too long..... About 30 mins before you plan to eat, cut some onions into quarters, some red potatoes into halves (if large) or just keep them whole if small, and either chop some carrots into quarters or use a bag of baby carrots. Get out a roasting pan and pour in a little olive oil and toss the raw veges in the oil. Add a bit of salt and pepper if you wish, but optional. Put the veges in a 450 degree oven to roast for about 15-20 minutes. (They are MUCH better if you do them separately from the roast and add them at the last minute.) While the veges are cooking, turn off the crock pot and unplug it. CAREFULLY take the pot roast out of the crockpot. Be careful-- the pot is VERY hot, and the meat be will be so tender it may fall apart. Put it on a big serving dish. Hopefully you will have enough room to put the veges around it; if not they can go in a separate bowl when the time comes. In the sink put a big bowl with a collander in it. Carefully pour the VERY hot liquid into the collander, so the liquid goes into the bowl. Throw away the soggy rosemary (after saying thank you to it). If you have a mesh strainer, pour the liquid through the strainer into the crock pot. You should have a cup or two of liquid... .very yummy liquid. Add a small ball of butter or margarine mised with flour (this will thicken the juices) to the liquid, and turn the crock pot back on to high. Let the liquid thicken a bit while the veges finish. You can make a salad at this point, too..... maybe put some nice bread on the table as well. When the veges are done, dump THEM into the crockpot and coat them with the sauce...and then spoon those around the roast or put in their own bowl. Garnish with a few fresh rosemary sprigs if you like.... This thing SMELLS and TASTES delicious. You can serve it by itself, or include a saled and/or bread and butter. Wish I had thought to take a picture, but it looks a lot like this one: ENJOY!!!!! Edited January 11, 2013 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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