Julia – Page 5 – The Ocelots' Den

Sweet Bunnies and an Even Sweeter Cake

By Julia on 29 March, 2018

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. Everything around me is starting the gain new life. Flowers, trees, baby animals! It’s also when we get to celebrate Resurrection Day.

I typically shy away from the adorable bunnies in my baking for Easter. I generally try to focus on the Lamb (and sheep) instead. Last year I baked a precious Carrot Cake with and decorated it like it was a little Lamb.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

This year, I was enamored with bunny ears and flowers. I wanted to practice my buttercream flower piping skills, so I used cookies as a nice base, and then I also added some bunny ears piped in white chocolate on a non-floral version. I love taking treats into the office to test them out!

Home Improvements | Updates

The Unfinished Project Continues

By Julia on 4 March, 2018

I’m so excited! Wayfair to the rescue! I have been searching for hardware for MONTHS trying to find the perfect antique gold door and drawer pulls.

I haven’t finished painting the other doors in the kitchen yet. To read the original progress check out this link. The pollen and petals are too much outside right now, so I will have to patiently wait through this season. I feel like I made HUGE progress without breaking the bank. I knew with the 40 pulls I couldn’t choose hardware that was over $5 per piece. (31 cabinet doors in the kitchen, plus 5 drawers). I ended up splurging and getting 4 extras for the laundry room to match.

These guys were sold in 10 packs and as individuals for about $1.60 each. I was pleased as punch!

Daniel did have to make some adjustments. The screw that goes through the door wasn’t the right length, so he got some extras and cut them to size. (Thank you , thank you, thank you!)

Baked Goods | Cake

Bake Yourself Happy: Is it Cake or Bread?

By Julia on 25 February, 2018

Oftentimes, when my bananas are past their prime, I make banana muffins or banana bread. This week, I made my Great Grams’ Banana Cake! Though, I like it plain without frosting, so I made it in Bread loaf pans and a cake pan that is shaped like sliced bread!

This is a short post, but I just want to encourage everyone to bake yourself happy! If you want to eat cake like bread? Do it! If you want to skip the frosting on cake and enjoy your sweet treat; do it! I like fancy desserts and spending time decorating my treats, but I also enjoy very simple treats too!

Behind the Scenes | Home Improvements | Updates

Knowing When to Call for Help: An Ocelot’s Guide to Fear

By Julia on 7 January, 2018

Some Ocelots are Scaredy Cats!

We hit some record cold temperatures over the weekend. Our pipes froze overnight and we knew we needed to thaw them out. Daniel refused to go under the house in the crawl space, so I volunteered. I got dressed in ALL of the layers of clothes and topped it off with a hat with a clip-on lamp, and a heat gun.

Unfortunately, Daniel seemed to be confused about which pipe was water and which pipes are the gas line, the house also seemed like a maze underneath, and I felt less and less confident being under the house with a tiny light clipped to a hat. I aborted my mission, and thankfully we had a cousin come to our rescue.

Den Decor | Holidays

‘Tis the Season: How to Deck Your Table & Not Break the Bank

By Julia on 15 December, 2017

This year for Christmas, we offered to host Daniel’s office dinner potluck and then went on an amazing Tacky Light Tour! We both had to work that day, so I went ahead and got the table set the evening before.

(Vicky is inspecting the table settings)

I found some beautiful placemats at The Dollar Tree and found some affordable chargers at Michael’s craft store, where I also found these adorable snowman baskets!

I made a few floral arrangements earlier in the week and put in these baskets (plus a couple more for the neighbors). I was so excited when I was at Aldi and they had perfect winter bouquets to create these!

Floral Arrangement for my Neighbors (Dollar Tree Elf Basket)

When it came time for dinner, I placed some wooden coasters (cut from that giant tree that fell this spring), added my white Corelle plates, and plain white napkins with a simple fold. I moved the flowers off of the table to make room for the food and because I didn’t want their scent to detract from the meal. Each guest’s place setting was marked by writing their name on a sprig of holly from the garden.

Cost Breakdown:

Item	Store	Cost
Placemats	Dollar Tree	$8
Chargers	Michael’s	$8
Snowman Baskets	Michael’s	$4
4 Bunches Winter Flowers	Aldi	$16
Elf Basket	Dollar Tree	$1
Floral Foam	Dollar Tree	$3
Total		$40

I didn’t include the taxes in the total above, plus I included our floral basket gift for the neighbors, but all-in $40 was a fantastic budget. I used additionally found items I already had; Sparkle berries, leaf cuttings from my own Holly, etc. to keep the costs down as well. Additionally, I know I will be able to use the Placemats, Chargers, and Snowman Baskets for years to come!!

Cocktails

Simply Crafted Cocktails: Who Spiked the Eggnog?

By Julia on 11 December, 2017

Eggnog is a polarizing flavor, but whether you love it or hate it, it’s a Christmas Classic. I am sure one day I will go the extra mile and learn the completely homemade technique, but this year I went to the liquor store and bought a delightful bottle.

Step one: Get a rocks or Bourbon glass
Step two: Pour chilled Eggnog into the glass
Step three: Dust the top with some freshly grated nutmeg (or just from your pantry)
Enjoy!

Comfort Food

Pizza Burgers & Fries

By Julia on 5 December, 2017

Growing up in the mid-west, we had an intriguing assortment of food. In the summers, we would often stop at Herald’s Dairy Delight on the way to our cottage. I ordered the same thing EVERY time. It was a pizza burger. I got to thinking about this pizza burger recently and decided to try to make it. It is a thin beef patty topped with mozzarella, battered and fried. Then it is transformed into a sandwich and topped with marinara sauce. It truly was perfection (at least in my mind’s eye). I’m not sure if Harold’s Dairy Delight or any other place back home still make these, but I certainly haven’t seen them on a menu in Virginia.

Step one: cook a hamburger patty. Word of precaution; make it as thin as you can. My patties were too thick, and that makes eating them more complicated, and they are less authentic.

Step two: melt some mozzarella cheese on top of the patty and chill the cheesy patties in the freezer for a bit.

Step three: dredge. To create the beautiful deep-fried crust, dip them in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. If you don’t have a full coating, repeat the process. You NEED to seal all of the cheese inside. Pop them back in the freezer until the oil is to temperature.

Step four: when the oil reaches 350F, put a couple of patties at a time into the fryer (or pan with oil). Cook until golden brown on each side.

Final thoughts. Making homemade Pizza Burgers was a bit of a complicated process, but I am glad that I made an effort to recreate my childhood classic.

Den Decor | Holidays

‘Tis the Season! Trimming all the Christmas Trees

By Julia on 26 November, 2017

With Thanksgiving behind me, I am jumping with joy because it is time to decorate the Den for Christmas!

I like to start off by putting up the trees (yes, I mean multiple trees) the day after Thanksgiving, or certainly later that weekend.

A little history on how I came to have SO many trees

When I was in the army and stationed in Germany, I bought a small, 4′ tall Christmas tree for my barracks room. The whole time I lived in Germany, this was my tree, even when I moved into a house, I put up my petite tree. Now I still decorate it and fill it with all of our sentimental ornaments and more fragile pieces.

When I got married, I didn’t want a traditional guest book. I didn’t understand the point of it to be perfectly honest, but as a traditionalist, I knew I needed to do something. While I was on a trip to Dijon, France I found a bunch of clear, fillable ornaments and thought they would be the perfect guest book. Each guest could write a note, draw a picture, and fill it with wishes and ribbons. We were married a few days after Christmas, so I felt it was a perfect idea! When we moved back to The States, we found a really small tree in Daniel’s grandmother’s attic. I immediately knew it was just the right size for our “Anniversary Tree.” Each year as I decorate the tree, I laugh at the jokes and silly sentiments as well feeling the love that was shared with us on that special day.

Finally, last but not least, we bought a normal size Christmas tree. The largest one that would fit under our 8ft ceilings. Daniel adores a big Christmas tree, and it took quite a lot of persuasion to convince him we could only have a 7.5′ tree to leave some room for the tree topper.

Sweet Purrl pretending to be on the “Nice List”

I shouldn’t forget our outside Christmas Tree! We affectionately call him Charlie Brown because when we moved in, he wasn’t in the best shape. I had to trim a bunch of dead branches, and there hasn’t been a lot of growth on the bottom portion of the tree. However, it is a large tree that is thrilling ~~terrifying~~ to decorate with lots of colored lights!

Baked Goods | Comfort Food | Pie

Roll it Out: It’s a Day Full of Pie!

By Julia on 21 November, 2017

In honor of my two youngest nephews visiting, we decided to have a make your own pie night! We made the dough, rolled it out, added our sauce and everyone could choose their own toppings!!! It is always more fun when little hands are helping in the kitchen.

Both boys opted for simple toppings of Pepperoni and Black Olives. My adventurer, opted for a more flavorful crust brushed with Olive Oil and some Italian Seasoning! Mr. Ocelot followed their lead, but added some onions. I was the odd man out with a Loaded Baked Potato, Stuffed-Crust Pie!

To finish the meal, we made yet another pie! One of my absolute favorite fruit pies! Strawberry Rhubarb with a Lattice Top! It is the perfect balance between sweet and tart!

Birthdays | Comfort Food | Holiday | Treats | Uncategorized

It’s Time to Celebrate: A Very Preppy Tailgate

By Julia on 22 October, 2017

It’s Mr. Ocelot’s Birthday today! To honor him, we invited some friends that are also alums of his alma mater to tailgate with us yesterday at a home game! Later in the evening, we invited a couple more friends to join the group at our home for a simple dinner and a bonfire.

When I planned the menu, I wanted easy to eat finger foods that I knew Daniel would love. I also added a few autumnal flavors.

Since I moved to the south, I don’t think I have found a food more southern than Country Ham. It is salty and a very distinct flavor. Paired with Mini Homemade Biscuits and a Honey-Dijon spread, everyone was in for a treat! I also know how much Daniel enjoys Buffalo Chicken, so I made some bite-sized morsels!

I was enjoying the evening meal so much that I forgot to snap any photos! There is probably only one way that Mr. Ocelot isn’t traditional. He doesn’t want a birthday cake. Instead, he prefers pie, more specifically Derby Pie. If you aren’t familiar with Derby Pie, it is a Pecan Pie with Chocolate Chips and Bourbon. It also happens to be the only Pecan Pie I have ever enjoyed.