Dining Table Makeover

Dining Table Overhaul

It's finally complete!  Five hours of manual labor and a little extra elbow grease from my hubby, and our table is done.  This project turned out even better than I imagined and the whole thing, including the table, only cost me $125!  My head is spinning with ideas for new projects.  Check out what I did......

before and after....

After sanding the entire tabletop surface down to bare wood:

The legs were prepared with a spray primer and the surface of the table was distressed and re-stained.

I brush painted the legs with two complementary colors of green and then spray painted the final ivory color over the top.  Before allowing to dry completely, I used sandpaper to rough up edges, and remove areas of paint to allow the green to show through.  I also used a hand sander to distress the edges of the tabletop and allow some of the natural wood color to show through.  As a final step, I coated the newly stained tabletop with a coat of Polycrylic.


The newly completed table!  The only thing left to do is re-upholster the chair seats.

Tiramisu Parfait

 The sun is shining and the air is warm in Michigan....in October!  It felt like a perfect day to make something fun and yummy in the kitchen.  Plus, I have the adorable little glass parfaits that we got as a wedding gift that are just begging to be used.

The porterhouse steaks are marinating, green tea soaking up the sun and here is the recipe for my Tuesday Tiramisu Parfait:

Tiramisu Parfaits Recipe

• 1/2 cup coffee/ coffee liqeuor
• 2 cups cold fat-free milk
• 2 packages (1 ounce each) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 ounces fat-free cream cheese
• 1 package (3 ounces) ladyfingers(margherite cookies), split and cubed
• 2 cups fat-free whipped topping
• 1oz dark or milk chocolate

Directions

•  In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. In another large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually fold in pudding.
• Place ladyfinger cubes in a bowl; add coffee; toss to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Divide half of the ladyfinger cubes among 4-6 parfait glasses or serving dishes. Top with half of the pudding mixture, 1 cup whipped topping.  Repeat layers.
• Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Just before serving, grate chocolate over parfaits. Yield: 6 servings.

I hope you enjoy!
-Shandra Rae