I picked this chair off of the street a REALLY long time ago (like 1989 long ago) and only got as far as stripping the paint off. I liked the rustic look and the thousand layers of paint were really hard to get off.
It has been hiding in my closet and used as a sturdy chair to stand-on when needed for the last couple of years but I felt that it finally deserved a bit of paint love last week so that it can stand-in for my much wanted after (but must wait) lounge furniture for the gazebo.
I’m still working on this space as a whole so I’ll share it in a few days when I feel it is more “done” (is a space ever really done?).
Before!
After!
I had tester pots of paints that I’m trying out for all of our wall changes in the next few months so the cost of the little facelift was nothing!
Now I am going to enjoy having a treat outside with a cup of tea. My new favourite is my own version of Starbuck’s caramel chocolate bars. Mine are super easy and a lot less expensive. I’ve made up this recipe by combining four or five that I already have. Hopefully this will fulfill my ongoing love for anything salty and sweet.
The shortbread bottom
In a bowl combine the 10 T of butter with; 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg yolk and 1 2/3 cups flour.
Press into a parchment, paper lined, small square pan (9X9) and bake until lightly browned (350 degrees for approx. 20 min.).
Cool and then top with 2 cups of roughly chopped pretzels.
For the topping:
In a medium pot on a moderate heat combine: 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 12 tbsp light corn syrup, 2 tsp sea salt, 4 tbsp sugar, 4 tbsp heavy cream, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Let bubble along until the mixture is thick. This will take around 15 minutes. I chose a really big pot to both speed up the process and to avoid the potential of overflow. That would be a really dangerous mess. If you want to test for doneness just drop a bit of the mixture into a cup with cold water and if it forms a soft ball then you are good to go!
Pour over the pretzels and dot the top with chunks of dark chocolate.
I am a salt fanatic so I also like a few flakes of sea salt on the top. If you have your addictions under control then just leave things be. Let chill AT LEAST 2 hours (the longer the better)-you might need to leave the house or you’ll try to eat these while they are molten lava hot.
I actually doubled the recipe the other day and it worked-out really well.