A Cushy Tushy Makeover

While undertaking the slow-but-steady clean up and renovation of our house, I occasionally come across old furniture in desperate need of some TLC.

Recently, I found these old ottomans that were covered in bad 90's polyester cloth that itself was covered in, well... traces of the cat that lived in the house for some years. Apparently bad upholstery made the cat sick to its stomach as well.

Sad, filthy ottomans.

The legs and structures underneath were sturdy and in good shape, so I set to task disassembling and removing the unmentionable fabric (if you can call it that in its current state). What you'll need for this very basic upholstery job:

Needle-nose Pliers
Flathead screw driver
Staple gun with staples
2.5 yds upholstery fabric of your choice
5yds batting (not loose, rolled, similar to interfacing)
Measuring tape
Sharp, fabric scissors

Step 1:
Removing the fabric and staples. This is easier said than done. My most used technique was inserting the flathead screwdriver under the staple, prying it loose as much as I could, and using the pliers to yank the rest out. You will need to remove all (yes, all) of the staples attaching the upholstery, as you don't want them to interfere with your new staple job.

Cleaned up and ready to go

Step 2:
Lucky for us, the legs were in decent shape but needed a bit of polishing. At this point, you may decide to paint the legs, or re-stain them. If so, you will need a mid-corse grade sandpaper, a fine grade, and if you are using stain, a good stain and possible denatured alcohol. If you are painting, I would prep with a bit of primer, let dry, then gently coat with paint. You also may choose to spray-paint, just make sure you don't use one with too much gloss or spray too close.

Step 3:
Measuring and cutting your fabric. You are going to need two basic measurements to cut the correct size of upholstery fabric-- the depth and width of the piece, including the sides you need to cover. Measure the front, top, and back of the piece. Add AT LEAST three inches to the fabric. Same goes for the sides. Measure both sides and width, and don't forget to add your three inches for room. Now you have the measurements for your fabric box!

PRO-TIP: center your measurements around a central point in your design that you'd like to feature on the top/middle of your furniture. Nothing is worse than an askew fabric job!

Step 4:
Attaching your batting. I made two attachments of batting to my ottoman, adding a bit on the sides (though it is unnecessary, I just wanted a plusher look). I cut squares of rolled batting in the shape of the very top of my ottoman, leaving about 1/2in of hangover on either side. I made about 6 such squares, and secured them with staples using the 1/2in overhang on the sides of the ottoman. For the plush look, I cut a square exactly the size of the upholstery fabric.

Step 5:
Attaching the upholstery fabric.  Find a large, flat space free of snags or splinters that may pull your upholstery fabric. My dining table topped with a quilting mat worked well. Center the upholstery on your work surface, right-side down. If you are using the extra piece of batting, center this on the wrong side of the upholstery fabric. On top of this, center your now-fluffed piece of furniture that you would like to cover. CENTER, CENTER, CENTER. Should I say it again? Working with the long sides first, fold 1/2 inch of the fabric in, and pull taught up the side of the piece. Staple. Keep working from the center stapled point, making sure to keep the fabric (and batting) taut and making sure not to move the center of the fabric. Stop attaching the fabric 1in before reaching the legs. You will need this room to correctly adjust your side folds. Repeat on backside.

Finishing the ends-- You're going to treat this area like you're wrapping a present. Fold in the remaining fabric around the leg attachments, making sure to keep your exposed cut ends taut and well-folded.  At this point, you want to eyeball the last fold to make sure no wrinkling occurs. Once you've established the best "lay" of the fabric, staple to secure the remainders of side fabric before folding up and finishing the final flap, making sure the staples won't be exposed. Be sure to turn in 1/2 in of the fabric to create the no-fray clean line. The last flap shouldn't come to a point, but should span the entire distance of the end, covering your in-folds as much as possible. Staple in the center, and work out as much as possible.

A view of the end-folds.

That's all she wrote! It's fairly easy once you get the hang of it. The upholstery portion itself took only 20 minutes start to finish, whereas the removal of the staples took a few hours. My 2nd ottoman is better than my first, but that's to be expected.

We're using one as seating in the living room, and one as an extra seat in our dining room for company... that is, if the cat ever lets us have it back! 

Some Like It Hot (Springs)

Weddings, ahh, weddings. Raucous, joyous, gorgeous, and let me be blunt... really stressful occasions. Our wedding day was perfect. Although there are always hiccups, I would change nothing. Seeing such a lovely party come together was so very satisfying. Not to mention, to set the whole thing off, I got to marry my best friend! What could be cooler?  Although afterward I've been greeted with compliments of, "you should stop what you're doing right now and become a wedding planner," I've got some bad news-- as fun as it all was, I'm never gonna get married again! Talk about stress!

"And on the 8th day of wedding week, God created Honeymoons."

To celebrate/decompress from our wedding, Alan and I took a short Mini-Moon to Hot Springs, Arkansas. 

Stained Glass from the Fordyce Bathhouse, now Hot Springs National Park Welcome Center

Although three days seems hardly enough, let's be honest-- the wine world never stops (and honestly, the Army doesn't give a damn about your personal time anyway), so that's all the time we had. Three days was glorious, but four days would have been truly sublime.

Accommodations

After dogged market research (leisurely review-reading while coffee sipping) we settled on the 1890 Williams House Bed and Breakfast. It's a delightful turn-of-the-century manse just a short half-mile from Downtown Hot Springs proper. 

The Williams Suite

Palatial suites with in-room jacuzzis and breakfast in bed sounded just like what we needed. Plus, I always fancy a place with complimentary robes and 1,000 count sheets. Breakfast was killer, the water was hot (of course), and the space was just perfect. We'll definitely be back.

Food and Drink

Although not as densely gastronomic as some other areas of Arkansas, Hot Springs offered us all the options we needed for our three-day vacation. As mentioned before, B&Bs are the way to go, so breakfast is a given. If staying elsewhere or coming in for the day, check out The Pancake Shop in downtown. 

Seeking a delicious lunch or midday snack? Don't miss Rolando's Nuevo Latino Cuisine. The have an upper-level patio that frequently features live music, and always has a secluded mountainside atmosphere. We loved the quesadillas, fresh house-made Guacamole, and the Queso Flamado which is set ablaze by a nice dousing of Bacardi 151. Also, the Bloody Marias are not to be missed!

Rolando's Patio

The best dinner we enjoyed in town was courtesy of Superior Bathhouse. As can be imagined, Superior is a turn-of-the-century Bathhouse turned brewery that offers a fantastic food menu and house-made gelato. Our favorites were the Giant Bavarian Pretzel and the Boursin and Tomato Pesto stack. Our server mentioned the tomatoes were a local creation, and I'd do some dastardly things to secure a jar of them, they were that good.

Hungry, hungry Alan wants to go in Superior Bathhouse

And the beer? Oh man, is that beer delicious! Superior is the only brewery on federal property, and is the only brewery to brew beer with thermal water straight from the hot springs. It's some of the most flavorful and softest beer I've ever had. Their current selection of German options for Oktoberfest shows remarkable talent of the brewers, and was dazzling with the food. 

Relaxation and Rejuvination

As their well-branded promotional materials will inform you, Arkansas is also called, "The Natural State," and Hot Springs lies squarely on the cusp of the Ozark Mountains in Ouachita National Forest. The area offers sublime hiking and camping, as well as boating and kayaking. The Sunday of our departure from Arkansas, we took advantage of a nicely maintained 8ish mile out-and-back hiking and biking trail called the Charlton Trail that follows the Walnut Creek. 

During the hike, you'll summit two decent-sized hills that offer spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. During October, the weather is phenomenal, and the trees are changing color, and the wildlife can be spotted during early morning and twilight. Did I mention we didn't get bitten by even one bug?! Too good to be true. 

PROTIP: Start from the lake side of the trail, as the entrance to the wooded side is blocked as of the publishing of this blog post. 

Lake Ouachita is beautiful and has a lovely beach of worn slate. Channel your inner Norman Rockwell and get to work practicing your rock-skipping game. Winner of the most consecutive skips gets a free beer!

And now for the crown jewel of our adventure-- the Quapaw Baths and Spa. Hot Springs isn't called the Spa City for nothing, and we aimed to find out on Saturday morning.

Quapaw is one of two active bathhouses on Bathhouse Row, and still maintains a historic feel. Built in 1922, it is one of the newer bathhouses, but went into disuse officially in 1984. After determined rehabilitation efforts from the National Park Service and local businesspeople, the building was brought back to new unprecedented glory, and opened as a modern bathhouse and spa in 2008. 

The baths encompass the main floor of the building, and spa services are offered on the 2nd and basement levels. Since the building sits atop a natural hot spring reservoir,  the spa floor in the basement naturally radiates warmth. 

We made our reservations two weeks in advance and signed up for a couple's private bath followed by a his and hers massage. Alan selected the Sportsman deep tissue with hot stone alignment, and I got a Swedish massage with facial. The bath was conducted in the upper level of the building amid the original tile and marble. 

Be prepared to be warm, pampered, and well-hydrated! The staff is on a mission to fill you with their magic elixir-- Hot Springs Water-- during your entire stay. 

The massages were conducted in a thoroughly modern room in the basement. Our masseuses, Liz and Marcella, were miracle workers. Alan notoriously suffers from the early stages of frozen shoulder, or something similar, and Marcella set about the task of applying therapeutic massage. At the end of the hour-long massage, Alan professed how he had never before felt so relaxed and how the tension was melting away. It no longer hurt him to move his shoulders, though there was residual soreness as was expected. My massage was the perfect pressure, thorough, and relaxing. I received attention on all tension spots-- my feet, my hands, and even my scalp! Since starting my sales job, I spend a long time in the car, and have developed sciatic nerve pain in my right leg, but was soon gone after the great massage. After the pristine treatment, we lounged and sipped thermal water in the reception area of the spa, slowly sinking back to reality.

As we stepped away from the bathhouse and into the cool morning air of Downtown Hot Springs, I couldn't help but reflect on the mythical properties of the baths and of the town itself. We really and truly felt lighter than air, rejuvenated, and refreshed. Alan had received physical pain relief like he hadn't experienced since before he joined the Army, and I felt hydrated, relaxed, and free from sciatic nerve pain. We were now fresh-bathed believers, and vowed to pursue the path of therapeutic massage and nice warm baths from now on, because not only are the results incredible, the process is some of the most enjoyable time you can spend!

Roux the Day

As I spend my afternoons crossing my fingers (and toes) for a real, substantial cold front to roll through Louisiana, I've been dusting off my Dutch Oven and my roux spoon to craft the first great gumbo of the season. Now, look... we ALL know that someone's MawMaw or somebody's cousin RayRay creates the best gumbo EVER and that every other one is sacrilege. I've heard it, so I'm not even going to attempt to slay that Southern Dragon today. What we're here to talk about is mechanics. The literal nitty and the gritty of making different types of roux.

If you find yourself asking the question, "What the heck is a roux?" well, Sugar, you've found the right blog post. Roux is a fancy French term that is a mixture of fat and flour that is slowly cooked, then added to stews and sauces as a thickener and flavor enhancer. It's the life-blood of many a Southern or French dish, and it comes in many colors and consistencies that nearly correspond to preferences someone might overhear at your local Beauty Parlor. Things like thick, blonde roux... or chocolate-brown roux. The lighter the roux, the lighter the flavor.

What you'll need:

portioned for a 5-quart gumbo or stew

4 tbsp of your preferred clarified animal fat.
This is something like bacon fat, duck fat, or clarified butter. Duck fat is my choice, as it imparts great subtle flavor and has a high smoke-point. If you decide to go the route of butter, make ABSOLUTELY sure it is clarified butter, but even still, you're likely to still get a bit of scorching. If you detest the idea of animal fat altogether, I'd suggest a high smoke-point oil such as canola or peanut.

4-5 tbsp of all purpose flour (sifted)
This flour is what will actually be cooking in the fat, and you'll do yourself a favor if you get a finely ground style like White Lily or even Wondra. Be sure to pre-sift your flour to remove any clumps that may have appeared

Wooden flat-bottomed spoon, silicone spatula
What you need as your stirring implement is something with a large surface area in contact with your pot. If you are using an enamel pot, be sure to get an implement that will not scratch your enamel, as you'll be doing quite a bit of stirring.

ON STANDBY: have your diced vegetables that will be used for your stew, or if making a sauce, your liquid.
For gumbo, we often use diced celery, onion, and green bell pepper. If making a roux for another French dish, you may have onion, celery, and carrot. For sauces, you might have beef broth, chicken broth, or possibly cream for a blond roux. Have this within arm's reach once you start cooking this roux.

Method:

Last warning! Once you start cooking your roux, you will NOT stop stirring, so stretch those triceps and get ready to work!

Turn the heat on your pot on medium. Nothing hot, nothing too low. Add your fat, and make sure it's completely dissolved before adding the flour. Add your flour, making absolutely sure to stir and incorporate all the flour into the fat. You want your flour/fat mixture (now, officially a baby-Roux) to be the texture of quicksand. For those unfamiliar, you want almost like a thin paste here. Think wood glue, maybe just a tad thicker. As the mixture warms, your roux will begin to slowly bubble.

Now start stirring that bad-boy.

As your mixture cooks, it will slowly go from light tan to darker brown. I like to stir in a zig-zag pattern and around the edge of the pot to make sure I move all of the mixture around to the hottest and coolest places on the pot. Work that wrist!

For lighter sauces and stews, you might stop when the roux approaches the color shown in the above picture. It's just enough to cook the raw flour taste out of the roux and to incorporate some of the fat. If you're going for a rich dark gumbo, you want the roux to go all the way to milk-chocolate brown color.

BEWARE-- once roux starts to head into the brown color-wheel, your time is of the essence. It will seem like FOREVER before the roux starts to assume any color, and when it takes off, let me tell you, it takes off and can burn quicker than a New Orleans minute.

The above picture is more caramel than chocolate brown, but that's only because you have exactly half a second at the right color to stop the cooking! (Yes, that is a chip in my enamel...)

STOP!!! (or how to stop a cooking roux at the right color)
When you're just about done reaching your desired color, remember that handy bowl of diced vegetables we have stashed nearby, or even that liquid for your sauce. If using the vegetables, dump those bad boys straight in your roux and STIR STIR STIR to coat them! The roux will help cook your vegetables and stop the roux cooking all at once (and you can't forget how delicious it smells).

If making a sauce, slowly add your liquid. Keep in mind, the mixture will boil violently at first, and then dissipate. Make sure you're careful not to let it boil over! Beware when adding cream. It can scorch if you're not careful, so lower the temperature a few notches.

If you want to reserve your roux for later (unincorporated in another stew or sauce), you're going to have to practice at stopping right before your preferred color is reached, taking the pot off the burner completely, or dunking your pot in an ice bath. I just prefer to make a roux as part of my preparation for a meal instead! Prepared roux can be refrigerated for up to one month.