SUPERSCAPES UNLIMITED INC.

A bunch of people have asked me who did our backyard over so here are the details:

We hired Craig Fauth from Superscapes Unlimited to come in and design our full outdoor space (front and back yards). After about 10 minutes of listening to what we want to do in our yard and looking around, Craig sat down and drew up a sketch of the design which we absolutely loved. So after that, he went back to the office and drew up a more official plan (in color and including plantings) and we were on our way.

The full work for the backyard probably took about 3-4 full days but unfortunately we were hit with some big rain storms in between delaying the project. Craig was there every dry day to get the job done and was one of the first builders to put a Cambridge fireplace in a backyard on Long Island (see Cambridge Pre-Packaged Olde English Paver Fireplace Kit with Cast Stone Surround).

We absolutely love our yard and really had a wonderful experience with Craig and his staff. They were clean, efficient and honest throughout the project keeping me feeling at ease. Also, Craig stopped by about 2 weeks after to check to see how everything was going. I couldn't have asked for better service.

We can't wait to have our front yard done over at the end of the summer!

Here are Craig's details in case you want to get a design of your own:

SUPERSCAPES UNLIMITED INC.
Landscape Design & Construction
Designs by Craig Fauth
Phone: (631) 269-5304
Website: http://www.superscapesunlimited.com

-s

Eggplant, Chicken and Spinach...

I walked into the house at 6:30 pm with nothing planned for dinner. Now if you know me, you're probably saying "S doesn't cook". Exactly what I said to myself when I looked in the fridge. I found a small purple eggplant, chicken cutlets and baby spinach and I thought WWGD?

Yes, what would Google do? So I typed into Google "chicken spinach and eggplant" and the first site that came back was Chicken Eggplant Lasagna - No Noodles Recipe. I didn't even read the entire recipe. I just started throwing things together starting with step 1 and by the end I had made an amazing impromptu meal. Here's how I improvised in case anyone was wondering... It was really delicious.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts; pounded thin
adobo seasoning OR salt, pepper, garlic powder [Used SPG combo not adobo]

1 package frozen chopped spinach; thawed and drained [Used a handful of fresh baby spinach chopped]

2 garlic cloves; chopped
1 onion; chopped
15 oz ricotta cheese (more or less) [Didn't have any so I didn't use it.]

1 large eggplant; peeled and sliced very thinly (breading optional) [Breaded with seasoned breadcrumbs and egg/salt/pepper combo.]

olive oil [EVOO]

butter
tomato sauce [about 1/2 cup of Mom's fresh sauce that was left over from Monday night's dinner]

shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) [Used it.]
graded cheese

Modified Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
After you've pounded out the chicken breasts, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder.
Pan sear in a pan barely coated with olive oil.
Meanwhile place sliced and breaded eggplant onto a baking sheet sprayed with Pam and sprinkle a bit of EVOO on top. Bake for 15 minutes flip and then bake for another 5 minutes.
Once chicken is just browned on both sides, remove from the pan.
Add a little bit of EV olive oil and a little bit of butter to the pan.
Add the chopped garlic and onion and saute.
Add the chopped spinach, left over eggplant (chopped not breaded) and cook through adding graded cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder along the way.
Pour all the tomato sauce in the bottom of baking pan.
Place some of the eggplant slices to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
Top the first eggplant layer with the spinach mixture and spread over.
Place the chicken on top of the spinach mixture.
Top the chicken with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes on 400 degrees.

Enjoy!
-s

Backyard Makeover Part 3 - FINAL

We're finally there, the backyard makeover is complete!

Before Pictures...

Backyard Makeover

Backyard Makeover Part 2