This Sicilian Pasta Fasoul recipe was one of my favorite dishes growing up, and quite honestly, still is. It is also my 5 year old son’s favorite dish now! My grandfather, born in Sicily, made this dish and passed it on to my mother, who past it on to me.
I have made a few changes to the recipe, my mother always used dark red kidney beans, but I prefer black beans in this recipe. I think it’s the smaller size of the bean that works better. I’m also sure my mother would have added fresh garlic, and you should too if you want!
SICILIAN PASTA FASOUL Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 can black beans – do not drain(I prefer Goya brand)
1 small onion or 1/2 large onion finely diced
1 cup chicken broth (1 boullion cube in 1 cup water)
1 lb elbow pasta cooked al dente ( I prefer Barilla)
Pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for topping
How to prepare:
Step 1: Boil water for the pasta and cook while making the rest of the dish. Do not overcook the pasta.
Step 2: Brown the ground beef and diced onion in a large skillet.
Step 3: Add the entire can of black beans including the liquid. Cook until just boiling.
Step 4: Add the cup of broth, and return to a boil. Season to taste with pepper and salt (there’s plenty of salt in this dish with the broth and beans, I do not add any additional salt.)
Step 5: Toss in the pasta and mix to coat. Serve immediately with fresh grated parmesan cheese.
Picking new wood flooring can be so exciting, but don’t turn that into disappointment if you didn’t consider these 7 things before you choose your new flooring. And always read all the manufacturer’s instructions prior to making any final decisions on a new floor.
1. Thickness of the Flooring
Choosing the thickness of your new flooring is very important and has many different considerations. Think about the existing floor height and if you are removing old flooring in the process. If you are removing 3/4″ flooring it might be the easiest to replace with the same height flooring. Using thicker will potentially make doors not clear/close, trim to not fit back together etc. Too thin of replacement flooring can cause gapping or other repairs to be made after installation. Think about any other height constrictions including stair nosing, transitions to other rooms, door clearance, existing trim etc. You also should consider any subfloor requirements or adhesive thickness if required.
Another side of this is if you are simply covering an existing floor. In most cases this will result in the floor being higher than the surrounding floors and some planning will be necessary. What transition pieces are available in the flooring you are considering to make these look professional? In many cases doors will need to be trimmed down to adjust for the increased flooring height. Also if you are covering an existing floor check the manufacturer specifications and if your flooring can be installed over the existing floor type.
2. Consider traffic and durability
Durability and foot traffic is a very important consideration when choosing new flooring. High traffic areas will show wear and tear significantly faster than low traffic areas. Entrances, doorways, kitchens, family and living rooms will have significantly more traffic than bedrooms, or home offices. Flooring will offer warranties that should give you an indication of the durability of the product. Solid wood floors will inevitably show signs of wear and tear with dings, dents, scratches and worn finish. The ability to sand or refinish later will allow you to renew your floors with some work later on. Engineered or laminate floors might withstand damage longer and had additional durability but might not have the ability to be refinished in the future.
Kitchens, bathrooms and basements have additional considerations since they need to have additional water and stain resistant properties. Wood floors are not recommended for bathrooms or wet basements. An engineered product might have special properties to resist water damage. Kitchen in recent years have seen wood floors successfully installed. Additional sealers or topcoats might be applied to boost the floors stain and water-resistant properties and increase durability.
3. Floor installation Method
Modern flooring has several installation techniques. There are floating floors, click lock, tongue and groove, stapled, nailed or glued. Read manufactures recommendations to understand recommended installation methods.
Floating floors are an easy installation since it does not require stapling, nailing or gluing. These floorboards lock together and float above the existing floor. These are generally a laminate product and can sound hollow or move under foot if the subfloor and underlayment are not correct.
Click lock floors can be floating floors or might require a glued installation. The click in place system is easy for a DIY’er to install.
Tongue and groove is common for solid wood and engineered wood floors. These require nailing, staples or glue, but will produce beautiful results. Additional tools and installation time are required but the resulting floor will be a quality floor that will look and sound beautiful under foot.
4. DIY or hire a pro
DIY’ers or homeowners can install any of these products successfully with the right tools, planning and time. Generally, a self-installed job will take longer as the installer gets the hang of the process, tools and planning required.
Not all homeowners want to tackle such a large project, or don’t have the tools or time. Consider hiring a professional flooring company or installer in this case. Obtain quotes for several companies, ask questions and for references from any company you are considering hiring. Also, understand the payment schedule and do not agree to pay for the job in full until it is 100% complete.
5. underlayment
Underlayment options have grown considerably in recent years. There are several types available, thin to thick, plastic to fabric, offering additional benefits like soundproofing (muffling). Consider what of these types or benefits would work for your installation and check that against the manufacturer’s instructions for compatibility. Underlayment might add cost to the project, but the benefits of a long-lasting quiet installation will make it worth the investment.
6. Board width
Board width is important for 2 main reasons. The first being the style or aesthetic desired for the finish project. Thicker floorboards are a more recent desirable look falling into the popular farmhouse trend. Thinner boards are a more classic look, not trending as much as wider flooring today. The second consideration is installation time. Wider boards install significantly faster than thinner. If this is a DIY project, the homeowner can save hours to days’ worth of installation time by choosing a thick board.
7. Direction of the boards
One of the hardest decisions is choosing the direction of the floorboards. Designers generally agree that that running boards away from the entrance can make the room look bigger, as it runs the eye to elongate the space. In the same idea, running the boards the long way in the room and make it look longer vs running the boards the short wall making the room look smaller. Think about running boards diagonal or creating a boarder for additional design ideas. Whichever way you choose, make the conscious choice (and don’t let the installer choose) and you should be happy.
This cute rustic wood hanging shelf is so easy to make and is a great project for scrap pieces of wood.
I made this cute hanging wood shelf to sit above the Farmhouse X Desk I build some time ago. I stained the wood to match in Minwax Honey stain with a clear gloss poly over the top.
Here is what you need:
2 squares of scrap wood, one about 2″ the other about 5″
metal hook screw
jute twine
drill/bit
sandpaper
stain/paint if desired
How to build the rustic hanging shelf
Step 1: Drill holes for the twine in the larger wood block. Drill one hole in each corner, evenly spaced. I placed the holes about 3/4″ from the edges and used a 1/8″ bit. You want to be careful not to place the holes too close to the edges, it will make the wood weak.
Step 2: Smooth the wood blocks with 220 grit sandpaper. Pay extra attention to the drill holes to smooth any splintering in the wood. Feel free to get creative with the finish, you can make a weathered look, or a more polished smooth finish.
Step 3: Screw in the metal hook in the center of the small wood square. Use a small dot of wood glue to hold it in place. Wipe away any excess glue with a damp cloth before it dries.
Step 4: Cut four pieces of twine 2.5 times the desired length of the shelf. If you want the shelf to hang 2′, cut the twine at 5′. Then run the ends of 2 pieces together through 2 of the bottom holes on one side. Repeat the same for the other side and knot them evenly at the bottom of the shelf.
I also have a post with instructions for the picture ledge shown above.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I have created some printables below that you can use in your arts and crafts!
These printables can be used for cards, gift tags, wall art and more. Let me know if you like the printables and if there are other printables you want to see!
Click on the download link below each image to download in .pdf format.
Installing hardwood flooring is not as difficult as it might seem, nor does it require as much skill as one might think. Here is my simple how to install hardwood flooring from my experience installing these wood floors in my bedroom and hallway.
Beautiful DIY installed hardwood floors
When I bought my fixer upper, there was the most hideous multi blue color carpet with giant stains and awful pet smells. That was not something I could not live with! I tore up the carpet and padding to expose the 3/4″ particle board sub floor over planks. My choices at this point were that I could remove the particle board and install standard thickness hardwood floors in its place, or I could leave the subfloors and install a thin wood floor. I opted to save myself some time and money and chose a 5/16″ thick floor from Bruce. Since this was the top floor of the house, I felt that these floors would not get a lot of traffic or damage. If I was installing floors in the living room or at the front door, I would have made a different decision.
What you will need
wood floor of your choice
compressor
Stapler or floor nailer
underlayment
nail set, hammer, and other hand tools
tape measure
chalk line
chop saw
table saw
dovetail or jamb saw
Home Depot has all you need for your home improvement projects
Before you begin
Take some time to plan out your room and flooring. I made my decision based on what was best for the space (not wanting to raise the floor height much) and what was the most reasonably priced. That meant a thin wood floor that was only 2″ wide. I cannot sand these floors down later as with 3/4″ wood floors (manufacturer says they can withstand one sanding.) Also choosing this 2″ width means you use more staples and the installation is extremely slow. You move along at 2″ at a time. A wide plank of 4-5″ or more would have installed in a fraction of the time.
Spend some time thinking about the finish as well. Flooring can come prefinished or bare wood. The prefinished planks are slightly more expensive, but really are worth it in the long run saving lots of time, mess and money not having to finish the floors at the end. Unfinished floors need to be sanded (expensive and messy) prior to staining and sealing. Personally, I would always opt for a prefinished board.
Also plan the direction the wood planks will run, parallel or perpendicular to the entrance. Many designers recommend that the boards run away from the entrance of the room as this perspective makes the room look bigger. I also chose to run my boards the long way in the room since it was a long and narrow room.
Lastly, read the instructions for the flooring you purchased. There are so many wood and engineered products and they will each have different recommendations for installation and tools. The thin engineered floor I chose were Bruce American Originals Deep Russet Oak 5/16 in. T x 2-1/4 in. W x Varying L Solid Hardwood Flooring.
Bruce American Originals Deep Russet Oak 5/16 in. T x 2-1/4 in. W x Varying L Solid Hardwood Flooring from The Home Depot
This flooring needed to be stapled to the floor per the manufacturer’s instructions. Wood floor cleats would damage the wood and not allow the tongue and groove to sit properly. I had to do some research to find the right stapler size and purchased this Bostitch stapler. You can rent staplers or nailers but the slow installation time made the rental more expensive than just buying the stapler. I could also do the work at my own pace without the clock ticking on the rental.
Step 1 – Prepare the floor
This means cleaning all debris, removing any nails or staples protruding from the floor (or hammering them flush.) Floors need to be as smooth and level as possible. Any major bumps, divots or holes will be noticeable in the finished floor and will make installing the tongue an groove impossible in some cases. I also removed the covers for the baseboard heaters so I could get the wood underneath for a finished look.
Step 2 – Lay the underlayment
I used a roll of black roofing paper for my underlayment. There are so many options now for underlayment, and check with the manufacturer of your wood flooring for any recommendations. There is also sound proofing underlayment to reduce the noise heard below if that is a concern for you.
Step 3 – Square the floor and mark your straight line
This in my opinion is the most difficult and important step. This will greatly affect the rest of the installation and overall look of the floors. If the first row is not straight, it will make the rest of the install very difficult as you will be trying to bend boards to fit your curved line. Also if this is not in square with your room your floors will look crooked or diagonal.
First measure your room for square. Most interior walls have the chance to be slightly off center since they are installed by hand. Exterior walls have a greater chance to be straight and square. Depending on your room you might have a small or large distance to try to square in the room. My room was only about 3/4″ off square which isn’t too bad for a 15′ room. I could easily work that in without the eye noticing on the finished product. I used the exterior wall to mark my chalk line.
Step 4 – Lay your first Row of boards
To lay the first row you will top nail the board into the floor. I used a pneumatic finish nailer. Pick the longest and straightest boards for the first row. Line the boards to your chalk line and nail straight down to the floor from the face of the board. It’s very important that this line is straight, which is why using long straight boards is important in this step. Since I had the baseboard heat in this room this board will be completely covered and the nails will not be noticeable at all.
DIY hardwood floor installation
Step 5 – Nail or staple boards
Now is the fun part! You can begin to lay rows of flooring. Plan your wood pieces 1-3 rows in advance. Open several packages of flooring and take wood from each box to make sure that any variations are blended into the floors’ final look. Also inspect each board for imperfections prior to installation. This thinner wood had more imperfections than other thicker wood floors, so to try to minimize the waste, I would cut off the imperfections and use that to begin or end a row.
The next few rows you might find that you do not have enough room to fit the stapler or nailer. I chose to hand nail finish nails into the tongue. Installers may use a finish nailer into the tongue, but this wood was so thin I took the time to hand nail. A nail set allowed me to slightly sink the nail into the tongue without damaging it.
Make sure you cut each end and beginning piece and don’t leave the tongue or groove when starting or ending a row. Also use a spacer between the wall and flooring that will allow for expansion in hot humid weather according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep this space as even as possible to make finishing the job with trim easier with a consistent distance to cover. My first flooring project (years ago) I was sloppy with the wall spacers and had to do a lot of work to cover the varying space with trim and quarter round.
DIY hardwood floor installation
The tongue and groove is designed to fit tightly on all sides of the board. Keep these boards as tight as possible and use a scrap piece as a tap board with a mallet to kick the piece tight prior to stapling. Do not use the mallet directly on the board you are installing as it will damage the tongue and groove.
You may also have door jambs to work around. I had a closet door and the entry door as I finished up the room. Instead of trying to cut the wood floor around the door jam, there is a special saw that will allow you to cut the jam above the floor height so the wood will slide underneath and create a professional look. This is the saw I used, Stanley Fatmax Dovetail Saw, which was reversable. Use a scrap piece of flooring to set your height and saw away the bottom of the door jam and trim.
Step 6 – Installing the last row
As you get close to the wall you will find that your stapler or nailer will not fit. As with the first few rows, I hand nailed finish nails into the tongue.
The last row will often need to be ripped to a thinner width to fill the distance to the wall. Measure and mark your boards and this last row will also need to be face nailed.
Step 7 – Finish with Trim
Finish the job with some beautiful trim and replace the baseboard covers. Don’t forget to stand and admire all your hard work!
Some of you may have already seen my post for the DIY Farmhouse X Desk I built about a year ago. This is a great article with lots of color photos but it isn’t detailed enough to actually build the exact same desk. Wait no more because I created free downloadable plans to create this exact DIY Farmhouse X desk!
The farmhouse styled desk is simple to make with a little time and the right tools. It took me a few days to assemble in my free time around the holidays and could easily be completed in a weekend! This farmhouse corner desk fits perfectly in my dining room giving me a ton more space for my work items.
Farmhouse X Desk Plans
FREE DOWNLOAD
Send download link to:
Click below to get your free DIY Farmhouse Desk plans. Just enter your email address and the link will be sent directly to you! If you don’t receive the link to the free diy farmhouse x desk plans within a few minutes check your spam or junk folders. Enjoy and let me know if you like these free plans to make this Farmhouse X desk.
Don’t forget to order your own pocket hole jig, I used the Kreg Jig, but there are other brands out there.
