I prefer angel hair pasta. Since it’s long, break it into 3.
WARNING: Pasta will grow like crazy when cooked. Put half or a third of the raw pasta amount.
3. Cook the pasta
Put the pasta in the pot and cook till it reaches your desired hardness
4. Prepare meatballs
For convenience and speed, just buy pre-cooked, frozen meatballs. Then, heat them up in a microwave on high for 4 minutes.
5. Prepare pasta sauce
For convenience and speed, just buy premade pasta sauce. Rao’s marinara sauce is particularly good and available at Costco. Pour an adequate amount over the cooked meatballs.
then heat in a microwave for 2 minutes.
6. Strain pasta
When pasta is cooked, strain it and put it back into the pot.
7. Mix sauce, meatballs and pasta
Pour the sauce and meatballs into the pot of pasta and mix.
Many people just need to create a simple website. There are many online website builders that offer this including Google Sites. However, what if you also need to simply password-protect some pages. WordPress.com makes this very easy. Following are steps on how to create a clear, no-frills website using WordPress.
1. WordPress.com
Go to https://wordpress.com/ and create an account. You can choose all of the free options and pick any theme.
2. Simple Theme
There are many free themes to choose from. But, if you want the most basic and intuitive theme, click on Appearance > Themes > search for the “Twenty Fifteen” theme and activate it.
3. Create Pages
Click to “customize” the theme and then choose “Menus” > Primary Menu. There will be two pages by default: Home and Blog. If you are not creating a blog, you can delete the Blog page. Then, click “Add items” > Add New Page” and add as many pages as you like. You will then need to drag the pages from the right column to the menu in the left column.
4. Edit Pages
While still in the Customize view, you can preview the site in the right column and click on the various menu links you just created. For each page, you can click the “Edit” link which will take you to the page editor view.
5. Paste Images
The nice thing about the page editor is you can just paste images where you want them and WordPress will upload the images for you. There’s no need to have an image file on your computer and then browse to it to upload it.
6. Password-protect Pages (Optional)
If you want to password protect some pages, then in the right column of the page editor view, click Document > Public > Password Protected and type in a password.
Once you publish your site, password-protected pages will appear as follows:
Once you enter the password, you’ll have access to the page’s content.
7. Publish
Now, you can click the “Publish” button to publish new page and the entire site. The site will be accessible at XXXX.wordpress.com where XXXX is customizable. You can also pay to buy a custom domain and link it to your new site.
Here’s a list of the minimum tools I think a DIYer would need. To keep costs low, I chose tools that had good reviews but were not necessarily brand name.
Power Tools
Since it’s cheaper to buy a bundle, I picked this bundle of 12 tools. Not all are essential like the brad nailer but since you can save $259 with this bundle, it doesn’t matter. Also, Ryobi has the most battery-powered tools which is a big plus.
The Husky organizer above is good but the latches can easily open on their own possibly causing everything to fall out. A better but much more expensive option would be to buy one or two of the Milwaukee organizers below.
We’ve all seen them. Weeds. Along your concrete driveway expansion joints. Many, if not most, people will just remove the weeds only for them to grow back as soon as it rains. So, why do weeds grow along these lines? Apparently just a little bit of dirt that makes its way into these gaps is enough to cause weeds to grow. I’ve had enough of these weeds growing every year so here’s my attempt to resolve this annoyance once and for all.
Remove Weeds
To remove weeds, you can use an oscillating tool, a small reciprocating saw, or even a utility knife or flathead screwdriver. Since I like doing things the quick and easy way, I use an angle grinder with a wire wheel.
To prevent kickback and potentially hurting yourself, stand perpendicular to the direction the wire wheel rotates.
If you need to enlarge some gaps or smoothen them out, you can use an angle grinder with a diamond blade.
Fill Gaps
Now, my driveway has gaps that are small (1/4″), medium (1/2″) and wide (3/4″ – 1″) in width and the depths range from 1/4″ to maybe 3″ deep. The small and shallow gaps are usually not a problem.
At first, I thought about filling some small gaps with Sakrete Concrete Crack Filler since the driveway is made of concrete.
Concrete Crack Filler
I tried this on a small gap and product was very easy to apply and it settles nicely producing a nice bead.
However, it turns out you shouldn’t do that because apparently those gaps – called expansion joints or control joints – are by design so filling these gaps with concrete defeats their purpose. Concrete Crack Filler is good, however, if you do have a thin, natural crack (not expansion joint) because it hardens just like concrete.
Concrete Filler and Sealant
For horizontal surfaces or slightly sloped surfaces like your driveway, use Sikaflex Self-Leveling Sealant.
Foam
Now, for some of the larger gaps, it would be too expensive and wasteful to fill them with sealant. For those, I decided to use a foam gap filler.
Apply Foam
This stuff really does expand and is pretty sticky when wet. It’s great for filling large gaps. Of course, you’ll need to trim the foam in order to apply sealant. This can be done with a utility knife, a mini reciprocating saw, or, better yet, an oscillating tool.
I cut away the foam a little bit below the surface of the concrete to allow for a layer of sealant.
Apply Sealant
At first I bought the 10 oz sealant but because I wanted to seal all joints, I got the 28 oz sealant (cheaper) and a 29 oz caulking gun. As you can see below, the sealant self levels resulting in a nice, smooth finish.
Had I gone with non self-leveling sealant like Sikaflex Construction Sealant
then the result would look like this:
You could try to smoothen it out using a taping knife by why bother. This type of sealant is better for vertical surfaces.
Now, if you don’t like the look of a gray joint, you can color your driveway with Rustoleum Epoxy or Behr Granite Grip and the entire driveway will be the same color.
Sand
You can also sprinkle sand on the sealant to prevent debris from sticking to it while it dries.
We often take pictures with our smart phones which may save photos at very high resolutions resulting in large file sizes. What if we want to quickly resize and compress these images for uploading to a website or sharing via email. One quick was is to use Photoshops Image Processor Automation Script.
File > Script > Image Processor
You’ll then see a dialog where you
select a folder containing the large images
select a location to save the processed images
check a file type (JPG) and optionally resize the image to fit within a specified width and height
Then, just click the Run button and Photoshop will do the work.
Though you can find baklava all over the world including in the US and the Middle East, I find that the best baklava is Turkish baklava. This should come as no surprise as you will find baklava shops on almost every street in Istanbul and probably all over Turkey. Since a main ingredient in baklava is pistachio, and the center of pistachio cultivation in Turkey is in the city of Gaziantep, some consider Gaziantep baklava to be the best. In 2013, Gaziantep baklava became the first Turkish product with a European protected designation of origin and geographical indication.
According to the Lonely Planet guide book on Istanbul, following are some of the best baklava shops there.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu Karaköy, Rıhtım Cad. Katlı Otopark Altı No: 3-4 Istanbul / Turkey T: +90 212 293 09 10
Köşkeroğlu Restaurant Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mahallesi, Mumhane Caddesi, No 2/D, Beyoğlu, Istanbul – Tel: 0212 245 35 14
Kaşıbeyaz Baklava Nispetiye Mahallesi, Aytar Caddesi, No 31/C, Beşiktaş, İstanbul – Tel: 0212 281 10 50
Emiroğlu Baklavacısı Murat Reis Mahallesi, Nuh Kuyusu Caddesi, No 289/A, Üsküdar, İstanbul – Tel: 0216 334 58 26
Hacı Bozan Oğulları Bahçelievler Mahallesi, İzzettin Çalışlar Caddesi, No 13, Bahçelievler, Istanbul – Tel: 0212 575 49 49
Gaziantep Baklavacısı Küçükyalı Merkez Merkez Mahallesi, Rüştü Sarp Caddesi, No 25/A, Maltepe, Istanbul – Tel: 0216 417 71 20
Gaziantepli Altınoğlu Baklavaları Kadirga Liman Cad. 17, 34450 Istanbul, Turkey
I have personally tried Emiroğlu baklava and can confirm that it is one of the best. It’s got just the right amount of moisture unlike some other baklava which are too dry or wet.
One baklava shop you will most likely see in Istanbul is Hakkizade Hafiz Mustafa 1864. Their baklava is good but a bit too dry for my taste. Emiroglu is better.
If you’re on Google Fi and landed in a another country and turned off Airplane mode and you get no data, try the following (with wifi off so you don’t get confused).
Open the Google Fi App
The app should welcome you to the country you have just landed in. However, it may also say “You’re offline”.
Update Settings
Go to Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network >
Ensure “Mobile data” is enabled
Ensure “Roaming” is enabled
Click “Advanced” and disable “Automatically select network”. You will then see a list of local cellular networks. Some may be G, 3G and LTE. Pick one that works, preferably a faster one.
At this point, you should be able to connect to the internet on your phone.
You’ve probably used wire nuts to splice electrical wires at home.
Though this works, the wires can become loose can cause a short circuit. Some electricians will wrap black electrical tape around the wire nuts but that’s messy and sticky.
You could use In-Sure wire connectors which claim to support both solid and stranded wires but removing wires can be very difficult.
A better solution is to use Wago LEVER-NUTS Splicing Connectors. These connectors support both stranded and solid wires at various gauges and they are simple to use. Just strip the wire, insert it, and clamp down on the lever. To remove wires, just open the clamps. Not sure why The Home Depot doesn’t carry these but they are available on Amazon.
And if you need a more permanent connection, these solder seal wire connectors are great. No crimping or soldering necessary. Just
Strip the wires
Insert them into the connector as shown below
Melt the solder and the transparent heat shrink with a heat gun
So, last week I renovated one of my rental properties. This included replacing an old kitchen from 1995 with a new one. Here’s an overview of the process.
1. Take a picture of and measure the old kitchen cabinets
I just drew the measurements in Photoshop. Note that the picture below is what the cabinets looked like in 2008. The remodel was done in 2021 and the cabinets were is much worse condition then.
2. Design and order new cabinets
Cabinet Prices
Cabinet prices can vary widely. Home Depot, for example, is expensive. HD Supply has cheap cabinets but they look cheap. IKEA’s cabinets are mid-priced but you have assemble them. Chinese stores have cheap cabinets that look expensive. They also come pre-assembled. But, you have to inspect each cabinet before installing them because their quality control isn’t very good.
Cabinet or Drawers
There are base cabinets that sit on the floor and wall cabinets that are on the wall. Wall cabinets are always just cabinets with a swing out door. They are more expensive if the door has a glass window in it. Base cabinets can be regular cabinets or have drawers. If they are just cabinets, then you’d have a hard time reaching for items in the back of them. If they are drawers, then you can just slide out the drawers to access anything in them. Since drawers require more material and come with sliding mechanisms, they are more expensive then drawers.
Types of Cabinets
2D / 3D Design
I ended up just buying the cabinets from a Chinese store (warehouse) called Uni Tile & Marble.
I ended up choosing solid gray color cabinets. This is because the house is a rental house and tenants somehow ruin the surface of the cabinets, I can later just easily repaint the cabinets. This is what the cabinets look like in the showroom.
Countertops
For the countertop, the one on display was off white with a random gray design.
It contrasted well with the gray cabinets and looked exotic but it was also more expensive than other countertops on offer. I decided to go with a cheaper countertop ($300 per 8 foot slab) but my tenant offered to pay the difference for the more expensive countertop so I ended up getting the more expensive one.
Quarts countertops are super heavy and require special handling and are not easy to cut. I ended up paying the store to transport and install the countertops. If you’re looking for a cheaper DIY option, you can just buy cheap laminate countertops at the Home Depot and use a simple jigsaw to cut out the sink hole.
Sinks
For the sink, I prefer the large single basin type. Even though they’re available at Chinese stores, Chinese stores then to have outdated return policies with unreasonable restocking fees (25%) so for these types of items, I buy them at the Home Depot or Lowes.
Faucet
For the faucet, I definitely prefer the type in the picture below. It makes it easier to spray and clean the entire sink or whatever else you are washing / cleaning.
3. Pick Up New Cabinets
I could have had the cabinets delivered for a ridiculous $200 fee but since I need to dispose of the old cabinets, I decided to rent a 10′ U-Haul box truck to both pick up the new cabinets and transport the old cabinets to the dump.
A 10′ box truck was big enough to lay all cabinets on the truck bed.
The house were the cabinets will be installed.
4. Demolish Old Cabinets
The old cabinets were original to the house from 1995. They were definitely low quality cabinets. They were just screwed into the wall. Some sections were large so I used a Milwaukee Monster sawzall to cut cabinets in half.
5. Dispose of Old Cabinets
Since we had the truck for 24 hours, we loaded the old cabinets and other construction debris in it
and took it to the dump where I paid $138 to dump it all.
6. Prepare Wall
After removing the kitchen cabinets, the walls needed to be patched up and painted.
First, we enlarged some of the holes in the wall by cutting with an oscillating tool. The holes were shaped like rectangles where vertical edges would be along the center of studs. This would allow us to screw drywall nails through them into the studs. Cutting drywall was easy using a small, cordless reciprocating saw.
We then patched crevices with spackling paste.
After waiting for the spackling paste to dry, I then used an orbital sander to smoothen the wall surface.
I then sprayed wall texture to try to match the texture of the existing wall. This didn’t work well as the material was often clogging up. Next time, just use an air compressor with an actual texture sprayer gun.
I then painted the ceiling Swiss Coffee.
And painted the walls Roman Plaster.
I then touched up the corners where the two colors met. Semigloss paint was used to make cleaning easier.
7. Mark Walls
After the paint dried, we marked where all the studs in the wall were using a stud finder and then marked level (horizontal) and plumb (vertical) points using a laser level.
Then, we connected the points and drew outlines for where the cabinets would go. Note that the distance between the countertop to the bottom of the wall cabinets should be 18 inches.
8. Install Cabinets
We then installed the wall cabinets first. To facilitate this, we screwed a 2×4 to the wall so we could sit the cabinets on it while we screw the cabinets into the wall. If a cabinet didn’t span 2 studs, we’d use drywall anchors.
If walls or floor are not level or flat, use shims.
9. Install Cabinet Handles
To facilitate installing the cabinet handles perfectly, we bought a plastic template / jig. It did not work for drawers, though, so for drawers, we made our own jig.
10. Install Microwave
Since the microwave goes above the range, we installed that next. This required cutting holes in the cabinet above it for bolts and the vent.
11. Install Plywood on Base Cabinets
We then cut plywood and screwed it to the base cabinets.
12. Install Sink
We then cut a hole in the plywood for the sink using a mini circular saw for the straight sides and a jig saw for the corners. Then we installed the faucet, soap dispenser, dishwasher air gap, and garbage disposer to the sink and then installed the sink. This was done before installing the countertop because the countertop would not be ready for another 2 weeks.
I just got a top mount sink that includes the faucet holes rather than an undermount sink. This simplified installation.
13. Install Crown Molding
We then installed the crown molding. This was very tricky for a couple of reasons.
depending on the shape of the top of your wall cabinets and the shape of your crown molding, there may not be enough surface area to shoot finish nails into or there may not be enough clearance to shoot nails from above
cutting miter angles can be tricky and holding the crown molding down on the miter saw the same way isn’t easy.
Cutting the crown molding
Fortunately for this project, we only needed 45 degree cuts. But, we messed up a few times at first and wasted some expensive molding. Here are some tips to cut crown molding easily and correctly each time.
Label the surface of the miter saw “TOP” to remind yourself that the top of the crown molding should be facing down and the bottom of the molding flat against the fence.
Find a way to secure 2 pieces of wood to the sides of the miter saw.
Place your crown molding against the fence and then screw a piece of plywood or wood board to the two pieces of wood on each side of the miter saw. This allow you to put the crown molding on the saw at the same angle every time ensuring perfect cuts.
Installing the crown molding
For our particular case, we decided to secure the crown molding to thin plywood using small screws. We then lifted it and let it sit on top of the wall cabinets – no further screwing or nailing necessary.
14. Install Baseboard and Trim Molding
We then cut the baseboard and trim molding to length and shot them into the cabinets using a finish nailer powered by an air compressor. The baseboard and molding were necessary to hide gaps between the cabinets and the floor and walls.
15. Install The Countertop
For the countertops, I decided to go with quartz instead of marble. Since it’s very heavy and tricky to cut and to smoothen the edges, I decided to just pay someone to install the countertops.
First, one of the 8 foot slabs was cut to go on each side of the range. I believe this was done using a diamond blade.
A thin strip of the excess material was cut to make a finished end. The strip was secured using a special epoxy glue.
The strip was then clamped down and the epoxy left to cure for a while.
The installer intentionally cut the slab and the thin strip to be longer than the final length so that after the strip was secured he could cut and trim the end where you see all the glue oozing out.
This resulted in a very clean joint. He then smoothened the end.
This is how the joint ended up looking (with some dust that would eventually be wiped off).
For the sink side, a hole was cut out.
To create rounded corners, the installer cut a bunch of lines at each corner.
And then using a flathead screwdriver, broke off the thin pieces.
And then used an angle grinder to grind away rough edges to create a smooth rounded corner.
They then glued the quartz countertop to the plywood.
And this is the end result.
Note that we also
replaced the flourescent tube light box with flat LED lights
painted the walls BEHR Roman Plaster (semigloss)
replaced the old style kitchen outlets and switches with new Decora ones including adding a dimmer for the very bright LED lights
replaced the linoleum sheet / vinyl tile flooring with LifeProof Dusk Cherry luxury vinyl planks.
Tools
This project was big enough that I ended up bringing most of my tools to the worksite.
