A week of me at home and him down in Florida. Hurricane Matthew changed a lot of his plans and it was the first time being evacuated. Up here, just a quiet time.
Showing posts with label kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kitchen. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2016
Thursday, June 16, 2016
TBT: 2003 The Kitchen and How It Was
When we were starting with the renovation in 2003 we had a new refrigerator, a temporary island that had the new cooktop and two of our first Ikea white drawer units. There was a pot rack over that island and what a joy it was to finally cook with real heat on five burners! As much as I like the new kitchen and all my counter space, this was a very workable kitchen and is still one of my favorite floor plans.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Monday, April 2, 2012
AAM: Before But No After Yet
Ok, so what you see on the left came from the once crammed drawer on the right. Now I got as far as getting the dividers in, three baskets in that second row, and then it all stopped. I needed time. I thought I would have two days home alone to spread that basket full of great kitchen items all over the large island. I could take my time, study what I wanted, then go back and reevaluate all those decisions after a good night sleep.
Nope. Didn't happen. He decided not to go on the overnight biking trip because it got too cold. Understandable, but now I don't know when I'll have the free time again. I need time and space. These decisions do not come easily to me. I have sorely regretted decisions based on that old standard 'if you haven't used it in x amount of time. Sometimes I haven't used it just because I couldn't see it or I didn't have the skills yet. Mild gnashing of teeth occurred. I don't want to repeat that. I like to cook. I like my tools. I want them all!!
But enough. The laundry basket stays. It survived one company evening already. I can live with a few more if need be. Upscale problems as always.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Flashback Friday ...My Transition Kitchen
2003, which seems ages ago, we were in the planning stage of our house renovation. The old stove was gone, and in its place was a new refrigerator. My dh built me a red counter top for my new cook-top, and while I didn't have a full oven we did have a micro/convection oven on the opposite wall. I loved having the new counter space and was able to get myself ready for the next stage...tearing down walls and really renovating.
Christmas 2003 saw a lot of red, and a nice family visit. Two good cooks smile for the camera!
Christmas 2003 saw a lot of red, and a nice family visit. Two good cooks smile for the camera!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Flashback Friday
My kitchen in Tehran, 1978 or early 79. The children and I had already been evacuated and my then husband took these polaroids of all the rooms for probable insurance purposes. It was a big kitchen, as was the whole apartment, and we had just stocked the fridge and got a full tank of 'gaz' for the stove. How about that classic avocado green! I loved that pine linen press that we bought in England, ditto some original bentwood chairs round the oak kitchen table.
While our household goods did get shipped back to the US, despite the Iranian Revolution, many of these things were stolen by US renters of our home in the states. Funny twist of fate, eh?
Sunday, August 3, 2008
This is ...my trade secret
Hmm...this is a hard one. The main thing I think I am pretty darn good at right now is cooking sooo....
After all, it is my blog title! Good equipments certainly helps anyone, but I think any reader here knows I love my kitchen. (Once more, many many thanks to my dh for making it happen. And thank you for putting up with my pot and pan collecting...)
Click the "This is..." button on the right to see more players of Three Button's game. Thanks to Amelia for this great theme. Try saying the name of her blog outloud...
After all, it is my blog title! Good equipments certainly helps anyone, but I think any reader here knows I love my kitchen. (Once more, many many thanks to my dh for making it happen. And thank you for putting up with my pot and pan collecting...)
Click the "This is..." button on the right to see more players of Three Button's game. Thanks to Amelia for this great theme. Try saying the name of her blog outloud...
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Vintage Today
This is, of course, a modern photo of me modified over at Wanokoto. Try it! (do click the English button unless you do want the Japanese - ez in either language)
footnote - So glad you commented BirdBath! It was her lovely site where I spotted this technique, but then forgot who was my inspiration. I need to keep writing things down...
Monday, June 30, 2008
This is...
...my best thrift shop (opshop) find. Thanks to Lino Forest for this week’s theme.
This is the latest of my kitchen goodies. I’m not much into looking for clothes etc as I have no desire to thumb through the unsized racks of clothes, and then have to try them on right there and then. But I am always on the lookout for kitchen gems, not that I really need any more but it is the joy of the hunt.
I have wanted a little fryer for a long time, and looked and looked at the local thrift shops but nary a fryer. One day I did see this on freecycle and dashed over to get it that day. I had been the first one asking for it!! So this one was free really, not even thrift shop price. I used it to make something with fish I recall, but for the life of me I can’t think what. My main reason for wanting it was to make arancini, the Italian rice balls. I also want to do stuffed poppers for dh, but right now it’s just sitting in the drawer. You can see how small it is by comparing the teabag near it.
The other favorite item is also a kitchen one… a blender I have used and used sooo very much. I wanted one with a glass container, and found it finally for $10. As much as I’ve washed it, that price will not come off, and so I am constantly reminded that I got a Good Deal. What do I use it for now? In the summer, I make fruit spritzers with club soda and some lassis for breakfast. I also puree soups in it after I had my ‘bone’ disaster with the immersion blender. That too, may it r.i.p., was a thrift store Find on a trip to Chicago. It was $8. And I remember it well and fondly but I’ve learned my lesson about being really, really careful about small bones before pureeing.
To see what others snagged, check out Three Buttons list of players.
This is the latest of my kitchen goodies. I’m not much into looking for clothes etc as I have no desire to thumb through the unsized racks of clothes, and then have to try them on right there and then. But I am always on the lookout for kitchen gems, not that I really need any more but it is the joy of the hunt.
I have wanted a little fryer for a long time, and looked and looked at the local thrift shops but nary a fryer. One day I did see this on freecycle and dashed over to get it that day. I had been the first one asking for it!! So this one was free really, not even thrift shop price. I used it to make something with fish I recall, but for the life of me I can’t think what. My main reason for wanting it was to make arancini, the Italian rice balls. I also want to do stuffed poppers for dh, but right now it’s just sitting in the drawer. You can see how small it is by comparing the teabag near it.
The other favorite item is also a kitchen one… a blender I have used and used sooo very much. I wanted one with a glass container, and found it finally for $10. As much as I’ve washed it, that price will not come off, and so I am constantly reminded that I got a Good Deal. What do I use it for now? In the summer, I make fruit spritzers with club soda and some lassis for breakfast. I also puree soups in it after I had my ‘bone’ disaster with the immersion blender. That too, may it r.i.p., was a thrift store Find on a trip to Chicago. It was $8. And I remember it well and fondly but I’ve learned my lesson about being really, really careful about small bones before pureeing.
To see what others snagged, check out Three Buttons list of players.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
On my Desk..June 18
This was on my 'kitchen' desk the other day...just to show there can be a mess. But a mess with purpose and results!
But in the upstairs studio, the home of the craft and computer desks, there is a probable ceiling leak, so nothing except repair work is gonna happen in that room.
The desks have stuff all piled on them to clear that corner. I moved my computer about 4 ft away from the bulge in question since the pic was taken, and took one table out of the room.
This problem helped me see I don't need so many tables as they tend to just allow me to cover them with stuff. I'm sure none of you have that kind of tendency, or do you???
Check out more desks at Kirsty's blog.
But in the upstairs studio, the home of the craft and computer desks, there is a probable ceiling leak, so nothing except repair work is gonna happen in that room.
The desks have stuff all piled on them to clear that corner. I moved my computer about 4 ft away from the bulge in question since the pic was taken, and took one table out of the room.
This problem helped me see I don't need so many tables as they tend to just allow me to cover them with stuff. I'm sure none of you have that kind of tendency, or do you???
Check out more desks at Kirsty's blog.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
This is ....the space in which I create (and created)
This week's great theme comes from Michelle, the Quilting Mick . My primary creative space is my kitchen.
I have loved to cook since I was a young teenager and saw Julia Child on tv, slapping her hindquarters and saying you need to show the butcher where you want a cut. Butcher? that wasn't a concept in the rapidly growing suburban lifestyle. But a seed was planted, I learned how to make a great quiche, and still have the recipe for African Pickled Peaches from a 1960s Gourmet magazine. Living all around the world only opened my eyes and taste buds to all sorts of food and cooking styles. It was wonderful.
Fast forward to 2001 and I am married to my 2nd husband and he says the magic words...Anything I can do to make your cooking easier... And we plunged like fools into renovation. There is a whole Flickr collection of 11 sets about that project.
By this point, dh had built me an island to test out the concept and I finally had a cooktop that could boil water. We also bought and installed some Ikea drawers to see if I really liked having drawers. OMIGOD, did I!!!
I'm here showing how happy I am with the test island and marvy Fisher and Paykel cooktop. Note the little jar of chimichurri sauce on the red formica. Yum!
June/July 2004 the back porch and deck were gone, and then the foundation for the addition was laid.
There was a lot of this kind of examination of the blueprints
to get to this point.
But by fall I was chiseling away at the stone for the new bathroom.
And Christmas 2004 was simple.
By Jan 2005, we were waiting for the soapstone counters.
and on a bitter cold day they arrived.
The final time was over 14 months from breaking ground till the final punchout items.
It tested a new marriage, but we learned pretty well then that we are on the same team, and that our different ways of thinking CAN be complimentary, not combative. We didn't want to make our contractor the enemy either so we had to talk, cry and work our way through want WE wanted vs what I want and what you want, so that we could put a united front in discussions. That was hard because until something came up I know I couldn't always see what I wanted. It was easier to see what I didn't want. (Life lesson for me???)
But this IS my creation and my creative workspace...and I love it.
Want to see other spaces? come on, you know you do!! Then check out Angela at ThreeButtons . She maintains the list of players.
I have loved to cook since I was a young teenager and saw Julia Child on tv, slapping her hindquarters and saying you need to show the butcher where you want a cut. Butcher? that wasn't a concept in the rapidly growing suburban lifestyle. But a seed was planted, I learned how to make a great quiche, and still have the recipe for African Pickled Peaches from a 1960s Gourmet magazine. Living all around the world only opened my eyes and taste buds to all sorts of food and cooking styles. It was wonderful.
Fast forward to 2001 and I am married to my 2nd husband and he says the magic words...Anything I can do to make your cooking easier... And we plunged like fools into renovation. There is a whole Flickr collection of 11 sets about that project.
By this point, dh had built me an island to test out the concept and I finally had a cooktop that could boil water. We also bought and installed some Ikea drawers to see if I really liked having drawers. OMIGOD, did I!!!
I'm here showing how happy I am with the test island and marvy Fisher and Paykel cooktop. Note the little jar of chimichurri sauce on the red formica. Yum!
June/July 2004 the back porch and deck were gone, and then the foundation for the addition was laid.
There was a lot of this kind of examination of the blueprints
to get to this point.
But by fall I was chiseling away at the stone for the new bathroom.
And Christmas 2004 was simple.
By Jan 2005, we were waiting for the soapstone counters.
and on a bitter cold day they arrived.
The final time was over 14 months from breaking ground till the final punchout items.
It tested a new marriage, but we learned pretty well then that we are on the same team, and that our different ways of thinking CAN be complimentary, not combative. We didn't want to make our contractor the enemy either so we had to talk, cry and work our way through want WE wanted vs what I want and what you want, so that we could put a united front in discussions. That was hard because until something came up I know I couldn't always see what I wanted. It was easier to see what I didn't want. (Life lesson for me???)
But this IS my creation and my creative workspace...and I love it.
Want to see other spaces? come on, you know you do!! Then check out Angela at ThreeButtons . She maintains the list of players.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
New Look...
Yes, I changed the layout. I was soooo tired of the brown and the narrow center. I mean, I had to go thru this renovation to get the kitchen layout I wanted, so I suspect it will be the same with the blog. It's still ME tho!!
Now it's time to learn how to make a different banner....long and slim. Learning something new is a good thing.
Now it's time to learn how to make a different banner....long and slim. Learning something new is a good thing.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
On My Desk...the other desk
Well since I will miss the May 14 On My Desk, I think I will show you some of the stuff we've had that come from my ground floor "desk". i.e. the kitchen islands
The whole weekend has been rain rain rain, with a not too badly flooded cellar. DH tells me we had a whole month's worth of rain in the past 3 days. One day last week, I made iced coffees, it was so nicely warm, and then...bam..on go the fireplaces again. I will say it one more time - As much as I was against converting our wood fireplace to gas, I think it is an idea made in heaven. Click! heat! and some flames to look at. We have a little Jotul in the kitchen and our cat Sebastian has totally bonded to it. He cries to have it on!
But I digress. Food. Back to warming, stick to the ribs food.
So we've had this last night...good food, but almost no natural light left at 6 p.m.
And this earlier...I finally got a mosaic done, tho not after a lot of work trying to do one on my own. Thank you big huge labs, and thank you Madhur Jaffrey. That cauliflower recipe has been a fave over about 30 years and this time, I added chicken to it for this curry.
These stuffed peppers were a snack for the man of the house, but the leftover filling that made tiny, steamed meatballs convinced me that this is one "I" like just as much.
And just to remind us that the sun does shine, did shine, and will shine again, here is our boy in his newest hideyhole. (See the cat on the chair on the right? Not MY chair.)
The whole weekend has been rain rain rain, with a not too badly flooded cellar. DH tells me we had a whole month's worth of rain in the past 3 days. One day last week, I made iced coffees, it was so nicely warm, and then...bam..on go the fireplaces again. I will say it one more time - As much as I was against converting our wood fireplace to gas, I think it is an idea made in heaven. Click! heat! and some flames to look at. We have a little Jotul in the kitchen and our cat Sebastian has totally bonded to it. He cries to have it on!
But I digress. Food. Back to warming, stick to the ribs food.
So we've had this last night...good food, but almost no natural light left at 6 p.m.
And this earlier...I finally got a mosaic done, tho not after a lot of work trying to do one on my own. Thank you big huge labs, and thank you Madhur Jaffrey. That cauliflower recipe has been a fave over about 30 years and this time, I added chicken to it for this curry.
These stuffed peppers were a snack for the man of the house, but the leftover filling that made tiny, steamed meatballs convinced me that this is one "I" like just as much.
And just to remind us that the sun does shine, did shine, and will shine again, here is our boy in his newest hideyhole. (See the cat on the chair on the right? Not MY chair.)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
This is ... my creation
bettythegeek picked this week's theme in threebutton's meme. Well done ladies!
Well, the first thing that sprang to mind was from long ago. Two blond haired, blue eyed boys...that became blond-ish, blue eyed, 6'2' men. There is also a raven haired, black eyed girl but as she was adopted she is not quite my 'own' creation.
and the most recent creation I'm proudest of - created with This Dear Husband - my kitchen.
Well, the first thing that sprang to mind was from long ago. Two blond haired, blue eyed boys...that became blond-ish, blue eyed, 6'2' men. There is also a raven haired, black eyed girl but as she was adopted she is not quite my 'own' creation.
and the most recent creation I'm proudest of - created with This Dear Husband - my kitchen.
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