A New Kitchen in Our (very near) Future

The bad news?

We have a monster leak in the kitchen….and it’s U.G.L.Y.

 

The good news?

The plan for the new kitchen (since we have to gut) is ready to go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a quick look at the current plan.

-Ramsjo Cabinets

-Open shelving for my cookbooks (yay!)

-Wood counters (a nod to our cottage)

- Marble Backsplash

-Farm Sink

-Mixed Hardware Styles

-Sconces to brighten the place up

 

Really, what makes me smile?

1. Getting rid of the water problem, rotten cabinets and all

2. Putting the dishwasher in a location where you can use it and the range (or it and a drawer) at the same time

3. Cabinets that don’t have attack drawers that fall out on your feet!!

4. Hiding the seldom-used microwave

5. FOOD STORAGE (we have none, presently)…oh, let’s just say storage in general while we’re at it  ;)

 

Let the work begin!  Next week will be spent working on the kitchen, if things go as planned (around here, they never do…)

 

Garden Fresh “Take Out”

A few nights ago, we had dinner straight from the garden.  What a treat that was!

When BeachBoy got home from work, I snagged my harvesting basket and we headed to the backyard to decide what to have for dinner.  It was like ordering take-out, only better!

(Of course, SOME people couldn’t wait and dug right in before we finished making our selections.)

We settled on squash and beans, and I picked some herbs for our meal plus some extras to make a bit of salsa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was something amazingly satisfying about creating a meal from the backyard.  It was comforting to know exactly how and where it was grown and that it was safe and chemical free.  It just felt good.

We cooked up the veggies, and I tossed in some leftover pasta and homemade pesto to help clear out the fridge.  Fast. Easy. Satisfying.

It’s amazing, really, how growing your own food transforms the entire cooking and eating experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Live and Let Grow

I found that the more I let go in life, the more I grow.  The more I grow, the more alive I feel.

Today was a big day for me.  It was my final day as a teacher.

My whole life, I longed to teach.  And, for 6 years, I loved my job.  But, I found that it was time for me to let go and grow.  It was time for me to reconcile my priorities.  And, right under “1. God” on my priority list is “2. Family.”  It’s a funny thing though, how being a devoted teacher can push things out of whack.

You see, I am the type of teacher who cares for every child like my own.  I’m the teacher who is in the classroom 12 months a year, often as many as 12 hours a day.  I am the teacher who can’t fall asleep at night because I’m thinking about a struggling student.  I’m the type of teacher who takes every grumpy parent’s comments to heart because I just want what’s best for “my” child.  I’m the type of teacher who can’t say, “Well, I’ve tried hard enough.  There’s nothing else I can do.” Imagine, then, how that emotional roller coaster adds up when you have not a house filled with kids but a whole classroom full!

Yes, it was certainly time for me to reconcile my priorities with my energy and emotional expenditures.  So, today, I held my chin up and said goodbye to a classroom of students for the last time.  In so doing, I closed the door on my life-long dream and prepared for a fresh start.

I thought I would be sad today, but instead I found myself excited. It was a pleasant surprise.

You see, these past months, I’ve been studying and preparing to begin a new career.  I will be working from my favorite place (home!) as a holistic health counselor.  I am so excited about my new adventure and the prospect of devoting my energy toward my loving husband that I didn’t even think to be sad today.  And, I think that’s a good sign.  It reminds me that I’m on the right path. So, I’ll continue praying and walking.

I cherish my years of teaching and the ways in which they have prepared me for this new journey.  Now, I look forward to beginning my work with growing families and to helping them discover their own best health and happiness.

In just a few more days, my business website will be up and running, and I can’t wait to share it with you!  I’ve been so busy growing that I haven’t had much time to write lately, and now I will be helping others grow, too!

 

Spring Bridal Shower

Spring is here, and it’s raining love! 

 Last weekend, I traveled to West Virginia to throw a bridal shower for my little brother and my sister-in-law-to-be.  It was a lovely day filled with even lovelier people, and I wanted to share a few pictures with you. 

Clearly, the bride is the glowing woman second from the left.

The two love birds are to be wed on a WV ranch this June, so we designed the shower with their wedding concept in mind.

As an extra gift to the bride, we had each guest address an envelop for personalized thank you notes we’d purchased for our bride. When you’re planning a wedding, there’s nothing like the gift of time!

It was a casual come-and-go-freely shower, so we kept food handy at the tables.  We were pleased to find that guests actually ate more this way.  Since threats of rain forced us indoors, it also helped with space.

Wreaths at the base of each cake plate held moss, river rocks, daffodils, daisies, button mums, hydrangeas, carnations, and alstromeria.  Each had a little star fish tucked in to represent the honeymoon to the Virgin Islands, as well.

I caught my parents watching happily from the kitchen.   Let’s just say they are thrilled with their son’s choice.

The lucky groom is the man in blue. He made us all very proud when he asked this wonderful young woman to be his wife.

I know their lifelong marriage will be a happy one.

 

In the Kitchen: Cookbook Love

I have a very difficult time walking out of a bookstore without a cookbook.  Just yesterday, I had to leave two at the store, and it nearly broke my heart.  I was without a pen to jot down the names of them, and I was certain I’d never locate them a second time.  But, three new books have found their way into my kitchen in the last week, so I’m all smiles tonight.

I’ve fallen in love with the earthiness of Harvest. Sure, many of the recipes are ones I’d list as “common sense,” but others are a fun combination of flavors.  Besides, for me, the draw of a book is as much the inspiration it creates as it is the actual recipes.  And, this book is full of inspiration.  The photography is gorgeous, and as soon as I opened the cover, I felt at home in this family’s kitchen.  My favorite line of the book is “Give the bird a good whacking.”  How can I resist someone so charming? 

Tonight, I tried out the tomato and brie tart recipe in order to use up some overripe friends in my fridge.  And, I promise you, if you can mash butter with your hands

and slice a few tomatoes, you can cook from this book. 

It’s charming, really.  You should look it up the next time you’re in the bookstore.  For me, it was just the dose of pickmeup I needed to start the new year.

 

Christmas Cookie for the Faint of Focus

I’ve been craving cranberry bread for weeks, so when I came across this orange-cranberry cookie from Technicolor Kitchen, I knew I had to try it. 

Let’s just say that it’s pretty foolproof.  For instance, if you are talking on the phone to your husband while cooking, and you happen to…I don’t know…say…leave out the vanilla until the dough is already mixed and add a whole egg instead of a yolk, it will still come out great.  That’s just a wild guess, of course.

Orange-Cranberry Slice and Bake Cookies

 

So, as the holiday nears, if you find your focus wearing thin, try this recipe.  It will cover your mistakes.  I love that the longer they sit, the better they taste.

 

Bring a Finger Food…Again

Tis the season to be asked to “bring a finger food.”  I have a love-hate relationship with these types of parties. I love the concept of sharing in the preparation. I love to cook.  I hate that I stress over it. 

BeachBoy’s favorite carry-to-a-party item is bacon chicken wraps, but I’m not a fan of taking the same thing to every party.  I’ve tried to explain it to him, but he insisted they’re too good not to take. 

Long story short, I actually found myself buying a magazine called, of all things, “Southern Lady.”  Yes, you heard me right.  I was standing in line at THE grocery store of the south (Publix), when I noticed a magazine featuring appetizers.   As I flipped through and saw a few that looked good, I caved and paid the ridiculous price charged by the grocery store. 

This weekend, we have to parties requiring a finger food, so tonight I’m getting everything ready. 

The first recipe I tried was good, cheap, and couldn’t be faster, so I thought I’d pass it along. 

Cranberry Cheese Log with Rosemary and Toasted Walnuts

• 1 pack softened cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack
•  2 cups chopped dried cranberries (This came out to be just shy of a 6 oz pack. You could make it even easier and just round up.)
• 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (My bush recently died, so I used dried.  Sorry, I didn’t measure.  I just eyeballed it as usual.)
• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Mix all bu the nuts.  Chill the mixture.  Form a log and roll in the nuts.

 

This made me wonder:  What if I used fresh cranberries and candied walnuts?  Hmmm….

 

Hey, Ya’ll!

Where the heck has she been for a WHOLE year, right?

Well, let me tell you!

BeachBoy and I turned off our internet connection and cable tv last year.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  We went a whole year without access to the outside world.  (Sure, we could’ve turned on a radio, but we don’t own one.)  I found it refreshing.  BeachBoy, a computer programmer, found it difficult. *Ahem* Care to guess which of us came up with the grand idea of doing without?

Fast foward a year…he got the gift of TV/Internet for his birthday.  How generous of me, right?   

Anyway, here is our year in review. With the demolition and rebuilding of a (still unfinished) bathroom, a new roof which resulted in a fallen ceiling, repainting the exterior of the house, lots of trips, and  fun projects with my sister, it was a great year.  Gee, if we’d had the Net, I would’ve blogged about it! I guess I have some catching up to do!

 

 

Fruited Salad: Will he dare?

Beachboy loves salad.   Well, he loves salad if it is comprised only of vegetables, that is.  By vegetables, I mean the ordinary ones.  Even the lettuce has to be simple. 

In an effort to be more reasonable about what we eat, I’ve been trying to cook more nourishing foods instead of just stuff that sounds good to us. 

That’s how all of the spinach ended up in the fridge.  Beachboy doesn’t eat spinach, but he did last night.  As he took his last bite of the salad, he said, “That was a very pleasant surprise!”  I wish you the same luck with your eaters.

Fruited Spinach Salad for Two

• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast– coat, dredge, and saute
• Roughly 1/2 cup salsa (marinate chicken overnight and mix remaining salsa with honey for coating chicken)
• Roughly 2 Tb. honey, divided
• Plain bread crumbs (for coating chicken before sauteeing)
• Fresh baby spinach
• 1 small sweet onion (or red)
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced and cut into bite size rectangles
• 1 handful of fresh pecans, toasted (to be served warm)
• Crumbled Feta cheese with Cranberries (You can get this at Kroger)
• Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinegerette

 

Summer is here!

At last, summer break is here!  To me, that means one thing: the gift of time.  Time to be a wife again. Time to be home. Time to get things accomplished.  Time to cook.

The great challenge we’ve discovered since moving here is avoiding the “Southern Comfort Food” trap, and boy is that tough! When you add that to the fact that life here moves at a slower pace, we’ve found ourselves expanding.

BeachBoy and I love to meal plan, but during the school year meals have to be fast.  It’s unusual for me to get home before 6:30, and when I do finally make it home, we’re both starving.  So, summer break is a long-awaited time of rest for us.  It affords us the chance to enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. 

Since I’ve been hitting the gym with a friend for the past few months and I’m trying to help BeachBoy along, too, my goal for the summer is to keep our meals light and healthy.  Heavy foods keep us from running in the evenings, which is not good!

So…here is the menu for the week, beginning on Thursday due to my shopping schedule:

• Thursday- Spianch and herb salad tossed with strawberries, pepper jack cheese, and herb grilled chicken; half a baked potato each; squash casserole (because the one lonely squash was near death. ha!)
• Friday- Tilapia with lemon parsley sauce over whole grain rice blend; italian style green beans
• Saturday- Fiesta party with friends from church!
• Sunday- Parsley chicken, fresh fruit, garden salad
• Monday- Grilled pork loin with mango salsa; garden salad; sauteed zuchinni
• Tuesday- Greek salad; mini grilled pitas with tomato and olive pate
• Wednesday (meatless day)- 5 bean soup (crock pot day since I’m headed to work); french bread

(I suppose I should note that when we have chicken, BeachBoy and I split a breast.  On pork nights, we have one thin-cut boneless chop each or one thin slice of loin.  As for fish, we eat one filet each.  Limiting meats to decent portions is tough!)

Lu