kitchen remodel | A Girl and a Skillet

Posts Tagged ‘kitchen remodel’

27
Jul
2015

Summer Days

categories: Breakfast and Brunch, Life in Alaska, The Kitchen

These days are involving less cooking, not necessarily a bad thing. We have had some really warm days up here, meaning no oven use. It is also means I have close to no energy, being 39+ weeks pregnant now. I helped the husband make toast with Fire Island bread this morning and rinsed some strawberries, that’s something. He scrambled eggs with spinach and goat cheese

If you happen to be looking for some good store bought eggs, I recommend Vital Farms. Their eggs are super flavorful and one of the highest rated eggs by the Cornucopia Institute based on sustainable, family run, humane farming practices.

A good egg

I am working less and less so that should mean more time to garden and blog and organize, and be nesty. But no, it means thinking about all the things I should be doing but can’t get the motivation to do because I don’t know where to start. I did make a to do list, and yes there are things crossed off.

What’s left:

1. Finish cleaning out fridge

2. Organize stuff to donate/sell

3. Finish writing thank you cards for baby shower (they are coming)

4. Do work paperwork (I plan on putting this off for a long time)

5. Blog

I have accomplished things like paying bills, making some freezer meals, washing the sheets (yes I had to put the on The List).

As much as I want this baby out, we still have a gaping hole in the kitchen, but it’s not as bad as it looks. The main part is done, and we can cook, clean and eat in it, what else is there to do in a kitchen? The husband is now building a pantry that will sit behind the fridge, then we should be pretty much done. If you decide to remodel your home, the general rule is that it will take at least double of what you think it will, even if you have already accounted for that. So if you think 2 months, but maybe it will take 4 because things take a while, it will be more like 4-6. We were initially thinking 3, maybe more. It’s been almost 8.

08
Jun
2015

Cooking Binge Time

categories: Desserts, Life in Alaska, Pasta, Rice and Grains, The Kitchen

I was almost a little sad to go on vacation, but as I was looking out the window watching snow fall I became less sad. The husband and I haven’t learned to appreciate the art of the stay-cation, so I’m cooking my heart out while I can because I have a kitchen sink with a disposal and a dishwasher too! No more cleaning black beans out of the sink while I brush my teeth.

I am instead learning about convection baking and experimenting with the Pie setting on the oven. Yes and there is a Pizza setting too. Aren’t we fancy? Say yes.

I made ricotta gnudi from my Gourmet Today cookbook which is one of my favorites, I ended up making a quick marinara from the next recipe for fresh manicotti. The galette I made by making a simple all butter pie crust, doing about 2/3 wheat flour and no sugar, I did a little egg wash and coarse sugar around the edge. Filling is just 5 cups blackberries, 3/4 cup sugar, couple teaspoons vanilla, a bit of cinnamon (no I didn’t measure). It’s simple, rustic, the wheat flour gives it a little hearty nuttiness that balances the tart and sweet of the blackberries. I suggest homemade vanilla ice cream as a serving suggestion.

There has also been: cinnamon rolls, chocolate cupcakes, ribs, collard green rolls (plan on recipe post for that), sourdough bread, banana barley muffins, kale chips, goat cheese souffle to name a few.

Future plans: carrot cake, coconut cake, waffles, oven fries, raspberry pie. I should make some vegetables too…

20
Apr
2015

A Lazy Idiot

categories: Desserts, The Kitchen

I planned never to have to say this, but I have neglected my blog and been lax on the posting. I had the time, I even did some cooking, but I really just wanted to eat my food. The kitchen has been up and down, and I think now is definitely at an up. Meaning I can cook in the room that is supposed to be a kitchen. There is like a stove and a cook-top and some sort of cabinets. It also looks really good. The husband and I like to stand in there at night and just stare at it. It’s not done, and it’s not perfect but it’s getting there.

I have been more motivated to cook, especially with multiple burners and an oven. But I am still washing dishes in the bathroom so now is not yet the time to go crazy. I’ve been holding back on the my deep, primal urge to bake a cake. Until today as I was sitting on the floor staring straight on at my new oven (really 2 years old, but sitting unused in the shed) and decided it was time. Nothing crazy, I will save my carrot cake with apricot and cream cheese frosting with layers of something curd for later. So of course David Lebovitz to the rescue again. I have been eyeing his chocolate idiot cake for a while. So few ingredients but the combination cannot be wrong. I of course did not have enough bittersweet chocolate, so used some unsweetened baking chocolate and added a touch more sugar. Then I added some salt, and maybe some bourbon. I did not use a springform pan in the water bath because I decided it was too hard, that is what makes it lazy idiot. Fitting that I have also been too lazy to write blog posts.

03
Mar
2015

A Tile Backsplash with Grilled Cheese and Bolognese

categories: Life in Alaska, Pasta, Rice and Grains, Slow Cooker and Braising, The Kitchen

This is what my days are looking like. My temporary kitchen is a mish-mash of various meals in progress. Either that or it sits empty while we eat our takeout around the coffee table. Today I have a tomatoey bolognese simmering in the slow cooker, recipe from The Kitchn. The hotplate is grudgingly at work making a grilled cheese. I get to take a break from the tiling because I am the food provider. I am glad for the breaks, a rest is needed for my tired feet and aching back. I rinse the marble dust and dried up mortar off my fingers, stir the bolognese and rotate the sandwiches in the skillet. If not rotated, on side will remain soft and pale while the other becomes black and crisp.

Our counter tops are somewhere between Indiana and Seattle, they have estimated they will be here either March 9th or 11th, I don’t believe them, but we will see. So far the husband’s estimate of tiling time of 19 hours seems to be off, but unfortunately in the wrong direction. At this point we are maybe 28% done, with about 16 hours of work put into, you can probably do the sad math. But after that all that is left is building and painting cabinets by hand, installing them, installing the counter tops, installing appliances, painting, building the kitchen island, and building a light fixture. That’s ok though, because we have both decided that this will be the most amazing kitchen that has ever existed in the existence of kitchens.

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