Category Archives: In My Kitchen

10.20.11

Our Kitchen: The Skinny.

A few months ago, I gave you all a sneak peek at our kitchen.    Thank you to everyone for all of the sweet comments and emails.  I still receive a few questions about some of the products that we used, so here is the skinny:
The paint is Benjamin Moore’s Satin Impervo in Black.  It’s durable (this kitchen was painted two years ago), and gives the perfect finish.
We chose the Gilmore Knobs from Restoration Hardware.
 As well as the Gilmore pulls.
The Ikat bowls are from Anthropologie.  I am sorry to say that they are sold out.
The rug is from Overstock.com.  Quite a steal at $127.99!
The fabric is Kelly Wearstler’s Imperial Trellis from Schumaker.
I bought the clam shell bowl at Kohl’s years ago.  You can find similar ones at Z Gallerie.
The soap dispenser is from Target.
I hope that answers all of your questions.  I am so glad that so many of you love our kitchen as much as we do!
Kitchen Pictures courtesy of Ryann Colleen Photography.

08.10.11

Pizza Partay.

Last week Mike was out of town, and the girls and I decided to have a pizza party.  Despite the mess that was made, we had a ball, and the pizzas were delish! It was such a fun activity, and I find that when the girls have an active part in the preparation of dinner, they do a much better job of eating it.
E’s hair looks a lot closer to the mixer than it actually is… in retrospect, a ponytail would have been a good idea.
They had so much fun with the dough.
 My little chef.  Coincidentally, she has been saying for years that she wants to own a pizza restaurant when she grows up.
I gave Lou the leftover dough to play with when she was done making her masterpiece.
Pineapple, jalapenos and prosciutto for Mom, turkey pepperoni for the girls.
 The finished product.
The girls were uber grossed-out by my toppings, but I have to say… it was scrumptious.
I think we may have to make this a weekly ritual.
Make-your own pizza parties are also a great option for entertaining on a budget. I am not a baker, so I followed this pizza dough recipe online.   If you don’t want to make your own dough, I highly suggest Trader Joe’s pre-made dough.  It’s $0.99 and it’s delicious!  As most of you know (being Italian) I am a sauce snob, so I make my own pizza sauce.  What makes pizza sauce different from marinara is the sweet factor.  I add sugar to my marinara, but not to my pizza sauce.  I am also not typically a fan of oregano in sauce, but pizza sauce calls for it.  Here is my recipe.  Pretty simple, pretty good.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 large yellow onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • sprinkle of ground red pepper 
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  •  


 

DIRECTIONS

1. Cover bottom of pot with olive oil and saute onions on medium heat until golden.  
2. Add minced garlic.
3. Saute garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes then add tomato paste.  Stir.
4. Once tomato paste is stirred into mixture, add tomato sauce.  Stir.
5. Add salt, pepper, red pepper and oregano.  Stir.  
6.) Let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Mangia!

07.26.11

Fried Green Goodness.

The tomatoes in our garden are thriving.  We can’t eat them fast enough.  We originally planted two varieties; a cherry tomato and one similar to a beefsteak.  After our trip down south, I was inspired to make some fried green tomatoes.
The girls had a blast picking them from the garden.
Mom was obviously in charge of the slicing…
and I think that they had the most fun coating the tomatoes.
Lou was in charge of the flour (you can imagine what our kitchen looked like afterwards.)
E did the bread crumb mixture.
We also fried up some goat cheese.
I should also mention that we planted some red onions.  I tossed them with some arugula, avocados and oil and vinegar (a little salt and pepper too),
topped with our fried deliciousness,
and served with some grilled corn and Daddy Steak.
It was amazing.  I literally danced throughout dinner it was that good.

INGREDIENTS
  • 4 medium green tomatoes
  • 1 log of goat cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • vegetable oil for frying

 

 
DIRECTIONS
1.) Slice tomatoes and goat cheese (if you don’t cook goat cheese immediately, place in freezer to keep firm)
2.) Place the flour on one plate, the whisked eggs in a bowl and the cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate.
3.) Start with tomatoes.  Coat in flour, then dip in the eggs and lastly dredge in bread crumbs.  Make sure they are fully coated.  Place on clean plate until all tomatoes are coated.
4.) Cover the bottom of a large skillet in vegetable oil, place on medium heat.  Once oil has been heated add tomatoes (do not crowd) once the tomatoes are browned. flip and fry on the other side.  Drain on paper towels.
5.) Repeat steps 1-4 with goat cheese patties.
6.) Enjoy.  You’ll be doing a dance too!

 

07.14.11

You Say Tomato.

While our strawberries may not have fared the devious squirrel in our neighborhood, our tomatoes are thriving.  There is truly nothing better than picking ingredients for your dinner from your own garden.  Last week roasted tomatoes were on the menu.
 From the garden…  To a baking sheet.
 Drizzle with olive oil
and a little salt and pepper.  Roast at 300 degrees for 45 minutes and presto!
Italian chopped salad with grilled chicken and roasted tomatoes.

07.11.11

Designed for Dogs.

Upon doing some research for a kitchen project, I came across an amazing phenomenon.  People are actually designing their homes around their dogs.  Now- I love my girl, don’t get me wrong, but I am not quite sure that I would have her bed built into my kitchen counter… Perhaps if I had more space?
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07.06.11

Dani Notes Platter Giveaway

Meet Danielle Silver of Dani Notes.  Ever since she was a little girl, Danielle (Dani) would create cards for loved ones.  After receiving a Masters from the Savannah College of Art and Design she pursued her career in Atlanta where she worked as an Art Director in Advertising and Publishing.  Dani then took her hobby of making cards, invitations and birth announcements up a notch to create Dani Notes. 
She now resides in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and three beautiful boys.
Dani Notes makes a variety of preppy-chic paper goods, personal and home accessories.  Here are a few of my favorites:
iPhone Cases Galore.
Stationery for every occasion.
A plethora of platters.
Dani will be giving away a customized platter to one Kiki’s List follower.
Here are the rules for the contest:
1.) You must be a Follower of Kiki’s List.
2.) To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post between today, Wednesday, July 6, 2011 and Friday, July 9 telling me why you should win. A winner will be selected at random and will be announced next Monday, July 11. 
3.) To receive an additional entry, you can link to this post on your own blog (include the url to your blog post in your comment). It is up to you to return to this post to enter your second entry after blogging about the giveaway.
4.)Post about this giveaway on Facebook for another additional entry. You must enter the link to this post in you status update. It is up to you to return to this post to enter your second entry after FB’ing about the giveaway.
5.) Tweet about this giveaway for an additional entry.  It is up to you to return to this post to enter your second entry after tweeting about the giveaway.
6.) Lastly, like Dani Notes  on Facebook for an additional entry.  It is up to you to return to this post to enter your second entry after becoming a fan.

Good Luck!