Category Archives: In My Kitchen

06.03.11

Best. Marinade. Ever.

Years ago a friend of mine who lives in Florida clued me in on Pirate’s Gold Marinade.  It is literally the best marinade ever.  We use it everything we grill, and dinner guests always rave about it.  I often send them home with a bottle.  E always says that Daddy makes the best steak in the world… I’m not going to rain on his parade and clue her in on Daddy’s little secret!

05.27.11

Micheladas Anyone?

I was perusing though the Internet last night and saw this recipe on Social Couture’s blog.  This spicy Mexican Beer Cocktail recipe is the perfect way to kick off the Summer.    Cervezas preparadas, or “prepared beers,” are popular throughout Mexico.  While I am not particularly a beer drinker, this one is making my mouth water!  



Ingredients:
12 oz beer
juice of 1 lemons
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 dash soy sauce
1 dash Tabasco® sauce
1 pinch black peppers
salt

Directions:
Mix ingredients in a tall high glass with lots of ice. Add beer, mix, and serve.

04.20.11

Watermelon Salad.

I can taste summer in the air… Literally.  Now that the weather is warming up, all of that fantastic summer produce is just right for the picking. Last weekend, we grilled out and brought some of our summer favorites out of retirement.  Here is one that is always a crowd-pleaser.  People ask me for the recipe, and it’s so simple, it’ embarrassing.  I even buy the pre-sliced watermelon to save time.  Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
  • 5 lbs. watermelon
  • 1/2 large red onion
  • 10 mint leaves, chopped
  • 5 oz. crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1.) Slice watermelon into bite-sized pieces.
2.) Slice onion into thin strings
3.) Add watermelon, onions and mint into a large bowl
4.) Whisk together oil and vinegar and salt and pepper.
5.) Pour dressing over salad
6.) Add feta right before serving and toss.

04.06.11

Turning A House Into A Home.

Our house is a typical builder’s grade house. When we originally moved here in 2004, we thought that we would live here a few years and eventually move “up.”  However, we love our house, we love our neighborhood and our neighbors.  One thing I didn’t love- our kitchen.  I will never forget the day of our walk-though. I walked into the kitchen and started bawling my eyes out because I hated the countertops (and really, the whole kitchen.)  My mother (God rest her soul) who was also my Realtor told me to suck it up, that we can always change the counters.   It seemed so wasteful getting rid of them because they were granite.  Albeit ugly granite, but granite nonetheless.
(Image from previous owners, 2003)

The thing that drives my husband crazy (okay, one of the things) about me is that our house is in a constant state of change.   He has come home from a business trip and I will have literally painted an entire room a different color.  I’d like to think it keeps things interesting, he would tell you differently.

Because we decided that we were going to be here for some time we (okay I) started designing to turn this house into a home.   It ended up being more “changes” than Mike signed up for.  We ended up editing a little more than just the countertops.  Most of the major was done work in November of 2009, and while it is not completely finished, I am finally willing to show you some “tweener” shots. (Thanks to Ryann Laden for the pictures)   Here are the results thus far:

Our cabinets were in perfectly good shape, I just hated the color.  So- we painted them.  We built a bulkhead to get rid of that awkward space in between the cabinets and the ceiling.  We also had extra room so we built in some shelving on the end of the island and the lower cabinets.  This has opened up our kitchen so much.  I am so in love with the boards that we had installed on the ceiling.  It wasn’t cheap, but I think it adds so much character to the space.
 Next to the sink we moved two sets of cabinets up to the ceiling and added a cafe shelf.
  We replaced all of the hardware with Gilmore knobs and pulls from Restoration Hardware.
We chose a honed Carrera, which I know is very popular, but it was just a natural fit for the space.
Ahh… My favorite part:  my new apron sink.  I like to call it my double-wide. This was something that I went back and forth on for weeks, and it actually held up the process because I decided at the last minute that I couldn’t live without it- and boy, am I that glad I did.  We had to replace the cabinet under the sink with a smaller one, and that cabinet took about 6 weeks to come in.  Then we had to have the painter come back and paint it (he had already painted the existing cabinet.)
In a few weeks my Imperial Trellis roman shades will be hung.  Again, seems quite predictable, but the color way is so perfect in my kitchen. I tried so many others and none were quite this perfect.
So there you have it- our almost-done kitchen.  I couldn’t be happier with the results and am so happy to come home to it.  The best part?  On Christmas morning last year, Mike looked around and said “Honey, I really love our kitchen. ”  RIP ugly countertops!
  Stay tuned for the exciting changes to our living room, dining room and family room!

03.24.11

La Cucina Italiana

I love to cook.  In fact, when I was a little girl, it was my dream to own a restaurant.  I even received a partial scholarship to Johnson and Wales Culinary Academy.  My parents talked me into attending a  “normal” four-year University (thank you Mom and Dad), on the condition that if I still had the burning desire, they would send me to culinary school in Italy after graduation.
After working in various eateries throughout college, the dream became less and less appealing.  They sexiness of owning a restaurant was overshadowed by the seven-day schedule, long nights, and various personnel issues.  Luckily, before my mom passed away, we were able to enjoy a week at Casa Ombuto Culinary School in Tuscany.  This is a memory that I will have for a lifetime, and one that I would like to someday share with my girls.
So, for now I try to enjoy cooking at home.  As my husband will tell you, it doesn’t happen nearly as much as any of us would like, but with two kids, a full time job, a husband and this little blog I hardly have time to order take out.  When I do have the opportunity to cook, or when we have guests over I love looking for new ideas.  I recently stumbled upon La Cucina Italiana— and I was so excited to share it with all of you.    Here were some favorites:
Roasted Lamb (How perfect is this for Easter???)

03.14.11

Seeing Red.

I have lusted after this kitchen designed by Windsor Smith for what seems like ages.
What I love most is the red kitchen chairs that she pairs with the table.  I have contemplated painting my chairs (that are currently black) red for some time.  I feel like it would give a much needed pop to my otherwise black and white kitchen.
Let’s take a look at some more lucious red chairs, shall we?…
What are your thoughts?  Do these kitchens have you seeing red?

01.18.11

Detox: Day 16.

Sorry for the lack of updates, my darlings…  Life seems to be getting in the way.  I am now down 10 lbs. and feeling truly awesome.  Yesterday I received several compliments on my hair, and was told by three people that my skin had “a glow.”

In thumbing through my weekly reading of People, I stumbled upon this recipe.  Since we can now add beef into our diet, I decided to make it.
I modified the sauce recipe (no sugar of course, added mangos instead) and served it with a spinach salad and honey glazed carrots.  A certain someone may have cheated and had more than 4 oz. of steak… but how can you take beef away from a girl for two weeks and expect her NOT to lose control!?!