Kitchen Sink....

(stock photo)

I ordered a large one bowl sink. I debated about getting a 2 bowl sink, but decided against it. We're also getting a dishwasher so I don't think a 2 bowl sink is necessary. Anyway, I'm happy with the choice( I hope Robin will be too)

More floor samples.....

I picked up a few more floor samples. I really like the one on the left of the first picture but I'm not sure if it will be too dark. Is there some kind of rule for this? Like, dark floor = light cabinet = dark countertop? ( Btw, do you see the ugly floors we have now?) I'm not sure of the granite either, I'm going to get a few more samples on Friday. The contractor who is doing the addition( and work in the kitchen, teardown, etc) said there was a problem with getting the plans. He's going to draw the plans himself and now I have to get the permit.( A contracter can't get a permit if he draws the plans). He wants to start late next week. This means we have to clear out our sunroom and find room for everything in it because it will soon be gone. I have much anxiety about this project, especially since we'll be in San Francisco while they're digging the foundation. Oy vey!!!

Flooring samples.......

I'm not too sure about these. Now we're thinking of going with a darker granite so we'll have more contrast. I'd love ceramic tile in the kitchen but I'm notorious for dropping things and I know tile isnt good for that. I dont think I have much of choice. You can't have wood or laminate in the kitchen. There is vinyl and ceramic. What other choices do I have?

Greek Salad Pizza.....

Yesterday we had a potluck to attend at Robin's work. Since Robin is the big boss lady, she always wants me to make something impressive. My idea of impressive might not be her employee's idea so I basically make what I want to make. I think this turned out tasty and impressive.

In preparation for our big remodel/addition, I was cleaning out a junk drawer in the kitchen and came across a pampered chef cookbook( more like a pamphlet). There was a recipe for a Mediterranean patio pizza. I loosely followed that recipe. Basically, its a Greek Salad on top of pizza dough. I bought a Pillsbury pizza crust and rolled it out in a rectangular shape. I covered that with EVOO, some oregano, an italian blend and some parmesean. The recipe also calls for fresh garlic and feta but I used some granulated( dried) garlic and left the Feta off. I didnt have enough for the crust and the topping. When its cooked and fully cooled, I cut it into strips and topped it with Greek Salad. I made a dressing with red wine vinegar and evoo, some agave nectar some herbs. I drizzled that on right before we ate it. It was a very, very popular dish. Summer produce is at its prime here in Ontario and I'm really getting sad that the Summer is almost over.

Luckily, we're going to San Francisco two weeks from tomorrow and we'll be able to enjoy California Produce ( and burritos, chinese food, italian food and sourdough bread) for a full week!!!

If you have any "must do" reccomendations for us while we're in SF, we'll gladly take them.

Kitchen samples.....

Today was very exciting!! I wrote a check to the Kitchen Designers( the largest check I've ever written) and signed all the papers. I wasnt feeling that hot so I didnt stick around there very long. We still need to pick out our granite or quartz( I can't decide). I picked out a couple samples to bring home and show Robin. One of them is granite, the other is quartz. I'm leaning towards the granite. The cabinets will be ordered today and installation is set for Oct 17-19th. The door style we got is what is pictured, minus the middle section. If you have a raised inner door panel, it adds a lot of money to the price. We still need to pick out the hardware, the appliances and the flooring.

Did I mention we're also adding a 24 x 24 master bedroom to our house( with walk in closet). We're adding a deck as well. We're beyond excited but we have so much work to do. Our existing sunroom will be torn down and we need to clean that out. We also need to pick paint colors for the kitchen and bedroom and backsplash tile and lighting. Its going to be a busy Fall!!

Green Chilie Chicken Enchilada casserole( cooking light).....

I spent some time cooking on Sunday. I had a lunch to cater today and tomorrow so I baked a few things and I made some marinara sauce and this enchilada casserole. I threw one in the freezer in preparation for our kitchen remodel( translation: I'll be without a stove for awhile). This is an old recipe from Cooking Light and I'm happy to say I used up 4 cans from the pantry( the pantry that will be torn down in the remodel). If you're interested in this recipe, let me know and I'll type it up. I couldnt find it online.

It does use canned soup which I hate using, but I did have 2 cans( 1 can that was expiring next month which means it must have been in the cabinet for awhile). It also uses corn tortilla's. I made some black beans from scratch to serve on the side.



If you want to see what I did today. Head over here and read the last page.

Robin cooked!!!

On Friday I worked at the Retirement Home( Have I written about that? This is a different job than my cooking for Seniors). Anyway, when I get home at 7:30pm, I'm hungry and exhausted. I left Robin this simple recipe for Polenta Lasagna from Cooking Light and asked her to make it. She did a good job and I was thrilled to eat a meal I didnt cook. Robin accidentally picked up frozen leaf spinach instead of chopped and had I cooked, I would have added the spinach to the ricotta and whized it in the cuisinart. Robin didnt do that. ( I'm not complaining though) and it was a little leafy, but still good.

Apple-Maple glazed chicken breasts(CI)....

I don't really know what to say about this recipe. Usually, I love all things from Cook's Illustrated but I'm sort of on the fence about this one. The chicken was tender and perfectly cooked. I think the sauce is what bugged me. It was somewhat sweet and I dont really like sweet sauces. Another thing I dont like is that corn syrup is one of the ingredients in the sauce. Its supposed to help the glaze to cling better. I just dont feel good about injesting corn syrup. The recipe comes from the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated. The main recipe was for an orange/honey glaze and this version was one of the options. I did add some fresh chopped sage as well even though the recipe didnt call for that. I felt it needed some "green".

I also made another loaf of bread from the KA whole grain baking book. I didnt take a picture because it basically looks the same as the other loaf. I just placed an order for the new Peter Reinhart whole grain baking book. I should have it in 2 weeks. I can't wait to bake from that book.

In other news, I got a big catering job for Sept 22nd. Its appetizers and sweets for a wedding for 250ppl. Sounds good right? We're also invited guests to the wedding so I need to work out the logisitics. The good thing is that I asked my friend Tom from Ohio if he wanted to help me( because I was going to hire someone) and he said YES. He's going to bake all the breads for the canapes which will be a huge help. Since the mother of the bride is a friend of the family, I told her I was just going to double my food costs but Robin and I were discussing whether or not to give my labor to the Bride as her wedding gift. I still need to pay Tom though for gas and ingredients since he so generously said I didnt have to pay him an hourly rate. Did I mention we're having a huge 24 x24 room added to our house and we're having the kitchen totally redone? The addition will be in full-swing when Tom is here, but I'll have to hold off on any kitchen work until after the wedding. I'm sure that wont be a problem as the cabinets are coming from Quebec.

Oh and we're also going to San Fran on Sept 11th( yeah, it was cheaper to fly that day)- 18th so at least I can pick up ingredients in MI before we drive back to Ontario.

Honey Oat Sandwich Bread(KA Flour whole grain).....

We're out of bread!! Oh, I have lots of it in the freezer. A boule of Honey-Oat from Tom that I'm saving, some sourdough and rye from WholeFoods and of course some bagels from Florida and Cleveland. I've been eating my lunch( always a sandwich) on toast which is fine for me, but not for Robin, since she takes her lunch to work. I saw this loaf on Joe's blog and decided to make it. Its a bit of a misnomer though because it wasnt all whole-grain( there's AP flour in there as well as Oats). It was a good loaf, perfect for a turkey sandwich but it wasnt my favorite. Hmmmm, maybe I should defrost Tom's bread???

The Best Effing French Toast....

Holy God was this good. It's just your basic french toast batter( eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon) with the most incredible, light, rich, fluffy brioche. This is Tom's brioche and man am I glad I snagged some to take home with me. Thankfully, I dont have anymore of this bread, or else I'd want to eat it every weekend for breakfast. It was just so dang good!!! Robin loved it too, she even ate some blueberries. That's Ron's house cured bacon too. This was the perfect breakfast!!