...just a moment of appreciation for our new kitchen...

Well, any fellow facebookers out there may have seen some of our remodel pictures, but here are some more of the kitchen.  When we moved into our little slice of home a year ago the kitchen was #1 on our list of things to spend money on.  Now that we have settled in I had almost forgotten how much I hated the old kitchen and how lucky I am to have the new one.

Here is a glimpse of the old kitchen...

The back wall (soon to be blue)...

The old sink, ughhhhh...

I actually liked the butcher block part of the counter but we were told that it wasn't very hygienic, yuck.

Our new kitchen is almost totally from Ikea, and it was affordable and easy (in large part because we hired someone else to install it.  All we chose to do was demo the old kitchen (which was a challenge), hang the shelves and seal the tile.  In fact, I chose the tile because it was the least expensive and one of my favorites.  It is just simple slate tile with a high gloss sealer, and I LOVE it.

Sean did all of the shelf hanging and did a superb job... I so love the blue wall and tile and it makes me smile to look at it.

The new sink and window wall, what a difference this is.  From that little sink to this beauty, it makes me happy to wash things now (well things other than dishes, I will never love washing dishes, even if I figure our how to be zen with the art of washing dishes...)

This little detail (the tiled window ledge) was something the time-man did on a whim and we fell in love with.  He angled it slightly down so it drains into the sink area and it looks so great.

Anyway, just thought I would share some ideas, and my love of my new kitchen, come over for some tasty-tasties!

Ti-ti-time

Well, Viva Cindy and Ernesto are on their way to Tuscon and we are saddled with their little bundle of joy (Ti-ti the kitty, who we actually love but we like to give them a hard time) (Also Ti-ti is pronounced like tea-tea)...

This is Ti-ti and Aphi sorta loving each other on New Years Eve...

Ti-ti is fun and sweet and has lots of funny habits, many of which we discovered last night...  Here is a little snap-shot of life with Ti-ti.

 Ti-ti enjoyed laying right between my head and Sean's head and purring at maximum volume... I could literally feel my head humming (and I was happy to know how happy he was)...

 Ti-ti enjoyed taunting the dog around 5am so we got to groove to low snarls and even a bark (really they do love each other, way deep down in their hearts where they don't even know it)...

 Ti-ti seemed to especially enjoy walking up the backs of my legs, over my lady lumps and up my back and then just stand there on my back and assess the sights in our room...

 Ti-ti also woke me at one point by lightly brushing his paw over my lips, when I opened my eyes his face was right in front of mine and he was staring at me with his paws tucked right under my cheek...

 Ti-ti stayed nice and warm when he tucked himself into Sean's mini-afro for a few hours...

 Ti-ti even jumped onto the dresser and played with Sean's glasses for a while, Ti-ti is really cute, lucky for him...

But really most of the night he stayed curled up behind Sean's knees and was a gem, we still love him.

Happy almost Friday!!!!

...Juuuuice...

Just a Wednesday evening thought...

Juice used to be one of my nick-names in high school.  You know, Lucy/ Juicy, Luce/ Juice...  It was totally innocent but once when I pulled onto the school lot a teacher said, "Heeeey Juice..." and then blushed and said, "well, that sounded totally inappropriate..."  It does sound a little wrong, but it was cute, and as it turns out I even moon-lighted in a juice bar...

I have now fallen in love with fresh juice, and wheatgrass, which has TONS of benefits that you can check out here.  My favorite benefit is that when I take a 2oz shot in the morning I literally do not sweat or have any kind of body odor all day, regardless of how active I am (strange sentence I know).  It is amazing.

I have an old juicer that I love dusting off (and Sean hates putting away) and our favorite combo is kale, chard, spinach, celery, an apple and a few grapes....deeelish...

Interestingly I also read that with a powerful blender (and a little water added) you can just blend and strain rather than buy a juicer... worth a try.  You can also saute or bake with the pulp.

I think the ideal however is this beauty...

The Vitamix, it would seriously blend whatever you chucked into it into a juice... I even saw it make hot soup.  They put all the soup ingredients raw into the blender and blended it until it was HOT soup... crazy.  You can also make sorbet in the same blender.  Magic.

Whatever your method, give it a whirl!  Wheatgrass is available at lots of little hippie stores as well as whole foods and I would say it is delectable with some fresh lemon and ginger mixed in....mmm....

Have a great Thursday!

...Mmmmmexican beef brisket (aka the most amazing thing I have ever eaten)...

I first had this recipe with Cindy and Ernesto.  However, after receiving this AMAZING and beautiful dutch oven from my 'in-laws' for Christmas (I am very lucky in the in-law department!) it was the very first thing I wanted to make.  There was literally not one speck of food left when Sean and I tucked into the finished product and he begged me to make it again the next night... it is that good!

Begin by salting and peppering you brisket (we used about one pound and so I halved the recipe that is below)...   also preheat oven to 225.

Then dredge in flour...

Heat oil in 'french' oven and sear meat on all sides...

The beginnings of the deliciousness!

Chopped carrots and onions...

After browning the meat remove and chuck in the carrots and onions cooking until they brown and then add GARLIC, cook for a couple minutes and then put the meat and the rest of the ingredients in MINUS the salt.

Stir it around and bring to a boil...

After it boils put on the lid and sllllide into the oven, cook for about 2.5 hours the take it out and pull out the meat...

Pull out the bay leaves and ladle out everything else into a blender (take the center piece out of the lid to allow the heat to vent)... 

Blend it up (into the most amazing spicy sauce EVER).

Shred the meat...

Heat some tortillas and make a simple salsa...

After you heat a tortillas put on some meat, salsa and cilantro and some plain yogurt or sour cream if it is a little spicy for you, wrap it up and dip into the fresh blended sauce...salivate...repeat...

To make a tasty salsa, follow these directions... 

However, I made this in the midst of the 2011 Atlanta blizzard and could not get out for the fresh ingredients for this salsa... so I made due with some chunky canned tomato sauce, some of the adobo sauce from the recipe, a little onion, garlic, half a habanero, salt and pepper... it wasn't the best salsa ever made but it did the job!

Mexican Beef Brisket

• 3 1/2 pounds beef brisket
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
• Flour for dredging
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 5 chipotle pepers in adobo sauce (less if you can't stand the heat)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 quarts chicken stock or water
• 5 bay leaves
• Salt to taste
• 4 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish

 Check out Cindy's directions/ pictures if anything is unclear and MAKE THIS!!

...CBS sunday morning, blogs, eggs on toast and coffee...

I realize this may make me older than my years, but the highlight of my television watching comes on Sunday morning when CBS Sunday Morning comes on...  I try to make sure the coffee is made and I am comfy in my pajamas when 9 am rolls around and Charles Osgood introduces me to the wonders of our world... looooove...  This really may be me absolute favorite time of the week...  

This morning it was made even better by my childhood favorite breakfast, 'eggs on toast,' a true delicacy that I think my mom made up.  It takes skill and precision to get the dish just so, and the ingredients are rare and pricey so brace yourself...

Welcome to the wild world of Eggs On Toast

Prepare some over easy eggs, one egg per slice of toast... season with some salt and pepper...

Toast your bread of choice in a toaster that is preferably cleaner than mine...

Rock on with your ketchup... shout out to Heinz Ward for a great game...

Plop an egg on each slice and....

Break the yolk and cut into bite sized pieces while you enjoy the righteous joy of simple pleasure...

Happy almost Martin Luther King Jr. Day of remembrance!!!

...2010 Celebration...

Happy Holidays!

Turkey Day Menu:
Peanut Butter Ham
Fried Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatos
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Bread
Corn Souflee
Baked Brie
Stuffed Mushrooms
Sweet Potato Chips
Am I missing anything?!  Follow links for available recipes!

We had a lovely turkey-day with Cindy, Ernesto, and "Brrrrrian."  The blurry pictures are apropos...

 The aftermath...

Ernesto brings new meaning to food coma.

This is our football turkey from "Brrrrrian."

Time for Christmas!!!  And our very first Christmas Tree!

Our Christmas trip to Asheville, NC.

What our car looked like when we started our hike down (remember this for later in the post)...

Christmas eve feast...

Yummm....

Christmas morning breakfast...

What are car looked like after out hike out the next morning!

 

We strayed to the Forks Area Trail System (FATS) in South Carolina... it was crazy fast and fun although it strangely smelled like poo and was bitter cold...

Now check out New Years via VIVA CINDY.  We rented a cabin in Ellijay GA with Cindy and Ernesto and ate and played and soaked and vegetated and had an overall fabulous time!