Now you see it....

And...now you don't!!!



Our weekend was marked with general deconstruction of our kitchen. I am officially living with no real kitchen to speak of! I have set up a make-shift kitchen in our dining room, and we've survived 4 days so far! I'm even having dinner guests tonight. Brave or stupid you say? I'm doing Tortilla Soup in my crockpot. My mom is bringing the bowls so that she can take them home to wash in her dishwasher! THANKS MOM!!! The occasion is my father coming to discuss the electrical work that he will do for us. THANKS DAD!

The floor was all the way down to the floor boards on Saturday...and I can see my laundry room thru one of the holes in the wall, which I know will be patched! :D

The cabinets arrived yesterday. Wait...I mean...the pieces of the cabinets! LOL :D IKEA - build yourself! :D So we got lots and lots of components! So glad my husband and BIL are doing all the work, I'm just keeping the kids out of the way!

I'm hoping by next week the tile floor will be completely laid and some of the electrical will be done or at least planned out. :D I think we'll start building some of the cabinetry in the evenings so that they can hang the wall cabinets as soon as my father is done with the wall electrics.

YAY...it's underway! :D

HOLE-Y Pass Thru, Batman!

Demolition has begun.

My husband gleefully measured and taped out the pass thru prior to smashing it with a hammer. Yes, Anne was right...I think demolition is his favorite part of the process.

We encountered some weirdness...like wires that seem to have no function...but are there none-the-less. And some wiring that is there on purpose and will have to be rewired.

We also discovered for certain that it is not a load bearing wall, either. Well, we discovered it was 2 X 3's vs. 2 X 4s and when BIL Jay was consulted to confirm it's load-bearing state his response was "I sure hope not!". BIL was sick today, hoping he heals soon.

This week I will be spending packing up dishware, glassware, everything out of the way. I will also set up my temporary kitchen in the dining room so that we'll have a place to prepare and eat food. I am also considering premaking a bunch of things like chili, meatballs, taco meat, etc. so that I have quick grab - easy heat up meals on hand for the next three weeks.

The construction foreman (aka hubby) has informed me that as of next Saturday evening it will be bare to the floor. :D No counter, no cabinets, no flooring OH MY! He also hopes to have the tile laid, not grouted mind you, but laid. We'll see - if you haven't noticed, I'm the pessimest of the two of us! I'll be happy if it's READY to have the floor laid.

So, enjoy the view from my new "window". More to come! :D

The Kitchen will be in process soon!!!

Okay, thanks to our tax return and the family tax refund and such this year, we will be able to redo our kitchen. Finally!

Neither hubby or I have been happy with our kitchen, it's set up, it's design, it's function. Any of it. There is an AWFUL yellow all over the walls, the green and white checkerboard backsplash - which in a former time would have loved - is very lackluster. Not to mention the green half tiles going around the ceiling, yes, that border is tile...not paper...not paint...TILE! The flooring is linoleum which will not come clean or stay clean no matter how hard I try. The stove, has been lifted off the floor with wood blocks - we think because the previous owner had a bad back and didn't want to bend to cook. There is no, let me repeat that NO real counter space to speak of. And storage? The pantry closet is at the bottom of the stairs and not really part of the kitchen at all. There's a ceiling fan??? And the tiffany-style hanging light? And see that clump of "trees" above the kitchen sink? That's to hide a coil style metal conduit for the electrics for the light above the sink! Not pretty. So not pretty, not functional, lack of lighting, the list goes on!!! We will be keeping the fridge, since we just bought it a year ago! And we will also keep the dishwasher because it is still in great shape...and we can always replace that when we need to.

Here are some pictures of how it looks now...I'll try to post pictures of the process and how it happens. As I type hubby is at IKEA getting final information on countertops, lead times, etc. Okay, the phone just rang...it was him...we need to finalize our design tonight because there is a 7 to 10 day lead time on the cabinets!

I'm VERY confident that my husband and brother-in-law can do this. They have done it for me before in our first house. And they did a magnificent job including adding a gas line, installing the floor, the cabinets, the countertop and all the appliances. So, they are equal to the task.

There will be quite a bit of work over the next month or so: creating a pass thru to the dining room that will have a counter top that is shared in both the kitchen and the dining room, painting the kitchen a really cool "coffee bar" color to go with our theme, installing a new tile floor (which thanks to my brilliant husband we got the tile for 49 cents a square foot! unheard of!!!!), Of course, building all of the cabinets, creating an island with a cooktop...oh gosh...it's all starting to make me hyperventilate! We are working within the existing space, and except for the pass thru, there will not be major construction or wall destruction. We're going for a "coffee bar" theme as I mentioned, cool, sleek, modern with a little bit of a traditional touch...not tooooooo modern....updated. Chic!

I think what stresses me most is to be without the heart of our house for a few weeks, maybe longer. I can live without one of the bathrooms. I can live without the guest room, or our bedroom, or the kids rooms. We adjust....but a kitchen is the heart and lifeblood of the home. Especially our home.

I'm am fearful and hopeful at the same time. Do not be surprised if I do not post much except for renovations over the next few weeks. Possibly months! AHHH! We have a set deadline in mind. It MUST be done by the 2nd weekend in May as we will have out of town guests. So...it MUST be done. Please, let it be done! LOL :D

:)

Carnitas

Okay...I think the literal translation of this word is "Little Meat". Well, let me tell you, there ain't nothing little about this meal! :D

Carnitas is a Latin American meat delicacy, served akin to tacos. I mentioned before that we discovered a Chipotle's nearby (thank you Amber for letting me know! :D). I have been encouraged to try my hand at Carnitas.

Be sure to look below to see the recipe

Carnitas

3 1/2 to 4 lb Pork Shoulder or Boston Butt Cut of Pork (boneless).
2 Tbs Cumin
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp White Pepper
1 Tsp Garlic powder
1 Tsp Onion Powder

2 cups beef boullion or stock (Pacific Foods says "gluten free" on the carton)

Mix cumin, salt and pepper, onion powder and garlic powder together. Rub onto meat and massage into. Place in large plastic bag (or large bowl and cover in plastic), marinate overnight.

In the morning (bright and early). Place 2 cups of chicken broth in the bottom of a crock-pot.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours and reduce to low for 2 or so hours, basting meat occasionally (I used a turkey baster to bring the juices from the bottom to splash over top of the meat).

Spoon off fat, shred meat and set aside (and cover), add a tablespoon or two of the juice to keep the meat juicy.

Serve with soft corn tortillas (cook according to package directions - Mission has "glutenfree" right on the label), and the usual taco accoutrements.

:)

Now...some extras that I served with it were Cilantro Lime Rice and also Black Bean and Corn Salsa. Also a homemade Guacamole. I'll share the salsa recipe and guacamole b/c they were greatly received, but the Cilantro Lime Rice needs more work before I can share it! Trying again in a couple weeks for some company, so it won't be TOO TOO long! :D


Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, small dice
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 small red onion, small dice
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and diced (add seeds back to adjust heat)
1 lime, zested and juiced (use half of zest)
2 Tbs FRESH cilantro, chopped fine
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Let chill for about 2 hours so flavors blend and the heat from the jalepeno comes up.


Guacamole

4 Ripe Hass Avocados
1 limes worth of juice (if not a real juicy lime you will need two)
salt to taste

Cut avocados in half, pit them but SAVE the pits! Scoop flesh into a glass bowl. Add lime juice and salt (hold back on salt and start with a pinch...add more after mashing). Mash avocados with potato masher, or back of a sturdy fork until very smooth. Adjust lime juice and salt to preferences.

MMMMMMM....

I hope you enjoy the Mexican Feast! :D

Chicken Mushroom Mozzarella

Simplicity need not be overlooked. Not in my kitchen. Some days, simple and quick are the name of the game. And today, after baking bread (unsuccessfully!) and making cookies (Land O' Lakes Gluten-free Chocolate Chip - MMMMM!!!!), working on dinner had to be easy.

I've been inspired lately since picking up a copy of "Desperation Dinners" at a local thrift store for 50 cents. There are many quick and easy recipes in the book - granted not many are gluten free - but many are easily adapted to a gluten free lifestyle by replacing some ingredients. As much as I love to cook, I can also appreciate a well thought out recipe that takes minutes to prepare but is followed with hours worth of kudos and enjoyment! :D Be on the look out for some quick and easy adaptations that I'll be testing out in the next few weeks!

This is an old time favorite in my family, and I do not make it often enough. We went to a friends house for dinner one night and this is what she had made us. I have been making it ever since. It's a great recipe to have in your arsenal of "I'm just too tired to think to cook" dinners! :D



Chicken Mushroom Mozzarella

1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts (4 - 4 oz breasts is best)
6 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 jar marinara sauce (use your favorite gluten-free one!)
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (be careful if you buy preshredded - some use flour as an anti-caking agent)

Grease the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. Lay chicken breasts in the bottom. Cover each breast with mushrooms. Pour marinara sauce carefully over the chicken breasts (try not to pour so fast/hard that the mushrooms come off them). Bake in a 350 oven for 35 minutes (or until chicken juices run clear).

Remove, cover each breast with shredded mozzarella. Put back in oven for about 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve over your favorite gluten-free pasta.

:)

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Influenza and possibly strep have hit our household hard this week. Balanced with an out of town husband due to work (not to mention over worked husband!), Valentine's really took a back seat this week.

Finally getting around to preparing our family celebration for this tonight.

My husband has had a desire, no, a CRAVING for Red Velvet Cupcakes. I think we saw a Bobby Flay Throwdown about it within the last few months which just magnified his craving. Now, my husband does not NEED to be gluten-free, and for the most part is not. Except when it comes to baked goods prepared in my kitchen. They are ALL gluten free. Then became my quest for Red Velvet Cupcakes I could make for him. A special treat for him for Valentine's day. I even had the heart-shaped molds from Reynolds!

This recipe is not too loosely based on the Gluten-free Yellow Cake on Allrecipes.com . I have always altered the recipe for my own tastes by adding extra vanilla and pudding powder...this made it taste more like the box-mix type cakes. After searching for tradtional Red Velvet Cupcake recipes, I decided to alter a tried and true instead of starting over! :D

The yield will be about 12-15 standard cupcakes if filled 2/3 full pre-bake. And about 12 of the Reynolds Heart Molds if filled half full.


Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 Cup White Rice Flour
1/4 Cup Sweet Rice Flour
1/4 + 1/8 Cup Tapioca Flour
1/4 Cup cocoa powder (watch your source on this one!)
2 Tbs Chocolate Pudding Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp salt
1 1/2 Tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Xantham Gum
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup Mayonnaise
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs Red Food coloring (liquid)


Sift together rice flours, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, baking powder and xantham gum. Set aside.

In bowl of your mixer - or in a large bowl - mix eggs, mayonnaise and sugar together until light yellow and very fluffy. I start on a low speed until well combined, scraping down the sides often, and then turning speed to 8 or 10 until really light and fluffy.

Set speed to low and gradually add in half of flour mixture. Scrape sides and return to mid-range speed, add half of the milk and 1 tsp vanilla. Return speed to low and add remaining flour mixture. scraping sides again, returning to medium speed once combined, adding milk. Once all the cake ingredients are combined well, turn mixer off and add 1 Tbs of the food coloring as close to the center of the bowl as possible. Slowly bring speed up to middle allowing food coloring to mix in well. Repeat this step, only add a tsp at a time until the red is your desired color (some are redder than others, and you don't want to over add b/c it will change the liquid balance. OR if you're using a paste or powder color, the ratios are much different). I went for a blood red color! :D

Pour batter into lined cupcake pan or the molded liners and bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting



Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened (if you prefer the tang of the cream cheese, use 8 oz and no butter)
4 oz butter, softened
2 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla extract or flavoring (watch this one, sometimes can be gluten containing)
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Whip cream cheese and butter together until very smooth (or if you chose all cream cheese, whip until smooth). Add 2 Tbs milk. While mixer is running, slowly add 2 cups sugar. If it's not the consistency that you like, add more. Be careful not to overdo the sugar it will make it too stiff.

Tap, tap, tap, tap....

Okay, I know you are all anxiously awaiting a new recipe! Sorry...been hectic here, all of our "weekly" things have started back up! Trying to get back in the swing of things.


I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I'm working on and will be posting in the next few days! PROMISE!!!

One thing for sure is participating on Cooking with Anne's Ready Set Cook! Check her out. She's not "gluten free" but she's my sister in law! :D And she's great!!! If you check out her blog, check out her Disney Family Blog "Cookies to Caviar" too. One terrific lady!

See you all soon! :D