Condo Kitchen Tour

Since we are doing kitchen tours, I thought I would add mine into the mix. Like Cathy's, our kitchen opens up into our living space. The downstairs (minus the guest room & bathroom) is essentially one large open space. It is great for having people over, but sometimes I wish I could close the kitchen off when it is dirty. Anyway - enjoy...

Our condo was built in 1984. This stove and "spacemaker" (yes - the actual name) microwave are original to the condo. They both work poorly and despite our best efforts to keep them clean, they always look grungy. Also note, these three drawers on the left are the ONLY drawers in our entire kitchen. They are tiny & cramped. I dream of one day having enough space to store all of my kitchen cravings - but space limits us for now.

Since we have no drawers, we had to get creative with our storage. Note the IKEA Kroken hanging system. All of our utinsels are in the cups. The blue bowl we hagled for in Nogales, Mexico before we moved away from Arizona 8 years ago. Target's Orla Kiely canister holds coffee. We now grind our own coffee each morning after I listened to an entomologist tell a story about the high percentage of cockroaches in pre-ground coffee. Yuck.

Our sink, faucet & counters are all IKEA and they are all great. My Dad (who owns our condo) had been renting the unit for years and the place had just been trashed. The counters were a complete wreck when we moved in. With little money at the time we moved in, we replaced the counters & the sink as inexpensively as possible. This sink has been invaluable as we can place hot and/or wet things on the extension part to keep the butcher block in good condition.
(note: sorry for Justin working away on the upper part of the counter there)

Our fridge & other cabinets. Print on the wall to the left I got on etsy from nicodemusgreen, which says "Bacon is like a little hug from God." Great conversation piece. Next to that is a bottle opener I put on the wall for Justin.

This is the cabinet next to the fridge in the above picture. Justin painted the inside of the cabinets with chalkboard paint for me. Not only does it function as a place for shopping lists, but it also welcomes art work. Justin's niece provided the cactus drawing on the bottom. Our friend Drew provided the lovely (& appetizing) image of a dog pooping above.

Alright Becca - now it is your turn!

My mantra...

Though this is what I want "our" mantra to be...this one is all mine.

Seriously. I need to own this. Nothing could be more true.

[from: madebygirl]

Quote of the day...

I feel the same...

"I've always had a fascination with the way that people live, and so for me there's nothing more exciting than being invited into a person's home. I believe that seeing how people choose to exist behind the doors of their home is the only way to get a real insight into their personality, their interests and the type of life they've chosen for themselves."
– Shannon Fricke from Sense of Style: Colour + Space

[image: vieiragirl]

I want...

I am sure I can find a pattern for this one. Looks do-able. Can also be found on Etsy here.

Zucchinni Spaghetti and the Mini Stove...

fig.4. The Kitchen.

Pros: New cabinets, counters, and disposal. Cons: The Mini Stove and Fridge. Also the oh-so-practical full size dishwasher? I mean I could go on and on about the poor design of this place...So the kitchen is just hooked onto the living room. See the bottom of the photo? Yeah, that is the back of the couch...ouch.

fig.5. The rest of the mini kitchen....

The fridge, no it is not cut off in the picture, it is really that small. I like to think of it as very Euro, we have to shop often for fresh ingredients.

********

Now on to something a little more exciting. Zucchini Spaghetti. Delicious.

SO you need a tool to make this...see the silver guy in the photo, it is like a peeler but it makes a julienne...ingenious!

Do It: Julienne a bunch of Zucchini (like 4 or 5). Heat up a pan, add Olive oil, Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, S/P. When oil is hot, add all the zucchini....toss and turn....then add Parmesan Cheese. If it seems dry, add white wine, a squeeze of lemon, or stock. YUM.

Uses for this Spaghetti.

1) Great Side dish all on it's own.

2) Mix it with Marinara and eat it really like Spaghetti.

3) Add Cherry Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Chicken.

4) Instead of Parmesan Cheese, add a can of Rotel and some Queso Fresco for Calabasitas.
4) This is also good cold...add some to a salad

Home Tour... Entry

fig.1. Entry when you come in and look left, leads to living room. Please excuse the large bag of dog food :)

fig.2. Enter door and look right. Door on left leads to bedroom and bathroom, door straight ahead is a coat closet.

fig.3. The "P" I have started a small collection of "P's" This is actually the only one I have up. This niche used to house a phone and a buzzer for the front door...now it has just been painted 1000 times and collects junk.

That's the preview....more to come of our little shoe box

Shop Spot...Carmel

We were in Carmel for Memorial day.....I did some scouting for a shop spot...and this one was AMAZING. Even the inside was great, giving us all a little studio space as well :) Here is Busy thinking about the spot...he really liked Carmel, and The Cypress Inn. Owned by Doris Day, it is 100% pet friendly.