CaliPoutine

Eg member Pookie is having a baby in January. We got together a couple weeks ago and made Ina Garten's Turkey sausage lasagna, Italian wedding soup, Chicken tetrazzini and Spinach pie( aka spanikopita). I'm not a fan of frozen food, but the spinach pie was great and I couldnt tell it had been previously frozen. The tetrazzi didnt do it for me, the soup froze wonderfully and we ate the lasagna on the night we made it. I did freeze a few pieces though that I'm sure will defrost fine.

I heard from the coordinator. The Seniors no likie lamb!!

Zingerman's makes a gelato called John Do Ya!! Its so good!!

I picked up 5 packs of the lamb. 3 for Kerry Beal and 2 for Anna N. I'm going up to Burlington on Friday to make candy with the ladies!! Here it is.... I did have to freeze them because the expiry date is Nov 29th.

I've seen that on GW. Not an option for us though because right behind the fridge is the staircase down to the basement. If that wasnt there, we would have expanded the kitchen and opened it up so we could see into the living room/dining room.

Thanks, I'm loving it so far. I too am surprised at how fast it went. From teardown to functional kitchen was only about 3 weeks. Our KD gave us a temporary countertop( melamine) and sink until the granite was ready for installation. I couldnt imagine not being able to cook for 2 months!!

That looks great!! I'll check it out when I go to MI tomorrow.

I think the lamb is a No Go. I called the co-ordinator and she said No at first, then she said she'd ask the seniors at her program( the one I'm filling in for on Dec 12th) when she's there tomorrow.

Have you considered a ceiling-mounted platform for a TV? I have mine mounted high on the wall on a swivel platform so I can watch it from the kitchen or from our living room - we have an open concept layout. It saves on counter space! ← Thats a thought. The kitchen is cut off from the living room so thats why I was considering a separate tv. Currently, I turn it up really loud so I can hear it when I'm cooking.

We used a high quality( made my stainmaster) vinyl flooring. It costs 5.50 square foot. We could have used laminate and it would have been half the cost, but I had concerns about water in the kitchen. I ruled out ceramic tile because I have a tendency to drop things. The vinyl flooring looks great, it actually looks like big ceramic tiles. The KD designed the space and that was the extent of the help. He did actually suggest an edge for the granite, but I didnt like his suggestion. He also wanted to sell me a sink and faucet, but I did my research on GardenWeb and found a great company that does stainless sinks. I also found my faucet thru GW. The KD also tried to talk me into a double sink. The one thing I'm upset about is my fridge. The KD never told me to order a counter depth fridge, so my fridge sticks out a good 11". The sides are black too so I feel like it looks ridiculous. I'm sure most ppl don't notice it, but I hate it!!! If I would have found GW before everything was ordered, I would have avoided that. I probably wouldnt have went with a KD either.

Don't shoot me, or anything... but I found the most amazing instant mashed potatoes at Costco. Maybe yours has it too? Really, all that's in the box are dehydrated potatoes and salt. We used 2 x 2kg boxes for the 100 ppl. But my room has more homeless and Working Poor guests than seniors. The price point was amazing, and prep was easy. If I had to peel, boil and mash 35 lbs of potatoes... I wouldn't do it. It would be rice every week. LOL. Anyways, we added real butter (1 lb for the lot), and used skim milk. Everyone loved them. And it really did taste like potatoes, unlike some of that other stuff we've tried for reasons of economy or physicality. ← The agency doesnt have a costco membership and mine has lapsed at the moment. I think the Senior's might shoot me, if I served instant mashed. This is meat and potato country!! I bought a 20lb bag of white potatoes for 1.77 a few weeks ago. I prefer russets when I mash potatoes( or for baked), but as my spouse pointed out, these ppl grew up eating the white potatoes so its familar to them. Russets are way more expensive.

Thanks!! I love it too, when it was first installed, I told everyone I wanted to have sex with it( not on it, but with it because I loved it so much)

Thanks for taking the time to blog, especially during Thanksgiving. Having done 3 blogs, I know its a lot of work!!

My next dinner is Dec 13th. I'm filling in for another cook on Dec 11th and 12th( my town and Zurich). I bought st. Louis style ribs( already seasoned and vacuum sealed) for .99lb for that dinner. I was planning on the lamb for the 12th, that meal only serves 25ppl. My meal is going to be the Xmas meal( turkey, mashed spuds, etc).

I don't think any Seniors are my seniors!!!

Laminate flooring is okay to damp-mop as long as you don't leave a lot of water standing on the floor for a long time. The main thing is to prevent water from seeping through the cracks to the underlayers. Trust me on this one (says she whose family had to move out of their new home for a week last year when the brand-new laminate flooring got flooded by a broken washing machine)!!! ← I suppose I should have been clearer. You can damp mop it and we do with Murphy's oil soap squirt and mop, but you can't leave water sitting on it.

I tend to cook things that I want to eat( except meat of course) and I can't stand eggplant. Its probably .99-1.49lb right now. That could be a side dish, but it would never fly as a main dish. ← I've got an eggplant recipe that would change your mind. Everyone thinks it's meat. ← I;ve tried eggplant every which way and I can't stand it. Maybe its a texture thing. My mom and sister love it, but I dont feel the love. I went to the store and there is plenty of lamb. The whole freezer case is full. I didnt buy it though, I just couldnt do it. I still might though, I need to think about it.

The tv would go where the coffee maker is. Obviously, I'd get a small lcd tv or flat screen.

I also love my new extra large single sink. I went back and forth( I even started a topic on it) about whether to go with a single or double sink. I'm so glad I chose the single. Since these pics were taken, we've replaced the outlet covers with brushed nickel decorative ones. I had the electrician add a cable outlet in case I wanted a tv in the kitchen. Is this a good idea? Do you have a TV in your kitchen?

Ok, I lied. I actually love my new floor to ceiling pantry too. This area is where the old pantry( with the hideous) wallpaper was.

I guess I was going more for fashion. Since we went with a Kitchen Designer(who sold us the cabinets) the draw hardware was included. There was a lot to choose from, but I kept going back to the cup pulls. I'm a bit obessive about cleaning the kitchen( I'm sure that will wear off once the newness is gone) at the monent. Every night I wipe them down with a papertowel and a spritz of glass plus. I've been using glass plus to clean the granite and it works great. Its an approved cleaner since it has no ammonia. Btw, I think my favorite part of the kitchen( besides the new subdued colors) is the granite. Its called Labrador Antique and it has these shiny flecks of blue running thru it. The backsplash is going to be a blue glass to pick up those flecks.

Hereis the link to the rest of the pics. We're still waiting for the backsplash installation.

Here is a teaser pic and then I'll direct you to my album on facebook. We went with all GE Profile appliances( except the Whirlpool dishwasher). We're both very happy with the dishwasher, it has a stainless interior and its very quiet. We never use the heated dry and the dishes still come out with minimal water. Prior to the remodel, we didnt have a dishwasher,well unless you count Robin. Needless to say, she's more than happy. The stove is dual fuel convection. The stove now sits where the sink used to sit. The microwave is Panosonic and its vented to the outside. The kitchen is only 12x 20 so I didnt really have the room for an island or a big range hood.

Laminate can't get wet at all. We have it thru our house because I was told its better than hardwood if you have dogs. I'm obsessive about wiping up any water that comes in contact with it. We went thru the gamut of flooring choices when we remodeled our kitchen( last month). We had this horrible old linoleum flooring that always looked dirty. I was nervous about getting hardwood or laminate because what if the dishwasher/fridge leaked? Ceramic isnt good for me because I tend to drop things a lot. We went with a stainmaster high quality vinyl flooring that looks like ceramic. I'm now obsessive about keeping it clean. I sweep it every night and wipe up any spills asap. We're really happy with it. You can see a picture HERE..

I tend to cook things that I want to eat( except meat of course) and I can't stand eggplant. Its probably .99-1.49lb right now. That could be a side dish, but it would never fly as a main dish.