For our July 4th cookout today, it was just hubby and I. All 3 kids had plans today with friends...which was okay with me since everything in the house is so disorganized right now. We have to carve out a little spot to sit and eat at the kitchen table. Our dining room table...well forget about that, we haven't seen it in over a week now! It's buried alive in kitchen stuff. So, considering the fact that we don't have a functioning dishwasher at this point, I decided we would go full "picnic style" with Chinet paper plates. If you knew me...you would know how much I hate paper plates! But...today they were wonderful! LOL On our way home from the tile store this afternoon...I decided that as much as I could have settled for a simple sandwich...that we NEEDED to have our own little cookout today. I wanted NORMAL! So, we grilled burgers and uncured beef hot dogs (by Applegate) and I even made barbecued chicken wing drummettes using the barbecue sauce I made a few days ago for my beef back ribs. I made coleslaw and also made baked breaded zucchini fries. The most exciting thing I did this afternoon was use my new oven that was just delivered yesterday to bake a batch of my Sesame Seed Buns! Thankfully, the new oven worked fine and they turned out beautiful. I snapped a few photos of our little cookout dinner below. I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July! Enjoy!
 |
| Sesame Seed Buns -- First thing ever made in my new oven! |
 |
| "Before" |
 |
| "After" |
 |
| Does this look like a wheat/grain/gluten-free, no sugar added meal to you? |
I'm not a paper plate kind of girl either! Best of luck with the dishwasher/plumber/electrician...
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th of July.
With all you have going on I'm surprised you had the energy to post!
ReplyDelete6 years ago we totally gutted our kitchen--including the old floorboards. Our house was built in 1942 and nothing had ever been done to the kitchen. It took over 4 months to redo and I was still working then (retired now). So after work I'd come home and put in another 3-4 hours on the remodel. It was a lot of work but we now have a modern kitchen with plenty of new cabinets and a large pantry area.
Hang in there and you will enjoy everything once all is in place and functioning.
Hi GGC,
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to fathom how in the world you still manage to crank out wonderful meals in a disaster area where a functioning kitchen once stood. I would most certainly be reduced to picking up (healthy) take-out and/or eating (healthy stuff) from a salad bar somewhere for the duration of the project!
Well, there always has to be a few wrinkles, doesn't there! You can take courage in the fact that, although this seems like an eternity, it's only temporary and this, too, shall pass. Then you can really play! Kudos, also, for your first baked goods from your brand new oven. Now *that* is sure to lift the spirits a bit! :-)
As for me, I'm not nearly so gutsy as you. The thought of making major changes, however wonderful the outcome might be, makes me quake in my boots!
Hi CyberSis,
ReplyDeleteWell...I must admit that there were 2 evenings where we did eat out. One night we had Mexican and I had fajitas without tortillas -- just ate the filling (chicken, shrimp, beef, peppers, onions, zucchini & yellow squash) and topped it with salsa, sour cream, guacamole and shredded lettuce. Then on the other night eating out we went to Red Robin (burgers) and I had a burger without the bun with cheese and grilled onions and I had them swap the fries out for steamed broccoli. So...I'm not THAT perfect! LOL
I was anxious (and nervous) trying the oven out for the first time -- fearing that maybe I got a dud or that it would overheat or underheat, etc. So far, so good...keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't get a lemon with my appliances. Don't know if you've shopped for or read many appliance reviews recently (until a few months ago I hadn't)...it's quite sad and depressing actually at how horrible the quality has dropped to. All the brands that were historically good and reputable have plummeted. It doesn't give you a lot of confidence once you begin reading reviews.
Hubby put new cabinet hardware on my cabinets and it's amazing how much of a difference that alone makes. Once I get my dishwasher and electrical outlet situation fixed (hopefully) this week...and then get the backsplash done...I will breathe better. :-)
Hi Sami,
ReplyDeleteThank you! Glad to hear I'm not the only one that doesn't like paper plates! :-)
Hi Peg,
ReplyDeleteWow...what a kitchen project you had! Knowing what's involved with my project which is miniscule compared to yours...I can't even imagine. It's good to know that your big project turned out well and that you are still enjoying it 6 years later! Since I work full time, I've had to use my "vacation" time to be home to coordinate the work. All the choices of everything is daunting. Thanks for the encouragement! :-)