Rotisserie Chicken

You know it.
I used my new oven.
The most delicious rotisserie chicken ever came out of it.
As if by magic.

So far I am more than a little impressed by the oven.

A word of warning... the rotisserie chicken attachment is very sharp. Trust me, I know.

Kitchen Progress

I am so impressed with the progress this weekend!
We have a floor!!!!!!!
And the pantry shelves are also in.
The clutter is becoming less and less (you cannot see it, but I have a big smile on my face).

Here is a list of the remaining things to do:
- paint the wall;
- put up a few shelves;
- build the microwave oven unit and fix it to the wall;
- connect the new oven to the gas and electricity and move it into place;
- put up the extractor unit;
- unpack more all of the boxes filling up my living room.
- paint the last kitchen wall white.
- lay the laminate floor.
- buy skirting boards and put them up.
- build a bookshelf.
- build the pantry.
- build the new ikea cabinet.
- buy a new (or nearly new) radiator.
- paint the door and window frame.
- paint the indoor window cill and fix it to the frame.
- put up a trim on the outside of the new window.
- clean everything in the house.
- remove the floating shelves in the dining area.
- remove and sell the old radiator in the dining area.
- move the light fitting in the dining area and plaster the hole.
- paint the ceiling in the dining area and living room.
- plaster the new wall in the dining area.
- paint the new and old walls near the stairs in the dining area.
- go to the spa.

I've been using my new oven and it is pure heaven. Not sure what I'll be making this week but it will be delicious ;-)

Have a great week!

DWZI - Goodbyes

I'm struggling to comprehend the enormity of my decision to leave my job for a new one. 

Change is supposed to be good, but it is scary.

Saying goodbye is tough.

I found some words of wisdom on this blog and used it in my farewell speech yesterday (thanks Anna for directing me to the site). Here is what I ended my speech with:

"One of the most important journeys in life is meeting others half way.  You will achieve much more by working with people, rather than against them.  Giving someone else a voice, and showing them that their ideas matter, will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the both of you." 

I will miss my team, their dedication and friendship.

Have a good weekend everyone.

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Kitchen Goodies

Here are a few things for the kitchen.
I've already bought the light and the cabinet but I still have so much on my wish list... now all I need is to win the lotto!

1. Light
2. Display cabinet
3. Mugs
4. Kickboy
5. Pretty Plates
6. Herb Garden

Banana Bread (Again)

When I see a ripe banana, I see a banana bread.

I know, I know. There I was with two pitch black bananas and I just had to use them.

The kids were happy and the banana bread did not last long...

I used my mom's recipe but I really should have used 3 bananas.

Next time.

Heidi wanted some sprinkles on top of her slice. My sweet child.

This banana bread was made in my old oven, I cannot wait to make one in the new oven!

Kitchen Progress

More painting, more cleaning, more shelves, a new back splash, the old extractor.
Yep, the kitchen is almost done.
Almost.

Here is a list of things to do (as you can see it keeps growing):

- paint the wall;
- put up a few shelves;
- build the microwave oven unit and fix it to the wall;
- connect the new oven to the gas and electricity and move it into place;
- put up the extractor unit;
- unpack more all of the boxes filling up my living room.
- paint the last kitchen wall white.
- lay the laminate floor.
- buy skirting boards and put them up.
- build a bookshelf.
- build the pantry.
- build the new ikea cabinet.
- buy a new (or nearly new) radiator.
- paint the door and window frame.
- paint the indoor window cill and fix it to the frame.
- put up a trim on the outside of the new window.
- clean everything in the house.
- remove the floating shelves in the dining area.
- remove and sell the old radiator in the dining area.
- move the light fitting in the dining area and plaster the hole.
- paint the ceiling in the dining area and living room.
- plaster the new wall in the dining area.
- paint the new and old walls near the stairs in the dining area.
- go to the spa.

Here is a photo of the kitchen last night (once again sorry neighbours for making some noise today!!). The lighting does not do the room justice and I promise to take another picture in daylight.

I also want to wish my Dad and Father in Law a very happy birthday!

DWZI - Colour!

The kitchen is getting there.

I mean it is really getting there.

A splash of colour on the wall and an oven sure changes the view.

We are in the final stretch and I'm so excited.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

(you know what we will be doing...)

P.S. Yes, that colour on the wall is way brighter than my original plan. I got a little carried away in the paint shop and decided to be bold! 

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Friendship = Chicken Pie

On Sunday we had a lovely dinner at Tip's place.

She made a delicious chicken pie to treat us because we've not really had a home cooked meal in a couple of weeks now.

When we got ready to leave she handed me a chicken pie to take home.

What a treat. All I had to do was heat it up in the microwave oven.

Now that's friendship.

Happiness.

Pasta with some Stuff from a Jar

It is true.
I greatly mistrust ready made food in jars and tins.
I always wonder how the food remains good for sooooooo long. Plus I wonder how they cook the meat in giant kitchens and through how many processes it has to go to reach that jar.
Now of course I understand that there is science behind it.
I get it.

My brain tells me not to think about it too much and just eat it.
My heart tells me to stay away!

So I tend to try make a lot of things from scratch.
It is not that easy and I do succumb to quite a few tins of tuna, peeled tomatoes, corn, etc.
But if you ever find a ready made meat and tomato sauce or chicken soup in my house then I'm ready to point the finger straight to my husband. He will eat anything.

I digress, back to what I made for dinner.
Pasta with a meat sauce. The meat, onions and carrots were all peeled, sliced and cooked by me but then I had no tomato base for the sauce... so I found a jar of vegetables in my cupboard. The label was in Italian so I was not sure what exactly we would be eating. Some kind of tomato based vegetable concoction. It came from a farm in Italy (La Vialla) where everything is organic so it must be ok (right?!). I decided not to think, just do. I tossed it in with the meat and a sauce was made.

Even though I hate to admit it, the sauce was good. I served it with parmesan, a salad and ciabatta bread. My husband loved it and even had a second helping.
Enough said.

Kitchen Progress

Once again it was a busy weekend in terms of DIY.
Although it feels like we are doing so much, the results are not quite as visible as I'd like them to be.
We started unpacking a few things, connected the light fittings, installed a light outside, sanded the kitchen counter, gave the walls a primer and filled in lots of gaps everywhere. I bought paint for one of the walls. Truth be told I was in quite a rush and I have no idea what the color will look like on the wall. Mild Ocean. Can you picture it?

The last trip to Ikea was disastrous. Stella would not stop screaming.

Difficult is an understatement.

I cannot wait to be able to leave her at the children's play are with Heidi, but it is a while still before that will be possible.

We survived.

Hopefully this week (after work and late at night) we will manage to do the following:
- paint the wall;
- put up a few shelves;
- build the microwave oven unit and fix it to the wall;
- connect the new oven to the gas and electricity and move it into place;
- put up the extractor unit;
- unpack more of the boxes filling up my living room.

What will I be cooking this week? Well, it is certainly a mystery.
I'll be using my griddle toaster and microwave oven.

Have a great week! 

DWZI - Kitchen Decoration Ideas

Yes, you know it.
Besides the usual daily grind (working, getting stuck in traffic, making food in the microwave, taking care of the kids, worrying about everything...) we worked on the kitchen.

There is progress but is still looks like a disaster zone. The oven made its way upstairs (magically, ha ha!) and now we first have to fix a few things before it can be unpacked.

The main thing is to paint some walls.That means selecting a color since I want color!

I love this pretty wallpaper by Cath Kidston...  so perhaps wallpaper one wall and paint the other?

I've got a paint chart from Little Green Paints which I've been holding against the wall all week. The blues just feel right, but they are all so lovely.

Last but not least there is the budget to consider. I'm probably going to go on a hunt this weekend to find something like this but cheaper.

Have a great weekend everyone!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Pineapple Salad

Pineapples are pretty versatile.

Not only are they delicious as they are, but they go really well in salads too.

Mix them in with avocado, lettuce, tomato, onions, cucumber and feta cheese.

Guaranteed to please.

Tomato and Beef Stew

Slow cooked food is good. I love a dish that requires an hour or so to cook. Just a pity I hardly ever have the time to wait that long.

Occasionally I find the time to make a stew and it is always so satisfying.

To tell you the truth I don't follow any recipe. I simply brown cubes of beef for a few minutes and then I add whatever vegetables I find in the fridge. Potatoes, carrots, onions, courgette, fennel and of course a can or two of chopped tomatoes. Some seasoning and a cup of beef stock also seems to go quite well with the whole stewing process.

Let it all simmer away for about an hour (more if you have the time) and don't forget to stir occasionally  you know, just to make sure you don't burn anything!

Serve it up with some basmati rice and enjoy the warm comfort that only a stew can provide.

Kitchen Progress

Slowly the dust is starting to settle and slowly I am wiping it all away.
We are making progress. But it is not quite as fast as I was hoping it would be.

The oven is still in a box downstairs.
The fridge is being defrosted.
It will probably be another week before I can actually cook again and the fun of having take out for dinner has worn off.

Now for the good news.
The kitchen was completely dismantled and the wall plastered.
We built three new Ikea kitchen cabinets (around midnight, sorry neighbours!).
The counter top was cut to size and is resting on top of the cabinets.
Water pipes were extended and the wash basin fitted.
We have water again in the kitchen!
The electricity was disconnected and connected and disconnected and connected.
The dishwasher is already working hard as I type.
Yes, it is definitely not all bad.

The big questions is how we will get the new oven upstairs. I'm hoping for some magic.

DWZI - Smoked Buffalo Mozzarella

It feels like this week raced by.
Even though I really miss cooking, I must admit that I did enjoy a meal out this week with a good friend.
We went to Amsterdam where I bought a lovely carpet for the kitchen and afterwards we had dinner at a little Italian restaurant called A Tavola. We just ended up there by chance.

The food was lovely, really authentic.
The chef and his team were very funny and very Italian.

The star dish of the evening was smoked buffalo mozzarella... wow. It was served warm with bread.
Definitely worth recommending!

Everything else we ate this week paled by comparison. But hey, it's only food right?

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Roasted Vegetables

If there is one thing I love making then it is roasted vegetables.

The simplicity of it.

Peeling, slicing and dicing the vegetables is a type of meditation to me.

Mixing them up with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

Since we had a big crop of cherry tomatoes I could not resist adding them to the mix.

They were sweet and juicy.

To finish the dish I added a few fresh fennel leaves.

I'm so looking forward to my next big vegetable roast in the new kitchen!

Breakfast Memories

Breakfast is BIG in South Africa.
Not so big in the Netherlands.

Pretty much every restaurant in South Africa serves breakfast, from very early until late. And when I say breakfast I mean eggs, bacon, toast, sausages, hash browns, fried tomatoes, bottomless coffee, everything.

Growing up we used to go out for breakfast once a week. It's just what you do.
And if you don't go out for breakfast then you make it yourself.
You go big or go home.

Now I know that you simply should not eat fried eggs and bacon every single morning.
(You shouldn't but how I wish that I could...)
A lazy weekend breakfast indulgence is allowed every now and again.
Especially when all you need to do is show up.

Now that my kitchen is out of bounds I seem to crave a big breakfast more than ever.
Looking at these photo's taken a month ago in South Africa simply makes my mouth water.
Let's fry some eggs!

Woonbeurs

Since the kitchen is a no go zone, there is really no point in thinking about a weekly menu. Unless I'd be serving dust for dinner. Yes, write that down... dust for dinner... OK, I'm a little depressed by my kitchen situation and my husband was kind enough to look after the kids yesterday for a few hours so I could escape to the Amsterdam Woonbeurs.

It was awesome! So much to see and to draw inspiration from. It was busy but not crazy busy. They had something of everything and I loved the stalls where you could buy all kinds of design accessories.

Kim Welling also had a stand there for her new venture with Ellen Vesters: UrLaub. They make such beautiful illustrations and I cannot wait to see what they produce next. You can also see an interview with them here from 101 Woonideen (in Dutch of course).

I still have a lot of things to figure out in the kitchen. The light fittings, the wallpaper, the flooring, to tile the wall or not... but it was lovely to spend an afternoon away from my own kitchen.

P.S. The oven has been delivered and some kitchen cabinets should be arriving on Friday so it is only a matter of time before things will be improving!