Showing posts with label Good Eats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good Eats. Show all posts

Summer Fizz

Friday, May 13, 2011


Want a fizzy fix? Pick up a 2 liter of club soda. Make a simple syrup of 1 cup of water & 1 cup of sugar. Heat the simple syrup until sugar is dissolved, let it cool. Add a tablespoon or two of syrup to a glass of club soda. Since I had strawberries on hand and an abundance of mint leaves, in the glass they went!

Be creative--fresh squeezed lime, basil leaves or anything else that floats your boat this summer........
{Way less calories than regular soda and good for the kids too!}

Oh, and the simple syrup will keep in the fridge for a month--

xo
k

Ice cream!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

It is the dog days of summer------head to the freezer section and grab some pints of dairy delights! {a current fave, pistachio ice cream at meijer}
Grab some vintage music sheets and wrap around containers.....tie with pink ribbon.......
Signage, bowls and wooden spoons to serve.........
Garnish with mint and this is sure to hit the spot, spot today...........


{no baby yet! I'm due August 30th..... I will just have to sit tight & eat some ice cream!}

k & d too

Visions of Sugarplums

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

{Iced Shortbread "birdies"}

I have a very good friend {she's 23 and hangs out with me, even though I'm 35} she has made this recipe since she was 16. I can't even remember when I was 16. She doesn't bake anything else at Christmas besides this shortbread recipe. I'm following in her footsteps. Easy directions. Easy ingredients. Easy small batch. Easy.Easy.Easy. I'm all about that. Plus they're yummy.
It's Martha Stewart's basic shortbread recipe. I think since it calls for confectioners' sugar instead of granulated makes all the difference. I also add almond flavoring in the dough and the icing---I'm a huge fan of almond flavoring.

For the icing:
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons of almond flavoring
3 or more tablespoons of milk

Icing is slightly runny, I drizzle away over cookies and it sets up.

{The dirty "fluff" is his Snoopy baby----yes, my friends the classic Snoopy}

Luke is now 4 {December 1st} and it's fun seeing Christmas through his eyes. Soon after Thanksgiving he told me to get out the Christmas toys, he then stated---that means Jesus is born. What he meant was to get out the nativity set! Bless his little heart! 

I also love taking pictures of my sleeping kidlets.........
{Snoopy's tail is what he holds while sucking this thumb to go to sleep}

I thought you would want to know that. Just in case.

merrily,
k

A Grey Kitchen

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

A grey kitchen, let's peek inside! Homeowner went from an out-dated kitchen with white metal cabinets to a kitchen of English design in which she was inspired by English Home magazine. She collaborated with a very talented kitchen cabinet maker that "understood" & got it when she told him she wasn't into a kitchen that looked too "new". The house is early 1900's and the kitchen needs to fit with the architecture. Many people shuddered at the idea of her grey cabinets, but after it was all said and done, the color is a winner. {homeowner wanted grey cabinets for a very long time}The kitchen was completely gutted and the cabinet maker was talented enough to be the contractor for the entire kitchen. From start to finish, he was there to the end!


The homeowner is always cooking & baking, as they eat out very little and cooking good food for her family part is of her life. Take notice, on one of the days we were there she was baking a batch of Pioneer Woman's cookies. She needed a hardworking kitchen.............
Antique marble slab, check salvage warehouses. A white Bella Cucina bowl. Marble slab is on a vintage mercantile cabinet, used as an island. Heavy duty fitted with 4 drawers on one side. The design was made with a unique locking system so drawer will not sag when pulling out. Believe it was from Knollenberg Department Store in Richmond, Indiana from the fabric area. A steal at $800.00, see also picture on down of cabinet.
Vent over stove top. Notice the detailing at top, this matches the windows on the outside of the house, which have this exact detailing over the windows.
Upper cabinets soar to the 9 ft ceiling......
There are 3 cabinets to give the look of "furniture" in the kitchen. This is one of a pair, they sit left and right across the kitchen facing each other. They are installed with glass front and the glass is "bubbl-y" and wavy to look old. They are fitted with stationary keys for the knobs.
The 3rd cabinet is underneath the sink. It is "bumped" out from the surrounding cabinets to appear like furniture. This cabinet again is fitted with false keys for knobs. {When we say false keys we mean keys that don't work, they are used for knobs only} All keys & keyholes by Gerber Hinge Company.
Reclaimed wood flooring, again keeping with the details of an older home. See that lovely pull on the dishwasher front? The pull was found antiquing and had layers of white paint on it. The homeowner removed the paint to reveal a beautiful brass patina.
The homeowner wanted top quality appliances and chose the induction Wolf cook top with 5 burners. No, she didn't choose the large industrial stove by Wolf, as she was more comfortable with the simple cook top. This cook top fitted her needs for the technology and the "look" she was going for. Cookware by Le Creuset.
Stove area....
Our favorite design idea for a functional kitchen is to have very little cupboards below. The homeowner was tired of digging for her things and requested many lower drawers. At first the contractor was a little concerned about this, but in the end he realized that this is a must for any kitchen. Even if you are tall or short lower drawers make it easy on you, saving time and keeping things organized. There are two cupboards below which were needed to fit the design as drawers were not able to be placed everywhere. One of the cupboards does have a light in it which lights up upon opening, this is for the deep corner cupboard.
Detailing of corbel, simple & timeless.
This unit house the oven and check out what's behind the doors above the stove..........
Her microwave! This is straight from a British kitchen. The "doors" are actually a panel that pulls out and slides in above the microwave. Right below the microwave slides out a flat drawer-like panel for hot dishes out of the microwave. The dishes can cool while she does other things......
Favorite things hanging from hooks that came from an old church. {In bake center}
What's behind the two sets of doors in the middle?
Those panels are waiting for these darling vintage "push" plagues. {Handy man needed here}
We held them up for you to have a "looky"! Ok, let's see what's behind those doors........
The most darling baking area!
The lovely pull again. {our favorite}
Petite pull chain light in the baking center..........
Now, this we love Rohl faucet.......beautiful, hardworking, heavy duty and oh, that finish!
View of island......
Another view..........
Notice the wood knobs, the homeowner told us that she would've never thought to pick those, even though many of the British kitchens featured have these. This was recommended by her cabinet maker, he told her that with so many drawers this would keep everything from not looking too "busy". The knobs are painted the same color as the cabinets. The homeowner said they are very easy to clean, no grooves and nothing to polish. Sometimes simple is good.
The cabinets are slightly sanded to show wood color beneath. The cabinets have an aged look with just the right amount of dents in them.

The colors of her kitchen are by Sherwin-Williams
Cabinets: Mindful, the perfect grey, not too dark really we think it is a warmer grey. The color is not shocking and in some ways is a neutral.
Walls: Sea Oats, a lovely cream
Countertop: {vintage marble on island} Caesar Stone

Next week: We'll show you a wide angle shot of kitchen. Homeowner wants to finish the curtains, and it's a cute idea!

What's your top pick that you would like to add to your kitchen? Do you have certain stove, brand of cabinets, or favorite color that is on your wish list for your kitchen?

Thanks for peeking!


Dining Al Fresco

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

{Kip & Matt}

After a friends graduation ceremony {ok, ok we left as soon as Dale's name was mentioned and he was handed his diploma}! Anyway we headed to Milano's in Dayton for some pizza. A casual evening out. I {Kara} is practicing with my new point & shoot camera. Nothing fancy, a Nikon Cool Pix, trying to figure out the anti-jiggle mode. As you see some are blurry and some are clear. I have a lot to learn.

I'm not technical, where as Darcy can change her own headlights on her car. I think she has even replaced an engine or something major in their lawnmower. If there's a will there's a way for Darcy. When we had our shop I would waltz into the store and she would be dangling from the ceiling re-wiring something or other.


{Luke}
{serious jiggling here}
{still blurry}


{I pushed the right button...it's clear}

Anyway sorry for this post, I just thought it was fun to have normal, everyday pictures, even the not so perfect ones!


Ice cream!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009



Jeni's Ice cream has a blog!

Our favorite & in Ohio!









The Shop Girls Cook

Wednesday, March 12, 2008




We love to cook, main dishes that is but we actually made a fruit crisp as well. All this web-site building has made us well, pretty hungry. Also, we have never met a sauce we didn't like. We sell cookbooks every now & then at the store. We love' em!
I discovered this gal in our House Beautiful,
Susan Spicer a chef out of New Orleans. So we decided to tackle this main dish by her.
Enjoy!
*I added peach crisp recipe @ the end

Herb-Roasted Lamb Loin with Goat Cheese and Zinfandel Sauce
Serves 4 Prep time: about 45minutes

{*We subsituted a flat iron steak for the lamb loin.}

Goat Cheese Filling
3 oz fresh goat cheese, at room temperature

1/4 pound pancetta, diced and cooked until crisp

2 tablespoons diced marinated sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or fresh herbs of your choice i.e. rosemary, thyme or basil

1 garlic clove, minced

This filling can be made one day in advance. Using a fork, combine goat cheese, pancetta, tomatoes, herbs, and garlic in a small bowl. Chill the mixture for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld. When ready to use it, let the cheese mixture soften slightly at room temp.

Zinfandel Sauce
1 cup Zinfandel or full-flavored red wine

1 medium shallot, finely minced

2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary, or a combo

2 cups lamb stock (or substitute chicken stock) I used canned

2 tablespoons butter, cut in four pieces
salt and pepper

Place the wine, shallot, and herb in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup of liquid. Remove the herb sprigs.
Whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time. The sauce should be glossy and slightly syrupy (but not so thick that it sticks your lips together; add a tablespoon or two of hot water if it gets too thick). Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Lamb (or a flat iron steak in our case)
1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb loin,
cut into 4 ( 6-ounce) portions

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Goat cheese filling

Zinfandel sauce

Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Sear the lamb on both sides for a minute or so, to brown, and then reduce the heat and cook each side 3-4 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and rest. You may serve the loins whole or sliced, with equal portions of the goat cheese mixture crumbled along the top and Zinfandel sauce spooned over it.

Fresh Peach Crisp
Yield: 12 Servings
Crisp
5-6 cups peeled and sliced peaches (about 6 large) ok this is March in Ohio and there is no peaches around so I found in the canned section freestone peaches, now my mother goes ga-ga over these in the summer and when they come up from Georgia--she loves this variety of peaches. I thought this was a good pick & used two large cans of these.

1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup dry cooking oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks margarine, melted

Vanilla Creme Fraiche
1 8oz. container sour creme or creme fraiche or sour cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place peach slices in an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan. sprinkle w/ sugar
Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add margarine and mix well. Spoon evenly over fruit.
Bake 40-50 minutes. Serve warm with Vanilla creme fraiche or icecream
To make Vanilla creme fraiche, place creme fraiche in a medium bowl. Add seeds from vanilla bean. Stir in sugar. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, or up to 3 days. Serve w/ fresh fruit or fruit desserts.

Monday morning coffee

Monday, February 25, 2008




Kara loves coffee, but early morning coffee in her cup requires creamer. Darcy can have hers black with a little bit of sugar. Kara is out of creamer this cold Monday morning, ---sigh. Some random pictures to warm us up!