Foodie Friday -- February 29

 Welcome to Foodie Friday, where great food is always on the menu.

It's not too soon to think about St. Patrick's Day, so I've been pulling out green dishes, ironing napkins, and flipping through cookbooks. 

Rattlebridge has been a flurry of activity. 
Do you notice anything different about the exterior?
This weekend I'll post an update.

It's time for Foodie Friday!

Thank you for participating in the linky party! If you'd like to add your recipe, locate the blue Inlinkz frog (below, left); add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. The red "X" will allow you to delete your entry if you want to change the image or headline.The Foodie Friday badge is located on the right-hand sidebar if you wish to add it to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.


If you will allow your photos to be featured on my public Facebook page, Pinterest, or Twitter (with a link to your blog post), please leave a message; if you do not want your photographs used in the spotlight, please let me know about that, too. "Pinners" please go to the source blog to pin and credit the blogger/photographer for their work. Thanks!

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Foodie Friday -- February 22



There's nothing like a grilled burger in the wintertime. Luckily we had a few sunny days, and we fired up the Weber. I'm glad we did. The weather promises to turn foul this evening. My thoughts are with all of you who received the brunt of the snowstorm. Stay warm!

 

 

Last Sunday, the weather was a bit nippy so I stayed indoors, except for a quick trip to the grocery. I bought a raspberry coffee cake and embellished it--the exhaused way. However, I made the mistake of eating a huge slice while I watched Downton Abbey's finale. I won't give any spoilers, but I was just sick.

 

I'm posting Foodie Friday a little early. I'm still touring with Hunting Daylight, and I'm being interviewed by the Hugo Award winning magazine, SF Signal. Very excited!

 

 

 Thanks to everyone who has offered advice about the renovation. So many great ideas!

 

And now, let's talk about food and your recipes. What are you bringing to the linky party?





Foodie Friday is a weekly blog hop party that's been around for almost 4 years. Everyone is welcome here. I can't wait to see what you've cooked this week--and thank you so much for being a part of the linky party! If you'd like to add your recipe, locate the blue Inlinkz frog (below, left); add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. The red "X" will allow you to delete your entry if you want to change the image or headline.The Foodie Friday badge is located on the right-hand sidebar if you wish to add it to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.


If you will allow your photos to be featured on my public Facebook page, Pinterest, or Twitter (with a link to your blog post), please leave a message; if you do not want your photographs used in the spotlight, please let me know about that, too. "Pinners" please go to the source blog to pin and credit the blogger/photographer for their work. Thanks!

 

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Choppy Decorating

 

 

If you've followed my renovating journey, you are aware of The Bathroom That Can't Be Named and my quest to bend it into a quasi-Renovation Hardware en suite.

 

Lovely inspiration photos, to be sure.

I bought the sconces and the mirror. I painted the vanity.

But I ignored the floor. Early into the remodeling, I was baffled by an orange cast in the tile. Somehow that went away, heaven knows how, and now the black tile inserts are competing with the woodsy, beige Restoration Hardware look.

 If I continue on this path, ignoring the black inserts, the decor will  will fall prey to
choppy decorating.

In a recent post, Anonymous left a comment, suggesting that I paint the cabinets black. 

It looks good!
Though I'd need to paint or glaze the mirror and sconces to prevent a new kind of choppiness. 

 

Here's an example from Houzz.
The walls are beige, the vanity is black, the counters are dark.



 



Contemporary Powder Room design by San Francisco Design-build Urrutia Design

 

 

Shelia from Note Songs suggested a black granite counter.

It might be the perfect solution to tie the room together, and I wouldn't have to paint my mirror.

Traditional Bathroom design by Milwaukee Architect Johnson Design Inc.

 

 

 

Here's another beige and black bathroom.

It's very handsome and pulled-together.

 

Traditional Bathroom design by Other Metro Media And Blogs 320 Sycamore

 

 

What's your opinion?

 

A. Paint the cabinet and mirror black.

or

B. Get a black countertop.

 

 

Just a little reminder about Foodie Friday.

See you tomorrow night!

 

 

 

 

 

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Renovation Diary: Kitchen Lanterns

 

The lanterns arrived!

My contractor put them up (temporarily) to see if they were keepers. Looks like they are!

 

 

Here's a side view. The island will get a deeper counter.

The cabinets will be trimmed with moulding, making them seem taller and more substantial.

 

 

 

Remember my inspiration photo?

 

source: Houzz

 

I enjoy using inspiration photos as guides, but I also have to stay within my budget and be honest with my needs.  

My kitchen won't have double-decker cabinets or an antique table for an island. I seriously love the idea--and I wanted to remove the island and replace it with my old farm table. But I had to be realistic. When I'm cooking, several projects are going on at the same time. I need counter space, not to mention storage. The present island offers both. Double-decker cabinets will look pretty, but I'd never use them, and it would be expensive to have them made and installed.

 

 

I still don't know what to do about the wall beside the refrigerator.

Now that the ceiling has been blown away, the wall doesn't seem to fit the space. Now, it's a dust catcher. I hate to keep chipping away at this kitchen, but I really think the wall needs to be removed or modified in some way.

What do you think? Any suggestions?

 

I'll return with an update.

This week, dry wall is going up in the kitchen:

 

Fingers crossed that the front door and accent window will be installed. I'm trying a lighter paint color in the powder room (just a swatch); the pedestal sink will be removed (hope it doesn't break so I can repurpose it!), and the little Restoration Hardware vanity will be installed. 

Thanks for keeping me company during this renovation!

 

 
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Renovation Diary: Quick Bathroom Update

The remodeling stopped for two weeks, so I've had very little to report.  My general contractor participated in a local building Expo, but his assistant tells me that next week promises to be exciting. The new front doors have arrived, along with the accent window. The kitchen lanterns will be hung, too (I'm a little worried about them; the ceiling outlets appear to be too close together, but I've been assured that it's an optical illusion. That said, I wouldn't be me if I wasn't worried about something).

 

Despite the slow-down,

we managed to paint the master bath vanity.

Here's a quick recap of the progress:

Photo 1, far left: We began with yellow walls and speckled granite counters that enhanced the orange tones in the tile floor.

Photo 2, center: The walls were painted SW's Macadamia. Restoration Hardware sconces and a mirror were hung.

Photo 3, far right: I'm still in a flux about the paint, so we tried SW's Thatch Brown on one vanity. It's almost right. But the good news is, we're seeing brown tones in the tile floor. No orange! Yay!

In person, the vanity (SW Thatch Brown) is a bit light. I'm trying to decide if I should glaze over it (you can see a large example of this color below) ...

SW Thatch Brown

Source: Houzz Traditional Dining Room design by Charleston Interior Designer LORRAINE G VALE, Allied ASID

 

... or if I should paint the cabinets a shade darker, 

SW Umber (see below):

Source: Houzz Traditional Staircase design by Cleveland Design-build Artistic Renovations of Ohio LLC

It's frustrating when a project moves this slowly. I'd hoped to have an "after" photo of SOMETHING to show you by now. 

All I have is a "before" and a "midpoint." 

My bathroom won't look like a Restoration Hardware bath (below), but the photo has surely inspired me. I'm looking for new knobs, possibly pulls, which will mean drilling new holes into the drawers, but it's worth a shot! A much bigger window on the right side would balance the room...but I'd need a couple of estimates before I went ahead with this extreme idea.

 

Still don't know if the speckled counters will stay or go.

What do you think? 

Would white marble (or a cream granite) look better?

 

Someone mentioned painting the cabinets black:

 

 

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Foodie Friday: February 15th

Welcome to the February 15th Foodie Friday!

It's still Valentine's Day in my neck of the woods, so I've

 gathered a few photos from past celebrations at Rattlebridge Farm.

Be sure to check out last week's Foodie Friday, where great ideas are on the menu, such as "Pie Crust Promises" 

by Home Is Where the Boat Is.

Home Is Where the Boat Is

Foodie Friday is a weekly blog hop party that's been around for almost 4 years. Everyone is welcome here. I can't wait to see what you've cooked this week--and thank you so much for being a part of the linky party! If you'd like to add your recipe, locate the blue Inlinkz frog (below, left); add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. The red "X" will allow you to delete your entry if you want to change the image or headline.The Foodie Friday badge is located on the right-hand sidebar if you wish to add it to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.


If you will allow your photos to be featured on my public Facebook page, Pinterest, or Twitter (with a link to your blog post), please leave a message; if you do not want your photographs used in the spotlight, please let me know about that, too. "Pinners" please go to the source blog to pin and credit the blogger/photographer for their work. Thanks!

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Foodie Friday: Valentine's Day Ideas for Busy People

Valentine's Day summons visions of truffles, roses, layer cakes, and steak dinners for two. There are a few ways to celebrate the day with your beloved:

1. Dine out
2. Cook a romantic meal (from scratch)
3. Choose the Simple Way
   Store-bought cupcakes can be dressed up with Bella Cupcake Couture wrappers and sweetheart roses (I found boxed cupcakes and sweethearts roses at Publix).
   
   

Chocolate-dipped strawberries aren't complicated to make, but you do need spare time. If you're in a rush, many groceries sell them.

I love gilding cupcakes.




For the entree, I pan-grilled steak, sliced it, and arranged it over romaine. Then I added toasted walnuts, green onions, and tomatoes .

Grilled Steak Salad

Grease a heavy grill pan (or spray with Pam). While the pan heats, season the steaks with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and chopped herbs. Sear steaks on both sides, flipping them in the opposite direction to create those lovely "grill" marks.

Let the meat rest, then slice. Toast walnuts in a pan. Chop green onions and tomatoes and toss into the salad. Add walnuts (chop). Serve with your favorite dressing and French bread.

***

I made a heart topiary for the centerpiece (a wire heart with moss plus silk ivy --that's right, silk--from Kmart). I made an epic mess, but everyone loved it. And I can't kill the ivy.

To add Foodie Friday's logo to a post. Click on the (above) photo, copy, and upload the picture to your post via Blogger's "add a photo" button, then add the host blog's address, http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com, to your post. This will help everyone navigate to all of the recipes and wonderful blogs who participate each week. If you are new to Foodie Friday and need more info, here's an in-depth TUTORIAL. If you're participating in this week's recipe exchange, please add your recipe and permalink: