Kitchen is on the Uphill Slide

June 26, 2015September 25, 2021 cathysmaha1 Comment

The Kitchen Remodel has turned the corner. It’s beginning to look like like a real kitchen. Or, as my brother says, ‘the taking out is over and now you’re putting things in.’ Good way to look at it.

So where are we?

Design Complete, Appliances Ordered, Cabinets Ordered: CHECK
Cabinets and appliances removed: CHECK
Asbestos Abatement: CHECK

Fixtures and cabinet handles ordered: CHECK
Backsplash ordered: CHECK
Granite Ordered: CHECK

City Permit in Place: CHECK
Dumpster arrives (just in time to put all of the tree damage from the Mother’s Day snow storm): CHECK
Structural walls and ceiling removed: CHECK

Plumbing moves and changes completed: CHECK

Electrical moves and changes completed: CHECK

City Inspection: CHECK and PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS
Cabinets delivered: CHECK
Drywall installed: CHECK
Tape, Mud and Texture completed: CHECK
Wood Floor Patches: CHECK

Downstairs Doors Installed: CHECK
Cabinets Installed (except for a couple of pieces to be replaced): CHECK

Counter top Template: CHECK

AND YET TO COMPLETE:

Appliances Installed:
Lighting and Plumbing Installs Completed:
Final Wood Trim and Crown Molding Installed:
Countertop Installed:
Backsplash Installed:
Wood floor refinished:
Painting:
Dogs go into depression with all of their new friends gone:
Move furniture back into the house:
Glass of Wine and a big sigh of relief: CAN’T COME SOON ENOUGH

Once all of the work is done, I will post the before and after shots. Stay tuned!

Home · Kitchen

Kitchen Remodel, here we go…no…wait!

June 19, 2015September 25, 2021 cathysmaha1 Comment

People have told me for years that a remodel project will always take longer than you expect because of unforeseen issues. Got that right!

I’m not big on snap decisions so I was torn on whether to take down the wall between the formal dining room (used once or twice a year) and the kitchen. Should I pop the dropped ceiling in the kitchen? Was it worth the time and investment?

I spent the bulk of the winter planning, working with a designer, visiting showroom after showroom until I felt confident in my choices.

By the end of April the appliances and cabinets were ordered. The contractor was scheduled and soon I finalized orders for hardware, doors, tile and other details. Now the waiting game begins.

Before the actual construction began, I solicited the support of my son-in-laws to help remove the cabinets to either donate or use in their own garages. The process was easier than I thought…all systems go.

Next step was to remove the drywall on the ceiling and between the kitchen and dining room. I signed up to do that myself (I know…not smart). However, I did think to get an asbestos and lead test before I began this project. The test revealed a small amount of asbestos in the wall and ceiling texture, more than allowed. First budget and time set back. Oh well, I’ll chalk it up to just one of those things.

Next, the permit was pulled and the contractors crew came out to demo the structural pieces while the plumbing and electrical crew assessed needed changes. Needless to say, we must have had a prior ‘do it yourselfer’, so the extent of the work was greater than expected. Oh well, better to do it right than regret it later.

In the meantime, my house is quite a sight. Frig in the living room by the front door, new doors stacked throughout the 1st floor, furniture and old cabinets stuffed into the garage, and constant dust. I’ve learned to embrace the dust and know that it doesn’t matter.

Cooking, other than microwave reheats, is down to zilch. Cheese and crackers, grapes and cherries, Rudi’s gluten free Cherry Almond Bars, popcorn, and hot dogs top the list. Eating out and meals with the McKennas have been wonderful. Soon, I hope to be able to cook REAL food and use the greens waiting in my garden.

It’s exciting, I suppose, or will be once it’s done. The dogs aren’t complaining as this is the most excitement they’ve had in years!

I am lucky to have a wonderful contractor and crew to work with. Any way you slice it, it’s a long, involved process. Be prepared, be patient, and look forward to the day you can cook your favorite foods once again.

Garden · Home

Peach Lilac tree…and the ensuing battle

May 29, 2015January 12, 2021 cathysmaha1 Comment

A few years ago, I noticed a large branch growing from the middle of one of my lilac bushes. I’d pass it now and again and wonder what it was, but let it grow. I was sure the squirrels left a seed that eventually sprouted into something new.

One year, this mysterious branch had blossoms different than the lilac, so again I watched to see what would happen.

Eventually small fruit began to form from the blossom and revealed itself as peaches.

The peaches continued to grow and would soon be ripe. I couldn’t wait to pick a peach fresh from my yard and enjoy every drippy, lucious bite.

UNTIL…the squirrels came back to claim their bounty. Most of the peaches ended up on the ground, partially eaten by the squirrels. The least they could do is the eat the whole thing!

The squirrels were kind enough to leave a couple of peaches for me.

It’s a new year and the squirrels and I are plotting our strategies. If peaches form, who will get there first? The tale of the Peach Battle between Team Squirrel and Team Cathy continues.

Garden · Home

Springtime in the Rockies

March 20, 2015September 25, 2021 cathysmaha1 Comment

The first day of Spring brings to mind our favorite things: flowers, sunshine, rain showers, sounds of children playing outdoors, and baseball. Iowa Springs means crops being planted, morel mushroom hunting in local Timbers, and one of my favorite flowers, Bluebells. Bluebells grew wild in the timbers of Iowa, but they grow in the shade of my Colorado home now. In Colorado, the first day of Spring could find 36″ of snow on the ground or summer-like temperatures. Crazy as it sounds, it’s one of the many things I love about Colorado.

Springtime in Colorado also brings back memories of the old song ‘When Its Springtime in the Rockies‘ recorded by Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry and many more. The song was written by Robert Sauer /Lyrics by Mary Hale Woolsey in 1929. I’ve included the lyrics below and hope you enjoy the link to YouTube above.

WHEN IT’S SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES

When it’s springtime in the rockies
I am coming back to you
Little sweetheart of the mountains
With your bonny eyes of blue
Once again I’ll say “I love you”
While the birds sing all the day
When it’s springtime in the rockies In the rockies, far away

The twilight shadows deepen into night,
The city lights are gleaming o’er the snow
I sit alone beside the cheery fire dear
I’m dreaming dreams from out the long ago
I fancy it is springtime in the mountain
The flowers with their colors are aflame
And ev’ry day I hear you softly saying
I’ll wait until the springtime comes again

Garden · Gluten Free · New Favorite · Vegan · Vegetables · Vegetarian

Sweet Potatoes, Carrots and Apples Roasted with OJ

December 12, 2014January 3, 2022 cathysmahaLeave a comment

Roasted Vegetables are my absolute favorite yet I didn’t discover this technique until a few years ago. My carrot harvest this year was the best I’ve ever had, despite Joe’s (my 12 year old Golden Retriever) attempts to steal the carrots out of the basket.

I found this wonderful recipe which did not call for apples, but in later versions I added the apples and loved the added sweet/tart bites.

SWEET POTATOES & CARROTS WITH APPLE CIDER THYME

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 medium-large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds
1-2 apples, peeled and chopped in large pieces
1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup apple cider
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place cut sweet potatoes, carrots, red onion and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and spread them in a single layer.
In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Drizzle mixture all over vegetables and toss to coat evenly.
Roast for 35-45 minutes, until vegetables are caramelized to your liking. Serve immediately.

Adapted from http://www.myjewishlearning.com/blog/food/2014/10/13/sweet-potatoes-and-carrots-with-apple-cider-and-thyme/

Family · Garden · Home · Home · My Roots

Columbine … Official (and favorite) Colorado Flower

July 1, 2014September 25, 2021 cathysmahaLeave a comment

My Mother would often find old sheet music at estate sales and bring it home for me to play on the piano. As a result, I have a stack of music that is great fun to look through. A few days ago, I was looking through the stack and ran across this piece, Where the Columbines Grow.

Little did I know back in those days that I would eventually settle in Colorado, now for 33.5 years. Columbines are one of my favorite flowers. While most of the Columbines are now gone from my garden, I can enjoy photos all year-long.

“Where the Columbines Grow” is one of the two official state songs of Colorado. It was written and composed by A.J. Fynn, and was adopted on May 8, 1915. In the early to mid-2000s, there was debate over replacing “Where the Columbines Grow” with John Denver‘s “Rocky Mountain High” or Merle Haggard‘s rare song “Colorado”. In 2007, the Colorado legislature named “Rocky Mountain High” as Colorado’s second official state song, paired with “Where the Columbines Grow”.^[1]

Lyrics

Where the snowy peaks gleam in the moonlight,

Above the dark forests of pine,

And the wild foaming waters dash onward,

Toward lands where the tropic stars shine;

Where the scream of the bold mountain eagle

Responds to the notes of the dove

Is the purple robed West, the land that is best,

The pioneer land that we love.

Tis the land where the columbines grow,

Overlooking the plains far below,

While the cool summer breeze in the evergreen trees

Softly sings where the columbines grow.

The bison is gone from the upland,

The deer from the canyon has fled,

The home of the wolf is deserted,

The antelope moans for his dead,

The war whoop re-echoes no longer,

The Indian’s only a name,

And the nymphs of the grove in their loneliness rove,

But the columbine blooms just the same. Let the violet brighten the brookside,

In sunlight of earlier spring,

Let the fair clover bedeck the green meadow,

In days when the orioles sing,

Let the goldenrod herald the autumn,

But, under the midsummer sky,

In its fair Western home, may the columbine bloom

Till our great mountain rivers run dry.

History and Lyrics from Wikipedia

Wolf, Jeffrey (March 13, 2007). “Lawmakers name ‘Rocky Mountain High’ second state song”. KUSA-TV (Denver).

Cakes · Garden · New Favorite

Gooseberry Crumble Cake…new to my Gooseberry recipe collection

June 20, 2014January 3, 2022 cathysmaha2 Comments

Converting grams to ounces and cups is not easy! Somehow it seems that Gooseberries are plentiful in countries that use the metric system. I did my best to convert and, I have to say, the results were excellent.

GOOSEBERRY CRUMBLE CAKE

1 1/2 cups cleaned gooseberries
3/4 cup unsalted, softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 ounces ground almonds
1 1/8 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Crumble:

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsalted, softened butter
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a square cake pan. To make the cake, beat the butter and sugars in a mixer for 8-10 minutes until fluffy. Break the eggs and beat them gently with a fork. Add slowly, with the beater, to the butter and sugar mixture.
Combine the ground almonds into the flour, salt and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Scatter the gooseberries on the top.

Make the crumble topping by mixing the flour butter and sugar in the food processor. Scatter the crumbs loosely over the top of the gooseberries.

Bake for about an hour, checking to assure the cake it done. Remove the cake from the oven and cool before serving.

Family · Garden · My Roots

Bleeding Hearts…Springtime Legends

May 23, 2014September 25, 2021 cathysmaha5 Comments

Memories of Bleeding Hearts in my Mother’s garden are vivid. Planting these beauties in my shade garden was a must when we moved into our home many years ago. Each year I look forward to their spring blooms and the memories they bring. Delicate little white and red hearts dangling from their tender stems, blowing in the breeze in my yard are precious.

My Mother used to take a blossom from the plant and fold down the bottom of the heart to create what appears to be a girl in a pretty red skirt.

In playing this game with my girls, I discovered that if you fold the petal down a little more you now have a young boy in his pants.

When I decided to post about the beloved Bleeding Heart, I did some research and discovered a wonderful legend that I love and will share with my grandchildren.

BLEEDING HEART LEGEND

Long ago there lived a noble prince who tried in vain to win the heart of a very beautiful princess. The prince had brought the princess wonderful gifts from his travels far and wide. Yet she had taken no notice of him. One day the prince returned from a long journey with very special gifts to surely win the love of the princess. First he presented her with two magical pink bunnies. (Peel off the two outer petals and set them on their sides to display two little bunnies.)

The princess only sighed and barely looked at the little bunnies. The hopeful prince had another gift for the princess – he presented a pair of beautiful enchanted earrings. (Remove the two long white petals and hold them next to your ears.)

These she took happily, but declared she could not love him. Still, he can’t bear to give up hope, and he makes her another gift of slippers made of the finest silk.

Again, the princess hardly noticed the prince’s gift. Now the poor prince was utterly heartbroken. He could try no more to win the heart of the princess. He rose up, pulled a dagger from his sheath and stabbed himself in the heart. (Remaining in the flower is a heart shape with the stamen, appearing as a dark green line down the center. Hold the heart up, carefully remove the dagger-like line, and plunge the dagger through the heart.)

Bleeding Heart with stake — Bleeding Heart Story with Stake

The princess was overcome by the dedication of the dying prince and his unending love for her. She realized too late that she loved him also. “Alas,” she cried out. “I have done wrong, my own heart is broken also. I shall bleed for my prince forever more!” And her heart bleeds to this very day.

There are many blossoms on a Bleeding Heart in full bloom, so next time you pass such a delightful array, perhaps you’ll have permission to pick a heart and discover the mysteries within

Adapted from Story of Bleeding Hearts from Four Friends and a Blog and Forklore and the Bleeding Heart and Thursday Myths and Legends

Garden · Gluten Free · New Favorite · Skinny · Vegan · Vegetarian

Spring Garden Vegetable Soup

March 4, 2014January 10, 2021 cathysmahaLeave a comment

Can you tell I’m in the mood for spring? My past two recipes have been all about it! This Spring Garden Vegetable Soup has also been in my ‘must make’ stack. I like the versatility of this recipe, easily adapting to Vegan or Vegetarian (using vegetable stock and omitting the cream and chicken) and it is Gluten-Free.

This soup is light and, oh, so healthy. Daughter Sarah served a small bowl to 10-month old grandson, Evan, and he really liked it! I served the soup with the not-so-healthy baked Red Lobster Biscuits (which Evan DEVOURED) but a hearty whole-grain bread would be wonderful paired with this soup.

SPRING GARDEN VEGETABLE SOUP with ASPARAGUS, ARTICHOKES, PEAS & SPINACH

6 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
4-6 cups water (to reach desired thickness)
1 tablespoon butter
1 leek, cut into half circles
2 ribs celery, trimmed and cut into half-inch thick pieces on the diagonal
3 carrots, trimmed and cut into half-inch thick pieces on the diagonal
1 15-ounce can artichoke bottoms, tough bits sliced off and discarded, remaining parts cut into lengths
16 ounces frozen artichoke hearts (from Trader Joe’s)
8 ounces asparagus, woody ends snapped off, skin pared off if tough, spears cut into one-inch lengths, tips set aside
8 ounces frozen peas
8 ounces frozen spinach
Generous salt & pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon tarragon
Cream to taste (1/4-1/2 cup)

Optional: 2-3 cups chopped chicken

In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the leek, stir to coat with butter and let cook until just soft.
Add the celery and carrots to the pot, stirring to coat with butter and cooking until soft.
Add the artichoke bottoms, artichoke hearts and asparagus lengths (leave the tips aside).
Add the stock and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a slow simmer until all the vegetables are cooked through. (Optional: Add cooked chicken at this point).
Stir in the asparagus tips, peas and spinach and let cook through. Add water to reach desired thickness.
Taste, then season with salt and pepper. Stir in cream to taste. Best if left to rest for 24 hours before serving.

Recipe adapted from ALANNA’s TIPS

Garden · Gluten Free · New Favorite · New Traditions · Vegetarian

Almond Flour Zucchini Bread…Gluten Free!

September 17, 2013January 10, 2021 cathysmahaLeave a comment

Almond Flour is a new experience for me and I love it. I am truly a ‘nut’ job, loving nuts and often acting like one. Using Almond Flour in place of wheat flour was right up my alley. Oldest daughter, Megan, shared this recipe with me since she is also trying to be gluten-free.

I can’t wait to experiment using almond flour in other recipes!

ALMOND FLOUR ZUCCHINI BREAD

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup honey
1 ripe banana
1 cup shredded, unpeeled zucchini (squeeze some of the moisture out)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
Place the wet ingredients in the bowl and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until frothy and fully combined. Add the zucchini and beat again just enough to incorporate.
Slowly add the dry ingredients with the mixer running, until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated.
Spoon the batter into 2 mini loaf pans (or use to make muffins).

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the middle is set and a toothpick comes out clean.

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WHEN IT’S SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES

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SWEET POTATOES & CARROTS WITH APPLE CIDER THYME

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Lyrics

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GOOSEBERRY CRUMBLE CAKE

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BLEEDING HEART LEGEND

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SPRING GARDEN VEGETABLE SOUP with ASPARAGUS, ARTICHOKES, PEAS & SPINACH

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ALMOND FLOUR ZUCCHINI BREAD

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