The “Where Blogger’s Live” tribe is at it again… This month’s topic is “the Kitchen.”
Kitchen tour?
Are there not enough gorgeous kitchens on Houzz to inspire you? Because if you tour mine, you’ll find a fake-cherry-colored melange of meh.
If a kitchen is the heart of the home, ours could use a cardiologist.
Too harsh?
because the one over the stove needs a visit from the non-germ-carrying repair fairy.
Well, it’s definitely too “cherry.” Originally, I’d chosen white cabinets for our kitchen, but Mr was still all-in for “cherry.”
But poor Mr was the one who was chained to the desk and bore the weight of having to pay for whatever I picked. So, at the last minute, I deferred, and cherry-colored it was… Unfortunately, it really wasn’t the same cherry color we both liked at the time; just the closest-to-cherry color the builder offered that did not require us to sacrifice one of our children.
So, since neither Mr. or I really love our kitchen much, it absolutely gives us something to talk about.
And it always goes something like this:
“Em, I hate that pantry. Let’s rip it out.”
“I’d just paint it, but okay. It might be cool to have cabinets and a counter there.”
“I really don’t want cabinets, I want it to look like furniture, with legs and things”
ME, to myself: “I have NO idea what that means.” Puts on game face: “Okay, and I think we should ditch the faux cherry cabinets…maybe paint them?”
“MMMM, won’t they chip? Anyway, I‘d like to change up the floors…try something completely different….”
“Honey, that would mean ripping up almost the whole first floor!”
“I know, and let’s take out the wall between the kitchen and the office and make the kitchen BIGGER!”
“But the office is a lot narrower than the Kitchen!”
“Yeah, but it’ll be great. And we’ll do it all ourselves!”
My left eye starts twitching. I change the subject.
I do have some ideas for a refresh that involve painting the cabinets (as Jodie did with great flair), and recovering the wonderfully comfortable but very great-grandma wing chairs where we have our morning coffee. I’d also like to play with prints on the counter chairs…the ones on which Mr. continues to stub his toes.
So, the kitchen is on the list…AFTER I finish other stuff.
Maybe. (I rarely follow my own to-do list.)
Actually, I’d rather not talk about my kitchen anymore. It’s making my eye twitch.
I want to talk about pizza.
I mean, when DON’T I want to talk about pizza. If Pizza were a human, Mr. could accuse me of infidelity.
I. LOVE. Pizza.
Pizza is always there for you. Pizza lasts beyond memories. I owe my thighs to Pizza, and it’s worth having to funnel my legs into every pair of jeans I own.
Throughout this what-the-hell pandemic of contrasting and contradicting information (and lack there of), PIZZA is definitely one of the things that has kept my family off the ledge these last few months,
When things start to slide, someone says “Pizza night” and we immerse in crispy glutenous goodness that drowns our sorrows in a pool of spicy cup grease. Better still, we all hang out in the kitchen, everyone experiments with toppings, we laugh and make a mess, and we all like each other again. A lot.
Plus…you don’t have to have a HOUZZ-worthy kitchen to make amazing pizza at home.
I’m sure there are as many ways to cook pizza as there are toppings, but here’s what works for us:
You just need this,
a handful of these cheapies,
one of these,
a lot of this,
and a bit of practice and patience.
I use pre-made dough from our local supermarket. One package of dough yields two medium-sized pizzas. (As long as you’re making the mess, make extra…no one will complain about leftovers. Plus, you can still make your favorites, and experiment with the rest.)
I open a package of dough earlier in the day and let it get to room temperature.
Prep the pans with a cooking spray and a generous sprinkling of cornmeal.
Start working and stretching the dough till it’s closer to the size of the pan. Then, pop it on the pan, stretch it a little more, and let it rest. (Try to avoid making holes by overstretching. Repair any you make with a little water and a little pinch.)
About an hour later I add the sauce. First, I add a light layer and spread it with the back of a spoon. In doing so, the dough gives quite a bit more, and finally stretches easily. Then I add the rest of the sauce to preference. TRY NOT TO LEAVE ANY HOLES IN THE CRUST. The sauce will leak through and the pizza will stick.
Next, add your favorite toppings, or play with new ones, like chicken alfredo.
Our pizza stone is a 3/4″ wide, which is a little thicker than most. I think the thickness helps it retain the heat a little better than thinner ones. I have the same success whether I use it in our oven or on the grill, keeping the temp of either at about 550 degrees (which is our oven’s highest temperature).
Let the stone preheat with the oven/grill.
Pop the pizza and pan on top of the stone. (For us, skipping the pan and/or the stone means the crust cooks faster than the toppings, aka dark crust.)
After two-to-three minutes, the crust is stable enough to remove the pan (I use a spatula to assist…it takes some finessing)…
scatter some cornmeal onto the stone…
and slide the pizza directly onto the stone (our stone is clean, but well loved).
After another three minutes (give or take, depending on your love for browned cheese vs white cheese) use a pizza peel to remove it from the oven/grill.
Pop the next one in and repeat.
This is an aerobic meal. You’re hustling. It takes practice. The kitchen gets messy. Prep them early to minimize the clean-up. You can make and bake at the same time, but it’s less stressful if there’s not a herculean mess afterward, plus, it’s a little more appetizing.
I have to say, even though the first grilled pizzas I made (a few years ago) seemed like a crazy amount of work and were a tad on the burned side, I definitely kept working at it…
…as you should in any relationship worth keeping.
If, after my 1000-plus words, you’re hungry for more, please visit my favorite blogging friends and see what’s happening in the heart of their homes!
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Em at Dust and Doghair
Julia at When the Girls Rule
Leslie at Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Over the next few months, a group of seven bloggers will be sharing their workspaces, their homes, towns and more!
Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!
A) I’m coming to your house for pizza. Like now.
B) Pizza stones should never be taken out of the oven, once used. They’re all god-awful ugly. But don’t they work like magic?
C) Those awful words: “we’ll do it ourselves”! Never, not ever, not in my lifetime.
Super post!
WHAT?! I swear I thought I replied to you, Mary Katherine. SORRY!! I am going to have to investigate and do a blog post on mental exercises.
Anywho…THANK YOU for visiting. Yes, come for some post-pandemic pizza. It will have better flavor because it will be anxiety free (wouldn’t that be nice). And I won’t have to bleach everything before I cook it (actually, I don’t do that, ahem, anymore…haha).
I do enjoy doing the things ourselves…the problem for us is getting it to HAPPEN in our lifetime!
Thanks for signing the wall! xoxo Hope you had a wonderful b-day!
What a fabulous blog post!!
Adele, Hello. (Anyone see what I did there? I crack me up.)
First, the kitchen. Your cabinets remind me of mine and the inner struggle I have had with wanting white cabinets but always having dark wood instead. I haven’t tried an air fryer but since you have 2, I am assuming they are marvelous inventions. I love the seating area you have near the window. What a perfect place to read the paper…is that a thing anymore? Or a good book with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Very cozy and warm.
I learned a couple tricks about using the pizza stone, and making homemade pizza. Going to give it a try following your suggestions. I didn’t know to preheat the stone or to use corn meal to keep it from sticking. Or to set out the pizza dough earlier in the day. Your pizza pies look delicious and perfectly baked. Hungry for a bedtime snack now that only a Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza will statisfy.
Ah. the air fryer. Glorious! Makes things delightfully crispy and is a much healthier alternative to the real deal. People here are air-frying Tyson Uncooked Breaded Chicken Tenderloins multi times per day…and it makes the best tater tots/crispy crown/french fried potatoes. And a fairly decent quarantine chicken wing. SO, it’s kept the natives fed while our take-out ban continues.
Honestly, this post tour made me realize that my kitchen is, generally, quite fine… maybe a little dated compared to the genuine DIY queens or HGTV peeps. But, in two years whatever I do will be outdated anywho…so I am going to embrace what I have instead of looking right and left!
I think I do need a post on the seating area in the future, because of COURSE, there’s a story behind it (and that would’ve been a MUCH better post that the one I offered.)
I like you kitchen, but I’m a cherry wood fan. I do love your description though…
That pizza looks delicious. I eat my pizza with a knife and fork {grew up in Italy}, so my kids love pizza night because it means a couple of hours of roasting Mom. LOL
I didn’t know Italians ate pizza with a Knife and fork!? No way..!
Actually, now I’m wondering if pizza is an American creation or Italian…either way, it’s delish! Love a good, gooey folded slice…yum!
Great tour – my favorite place in your kitchen is your two wing back chairs. Love the idea of coffee there. And, believe it or not – I actually have a pizza stone. Mine is nice and clean and looks brand new (even though it’s years old). Have I mentioned I don’t cook. However, your pizza looks wonderful.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
Thanks, Iris… Looking back at it, I wish I’d taken a different approach on my tour. That silly “Sit” pillow on the chair completely changed the way we use our kitchen and is why we have that coffee area. How one small thing can make you see something in a different way.
Actually, the group tour did that as well. I read so many DIY blogs, that I was disappointed to show that I hadn’t done much DIYing in my own house. The analogy is like being an unstylish style blogger.
But no matter the color or do dads, it’s still the place we make our best memories. Glad I remembered that thanks to all of you!
We have very similar cupboards and I still like them, but i would have preferred an all white kitchen!! I like your morning room area – i would love that, a cozy place to enjoy reading!! I love the idea of this group “where bloggers live” very cute and clever…..I am off to hop to see the others!!
I think Bettye nailed it, between HGTV and diy posts, I’m too often comparing our house with “the latest thing.” What I’m learning from this tour is how real people add warm touches that bring life to their kitchens…SO…I hope YOU will be sharing yours soon, because you are great at adding special touches!
Now, I knew you’d make me laugh, and Rob is going to have to read this because his two loves (after me of course) are ice cream AND pizza. (Seriously, we always say if I put him in a home, he just needs pizza and ice cream).
But back to the beginning. I looked at your first photos and thought it was nice. Sure, cherry could be considered dark. But the fact you have “real” chairs for coffee in that area, AND a table that you MADE make it truly lovely.
All you need are some lighter decor around the kitchen (and did you notice we have the same paper towel holder). Case in point that I noticed that because it’s lighter (just like the island chairs) and grabs your attention.
So hey, leave it to me to just want to “accessorize” what you have.
And we will be over for the pizza (as soon as you allow visitors…)
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thank you for the great tips…this tour is teaching me that the cabinets can be a canvas, and don’t have to be the focal point. Bettye definitely nailed the HGTV influence on ppls home satisfaction, and I think it lends some great food for thought.
I’ll have to go to Rob’s blog and see if he’s done a how-to pizza post…I think he did, if I remember. I bet he had great tips!
Mmm….pizzzzzaaaaaa. After a HIGHLY STRESSFUL (and exhausting) week-and-a-half at work, last night I HIT THE WALL and went out for a slice of pizza just to get away from the computer and emails for bit. It was wonderful.
Laughing at the convo between you and your husband. Isn’t it funny now how everyone is so remodelly? My parents owned our last home for over 20 years…and when we sold it in 1990, it had the same 70s kitchen, bathrooms, wallpapers, PLASTIC DOORWAY BEADS, built-in-bar, hideous Meditteranean-esque dining room “chandelier” as the day they bought it in 1969. In that era it was like you bought a house as-is…and that’s how you lived in it til the day you died. Ha. Now people won’t set FOOT in a house until bathrooms and kitchens are remodeled, excuse me, UPGRADED, walls are taken down, en-suites are created, and walk-in closets are squeezed in. And granite and stainless steel. But that’s the culture now. I do it, too. But back then? That was like unheard of. Do you think that was HGTV? I’m trying to remember PRE-HGTV and can’t. The only “decorating” show was This Old House on PBS…and they spent an entire SEASON remodeling a house…instead of one in half an hour, every week.
Ooh, I’m ranty this morning. Displaced energy as my work hell is OVER (for the moment) and I’m like…what else do I do here?
Anyway. I’m glad to see your pizza stone is stained like mine 🙂
Bettye
https://fashionschlub.com
Stained?! I prefer “battle worn,” and no amount of scrubbing will make it light again.
I’m laughing that you got that far, haha. That should’ve been two posts, I know! HGTV is to homes what “Dynasty” was to clothes.
Ugh! Neither Mr or I ever dreamed of living in a place like this, and still we complain. Very “first world,” that the Propertyioookp Brothers aren’t on call. Frankly, I miss Matt and Shari and Lynette Jennings!