theKitchenHelp

After a long hiatus (and I could give more than a few excuses), I am getting back to the weekly meal planning. The problem is STRESS. It is stressful to pick-up the young Master of the house, get dinner ready, clean-up the kitchen, do story/playtime without a little planning. Sure, it's easy to go to the pizza place or Crisp and Juicy (my California friends should think el pollo loco) but eating out is a very expensive habit. And, if you're going to eat out, go someplace that makes a meal you can't easily make better at home. Besides cooking is fun and a healthier option for the family with a little planning. This week we're planning on the following: Curried Salmon, Kidney Bean Curry with Rice (but not the Brown Jasmine rice that Jen doesn't like) Greens/Spinach pasta with Mushrooms and Peas (See Pasta p.222- Paglia e Fieno) Curried Lentil Soup (See Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking...) Grilled Pork Chops, Sweet Potato Mash and Greens Homemade Ricotta (See S

Right before Thanksgiving and Christmas is probably not the best time to start a remodel on your kitchen, but we did. We'd been saving money for what seems like forever. Jen had been considering various design options again for what seemed like forever. We joined Angie's list to find a contractor but ended up going with a contractor who has been working our neighborhood for the last few years. ( I have to check with him before posting his company name. ) Our kitchen was cold, didn't have enough  storage, didn't flow very well, and was ugly! We wanted to update the look, fix some of the obvious design flaws (dead space in the corner, a misplaced dishwasher), and make the space more usable. Before Remodel After Remodel (though still incomplete) The cabinets, short 30 inchers topped with a soffit, were circa 1980. The particle board shelves were warped and broken on some, and  the laminate was pealing in places. Not in obvious places perhaps, but when you know wh