New kitchen... wiring

Just got the quote for the rewiring of the house - we found the dreaded "Knob and Tube" under the ceiling. Luckily what we didn't see is that much of it has already been replaced. And happily the quote is about one third(!) of what we had initially supposed. Wahoo!

Winkle Twinkle (Part 1)

Just thought I'd start documenting my Kathie Winkle stash. Ok, "stash" makes it sound like I have a few. "Cache" might be more accurate. Or "hoard". (Although the thesaurus gives me "wealth" which I really like). These are just the ones that came out of the dishwasher this afternoon.

I think everyone has this pattern called "Rushtone" - I have about 15 pieces. Important Winkle Trivia: this was the dinner dishes used in the movie "Penelope" which BTW featured the unbearably cute  James McAvoy .

This is a brand new one - I've never seen any in person or online. It's called "Digits"... just kidding but it does look like fingers dontcha think? It's actually called "Cordoba". It even has a couple of paint smudges on the back. Love it.

I have a bunch of these in dinner plates, sandwich plates, cereal bowls, a platter, and a serving bowl. Maybe a sugar bowl too. Can't remember... I like to use them for tacos. It's called "Autumn Glen".

I have lots of this as I documented earlier on this blog (which you have no doubt read, since you are me, the only reader of this blog so far...). It's called "San Tropez". It is slightly different than most as it has some texture (ridges in the bottom and indents around the outside edge) and the plates have more of a curved up edge (good for serving spaghetti or stew). (Shown below are a smallish platter and a serving bowl).

 I adore this pattern. The colours are so delicate and the pattern is lovely. It's called "Carousel". I have a few cereal bowls and these fruit nappies which are used constantly but never for fruit.

I only have one piece of this. It's an odd little saucer - I suspect from a gravy boat perhaps? The pattern is called "Autumn".

And this is my new favourite. Picked up four of these the other day at V.V. for two-bucks-a-piece which is pretty high for me but look how gorgeous they are. The colours! "Corinth". I think I'll name my next child that...

Stay tuned for the next installment coming soon...

New Year, new kitchen... and...electrical and... plumbing and...

Well, as you can see from my new header we have started the new year with a bang - well not really a bang but a drip, drip, drip from the kitchen ceiling. The drywall drooped and then had to be removed along with the plaster and lath that was underneath and the wall and and and... Now we have dealt with all the plumbing from the second floor bathroom including installing a new toilet and a new sink (yeah!) and all new pipes in and out. The removal of the ceiling also revealed some knob and tube wiring so we're waiting for the evaluation of the electrician to see where else it is in the house and then I'm off the the bank for the money... Fortunately insurance will pay for the tearing out of the ceiling and the putting back and decorating. The rest (plumbing and electrical) is up to us. I'm surprised how calm I've been and how optimistic I feel about it. I'm actually looking forward to picking the stuff we need to put the kitchen back together (new light fixtures, a range hood, wallpaper) - maybe because I know someone else will be doing the work! Here are the before and after pictures...

 This corner is actually ok - none of the cabinets will be affected, just a wall by the window and one where the blackboard was.

And this is what it looked like when the plumber pulled down some ceiling with his bare hands.

BEFORE

AFTER

In this picture (below) you can see where they saved a strip of the wallpaper that has all the kids measurements since we moved here...

And this one shows the new plumbing for the upstairs bathroom. Yeah. (You can also see a bit of the knob and tube wiring in this picture.

More to come...

Rhubarb Recipes

Rhubarb season is a commitment. Some rhubarb concoction every day until the season ends (July 4 according to M. Stewart). I've had rhubarb since the first week of may and on my 5th cake...

Here is my Rhubarb Cheat Sheet of recipes with minimal directions but if you cook at all you should be fine. I've tried them all. They are all yummy but the long ones are a bit complicated. The upside down cake is simple and decadent. Yum. I also recently made a rhubarb buckle with basic rhubarb sauce and the buckle recipe from this cheat sheet from the angry chicken blog. It was totally wow! and simple. Enjoy! 

Double click to get the full size version. 

Rhubarb

First rhubarb cake of the season. Does anything more need to be said?

(I will post recipe later).

Let Women Vote...

We're in the midst of yet another election here in Canada, the third in 5 years, I think.  I'd like to edit the caption of the poster (to the right) to read "Let Women Vote for Someone Worth Voting For!" The current crop is uninspiring to say the least. What is a gal to do when there really is no one worth voting for? Aaargh.

And to think we went through all this...

...to end up here...

Hey, wait a minute. Where are the women??

PS. I checked. The 40th Canadian Election was in 2006, the 41st in 2008, and this, the 42nd, in 2011. That's five short years (ok, looooong years with this government) but who's complaining about democracy?

How to Make Cabbage Rolls - for Cathrine

I promised my friend Cathrine that I would have her over to help me make cabbage rolls but then I forgot and started so I had Charlotte take photos of all the steps. This is only my second time making them but they are surprisingly simple to make and DELICIOUS!

Here's my recipe (I hobbled it together from 3 or 4 that I found in various cookbooks).

So, here are some photos of the process. Just the interesting parts. I think.

Saute the onions and garlic in butter,

combine with the raw hamburger and cooked rice, paprika, salt and pepper.

Then the "tricky" part which is actually dead easy. Peeling the cabbage. Gut part of the core out of the cabbage. You want to cut through the leaves near the core. Put a big knife in the core to lift the cabbage. Put it in a large pot of boiling water so it's covered. 

After a minute or so, the outer leaf should lift off - use tongs to remove it to a tea towel. Then do the next leaf. Keep removing leaves until the cabbage disappears... 

You may have to pause and bring the water back to a boil, and to cut more of the core away. 

Now you're ready to make the rolls.

Trimming the vein so it will roll more easily. (Just turn your head a little...)

About 1/4 cup seems to make the most rolls and not too wimpy in size.

Layer in the pot with extra leaves, onion slices and canned tomatoes. Bake. Eat. Yum. (I took half out after our first meal and froze them in a casserole dish for another later meal.)

I'll try to remember to take a photo when we actually eat these. They're cooking right now and smell lovely. Don't be scared. They're easy. Good luck.