Kitchen Renovation: A work in progress...

Chase enjoys the mountain of cardboard from the cabinet shipping boxes.

Faolan is standing in the spot where the dishwasher will be installed. In more ways than one, he has served as a dishwasher recently!

I will continue to add pictures as the progress continues... all the cabinets are now installed! And, the dishwasher and new stove just arrived on Saturday. The granite template appointment is set for this week, although it may have to be pushed back slightly. All the cabinet installation was done by Jim, my dad, and Jim's co-worker - with a few special guest appearances by my brother and a friend of ours - Matt. The help has been invaluable!

Kitchen - Before Pics

As I previously mentioned, Jim and I are in the middle of a complete kitchen renovation. Our house was built in the '60s, and the kitchen echoed that style. It is time for a change.

Unfortunately, demolition did not turn out to be as fun as I originally thought. I thought it would be like the HGTV shows... grab a sledgehammer and go to town... fortunately, Jim is smarter than me and explained why we could not use a sledgehammer. Total bummer, but I understood that we had to save the floors and dry wall as best as possible.

Jim began ripping out the 'cabinets,' and we learned that they really were not cabinets. Instead, it looked the original owner built in cabinet-like structures secured to the wall and floors - I'm talking plywood, 2x4's, etc. Tearing out the cabinets was more about stripping out pieces of wood. What a mess! I was responsible for carrying all the wood and millions of nails out to the trash cans in the back yard... Jim did all the hard work.

Overall, we are very excited to get rid of the fake, shelving-paper-lined, broken cabinets; cracked and peeling laminate counter top; weird/gross vent about the stove; rolling/portable dishwasher; annoying double bowl sink, and outdated kitchen. Here are some before and demolition pics... more to follow:

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies

With my brother-in-law's upcoming birthday, I thought for a while about what to make him. Luckily, he is an equal opportunity sweet-eater so I knew he'd like pretty much anything. I decided on making a new cookie, one that was recommended by my friend, Natalie.

These cookies were a decent amount of work, but they were SO worth it! They are really delicious and peanut buttery. Can't beat that! These were also my final baking product before our big kitchen renovation. For the next few months, I'll be relying on the toaster oven, microwave, and outdoor grill. Wish us luck! "Before" pictures will be posted soon....

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1/2 tsp. baking soda

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

- 1/2 cup butter, softened

- 1/4 cup peanut butter

- 1 tsp. vanilla extract

- 1 egg

For Filling:

- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

- 3/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, blend flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Mix well until blended.

2. In a large bowl, beat both sugars, butter, and 1/4 cup peanut butter, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, beat. Stir in flour mixture until blended. Set aside.

3. To make filling: Combine confectioners' sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Blend well.

4. Roll filling into 1" balls. For each cookie, with floured hands, shape about 1 tbsp. of dough around 1 peanut butter ball, completely covering. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes until set and slightly cracked.

Ireland: Dinner at Gordon Ramsay's Restaurant

When I first booked our trip to Ireland, I was excited about our first Ritz-Carlton experience. I became EVEN MORE excited when I learned that Gordon Ramsay had a restaurant on the 3rd floor of the hotel.We first went into the bar area for a cocktail and were greeted and served by the most professional and helpful server staff that I have ever encountered. With our cocktails, we were served 3 (complimentary) different amuse bouche selections. Each was delicious and unusual - battered mushroom risotto cake, a phyllo dough square filled with pesto, and one that was topped with the yolk of a quail egg.

Upon arriving to our table, we were served (complimentary) mini, deconstructed versions of French Onion soup. Absolutely delicious. The dinner menu was amazing. The 4 of us each ordered something different - John Dorey; Pork chop, cheek, belly served with delicious mashed potatoes; Sea bass with roasted eggplant; and my dish - Braised Halibut with saffron risotto and crab and sesame seed croquettes. We also received sugar snap peas and green beans in a light pesto; and a creamy potatoes au gratin.

After dinner, we were served (complimentary) pre-dessert which was a parfait with pear and a light chocolate mousse. Being the dessert connossiuer that I am, I ordered dessert (I ordered dessert before I knew there was a complimentary pre-dessert). I chose a sugar-glazed gingerbread option with baked apples and gingerbread ice cream. This was a really tasty and light dessert to finish out the meal. Or so I thought. We were next served a round of (complimentary) petit fours, including mini key lime pies, super chocolately bon bons, chilled banana ice cream coated in white chocolate, and a cordial-soaked cherry surrounded by shortbread. This was an amazing experience and by far the best meal I have ever eaten.

After dinner, we were given a private tour of Chef Ramsay's kitchen. It was the biggest, cleanest, and the most efficient place I have ever seen.

Eating and drinking through Ireland

Well, we made it back to the States safe and sound! What an amazing trip. A week was not nearly long enough to see all that needs to be seen, but we saw some amazing things within the week.

I was a little nervous about Irish food. I had heard and read about horror stories, but surprisingly, it was very good overall. Here's a run down of the good and bad:

The Bad
-To our surprise, Irish "bacon and cabbage" is nothing like the American version of corned beef and cabbage. The "bacon" is more like spiral-cut ham, the potatoes are pureed, and there is a parsley sauce (similar to a white gravy) served on top. Overall, it wasn't terrible, but it was not what I was expecting.

The Good
- Guinness: tastes better in Ireland
- Malt vinegar: I used this on many dishes and really grew to like it.
- Guinness Beef Stew: Jim ordered this. It had a delicious flavor and was served with a puff pastry on top. The beef itself, however, was really fatty.
- Fish and Chips: This is served everywhere and is extremely delicious.
- Shepard's Pie: Perhaps naive, I thought I would be eating beef... turned out to be lamb, which I usually do not eat. Overall, it was delicious though.

The Great
- Jameson and Ginger Ale: In the land of Jameson, I found a way to really enjoy this delicious Irish whiskey. Some would say it should not be mixed... oh well!
- Bulmers Cider: The most delicious and refreshing alcoholic drink I've ever had. It's called Magner's in the States. This will be a summertime staple!
- Tartar sauce: Every pub/restaurant made their own.. it was so fresh and tasty.
- Baked brie: This appeared on many pub menus. Big fan.
- Tea: I already loved tea before the trip, but I loved the wide variety of options served everywhere - even at the pubs!
- Dinner at Gordon Ramsay's Restaurant: Review in a separate blog entry...

Sorry for the lull in posts!

Things have been crazy at home lately, and often, we forget to take pictures of our masterpieces prior to stuffing our faces. Hopefully I'll start being a better blogger in the weeks to come!

My husband and I leave for Ireland March 10th. We're staying for 7 days at the Ritz Carlton, Powerscourt. At the Ritz, there is a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, and I really hope we have the opportunity to eat there. I will be sure to post about our eating experiences in Ireland!

When we return to the US, we will also be starting our kitchen renovation! I will be sure to snap some 'before' shots so that you can see the massive changes that we will be undertaking.

See you in about a week, Blog World! Sláinte!

Steamed Mussels

Philadelphia has some great restaurants, but some of the best places are tiny, seemingly hole-in-the-wall joints. Monk's Cafe serves amazing Belgian beer, mussels, sandwiches, etc. And while I was living in the Art Museum neighborhood of Philly, a sister restaurant opened up half a block from my apartment, called Belgian Cafe. Belgian and Monk's are the best for unique beers, mussels, and a casual atmosphere. Both of these places have provided us with tons of inspiration for cooking mussels!

Jim and I were looking for a simple weeknight dinner to watch during the Olympics so we decided on mussels. I stopped by Whole Foods on the way home from work and picked up a bag of fresh Maine mussels, asparagus, and crusty bread. This time around, we tried a new version of mussels, and they turned out to be delicious as usual.

Ingredients:

1 bag of mussels (small-sized mussels are the best)

3 strips turkey bacon

1 bottle of beer (preferably something Belgian)

3 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 onion, diced

handful of blue cheese

Directions:

Cook bacon and set aside. Clean and de-beard mussels if necessary. In a large pot, pour in beer and bring to a boil. Set steamer in bottom of pot. Add in garlic, onion, and mussels. Cover pot and steam until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Discard any that do not open. Poor mussels, onion, garlic, and liquid from pot into a serving bowl. Top with crumbled, crispy bacon and blue cheese.