We have a huge surprise for everyone in our new kitchen. It is being installed today, and most of the cupboards were in yesterday - enough to make my heart just pound with affection... It is a highly functional kitchen, and I have spent many hours just daydreaming about what it would be like to cook there.
I've thought about the way a pot would drip when pasta was done...
I've thought about where I want to grab plates when I'm ready to plate something from the stove...
Mused about what deliciousness would be served on what I hope will be a highly functional island (no sink, no cooktop, no raised areas - just smooth open prep space).
What everyone doesn't know is that, while the rest of the house has been kept supremely neutral, we have ordered a huge quartz countertop in tangerine!
The orange will give a gorgeous jumping off point for fabrics in the dining room, for accents in the kitchen space, and is the most obvious way Bill and I could think of to emphasize what everyone knows to be true.... The kitchen is where everyone gathers no matter how many rooms are in a house! Our kitchen even has seating for five within the space itself, three at the island and two in a window bench looking onto our gorgeous backyard.
It will be that beautiful citrus accent I am so fond of!!
We've been painting, and wiping, and sweeping to our heart's content this week, getting ready to move in. Harrison asked me on Wednesday, after helping with the second coat in the kitchen... "Mom, if our new house was a body, what would be its stomach?". I thought about it - stomach, digestion, processing.... and thought about the dishwashers? The laundry room, maybe?
He said "Mom, it's the kitchen!"
I said - "no, buddy, that's the heart!"
"You're soft!" was his immediate reply...
So this big, bold section of "tequila sunrise" quartz is going to be a true bullseye. It will be a beautiful conversation piece, and a nice spash of whimsical, fun, slightly-out-there wacky-ness.
Our first party there is going to celebrate our 100th birthday and our new home. The menu is going to be delicious, but did take a bit of extra time with the caterer to veganize most of it, while still keeping it highly edible for our non-vegan guests. It is funny to see foodies struggle with vegan - because we are so trained to do animal based food. It is so natural to just sprinkle cheese onto or into things. To grind up or shred or slice meat into the next thing... to crack eggs into other things... When you remove that as an option, it can flummox even the most ardent professor of food-loving.
I've relaxed a little and have some fish dishes on the menu, but am trying to stick with a delicious showcase of plant-based food. This time it's really not a big political statement of veganism... it's just how I really want to eat on our birthday! Next door, our neighbour is grilling burgers, etc...so that should take care of the carnivors - I hope. Actually, what I really hope is that no one even notices... they just taste the food and think it's great.
Now, on to FOOD.
Last week, I made an exceptional jalapeno cornbread. It went beautifully with a black bean chili, and I promised to put the recipe on here - so here it is...
6 - 8 ears of corn niblets (about 4 cups)
1 red pepper, cut up into 1/8 inch pieces
1 jalapeno, cut up even smaller than the red pepper!
Saute in some coconut oil or corn oil until the corn is lightly browned - this will bring out its natural sweetness to contrast with the spicy jalapeno.
1 can of coconut milk and 1/4 cup of cornstarch, whisked together until there are no lumps.
Add half of the corn mixture to a blender and pour the coconut/cornstarch on top. Pulse until blended. Pour into a bowl with the remaining corn/pepper mixture, and add half a cup of cornmeal (any colour) and a cup of chopped green onions, 2 tbsp of maple syrup and 2 tsp hot sauce or cayenne pepper. Salt to taste - probably about 1 tsp.
Pour it into a baking dish or pie plate, and bake for 40 minutes at 350. Let it cool and set up for about 10 minutes before serving, if you can wait that long!
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