Everything needs a little freshening up after a decade of hard work; we have been in our home that we built for 10 years now. Thankfully it was built by a very detail oriented hardworking perfectionist; my husband; so the quality of material and attention to details that we put into our home has stood the test of time. I lovingly say that the home was built with his sweat, our blood (I helped where I could) and my tears! We personally freshen up by vacationing in the Caribbean if not every year definitely every other year.
Over time homes need a new coat of paint, maybe some re-arranging or updating. A few rooms recently received a fresh coat of paint; I am in the process of re-designing my daughter’s room from what she picked out when she was 12 to an adult bedroom. Here is a small glimpse of what I have done so far a long way to go but it’s a start.
My Viking stove which I can safely say with good authority has done probably the most work in our home without a lot of attention; other than regualr cleaning I did just have to replace the igniter’s in both ovens; but so far that is it. I first fell in love with my stove when I saw it in a magazine over 20 years ago. I ripped it out of the magazine and started a file folder of must haves. Another idea I saw in a magazine 10 years while we were designing/building. Unfortunately I didnt rip it out which I kick myself for; it took me 10 years to get it built but it was totally worth the wait. If you look at the above photo of my daughters room the bookcase is actually a doorway to a fairly large storage area. I LOVE it my husband did an awesome job.
When we decided to build; it was actually always the plan when we bought our first home; it just took a lot longer than, at least I anticipated. I had 2 stipulations to building. We build a kitchen around my stove and we don’t end up in divorce court. My words verbatim “if I can’t have my stove, I don’t want the house” I fought long and hard and I can honestly share with you; it could have gone either way on both counts!
For those of you who have built their own homes and had a “budget” I use that term loosely; I have yet to meet ANYONE who has come in on or below their “budget” When it comes time to purchase appliances; there is not a lot of money left. My husband begged me to not buy the Viking, he tried everything in his power to back out of this stipulation, offering to buy me two stoves and put then next to each other; leaving space for it to come later. I being so damn stubborn put my foot down; needless to say he will concede today that it was a great decision.
While sitting here writing about my Viking it reminds me of the character that was in love with his typewriter played by Greg Kinnear in You’ve Got Mail LOL – I have issues.
Most people when they come over LOVE my kitchen area and of course my Viking; I have had a few people ask if I actually cook like that; trust me I do! Just this weekend our good friends who spent the weekend with us asked if I used all 6 burners. Yes I do! A lot of people want to cook on my stove; come on over – since starting my cooking class; many people have now cooked on my Viking.
Probably my most often cooked and family favorite meal is a Roaster Chicken with mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, frozen peas, butternut squash and pan gravy! My mouth is watering right now! Here is how I prepare most all of my birds for the oven.
I use kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper and Adobo inside and out – liberally! I never stuff any of my birds; Turkey or Chicken with dressing. I always use onions and apples sliced up and placed inside the carcass. It makes for awesome tasting gravy. I also take the water from the veggies I cooked and add it to the pan drippings to help make the gravy – I swear by it!