Totally Random Thought Thursday - #3

Did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving?  While your burning off all those extra calories surfing the web, enjoy my latest list of Totally Random Thoughts.
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Opposites attract - hubby would rather be scanned by one of the new full-body x-ray machines at the airport than be patted down by the TSA.  I'm sorry, but there isn't enough money in the world that could convince me to step foot in one of those machines. Never going to happen.

One large pomegranate will yield about 1 1/2 cups of ruby red juice-filled arils (seeds).

My mother walked in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade one year.  She had to wear an Indian costume with some sort of a canoe apparatus. Not exactly her idea of fashionable holiday attire.

I left my desk to get a ream of paper for the printer 3 times. I still don't have any paper, but I found my slippers, I loaded the dishwasher, and I ate the aforementioned pomegranate. 

I can remember the lyrics to thousands of songs, but I can't for the life of me remember what I made for dinner on Monday.

I was watching tv while working on my laptop the other day. Neatly lined up on the coffee table were 3 cell phones, 2 house phones, 2 remotes, and a cordless mouse.  Want to venture a guess as to how many times I tried to answer a remote or change the tv channel with one of the phones?

Maybe I'm just getting old, but when did the word invitation get replaced with the word invite?  The word invite is defined as the act of sending an invitation.  Which means "the invites are in the mail" is like telling someone, "the act of sending an invitation is in the mail" - wrong.  Just had to put that out there.

Aside from the obvious facts that I'm not a professional dancer or famous person, I could never be on dancing with the stars.  I once had a ballroom dance teacher tell me he could teach anyone to dance.  I challenged him to teach me a couple moves.  He quit after 5 minutes and we never talked about it again. 

I hate it when my favorite things are discontinued - Haagen Dazs Cappuccino Commotion ice cream, Ralph Lauren's Tuxedo perfume, my favorite Land's End clogs and slippers :(..., and the braided chocolate and caramel goodness that was once known as a Marathon Bar.  Curly Wurly Bars from the UK are a good substitute, but they're hard to come by in the US.  Come to think of it, there were hard to come by when I was in the UK recently... I never did find one.  Bummer.

I'm self-diagnosing myself - I have "edit-itis".  That's what I call my habit of editing anything I've written or typed again and again - a condition which I hold responsible for most of my typos.  Sadly, I think this is a terminal condition.

When it comes to storing leftovers in the fridge, I like to put everything in airtight containers (all matching if possible, and definitely stain free).  Honestly, I don't know why I ever bother buying plastic wrap or foil.  Hey, what's up with the price of foil lately???.  I digress.  Under no circumstances would I ever consider storing food in the fridge uncovered - which leads me to Nigella, the ravishing Brit and star of her own cooking show.  As much as I adore her, it absolutely pains me to watch her reach into the fridge for a midnight snack by raiding a dish full of food that was covered with skimpy piece of mangled foil.  Or worse, one that was sitting in there completely uncovered.  Or even worse than that, one that was sitting in there completely uncovered with a serving utensils still in it.  This would send me over the edge.

Special Request Time - I'd love to hear a totally random thought from each commenter today.  I can't wait to hear what you're thinking (keep it clean, please).

Mini Pecan Tarts with Mascarpone Frosting and Glazed Pecans

Mini Pecan Tarts Topped with Mascarpone and Glazed Pecans - ButterYum

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week.  Too busy to spend any time in the kitchen, so I thought I'd post these wonderful gems again.  They were a huge hit last year (wish I had time to make more).  

I wrote this recipe for a guest blogging event on Kate's blog Centsational Girl last year, but there was a mix up and it was never posted.  Anyway, Kate has a great blog - check it out.

This is a killer recipe!  Some of you know that I'm a little OCD in the kitchen (wish that would seep into other areas of my life!!).  I researched and tweaked and fussed and retweaked for what seemed like an eternity before I was satisfied with these, but they were definitely worth the effort (and let me say this, I have a whole new appreciation for cookbook authors after this project!).  The masses absolutely devoured these little treasures, so I hope you'll give them a try sometime.

To begin the recipe, let's make this very easy crust. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine room temperature butter and cream cheese; blend using the flat beater attachment (or better yet, use the fabulous BeaterBlade!). When butter and cream cheese are combined, add salt, cocoa, and flour; combine. Dough will be soft, but easy to handle.

Spray a mini muffin pan with an oil/flour baking spray (I like to wipe the excess spray off the top of my pan). Roll dough into 24 balls and place into muffin pan. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, or until it firms up enough to not be too sticky to work with.

Press dough into muffin indentations using your fingers or a pastry tool dipped in flour. Pop the dough back into the fridge if it starts getting too soft, and also while making the filling.

Because these mini tarts are so tiny, be sure to chop your pecans into small pieces.

Combine butter, cane syrup (or corn syrup), salt, and confectioner's sugar in heavy bottomed sauce pan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for one full minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer hot sugar mixture to a glass measure and pour or spoon mix into prepared pan, being very careful to not fill them more than 3/4 full (so you don't have a hot, bubbly mess on your hands).

No matter how hard you try, you'll probably have some filling bubble over the sides of the tarts during baking. If this happens to you, you can easily trim away any excess caramel with a pair of kitchen scissors. Allow the tarts tarts to finish cooling while we make the glazed pecans and Mascarpone frosting.

Okay, let's do the glazed pecans first (incidentally, you can do this with just about any kind of nut). Have you ever tasted Lyle's Golden Syrup? It's a sugar cane syrup that has the most wonderful caramel flavor and color. Look for it in your baking aisle. If you can't find it... you can substitute corn syrup or honey.

In a heat proof bowl, mix the granulated sugar and sugar cane syrup together. Microwave on high for 10-20 seconds until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is very liquidy. Quickly pour over nuts and toss to coat.


Place the nuts in a single layer on a silicone baking mat and toss them into the oven for 15 minutes; tossing once half way through the baking.

Golden Syrup Glazed Pecans - ButterYum

Use a fork to separate glazed nuts after removing them from the oven. Allow to cool completely before using. Can be made a day or two ahead and stored in an airtight container.  Don't place on the mascarpone frosting until just before they are served (the moisture in the frosting will liquefy the glaze).

For the Mascarpone frosting, combine room temperature Mascarpone cheese, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla extract by hand. Pipe swirls of the frosting on tarts that have been allowed to cool completely; refrigerate. Just before serving, top with glazed nut and serve immediately.

Mini Pecan Tarts Topped with Mascarpone and Glazed Pecans - ButterYum

Mini Pecan Tarts Topped with Mascarpone Frosting and Glazed Pecans
makes 24 tarts

Pastry
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
pinch of fine sea salt
1 tablespoon cocoa powder for color (optional)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the flat beater, combine the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the salt, confectioner's sugar, flour, and optional cocoa powder; combine. Divide into 24 equal portions, roll into ball shape; place in a greased mini muffin pan. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes before pressing dough into the mini muffin cups using fingers or a pastry tool dipped in flour. Refrigerate while making the filling.


Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup (or corn syrup)
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine everything but the vanilla extract. Bring to a boil for one full minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour mixture into prepared pastry, filling no more than 3/4 full. Place mini muffin pan on a larger sheet pan to catch any drips that might spill over. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Allow tarts to cool in pan for 25 minutes before removing. Trim excess caramel with kitchen scissors if needed (while the caramel is still pliable).


Mascarpone Frosting
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix ingredients together by hand. Pipe or spoon onto completely cool tarts. Refrigerate.
Don't add the glaze pecans until serving time.


Glazed Pecans
1/2 cup pecans
1 tablespoon Lyle's Golden Syrup (can sub corn syrup or honey)
1 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
pinch of fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 325F. Combine sugar cane syrup, salt, and granulated sugar in a heat safe bowl and microwave on high for 10-20 seconds until sugar dissolves and mixture is very liquidy. Immediately pour over nuts and stir to combine. Place nuts in a single layer on a silicone lined sheet pan (greased foil or non-stick foil will also work). Bake nuts for 15 minutes, tossing half way through baking. Remove nuts from the oven and use a fork to separate them from one another; cool completely. Can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container. Top tarts with glazed pecans just before service, otherwise the glaze will start to melt into the Mascarpone frosting.

Happy Baking, Roasting, and Hosting!!!
:)
ButterYum

Random Thoughts

Hubby and I were watching The Return of Superman on TV.  Two of our teens joined us half way through the movie and proceeded to ask question after question.  I finally had to pause the movie and say, "What do you mean, 'why can't he be near Cryptonite?'.  Don't you guys know anything about Superman????"  Turns out they didn't.  Nothing at all.  How can that be?

I misplaced my driver's license the other day.  You'll never believe where I found it - let's just say it was "in my blouse".  I have no idea how that happened.

Today I learned that one of my kids used their cell phone to record their grandfather telling one of his stories.  Picture if you will, a loud Italian who loves to entertain a crowd... keeps everyone on the edge of their seat until the punchline, then everyone simultaneously bursts into laughter.  The really funny part came after the laughter died down and I could hear my mother's voice complaining about how tired she is of hearing the same stories over and over.  Of course, I've heard her make that same complaint as many times.  Ha!

A friend and I were discussing chandeliers and we both looked up at the one hanging above my dining room table.  It was so dusty.  I should do something about that soon.  That was about a week ago.  I hear the laundry calling....

I hate it when I drive by a beautiful home at night and see the lovely warm yellow glow of light streaming from the windows contrasted by cool bluish solar lights illuminating the pathways.  What a terrible mix.  Solar light people, please fix this problem as soon as possible.

One of my dear friends has deleted her facebook account, causing her comments to disappear from my wall posts and photos.  Of course my responses to her are still there so it looks like I was talking to myself.

Why can't we just pee once for the entire day and be done with it?

I'd really like to find the owner's manual for my camera.  I know I set it aside so I wouldn't loose it, and I vaguely remember taking it with me on a trip somewhere, thinking I'd have time to read it, but it's been about 2 years now and I doubt I'll ever see it again.  I recently fond the card I bought for our oldest son's graduation... 4 years too late, so I guess there's still hope.

I just loaded the dishwasher for the 3rd time today.

It takes me all day to drink a glass of water, but I can down 16 ounces of bottled water in about 10 seconds flat.

Why do I insist on keeping all 3 racks in my oven when I only use one at a time?   

Which leads to my next question... why does Paula Deen say "one at the time"?  (Hi Paula, love you - one of my daughters insists that she will live in Georgia someday :). I thank you for that)

I'd really like to clean the gigantic mirror in my family room, but I'm afraid it'll fall off the wall and kill me.  I'm not kidding.

I take great pleasure in sucking fruit flies up with my vacuum hose.

Our internet satellite recently was on the blink for about a week.  We're able to get online by routing our computers through our cell phones.  I'm surprised the phones didn't melt or blow up in the process.  Isn't technology amazing?

I ran completely out of unsalted butter last week.  I bake.  I have two freezers.  This isn't supposed to happen.  Reminds me of the time I ran out of salt... SALT!  I usually have at least 3 or 4 different kinds of salt on hand, so that was strange.  How many people can say they are out of salt?

I have 9 different kinds of sugar in the house - white, superfine, 10x, lt brown, drk brown, turbinado, vanilla, sanding, and decorator sugar in a rainbow of colors.  Increase that number to 13 if you count honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, and English golden syrup. 

Last season's America's Got Talent - Doogie Horner was hilarious.

My daughter's Home Ec. teacher would like me do a cake demo for the class.  I want to, but I don't, but I do, but I don't.  Yikes - I need some chocolate.

My blog got almost 700 hits in one day last week.  Happy-happy.  My son, who's an uber techy computer dude, thinks that's pretty impressive.  I'm not an uber techy computer dude, but I agree :).

I don't know why, but I have a habit of keeping small to medium sized boxes.  I hate this habit, but not enough to stop collecting them.  Bubble wrap too - I have rolls and rolls of it. 

How To Neatly Open a Pomegranate

How to Neatly Open a Pomegranate - ButterYum

I've shared my love of fresh pomegranates with you in the past, but I haven't shown you how to get all those yummy juice filled arils (seeds) out of them.  Some people like to cut them in half, which is fine, but it cuts right through a ton of those juicy arils.  Here's what I do - first I cover my tablecloth with newspaper (the food section works particularly well).  I also put on a grubby shirt, just in case ;).  

Okay, now I'm ready to get started.  I make a very shallow x-cut in the top, being very careful not to cut deep enough to pierce any of the arils. 

Next I follow the lines of the x-cut down the sides of the pomegranate, using just the tip of the knife to score the skin (again, not going deep enough to cut any of the arils).

Then I gently pry the pomegranate apart where I made the x-cut (a blunt butter knife might be helpful the first time you do this).  Once you get your thumbs in, it will pull apart very easily.  You can see the entire pomegranate is filled with hundreds of juicy arils separated by layers of a papery thin membrane.

The arils come out very easily, leaving just the skin and membrane behind.  One word of caution - I once did an entire case of these at one time and my hands were dry and stained for a couple of days afterward.  I don't bother to wear gloves when I open just one, but I would if I were to open a large number of them again.

Juice Filled Pomegranate Arils - ButterYum

And here are the arils.  I got just over 1 1/2 cups worth from this pomegranate.  We sometimes sprinkle them on salads or desserts, but our favorite way to eat them is just the way they are.

The next time you see a pomegranate at the store, I hope you'll give it a try!

Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake

Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake - ButterYum

This week's Heavenly Cake Bakers selection is the Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake.  No, there is no such thing as a Swedish Pear (at least not here in the US).  The cookbook author was inspired to make this cake after eating something similar while visiting Sweden.  Anyway, I love the flavor of pears and almond cream, so I was really looking forward to making this cake.  The batter is easy to prepare; like a basic sour cream pound cake.  Before going into the oven, the batter is topped with almond cream and very thinly sliced Bartlett pears.  The pears and almond cream sink to the bottom of the pan during baking, which makes for a very interesting layered look when plated.

My review:  the pear and almond cream layer is truly phenomenal; moist and bursting with amazing flavor.  The rest of the cake is fine on it's own, but rather dry and flavorless compared to the pear/almond layer.  Too bad there's such a disconnect between the layers.  I may play around with the recipe a bit to see if I can get the wonderful qualities of the pear and almond layer to distribute better throughout the entire cake.  Doing so would certainly make this cake a home run, but I doubt I'd repeat this recipe as is.

As most of you know, the recipes reviewed by the Heavenly Cake Bakers are not shared, but they can be found in Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Saturday Randomness

Have you stumbled upon any blogs that publish "Saturday Randomness"?  I've had the opportunity to read a few and have enjoyed them, so I thought I'd try one or two and see how I like it.  Here goes:

Today is the end of Daylight Saving Time, which is probably my favorite day of the year because it means we get an extra hour of sleep tonight.  Whoo-hoo.

I have a hard time seeing the backspace button on my keyboard in the dark.  Do they make keyboards that light up?  If so, I need one.

I opened my patio umbrella yesterday and 3 dead stink bugs fell out of it.  Yuck.

My hubby purchased a new car over a year ago and I've only driven it once.

PW (not Pioneer Woman) stopped by today.  We get along so well.  I don't know why we don't spend more time together.

Speaking of Pioneer Woman, I hope I win a trip to her Ranch, and I'm happy my tomato soup has been pictured on the home page of her Tasty Kitchen website for the last few days.

I dropped a cinnamon candy while I was driving and I forgot to pick it up when I got home.

I can't believe I spent $32 on a turqoise tie so my son could match his girlfriend's dress for the homecoming dance, only to have them break up the next day.  Grrr.

Time to stock up on toilet paper.

The scroll wheel on my optical mouse stopped working without warning.  That's a pain.

Once again, I am not going to buy 12 evergreen wreaths to hang in the windows on the front of my house, despite really, really, really wanting to.

There was a stray horse in the neighborhood today.  Some of you might remember there were 2 stray cows a few weeks ago.  What is happening around here?

I really should make those window valances that I purchased a pattern and fabric for 3 years ago.

One of the kids begged me to sample Key Lime Pie flavored gum today.  The first few chews were okay, but after a couple of minutes I had to get rid of it.

Hubby loves his new office.  I guess I should go and see it sometime.

I wonder how many loads of laundry I've washed in my lifetime.

Can't wait to make those yummy braised pork chops again.  What pork chops you ask?  When I get a better pic, I'll share.

Have to get milk, cat food, apple juice, red hots, pears, and toilet paper.

My mother and I used the new Dr. Scholl's foot sensor machine to see which "custom orthotic" insert the machine would recommend ($50 a pair).  She has narrow feet, I have wide feet.  She has high arches, I'm flat footed.  Our results - the machine suggested the same inserts for both of us.  So much for "custom fit".  She bought them, I did not.

I could go on and on, but all good things must come to an end.  Until next time.....

Apple Butter Spice Cake

Apple Butter Spice Cake - ButterYum

I had a large jar of apple butter that I needed to use, so I went online and found this recipe.  The cake is very moist and sweet with a kind of praline layer inside.  My family enjoyed it very much.  I baked the recipe in a bundt pan, but it can also be baked in a 9x13 - I'll include the directions for that below.

Apple Butter Spice Cake
Makes 1 bundt cake (or one 9x13 cake - see notes below)

Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 cup apple butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup wheat germ or whole bran cereal
1 cup sour cream


Crumb Mixture: (double if making a 9x13 cake)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Recipe Photos

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1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (or 1/4 teaspoon from a jar)

1/4 cup finely ground pecans

Preheat oven to 35F.  Prepare pan by spraying with a non-stick baking spray. 

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the crumb mixture together; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and white sugar together for a couple of minutes.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add apple butter, vanilla, and wheat germ; beat well.  

Add 1/3 of the reserved flour mixture, mix to incorporate.  Add 1/2 of the sour cream, mix.  Add 1/3 flour mixture, mix.  Remaining 1/2 of the sour cream, mix.  Finish with the last 1/3 of the flour mixture.  

Pour about 1/2 the batter into the prepared bundt pan (9x13 direction below).  Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture on and top with the remaining batter.  Bake for 40-50 minutes.

Note:  to make a 9x13, double the ingredients for the crumb mixture.  Pour half the batter into the pan, add half the crumb mixture, top with the remaining cake batter, and lastly, sprinkle the other half of the crumb mixture on top.  Bake for about 40 minutes.

My Mom Cave

Welcome to my Mom Cave.

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting a Mom Cave party sponsored by HomeGoods.  I've never been to a HomeGoods, but I like their commercials.  Dear HomeGoods, Please come to my town!!

When I first started thinking about which space in the house I would call  my Mom Cave, my office came to mind.  It houses my desk and computer.  And my cookbook collection.

It's bright.

And sunny.

And Misty will tell you there's a big comfy couch and matching ottoman for reading or napping.  But after I thought about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that my real Mom Cave is my kitchen.

It's not the biggest kitchen I've ever had, but I love it and I happily spend a lot of time in here.

I love my range is a my baby.  Hubby bought it for me when we built our last house, and I was very happy to have it moved half way across the country when we bought this house.

 I like these guys too - Mr. and Mrs. KitchenAid.  I prefer using the 5-quart white one for making things like bread doughs and cake batters, while I prefer the 6-quart model for making big batches of buttercream or focaccia.  Sometimes I use them both at the same time, like when I'm making a wedding cake.  I have extra bowls, beaters, and whisks for each - they come in very handy.

My dishwasher has a stainless steel interior.  It's very quiet and no tomato stains!!  It gets quite a workout here - I do at least 2 loads a day, sometimes more. 

I realy enjoy the granite counters - very low maintenance.  My only real complaint about the kitchen is the fact that there are no outside windows.  It can get kind of dark, so we had under cabinet lighting installed throughout.

I custom ordered this cherry and walnut cutting board from the guy who makes a lot of the boards you see on the food network.  It's huge and I can chop tons of veggies on it with room to spare.  That onion is one of those big Spanish globe onioins - it looks so tiny sitting on that board.

More counters... and the sink.  I really would have liked a single bowl sink, but our builder installed this thing instead.  It's hard to wash large platters and sheet trays with that divider in the way, but what's done is done.  There are saddle stools on the other side of this counter for guests.  I prefer to work in the kitchen solo, but I don't mind if you watch.  It's a nice spot to sit with my laptop and research recipes or prepare my next blog post too.  I'd like to get that bread machine and ice cream maker put away and pretty the space up with a rooster lamp, or a tiered basket to store my ever changing supply of fruits and veggies.

This little counter is right next to the oven.  It's where I keep my olive oil selection, salt and pepper, onions, garlic, and shallots.  And my rotating cake stand, of course!

Wanna peek in some of my cabinets and drawers?

This is my baking cabinet.  I like it to stay orgaized which is pretty easy to do since I'm the only one who goes in there.  Except for the chocolate chips on the to shelf - hubby treats himself to a handful just about every day. I would never have left that bag like that, but I'm too short to reach it, and I know he'll get into again tomorrow, so I don't worry about it.  Anyway, this is where I store kitchen twine, baking spices, cocoas, various extracts and French essense, vanilla beans, a zillions kinds of decorative sugar, liquid measrues, etc.

This is my baking drawer.  It houses several sets of measuring cups and spoons, piping tips, pastry brushes, a pastry blender, a stainless steel ruler, hand mixer attachments, a big cake lifter thingy, and 6 cookie scoops in various sizes.

My spice drawer.  Agian, it stays neat because I'm the only one who goes in there.

Here's my bulk spice and tea cabinet.  Popcorn too... we love our popcorn.

I'm short and have an especially hard time reaching anything in this corner cabinet, so I store items that I don't use very often in here.  Cake plates, extra mixer bowls, water pitchers, crystal bowls and vases, etc.

My mixing bowls and various pie plates are down low for easy access.  I love beautiful pie plates.

Some of my cake pans specialty.  I have another cabinet that holds just round pans in every size imaginable.

Everyday dishes and storage containers.  I'm bummed Rubbermaid decided to stop making their Stain Shield storage containers, because I use them exclusively to store food items in my fridge.  They're selling similar ones with red lids now.  Burgundy is okay, but me and red don't get along.  I only have one tiny item in my kitchen that's red, and the only reason why it stays is because my mother gave it to me - otherwise it would be history.

This is the cabinet under my sink.  I bought that adjustable metal organizer shelf thingy when Linens and Things was going out of business.  Since this cabinet has that wooden divider, I had to assemble the shelf inside the cabinet.  It took me about an hour to fit it around all the pipes, drains, and garbage disposal.  What a hassle, but I like the extra storage it provides.  If we ever move, I think I'll just let it stay with the house.

 

 

There are two lazy susan cabinets.  This one houses small appliances that I don't use very often.  I didn't get a picture of the other one, but that's where I store my flours, sugars, and rices.  (rices - that sounds weird)

This is the pantry that originally came with the house.  I transformed it into a storage closet for pots and pans, crock pots, sheet trays, bulk onion and potato storage, etc.

This is a pantry we built to replace the tiny inadequate pantry the house came with - I can see everything at a glance.  This was a huge improvement to the functionality of the kitchen.

I'm sorry I can't show you what's inside this cabinet.  You know how most people have a junk drawer in their kitchen?  Well I have a junk cabinet.  Seriously, it's not pretty - and you could be hit on the head with falling Chinese take-out containers, jelly jars of all sizes, or dried up bottles of glue if you peeked inside.  I could really use some HomeGoods organization in here!! 

Well, that's about it.  I'll walk you to the door, but first check out my gelpro mat.  Ceramic floors are hard to stand on, so this baby makes my feet feel oh so good.  If you've been thinking about getting one of these, go for it!

Thanks for visiting.