I was totally amazed at all the wonderful links this week for Mosaic Monday. You guys blow me away with your talent and your generous comments! I have tried to visit all of your blogs, but I am so behind on leaving comments. I promise I will get to you all by the end of the week. :)
Because it was so much fun last week, I thought we might play "Tell Me, Do" again. Are you up for that? Here are the questions:
1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty?
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again?
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner?
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?"
5. What would your dream kitchen look like?
My answers are in the comments section. I can't wait to read yours! :)
Posts
1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? Crowded, of course. I'm Oscar, remember?
ReplyDelete2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again?Absolutely. I think my family would be very happy not to have to eat pasta so often.
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner? Baked ziti and a crisp salad.
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?" Definitely nuts and berries. I never cook meat just for myself.
5. What would your dream kitchen look like? Actually, I love my kitchen which we redid a few years ago. Painted cabinets and soapstone counters. Old library table for an island. :)
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteWe just did a kitchen remodel and I just love it. We live in it...
1) My kitchen counters are crowded.
2) I do have a couple of recipes that I do over and over. I cook Thai food so we have rice, carrot salad and some kind of meat about three times a week.
3) My favorite dinner is simple and tasty. Whatever that is...I love it all.
4) I am nuts and berries but will crave a good steak sometimes:)
5) My kitchen looks like this http://lifesignatures.org/wordpress/2009/04/more-kitchen-pics/. It's the remodel from the beginning. I love it.
1. Neat clean and tidy, I am a Felix!!
ReplyDelete2.A simple baked salmon, potatoes and veg.
3.I love roast turkey with all the trimmings.
4. I only eat white meat and never have too many potatoes!
5. I like my kitchen I have now, it is easy to keep clean, the right size for the two of us, good natural light, I am easily pleased!!
Jackie in UK
PS What is ziti??
Hi, Mary! I used to visit your blog all the time. Then we moved and time got away from me with blog visiting but I re-discovered you this past weekend. I'm so glad I did :-)
ReplyDelete1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? We have a small galley kitchen so I try to keep them uncluttered, with a few exceptions: a small seasonal vignette tucked into a corner, the coffee pot, and a lazy susan next to the stove filled with crocks of necessary utensils.
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again? Yes! I love to try new things but we love our staple recipes such as lasagna, pot roast, and potato soup!
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner? Any dinner with a table full of family!!
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?" Definitely meat and potatoes!! But I thing I'm going towards the nuts and berries dark side as I get older...lol
5. What would your dream kitchen look like? Well, considering we have a galley kitchen in our base housing, right now I dream it pretty big :-) In reality, though, honestly, I'd just like a room that is laid out efficiantly and where a few of us could cook all together. In my dream home, after the Marine Corps, I'd love a brick or stone wall and a fireplace in my kitchen (or at least in a sitting room right beside the kitchen). I'd also like a walk in pantry where I can store everything from canned goods and homemade jams, to my crockpot and electric skillet!
Have a blessed week!
Sallie
I love your kitchen too Mary! Wish it were in my house.
ReplyDelete1. Right now my counter looks like a cyclone blew through! : (
2. Like you Mary, we eat a bit too much pasta but I'm trying to be a little better, and healthier.
3. My favorite dinner would be something that someone else cooks! LOL!
4. Meat and potatoes, just as long as that meat is chicken or pork. No beef for our family.
5. My dream kitchen ... something with more counter space and less clutter! Granite countertops, stainless appliances, white cabinets, a desk, crystal knobs, white porcelain sink, an island.
We've remodeled some of the kitchen so it's not bad but the set up is from the 70's so it's not well organized.
Have a great Wednesday Mary!
Sharon
1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? Neat and tidy but they are crowded with my "junk."
ReplyDelete2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again? Yes, especially Meatball Soup and Chicken Pot Pie.
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner? I'm going to say any kind of pasta. With sourdough bread on the side.
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?"
Meat and Potatoes.
5. What would your dream kitchen look like?
All white, chippy furniture, lots of vintage touches and glass handles. And of course full of laughter from my kids. A kitchen isn't a kitchen without family crowded in it.
1.My counters are not crazy cluttered but not perfectly neat either. Remember I'm Foscar-hehe
ReplyDelete2.I do have my standard recipes that I rely on but lately I have been trying new things. Sometimes to my family's pleasant surprise:) and sometimes not so pleasant surprise:(
3.My favorite dinner to cook for my family is spaghetti and meat sauce. Everybody likes it! Most of the time I use ground turkey but when I'm feeling bad, I use ground beef!
4.I'm more nuts and berry but my hubby is more meat and potatoes so we try to compromise. Any kind of meat with a berry glaze yumm
5.My dream kitchen would be big very big with lots of natural light and a window overlooking an expansive yard with a garden bursting with color and luxurious pool.
Actually, Mary your kitchen looks beautiful! I have similar cabinets and style in my kitchen.
This is fun! I love reading everyones answers and I love your blog!
Have a great day!
Cindy
Hi! This is my first time here - and I like it!!
ReplyDelete1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? Usually, they're pretty crowded, but we just moved house, so everything's neat and tidy, in it's place!
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again?
No, I have more recipe books than I have knitting books! I keep finding new recipes to cook to see if it's a keeper, trying to find the perfect collection of recipes. It's a quest I feel will never end....
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner?
I love traditional "Sunday dinner", where all the family come together for a long, leisurely roast dinner, spending quality time together.
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?"
I'd like to be more nuts and berries, but my BF is very meat and potatoes, so we live a happy medium.
5. What would your dream kitchen look like?
It would be HUGE with enough room for everyone to be milling around. It would have a big table and chairs in it for homework, reading and crafting. It would be the heart of the house.
1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? Too empty I guess, but I'm planning to change this soon.
ReplyDelete2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again? Some pasta and some tuna fish with veggies, we all like them so very much
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner? Pasta or pizza or mixed salad
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?" Meat and potatoes, absolutely
5. What would your dream kitchen look like? I like mine, I'd just like it a little larger
Gracie at http://mylittleplace.blog.com
1. Crowded - small galley kitchen, but my husband built a multi level shelf between counters and cabinets on one side, so it holds lots of treasures.
ReplyDelete2. Don't like recipes. I like to do my own thing. That's why I don't bake well : ) But I will occasionally try a recipe that sounds good, has to be easy, few ingredients, fast, and seem tasty. Then I change what I want and add it to my repertoire.
3. Hot dogs fried in butter with no bun,crispy French Fries with mustard.
4. I was mostly nuts and berries until my tummy started acting up as I got older, now it's just SOLUBLE fiber. Yuk! I was raised on fruits and veggies, with meat as a side.
5. White and old fashioned and bigger but not too big.
Thanks for asking. B : )
1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty?
ReplyDeleteCrowded.....just too much stuff.
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again?
Some tried and true that I return to again and again and I am always on the lookout for something new to try.
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner?
Depends on the season and my mood but I always love a good HAMBERGER!
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?"
Both :)
5. What would your dream kitchen look like?
Pretty much like what I already have....just bigger...much bigger :)
Your kitchen is beautiful Mary!
ReplyDelete1. Clearing them is a never-ending job...things just keep accumulating on the counters magically..
2. There are a few recipes that I make over and over...like my mac and cheese...but I try to make something new every week...and food magazines have overtaken my kitchen...
3. Anything Italian...
4. Meat and potatoes and nuts and berries...I love it all...
5. I redid my kitchen about 5 years ago and still love it...except for one corner where I would love to improve my desk/cookbook area...
1. Crowded, always.
ReplyDelete2. My repeat recipes: chicken nachos, linquini w/clams, spaghetti w/fresh herbs
3. wild mushroom ravioli w/white wine sauce
4. nuts and berries
5. my dream kitchen: whitewashed barnwood floors, lace curtains, large windows with morning sun streaming in, huge barnwood table with wicker chairs, tin cieling.
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI love participating in your "Tell Me, Do" posts, and in reading all of the comments! Here's mine:
1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? Depends on the time of day. :) Crowded while cooking!
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again? Yes.
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner? Lasagna w/ salad & wine.
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?" I'm both!
5. What would your dream kitchen look like? I'm working on it now. :) A small, convenient cottage-style kitchen, with painted bead board cabinetry, oodles of natural light, white appliances, a French baker's rack, open shelving above the sink, a large farm table w/ painted wheatback chairs and a few vintage accessories.
Thanks for asking us to join in, Mary. I hope you have a lovely day!
1. Seriously? I'm am Oscar... and fight the battle of counter clutter every day. Tell me, does junk mail have sex and multiply while we sleep? Is that the giggling we hear at 3am? And why can no one in my family except ME put away large pots and casseroles?
ReplyDelete2. Yes, we have our tried and true pastas, hamburgers with meat ONLY from Wolfson's Market in Lincoln Park, and our favorite: "Hello, I'd like to place an order, please!"
3. Hands down favorite -- Thanksgiving, with the house CRAMMED with people and food and noise and barely controlled chaos. I am exhausted afterward, and I cannot believe I used to manage to do this when my girls were babies. How? HOW? It would KILL me now.
4. Pass the nuts and berries, please. Leave the Fred Flintstone prime rib for Howard.
5. Well, it would have a personal chef at the center, and a maid waiting in the wings. No, seriously -- we are actually planning a kitchen reno, not the whole shebang but enough to make it palatable. How do you like the soapstone? That's my favorite countertop material, but people keep talking me out of it. We are painting our cabinets, replacing smooth glass cooktop w/gas, shrinking one cabinet area, doing countertops, sink, faucet -- bit I want to order the countertops this week and am feeling SO torn between granite (light) or the soapstone.
Whew. Sorry for such long answers. No, not really. Make the rain stop, please.
ROFL, Cass! If it rains much more I'll be growing moss between my toes. I LOVE the soapstone, but it is not for anyone who likes perfection -- it nicks easily. Although we haven't gotten any really bad ones in five years or so...
ReplyDelete1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty?
ReplyDeleteEmpty!!! I hate a cluttered counter. Don't get me wrong, your counter looks beautiful, and I can appreciate the look in some else's house, but MY counters need to be cleared.
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again?
Yes, I am definitely a creature of habit.
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner?
Homemade macaroni and cheese with velveeta and spaghetti noodles.
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?"
Meat and potatoes. I like nuts and berries as side dishes, though.
5. What would your dream kitchen look like?
Oak cabinets. Granite countertops. A gleaming, high quality, stainless steel double sink. A generous pantry. An island. A double oven.
My current kitchen looks nothing like that! In the house we moved into three years ago, I have ALL WHITE cabinets, a laminate counter, only one oven, and a crummy sink. The laminate has lots of big overhangs, so I'm not sure it can be done in granite without costing a mint. However, the kitchen does have a portable island, is in an interesting shape, is large enough, has a good tile floor, and the white cabinets are high quality. These things help.
This is my first time visiting your blog and I love it! I am so glad I wondered upon it! So I guess getting to know you you get to know me a little by answering these! hehe
ReplyDelete1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? Empty right now moving!
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again? I wish I could say I try to make something different every day for hubby but ole faithfuls are usually made.
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner? when I dont have to cook it! haha
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?" I am more of a nuts and berries kind of gal but being married to a meat and potatoes guy I have learned to love potatoes not so much steak rather have fish or chicken!
5. What would your dream kitchen look like? I am not really to sure I would just like to own a house once again so I could decide haha but I am thinking I love vintage french cottage with distressed cabinets and chandilers!
Come by and visit me I love getting new blog friends! big hugs
toodles-
Sarah
Hi Mary...
ReplyDelete1. I believe tastefully crowded.. with my pretties :)
2. Every now and again I walk on the wild side, but mostly same old same old...
3. Anytime I eat out...lol
4. Mostly Irish here need I say more !!!
5. Love my kitchen we did it over a few years ago...and I really am pleased.... but if it came with a maid I wouldn't say NO !!!
Fun post Mary...
Happy Halloween,
Kathy :)
My counters are not crowded - just a few pieces.
ReplyDeleteI'm always trying something new.
My favorite dinner is seared scallops, sauteed brussels sprouts and grilled summer squash.
Definitely nuts and berries.
I mostly like my kitchen, but I would like to paint my cabinets. I'm tired of the wood stain.
Mary
ReplyDelete1. Can't stand clutter on the counter tops so I try to clear it off-how does it keep getting there??
2.My recipes are nearby--the Ina Garten books on the counter since they look stylish, my Betty Crocker Junior cookbk from 5th grade in the pantry since it's a tried and true with its well worn pages!
3. Fave dinner: when I come home and my hubby is at the stove which happens a few days a week--in fact, I can write this because he made ravioli tonight. All I do is applaud!
4. Nuts & berries!
5. My dream kitchen is still tagged from the book I won from your giveaway awhile back---when I know where my eldest daughter is going to college and how much $$$$ it'll be, I am racing to the kitchen place to put my order in-haha!
***This was fun!
:0)
Tara
1. They are supposed to be clean and tidy ... and they start that way ... but always end up cluttered.
ReplyDelete2. I used a lot of the same recipes I grew up on ... tried and true.
3. Fave meal would be rare prime rib and mashed garlic potatoes ... probably because I don't eat as much meat as I used to ... so that is my fantasy.
4.either/both
5. I would love a painted, aged kitchen with beams above, slate below, an island a different colour than the cupboards ... ahhhh
Great idea, as always, Mary! You've got a beautiful kitchen, so full of charm.
ReplyDelete1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty?
Only filled with the "necessities".....coffe pot, toaster, knife block, crock full of utensils.
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again?
Oh heavens, no! I'm always searching on recipes.com and trying new Bon Appetit or Cooking Light recipes. We're "foodies", for sure!
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner?
Veal piccata over linguine; a nice salad tossed w/ homemade balsamic vinagrette (and a nice red wine, of course!)
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?"
More towards "meat and tatoes" but of a creative kind.
5. What would your dream kitchen look like?
I've got it; it's really nothing fancy but it has granite counters and a corner fireplace. We love it!
What fun!!
ReplyDelete1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? Oh no... I like lots of decor and then by the time I pick up the mail and leave it out for hubby to see and then since we receive mail for two of our sons.. their mail is always in a stack to sort... right on the counters. Ugh! Then I usually have a cookbook or magazine out. Then if I need to print something out, the printer will be there too... BUT that is all getting ready to change! Getting a new kitchen probably next week.
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again? Oh yes.. and I have them on my blog: sweet and tangy chicken, ground meat gravy over mashed potatoes... but then we eat a lot of salads with cut up chicken on top.
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner? Steak, baked potato salad OR just a meal of fried eggplant OR just a meal of corn on the cob OR just munch on fried shrimp OR Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?" - Meat and potatoes + VEGGIES!
5. What would your dream kitchen look like? Ash cabinets, black/coppery granite, cream colored stone backsplash.. new hardwood floors.. already installed. The rest will be installed beginning next week.
Karen
Ladybug Creek
You are such a rock star! 85 people!!! I love this photo...is this your kitchen? *swoon*
ReplyDeleteHere are my answers
1. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? In between...right now crowded since I have not cleaned up after lunch.
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again? Yes...I don't cooking much so I tend to do the same things again and again (it doesn't help that I have picky kids either!!!)
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner? Chicago style pizza
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?" Meat and potatoes all the way. I could so go for pot roast and potatoes right now!
5. What would your dream kitchen look like? Hmmm...I like a French rustic style. Something warm with stone and wood accents. I Would love to have a wood burning over to make pizzas in. Can you tell I like pizza...lol!
My kitchen counters are crowded, Mary, mostly because I have very little counter space.
ReplyDeleteRecipes? Well, I cook from taste and am willingly to try new ideas. As far as baking goes, I use anything of ease and tastiness.
Favorite dinner, you ask? Oh boy - now this is a decision question and I'm no good with that. I like so many things. Anything with chicken or salmon would win me over :)
Meat & potato's or nuts and berries? BOTH..definitely, I'm a well balanced girl.
Oh, my dream kitchen would be beauty to my eyes - not to the eyes of others, probably. I like the o'natural of stained wood walls, possibly tile floors, lots of cupboards and counters and definitely an island with lots of arm room :)
This was fun, Mary...thanks for asking us these.
Counters, not too crowded.
ReplyDeleteI don't do the cooking, usually. But when I do, I like to try new recipes.
My favorite dinner is the Thanksgiving meal. Or sushi. I love sushi.
Nuts and berries. I don't eat a lot of meat.
Dream kitchen? I don't have a dream kitchen.
. Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty? Very crowded!
ReplyDelete2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again? Yes, I love tried and true. I hate to spend a lot of time on something that may not turn out well.
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner? Bacon, lettace & tomato sandwiches!!
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?" Candy (oh, that wasn't a choice was it?)
5. What would your dream kitchen look like? I love my kitchen, but I'm thinking I might love yours even more!
laurie
Are your kitchen counters crowded or empty?
ReplyDeleteMonday they start off empty after they are all wiped down, by the end of the week, things have accumulated..I don't know how???
2. Do you have just a few recipes that you return to again and again?
Lots of tried and true, but willing to try something I think we will like.
The bench mark is , would I make it again?...
3. What is your absolute favorite dinner?
Good shrimp piccata over linguine...but I never met a good hamburger I didn't like!
4. Are you "meat and potatoes" or "nuts and berries?"
Meat and potatoes with a salad! No fish..don't like it..shellfish, yes!
5. What would your dream kitchen look like?
Big, with a maid attached.
I like my kitchen, but always see something I like better.
The best thing I did in my kitchen is to have 2 dishwashers..wonderful for holidays and company.
And I love my 6 burner commercial burners.
If I had an unlimited budget I would design one with drawers and cabinets for all my place mats, napkins etc. and dishes BUT, that's not going to happen!
Will someone share instructions on making the mosaics? I would love to be involved!
ReplyDeleteDena at
http://sweetpicklesandchocolate.blogspot.com
Dena, there is a link on my sidebar titled "How To Make a Mosaic". Just click on the picture and it will lead you to the page. :)
ReplyDeleteCounters are clean but crowded!!
ReplyDeleteI make a ;ot of pasta too...easy, fast and tastes good. : ) Salads are oh so good. I actially love a great steak but could live on soup and salad forever.
I was a Felix but live with 3 Oscars. So, to survive, I toned down my Felox vibe, added a bit of Oscar. Justto keep from going mad don;tcha know! : )
My dream kitchen? YOURS Mary. Truly. Even when we add the tole floor and new counters eventually, it will still always be too new looking and not charming. Your kitchen, your entire home, is exactly what I dream of...
Love,
Sue
Could I have had more typos in one comment?? Oy vey.
ReplyDeleteHi, I have my dream kitchen and it's on my blog if you wanna have a peek. It's called What's cooking in my Kitchen (080409). Love yours.
ReplyDeleteIn our retreat, they are a tiny bit crowded, and in our other place, they are pretty clear.
ReplyDeleteI have old standby recipes that I love, but I'm not afraid to try something new. Love Paula Dean... everything she cooks is delicious.
Grilled salmon with a bourbon glaze with steamed asparagus, English peas, and a wonderful baked sweet potato, preceded by a casear salad, and followed by a chocolate dessert, probably chess pie, (though I'm off sweets for the forseeable future).
Nuts and berries.
I love one kitchen, but if I could redo the other in our retreat I would. I would paint the cabinets white, put antique pulls on them, replace the counter with simulated granite (I have granite in one house and actually like formica because I have a lot of china and always worry that it will break on hard granite... a fear that's actually unfounded so far! ;-) In the other kitchen that is newer, I would replace the sink and have a farmhouse white sink, and I would replace the faucet... and I wish, wish, wish, I had hardwood floors in there. They are Mexican quarry tile, and they are murderous if you have to stand and wash dishes after a big party. We have hardwood in our retreat, a thousand times better.
XO,
Sheila :-)
crowded or empty? I like them uncluttered but I usually have a vignette here and there along with a toaster oven and coffee pot.
ReplyDeleteYes, I use the same old tried and true recipes mostly but am always on the look out for something that my husband and I would both like that is quick!
favorite dinner? One I don't have to cook, maybe chinese take out
"nuts and berries" but I do get hungry for meat and potatoes at times
?
dream kitchen - white cottage cupboards, kitchen farm house style sink, granite counter tops