I spent yesterday afternoon scrubbing the stovetop. A sparkling clean stovetop is a wonderful thing. The down side is that I'm reluctant to cook and mess it up. But a clean stovetop does nothing to relieve hunger pains, so chicken is simmering in the red pot.
The final dish will be chicken and dumplings - a new recipe I'm trying. My grandmother's chicken and dumplings were wonderful. I remember watching her roll out the dough to make strip dumplings in her cozy West Virginia kitchen. I wish I had her recipe, but I don't. The recipe I'm using calls for canned biscuits that are rolled thin and cut in strips. I hope they will be at least almost as good as Mema's. We'll see.
I have a new kitchen faucet, installed by my handy husband. It's a beautiful thing, and I'm sort of glad the old one wore out - although the price tag on new faucets is staggering. (It's been a while since we bought a kitchen faucet.) The brushed stainless finish on the new faucet doesn't seem to show water spots. And I was really pleased to find that I have much better control over the water flow than I did with the old faucet.I just discovered the online magazine, The New Noblewoman at www.newnoblewoman.com. The editor, Amanda Millay, offers lots of interesting articles that instruct and inspire on various subjects from how to get out of a car gracefully to how to brew the perfect cup of tea. There's a recommended book section. There are tips about beauty, fashion, and home decorating - all traditional and classic. It's the Jane Austen lifestyle brought up to date. I've frequented The Art of Manliness online magazine at www.artofmanliness.com for quite a while and have often wished there was a female counterpart. Thanks to Amanda Millay, there is!
My letter rack is full of letters and post cards that need to be answered, and a chilly gray day is the perfect time. But right now I'm off to check on the chicken and try my hand at dumplings.
4 comments:
my, you have had a busy morning
I've been spending this wet, gray day inside, too.... catching up on filing in my paper-strewn home office.
Years ago, when I was sprucing up my old trailer on the cheap, I gave the kitchen an entirely different look for under $100 just by painting the cabinets, putting up beadboard & brick paneling to cover the dated wallpaper, and changing out the faucet on the kitchen sink. While everyone marveled at the new look, what I enjoyed most was the function of the new faucet. I remember thinking how that was the best $26 I had ever spent.
Flash forward to building a new house post-hurricane in 2010. I thought the contractor's estimate of $2,000 for plumbing was, well.... plumb ridiculous. How could plumbing possibly be that expensive? Then I found out that that budget was for fixtures only and I almost keeled over and fainted when I saw the prices on fixtures these days! I had to really struggle to stay under $2,600 for fixtures!
I opted for brushed stainless, too, and I have never regretted that little splurge. I LOVE my kitchen faucet! I detest doing dishes, but with the right equipment, it doesn't seem like a chore.
What amazed me most is that any finish other than standard chrome is nearly DOUBLE the price. You know what? I've been in many grand, magnificent and meticulously-appointed homes, and I never really noticed the plumbing fixtures. So much for the hype that "fixtures make a statement." Dennis and I laughed just yesterday when we realized that the only "bold look of Kohler" in my house is the laundry room sink--just the sink, not the faucet! (I've been giving him pointers as he tries to decide whether to renovate or bulldoze his old house.)
I'm glad you're enjoying your new faucet. But never forget the real deal--the guy who installed it. I wish I had one of those on tap!
Hey, BellaFitz -
One of these days I'm going to stop by for a tour of your new digs. But I still have fond memories of your well decorated trailer before Gustav blew through.
Yes, Anonymous (A.K.A. hubby), I have been busy. Glad you enjoyed the chicken and dumplins!
Post a Comment