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The little kitchen that could…..

June 11, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 33 Comments

If you think you’re tired of waiting on this kitchen, imagine me—cooking a big heaping pile of onions at the exact same time the guys are installing that cabinet over the microwave. Saw dust was flying everywhere and I think the installer could hardly believe I was cooking right in the middle of it all. And I’m sure he could hardly believe I was already putting dishes away when he still had lots of work to do. I’m just a wee bit impatient. Just a tad.

So here’s where we are: lots of finishing work to do, countertops to be installed next week along with sink, dishwasher and hood.

I decided to go with subway tile so this is truly gonna be an all white kitchen. I can hardly wait. Actually, I’m not really waiting. I’m using this kitchen almost to its’ fullest already. I’m probably a pain to work with but let’s go: snap, snap. Get it done already!

and I FINALLY decided on knobs. Knobs can drive a girl insane. There are so many choices. I’ve looked at hundreds and hundreds of knobs. I finally settled on this 1 1/4 inch antique brass knob from The Lion’s Head. They are simple and clean and classic and exactly the color I was looking for. And my installer is happy that they are knobs and not pulls.

This whole process has been worse and at the same time not as bad as I thought it’d be. My new frig came and didn’t work but they finally got it fixed.

My hood came with a huge dent in it and had to be reordered from California. My pantry cabinet came with no shelves. All my plumbing and electrical have had to be redone. In short, my sanity is hanging on a wet spaghetti noodle. But I realize it’s all just a brief inconvenience and soon I’ll having a wonderfully functional, beautiful kitchen. In the meantime, the workers will just have to put up with my homeade jelly-making, onion-sauteing self until this is all done. I hope it makes ’em hurry.

In non-kitchen news, the girls and I are putting together a 500 piece puzzle on the rainy days and I’m re-reading G.K Chesterton’s Orthodoxy. I like to call him my favorite catholic (but really my favorite catholics are my wonderful catholic friends like Sue and Kim and Donia—who is coming to visit soon, btw!). He was an English writer and christian apologist in the early 1900’s and is often referenced by C.S. Lewis. He was a brilliant man which explains why I only understand about half the book my second (or third?) time through. But oh, is it worth a read. Just be patient and plow through it and you won’t be disappointed. Above mention catholic friends, who saw me reading Chesterton at swim practice, promptly made fun of my ‘summer reading’. Sorry, I don’t do chick lit and I will continue to have the night stand of a 40 year old seminarian!

Chesterton has a beautiful and refreshing way of seeing the world. And it has been just what the dr ordered during this trying remodel. He speaks of rationalists, who point to the mere repetition of things in the world as a sign of deadness; ie, the sun rising, the tides crashing, the monotony of life–day in, day out. He says,

The recurrences of the universe rose to the maddening rhythm of an incantation, and I began to see the idea….It might be true that the sun rises regularly because he never gets tired of rising. His routine might be due, not to lifelessness, but to a rush of life. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again.” For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It’s possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike, it may be that God makes every daisy seperately, because He has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be the theatrical ENCORE of heaven.

See, you should read it. Hope your weekend is filled with good books and plenty of good food and smooches!

Old Fashioned Griddlecakes

June 7, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 33 Comments

There’s a convoluted story behind these griddlecakes and before I give you the recipe—which you most certainly should try—I must tell you the story.

Remember these?

The tacky charming little wooden calendars that everyone had in 1985? You know the one that came with holiday-decorated wooden chips so that you could put an American flag up on July 4th and a pudgy little painted wooden Santa up for Christmas? Surely your mom had one. Perhaps you still do. {My profuse apologies if you love yours. Maybe they are kinda quaint.} But my sister and I used to ruthlessly poke fun at the one in my mom’s house. And we’d pretend to fight over who would inherit the wooden calendar. Except in true Appalachian style, we’d never say ‘inheritance’—-instead, we’d call it ‘my part’.

I’ve known since I was 10 years old what I wanted ‘my part’ to be so I began campaigning early for the cookbook that my mom used when she made griddlecakes.

I’d fake-fight for the calendar but I’d catfight anybody for the cookbook. My sister was not that attached to it thank goodness. And anyways, I had agreed to relinquish all rights to the calendar? Sacrificial love, ya know. I could make griddlecakes and she could put up the wooden St. Patrick in March.

It was several years ago when my mother officially gave me the cookbook and I remember it vividly. It was like a right of passage. I’m pretty sure I got verklempt. So I keep this very heavy, beautifully bound cookbook in my kitchen as a tribute to my mom and her griddlecakes. Of course, I’ve altered it slightly but it does make the best pancakes ever. And I love that they’re called griddlecakes. Because that makes me think of my mom in a blue terry cloth short set with a hood and a killer tan standing over a batch of these:

And now for the recipe.

2 cups of all-purpose flour

6 t. of baking powder (yes, 6!)

1 t. salt

2 T. Sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of milk

3 T. oil

Mix and ladle onto hot ungreased griddle. Cook until dry around the edges and golden brown on bottom and then flip and finish cooking. Enjoy!

Insanity Deconstructed

June 5, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 22 Comments

You know you’re insane when:
You insist on making strawberry freezer jam in the middle of a kitchen remodel.

—especially when your kitchen looks like this….

—and you’re bathroom sink is trying to pretend to be a kitchen sink……

—-and your kitchen sink, which is the most beautiful dreamy sink you’ve ever seen, is nowhere near ready to wash up strawberry jam making accoutrements

—and your stellar stove, which completes you and which has already cooked 4 or five times in two days and which is required for strawberry jam making, is not technically even hooked up yet.

But strawberries wait for noone.
And I may need to make a few more of these.
Or who knows, I may need a babysitter who can only be bribed with jam.
And insanity is not the worst thing in the world.

Amen.

2010 Dance Recital

June 2, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 27 Comments

The dance recital was a three day affair of girls and hairspray and lip gloss and pirouettes and giggles.

It really makes me wish I had been learning to dance when I was young instead of sporting a mullet and playing short stop. But let’s let bygones be bygones and hope I don’t turn into a ‘toddlers and tiaras’ mom.

The girls had a ball.

Their mommas (including Ms. Patty and Ms. Denise–whose daughters, Lexi and Tessa are fantastic dancers) had lots of time to fetch drinks and tights and random hair paraphernalia.

The dress rehearsal lasted all day so I brought my knitting and my book and my laptop.

I did not knit or read or surf the net.

Instead I just watched and enjoyed my girls enjoying themselves.

They were in a combined 9 dances. That’s a lot of costumes to keep straight.

I’ve told them from the beginning that if they want to do the other ‘fun’ dances, they have to keep taking ballet.

Finally, this year, they love ballet too.

We had several friends come watch including Ms. Kimmie, Anna, Sue, and Morgan.

It made the girls’ day to see their faithful supporters.

After an exhausting 3 days of pictures, rehearsal and recital, my girls were devastated when it was over and can’t wait ’til next year.

I’m the only one who seems to need a break.

This is a snippet of their Irish dance which they performed with the adult and teens Irish class. It was absolutely stunning onstage. It makes me wanna get up and clog or something.

And sometimes I do.

Be very afraid.

And you must watch this adorable dance to the Chipettes’ Single Ladies! Emme rocks a back handspring!

Happy 20th Birthday Taylor!

May 29, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 14 Comments

Those of you who’ve been following this blog for a long time know that my son Taylor graduated from high school last year. I chronicled that journey with him here and am so glad to have the memories recorded. I wrote about his band The Verity and about his antics with Andrew and even about my heartbreak as he left.

But time just marches on, doesn’t it? We try to slow down the years and capture the moments but they seem impossible to hold onto.

And today, he turns 20 and has finished his first year of college! I’m so happy to have him home even if it will be brief —–and I am so proud of him. He’s my firstborn—the compliant and helpful one, the overachieving uber talented one. And I am continually amazed at the fact that no matter how old he gets, he’ll always be my Taylor, my rock, my kind hearted little boy with a smile a mile wide.

Happy Birthday Tay!

Love you.

Mom

Strawberry Cake Recipe aka The best cake in the whole entire world!

May 27, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 36 Comments

As most of you know, I’m remodeling my new kitchen. Since my other house hasn’t sold, I left a LOT of my stuff in the old house so I don’t have to move it twice. When I needed to make a cake for a dear friends’ birthday, I lamented the fact that my cake decorating supplies were still in my turquoise kitchen. So, I improvised and as it turns out, I think this is the best cake I have ever made. I know I know, you’re feeling like I’ve ditched mocha cake for the tantalizing seduction of fresh strawberries. Emme thinks it’s just because I’m on this high protein diet that I think it’s so good. What does she know? She’s only 9 and likes Justin Biebers’ music.

Never mind the fact that I can be a little dramatic. This is without a doubt the best strawberry cake recipe I’ve ever made. Period.

Here’s what I did. I baked a white boxed cake in two 9 inch pans. I baked those per box directions. Then I mixed 3 sticks of butter with one stick of Land O’Lakes margarine. Do not, under any circumstances, substitute just any ole margarine. You must use Land O’ Lakes and if you don’t, I can’t be held responsible if you don’t think this is the best cake you’ve ever eaten. Next, add 2 pounds plus 2 cups of powdered sugar and 2 T. of milk. Add the sugar slowly and mix as you go. Alternate the milk so that you don’t end up with powdered sugar all over your face. Then—and here’s the key to the perfection—-add 1/2 cup of homeade strawberry freezer jam. If you don’t have HSFJ then you must make some. Strawberries should still be fresh and easy to get and just follow the directions on the sure-jell box to make the jam. Besides being the best jam you’ve ever eaten and the best cake you’ve ever eaten, your sister will offer to keep your kids for the weekend just for a jar of the stuff. I promise.

Now, add the jam to your icing along with a pinch of salt. Take a deep breath and then taste it. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Just relax. You’re not dreaming. It really tastes that good. Now, spread this fluffy dream of heavenly perfection onto your cake, add a layer of fresh strawberries between the layers, and then have your cute little 9 year old make strawberry flowers for you. If you’re feeling particularly nostalgic about your 4th grade memories, you can pipe LYLAS onto the cake using a ziploc bag.

And that, my friends, is how I made the best tasting cake in the whole entire world without my cake decorating supplies.

p.s. I went to all this trouble to write this post for you stat because I want you to have time to make it for Memorial day—and I really do LYLAS!

(love ya like a sister)

pss. I’ve lost almost ten pounds on the Ideal Protein Diet. I’m taking the weekend off for Memorial Day and have every intention of making this cake to eat all by myself for my family. I ate a small sliver of it today and almost hyperventilated. It will not disappoint.

psss. I know, 2 posts in one day. Don’t faint but that’s how urgent it is that you make this cake.