Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Apartment Files: Kitchen Improvments

Major kitchen improvements.  I built an island and bought some stools and a rug.  This happened in March, but I just haven't been in a blogging mood.  [All about Instagram right now.  Its so fast and easy.]  It's made cooking and eating so much nicer. 
Then I replaced that West Elm advertising poster with shelves!  I've lost track, but this probably happened at the beginning of May.  Having my tea and spices above the stove freed up a lot of space in the limited cabinets.  Plus, it's much more convenient for cooking. 
As I feel the need to proclaim every time I post a picture of this apartment, that wall color is atrocious.  It seems to be very common for rentals down here near San Diego.  I see apartments on Craigslist all the time with the same weird yellow/green/beige.  Do landlords think it's "sunny and bright"?  Ugh, it's awful.  I really want to paint, but I also want to move.  I suspect I won't get around to either, but I day dream about it.
For scale, this is the view from the couch.  The bedroom door is just to the left of those Etsy prints.  Overall, I like how the apartment has come together.  The only thing still missing is art for over the bed... but that's another post.  This one is called kitchen improvements, and I'll stick to that.  Any kitchen improvements of your own lately?

Monday, June 11, 2012

Culinary Chronicles: Weeknight Supper

Can you tell that I feel like detoxing this week?  Last week I cooked a big pot roast and ate it for five straight days.  This is my dinner tonight.  Not a meat product in sight.  A variation on Heidi Swanson's Sushi Bowl.   Its good hot or cold, so it's an excellent thing to pack up for lunch tomorrow.
Followed by an Indian flavored chia pudding-- coconut milk, rosewater, cardamom and pistachios.
Have you tried chia pudding?  I like that it's non-cook and easily non-dairy, and low in sugar.  Make it chocolate and it's pretty good.  I'd like to try grinding the seeds in a spice mill for a smoother texture.  I've read that it works, but I haven't tried it.  As a frequent eater of real tapioca pudding, I'm not able to fool myself that the seeds are tapioca-like.  In my tiny kitchen this hasn't become enough impetus to buy another appliance, no matter that a spice mill is small.  (And for the record, even chocolate its not nearly as delicious as this dairy free pudding.  Seriously, use good chocolate and its hard to fail, but make a dessert with tofu-- easy fail.  That one is a win all around).