The Big Move: Episode 8 The Big Reveal

Yes, it certainly has been a while since our last episode but guess what? The Big Move is complete and it's time for THE BIG REVEAL. We are done for the most part.  I guess the truth is the homeowner is really never done.

There's always something, right? Anyway, we are enjoying our new home immensely and in this episode I will give you a tour of the kitchen, show you some of the of the work we've been up to since we met last, share some final words of wisdom and then THE BIG REVEAL!!! Please comment and let me know what you think.  I think the final result is so Glo&Joe.  You'll see my art and Joe's music represented.  Then there's Mac. =^..^= These personal touches are what make a house a home.  Special THANK YOU for following our adventure we are so grateful to all the generous souls who contributed to making it happen.  Without further ado, THE BIG REVEAL

If you just happened to find my video, there are seven more on my YouTube channel. You can tag along with me, a South Florida kitchen and bath designer, as I, with my husband, transition from suburban family living to a cozy condo by the water. As new empty nesters, we're downsizing, minimalizing and taking a property with potential from sad to fab. Follow The Big Move series as I encounter all the choices and issues my own clients face from the other side!

Join me in my upcoming kitchen design workshops in 2018 if you're thinking about a new kitchen in the new year.  Email me at Gloria@ArtfulKitchens.net and I'll let you know the dates and locations.

Men In The Kitchen: The Family Guy

Meet Joe.  He’s our next subject in the Men in the Kitchen Series.  Joe is a typical suburban dad busy with the challenges of making a living and keeping two teenagers fed on a daily basis.  When he’s not doing that he works on song writing, recording and perfecting his impressive skill set on the guitar.  Joe’s other half has varied interests including a full time job in which she’s more often designing kitchens than cooking in them.  In addition, since Joe gets home from work first,  the task frequently falls to him.  Here’s what he had to say about being in the kitchen:KFL: How often do you cook and what is your specialty? Joe: I usually end up cooking 3-4 times a week.  I don’t mind the cooking, it’s the meal planning that’s the real challenge.  With two picky teenagers who, naturally, don’t enjoy the same cuisine, it’s rough.  Thankfully my wife will usually sit down at some point during the weekend and put together our menu for the coming week.  She uses the internet, old tried and true recipes and our favorite go to source, Cooking Light Magazine.  From this we make our shopping list ..  She usually cooks on the weekend but it falls to me on weekdays.  As far as specialties, I’m pretty good at whipping up a stir-fry with whatever happens to be around and I've been told my eggplant Parmesan is pretty awesome! KFL:  What are the top 3 tools you can't live without in the kitchen?Joe: I would say a large cutting board, a large skillet and that really good quality sharp knife that everyone seems to be mentioning.  I can prepare most things I cook with those three things.KFL: If you could change one thing about your kitchen, what would it be? Joe:  That’s and easy one, counter space!  When the wife and I cook together we do the dance, shifting back and forth to allow one another access to drawers, spices etc.  It’s difficult but I think we've gotten it down to a fine art.KFL:  How did you learn to cook?Joe:  I hate to say it, but I didn’t learn to cook until I got divorced.  My whole world changed in many ways including this one.  This is a good case of necessity being the mother of invention.KFL: Is cooking a pleasure or just a necessity?Joe:  Cooking can be a chore but I love to cook with my wife. As long as my better half handles the meal planning it’s not bad at all. Next up: An Astonishing Kitchen Transformation, I’ll Show You How We Did It.

Men in the Kitchen: Viva Las Vegas- Style!

The third in our series, Men in the Kitchen, takes us to Las Vegas to visit a professional pastry chef.  Before becoming a "professional man in the kitchen", Barry toiled away at a day job until he struck gold, an opportunity to go back to school and realize his dream of becoming a chef.  A graduate of the culinary school at The Art Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Barry landed a job a little over a year ago at the famous Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.  Thus it was Westward Ho for Barry, his girlfriend Karen and their little pooch Wink.   Now he is living the life he dreamed of and hopes one day to take his experience to Europe.  Behind all the glitz Barry's just a regular guy.  Here’s what he had to say:

 

KFL:  How often do you cook and what is your specialty?Barry:  I cook/bake/spin every day and my current specialty is Gelato, I am responsible for 17+ flavors that are made by hand on a daily basis and are served in over 6 different locations throughout the property.KFL: What are the top 3 tools you can't live without in the kitchen?First and foremost would be a sharp set of knives.  I personally use the brand Mercer.   They hold their edge for a really long time without having to resharpen. Second would be a good solid mixer with a minimum capacity of 20 quarts, (!) preferably the 60 quarts (!!) when making large quantities. Third would be, believe it or not, an offset spatula. This really is a wonder tool it's great for transporting items onto a banquet platter, decorating and smoothing out cakes, scraping chocolate off of molds when making candies, and everything in-between.  KFL:  If you could change one thing about your kitchen, what would it be?I would say that for both work and home I would like it to have more space but even if I got the biggest kitchen in the world it would still not be enough!KFL:  How did you learn to cook?I went to culinary school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  However, it's in my blood.   My grandfather owned a restaurant/bar in Philadelphia back in the 60's and 70's and my uncle has owned multiple restaurants and franchises for the last 30 years.  The men in my family are very familiar with the kitchen!KFL:   Is cooking a pleasure or just a necessity?Both, but more importantly a pleasure. It's a necessity because that's how I earn my living, but when you absolutely love what you do it's an extreme pleasure.  Next up: Men in the Kitchen Part IV: The Family Guy

Men in the Kitchen: The Gen "Y" Guy

This week's post in the series "Men in the Kitchen" features Graham, a twenty-something, Gen Y bachelor.  Graham currently lives in a rental apartment, works full time as an "expert" for Apple and is pursuing his Master's degree at Florida International University.  Admittedly, it doesn't give him much time to cook but he says it's something he'd like to do more of at some point.  Here's what he has to say about cooking from his own unique perspective:KFL: How often do you cook and what is your specialty?Graham: Pasta Bolognese, and I cook perhaps 2 times a week.  Since I don't have a lot of time for meal planning and cooking, I like to cook things that will give me leftovers for the rest of the week.  I enjoy pasta and it's perfect for that.

KFL: What are the top three tools you can't live without in the kitchen?Graham: Microwave oven, tongs,  and a good knife.  The microwave is a must for those leftovers I mentioned.  Tongs are the perfect tool for so many things from serving salad to pasta to cooking bacon.  Then a good knife is a no-brainer and I think that's going to make everyone's list! Another gadget I use a lot is my Sodastream.  If you like bubbles, this allows you to make just about any drink into soda.  It saves me money on beverages too. KFL: If you could change one thing about your kitchen, what would it be?Graham: I would update it!  Since I live in an apartment the style of the kitchen is a bit reminiscent of the 80's.  Though I'm also a product of the 80s, it's not necessarily what I'd like as my kitchen.  I can't update it but I add personal elements here and there to make it my own.  When I buy my own home, hopefully in the next 5 years or so, it will be important to me to have an open plan kitchen so I can interact with the rest of the house while I'm cooking. My current apartment does have a pantry which I'm loving.  My goal is to invest in some really nice containers so I can organize everything to keep food fresh.  Since I'm usually cooking for one, I end up storing a lot of opened ingredients.

KFL: How did you learn to cook?

Graham:  My parents and through video cookbooks.  My dad was a great cook, very inventive and then when my parents divorced my mom got more into cooking so there were some things I got from her too.  The biggest thing I remember my dad teaching me was to clean up as you cook!  Great advice I will never forget.  He also made the best chili which I am still trying to perfect.  I find video cookbooks to be a great source of inspiration.  Sometimes I follow them but I also use them as an incentive to come up with my own recipes. I use the Video Cookbook App on my ipad.  Allrecipes.com also has a video cookbook app that you can get for free on the iphone.

Williams Sonoma offers a whole line of ipad compatible smart tools for the kitchen.  You can read more about them here.

KFL:  Is cooking a pleasure or just a necessity?

It can be both, but that depends how I feel at the time.  If I am cooking for someone I enjoy it.  It's fun to try new things and test the results but sometimes I wish a home cooked dinner was waiting for me when I get home.  I still do get that from mom when I visit.

There you have it!  Interesting how cooking is being influenced by technology and now the digital world.  I guess it started with the microwave and today people are bringing their ipads into the kitchen!

Next up:  Meet Barry, a man who's cooking Viva Las Vegas style!