Moving in...

We've finally moved into our new kitchen (and new house) just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. This year, I'm giving thanks for a husband who can do fine things with wood!

Chicken in my Kitchen

Finally, the chicken mosiac leaves its cardboard box under my bed and finds its rightful place on my new kitchen wall. That's Clayton Underwood doing the tile work.

So here's the story behind the chickens: Several years ago, I saw a chicken mosiac at the Saskatchewan Craft Council's swank invitation-only art show. (Yes, I snuck in.) I loved the chicken mosaic so much I decided, after some deliberation, to buy it. To my horror, someone else had bought it in the meantime.

Turns out, it was my friend Janis Cousyn. So, I contracted the artist to make another mosiac for me. Unlike Janis's, mine includes some baby chicks (so I like mine better!). Anyway, Janis installed her chickens in a kitchen reno a couple of years ago, while mine languished under my bed.

No more. This week the mother hen is standing proud. Now if I could just get the plumbers to put in the gas line so I can install the new stove...

PS: If you're interested, the mosiac was made by Arbie Kepler of Saskatoon 306-244-8625.

I hate shopping...

...But today I finally bought a stove and fridge for my new house. Here's the stove, from the General Electric Cafe series.

(That's not my kitchen -- the picture is from the GE website. Below is my kitchen.)

My New Kitchen

We've decided on a cherry kitchen with stainless appliances. At first, I thought we should have a "blonde" kitchen -- maple, preferably. That light Scandinavian look. But John had a stack of cherry just waiting for a project, and now that I see it materializing, I do like the look.

Cherry goes best with black or stainless appliances (not white), but I felt black was too dark for the room. Like a big sinkhole of light. So stainless it is.

My New Kitchen

It's time to introduce my new kitchen to the world. The house was built this summer and we are now at the point of making some crucial decisions about the kitchen. That's my husband John in the tool belt. And here's the view from my new kitchen window. (John built that garage, too.)

This is the first timberframe house in Saskatoon - we know that because we had such a hard time getting a building permit. But all's going well now. Estimated move in day is sometime in May.













The big questions now are: do I want gas or electric, convection or not, black or silver, cherrywood or maple?

Down comes the house - PORK RAGOUT WITH FENNEL SEEDS

Rosie's house came down yesterday. In honour of our old friend, I cooked a Czech dinner (Rosie was of Czech ancestry and it was her first language, eventhough she was born in Saskatchewan.) Now that we have a big hole in the ground we can start building our new house.

For years I'm been bugging John to redo my kitchen. He builds gorgeous kitchens for "clients," an elite group of people of which I am not a member. But all that nagging has paid off. Not only do I get a new kitchen, I get a whole new house!


Pork Ragout with Fennel Seeds
(Adapted for local ingredients from The Cooking of Vienna’s Empire, Time-Life Books)

2 lbs. pork cut into cubes
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 1/2 cups meat stock
1 cup thinly sliced morel mushrooms

Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper. Melt the butter on medium heat, add the onions and sauté until soft. Stir in the pork and lightly brown. Sprinkle with the flour and fennel seeds and stir together well. Cook on low heat for several minutes, stirring to prevent the pork from sticking. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Turn to low, add the mushrooms, cover and simmer 1 hour. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve on buttered noodles.