learning

Last night I took myself on a great date. A while ago someone told me about 1300 on Fillmore and I have wanted to go for over a year. Last night, I finally got tired of waiting and took myself. Since the menu has a hint of southern I started with bourbon, neat. It went wonderfully with my cornbread with sweet jalapeno jelly and the freshwater shrimp hushpuppies I ordered as my appetizer. The only thing that could make a hushpuppy better is some delicious shrimp. I ordered that maple syrup slow braised short rib with buttermilk chive mashed potatoes which paired excellently with the glass of meritage that I ordered. I devoured the whole thing. Time for the dessert menu. It was a quick selections since the first item was strawberry-rhubarb cobbler. I, of course, had to order a glass of late harvest zinfandel from Rosenblum to go with it. The cobbler arrived the smell of the topping was smelled so great I almost didn't want to eat it. It was all so amazing.
One of the interesting parts about taking yourself out to dinner is the looks that you get from the other people in the restaurant. The part I wasn't used to was that attention from the dining room manager. He came over to introduce himself and I think I had 3 other servers stop by and make sure I was doing okay. I don't know if they thought I was a critic or just felt bad for me that I was eating dinner alone on a Friday night. I like to imagine that they wished they had the nerve to do it. At the end my ever attentive waitress brought the check and said "I have to tell you that everything you ordered is exactly what I would have ordered. I love the short rib and the meritage is my favorite. Great minds think alike." I of course tip her well above the standard amount. After dinner I went to the Kabuki and watched Exit Through the Gift Shop. They have 21+ showings that allow you to have a glass of wine while watching the movie. It really was a wonderful evening.

Every time I do this I learn more about who I am. What I learned last night is that I am strong enough on my own to do anything. I have known for a while that I don't need someone or anything to complete me, but last night it became even more clear. It has been a long week of big decisions, self doubt and fear. Something about making a huge life decision sets a lot of emotions rolling all at once. Last night was exactly what I needed to remind me that I can do anything and that I am not scared of much.

not your average girl

Ladies, raise your hand if you planned your wedding when you were a teenager, or and adult, while you tried to fall asleep at night. I was never with you. I was busy planning and decorating my dream house. I was always a little different I guess. Never appreciated that while I was decorating my dream home but I have learned to embrace it. I still plan my dream home when I have trouble falling asleep. With my hobbies there is only really one important room in my house. I could buy a house that needed work and renovate one room and make do with everything else. Of course it is the kitchen. While watching a home improvement show they mentioned that improvements to the kitchen are where you get the most value when reselling. Hope whoever buys my house likes my style. I could never have a plain jane or fancy high end kitchen just to get more value. My kitchen will have to be comfortable and make me want to never leave.

First, I must have a very specific floor. black and white checkerboard

As long as I have been planning this house I have known that I want this floor in my kitchen.  I just love the way this floor looks in a kitchen. Every time I see a kitchen with this floor it makes me want to sit at the kitchen table, drink coffee and eat muffins while I read the morning paper.

 
Now that the floor is in place how about some kitchen cabinets...
All white cabinets with some ribbed glass doors. I think my Fiestaware will look pretty nice behind those ribbed glass doors. There will have to be some solid doors because some things should be left to the imagination. Of course there will need to be a large area of open shelves for my cookbook collection.

Now that storage is in order I think it is time to move on to counter tops and one of my other must have pieces, the sink.

In the last few years I have fallen in love with the look of the farmhouse sink. I like how the front breaks up the cabinets. My current sink is a double sink and I can't fit my pans flat in the bottom. It is also so shallow that i get sprayed with water if I miss judge things wrong. I want that deep, large sink.  Counter tops are a little tricky. It has to be granite, but what color is the challenge. I am leaning towards black for the strong contrast it will give to the all white cabinets. Though the black might take away from the look of my favorite kitchen appliance, my red kitchenaid mixer. Guess it doesn't all have to be planned out now. The other thing I am still divided on is the back splash. Tile all around the kitchen or just behind the stove where it would make cleaning easier. If is tile should it be a solid color or a colorful pattern? Maybe some nice wainscoting behind the sink that really gives that farmhouse retro feel to kitchen. Without having these answers I will still have something to plan on my next sleepless night. One thing that I know I don't have to keep thinking about is that appliances. Obviously, I cook a lot so I need appliances that have all the modern conveniences, but stainless steel appliances aren't going to look right. Luck for me there are companies out there that have solved this problem for me. Modern appliances with a retro look...

Just looking at them makes me what to get into the kitchen are start whipping something up. When it is all finished I can serve it on the only appropriate table...