Enhancing Summer with Upgraded Kitchens

Generally, this conjures up thoughts of relaxation, slow times and images of a comfortable patio, perhaps even a swimming pool.

Reality is often different. Summer for us just means more things to do, more places to go. A favorite vacation time, with the kids off from school or just some time to travel while the weather is nice. I get it and am all for it. We need time away to re-create ourselves. These times often rejuvenate our efforts at home and at work.

Something to consider is in between vacation times – the daily grind, so to speak. Wouldn’t it be great to have someplace where we can go each day for even a snippet of re-creating ourselves? In our home, there are so many opportunities to have that happen and have it happen just for us. A place for our children, our spouse and ourselves.

Consider the opportunities that exist in our home… our kitchen, master bath, den, garage and, of course, the outdoors! Over the next few months we hope to look at the possibilities each has to offer the weary moments we all experience.

This time, let’s start with the kitchen. Often a hub of activity within any family, our kitchens also offer an outlet for our creativity and afford us an opportunity to show others how much we care through a well prepared meal or even a snack. Motionless rest is not the only way to rejuvenate ourselves. By creating something to share, we often find that process re-creating is as well.

I will share a simple thing we do at home every weekend, and that is making a lunch my wife and I share with each other. One of our favorites is a homemade bruschetta. We start with the mixer stored in one of our roll out cabinet shelves (we love those things). Insert the ingredients for the bread and let the machine mix the contents to just the right consistency while we share a cup of coffee. Taking out our wooden baking board stored in a vertical cabinet next to our refrigerator, we remove the partially kneaded knot of dough and hand work the rest of the kneading process. We think this makes for a finer consistency in the bread that we will use as the basis of our bruschetta.

Now we pause for a few hours while the dough comes to life. Usually we will slice some strong English cheddar about 1/16^th inch thick to put on each slice of bread. The bread is about ¼” thick. Now the fun part comes with the toppings. Some are harvested from our herb garden just outside the kitchen door on our patio. Some come from the dried spice drawer that holds all those different sized spice bottles. Some come from the pantry right off the shelves and, of course, from the fruit and veggie section of our refrigerator. The best part is mixing flavors. We will make a strip or two of bacon sometimes, mist that with a chipotle sauce, or mix fresh basil, tomatoes, garlic and a little cumin with olive oil and sweet balsamic vinegar as a topping. The creative part comes from daring to be bold with flavors.

All this happens in our kitchen. Sometimes with the grandkids running around, sometimes with friends and sometimes just by ourselves. Lo and behold, our kitchen just became a place to refresh our spirit.

We remodeled our kitchen to serve as the hub of our home. Tight, cramped spaces, out-dated storage, and little counter space were replaced with room for both my wife and me to work where we can support each other without getting in the way. Every kitchen deserves to be a place of rejuvenation.

Happy Cooking! QCBN

By Tom Reilly