Thursday, May 29, 2008

in search of the perfect kitchen

this is hard. really really hard. what do we want? do we even want the same? what shape should it be? colors? materials?
in the search of the perfect kitchen, i've found some blogs and books that are definitely worth looking at, if you're designing a kitchen for your place.

the kitchen designer
design hole online
dwell's kitchen blog
kitchen design notes
pardon our dust

i hope you feel as inspired as me! and i'll let you know when we settle on a design, of course!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

carrie´s apartment

so, we've been moving around quite a bit - and since i love decorating new places, i usually have a lot of fun. the internet is a great source, so is interior design magazines and my terence conran books.
i am a big fan of sites like design*sponge & apartment therapy.
but somehow i always end up on the tour of carrie's apartment. i don't know what it is exactly - i'm not a big fan of dark wooden furniture or long curtains or carpets. but i just really like the perfect balance of masculinity and femininity, the way the apartment looks "lived in". i am european by all means when it comes to interior design, but still.. there's something magical about carrie's place.
i don't know exactly what the magic is, but i'm trying to figure out, so i can bring a little of it to our new apartment. it is now we have all of the possibilities, since we're building the inside from scratch - the waterpipes, the electricity, the floors, the walls, the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, livingroom - so this time we're gonna go all of the way, and make it OUR place - cause it's gonna be exactly that. there is definitely something calming about not having to worry about having to move again for a lot of years - we can live there forever if we want.
so right now our current place is filled with interior design magazines, kitchen catalogs, books, pictures, drawings - and even though it can be stressfull, it's a hell of a lot of fun!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Banana-Ginger Bread Muffins

this recipe is delicious. it's my version of this recipe by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
i've halved the recipe, changed some of the ingredients, but stayed true to the most important things, to make sure I keep the delicious texture.

1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 overripe banana
1 cup flour
1/3 tsp baking soda
2-3 tbs soymilk
a splash of apple cider vinegar (about a teaspoon)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon gingerpowder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

mix flour, baking soda and spices in a medium bowl.
in a big bowl, mash the bananas. add oil, sugar, soymilk and vinegar.
sift the flourmixture into the wet stuff, and mix it until it looks pretty well mixed. it will have lumps of banana, but don't worry, it's delicious!
if you want to add in some nuts or dried fruits or chocolate, this is the time to do it.
you can change the spices, for other delicious banana breads.

spoon the dough into muffin liners, fill it about 2/3.
bake for 20-25 mins. when done, take out and let cool.

if you want them to be extra yummy and sweet, give then some chocolate ganache or some ginger glaze, for that delicious sugar high.

let me know what you think about it!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

we just bought a condo!

woohoo! it's amazing. the place is pretty small and trashy, so every waken moment in the next three months will be dedicated to making this place cool.
you guys know what this means? -NEW KITCHEN. new kitchen. new kitchen! we've been out looking at kitchens, comparing prices, designs, measuring, calculating, designing, and we're going out again tomorrow. it's pretty hard, bit really exciting.
so basically what we're doing with the place;
ripping off old floors. putting all sorts of installations in the floor. ripping out the old toilet. putting on new wooden floors. building new bathroom, with plenty of room and great looking tiles. building new kitchen. building new bedroom. making the floors in the livingroom look nice. paint paint paint.

this is gonna be awesome. i promise to post pics as soon as we get the key. the last paperwork is being done now, so it will be any day now.


on a whole other note; the boy is going away for six months. to live on a whole other island. six months. away. he's gonna be a fireman and oil cleaner as his military service (at least you get the option of doing something pacifistic).
did i mention; SIX MONTHS!? i hate it, but we just gotta make it work. at least i have a new apartment that will need to be lived in, so i am probably gonna have lots of dinner parties, lots of sleep overs, lots of friends just coming to hang out in my cool new kitchen. but day-um i am gonna miss his cute smile! he's hopefully gonna come home almost every weekend, but there will be some hard days for sure. we've been living together for almost three years. he's leaving in the start of august. at least i will have a lot more time to blog, post food porn, make delicious food and post recipes.

i better get going now, my friend is hanging out on the couch, reading, and i really shoud be a better friend. hopefully i'll get more into this blogging thing soon.