kitchen Archives - Page 12 of 29

Project: Kitchen Refresh | Lighting Option #4

Well friends, I think I’ve found the winner. My delightful sponsor Lamps Plus truly has endless options from which to choose, but I love Option #4 for all sorts of reasons, and I’d love it if you could weigh in!

{image via Decor Pad}

Made out of mouth-blown mercury glass, this Jamie Young St. Charles pendant has a classic, even slightly vintage charm but with a clean and modern edge. Rather perfect for the mix of modern and vintage that I’m after in my kitchen, and it’s trés reasonable making it even more appealing!

I do love the warm, vintage brass of Option #2 – it is sexy and chic, but I don’t want to break the bank restyling the kitchen to make it look right at home with all of my existing white metal. Option #1 is definitely sophisticated, but a bit too pricey for this little refresh project. And Option #3 is modern and graphic and to-the-point which I love. So what do you think? 1, 2, 3 or 4?

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|February 7th, 2013|2 Comments

Kitchen Wish List | The Urban Cultivator

From designers to foodies, today’s find is bound to get you seriously excited! I haven’t been this excited about a built-in appliance for kitchens since the Miele built-in esspresso maker and wine fridge. Well, there’s a new kid in town, ready to infuse any gourmet kitchen with a luxurious love of all things fresh and gourmet. I will seriously be dreaming about this one {neatly tucked into my butler’s pantry, of course} with nearly every meal I make from now on.

As you know, I love fresh herbs for cooking. Who doesn’t? From micro greens to fresh sprouts to the classics like cilantro, parsley and basil, any cook worth their weight in oregano would choose fresh over dried any day of the week. The challenge? Keeping them fresh in the fridge. How many times have you bought a bunch of fresh herbs only to find them limp and soggy when you pull them out to use them?

{image via Pinterest}

In response to this dilemma, we actually attempted to sprout our own herb garden from seed last summer. Let’s just say it was not exactly a huge success. We started out strong with some very exciting sprouts showing up under the lights and constant misting in the basement, but a few long weekends away and a couple of days of unexpected weather once they’d been moved outside and our dreams of organic, seed-sprouted herbs were dashed. We resorted to a few pre-grown pots and set our urban gardening dreams aside for the season.

Well, I’ve found the answer to all of our year-round herb-loving dreams. Friends, meet the Urban Cultivator.

The size of a dishwasher, the Urban Cultivator can be integrated into a fitted kitchen as a freestanding unit with a butcher-block top or easily built-in to any kitchen cabinetry design. This ingenious under-counter-sized greenhouse allows you to go farm-to-table without ever leaving home. Locavores take note: you can’t get much more local than this!!

{image via Urban Cultivator}

The Urban Cultivator – a proudly Canadian innovation – offers the latest and best hydroponic growing technology with pre-programmed optimal growing cycles. It is plumbed to water and hooked up to electrical just like a dishwasher, automatically controlling the light, fan and watering of your four-season, under-counter kitchen garden. Genius. Add to that the fact that fresh greens cut from your own kitchen greenhouse have twice the nutritional value of store bought greens and I am completely sold!

Not surprisingly, the commercial version of this innovative appliance is being integrated into high-end kitchens in restaurants and hotels across North America.

“You simply add 100% organic food once a week and your chosen bounty of fresh herbs and greens will be on their way to your plate. After growing the basics, you may wish to move on to more exotic fare and expand your culinary horizons.”

It’s the details that make me remember a meal. I still remember a stunning salad I once had that was finished with delectable little micro beet greens. The possibility of plating and finishing dishes in my own kitchen with that kind of detail practically makes me giddy.

Needless to say, I am salivating over the possibilities and now officially dying to design The Urban Cultivator into my next kitchen project! Hope you’re inspired to go fresh and local today! No doubt you’ll all be dreaming along with me of your own urban gardening adventures.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|February 5th, 2013|1 Comment

Foodie Friday | Coq Au Vin

The weather this week has had me all discombobulated. If today was at all like the weather from Wednesday I would be posting some kind of fresh and light salad in hommage to Spring {and Summer on its heels}! But February seems to have decided that it will indeed subscribe to winter’s expectations and be cold and white and wet. So, comfort food continues to be most prominently featured on the menu in my little kitchen these days.

I’m not sure if I’ve confessed this to you yet, but j’adore Paris. Architecturally I think it is one of the most elegant and visually stunning cities in the world. And the very next thing I think of once I have dreamily remembered the spectacular cityscape of limestone structures is {quite naturally} the food. Oh Paris. You sure know how to win a girl’s heart.

Today’s recipe is something of a working-girl’s rendition of Coq Au Vin. It’s elegant comfort food and pairs just beautifully with Cauliflower Purée and Carmelized Fennel.

COQ AU VIN

Coq Au Vin would more commonly be made with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, but I decided to use chicken thighs for a budget-friendlier version and we all loved the result! The dark meat is moist and tender and marries beautifully with the rich flavours of the wine, bacon and shallots. Our son was pacing the kitchen waiting for dinner to be ready when he caught a wiff of the gorgeous aromatic goodness coming from the oven!

THE INGREDIENTS
1/2 package reduced sodium bacon {sugar-free}
6 chicken thighs
6 shallots
2 cloves garlic
3 c. chicken broth
2 c. dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 c. dry red wine
Salt + pepper
Pinch of Herbes de Provence
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Cup4Cup flour

THE METHOD
Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour the chicken broth into a saucepan and bring to boil. Add dried shiitake mushrooms and reduce to a simmer. Roughly chop bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and brown in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels and strain off the fat from the pan, leaving just enough to brown the chicken. Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown on both sides.

While the chicken is browning, peel and quarter the shallots and chop the garlic. Once the chicken has browned, remove to a small Dutch oven or roasting pan. Next, add garlic and shallots to the sauté pan. Once the onions and garlic are translucent, add the red wine to de-glaze the pan. Add in the chicken broth and mushrooms and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, combine the butter and Cup4Cup flour and then add to the sauce and stir in to thicken. Finally, add the bacon back to the sauce and pour over the chicken in the Dutch oven or roasting pan. Roast in the oven for another 45 minutes.

CAULIFLOWER PUREE

THE INGREDIENTS
1 head cauliflower
1/4 c. or less of butter

THE METHOD
Steam cauliflower until tender and falls apart when prodded with a fork. Transfer to blender along with butter and purée. Finish with salt + pepper.

CARAMELIZED FENNEL

THE INGREDIENTS
2 bulbs of fennel
Large dollop of butter
1/4-1/2 c. chicken stock

THE METHOD
Using the same pan you used to create the sauce, add a dollop of butter over medium-high heat. Cut 2 bulbs of fennel into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices and brown on both sides. Once butter is absorbed, pour in just enough chicken broth to simmer without immersing the fennel. Cook down, flip the fennel and repeat until it is golden and caramelized. Finish with salt + pepper to taste.

As you know, I’m all about plating the food. It’s the little things, right? For this meal, I simply plated the cauliflower purée next to the fennel and then topped the cauliflower with the Coq Au Vin. Simple, hearty and satisfying.