Though we'd been making our waffles from scratch for a while, somehow the lure of opening a box of Dr. Oetker's was strong, as it seemed so much easier to muster in the morning than starting from scratch. Why not mix up my own, I thought, so I could just unscrew a jar of dry ingredients, mix up the wet and voila! I purchased the basics and set about making my own mixes.
Before long, Jules joined me and ended up mixing nearly all of them herself! We had a great time in the kitchen together, and she's so thrilled when we use the mix she made. Although it really was just a few basic ingredients in the mason jars, cutting out that one step does seem easier than scratch. Slowly but surely, we're breaking away from our dependence on grocery chains. We've recently joined an organic coop, which should make getting the staples I can't buy locally even easier, and buying in bulk not only means money saved on the food items but also translates into less gas used, less money spent on gas and transport, and less money into the Giant corporation. Woohoo!
Though we'd been making our waffles from scratch for a while, somehow the lure of opening a box of Dr. Oetker's was strong, as it seemed so much easier to muster in the morning than starting from scratch. Why not mix up my own, I thought, so I could just unscrew a jar of dry ingredients, mix up the wet and voila! I purchased the basics and set about making my own mixes.
Before long, Jules joined me and ended up mixing nearly all of them herself! We had a great time in the kitchen together, and she's so thrilled when we use the mix she made. Although it really was just a few basic ingredients in the mason jars, cutting out that one step does seem easier than scratch. Slowly but surely, we're breaking away from our dependence on grocery chains. We've recently joined an organic coop, which should make getting the staples I can't buy locally even easier, and buying in bulk not only means money saved on the food items but also translates into less gas used, less money spent on gas and transport, and less money into the Giant corporation. Woohoo!
7 comments:
Danielle, hi! I really like this idea of making your own mixes. I've never done this myself, but now, I may just have to try it. Thanks for posting these pictures too. Very nice.
nice kitchen.
"nice kitchen."
lol Thanks! It kinda blows my simple living street cred out of the water, doesn't it?
The kitchen sold us on the house, though what you see is a renovation. We looked and looked for an old farmhouse while househunting—our dreamhouse was an old Queen Anne that we could slowly restore. No such luck.
We ended up with a brown brick ranch house built in '94. But, not only did it have great kitchen space, it also had a 3 stall barn and existing electric tape fencing around the pastures.
We kept the existing oak cabinets, but replaced the island and the mauve laminate countertops. The old island is now downstairs serving as the kids' and my art center, and it's awesome! I really wanted a natural countertop in the kitchen, so we went with a low-end granite, and I upgraded my appliances and added a second oven.
We were able to reuse all but a very little bit of counter top where the sink was set in. We reused cabinets downstairs and in the garage and gave away our old appliances to a couple local families who really needed them.
We've tried to be really mindful about the choices we've made. But, yeah, I have a really great kitchen! Cooking in it is a joy, and it's really wonderful to be able to bake bread in one oven and cook in the other.
Hi again Danielle! I noticed the nice size of your kitchen too, and I really like it. My family and I have a relatively large kitchen compared to others in our suburban neighborhood, but we still feel that it isn't big enough for all our needs. So my husband and I are planning to build a second kitchen some time, hopefully in the next couple of years. We currently use our two-car garage as an additional pantry area. We have a second refrigerator and freezer in there, as well as an extra oven and wall-to-wall cabinetry for keeping various cookware and supplies. But we also store our fishing boat (a jon boat) in there, so it's not quite right yet. In the meantime, it will have to do.
danielle,
i certainly wasn't judging you in any way. i was just appreciating your kitchen. we love our kitchen too. simple living is much easier with a nice kitchen. unprocessed foods need to be prepared somewhere. our kitchen is our hub of activity and is the most completed room in our house.
Nah, I didn't think you were judging me. Just calling myself on my own conflicting feelings! ;)
Ophelia—my dream kitchen would include a hearth! If I could find the space, I would so love to have a hearth with a bread baking oven on the side!
I find that the saddest part of contemporary kitchens—the lack of warmth and fire.
We're considering putting in a small pot-bellied stove in the corner of our kitchen. Not quite a hearth, but closer, and great for boiling water for tea and press-pot coffee, among other things.
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