kitchen tour: alosha’s kitchen/white on rice couple
Are you ready for your weekly dose of blogger kitchens? We are now entering week 4 of the tour and both of the kitchens featured this week are located in sunny, Southern California. While I don’t really miss the kitchens I had in So Cal, I certainly miss all of the fine produce and access to awesome ethnic foods, and that weather (as long as it didn’t get too hot)… ANYTHING grows in that weather! In contrast, I had a little victory of my own this week when I planted some mint in my window sill. Did I mentioned we’re supposed to get 3-7 inches of snow today?
blog: Alosha’s Kitchen
blogger: Melissa
location: Orange County, California
house: apartment, 35 years old
kitchen footprint: 12′x12′ (estimate)
photos: all photos of Alosha’s Kitchen are courtesy of Melissa
Our first stop is Alosha’s Kitchen where Melissa chronicles her culinary journeys from her apartment kitchen. I first became aware of her blog when she was picked on by the giant machinery that is Cooks Illustrated (America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Country) and the food blogging community rallied behind Melissa. [Personally, I am rather underwhelmed by their Chinese recipes.] What I love about Melissa’s cooking is that she is learning and exploring and sharing with others – it’s what makes cooking so fun. What I love about Melissa is that she has a lot of heart.
Tell me, what is your motivation for cooking?
Two reasons. One is that it’s a challenge for me. Cooking doesn’t come easily for me and until a year and a half ago when I started my blog, I knew very, very little. So it keeps my brain busy because I get to learn new things and expand my horizons almost every day. The second reason is for our health. Eating out every day or getting fast food just isn’t an option. I won’t put that junk into our bodies. So cooking means I am taking care of us.
enter the kitchen
How much time do you spend in your kitchen?
An hour or two per night usually, whether that’s making dinner or making lunches for the next workday. On the weekends, I’ve been trying to make more time-intensive meals. So that can mean 3 or 4 hours in the kitchen, making a soup in addition to a more complicated recipe for dinner. That’s if I’m lucky though. I work a lot, including overtime on the weekends, and I don’t spend as much time in there as I would like because of that.
Melissa had expressed some nervousness about showcasing her kitchen. Afterall, she told me, it’s a tiny apartment kitchen. But I reassured her that there are so many apartment kitchen cooks out there – and I had my fair share of apartment kitchen cooking until I was 34! When I got her pictures, I nearly fell out of my chair – I would have loved such a nice space when I was living in apartments. She is pragmatic about her kitchen and also keeps things incredibly tidy, another big plus in my book.
the range
…I just try to make the best use of the small amount of space I do have and only buy the appliances I find essential and pantry items as I need them. The biggest help I get is not from kitchen items, it’s having my computer. Since I can only have the one bookshelf, I have to be very choosy about which cookbooks I buy and they’re more for ideas and foodgawking. Truly, my fellow food bloggers are my biggest source of education, so without my computer nearby, I don’t know what I’d do.
I use my laptop in the kitchen all the time for reference too. I’m just scared that one day I’m going to accidentally put a knife through the screen!
cookbooks
Tell me what you like about your kitchen, Melissa:
That it’s open on both sides so I don’t feel boxed in. I’ve never had an apartment where I had the kitchen open up on two sides like that. And I love how uncluttered it is. The great part about having the kitchen open into the dining area is that I can have my girlfriends sit at the table while I cook and we can chat at the same time.
the dining area
Oh, nice dining set. I can imagine your friends hanging out there while watching you cook them a fantastic meal! Do you have a favorite gadget or appliance?
My Dutch oven, though not a proper Dutch oven, is my favorite thing. It’s the only really large pot or pan I own, and if I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t be able to make many stews, soups, braised dishes, etc. So it’s been a real gem.
serveware storage and her favorite cook pot
Because I’m OCD, I know where every little item is in my refrigerator, cupboards, pantry. Jeremy could be staring straight at a jar of salsa in the refrigerator and tell me that he can’t find any salsa. So I’m always curious to know if other cooks are like me (OCD). How about you?
Down to the last item, just about. My refrigerator and pantry are – you guessed it – small, so I only buy as I need things and I keep track of what’s there very easily. Also, my freezer is basically empty. I should probably make more use of it aside from storing stock or bones, but I like buying what I need day to day.
spices, dried goods, cook utensils
I’m guessing this isn’t your dream kitchen, but how do you feel about it?
I don’t like it, but I don’t dislike it. It serves its purpose and the way I see it, I will always look back on this space as the one where I started cooking. For that reason, I imagine I will attach a sense of nostalgia to it in the years to come. I would love to have a sleek, spacious kitchen with a pots and pans rack, plenty of cabinet space for all kinds of baking gadgets and other appliances, an island, two ovens. We’re actually planning to buy a house in about a year, and one of the top reasons is because having a dream kitchen is one of my two biggest goals I want to meet in the near future. I can’t wait.
So where do you shoot most of your blog photos?
At my dining room table. And you would think I’d be able to get some natural light from the patio behind it, but our apartment is one of four on our street that’s on a corner where the patio has a brick wall built about 6½ feet around it to help support an arched walkway. The privacy is great, the lack of light is not. Thank goodness for a decent camera. And Google Picasa!
where the photos are taken : melissa unloads the greens
Thank you so much for inviting us into your kitchen, Melissa. Best of luck on the house-hunting (good hunting, as they say in BSG – except you aren’t hunting cylons…). I look forward to seeing your dream kitchen some day!
**********
We don’t have to travel far to get to the next kitchen as we remain in that paradise of Southern California. Just up the road (so to speak) are two of my favorite bloggers. Jeremy and I had the pleasure – the honor – of meeting Todd and Diane in person last summer. They treated us to the very best meal we have ever enjoyed at a friends’ house. Oh, and their house? Oh my god! I think I just walked around the whole time saying, “Wow!” and “Oh my god!”
blog: White on Rice Couple
bloggers: Todd and Diane
location: Southern California
house: 1950’s tract home
kitchen footprint: 12′x12′ – 144 sq. ft
photos: all photos of the White on Rice Couple kitchen are courtesy of Todd and Diane
The first thing that happens when you enter the White on Rice Couple house is Dante sniffs your crotch. The next thing that happens is Sierra wants you to toss her toy. The pups are an integral part of the White on Rice Couple kitchen – they make sure everything is in good order.
dante and sierra peeking in
As you may or may not know, people in California are spoiled rotten. I can vouch for this, because I spent 10 years in So Cal. Residents have fruit trees in their yards, they eat outside year-round, and no one has ever heard of a rain date. But Todd and Diane are not typical. As Jeremy said to me, “Those two have taken full advantage of everything their climate and location has to offer.”
looking toward the side door (sierra for scale and cuteness)
What I love about Todd and Diane’s kitchen (well hell, the whole house!) is that every bit of it was designed with thought and purpose, by them. These two fun-loving and practical people have created this space with their own
Welcome to our little sanctuary in the middle of the urban jungle. Seven years ago, we bought this house from the original owners. It was a bit neglected and worse for wear, but underneath was a diamond waiting to be polished. And that’s what we’ve been doing since.
where the action is (dante and sierra for scale and cuteness)
We started outside designing and building a garden that was meant to be eaten. The garden is our extended kitchen. We have two doors that lead to the garden, which makes it convenient to gather herbs, fruits and vegetables. It has become our second pantry with over 30 fruit trees and over a dozen different plots for growing our herbs and veggies. The majority of our garden’s plants are for kitchen use, and most of the rest are to attract all of our garden helpers (bees, butterflies, and hummers, oh my!). With plenty of kind sunshine and a very temperate Southern California climate, we are able to harvest garden goodies all year round.
[There is really no way to do that garden justice except for walking through it and then eating from it! However, Todd and Diane have some gorgeous photos and descriptions of their garden’s bounty.]
from the garden: swiss chard and blood oranges
After 3 years of working on creating the kitchen garden, we started on the inside. We did almost all of the work ourselves from electrical, to lighting, to plumbing and finally to installing the kitchen cabinets. This was a huge learning experience, but most importantly it enabled us to create a custom kitchen meant for the way that we want to cook. And of course, we saved a ton of money that went to better kitchen toys and appliances.
favorite wustof knives and espresso machine
In designing the kitchen, we were looking to open it up and create as much usable counter top and cabinet space that we could. There used to be a washer and dryer on the left hand side wall, so those were immediately banished. Doing laundry right next to where we baked was not fun. We broke some design rules by kicking the fridge just outside the kitchen’s workspace, but it works perfectly there, and by doing this, we extended the kitchen a little further. The bar counter tops are the perfect load/unload zone, and by moving it out further toward the dining area, we gained over 2 more feet of counter top space. Fitting in a double oven was a dream come true, and with the open space above the fridge we’re able to hide a pair of radio speakers to pump in the cooking music.
We’ve had people tell us they think we are the only ones who actually use both ovens out of a double oven set. They must not know very many food bloggers out there. We know tons of you who do use both, or would love to have a set of baking twin monsters. We love these ovens. The pups do too because they get their fresh baked doggie biscuits! Spoiled.
gotta love a boy who bakes
We capped off the end of the fridge with an Ikea cabinet to store all of our cookbooks, mortar and pestles, and the “good” wine glasses. It gives us a bit more storage space for the non-essential, and finishes off the flow into the rest of the house. Gotta love Ikea, right Jen? [Damn straight! w00t!] That bookcase was a fraction of the cost of getting a unit from the kitchen cabinet manufacturer and the addition of nice stainless steel handles is a great finishing touch. Best of all, this cheapie book shelf matched the rest of the kitchen cabinets, perfectly!
diane looks up a recipe : cookbooks, mortar and pestle
We had stretched the bar area out 2′ giving the kitchen a bit more space, and inadvertently created our favorite workstation. The counter top area between the sink and the cooktop is our prime knife station. That’s where the brunt of the kitchen work gets done. Veggies get washed at the sink, then chopped, sliced, and diced at the knife station, then straight into the pan in one beautifully clean work flow. The opposite side of the sink is great for all of the non-cooktop activities. Tasks like our daily ritual of a morning cappuccino; the blender and Cuisinart are nicely tucked in those upper cabinets (already plugged into hidden outlets in the cabinet); and that section is great for doing most of our pastry work. In particular, the granite counter tops help keep pastries and chocolate a little cooler.
oooh, what’s cooking?
With all of the nearby doors and windows, the kitchen is always bright and airy. In order to help keep that brightness, we chose a vent hood that would virtually disappear when not looking at it, but when you do notice it, there’s still a bit of style. For low light times of the day, we figured out how to do recessed lighting, and arranged the light cans so you don’t cast a shadow onto the work surface in front of you. This is very handy, especially for our midnight marathons we do when prepping for a party.
outdoor dining room in the garden
The kitchen functions as a practical 3-4 butt kitchen (3-4 butts can cook at the same time.) So for just the two of us cooking, we have all the elbow room and counter-top space we need. We cranked out food for a gathering of 75 people at the house last summer. During our get-togethers, we’ll often be weaving through at least a dozen people gathered inside the kitchen’s confines. Then they will spill out into the garden, mostly unaware that they are surrounded by the source of much of their meal. We’re happy to know that both the outdoor and indoor kitchens flow together harmoniously, kinda like “White On Rice..”??? :)
If you’re wondering who cooks what, the answer is yes: both of them and everything!
something cookin’ in the kitchen!
Todd and Diane (or Toddiane), you guys are too freaking awesome for words. Thank you for the tour and for stepping up a week early when one of our kitchens fell ill! The only thing keeping me from pressuring you to move to Colorado is that you have worked so tirelessly to create a delightful home of your own.
Four kitchens left on the tour and I promise that they are all as awesome as the previous six we’ve visited so far (mine doesn’t count, it was posted just to coax these shy bunnies out of the woods). Hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am. And please be sure to leave a comment to let these bloggers know how awesome they are for participating. I’m off to ski! xxoo
previous kitchens
week 1: use real butter & supplemental
week 2: winos and foodies & figs, lavender, and cheese
week 3: eggs on sunday & sunday nite dinner
March 26th, 2009 at 12:13 am
Jen, loving these posts into everyone’s kitchens – so much fun!!!
T & D – your kitchen looks just as inviting as it did a year ago when we got to finally met and share a fantastic afternoon together!!!
March 26th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Thanks for showing us the kitchens – I’m an apartment cook myself…I got introduced to a new blogger!….I LOVE white on rice couple’s kitchen – besides their blog :P ; )
March 26th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Oooo, so many ideas! I, too, bring a laptop in my kitchen and am an appartment cook, but that other kitchen is sort of a dream i’ve been having, the garden included. And the victory garden on the balcony information was just the thing i was looking for, for now that i’m still not a house owner. :)
March 26th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Aaaahhh, these orderly and inviting kitchens are fabulous! I really enjoy looking at other people’s places, especially at their kitchens! I love the dogs. So cute!
cheers,
Rosa
March 26th, 2009 at 1:19 am
I love reading these personal presentations of other peoples kitchens and certainly appreciate that your guests are willing to ‘risk’ more of their privacy when doing so.
Would LOVE to have a garden like T&D. Perhaps a vegetable garden tour could be next, Jen?
March 26th, 2009 at 1:34 am
Wow! From a simple functional kitchen to a full-fledged kitchen with twin ovens! I think it is very meaningful that people built it up from nothing to what it is now! That will be my dream! Todd and Diane is a couple that are so perfect for each other! I don’t think I can cook with my husband harmoniously in our kitchen! I’m looking forward to more kitchen tours!
Thanks again Jen!
March 26th, 2009 at 2:01 am
I want to have a kitchen like this, so oredered.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:57 am
Great tours today! Melissa’s kitchen is so bright and tidy…kudos to her for making an apartment kitchen work! We all know it’s not always easy.
And Todd and Diane’s kitchen….WOW!! What they’ve done, with their victory garden outside and functional, warm, homey kitchen inside is exactly the kind of thing we’re hoping to create with the house we’re building…though in Ithaca we won’t be growing blood oranges (sniff sniff!) Todd and Diane, I’ll be poking around your blog for inspiration! I can only imagine how inviting and welcoming they must make all their guests feel — you can just tell from the pictures. :)
March 26th, 2009 at 6:32 am
That wooden kitchen is absolutely gorgeous!
March 26th, 2009 at 6:37 am
Good luck in finding your dream kitchen Melissa, and congratulations on all that you create in your current kitchen. Did the WoR online garden tour a while ago & am thrilled to see the kitchen now. I’m drooling over the garden and kitchen, & wishing my climate was conducive to year-round gardening. Let’s see, what does Missouri offer? Oh yeah, super nice people and EMPLOYMENT! Thanks Jen, I’m still loving this series.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:00 am
I love these (and so fun to see Diane’s, who we just spent a week with!) but I might have to stop looking at them until I finish my apartment hunt and come to terms with the fact that my next NYC kitchen will probably be smaller than my current one! Want to feature a 5×10′ kitchen?!
March 26th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Beautiful kitchens! I just love Todd and Diane’s space. It reflects such a happy and fresh lifestyle.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:47 am
I am now determined to move to SoCal and create a garden like that. Heck, I’ll just live outside under a pear tree.
March 26th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I love these kitchens! I’ll keep dreaming. :) Thanks for sharing!
March 26th, 2009 at 9:31 am
love the insights into the kitchens….and the puppies of course! :)
March 26th, 2009 at 9:34 am
What a fun tour – Thanks!
March 26th, 2009 at 9:57 am
for scale and cuteness
Heh.
Thanks for showing mine Jen and making it so great for me in the end! But even better that I got to go up with T&D, who I love and admire. Seeing their kitchen was awesome. And they live so close to me and I don’t even take advantage! ;)
March 26th, 2009 at 9:57 am
WOW!! Another set of amazing kitchens. Love Alosha’s kitchen since I also live in an apartment. But Todd and Diane’s kitchen is a dream come true for me (the garden also)!!
March 26th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Wow, I just checked out Todd and Diane’s garden photos on their website – my god, it is amazing! All their fruit trees alone left my head spinning! I’m in awe.
I love seeing how people organize things, I’ve definitely seen a few ideas I can use myself.
Also, I think it would be great to know what these bloggers do for a living, I’m always curious what people’s day job is.
Great tour!
March 26th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Love it! So great to see the spaces where everybody works – from the make-do to the dream venue. And I must say, T&D’s is pretty close to my dream. The work that goes into maintaining all of those gardens? Amazing. And I love seeing the apartment kitchens too – their users may not think of them as their ultimate space, but most of them put my 70’s monstrosity to shame! :)
March 26th, 2009 at 11:24 am
I’ll say it again, LOVING this series Jen!
T & D, your garden is AMAZING! I’m hoping to start my own garden very soon. I’ll definitely be looking at your website for inspiration.
March 26th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Can this be a regular series, please? It’s more fun than browsing the Ikea catalog! Plus I’d love to see my kitchen featured in such a classy way.
Both kitchens are stellar. I’m a teeny bit envious of the Cali climate.
March 26th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Melissa….I love your kitchen. neat, organized, spotless and cheerful. One thing I know for sure, small kitchens cook just as nicely as large well appointed kitchens. It is all about who is in there putting the love into the food. Thanks for sharing.
March 26th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Dogs for scale and cuteness ROCK!
I’m loving this kitchen series–wish I could have seen it before designing my kitchen since I am seeing so many great ideas. And yes I use both of my ovens!
PS just had to include the side note that CI sucks for all Asian recipes–I think they completely bastardize Asian food and find it very annoying.
March 26th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
This is great its like MTV cribs for the food obsessed! I wish we can see in their fridges!
March 26th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Once again, amazed to see how two different kitchens make two sets of people so happy to cook and share with us so well every week!
Thanks!
March 26th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
This is so fun! I love Melissa from Alosha’s Kitchen so it’s great to see these insider photos! :)
March 26th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Well, Jen … another Thursday morning gone-to-hell (in a good way) because of the kitchen series. Thanks for your dedication and passion, and wish me luck in making pizza dough for the first time. We’ll keep it simple — goat cheese, ‘shrooms, red pepper sauce and kalamata olives. Plan to precede this with T&D’s chili martinis. Thanks again.
March 26th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Jen -Thanks for putting all the work into hosting this series. You f@#in rock! (Pardon the language but tame words just didn’t get enough emphasis.) Thank you everyone on the compliments on our kitchen, garden, dogs, & blog. You’re well wishes mean a lot to us. Melissa – great job on utilizing what you’ve got. We’ve lived in and shared several apartment kitchens before we were lucky enough to get into kitchens we were able to remodel. You are completely more organized than we ever were. Good luck on the house hunting!!
Thanks again Jen. You go ski now! Todd
March 26th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Love the idea, I enjoy reading this post so much. Can’t wait for your next kitchen tour.
March 26th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Melissa: I’ve had my share of apartment kitchens, but yours is way more organized. I like the all white. It lends itself to a clean line look. And I love your Dining Room set, especially the chairs!
Todd and Diane: I am most impressed with the fact that you built your garden first, then went inside to remodel – how cool is that! I also like that you planned very carefully what you feel you would need in a kitchen for it to work successfully for both of you.
Thank you both for inviting us into your homes.
Thank you Jen for making this work!
March 26th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I love the kitchen tours — it’s so aspirational for me. My kitchen (rented) is low on light and lacking in space and always overflowing.
March 26th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
both tours awesome and todd and diane, what an amazing garden! victory indeed!
March 26th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Love the cool vent hood – and, of course, everything else!
March 26th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
i absolutely love these kitchen tours and look forward to them so much! the kitchen is my favorite place in the house and i enjoy seeing where everyone works!
March 26th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I’m loving this! What a great idea!
As a novice food blogger, I’ve loved learning about what other bloggers are working with in terms of their kitchens and their photo arrangements. Plus, I’m just fascinated by the different cookbooks people have.
Thanks! I’m looking forward to the kitchens yet to come. :-)
March 26th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Melissa- very nice. I think its a fantastic kitchen. I love how pristine it looks!
White on Rice- I was rolling on the floor here. When all of my Aunts were together they rated all their kitchens. Ah, you got a two ass kitchen and you got a three ass kitchen… Then of course they were talking about the size of those butts in those kitchens. Good to know we are not the only ones thinking like this. I love the colors in your kitchen!
Jenyu- My husband can be staring at whatever I asked him to get and he doesnt see it either! I always tell him if it had teeth, it would bite you. Me, I know where everything is. He says why should I bother looking for anything when you know where everything is. I guess he kind of has a point!
March 26th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Thanks Melissa, Todd and Diane for sharing your kitchens with us! I love Melissa’s clean, white look and my husband (who doesn’t want to be a ‘grass’ farmer anymore) is planning to plant an orchard and veggies in the back yard, just like Todd and Diane. Thanks for the ideas.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Still very much enjoying this series, Jen! Am also incredibly jealous of Todd and Diane’s kitchen garden! :)
March 26th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Wow. What a dream kitchen! I hope that I am lucky enough to really take the time to design one from scratch.
March 27th, 2009 at 12:20 am
I love these glimpses into people’s kitchens! Inspiring to see how thoughtful and organized they are with their spaces.
Also lovin the BSG reference!
March 27th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
What beautiful kitchens! I love the idea of a garden filled with fruit trees, herbs, & produce.
March 27th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
How cute is that last picture of Todd and Diane cooking together! And I love their pups!
Melissa has a great kitchen, my apartment kitchens were never that good.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Wow…both ktichens are great!! I have loved these kitchen tours. Gives me so many ideas for what I can do in my own kitchen now, and what I hope to have in my dream kitchen one day! I especially like the puppies in this post!
March 28th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Great inspirations for updating my kitchen!
March 29th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Beautiful kitchens and beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing those. I just found your blog on Alosha’s Kitchen and am glad I did! I also live in Southern Cal and will admit to being spoiled rotten as well!
March 29th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Wow, that was really cool. I’ve been following both Melissa and Toddiane (lol) since right around the whole Cooks Illustrated thing happened with Melissa. I love both of their blogs and I feel that this piece made me get to know them and their kitchen lives so much better! Thanks for doing that. The pictures are all wonderful!!
I’ve lived in California my whole life, half in So., half in No., so I can vouch for how spoiled we are! :)
March 29th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I love this series. I had the great pleasure to meet Diane and Todd late last fall. Oh, Dante is quite the crotch sniffer and Sierra left me covered in white hair (upon seeing me at the door Diane say, “Oh no, I forgot to tell you, don’t wear black!”). The garden and kitchen these two have created is a work of art. They love to share their home, their family, and all they know about food and gardening. I am just itching for an invitation back out to LA.
March 29th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Wow, what an awesome feature. Those are some seriously enviable kitchens!
March 29th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
I love the highlights on kitchens. Gives me something to dream about for my future kitchen (apartment galley kitchens are growing old on me).
March 30th, 2009 at 2:18 am
I am really enjoying the tour of everyone’s kitchens! What a great idea this is!
March 31st, 2009 at 8:59 am
What a fun peak into two lives. Life really does happen in the kitchen most of the time after all.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:55 am
Chez Us – so glad you are enjoying it!
Amy – yay! We love it when we can share favorite bloggers :)
Maja – yeah, I love T&D’s kitchen, but I love their garden even more. I can’t ever dream of a garden like that where I live!
Rosa – it’s fun, isn’t it? And their dogs are sooo sweet.
Ronine – ha ha! They are brave, aren’t they? Good people too. Melissa and Todd and Diane are great for doing this.
Mrs. E – I think if there is anything in common, it would be how organized everyone is, don’t you think?
Happy Cook – yes!
Amy – absolutely. I think her apartment kitchen is one of the nicest I’ve seen (especially having lived in so many California apt kitchens). And yes, Toddiane – they are incredible!
Chocolate Shavings – agreed :)
Kristin – So glad you’re enjoying it!
Deb – oh sweetie! You know if you had a kitchen like Toddiane’s then you’d never leave the kitchen again! You do a faboo job as it is with your city apartment kitchen.
Phoo-D – yes it does!
Adrienne – ha ha ha!
Christina – thanks for dropping by!
Charlane – hee hee.
Melissa – yup!
Melissa – thank YOU for letting us into your space, sweetie. You should just sneak into their back yard and hunker down and eat all of that fruit! :)
Sil – it’s just like window shopping, to peek into all of these kitchens :)
Jayme – that would be interesting! But it’s a little beyond the scope of this tour.
Mollie – ha ha, aren’t you int he middle of a reno? :)
Laura – gawd, I weep when I see their garden. I will never know anything so beautiful where I live – so I’ll just have to visit them again ;)
Aimee – oh, I wish. It’s a lot of work – more than I bargained for. I’m actually looking forward to being done with it :) But thanks, I’m so glad that people like the tour! I may have new series coming up throughout the year!
Babs – isn’t she awesome?!
Laura – right on! I think food bloggers are a different breed of cook! ha ha. And yes, that is my biggest beef with CI – if they’re messing up Asian recipes, then what on earth are they doing to the other recipes?
Marcie – ha ha!
Tartelette – yes, it’s neat to see how they differ and yet everyone cooks and makes great food :)
Hillary – she’s a sweetheart and I think she has a GREAT kitchen.
Liz – oooh, chili martinis. Those guys are such a wealth of knowledge. So glad you are enjoying the series and wasting your Thursday mornings in the Good Way :)
WoRC – you guys are so sweet. Thanks for being part of this and doing it early! We’ll have to visit together again – here or there – doesn’t matter (well, I’d love to see the pups again too)
Helene – thanks!
Kathy – thank you for dropping by and letting our kitchens know how much you enjoy the tour :)
Kate – definitely a good way to get practical ideas from fellow cooks!
Cindy – hear hear!
The Italian Dish – :)
April – you’re in luck! Two more weeks :)
Lindsey – great! That’s the whole point, to share how some bloggers cook, shoot, and work in their kitchens. Fun!
Lori – oh, that’s a hoot! That’s what Jeremy tells me too :)
Dragana – oh, lucky lucky girl!
Y – me too! It’s soooo beautiful (and delicious).
Whitney – tell me about it!
Karen – I’m just sad the series (BSG) is over :(
Asianmommy – same here. It’s so amazing.
Peabody – aren’t they a blast? Too cute. And yes, Melissa keeps such a nice kitchen!
Rachel – the pups are hilarious. Glad you are getting ideas!
Kathy – yay!
LilSis – good on ya. I hope you are enjoying the lovely produce for me :)
Shelley – that’s awesome and so happy that you follow both of these awesome blogs. Ahhh, No and So Cal – I miss it (except on the really good ski days!)
Carrie – yup, that sounds about right!
Sarah – thanks!
Psychgrad – awesome – that’s what I was shooting for :)
Joanne – yay!
Nicole – for food bloggers at least, this is so true :)
March 31st, 2009 at 10:58 pm
just discovered your blog through White on Rice — what a neat series :)
April 1st, 2009 at 8:06 am
How did I miss this post? Go figure. Oh well, I am HAPPY I did find it! I love both stories and can sincerely appreciate a small apartment kitchen challenge. I think it builds character in the cook/baker and makes us better in the long run. Kudos to you, A! Happy house hunting too.
The second kitchen….TO DIE FOR!
Thanks for such a lovely enterprise, J. This is so much fun!
April 1st, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Nice insight to two of my favorite bloggers.
This has become a truly epic series!
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:06 am
This is my first time to your blog, its great! How fun to go into the kitchens of others. I have had the pleasure of visiting Todd & Diane in person. This is a GREAT series, thanks for sharing.
April 4th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Giff – thanks!
Margie – it is a lot of fun indeed. These guys are great.
Donald – yay! Thanks for coming over to support them – they are AWESOME people.
Carol – love that Toddiane :) Thanks for visiting!
April 6th, 2009 at 11:15 am
This is so great. I, too, have a small apt kitchen and make the best of it. It reminds of “making do” in a small villa in Italy, so I absolutely love it. We live in a large Victorian (broken into 4 apts) in the borough of West Chester, PA. Our kitchen is a challenge, but I love it that way!
April 6th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Kimmie – good on ya!
April 14th, 2009 at 10:41 am
I would have DIED to have had an apartment kitchen as gorgeous as Melissa’s! Seriously quite classy and organized. Yep, I do know where every single item in my kitchen is, too, so does that mean I’m OCD? My stuff isn’t quite as neatly organized! And Todd & Diane — just gorgeous. It’s a lot of work taking something neglected and out of date and making it yours. Very, very nice job! Great interviews, Jen!
April 21st, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Kellypea – you can just imagine what her kitchen is going to be like when she gets a house! She’s soooo tidy. And yes, who hasn’t fallen in love with Toddiane’s kitchen/garden/dogs? Thanks, hon!
September 1st, 2009 at 6:47 am
What gorgeous apartments and kitchen they have. Of course, your photos are awesome. Looking forward to your future posts.