Quick Kitchen Island

[All Photos - The Grower's Daughter]

This is my baking table in my kitchen. Because I have so little counter space, I asked my husband to make a top for an old cabinet that was found in a local barn (it was previously a mauve-pink!).

I painted it a creamy white and kept it rough because I love all the character.

Now, I love this piece, and it fit perfectly underneath a pair of shelves with my canisters on it. However, after time, and a few attempts at bread making, I realized that having my canisters on it limited my amount of workspace. As well, where it was situated was on the opposite side of my kitchen so there was a lot of empty space in between.

One day, on a whim, I decided to pull it out into the middle of the kitchen and see how it looked as an island. I must say, I rather like it. It's so much more functional and it really becomes a great focal point, which distracts you from the rest of the not-yet-touched room.

I wanted to post a few photos to get some feedback. Having the cabinet in the middle does make the whole kitchen feel smaller, but the increase in functionality is so much greater. I, personally, would rather have a smaller, more functional kitchen, than a larger kitchen with lots of wasted space. But that's just me.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

This is the me standing at the island. Behind me is my sink, and my window. (As you can see, in the right of the photo, the stairway going to the basement has yet to be painted!)

This is behind the island. Previously, the cabinet sat tucked under the shelves where the stool is. Through the left is the dining room.

This fabulous stool was picked up the other weekend at the Amish Auction! She was a steal and I couldn't have been happier to take her home. I've been looking for the perfect industrial piece to throw in the mix.

This is the  view from dining room as you walk into the kitchen. You can see the sunroom beyond. The stove and sink and fridge are all to the right.

I stored the canisters and found these great jars at Target. I filled them with my sugars and flours instead. I love the look of them and it feels so much more simple.

This is where I moved my collection of ironstone pitcher to, in the dining room. They were previously where the new canisters are.

French Macarons

There have been few recipes that have exhausted my patience as much as these tiny French delicacies have.

The French Macaron. It's on my list of "culinary feats", and has been for quite some time now. The recipe seems simple: a basic meringue folded into a mixture of powdered sugar and finely ground almonds. The technique however, seems like nothing less than rocket science. In theory, these cookies are simple, but the unsuccessful batches preceding these speak for themselves.

It's actually quite funny how this batch turned out relatively decent. (I say that because anyone who knows macarons, knows there are processes and techniques, neither of which I paid much attention to, but the end result was deceivingly close to the real things!). While preparing a meringue for some chewy meringue nests, I noticed that the consistency of the meringue was just what I was failing to achieve while attempting the macarons. The smooth, glossy mixture was disappearing just as it should and was holding it's own, instead of melting away. On a whim, I decided to throw technique to the wind and experiment. I sprinkled some almond meal right into the mix (I can hear the gasps of pastry chefs near and far!). I filled my piping bag and began to quickly pipe out perfectly round little tops and bottoms. To my surprise they formed perfect little circles in true macaron fashion. I let them rest and baked them, estimating at the time and temperate based on the numerous other recipes I have tried previously. I don't think anyone was prepared for my excitement when I pulled them out of the oven to discover that they have puffed perfectly, while staying smooth, with perfect little "feet" as they call them (the ruffled bottom)! You would have thought I had won the lottery!

But, to be honest, I was ecstatic! This was a challenge, that time after time, continued to get the best of me. Batch after batch, I produced nothing but mis-shaped, flat or overcooked blobs of meringue. So when by accident I was able to produce one good batch of perfectly dainty macarons, I was obligated to celebrate!

I filled them with Vanilla Bean Buttercream, and sandwiched them together, finding satisfaction with each one. They tasted amazing - they tasted like victory. I enjoyed every bit of them, which is a good thing because I won't be attempting them again in the near future. But, at least I can finally check them off my list!