I loved reading every single word of this. Sophia, your remodeled kitchen is GORGEOUS! And I've added that sticky toffee pudding to my must-bake list. It looks like exactly the kind of thing I am likely to fall in love with.
Thank you Rebecca, so glad you enjoyed this! And thank you for the kind words on the kitchen - what I didn’t mention in my Q&A was how comically long the whole renovation took and how many mishaps there were - including a 6 (!) week delay for the arrival of our countertops because the contractor forgot to confirm the purchase order. So after all that ordeal I am even happier with our finished kitchen.
Full disclosure, there was a lot of take-out! But we also installed a make-shift kitchen in our living room using a small shelf, a kettle and a single induction burner. So we focussed on one pot meals and things that were quick to prepare (e.g. fresh egg pasta with pesto or a quick tomato sauce, Vietnamese spring rolls using ready cooked prawns, lots of soups and stews etc). As for the fridge, we started the renovation in the winter, so could use our balcony as a make-shift fridge until the new fridge was installed.
The kitchen wasn't usable at all for a good couple of months but the final 6 week stretch where we waited for our final countertop we could at least use the kitchen.
Wow. You must have been so relived to have it all back in working order. From where I sit (not having had to deal with any of that 😂) the finished kitchen looks totally worth it!
Sep 11Liked by Sophia Real | Real Simple Food, Lynn Hill
Love the minimalist, but slightly maximalist aesthetic. And that a gorgeous floor! I’m assuming you kept the that nice window? Years ago, I visited a friend in Berlin and noticed those tall, bright windows seemed to be a feature in most apartments there. I’m thoroughly enjoying this series! ⏲️
It's good to know that people are enjoying this series. There's more to come. Watch out for next week. A Kitchen in an RV, with tips on how to make the most of the kitchen space in an RV.
Thank you, that is lovely to hear! And yes, I fell hard for those floor tiles! A pain in terms of upkeep (they stain quite easily) but worth it for the looks!
Yup, sadly cement tiles are quite porous. Even with protective coating you have to be quite mindful of spills - not ideal when you are clumsy like myself and have a food-throwing toddler around, haha.
Haha, so difficult with small people around! I have white tiles and my children destroy them every single day! (I am also clumsy and throw flour around with abandon)
trying to collect the buttercream from continuing to run - away - is such a funny story. I'm sure many have experienced it. I imagine, for you, though, that moment was so depressing. Thanks for sharing. put a smile on my face :)
I could definitely laugh about it afterwards but in the moment it was really upsetting!
(Worried the same thing would happen to him my dad, who has made dozens of these cakes, once suggested we use “some” gelatine to help set the buttercream. Only issue is that my dad is very much the “more is more” kind of guy. So the buttercream definitely set, so hard in fact it turned into a giant buttercream winegum and we had to start from scratch).
I loved reading every single word of this. Sophia, your remodeled kitchen is GORGEOUS! And I've added that sticky toffee pudding to my must-bake list. It looks like exactly the kind of thing I am likely to fall in love with.
Thank you Rebecca, so glad you enjoyed this! And thank you for the kind words on the kitchen - what I didn’t mention in my Q&A was how comically long the whole renovation took and how many mishaps there were - including a 6 (!) week delay for the arrival of our countertops because the contractor forgot to confirm the purchase order. So after all that ordeal I am even happier with our finished kitchen.
OMG! What did you do the whole time your kitchen was torn up? Was your kitchen useable at all?
Full disclosure, there was a lot of take-out! But we also installed a make-shift kitchen in our living room using a small shelf, a kettle and a single induction burner. So we focussed on one pot meals and things that were quick to prepare (e.g. fresh egg pasta with pesto or a quick tomato sauce, Vietnamese spring rolls using ready cooked prawns, lots of soups and stews etc). As for the fridge, we started the renovation in the winter, so could use our balcony as a make-shift fridge until the new fridge was installed.
The kitchen wasn't usable at all for a good couple of months but the final 6 week stretch where we waited for our final countertop we could at least use the kitchen.
Wow. You must have been so relived to have it all back in working order. From where I sit (not having had to deal with any of that 😂) the finished kitchen looks totally worth it!
Absolutely, I am definitely too old to do the dishes in the bath tub, haha!
😂
Love the minimalist, but slightly maximalist aesthetic. And that a gorgeous floor! I’m assuming you kept the that nice window? Years ago, I visited a friend in Berlin and noticed those tall, bright windows seemed to be a feature in most apartments there. I’m thoroughly enjoying this series! ⏲️
Yes we did! It’s actually a door to our balcony and I love having it open while I cook - I can hear the birds sing in our backyard.
It's good to know that people are enjoying this series. There's more to come. Watch out for next week. A Kitchen in an RV, with tips on how to make the most of the kitchen space in an RV.
Such a lovely read! 😍 Those floor tiles are gorgeous. My family are definitely going to love the sticky toffee pudding too
Thank you, that is lovely to hear! And yes, I fell hard for those floor tiles! A pain in terms of upkeep (they stain quite easily) but worth it for the looks!
Enjoy that Sticky Toffee Pudding!
Oh gosh really, why is it the most beautiful things are the hardest to look after?! But yes, definitely worth the effort.
Haha, I’m definitely a fellow flour-throw-around-er!
Yup, sadly cement tiles are quite porous. Even with protective coating you have to be quite mindful of spills - not ideal when you are clumsy like myself and have a food-throwing toddler around, haha.
Haha, so difficult with small people around! I have white tiles and my children destroy them every single day! (I am also clumsy and throw flour around with abandon)
trying to collect the buttercream from continuing to run - away - is such a funny story. I'm sure many have experienced it. I imagine, for you, though, that moment was so depressing. Thanks for sharing. put a smile on my face :)
I could definitely laugh about it afterwards but in the moment it was really upsetting!
(Worried the same thing would happen to him my dad, who has made dozens of these cakes, once suggested we use “some” gelatine to help set the buttercream. Only issue is that my dad is very much the “more is more” kind of guy. So the buttercream definitely set, so hard in fact it turned into a giant buttercream winegum and we had to start from scratch).
OMG an even funnier story. You need to add bloopers to your substack!
You might be onto something! (There is definitely more where that came from!)
So fun to get a peek into your process and kitchen Sophia!
Thank you Devan, glad you enjoyed it! (And I would totally enjoy a sneak peek into your kitchen and process!)