i think i’m in love….

with my new GE profile range. when we went shopping for kitchen appliances, i thought i would be settling for this range….my heart’s desire was for a commercial gas range, like a wolf or viking, but i couldn’t justify the price. so i looked at the GE. i was pretty sure that this was the range that kelly has and loves, and i knew if kelly loves hers, it’s a quality piece. so that’s the one we bought. it was delivered (along with a new frig, which i also like a lot even though it’s less than an 1/8 of an inch too tall for the space, a dishwasher and microwave.), on wednesday and installed yesterday. you see, i have wanted a gas stove for YEARS and i’ve never had one. this house did not have a gas line for the stove, so we had to have one put in. tom was somewhat skeptical, but bless his heart, he trusted me on this one and i’m so glad he did! i was able to  make quesadillas(to take to donna and jamie’s for the football game) right away when it was ready to go and it was a complete joy! instant, controllable heat. the beauty of this model, is that it’s a gas stove top with a double electric convection oven. i was a little disappointed in the finish of the top, i thought i was getting all stainless and when they delivered it, it has a black top….however, i decided that it may be more practical to clean, so i was okay with it. i can’t wait to cook again! i am planning to make a really special dinner tonight….t-bones (given to us by our friends john and donna, who raise cattle), baked potatoes and caramelized carrots and maybe poached pears? 

i took a photo of our kitchen before the new appliances-

notice the “no handle” microwave. the new microwave hasn’t been installed yet. we need to call our awesome electrician : )

here’s a glimpse of the new range. when everything is in place, i’ll take a better more wide angle shot.

the lovely lilies are part of a belated birthday gift from my friend kandy. aren’t they gorgeous? the perfect january day brightener.

since i shared my nightstand book stack, i thought it would be fun to share my stack of new cookbooks. i adore cookbooks. with the new range, i am really anxious to sit down with these badboys-

i have heard so many good things about alice water’s “the art of simple food”, i can’t wait to read it cover to cover and hopefully apply some of her ideas. tara gave me the martha hors d’oeuvres and julia baking cookbooks when i visited in august….so sweet of her! i am a huge ina garten fan, huge. the fact that she has an aversion to cilantro, endears her even more! our cooking club is doing a “julia” theme this month, which i can’t wait for! then, i had the idea that sometime this year, we should do a “favorite cook” theme, with each of us choosing a personal favorite chef/cook and doing a course featuring our favorite. how fun would that be?

here’s my to do list for the day-

1. finish handmade bagel Christmas gifts (actually i have them all made, now i’m just finishing the one i am making for myself)
2. wrap them
3. straighten and reorganize my kitchen (my intention is to go through the drawers and cupboards that need cleaning as well as just general straightening) i know this might be a little aggressive for one day.
4. continue to catch up on editing family photos
5. work on photography project
6. finish cleaning my bathrooms. (my cleaning help has moved on to nannying, so until i have someone new, i’m trying to do my own cleaning) i did do an awesome job of removing all the lime stains on the toilets with a pumice stone. tom even noticed! it’s the little things!
7. finish up 2 wedding press print designs.
8. paperwork for taxes. (working on it a little a day) ugh.

that’s it for me. what are you up to today?

whatever you’re doing, may God bless you!