Currently Kitchenless

What a month it's been! Here is the last thing I cooked in our kitchen, about two weeks ago, which corresponded nicely with the very last of the winter garden harvest:

Sauteed kale, black beans, and peppers on multigrain tortillas, topped with cheese, Greek yogurt, and Cholula.

Kale and black bean tacos. Though they were nothing fancy, they were delicious and filling and healthy and wonderful. Oh, how I miss my kitchen. And the winter garden.

But fear not. 

The spring garden is almost planted—though a hard freeze the other night meant that we lost a couple of tomatoes and one pepper plant. My tent city in the backyard (Hubcap approved, mind you) meant that most of the tender vegetation emerged from the late freeze unscathed.

The trellises came in handy to shield peppers and okra from the cold.

As for the kitchen, we've spent the last few weeks preparing for this to happen:

Phase one: remove upper cabinets, remove countertop. Make a mess, basically.

Remember when it looked like this? I am so excited to share the official "after" photos once it's all said and done, and hopefully that won't be too long from now. We are getting new quartz countertops, and they've already taken out one set of cabinets and demolished the bar.

Oh, and there was one minor problem: a vital pipe extended above the countertop level—meaning we'll have to raise the countertops an inch and a half. For two tall cooks, there could have been no better problem to have! (Hubcap and I are excited that we'll have more prep room—meaning more opportunity to cook together.)

Patched ceiling, and the leveled countertop. Now we'll have a peninsula to work on, and floating shelves...

Oh, and in the midst of all of this I've started a new job AND went on a self-imposed social media diet, hence the radio silence from yours truly. Once we get back into a good groove (hopefully that means fewer frozen waffles for breakfast), I can't wait to bring you some fresh new meals from our kitchen and show you how the spring garden is progressing.

Stay tuned!