Welcome to Andrea’s Kitchen Studio!

Outdoor Kitchen with Glass Mosaic Wall

As someone who loves beautiful things, I often find myself inspecting art work and fine crafting.  Whether it be fine art, intricate leatherwork or glasswork, or just a recipe, I can often find either a better way to execute said item or if I’ve never experienced the work, I try it.  Not having had expendable cash on hand, I’ve learned to create through trial and error.  In my career I’ve never said no to a project if I had the slightest inkling as to accomplish the task.  Needless to say I’ve done a lot of research, taken numerous classes and experimented with many different techniques, and look forward to sharing what I know with you as reader.  The arts and crafts that I have now become proficient in are ancient ones and I feel the need to continue these traditions with a modern flair.  Cooking is also one of my passions and I love to share my recipes that my friends and church have loved.  Please join me as I continue in my journey for beauty and health.

A Quick Retaining Wall

One of my dear friends who is getting on in years asked for my help creating a small retaining wall by her deck.

The wall blocks are such a wonderful product to use. So easy to put in place. The only thing you have to make sure of is that the ground you are putting them on is flat.

So as you see I have dug out the dirt to create a space for the wall and leveled the bottom so it was perfectly flat. This was so easy to do in her yard because the dirt was soft. This is not always the case.

Then just stack those bricks up and make sure your line follows the direction you want it to go.

You will note that she wanted the wall perfectly straight so I put a line up with stakes to make sure it ended up straight.

Now her mowing will be easier and she can put her pots of tomatoes on the wall in the full southern sun.

Thanks for the job my friend!

Patio Gardening

Greenery makes me very calm and happy. I guess that’s why I love where I live. Having trees and shrubs is good but growing your own culinary herbs and spices is even better.

One herb that I use extensively is mint.  I use it in mixed drinks, soft drinks, salads, cooking and baking. The freshness of mint is always welcome.

There are so many different kinds of mint that can be used for savory and sweet concoctions.

I have planted chocolate mint, pineapple mint, apple mint, spearmint, peppermint and 3 different kinds of basil in my patio garden. I also have lemon balm which is wonderful to rub on the skin to keep away mosquitoes.

All mint plants will tend to take over any space that they are planted in which is why I have chosen the patio for this project. I get a hearty harvest to dry and use fresh without having the plants spread like weeds.

It’s a pretty smart way to go. You can plant cucumbers this way as well as other vine plants. They love the warmth of the cement in the summer. Just remember to keep them well watered.

Enjoy your summer!

look for future posts on leather work. I have several projects that will be coming up at once so I need the time to do the prep work.

God Bless you!

Seedlings

It’s that time of the year again. I like to grow my own veges because I know what kind of fertilizer I use and I know that I’m not using anything chemical that may potentially cause harm in the long run to the people eating these veges.

I have a big window in my kitchen that is perfect for seed germination. Now that the seedlings are large enough to transplant, they will be put into larger pots and transferred to the green house. There they will grow a little more and in time be transplanted into the garden.

If you have the ability to grow your own food, it is highly recommended so you can avoid the nasty chemicals that ends up in the fields in America. There are a few sustainable farms in the Pacific Northwest that carry only organic produce and the things that I can’t grow myself I buy there.

It makes a discernible difference in the taste of the food when you buy organic or grow your own.

Try growing in pots if you don’t have a yard big enough to have a garden.

God Bless and happy growing!

Tropical Glass Mosaic

Stained Glass work has been a passion of mine since I took my first class in college. I love all of the techniques used with this medium but one of my favorite is the mosaic. I’ve given tutorials for this method in previous posts so you may refer back to them to get the idea of how to accomplish this art form or craft form if you will.

Here are two panels that I have created for a lighted bar top. Very cool. I never got to see the end product as there was another craftsman building the bar but as soon as I see it I’ll pass on the pics.

God Bless!

Beach Bag 2

As promised, here is the second design that I have created for one of my clients. This is a fun design that could really be welcomed anywhere in a casual setting.

Have a great day and think sunny thoughts!

Until next time!

Beach Bag 1

Although it is only April, I start thinking about the warmth of the summer days approaching. I love the beach and all of the wonders to be found there but alas I have to drag a few things with me. Thus I have created a fun beach bag to tote all of those little things that I feel I need either for sand sculpture or lunch.

Here is the first version of said bag:

If you’d like a custom bag to fit your style let me know!

Have a great sunny day!

Hot Breakfast Porridge

As a child I loved Hot, Chocolate Malto meal™. I loved the richness and the chocolate intensity of it because my father always used baking chocolate in the preparation. I still love hot breakfast porridge. The downside to the things that I most love to eat is the weight gain that goes with them and the achy joints.
I have been playing around with “clean” ingredients to achieve some of the same tastes that I experienced as a child.

I have finally created a recipe that follows the clean eating guidelines that I have determined that I need to adhere to if I ever can shed these pounds that must go.

1 cup Teff

1 cup Quinoa

3 squares baking chocolate

1/4 cup Coconut oil

4 cups Almond Milk

2 cups water

4 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup
1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt (pink)

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Put everything in a sauce pan and boil until thick stirringionally in the beginning and constantly toward the end of the cooking process.

Coconut Citrus Crispy Treats

Here is another example of what you can do with a crispy treat that the adults will love!

You will need:

1 Large box crispy rice cereal

1 bag Marshmallows

10 Drops Key Lime Essential Oil

10 Drops Lemon Essential oil

4 oz coconut oil

Melt the marshmallows in the oils add the cereal and stir until all is distributed evenly. Pour into 2 sprayed 9×13 pans.

 

Then you will need to melt 12oz white chocolate with 8 drops of key lime essential oil and 4 tablespoons coconut oil.

Spread this over cooled crispy treats and immediately cover with shredded coconut.

Let cool, cut and serve.

Enjoy!!!

Tip: If you like your sweets a little spicy, add some black pepper oi; to the white chocolate while melting. It’s yummy!

 

 

Brunch Time Quiche

Quiche is a pretty easy and tasty menu item. For this particular meal I have made a Greek style pie using feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach and mushroom  chicken sausage.

1 Pie crust, 8 eggs scrambled, 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic,  2/3 cup Feta Cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cup chopped spinach, 2/3 cup Greek style plain yogurt, 1 med onion chopped finely, 2 mushroom chicken sausages cut up, fresh asparagus, and salt and pepper.

Beat eggs spices and yogurt until smooth, add veges and sausage then pour into an unbaked pie crust. sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and arrange asparagus on top. break 1 egg over the top at the bottom of the asparagus  and bake until knife comes out clean.

 

Enjoy!

Tasty Crispy Treat Recipes

As promised, here are the recipes for the crispy treats that I used in my grandson’s birthday cake.

Peppermint treats:

1 bag mini marshmallows, 1 stick butter, 15 drops peppermint essential oil, 1 large box Crispy rice cereal.

In a large pan melt butter, marshmallows and oil until all of the marshmallows are melted, add the cereal and mix well. pour into 2 9×13 greased pans. I use non stick cooking spray. let cool then cut and serve.

Orange Spice Crispy Treats:

1 bag mini marshmallows, 1 stick butter, 15 drops tangerine essential oil,  6 drops clove oil and 10 drops cinnamon oil, 1 large box Crispy rice cereal. I used 4 drops green food coloring for the sake of the cake but it isn’t necessary.

In a large pan melt butter, marshmallows and oil until all of the marshmallows are melted, add the cereal and mix well. pour into 2 9×13 greased pans and while still warm, sprinkle with cinnamon imperials.  I use non stick cooking spray. let cool then cut and serve.

Almond Joy Crispy Treats:

4 oz coconut oil, 1 bag mini marshmallows, 8 oz flaked coconut, 15 drops almond extract, 8oz semi sweet chocolate chips, 1 large box Crispy rice cereal, and 2/3 cup slivered almonds.

In a large pan melt coconut oil, marshmallows, almond extract and chocolate chips until all of the marshmallows are melted, add the cereal and mix well. pour into 2 9×13 greased pans and while still warm, sprinkle with slivered almonds.  I use non stick cooking spray. let cool then cut and serve.