That little something unexpected...

I have to admit that I am always intrigued when I see a recipe that has an unusual and unexpected ingredient- root beer or Dr. Pepper in barbecue sauce, mayonnaise in chocolate cake, Heidi's recipe that mated black beans and brownies, Mexican hot chocolate with chili- there's something that attracts me to these recipes. So when I saw a recipe for apple turnovers made with Mountain Dew I had to try it!

You can hardly call this a recipe since it uses prepackaged crescent roll dough (horrors!), a Granny Smith Apple or two, sugar, butter, and, of all things Mountain Dew. I was highly suspicious since I am not a big fan of tubes of crescent dough, but the hope for a delicious and easy apple turnover was enough to spur me on. I have to say, these are a great easy dessert. I had them with ice cream for dinner guests and they devoured seconds, and they were totally taken aback when I told them how they were made. So try these yourself (just what you need, another guilty pleasure, right?)

Now, it's your turn- let me hear some of your favorite recipes or dishes that have that little something unexpected. Everybody has one- now it's time to share!

Dew-Licious Apple Turnovers

2 Granny Smith apples ( I didn't peel mine, just cut in thin slices)

2 cans crescent rolls, separated

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoons vanilla

cinnamon

1 1/2 cups Mountain Dew

Core and slice apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll 2-3 thin slices in a crescent roll(put apples in thick side and wrap). Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and and vanilla, stirring, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes until turnovers are golden and syrup is thick and bubbly. Serve with ice cream, and with some of the sauce from the pan over the top.

Try it You'll Like It - Atlantic Oysters

It has been said that it was a brave man who ate the first oyster. Well, whether it was a man or not, early settlers to the New World found banks of oysters that were so big they were a navigation hazard. In fact, all Atlantic oysters have the scientific name Crassostrea virginica to reflect where the delicious mollusks were first identified by biologists. The English were introduced to the oyster by the local Powhatan tribes. Oystering has been a part of Hampton Roads’ heritage ever since. I also have a personal history with oysters, since, as a student at Christopher Newport University (it was a College, then), I served an unpaid internship at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) working on articles for their newsletter, including a detailed feature piece on oyster restoration efforts. I learned more about oysters and their reproduction than any non-marine biologist should ever know!

While early Virginians could just pick oysters up by hand off the oyster banks, now we rely on methods like tonging and dredging. Oysters have been and are such a valuable natural resource that “oyster wars” between Maryland and Virginia oystermen erupted that took nearly 100 years to resolve.

For those of us who like oysters, there is real concern that over harvesting, environmental factors, and disease have depleted this once rich culinary resource. Efforts at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science to develop disease resistant oysters, and groups like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and loads of volunteer oyster farmers are working to restore the Chesapeake’s oyster population, a move that both helps the Bay (oysters filter water by consuming algae at a rate of 1.3 gallons per hour!), and benefits our dinner table. In addition, there are many commercial oyster farms now that provide oysters of uniform size, quality, and appearance and help restore both the oyster population and the Chesapeake Bay.

Oysters are graded by size, with counts being the largest (~20/pint) and very small the smallest at 63/pint. Oysters you find in your local market or seafood store are most likely standard (38-63/pint) or select (26-38/pint). Taste tests between farm-raised oysters and “wild” oysters show little or no taste difference. I have used both in cooking, and they are both delicious, with farm-raised being a bit more uniform and easier to handle · When buying oysters in the shell, choose those that are tightly closed or, if open a bit, close tightly when tapped. To store your whole oysters in the fridge, lay them in a single layer and cover with a damp towel. Use within a day or two, discarding any that fail to close with pressure.

You may have heard that you should only serve oysters in a month that contains an “r”, from September to April. This saying originally came about before refrigeration, because during warmer months transporting oysters risked spoilage. However, Chesapeake oysters are actually best during those months because they eat heartily during the warm, late summer months making their total biomass (the delicious part) peak in September to November.

Shucking an oyster can be a tricky business. You need a good oyster knife (I find the shorter broader knife to be better), and you should cover the hand holding the oyster with either a protective glove made for shucking or a heavy weight towel to prevent nasty cuts from the shell or a slip of the knife. NEVER USE A REGULAR KNIFE TO SHUCK AN OYSTER! Don’t know how? There are good step by step instructions at the Daily Press, my own local paper(we have a lot of oyster lovers here in Hampton Roads).

So are you still not sure about eating oysters? Then give this recipe a try. Several years ago, I was a guest of a friend at the James River Country Club in Newport News and ordered a delicious dish called Oysters Bingo. It made such an impression that I worked to try to recreate something similar. The result is a uniquely light oyster recipe that has converted many non-oyster lovers! This is a dish that can be served as an appetizer, main course, or luncheon dish and it is very impressive on the plate.

“Knock-Off” Oysters Bingo (serves 4)

4 cups baby spinach or baby greens
24 shucked oysters with their liquor or ½ pint if you are buying them already shucked (I would use the smaller standards or selects)
5 shallots peeled and chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter (use the real thing here)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ tsp sea salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette cut in slices and toasted till crisp outside, still tender inside (I used a whole grain baguette that was terrific)

Melt butter in medium sauté pan. Add chopped shallots and cook over medium low heat until transparent. Add vinegar, and then add oysters with their liquor. Stir gently until oysters are just cooked (the fringes of the oyster will look like ruffles). Do not overcook(the biggest sin when it comes to any seafood or shellfish). Add salt and pepper to taste.

To Assemble: On a salad plate, place a handful of greens, then place 2-3 toast slices on top of greens. Ladle oyster-shallot mixture with liquid over the bread and greens and serve immediately.

If I've gotten you hooked or you are already an oyster lover, check out cooking sites like Southern Living, check out sites like Rappahanock River Oysters, a Tappahannock, VA producer, who offers recipes from how to slurp a raw oyster, roasting oysters and a rich and creamy oyster stew or the Virginia Seafood website, with lots more information and recipes. There is also a recent NPR piece on the “white gold” that is the Chesapeake oyster also provides some great information, and fabulous recipes!

No way you are ever eating oysters but want to do your part for the Bay? Sign up to be an oyster farmer at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. I guarantee you that all of us oyster lovers will definitely thank you!

St Paddy's - The Day After

I know I really should've posted about St. Patrick's Day at the Dowd's, but there were so many posts about corned beef and cabbage, that I thought the blogosphere would be better off without another. So I decided to post instead about one of my favorite meals in the entire year- Corned Beef Hash. Seriously, I could do without the whole corned beef-boiled dinner (if it weren't for the tradition) and go straight to the hash and a lot of my family feels the same. This year I cooked my corned beef in Guinness and water, instead of just water, and it worked great, adding an extra layer of family to the meat and the vegetables. In addition, I made some delicious cheese biscuits from the Bon Appetit, that were just incredible so I decided to make a new batch to go with the hash.

The result? The best damn leftover dinner there ever was! The hash ends up with a crusty bottom (I used my large cast-iron pan), bits of meat and tender potatoes and carrots topped with eggs with a set white and creamy yolk and a topping of melted Dubliner cheese. It is Irish-American heaven!

Day-After Corned Beef Hash

(Picture, right, is hash BC (before cheese))

1-2 cups leftover cooked corned beef cut into small cubes

4-6 cups of leftover cooked potatoes or potato/carrot mixture, drained of liquid

2 tbsp butter

6 medium eggs

1- 1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used Dubliner)

Use a heavy deep skillet and spray with non-stick coating and then add butter. Mix meat and potato leftovers and place in pan. Cook on medium heat, stirring periodically until any liquid has evaporated. Press mixture down in pan and make 6 depressions for the eggs. Break an egg in each depression and cover skillet for about 3 minutes or until whites of eggs begin to set. Cover top of hash with grated cheese, and cover again until cheese is melts. Serve each portion with hash and one of the eggs.

Dubliner Cheese-Crusted Biscuits (adapted from Kerrygold recipe in Feb '08 Bon Appetit)

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 c shredded Dubliner cheese (you could use another sharp cheddar cheese, but hey, Dubliner is Irish cheese!)

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 c chopped walnuts

2 tsp dried sage

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry cutter (don't have one so I used a fork) until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/ c of the cheese and remaining ingredients. Stir until mixture forms a ball and turn out on a lightly floured board, pressing into a square 1 inch thick. sprinkle top with 1/4 cup cheese, pressing into dough, then flip and do the same to other side. Cut into 12 scone-like shapes (triangles) and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake on center rack for about 12 minutes or until golden. Makes 12.

Try It You'll Like It - Eggplant

Eggplant is a very strangely named vegetable. Except for some gourmet varieties that actually do look like eggs, this large purple orb looks nothing like an egg (Unless Barney the Dinosaur lays purple eggs!) You might be surprised, and a bit alarmed to hear that eggplant is a member of the nightshade family and in fact, for a while was referred to as Mala Insana or "mad apples" because they were thought to cause insanity. In Spain, however eggplants were thought of as an aphrodisiac. While we think of it as a vegetable, it is really a fruit. It is native to India and Pakistan, and was imported to the US by famed horticulturalist and Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, when a friend sent him an eggplant from France.

Globe eggplants are the kind of eggplants you see most often in your supermarket, but there are numerous varieties such as the longer thin Japanese or Asian eggplants and smaller egg-shaped and variegated varieties as well. Our friend "Evil David" often brings eggplant dishes for tapas night, but is only recently that I started making it myself (my husband was also not a big fan!)

Now I have to admit that I had never had an eggplant until about 10 years ago, and I didn't like it then. It seemed bitter and not very appealing. However , a simple technique in the preparation of your eggplant can make it into a delicious meal. If you are new to eggplant, you need a gentle introduction with a dish like eggplant parmesan, cause after all who doesn't love something with tomato sauce and cheese. Then you can work up to classics like baba ghanoush (an hummus-like eggplant dip) or imam bayaldi (a stuffed eggplant).

So what is the secret? If you are slicing eggplant for use in a dish like eggplant parmesan, set the slices in a colander,salt generously and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Before using the eggplant, rinse very well to remove salt and cook as directed- I swear it makes eggplant that is delicious and rich without the bitterness.

Ready to dive in yet? Try this recipe. It is the easiest and healthiest eggplant parmesan you'll ever have. It takes You can have dinner on the table in less than an hour, and it will change your mind about eggplant. I promise it won't make you crazy, and who knows, maybe you'll get lucky!

Deb's Aphrod-EASY-ac Eggplant Parmesan

2 medium globe eggplants cut into one inch slices

2 cups homemade or good quality jarred spaghetti sauce

2 cups grated mozarella cheese or thickly cut mozzarella slices (1 per eggplant slice)

Pam or other oil cooking spray

2 tbsp olive oil

After you have sliced the eggplant, place in colander and salt generously. Let stand for about 30 minutes, then rinse well. Spray baking sheet with Pam and lay eggplant slices in a single layer on the sheet. Brush with olive oil. Broil for about 3-5 minutes per side until just browned. Remove and set oven to 350 degrees. Cover the top of each eggplant slice with a thick layer of sauce and top with cheese. Bake about 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Serve with a salad and some ciabatta bread and consider yourself converted! Serves 4 as a main dish.

Hampton Roads-- Where's the Beef?

If you live within driving distance of Williamsburg,VA and you have a great recipe using Certified Angus Beef, have I got a contest for you! In conjunction with the Michelob ULTRA Open, The Junior League and Certified Angus Beef brand is sponsoring a recipe contest with the prize of $50 worth of Certified Angus Beef each month for a year. How do I know about this opportunity? I have been asked to be part of a panel of judges headed by Certified Angus Beef corporate chef Scott Popovic, who will prepare the winning recipe at a luncheon at the Kingsmill resort!

So when I got the invitation, I did a little research about Certified Angus Beef and I learned a lot. While I know the basics about beef, how it is graded and what to look for in a good piece of beef, I really didn't know what was special about Certified Angus Beef. Particularly today, when consumers are looking for meat that is not only delicious but healthy, I was pleased to find out that Certified Angus Beef offers a line of Natural beef . They use a "never, never, never" (clever, huh?) policy, where animals are never given hormones other growth enhancers, never given antibiotics, and never given anything other than natural foods and forage. You can check out their site for more information, and some great recipes. And if you are in the Hampton Roads area or its surrounds, check out the contest rules at http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-%20now_beefcontestmar14,0,1009724.storyand brush off your best beef recipes. Who knows? Maybe I will get to taste one of your recipes!

In the news!

A newspaper version of our off-season beach getaway appeared in my local paper, the Daily Press. Check it out here http://www.dailypress.com/travel/dp-life-beachfood,0,5563621.htmlstory. In the print version this was over 1/2 page with color pictures- a feature in the travel section. I can't help it... it is exciting to see your words in print!

Beach Birthday Part 2- Family, food and fun!

What can you do with your family at the beach in January? Well, first and foremost, you can wake up every day with a view like this. Can you imagine anything more relaxing? Even though it was cold, Gavin and I braved the beach each morning, walking for miles without seeing anyone. It was like having your own private beach resort. Our rental house, besides being beautiful (see for yourself, right), was incredibly well-equipped (I can't say enough about Kitty Hawk Rentals, they were incredible).

Once we were settled in, and had gotten some lunch at the Beach Road Grill, which was right next door, it was time to explore. There were plenty of bedrooms so that everyone could spread out. The first floor had a hot tub(there will be no hot tub pictures posted here, though we really enjoyed it!) and a rec room with both a foosball and ping pong table. The kids started a foosball tournament while I put food away, and started birthday dinner. Gavin's brother and his wife (who gave us the referral for Kitty Hawk Rentals) joined us and we began by making a batch of sangria (a favorite of adult Dowds) while Gavin (still a bit shell-shocked from finding out he was in for four days at the beach instead of just a meal!) and his brother John headed out on the deck to talk politics.

Gavin has been on a Mexican food kick since we began eating at La Cocina del Sol in Crozet (this had been so much of a joke that Colleen got him a sombrero and pinata as a Christmas gift!), and so I searched for something new to make with a Mexican twist. I selected a delicious stew that I adapted from a recipe I found on Food Network that was served over a bed of mashed chipotle sweet potatoes. Molly made one of her famous salads, and in lieu of traditional birthday cake, I made one of the birthday boy's favorites, Boston Cream Pie (Bridget, Molly and Colleen with Dad).

What else do you eat at the beach in January? Seafood, of course. We made a big pot of clam chowder our second night, a perfect choice with a cold wind blowing outside. Our last dinner was a seafood feast with Katie's stuffed mussels, steamed shrimp and crab legs.

It was a wonderful trip, and one we will never forget, mainly because of the quality time we had together, making meals, playing Spoons, Wii bowling tournaments,and just being together without the pressures of work and school. It was a great birthday gift for my husband that was a treat for our whole family! We can't wait to do it again, only this time we hope to have all the Dowds together!

Things we loved about being at the beach in winter:

No crowds (Our only competition for the beach at left)

No sunburn

The great coffeemaker that dispensed one cup at a time

Everyone was so glad to see us and service was extraordinary whether it was the souvenir shop, or the grocery store. They were just thrilled to have customers.

Foosball- it was a big hit! (see Andrew and Molly in a no-holds-barred match)

The birthday hat that our neighbor Rene made and the girls stayed up all night decorating (see it right, Gavin said he'd kill me if I posted the picture of him wearing it!)

Playing Murder and Sardines, parlor games our neighbor Rene taught us, at night in the three-level house. Murder is a game where someone commits a murder and a predetermined investigator (we use playing cards to determine the murderer, investigator, and back-up investigator) asks questions to determine who was the culprit. Sardines is a game where one person hides and then everyone goes looking for them. When you find them you stay in the place they are, trying to stay quiet until you have a huge giggling crowd in the bathtub, or in a closet. Both of these games are played in the dark, and they are guaranteed to get everyone laughing!

The mexican stew we had for the birthday dinner- it was so outstanding we have made it twice since then.

Mexican Stew with Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes (inspired by recipe on Food Network )

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon ground chipotle chili pepper (or to taste- this proportion makes a medium to hot spicy dish)

2 pounds beef or bison for stew, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces*

1 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon cooking oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups chopped red, yellow and green bell pepper (any combination is fine)

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 1/2 cups ready-to-serve beef broth

1 teaspoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers

Chipotle Sweet Potatoes: 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces

1 to 2 tablespoons butter, optional

1 teaspoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper

Combine flour, cocoa and chile powder a large Ziploc bag. Add beef and toss to coat evenly with flour mixture. Remove meat and reserve any excess flour mixture. Heat butter and oil in dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Brown meat in small batches and remove from pot, setting aside until all meat is browned. Season meat with salt and black pepper.

Add bell peppers to the dutch oven and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, broth, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce and reserved flour mixture. Return beef to stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours or until beef is fork-tender.

Meanwhile prepare Chipotle Sweet Potatoes:
Place sweet potatoes in large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 12 to 15 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Return potatoes and reserved cooking liquid to saucepan; add butter, if desired, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, salt and chile pepper. Mash potatoes until just blended and slightly chunky. Serve stew over sweet potatoes.

*Tip: When you buy stew beef or bison, it is often from less tender cuts. Toss it with unseasoned meat tenderizer (about 1 tsp per pound) before freezing. The meat will then tenderize as it is defrosting and result in a more succulent stew.

Dowd Family "Legal in Virginia" Sangria

Here in Virginia, many of us recently found out that Sangria, usually made with a combination of wine, brandy and triple sec is actually banned beause of a 75-year old law that prohibits the pre-mixture of wine with distilled spirits. Well, we have been making a simple sangria for years that is legal even here in Virginia, and it is a favorite with family and friends. While it can be consumed straight, I like to mix it half and half with dry ginger ale for a light spritzer-type drink that is great with everything!

1 bottle "fruit-forward" red wine (Shiraz is our favorite)

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups assorted fruit (sliced citrus, apples,plums, strawberries and red grapes cut in half are a great combination)

Mix wine and sugar together in a large pitcher and add fruit. Let sit in fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is best). Serve cold.

Note: In the summer you can make a white version using a riesling, 1/4 cup sugar, and summer fruits like peaches, melons and white grapes with some citrus that is outstanding with grilled and barbecued foods!

For best results, serve with a healthy serving of the sunset, below.

January Beach Birthday - The Planning

Years ago, my husband planned an incredible surprise birthday for me. He left notes and little gifts all along my path during the day- on the coffee maker, the steering wheel, in my office... well, you get the point. There were no incredibly extravagant gifts, just my favorite cheese danish in the morning, a special perfume, flowers on my desk. In the middle of the afternoon I got a call to look out the front of the building where I work, and up drove a limo, coming for me - there was a crowd watching (Everyone in my office was in on it!) as I was escorted out under an umbrella by the driver to the car full of my husband and kids. Seriously, I felt like Deborah Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman.

Since then I have been looking for an opportunity to surprise my husband in the same way, and everything came together at the end of January as his birthday approached. It started when I discovered that this year his birthday fell on a weekend and Molly had two teacher workdays right after the weekend. My husband, in fact, my whole family loves the beach, and I thought it would be great to rent a house at the beach for a nice midwinter getaway. I began hatching a plan. First I emailed several rental companies in the Outer Banks to see if I could find a house that would fit in my budget. In less than a day I had found a house on the oceanfront with a hot tub and a rec room for not much more than it would have cost to get a nice hotel room for our family, and the subterfuge began. All the kids worked together to keep the secret, to plan our escape, plan meals, and pack without giving my husband a clue.

Our family is a little crazy, so it was not enough to surprise my husband, they actually wanted to torture him, so Kate pretended that she was leaving to look at apartments in DC where she is moving later this Spring and Colleen, who had come all the way up from Florida, pretended it was to go DC for an interview, so he was already really bummed that everyone wasn't staying the whole weekend.But how to get him to the beach? I called him from work to tell him that I had an offer to review a restaurant in Duck, North Carolina, and maybe he and I, Bridget and Molly and Andrew could go since they were comping us a meal (What a liar!) He bought the story, and I convinced him we should take the dogs to the kennel so that just in case we wanted to linger, we wouldn't have to worry about rushing back to let the dogs out!

Saturday was crazy. We sent Gavin to take the dogs and furiously packed cooler, boxes of food and other staples and the Wii into all the kids' cars. Katie had gotten her dad a Garmin GPS which she installed in the car with the address of the restaurant (really the beach house). He was so surprised and excited to use it to go to the beach. We said tearful goodbyes (the epitome of crocodile tears) to Katie and Colleen, and had last-minute drama, when Andrew said he had decided not to go with us for our lunch (another lie). We locked the house and got on the road, my poor husband still clueless.

Despite cold temperatures, it was sunny and clear and the ride to Nags Head was relaxed, with everybody entranced by the Garmin. We were in constant contact with the other co-conspirators who actually were a bit ahead of us on the road so they could get the keys and check in. At one point we were making such good time I had to pretend to be getting a migraine so we could stop and get a fountain Coke and give the kids a bigger head start.

As we approached the address, Gavin was looking for a restaurant, but what he saw was all the kids (except young Gavin who couldn't make it) waving from the porch. He was so surprised that we had to double back. I wish I had a picture of his face, he was confused for at least an hour as he checked out the house and heard bits and pieces of the conspiracy that had been hatched for the better part of the month. And honey, if you are reading this.... GOTCHA!

Next: Family,Food and fun at the beach

Where the Magic Happens....

I have been following S'kat's kitchen renovation over at Bistro 613, and it prompted me to think about my kitchen, the things I love about it and the things I would change. For someone who loves to cook there is no room more important than the kitchen. In fact, as far as I am concerned the kitchen is the heart of the home. I have only had two kitchens of my own. Our first home was an 1100 square foot duplex that was built in World War I as the first federal housing project for workers at the Newport News shipyard (Picture, right is actually my street). My kitchen was about 12x12 and at the time we bought the house it had the gas hot water heater in one corner and the furnace boiler in the other corner. I have seen closets that were bigger than this kitchen.

My kitchen was such a singular place, that when I was taking a nonfiction writing class and we were asked to write an essay about our favorite place, while my 18-year old classmates were writing about under their favorite tree or at the beach, I wrote about my kitchen with the hulking furnace, the floor that was pitched enough you had to be careful opening the oven door, and how, despite its ugliness, guests always congregated there. (I got an ovation when I had to read it aloud to the class!) Over the years, we were able to relocate the water heater, add additional cabinets and a dishwasher (after about 10 years of doing without). Now that we have made this house into a rental, it has had a new fridge added, new paint, a new range and new flooring. It looks better now than it ever did when we lived there!

When we moved to this house and decided to add on, we spent the most time making decisions about the kitchen. I wanted a ceramic tile floor (5 kids, 2 dogs!), an island, a gas range, Corian countertops. Since we were adding a large two-story addition, we had to make compromises in order to fit in the budget and so I got a Dacor dual-fuel gas range (which I love), great tile floors, and a Bosch dishwasher. There was neither room nor money for an island, so I gave that up. We selected white cabinets (easy to change color scheme, easy to clean), and had to resort to Formica counters (damn the budget!) But when complete, this kitchen was easy care, bright, and guess what? It still is the heartbeat of our home.

What do I love- the floor (so easy to care for), the range (Dacor has the best customer service ever!), my pantry (I love having a place to stockpile all the staples for our meals), our extra freezer (we have an upright where we store meats and other frozen goods that we buy in bulk or on special)

What would I change- the countertops (Solid surface looks so much more upscale, and is more durable), range hood (mine is way too noisy when it is on high)

What do you love about your kitchen? Are there things you wish you had? What would your dream kitchen look like? I'd love to hear from other foodies (and love even more to see your pictures!)

Note: if you want to see some awesome kitchen ideas, check out

HGTV top ten kitchens (where my fantasy kitchen came from!)

Above, my real kitchen; Right below, my fantasy kitchen (the difference? About $350K!)