Julia Child's home at Aunt Lollie's

For the past four years i've tried to figure out what to do with an empty wall in my kitchen.  It backs up to my pantry, and can be seen from many places throughout my home.  Do i add shelves and put some of my many cookbooks, or a great picture of lemons, or maybe frame a great vintage napkin or menu from a landmark restaurant???  Then my wise friend Teri said i should find an interesting picture of Julia Child since i have always admired her.  Well, i searched and eventually found a picture i was mad for.  This picture was in an article written in 2012 by Albie Walton regarding his photo shoot in 1975 with Julia for the cover photo for her then upcoming book From Julia Child's Kitchen [via].

Picture of Julia Child i knew i wanted for my kitchen!

Interestingly, as much as i loved this photo, Julia told Albie that this was her very favorite photo from the shoot, although apparently the publisher went with a different photo.  I was fortunate enough to find Albie's email, contacted him and told him i would love to find a way of getting a copy of this photo.  Albie was so nice... he responded immediately, we spoke on the phone, and he sent me a poster of the photo that was used for an exhibition through the Smithsonian.

Every day i see this picture and i get such pleasure from it.  I'll never have the culinary skills of Julia Child, but it's nice having the energy (if even by means of a picture) of of this legend who thoroughly enjoyed being in her kitchen.

Albie, i had trouble photographing the framed poster without getting a glare, but here it is, and i thank you so much!

My framed pic!

And, in the words of Julia Child...
Bon appetit!

 

Happy birthday blog... you are now 3!!!

Time flies...

I was preparing my next post, when i realized that this month is 3 years since i started this silly little blog.  Yes, the time has really flown by. 

I've enjoyed sharing my recipes and cooking experiences, but i've also enjoyed finding some absolutely amazing and inspiring kitchens.  One question... why did i re-do my kitchen 3 years ago before the advent of pinterest?  I enjoy my kitchen, but i must say i've discovered so many possibilities that books and magazines never showed me.  Perhaps i'm supposed to keep searching so that one day, when i have a real kitchen -- a kitchen with a window, a gas stove, and room for a sous-chef -- i can open my pinterest file and say "now THIS is the kitchen i want!"

So here's my latest dream kitchen.  I'd love to know if part of the roof opens.  Oh no.  I hope this isn't a kitchen from a movie set. 

 
Sweet dreams until i post tomorrow's sweet 4th of July treat.

Established 2009

A dining room converted to a kitchen fit for an emporer!

The new owners of this charming 'bama home had the challenge of converting the formal dining room to its new kitchen.  Although a bit too formal for me (enter, the Napoleon III silver-leaf mirror above the Five-Star stove), it nonetheless has an inviting warmth and friendliness.

I love the arched built-in shelves!

Notice how the owners kept the feel of the formal dining room by building the marble sink to resemble a buffet, and the 9' long oval island, a dining table.

I think this kitchen probably looks great at night, with dim lighting.

Beautiful light from the large bay window and double-doors opening to the patio. This is my kind of kitchen view!

Happy Sun day!

One happy kitchen!

 

I find this to be one happy kitchen.

 

 

I'm guessing the pots and pans are this organized.

Kitchens for an Ivory Tower

I'm hoping to get back to cooking very soon, so i need to share more of my collection of spectacular kitchens.

I'm generally a monochromatic person -- i like a vase of flowers with all the same kind and color.  Or when i wear black, i might accent it with white or ivory, and when i wear white or ivory, i accent it with... yes, you guessed correctly... black!  Ok, i do incorporate brown on occasion.

If this were my kitchen, i would have a vase of magenta colored flowers on the island...

I want to see the rest of this house!

I'd like to wake up to this kitchen on a gorgeous spring morning, or winter or summer or fall would also be fine with me.

I love these exposed beams.

And then, dine al fresco, of course...

No, this isn't my patio.  It's a private patio from the Amanjena Resort in Morocco. 
Think, Sex and The City II.

Stay tuned for more kitchens... soon!

A romantic kitchen (No, that's not an oxymoron!)

In my quest for spectacular kitchens, this one must be tops for romantic.  Look at the gorgeous painted ceiling and the warmth that the wood counter brings.  And don't miss the chandelier in the back corner -- just above the potted plants on the back counter.  Wouldn't you love to know what the yard looks like just beyond those windows.  Stay tuned!

Of course they use brown eggs.  White would disappear with everything else.

 

 

 

A pretty day becomes a happy day.

Cuisine du Jour... or Kitchen of the Sea

If you need me, here's where i'm cooking dinner, if i was able to cook, and if i was in France --

Look at the gorgeous ceiling, and how the crystal chandelier adds the right amount of bling to spice up this kitchen.

Oh, if you're wondering, this is the little breakfast nook where i planned my day of strolling through Provence's street market and figuring out where i was going to get lunch.

Bonne journée

Not your mother's kitchen

Since i'm out of commission for 4-6 more weeks with a fractured knee, some pulled ligaments and a sprained ankle, i decided that, even though i can't cook (takes too much standing), I could look for fabulous and unusual kitchens to drool over.

Here is my first... a sunken kitchen in my own backyard... Venice, CA.

I'm assuming the fridge are cold drawers and the oven is beneath the stovetop.

Could cooking get any more serene than this?

A kitchen with "what-a-view"!

On that note... I have to go scrounge up dinner.

Buon appetito!