We Have Lift Off

The hood.  Note the new wall color.  It's kind of a goldy tuscan yellow.

I am very happy to report that my kitchen is back up and running.  Vince and his guys finished painting today and it looks just beautiful.  The hood is gleaming stainless steel and has enough torque to suck anything up that comes off of the stove.  I am in heaven.

Ted's birthday cake

Today is also Ted's birthday and up until 3:30 this afternoon when the guys pulled away from the curb, I wasn't sure if I would be able to cook Ted a birthday dinner.  I hoped that I would be able to but I had to first get the kitchen back in working order.   Luckily I am nothing if not efficient, and I got to work and in two hours flat it looked as though there had never been any construction.

But there's a limit to how creative I could be at 5:30 in the afternoon, especially when I hadn't yet been to the grocery store.  I decided to call on an old favorite, Ina's Weeknight Bolognese (You Little Tarte 11/8/10).  It's quick.  It's easy.  And it tastes like it's been simmering away on the stove all day.

I picked up some nice lettuce for a salad and then made a quick stop at Prantl's Bakery for a birthday cake. (Normally I would have baked, but there's a limit to what is humanly possible after a week under construction.)  Nonetheless, we had a perfect birthday celebration complete with cake, presents, and a brand new ventilation system.