Every Saturday for the last… well many years, I have started the day the same way: wake up, lie in bed for a while thinking about what to bake, get out of bed, go to the kitchen and bake. (Why yes, I was picked last for gym class as a kid – how did you know?). Sometimes it was grad school-induced stress baking, other times craving-fulfillment baking or special occasion baking, and occasionally just-out-of-curiousity-can-I-make-this-without-grains baking. Actually, mostly the latter one, especially lately. I frequently comment to my husband that I genuinely don’t remember what normal people do with their Saturdays (teach me).
On Monday, I’m going to wake up to a black hole where my oven used to be. The entire back half of my house will be under construction and the kitchen will be gutted. When we bought our condo five years ago, we knew it was a fixer-upper, but had no idea what that meant in terms of cost, time, and general upheaval of our lives. Don’t worry, we learned the hard way after our bathroom renovation took twice as long as it was scheduled, and the floor caved in along the way. Hashtagnotjoking.
Perhaps that’s why we’ve taken so long to dive into a kitchen renovation, or maybe it’s because DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT CABINETS COST??? I’ve been making do with about 4 square feet of counter space, an oven that doesn’t heat evenly, a long-defunct dishwasher and most recently, a dead garbage disposal. And while I completely concede that these are first world problems that I am lucky to have, I also love to bake and cook for myself and others – especially through this blog – and it’s getting harder and harder to do that. So, for that reason and one million others, it’s time. I’m taking a sledgehammer to the kitchen.
Just kidding, we’re hiring a contractor because I am not good at building things that aren’t frosted, but the outcome is the same: we expect to be without a kitchen for the next 6-8 weeks (so, realistically, probably 8-10) and that will probably be reflected on the blog. I’m not going to let it go dark and I have tons of posts planned, but for the time being, A Clean Bake will be temporarily transformed into A Clean No-Bake. We’ll also do A Clean Slow Cook, A Clean Raw, A Clean Frozen, A Clean… Well you get the point. I have lots of editorial ideas too, and if you have requests, leave me a comment below. Thanks for bearing with me through this. I promise you won’t starve 🙂
PS: Since some of you have asked, I’ll do my best to include progress pictures without boring those of you who aren’t the slightest bit interested in construction. For now, here are a few more “befores” (Not staged or cleaned, just keepin’ it real)…
All of the counter space and most of the appliances are on this one wall (except for the fridge, which is opposite the dishwasher). Basically, the whole kitchen is on this one wall, even though there is plenty of space in the room.
The kitchen has a massive window, but a lot of the light gets blocked by the deck before it gets into the room. So, the current kitchen is very poorly lit, and the dark tile and appliances suck up a lot of the little light that does get in.
The kitchen is sort of a galley setup except for this odd add-on area that the previous owners used as an eat-in area. However, that was potential storage space that I couldn’t afford to use on an eating area we’d never use. We bought this hutch and installed some temporary shelving, but after we add cabinets (including 2 pantry cabinets!!) and a countertop to this u-shaped area, the workspace in the kitchen will be doubled, and the storage space nearly tripled.
Hi Nora! I am so psyched about your new kitchen-to-be!!!!! Been there done that x2 houses, over the years, and yes, it was frsutrating, and yes, it took longer than expected, and YES, I absolutely hate “mess” BUT…….it will be totally worth it! But count me in as someone who loves “before, during, and after” photos of the remodeling process; you can never show enough.
In the meantime, “A Clean Raw” or maybe “A Clean Paleo” would be interesting or even “A Clean Restaurant Meal” would be fun……..you know, how to eat out GF!
Yippee to the new kitchen!
Thank you so much, Toni!! My goodness, you are a trooper for going through this multiple times. We haven’t even started yet, and I’m already SO overwhelmed! I guess that means it must be worth it in the end. I will be sure to keep you up to date as the project progresses, and there will be plenty of photos on my instagram as well, if you’re interested! (instagram.com/nora_acleanbake <--- you can view it even if you don't have an instagram account). I love your idea for some dining out features! I will definitely add that to the list!! Thanks, Toni! Have a great weekend 🙂
I have 2 pantry cupboards in my condo kitchen. You’re going to love them. We built a new condo patio home and I got the most amazing kitchen. I have a rolling island that sits in front of the bay window that is a baking center. I never dreamed that I would have the kitchen I now have.
I envy you, Barb! I think the pantry cabinets are what I am most excited about. Right now I have food and appliances scattered throughout the house in various closets and cabinets and I often forget what I have. Organization was a huge priority! Your kitchen sounds like a dream, especially the huge workspace and the bay window!! One day I hope to be as lucky 🙂
Getting a new kitchen is exciting especially in time for the holidays! I can’t wait to see. I was going to suggest a clean…restaurant series as well.
Yes, it is going to be the best Christmas present I can think of! Thanks for the suggestion about the restaurants. It seems like that is definitely a big one for people!
Hi, Nora!
Congrats on the kitchen remodel! I am so excited about you kitchen remodel.
Some things I’d be interested in seeing:
1) Ideas for quick and easy breakfasts
2) More candy recipes!
3) I love freezer to crockpot batch cooking – but I could used some optimized recipes – my family likes Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Thai Peanut Chicken with Broccoli, Pizza Soup, Chili, and Tom Kha.
4) Also simple quick easy apps for entertaining/happy hour
Good luck, and may the force be with you on your kitchen remodel.
Kristen
Great ideas, Kristen! I actually have 2 quick and easy (portable too) breakfast ideas coming up this week, and I will definitely have plenty of crockpot stuff, and most likely some small bites/apps. Candy is a little more challenging, but you know I love a challenge! Let me see what I can do 🙂
Wow! A kitchen remodeling is quite a big task, but I’m sure it will all be so worth it in the end. I think Kristen’s suggestions (above) would be fantastic posts to see in the future; I look forward to seeing your kitchen progress in its beautifying transformation!
Thanks, Monica! I think it will definitely be worth it but I am starting to get nervous about the “during” part! Ahh!