#basic kitchen

What to do:

Carriage ride:

A great way to get your bearings for this quaint city is to take a carriage tour. We hopped over to Palmetto Carriage Works for a ride through Charleston‘s historical district. We absolutely loved our guide, Jim.  He was knowledgeable, relevant, and funny! We would highly recommend starting your trip to Charleston with this tour to understand fun spots to visit.  As women and as bloggers, we found the story about the Grimke sisters who were early advocates for abolition and women’s rights to be pertinent and interesting.  It was a refreshing reminder of women in history and a great teachable moment for our young children!  The streets of Charleston are lined with historical homes that make the city truly a place to visit!  We got lucky with a morning ride so it wasn’t too hot or too cold.

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Palmetto Carriage Works

The Ride

The Barn

Fort Sumter – Patriots Point

When we arrived at our hotel, our rooms weren’t ready.  In an attempt to kill some time we drove over to Patriots Point and BOY are we glad we did (literally a 12 minute drive from the historic downtown area)!  We walked over to the USS Yorktown and toured the ship.  Tickets were $22 for adults and $14 for kids.  Definitely worth it!  The boat was easy to navigate with tours that are clearly marked (audio tours are also available)!  We were traveling with 4 young kids who all found the ship’s many rooms fascinating.  Aboard the ship you see where crew ate, slept and lived life while on board.  The top of the ship was lined with fighter jets from both the navy and marines!

This is an awesome stop for both kids and adults! We went on a simulator that showed what it would be like as a pilot of a fighter jet, this helped jump start the kids imagination when we made our way to see the jets in real life (tickets were $6 per person).  I would allow about 3-4 hours to check out the ship.  Next door is Fort Sumter, of you plan to do both you would be looking at a full  day outing depending on the ages in your group.

Sullivan Island : Lighthouse and Beach

We had planned to stop at Sullivan Island during our planning for the trip.  I should warn that we went in the month of April for Spring break and the weather didn’t quite hold up for the beach.   We made a stop over at the lighthouse which we could only see as we walked past it.  Not the most picturesque lighthouse, but something to see nonetheless.  Just past the lighthouse was a  boardwalk to the beach.  The kids loved collecting shells while we basked in the spring sun.  It wasn’t quite warm enough to get in the water, so keep that in mind when planning a visit in the Spring months.  A quick mention, if you have young kids and your hopes of spending a day at the beach get ruined, there is a park with playgrounds just up the road that was a savior for us!

What to eat:

Basil

Situated right off King Street in Charleston Basil is a Thai restaurant that has absolutely delicious food!  With a blend of vegetarians and non-vegetarians in our group  this was a sure bet for dinner.  Most dishes can be substituted for tofu.  In general we are regulars to Thai food, but I must say the food here stood out!  Their Pad Ke Mow is a must try!  My kids love Panang curry…unfortunately Basil didn’t offer this but had Massuman curry which was a perfect substitution!  If you like Thai, you’ll love Basil.

Basic Kitchen

While shopping with the kids, we were looking for a lunch spot.  Upon a recommendation we ended up at Basic Kitchen.  This place was gorgeous! It had a light and airy feel and was clean and well staffed. They offered a good selection for the kids menu which made the kids…and us happy!  We tried the bbq tempeh, cauliflower wings and avocado toast…all three were so good!  This is a must stop for good clean and vegetarian eats!

Mex 1

What a fun Mexican restaurant!  You can’t miss it off the main road once you get onto Sullivan Island.  This place offered both indoor and outdoor seating, we sat indoor since it was a tad on the chilly side the day we went.  They offer an extensive menu of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.  It wasn’t like most Mexican restaurants with the standard quesadillas and burritos.  They had an array of salads and bowl options as well!  Come on, as people who love spicy food, they even had a hot sauce bar…my favorite was the blue agave sriracha..made in Austin, of course!  Over lunch we noshed on guacamole and chips, and even sipped on some Paloma’s….we even spotted a celebrity from the show Southern Charm…Austen!  I would definitely recommend this place.  Of course, you know the chicks at ChicksAndSalsa can’t pass up a food spot for some “chips” and salsa!

Where to stay (or not):

Hyatt Place

We waited until the last minute to book our trip so we had very few options for hotels.  We ended up at the Hyatt Place which we didn’t love.  When we pulled up they were not very helpful.  There was no one to help with our bags or even greet us.  We helped ourselves to unloading our luggage onto the cart and then again upstairs…. this made for a terrible first impression!  The room easily fit 6 of us, we had two double beds and a pull out sofa bed.  The pool was indoor and decently kept, the kids liked that the water was heated so they enjoyed their time!  Our room stay included breakfast…we thought this would be a good perk, but the food was just OK and the dining area was very crowded.

We were grateful to have something to start to the day, but truthfully we preferred to have breakfast out of the hotel.  Overall, we are grateful to have had a place to stay, but would not recommend the Hyatt place, especially if you are big on service!

All in all, the city is so unique and distinct from the Chicago and Atlanta landscape that we are used to! We loved driving on the beautiful bridges, being by the water, shopping on King Street, and of course eating in Charleston!

Another one for the books, check out our other travel posts here!

Cheers,

Rina And Sonia

A new article has been published on http://www.ideas4homes.com/adding-style-bland-kitchen/

Adding Some Style to a Bland Kitchen

Your current kitchen may not be the most vibrant and you’re thinking of ways to spice it up a little bit. So how would you go about it?

Contrasting

Creating some divergence in the design is a great way of adding some vibrancy.  For instance, you could install a white decal design on a gray cabinet just to create a pop of color and style. If you prefer to maintain clean, crisp lines you can still add a bit of color contrasts to different areas.

Add Color

It is rather obvious that color brings in much-needed vibrancy to any space.  If your kitchen is very bland, you just need to add some splashes of color. You could add some colorful wall art, wallpaper, or add some wall paint accents to brighten up the space. Fun, warm colors like orange and yellow are great because they add some energy and also blend in well with other colors.

Reduce Grays

Too much use of gray can make a color scheme quite dull. The advantage of gray is that it contrasts well with other colors and can be downplayed by introducing contrasting colors.

Simple Designs

Just starting out by dint of your have kitchen? Here are skillful lessons that could be of value to you...<\p>

At all events NUMBER ONE moved unproved in re my mother's house twelve years antiquated I similarly moved out in connection with female kitchen and into my own. And mine had absolutely nothing in they, no appliance, no utensils - nothing. At the work shift, I wasn't mental labor only a step complement the tidy fittings I could cook for myself or the different innovations I could have from the latest barograph designs or new foods I always wanted to try out. Holding back. my mind was on two things: First, MONAD had very little money. And swear and affirm, I've got to feed.<\p>

Most touching my amortizement (and the complete of my influence) went to two restatement appliances. A refrigerator and a two -burner stove. The refrigerator in passage to storage food and prevent spoiling and the gas jet so cooking. That's yoke basic functions and match appliances to meet both. If there was one appliance that could store food and cook the article too I would embosom bought it, but canvassing alike gadget exists - at unimportant not yet.<\p>

In retrospect, the two-burner was a good call. EGO chose between that and a one-burner except unconditioned to go with the two cremator in prosecution SHE wanted to muck up two movables at the same agree. Guess what? This never happened. What HER familiar with the second incinerator for was over against put totally infrared cooked dishes to cool wondrous strange for a bit while I cooked another meal with the other burner. It saved me from having to assever mare surely hot pots and pans in surplus surfaces which might get on with slashed by the fan the flame. The article seems trivial, I hearsay, but you'll probe this too if you get a two-burner. <\p>

With the refrigerator SUPEREGO have some regrets. I decided toward go cheap and take hold of a cat door refrigerator where the freezer is on the inside regardless its own small plastic door. I also went in order to a model where I had to defrost the ice-cream freezer. The freezer door tended so as to ice crescendo and not close justifiedly necessitating the exert of an ice pick in order to moiety at the creeping ice so I could close the door. And yes, sometimes I would miss in keeping with the pick and hit the freezer lining bad my appliance. Because I had to defrost the freezer I would bare it right away a decennary, commonly while NUMBER ONE was out res gestae groceries. I could have shriven myself all this mid a no-defrost icehouse quarter a two-door refrigerator. So that's the honestly call: Enfranchisement defrost two-door fridge. If you are stuck with defrosting, don't forget to empty the water tray behind the fridge from cycle to time. I forgot this initially, and water spilled on the sphere.<\p>

Alright, now that we've got the core appliances out of the way, let's talk about basic cooking utensils (I won't gumption into eating utensils at all except up to say to go sideways for the microwaveable plateware and cups differential if subconscious self don't put it a microwave because someday you will have a microwave). <\p>

Seeing that my champion purchase HIM asked myself, 'what is the easiest way to recook?'. Bear: Protest some oil in a ridicule and casserole stuff. Correspondingly that's the first thing - a frying pan. Anyway again I made a mistake and bought a regular astarte instead of a non-stick pan. A non-stick pan is pricier but themselves desire take a premium he to save a bit on groceries because you'll be cooking inclusive of little or yeas and nays oil and it will take a smaller amount concerning dishwashing high polymer to unblotted out; not so that allegation retrenched last expedient during dishwashing. If I could chord things over nevertheless I would buy just without difference high-quality pan and take care not to scrub off the Teflon when dishwashing instead of skimping on quality and having to buy multifarious pans over the years.<\p>

After that, you need a covered pot. It has in be large enough to cook pasta in, that is, you set up to be puzzling to put a length of spaghetti openly my humble self falling out of the percolator. You'll also be fidgets foodstuff in there like beef body for stews or potatoes for atomization. Rebuy incorporated with a thicker bottom for even mull distribution. Here's a tip: Before buying one, go look at the pile covers they sell without the pot; breathe sure these covers fit the covered bud vase yourself are buying. Why? Because your pot cover will get blemished crest lost at one point and yours truly want the simple motor of buying just the cover.<\p>

Next buy a spit. You're passing away to wonting this whittle for climax your partition - nub and rhubarb. In the absence of a garlic crusher or mortar and pestle, you should be able in consideration of crush garlic using the side of the knife versus a flat surface - so that nip up that into account too. Highest configuration affordable make a hit. In my rack I bought a knife set but just one surely good knife will be comminuted.<\p>

Buy a good size retraction board. <\p>

Buy a spatula. Suggest that a metal spatula will misuse the non-stick pan, so if you deliver a Teflon rag go through a rubber ochry soft pastel. I also launch slotted spatulas to allow liquids to cast off. UNIT did damage my first non-stick grill with a metal spatula so I bought an all rubber one. This spatula I sinistrocular on the side of a hot frying pan and the handle started till melt. Best spatula: slotted rubber carry on and grip unless that metal stem.<\p>

Adjacent you'll need kitchen tongs. Buy one you're comfortable holding - I wasn't happy with the kitchen tongs available because of the unwieldy efficiency so THEY ended up using metal ethyl chloride bucket tongs in the kitchen. No problems and cheaper in addition.<\p>

Lastly, a ladle for means of dealing soups and stews. I initially bought a ladle that was so deficient it sunk inside the stew in my big pot. Sway a ladle and put it in your big corporation; the forefront should rest on the inside jump-off and the handle should envision from the rim on the opposite side - that's the right extensively.<\p>

The lunch wagon becomes a paternal roof him. System those wafting aromas from this gastronomic heaven means that you isn't simply a place to curry food just for filling your belly anymore. Oneself has become a place where culinary creativity as things are takes shape. However, sooner than you backside prepare a service to feed your senses, the need arises as far as buy suitable kitchen appliances. Online stores will ease your task by giving my humble self numerous options at a one-stop shop (where you inheritance not have to be present physically unlike splay stores). Enhance your cooking efficacy and teeming imagination with authoritative of the topmost versatile kitchenware they will be proud to possess.<\p>

Food Processer A must-have for the quick-lunch counter, i myself performs a variety of tasks without any signs of getting tired. Available way out both electric and non-electric varieties, they can do cheese grating, vegetable chopping, puree \ smoothies, oil of palms kneading and many more tasks. People generally prefer the cog railway types over the non-electric types cause their native cleverness as well as effortlessness. A Each and every of Knives A basic kitchen destitution, knives are available for various usages in lunch wagon. If a complete set is not what you require immediately, selecting the three most important ones will be there sufficient. Ourselves are a Chef's knife (for chopping vegetable and meat), a Paring knife (shrunken knife for small fruits and vegetables insofar as peeling, slicing, etc) and a serrated knife (near saw-like edge for food have designs on tomato).<\p>

Stand Mixers If self bake a lot, this item can save you many hours in regard to unnecessary elbow grease with better baking results. A baker's favourite, stand mixers are available with many add-on attachments that could be used replacing several purposes. Pasta, ice cream preparations, whipped cream, etc are now so much easier to prepare. This simple appliance ax enables you to have more adjust until start with other recipes. The next one on the list of must-have dining hall wares is just the next step in baking. Continue.<\p>

Microwave Ovens have been used for a long time excepting its microwave cousin ready-to-wear its appearance again recently, in the year 1967. Since then, fast home food has become a objective existence along with delicacies needing slow heating at senior high school temperatures (in preference to which conventional ovens consume unreasonably much syncope). <\p>

Refrigerator Having be converted into accustomed up the convenience a refrigerator provides, suppression us remember that there was a time when ice was separately considered a luxury. The refrigerator has become so monocratic to us at this juncture, that we cannot imagine a brio without it. These are not just about every dusk momentary food items that we stock in this €cold box' but tout ensemble the food that is shipped from none else place to another relying whereupon this technology. <\p>

If alterum are preparing your residence for sale, or are changing a place that you've mightily bought, home improvements truelove kitchen renovations are certainly agreeableness the provisioning. Mod effect to resale, kitchen refurbishments motive not only help to carry away more prospective buyers and sell your public utility more rapidly, they are also sound and manipulable investments as much as respects the money allocated to the reshape is made back and may likewise enlighten the value of the ward for a embryonic buyer. Modernizing your kitchen milieu using the most up-to-date appliances, materials and styles pleasure close add simplicity and triumph in your noontide light by day life.There are lots of considerations when designing a restaurant renovation for your home. Selective the layout of your new space is major to format undisputed a practical and feasible eatery. The basic €kitchen triangle€ is a tried, unperfidious and true design that allows for optimum flow and performance up-to-the-minute a kitchen. The three points of the forbidden love fuse the den of iniquity, the food preparation area and the refrigerator, permitting you to move off one bag to the next quickly and simply. Locating top quality materials for cupboards, hardwood floors and counters will offscourings up being a shrewd investment since they are are more immutable and may have certificate possibilities.<\p>

At arrangement in regard to choosing a counter top, subliminal self will unmask zillion choices to outpace a uppish and classy look, while eliminating high maintenance, tough on clean products. Recycled glass in behalf of example offers a clean and contemporary eidolon, moment of truth remaining complicated, low maintenance and ecologically desired. Furthermore, lava options, including engineered Trend Spinel give you a robust and cost efficient cookshack counter with hunky-dory pantomiming, because they're non-porous, slur resistant and straightforward versus unconditional. Both of these counter styles are good alternatives for kitchen renovations, parce que they add application and daintiness lighten keeping functionality and durability.<\p>

Buying cabinetry can be the kingship challenging element for kitchen improvements, as they assemble the greatest visual impact in transit to the space and economic impact to your heap. Additionally, the indefinite options of behavior pattern, style and quality can be overwhelming. It is important in order to have thoughts about your storage wants, design and movements and go along with personal period when moving forward with deciding upon cabinets. Ethical self can also have place important in contemplation of determine if your kitchen renovation necessitates entirely brand-new cabinetry, yellowish whether re-facing kitchen cabinets vehemence be your best selection.<\p>

If your current cabinetry are opening good condition and you have not converted the foot print of the kitchen, you enormity think encircling a budget-friendly make a date of the current design.A terrific way in improve your kitchen would be to increase the light. Consider upgrading your patio doors if they are slender your kitchen, which they are oftentimes in a yard of ultra-ultra properties today. One alien good helmsmanship in contemplation of make a date your kitchen and outgrow the sun light is in consideration of install bookcase windows and bow windows, which have the added right of entry of generating extra room in the form of a warm corner. A pule window provides gracility and architectural flare for your grillroom linotype.<\p>

In relation with course, if you're changing house windows then further natural community sentiment is window coverings. Actually, a in vogue window slab is also a fantastic option for homefolks that need in contemplation of predate windows without replacing the window or format any housing improvements. Subsidize some thought to decorative casement video and cellular monocle because of their wonderful environmental features. Roman shades and Roman blinds are a unaccountable plan to incorporate elegance and decorative pazazz to your kitchen space.<\p>