Kitchen extension Week 3 updated

 Week 3 - after a 2 day break lat week for gale force winds, the builders were back Monday and did the roof. These are the 3 rooflights the architect recommended, hopefully there will be enough light.

Day 2 - lots happened, we evacuated the kitchen, our cooker and fridge freezer is now in the hall and the builders have broken through. Also put the doors/windows.
Finally, a view of what the extension will look like, for the first time I think it looks large and worth all this money!!!
Cannot envisage what it would  look like before this.

Now, for 3 weeks without a kitchen......



Day 3&4

 The floor insulation laid, roof done - took 4 days - done by a separate team. Non stop rain daily since they have started, now the roof is on, its a bit better. This is the extended bit, where our dining table will go.
The kitchen is darker than we imagined.

 Underfloor heating decided on and laid this morning. Everyone in the house except me likes/loves/has to go barefoot and this made the most sense, hopefully will not stop working etc. Tiles to go on the top.
Next week, the plasterboard then plastering/tiling and hopefully week after next, the kitchen will be put in, then finito......

In the middle of all this, we've had 10 windows replaced - double glazed, and its lovely, no condensation anymore and we think its a bit warmer.

Our current kitchen mess

 Packing away all my masalas/emptying cupboards etc in anticipation for sometime next week for the big breaking through.
The steel beam is already in - the top of this picture.
We thought we'd start work on the kitchen as soon as we moved here, its now almost a year but its finally happening.
After finalising the kitchen, most of the weekend spent sorting out our eating arrangements for the next 10 days, then hopefully back to normal or much better.

Kitchen extension Start to End of Week 2

Week 2, Day 1 and this is coming together. Still dont think it will be as big as the builder says, but, we'll see.......
The builders leave before 1:30pm everyday, here at the dot of 7.30am, in the dark/frost/ice etc.
Our kitchen hunt continues, fed up of looking at the same plans drawn up now.

 Update on Day 4 - these two pictures are the roof being framed (?) on Tue and Wed.

 This is our kitchen when the steel beam was being put in.

The steel beam put in on Wednesday. Today's Thursday and they have a minor hiccup - gale force winds etc forecast, or the roof would have been laid today/tom. Never mind, they are ahead of schedule, we're told, so on to Week 3 and a finish soon.

Project kitchen extension - horror or delight? Updated Week1

 Started work this Monday on our kitchen extension. We've always wanted a kitchen with dining area and our new house just didnt have the space.
After much thought and deliberation, we've gone ahead. With all the horror stories about builders, their overcharging, delays, no shows and endless problems, I have been apprehensive, to say the least.
This is pictures of Day3 of the work. First day digging, second day concrete and third day bricking. Sounds to good to be true........watch this space!

Now the hassle of finding a suitable kitchen and quotes and matching everything etc etc.......hopefully will be worth it in the end.......

 This is Day 4, they laid the concrete on the floor. Heavy incessant rain isnt making things quicker....

iT

Day 5 early delivery of bricks etc, still darkish, the children have been sitting with their noses to the window clicking pictures of this seemingly thrilling time......
Its not yet 10am on Friday and they have bricked up upto almost waist level, will take a pic and post end of the day

Leftover ham quiche with Pillsbury atta!

Children like quiche. French friend who keeps saying and showing me how easy it is to do. Me being not very successful with pastry. H not liking too much of any sort of pastry.
Cue experimenting with Pillsbury atta and olive oil at home. Result is much nicer than I imagined, and Ive done it a few times. Its still nice and crisp, not crumbly though, like shortcrust. Maybe I need to try it with butter.
In principle, its the same as a paratha, but the oil is in the dough, not put on the outside.
Also had a huge leg of ham leftover from Christmas which I'd frozen. Chopped it up into chunks, with some roasted veg and 3 eggs.
Result lovely, this is the latest attempt. I dont add a lot of cheese, do a lot of filling instead.
Around 2 cups of Pillsbury flour with 4 tbsps of olive oil and cold water. The oil makes it much easier to roll out, without using extra flour.
Next time need to try it with some masala filling like mince.....! Or maybe not.....lets see.

This is the pastry base which I baked for 10 mins, with tiny cuts in to avoid rising (it does rise surprisingly, as I found out previously!)

Et voila!
Our French friend will probably be horrified!

PS I needed to cook this for another 15 mins more (this is after 20 mins of baking) for the top to get golden brown and rise enough and the pastry to get crisp.

3 eggs.
Some milk
Ham as much as you like!
Some sort of veg
Milk or cream - quarter cupful.

Eldest's Number 9 cake with wedding roses!

Long busy weekend with our eldest's birthday festivities.....over tomorrow evening. I am zonked.
This cake is a repeat of the number 7 cake I did two years ago, partly due to not much time to create and partly due to her asking for something similar. I used a bundt tin and a loaf tin, easy to shape then.

Differences being the cake inside is chocolate yogurt - my mum's fail safe recipe with 1 egg, yogurt, oil, butter etc. Lovely and moist, and never has turned out bad.
Did much more roses this time, due to lots of leftover marzipan and fondant from Christmas. Light pink is default, options were black or green colour, plus its very easy to create pink.
The roses make it look like a wedding cake, so I was told by one of the eldest's friends, but they are easy to do, I did around 7 a day for 3 days and let them harden in the fridge.
Tons of tutorials online, takes a minute for a rose and a very small ball of fondant, marzipan is a bit stickier.
Dr Oetker wafer daisies.
Overall result no cake left at all today, now to form some concoction from the bits leftover for her actual birthday :)