Some dabbling

I've continued my homemade/organic craze, and here are some of my discoveries:

• I love organic produce. It has character, flavor, and texture that I've not before experienced. I can't even imagine what I'll discover when those organics come in season from my own garden.
• Conversation hearts are better when you make them yourself. Not only do they not say stupid things on them, but you can flavor them with exciting and delicious things, like almond, smooth vanilla, and lemon. They're also just a bit easier to chew, which I like.
• Pasta from scratch is my new favourite thing. I had to learn to let the dough rest before I roll it; apparently my impatience is the very thing that lead to my initial frustration. I haven't found recipe that I adore, but I bought tools that I adore, and the Kitchen Aid pasta attachment set is my new "should always be on the counter" appliance. I'm looking forward to expanding it with the wide noodle and angel hair attachments. I've added photos here of my first pasta day, complete with the chicken/tomato/spinach sauce with which I served it. For our fun family Valentine's Day dinner, we're having spiraled fettuccine with some Mario Batali sauce I pulled from Adam Roberts' informative tome, The Amateur Gourmet. It uses thyme instead of basil, and I'm excited to try it out. Perhaps I'll post on that later.
• My kitchen is wildly inadequate in so many ways. Don't get me wrong, it's a great kitchen, but it leaves more than a little to be desired. So, the kitchen remodel is a go, and will add several feet of counter space, including a new island, as well as adequate storage for everything so we can repurpose the wire shelf that's haunting my blank wall. Also a go?The purchase of some large sheet pans. I just can't make a batch of granola in an 11 x 14. Not only does it take 2 1/2 hours to crisp, by which time I was exhausted, but it coated the bottom of my oven in now-burnt sweet oats. Two negatives do not, in this case, make a positive.

I think that's all for now. More later.