Monday, July 28, 2008

Through the Summer Kitchen Window

A favorite book of mine is Through the Kitchen Window by Susan Hill. She takes us through the seasons in her beautiful kitchen, sharing recipes and thoughts:

"In summer, the kitchen is not for lingering in, only for preparing food quickly, wrapping it or dishing it up, and taking it outside. The stillroom and the larder and the dairy are dim and stone-slabbed and pleasingly cool. Jugs and bowls and dishes stand, muslin-covered."

Here are some scenes from my summer kitchen...

Flowers
Yellow daisies in a mason jar.

Tablecloth
A summery table cloth.

Candles
Floating flower candles in teacups.

Herbs
"A pot of basil on the table, a pungent sweet geranium on the windowsill, a bunch of mint hung from the ceiling will all help to keep out summer flies."

Letters
Wonderful letters from friends. Farrah sent me the beautiful summer fruit card that she watercolored.

Dishtowels
A basket of dish towels by the kitchen sink.

Sloppy Joe
A kid friendly meal of homemade Sloppy Joes.

"In June and July, the kitchen is full of bowls and baskets of fruit, heaps of strawberries and raspberries, gooseberries and logan berries and cherries, red- and white- and black-currants, glistening and richly-ripe."
Dessert
Strawberry and blueberry shortcake.

Blackberries
Fresh blackberries with whipped cream.

Bars
Fruit Filled Oatmeal Bars.

Lemons
And cheery lemons to brighten up the kitchen or for making homemade lemonade.

I hope you have enjoyed peeking through my summer kitchen window!

57 comments:

Anne Fannie said...

Oh Kelli, I loved the pictures through your kitchen window! The yellow daisies are gorgeous in that mason jar and I can smell the basil and lemons in the air!
Great pictures and great post!
Love, Ann

Terri said...

Kelli, I love coming here because you have such a wonderfully artistic way of making home, food and ordinary things so appealing. Great post as usual!

Jeanne said...

Your journal is so lovely and so are you~
Blessings

Kathi~Lavender, Lace and Thyme said...

Have I told you lately how amazing you are Kelli? What a beautiful way to start off my Monday except now I am hungry and it's only 5:30am :).

I'm wondering if you've taken photography classes at some point or are you just amazingly talented. I love how you capture your pictures, they alone tell a story.

Have a Magnificent Munday!
Kathi :)

Simply Heart And Home said...

Kelli,

You kitchen window is as warm and inviting as your blog is. Thank you for sharing with us.

Gina

Momma Roar said...

I love your posts like this - they make me slow down and relax and think about ways to create a nicer atmosphere in my home!

Thanks!

Amy O'Quinn said...

I loved the photos...they made me happy just sharing your lovely things with you via your blog! I REALLY like your vintage tablecloth...hey, that would look great in MY kitchen! LOL
You have the gift of making the ordinary seem extraordinary...just with a little extra care with presentation and details!
Great post!
Hugs,
Amy O.
picketfencemom

Theresa said...

Hi Kelli,

I love this post..the tablecloth is beautiful, reminds me of my Grandma from Czechoslovakia and her beautfiul embroidery. That was 40 years ago...thank you for bringing back the memory! Love all the goodies, too. I've made the shortcake and the oatmeal bars and they are wonderful.

Unknown said...

Kelli,
I always get great ideas when I drop in on you!
The teacups with the floating candles are adorable!
And all your food looks so appealing!
Hope you have a wonderful day,
Diane

Jen said...

I so enjoyed this. I love looking at summer items. Homemade things are the nicest.

Mrs. H. said...

I love your summer kitchen, Kelli! Your pictures told about it so beautifully. :-) I am going to try to find the book that you mentioned. The quote made me think of the book I'm reading right now - "Escape from the Kitchen" by Deniece Schofield! ;-) I love to cook, but summertime always makes me want to get done quickly!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Nothing says summer like fresh berries.

The sloppy joe looks wonderful. Great idea for tonite's dinner.
Marnie

Allison said...

Hello Kelli - I am delighted to have found your beautiful blog after visiting Denise Barnes. Your photos are exceptional and your blog is just so beautiful.

I hope to participate in the show and tell at some point. :)

Lila Rostenberg said...

I definitely enjoyed the peek...especailly of the lemons (clear yellow) on the light blue plate! Delightful!

Christy Lee said...

I always find your posts inspiring...thank you so much for sharing. Since I'm just getting started in my own family life, I'm open to all inspiration! Thank you.

cryssi said...

The look through your kitchen window is so pretty! So inspiring. Thank You for letting us see.

Blessings
Crystal

Anonymous said...

Love the blog. Look nice and refreshing.

A Hint of Home said...

That book sounds delightful. Your kitchen looks so pretty and the food delicious.
Looks like you are enjoying your summer.

TJ said...

Your tablecloth is beautiful! So simple and pretty. Those yellow daisies are gorgeous too!

My neighbor gave the kids some beautiful apricot colored Glads. Gorgeous! Just wish I had a pretty table to put them on, ours is currently a storage area.

Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Fabulous photos! And mouth-watering.

Kelly @ Growing.Learning.Playing. said...

The pictures as usual were such an inspiration to me to try to beautify my home. I will definitely have to try a few of those recipes out to serve to my family as a treat.

Kathi said...

Kelli, Such pretty things. I love your table cloth. Kathi

Carla said...

Boy-that is so inviting! You have an eye for design and making things look homey! First the pretties THEN the food-mmmmmmm

Amy said...

Your photos are so pretty. I love how everything is perfect for summer.

Pattie said...

Everything is so pretty and inviting. Makes me want to come to YOUR kitchen and leave mine behind! LOL!

Thanks for the lovely photos, as always.

Julie said...

Kelli, your pictures are so crisp and clear. Do you mind me asking what kind of camera you have? My photos are very lacking...thanks for such a great post. Julie

Quinne said...

Hi Kelli :) Thank you for the book recommendation (yes, I love the title!) and for the wonderful pictures. Love you! Q

Nanna said...

Beautiful post, now that made me want to read the book LOL
Helen

Marybeth said...

Hey Im Marybeth I am Terri Grohs niece and I was looking at your blog and you have taken some beautiful pictures and have some wonderful ideas. I love your blog.

God Bless you, Marybeth

Sandra said...

Love it Kelli, thank you for sharing the view from your kitchen window.

I think I'll look for that book :)

Hugs,
Sandra

Katy said...

Beautiful pictures Kelli!!! I love them! Thank you so much for sharing them with us! I have never read that book you mentioned...but I will have to look into it!!! I hope you are having a lovely week! :)

smileymamaT said...

yummers! I could practically smell those fruit filled oatmeal bars. Your summer kitchen photos are so cheerful. I just want to pop in for morning coffee!
:) T

Anonymous said...

Kelli,

I love the floating candles in the pretty teacups! What a beautiful idea.

Needled Mom said...

o come visit your kitchen. It looks so inviting and charming.

Loved your embroidered sachet. What a delicate, lovely item that is. You did a great job on the handwork.

Julieann said...

Kelli, all the pictures are just so nice--do you remember where you got your table cloth--I absolutely love it!!

Julieann

Cathy said...

Everything looks so lovely, Kelli. I love your pretty flowers. And the fruit desserts look so yummy.

cherry said...

Hello there....this is my first time here and was so happy to find your blog. Gorgeous pics..love the tablecloth and grapevine basket. Will bookmark you and visit you again. cherry

Lena said...

I did indeed enjoy all your lovely thoughts and things.

I loved Susan Hill's "Magic Apple Tree", and now I'm looking forward to reading more of her writing. Thank you Kelli for sharing another of her books.

Best wishes!

Britta said...

Wonderful pictures. I love your summer table cloth!!!!! It looks fantastic, all those little flowers on it, really beautiful.

Hugs
Britta

Anonymous said...

Kelli, I love your blog and all of the wonderful ideas you share. When I saw your first post on the fruit filled oatmeal bars I thought they looked delicious and after this post I decided to give the recipe a try. I used raspberry preserves for the filling and they were delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

Jennifer Hoots said...

Yes, I did enjoy this trip through the summer kitchen window. I am wondering if sweet Fern ever finds your floating candles on the table for a drink of water? My cat, if you remember her dipping her paw in my tea, is always on the look-out for such opportunities!
Jenn

Linda said...

Hi Kelli, visiting your summer kitchen was so nice. Lots of pretty things to see and the bars looks so good...I need to make them. I love putting flowers in mason jars too...perfect for the kitchen. Enjoy your day...hug, Linda

Unknown said...

Kelli, the viewa from your kitchen are lovely. I really think the basket of tea towels beside the sink is a neat idea. Off to look through my many baskets to see what I can find.

God bless.

Michelle said...

Kelli How beautiful your kitchen is...I'd feel so welcome in it.The Lemonade looks so thirst quenching..

Unknown said...

You are making my mouth water with your delicious food!! I love the teacup idea, and may have to use that too! I love summer time too. Hope you are enjoying a beautiful day today!

Sharri said...

Hi! Just letting you know Kelli that you received an award on my blog!
http://sharrissnapzshotz.blogspot.com/

Blessings,
Sharri

Julie said...

Kelli--Just wanted to say thanks for the info on the camera--I will start looking and saving...your pictures are incredible. I'm sure it's not all the camera either, you are a great photographer!! Have a wonderful day. Julie

Anonymous said...

Absolutely beautiful!

mari

Kelli said...

I love the scenes from your summer kitchen! What an inspiring post! I can hardly wait for summer to begin here so we may enjoy more outdoor living and the sweet summer fruits and fragrant herbs!

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

What a beautiful post! Love those yellow daisies! Food looks so delish! I can almost smell the fresh basil, it's wonderful!

Katherine

~Niki~ said...

I've added your lovely blog to my fav's. Hugs!
niki in az

Missy Wertz said...

I love the photos thru your kitchen window! It is so inspiring. Everything looks so good and attractive and tasty. :-) Have a blessed day!

nancy said...

Oh, Kelli, Everything looks just wonderful.
Nancy

Cristina's World said...

You have such a wonderfully artistic way of making home. Bravo!

Farrah said...

Now that's the sort of summer kitchen I wouldn't mind eating my way through! Hee-hee! Oh! And I feel honored to see my name in there! :-)

Love Bears All Things said...

I hope you're going to frame that card!
Mama Bear

Leigher said...

Hello Kelli, I am from Orange Park, Florida and came upon your postings. I love the recipes you have posted. I cook most of our meals at home and will use some of your ideas for berries in the summer time.

We are also a Christian family (Baptist) and just wanted to say you are doing a job with your family.

Take care, Lisa Hoffman