A new kitchen and some great food.

As a transplant to Iowa from North Dakota. I return often. Not only to visit wonderful friends and family, but also because my job is headquartered out of Fargo.

This last summer Chad and I had the opportunity to stay with our great friends Rachel and Melissa. They had just spent the last few months remodeling their charming home to give it even more character. Lucky for us we missed all of the dust, but got to enjoy the finished product along with a few wonderful home-cooked meals.

Kitchen area before the remodel.

Kitchen area after the remodel.

A nice gas range and an ingeniously designed hide away vent hood.

Maple cabinets with whimsical touches. If you look carefully you will see the spoon, knife, and fork pulls on the cabinets.

Dining room before.

Dining room after.

Main bathroom before remodel.

Main bathroom after remodel.

Living room before remodel.

Living room after remodel.

The girls gained a ton of storage space in this room with the addition of some cabinets and bookshelves.

Time for dinner…

Our gorgeous hosts and cooks. Melissa, Cassie, and Rachel.

Melissa and Rachel participate in a community garden share. As a result, we had local fresh beets, cabbage, potatoes, and tomatoes at our disposal. The beets, potatoes, and cabbage were roasted.

The tomatoes were made into a mouthwatering bruschetta served with crostini.

A roast pork tenderloin was served along side our veggie feast.

While in Italy we toured the Acetaia Villa San Donnino which made traditional balsamic vinegar from the Modena region of Italy. Visiting this villa was part of our food tour along with our visit to the Parmigiano-Reggiano factory while in Bologna. One of our finds on this day was Nerone. Nerone is a balsamic aged 4 years. It is not the expensive traditional balsamic found in the Modena area, but is made from the exact same grape must. It is amazing on fresh ricotta cheese or in this case for dessert on strawberries and ice cream.

Fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and a drizzle of Nerone. Perfecto! Grazie!

A must try dessert.

Needless to say I had no problems finishing it.

The next morning Rachel made an Eggs Benedict with spinach and a delectable onion and balsamic cream sauce. Mmmmm!

Here is a close up of the cute painting hanging in their kitchen. The artist is a personal friend.

A great visit with great friends after their beautiful remodel.