Can… not… believe we are moving to Charlotte in 10 days. I actually stayed up until 2 AM last night packing, setting up utilities, and renting a U-Haul (and watching Snapped, but that’s another story).
I thought I’d show you two pictures of our future duplex (ignore the furniture, it’s the current resident’s stuff)! Here’s our kitchen. Check out all that NATURAL LIGHT near the pretty granite countertops. Hello, food photography. Please also note the drop sinks, which is probably my favorite feature in the entire house.
And here’s the master bath, or part of it. You can’t see it in the pic but to the left of the sink is a floor to ceiling built-in with shelving. We heart storage space.
I wish I could teleport myself, the Husband, Maggie and James, and all of our stuff into the apartment without having to lift a finger! 
One of my goals is to do minimal grocery shopping in the next 10 days. Obviously we’ll need fresh veg and fruit, but we also really need to eat up our pantry, or we’ll just be moving or tossing food.
Gettin’ saucy with it!
I stir-fried tofu, frozen green beans, and baby corn, and then I added a drizzle of honey, a tablespoon of balsamic, a big squirt of mustard, and a dash of hot sauce.
The result:
+ Brown rice with peanuts on top:
My mouth is singing!
What condiments do you combine to make an excellent sauce?
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Squee! You must be so excited about moving! I now have kitchen-envy.
That looks really amazing! I love getting creative in the kitchen. I like to use a splash of vinegar, a squeeze of honey, couple ounces of orange juice, ketchup, a bit of soy sauce, garlic and ginger, and thicken it with cornstarch to make a pretty decent stir-fry sauce. The fella turned his nose up at it, but it’s really good!
That sounds delicious!
Thanks! =)
Great meal and great apartment!
I like peanut butter with cocoa, soy sauce, agave, water, cinnamon
Orrr soy sauce with agave and cinnamon…basically, everythig with cinnamon or peanut butter! You can’t lose. OH, and maple syrup! Sunflower butter, melted banana and maple syrup goes SO well with tempeh
The house looks adorable! The kitchen looks really nice and the lighting looks perfect.
I love using asian spices/condiments. A great sauce can be soy sauce + fish sauce + honey + ginger + garlic on anything. yum!
Pretty pretty! I love your future new kitchen!
Love the fridge too with the freezer at the bottom (right?). You can fit so much more stuff in those!
love the new digs!! super fancy looking
my favorite sauce to make with condiments? well i combine hummus with stock (not really a condiment, i guess) and it makes a creaaaamy sauce that’s really good on pasta!
That place looks beautiful!
I use hoisin sauce and chili-garlic paste (I get both in the Asian section of my regular grocery store) and use it to top my turkey meatloaf, instead of the normal ketchup or BBQ-sauce glaze. So good!
I’m BEYOND jealous of the lighting in your place. My condo has like, no natural light and it sucks for food photography (and general happiness…I like light!)
Your new place is so pretty! I love how spacious and well lit the kitchen is. I’m a huge fan of using mustard on salad. It sounds weird, but it’s so good!
I’m loving the new place!
So cute!
Moving is a pain, but it will be so worth it in the end
My biggies are honey, worchestire (sp?), and paprika.
CONGRATULATIONS on the new place. It’s beautiful! I have never lived in North Carolina but the many times I visited I absolutely fell in love with Charlotte. It’s the perfect blend of “south” and “city”.
Love the new kitchen! It’s so great when rooms have a ton of natural light. I am currently trying to eat my way through my pantry since I am moving too. I have more soy sauce than I know what to do with
YUM that sauce sounds awesome. Love the addition of peanuts on the rice, too. Right up my alley.
I’m so not creative when it comes to sauces, but my fav salad “dressing” is either balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar + honey mustard. I have it almost every day.
dressing: soya sauce, mint, cilantro, ginger, chillies, garlic, lime and brn sugar – awesome asian salad dressing.
Stir fry: soya sauce, garlic, chillies, peanut butter – pair with bok choy, tofu, green onions, mushrooms…yum
Now I’m hungry.
I love combining steak sauce/ketchup/mustard for snobby joes! Yum
Oh my goodness! Your new place looks amazing!
good luck with all the moving activities! It’s such a pain, but totally worth it once you’re all settled in!
I can’t wait to see how cute you guys decorate your new place.
I love to just mix EVOO and spices.. especially red pepper flakes
ok, i think i need to bookmark these comments w/great condiment mixes! my fave salad dressing is salsa verde and greek yogurt, s & p and if i’m not feeling too lazy i add some minced garlic & green onions. your new place it gorgeous!
Your new kitchen is definately something to envy! Hope your move goes swimmingly~
As for condiments: liquid aminos or vinegar + hotsauce + hummus makes the best salad dressing ever!
Your new place looks lovely! That stir fry looks good, I would have never thought to put mustard in a stir fry sauce. I make a dressing that is killer with nutritional yeast, soy sauce, dijon mustard and water + seasoning(s). It doesn’t sound too tasty but everyone who has tried it has loved it.
Your new house looks so cool! I love the kitchen haha
Best wishes with the move! I hope everything goes smoothly when it’s time.
I always love reading blogs a few days before travel/moving. All the creative juices start flowing when you realise you have such a big variety of foods to eat, which leads to some awesome discoveries and combos!
Wei-Wei
You’re moving on my wedding day. Or actually the day after!
HAPPY WEDDING!
I love anything with mustard! That’s my fave.
Ahhhhh, your new place looks AWESOME!!! Can’t wait to see more pics! I can’t remember– did you get a yard for the fur babies?
we have a front yard and a small backyard. nothing that is truly enclosed but i got them leashes that tie into the ground and i’m going to set it up so they can roam around the front yard.
Caitlin that kitchen is adorable!!! I LOVE it!!!
I have to admit to my guilty pleasure…I love SNAPPED! I keep warning my husband he’d better behave, because I’m taking notes. lol
The new house is adorable. So jealous of that kitchen!
Okay, I try not to ask things on blogs that I can google, but I googled this and I’m still confused. What the heck is a “drop sink”? All the photos I looked at just looked like sinks! How could a sink *not* drop into the counter top, if that’s what it means?
it means the granite tops go over the edges of the sinks so you can sweep the crumbs from the countertop into the sink without them getting caught on the corner of the sink
Thanks! Except now I want one …
I was wondering the same thing!! Haha! I get it now!!
Yay for you! Moving is SO stressful…and the last time I moved was only 5 blocks away! Hopefully thinking of your new (pretty!) place will keep you charging on.
I guess this is more like a salad dressing, but I like to combine honey, dijon mustard, vinegar, & freshly ground pepper. I’ll also do apricot preserves + vinegar for a quick sweet & sour sauce.
Caitlin, good luck with your move, I know it can be very stressful! Your new place looks so beautiful! Can’t wait to see more pictures. Charlotte looks like a great place to live!
I’m so jealous of your new place! SPAAACE
And I’m not creative at all with my sauces. I put soy sauce and pepper on pretty much EVERYTHING and a little dijon mustard goes a long way on my sandwiches
http://www.firednfabulous.com/
My combos are right in line with yours. Red wine vinegar is a must for me, spicy mustard mustard and sriracha. I also love to add lemon or lime to my condiment mixes.
Your new house looks beautiful. I love the kitchen. Kitchens are so my favourite room, I wish our was bigger!!! I’m not the best at making sauce but my bf makes the best sweet chili sauce – 3 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp tomato puree and a few chili flakes depending on how hot you want it. Give it a go, it’s great with fish / prawns in a stir fry.
i would looove for my pug Roy to give this food a try!!
Big sinks are a godsend for huge pans. I love mine! As for sauces, I suck at creating them so thanks for the idea!
That’s exciting you’re moving so soon! I heart storage space too.
Tahini + miso = party in my mouthhh
Looks great Caitlin – loving all that dark wood!
Wanted to say thanks – did a post tonight on my blog and didn’t realise just how far I had come till I saw the progress pics I just posted!!! You are a big part of this – your blog massively inspires me – ever has done since I found operation beautiful two months ago (seems like years!)
Julia
http://www.britbride.com
you are beautiful, inside and out!
I am sooo jealous of your new house! It’s gorgeous. We’re in the process of looking for a house to rent right now and it’s just not fun!
Pure maple syrup,tamari sauce,sriracha sauce….
yum!!
oooh I LOVE making my own salad dressings / sauces with olive oil + white wine vinegar + dijon or seeded mustard…..I can’t remember the last time I bought (or used) regular store bought dressing!
Good luck on the move! Can’t wait to see how you decorate the new place!!! Did you find some good tips after that day you asked for suggestions?
yes! prob the best tip i received was to check out younghouselove.com…. a great blog!
I stir fry veggies up about every other night just cuz it’s so darn quick and easy. I just use a little EVOO and a bit of garlic to get the stir fry going, then as I’m cooking it I sprinkle Worchester sauce and some soy sauce and stir it in till everything is lightly coated. It makes the veggies zesty without being too saucey. I also add a little onion powder in at the very end.
I love stir frying veggies with:
soy sauce
peanut butter
minced garlic
lime juice
cilantro
My parents have been begging for me to make it for them.
Your new kitchen looks so pretty! I love how it has an opening on the left!
My go to stir fry sauce is soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic. It never fails!
I like to mix sweet chili sauce, soy sauce and sriracha!
Your new house is BEAUTIFUL! And way to be creative with your pantry items, sounds absolutely fantastic!!
10 days is going to fly, have a great move!!! Looking forward to food pics on the granite!
My go to stir-fry sauce is definitely chili sauce with lime juice- simple a delicious!
LOVE those countertops!!
I am a hot sauce girl…straight up! I love cleaning out the pantry! Your meal looks so good! Good luck on the packing…I hate packing! The new place!
Wow the house looks great! How exciting!
Last night I made a great Thai inspired sauce using coconut milk, PB powder, Soy Sauce and lime juice. And then of course, drenched everything in hot sauce!
The new place looks beautiful! Good luck with the move!
Or you could give your poor college student friend (hint:me) your food!!!
haha I second the poor college student situation
How cool is your new place!
Ps. that meal looks GREAT!
Looks tasty!
My go-to sauce for stir-frying is a mixture of minced garlic, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and a couple of pinches of hot chili flakes, stevia and ginger. A lot of people would argue that the same thing comes in the bottle, but it’s just not the same to me!!
I love mixing dijon mustard and honey! SOOOO good!
ketchup and tzatziki sauce makes life better.
The new kitchen looks gorg!! And so does your dinner :0) Bookmarked to recreate!
i LOVE natural light in the kitchen. looks great.
Two favorite sauces:
1. HEB 4 berry preserves (or any berry preserve) + soy + rice wine vinegar + sruracha + chicken stock. Simmered till slightly thick. Makes an excellent sweet/spicy dipping sauce.
2. Natural PB + soy + rice wine vinegar + sruracha + light Asian Seasame dressing = Excellent Thia-esque peanut sauce. Great on whole wheat angel hair.
Your new place looks AMAZING! Congrats!
Wow, I love the new place! And baby corn is delicious. I’m always in charge of making the marinades in my house! They’re different everytime I try, and (happily for my family) successful most of the time! I use stuff like ketchup, mustard, apple cider vinegar, spicy brown mustard, maple syrup, garlic, olive oil, Old Bay cocktail sauce, brown sugar… the list goes on and on!
Yay! So exciting to be going to a new place, but ugh I hate moving too. That’s the worst part, but it will be fun to get everything unpacked again and ready for decorating. Love that granite and natural light
hmmm I always love an easy lemon vinaigrette or a peanut butter hoisin sauce. Oh yes and anything with greek like ziki. Good luck with your big move!
I do a stir fry sauce that has lots of PB mixed with soy, hoisin, rice vinegar, garlic, and chili pepper flakes… sometimes a squeeze of sriratcha too, cause I’m spicy like that.
Love the new place! We just bought a condo and it has a double drop sink and I LOVE it. Keeps things very tidy.
Love the pics of your new place! I totally hear ya on wishing you could teleport. I may be moving (again) in September and the thought alone stresses me out. All of the packing up and hassle will be worth it in the long run! You must be so excited to just get there, have it over with and enjoy! Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly for ya!!
I just moved two months ago & I remember the super excitement your feeling right now.
With sauces, I’m obsessed with honey & soy plus chili flakes. Simple yet divine!