Traveling editor Ann Kaiser shares a peek at her updated family-friendly country kitchen.
By Ann Kaiser
Welcome to my country kitchen! Usually, in my Editor in the Country pieces, I’m away visiting a CW reader for a workday at her farm, ranch or country business. But today CW has asked me to be the hostess, show you my country kitchen and introduce you to some special people.
I live about 30 miles west of Milwaukee, on the shore of Beaver Lake. One of my favorite things about our home is the view. On a calm day, I can look out my country kitchen windows and see fish swimming by.
Originally a summer cottage built around 1900, it was later expanded by other owners before husband Louie and I bought the house, in 1985. We’d dreamed of living on the lake we’d loved as kids—and of raising our own family here.
Opening Up the Country Kitchen
Our home isn’t large, but there’s a good flow, since the country kitchen adjoins a great room and deck. And our family and guests always gravitate to the kitchen. You should have seen the hubbub recently when we did make-your-own pizzas with our sons, Rich and Mike, their wives and our six grandchildren!
Some years back, we removed the wall separating the country kitchen from the living-dining room, took down hanging cabinets over the sink to open up the room and added a window for an eastern view. Recently we updated putting in granite countertops and refinishing the birch cabinets. We have a peninsula instead of an island–and Louie and I built its glass block base ourselves.
That peninsula doubles as a buffet table when we entertain. Louie and I like to host parties, from casual gatherings to sit-down dinners. He’s the grill master; I enjoy cooking and baking. The peninsula is also a favorite coffee spot for me and my favorite neighbor—my mom, Annette Gohlke. Longtime CW readers will remember “Nettie” as the first food editor for our magazine back when it was called Farm Wife News.
Room for Work and Play
Since I retired from full-time work at Country Woman and Taste of Home, I write in an “office” in a corner of the country kitchen. I’m working now on some future features to share with you in CW, as well as some compilations of local history. Glancing up from my laptop, I might see a great blue heron soar or sailboats go by.
Sailing has been a hobby of mine since I was a teenager. Now, my 6-year-old granddaughter Audrey is carrying on the tradition. She takes junior sailing lessons, and serves as crew on Grannie Annie’s 16-foot sailboat. We sail together in weekly races—and even win a few. It’s fun to share sailing tips with her. Usually I’ll grab a pitcher of iced tea from the kitchen, and we chat away on the deck.
Now that I’m retired, I can take a break like this on a summer afternoon. As I’ve learned over the years, you always seem to appreciate your home even more after being away from it. And it’s even sweeter when you can share good times here with family and friends. Thanks for stopping by!
As CW’s traveling editor, Ann has signed on for workdays across the U.S. and Canada. Enjoy a look back at some of her most memorable ones.
This is a message for Ann Kaiser re the photo of her and her grand daughter “sailing’ or perhaps posing for this picture – now I don’t know what the message was that other people got from viewing this Ann, but I always thought that when you were in the ‘water’ doing some sport that safety was the primary issue.
In this photo I see your ‘bum bun’ hanging over the side of the boat and you are ‘hangingon’ as is your grand daughter – are you actually sailing or posing??? Either way to look at the picture looks like you are having fun but where I live in Abbotsford, B.C. we are heavily into programs re ‘water safety’ which I just thought was important. Please if you have a moment let me know what you think – is this picture good advertising for water safety. That’s why they call them accidents. Bye for now – Kay, a long long time reader. Bye for now
Kay, we appreciate your concern for the safety of Ann and her granddaughter. Ann assures us that they always wear the vests while racing or sailing for fun, and tell us the vests were close at hand during the photo shoot.
Your kitchen suits you Ann! It is bright and beautiful! As a long-time follower of your magazine, I am happy to see both you and Nettie, looking happy and healthy in your lovely room.
Love Ann’s kitchen, and especially the nautical theme. Of course, I love Ann, too, so it was a treat to see her home—and the picture of her sailing with Audrey. Thanks, Ann!
Ann,
I really enjoyed seeing your home in Country Woman magazine. I have very fond memories of the time you visited our potato chip factory in South Dakota in 1993. I have been going to contact you for years. We sold the chip plant in 1998 and it is still making chips. We moved to the lake and no we did not retire but relocated our farm east of Garden City where the Campbell family farm started. We have an office, shop and living space there. Bob is still farming but we do sneak off to CA in the winter for a couple of months. Chad is in Minneapolis and has had a good career. Scott is married with two children and lives north of us on the lake. Scott runs our family farm. It was fun to hear about your family.