< Previous60 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 photos courtesy of MA r K SCHEYE r COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 61 HOMEPORT The house features four bedrooms, plus the bunkroom/family room, but Jim uses one of the bedrooms as a home office — especially during the pandemic. Working from home was never a burden considering the great views out of each window and the opportunity to get some kite surfing in during the day, he said. Guests enter the house from a grand double staircase that opens onto a large, covered porch with outdoor seating. Once inside the house, the view across the back is the Intracoastal Waterway with the slow-moving barges and boats. A wall of windows and doors allows for natural light to stream into the com- bination kitchen-dining-living room. All the walls are off-white; the floors are a blonde wide-plank engineered wood and most of the furnishings are monotone. Color is introduced with artwork and the blue sky outside. “We wanted to keep it neutral and comfortable,” Jim said of the coast- al-cottage-style house with exposed roof rafters and hundreds of exposed rafter tails, deep overhangs and eaves, a cupola and covered porches. The all-white kitchen, with a large quartz island, is sleek with shak- er-style cabinets and a six-burner stove placed under a window. “We can just open the window if it gets smoky in here,” he said. The round wood table seats six un- der an enormous lantern chandelier. Jen’s favorite part of the house is outside, she said. She decorated most of the interiors, with the help from Houston designers Dana Aichler and (Clockwise from left) The Meneelys wanted to keep their house neutral and comfortable. All the walls are off-white; the floors are a blonde wide-plank engineered wood and most of the furnishings are monotone. Color is introduced with artwork and natural lighting; the master bedroom; the master bathroom. (Opposite, clockwise from top) The large family room features four bunk beds built into the walls and concealed behind folding louvered doors; a wall of windows and doors allows for natural light to stream into the combination kitchen-dining-living room; the all-white kitchen, with a large quartz island, is sleek with shaker-style cabinets and a six-burner stove placed under a window.62 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 HOMEPORT Dot Dimiero, and later Galveston designer Ginger Barber. Jen, who has a popular Facebook group called Too Cheap Blondes, is an experienced thrift store shopper and has scored many of the items in the house during her weekly excursions to sec- ond-hand shops in the Houston and Galveston areas. “My favorite part of the house is the outdoor fire pit in the winter,” she said. “I love watching the sunrises with a cup of coffee by the fire, and the sunsets with a glass of wine. It’s like a mini vacation every time we go down, even though we’re only an hour away from Houston.” A large primary bedroom and en suite bathroom also is decorated in the neutral palette. Upstairs are two large bedrooms — one for guests and a cozy one for their 14-year-old daughter, Morgan. The large family room with two couches facing the television fea- tures a nine-drawer cabinet that once belonged to comedian, actor and television host Ellen DeGeneres. “Not sure what it is except a piece of furniture that fits the space,” Jim said. The focal point in this room is some- times hidden: four bunk beds are built into the walls and concealed behind folding louvered doors. Harborwalk is a relatively new gated communited area in Hitchcock, where homeowners have seclusion, privacy and space to move around. The Meneelys’ yard — with a pool, spa, fire pit, fully equipped kitchen, ping-pong table and lounge chairs — is where they spend most of their time. “It is a bit remote, and you give up access to a lot of things, but when we come for weekends, the party is here,” Jim said. “We spend our time at home.” And, adding to their entertainment is their boat house, which is in front of the house and across the street fronting onto the neighborhood pri- vate canal. “Actually, the fishing is better in the canal than out in the bay,” he said. But he loves being out on the Intra- coastal Waterway, where the water is only about 3 feet deep in places and allows him a safe place to enjoy his sport. “When the wind is coming from the south, it is a beautiful place to kite surf,” he said. “It is as flat as glass. But being out here and on the water, it is my Zen time.” The Meneely family spend most of their time outdoors. Their Harborwalk home includes a pool, spa, fire pit, fully equipped kitchen, ping pong table and lounge chairs. The boat house is in front of the house and across the street fronting onto the neighborhood private canal. MA r K SCHEYE r “It is a bit remote, and you give up access to a lot of things, but when we come for weekends, the party is here. We spend our time at home.” JIM MENEELYGalveston, TX 3303 Eckert | $2,097,150 5115 Avenue T | $1,895,000 3830 Wentletrap | $1,500,000 13527 Windlass Cir. | $1,085,000 Galveston 281.773.3477 bjennings@greenwoodking.com BET JENNINGS Top Performing Realtor® in Houston & Galveston Specializing in the Pirates Neighborhoods: Laffite’s Cove, Pirates Cove, Pirates Beach & Pirates Beach West A long-time resident of Laffite’s Cove Director of Laffite’s Cove Board Pirates POA & UTMB Development Board GREENWOOD KING PROPERTIES a place to find your home Laffites Cove Just Sold Just Sold64 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 COUNTER CULTURE A GATHERING PLACE A remodeled Santa Fe kitchen makes room for more friends, family and baking story by SUE MAYFIELD GEIGER | photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS W hen Tammie Withers started thinking about remodeling her kitchen and other parts of her Santa Fe home, she began collecting ideas on Pinterest. “I contacted my friend and designer Jennifer Kizzee, who looked at my Pinter- est boards and she knew exactly what I wanted,” Withers said. “We economized, when necessary, plus my brother and sons, Jayson and Jeremy, were able to do some of the work, so it was a family affair.” Most of all, Withers wanted spaciousness, but also distinction be- tween the kitchen and family room, she said. “The other points important to me were storage, organization, func- tionality and prettiness,” she said. “I’ve always loved the look of brick in a kitchen and envisioned this big brick archway. I saw a similar pic- ture on Pinterest and thought that would be perfect because it would give a feeling of openness while also separating the rooms.” Withers also envisioned an oversized kitchen island to have lots of room for her favorite hobby — baking, she said. (Above) Tammie Withers, left, enjoys time in her remodeled kitchen with her boyfriend, Ray Cole, and his daughter, Hunter Verm. (Right) A large brick archway separates Tammie Withers’ kitchen from the family room, but still gives a feeling of openness. An oversized island seats four and provides ample space for baking. “I do a lot of baking and have friends over for cookie-decorating classes,” Withers said. “The island also comes in handy when we entertain because everyone congregates here, especially if I set up a bloody mary bar.” The 9-by-5-foot walnut-stained maple wood island covered with creamy white quartz can seat four comfortably on the French bistro counter stools, but mingling while standing seems to be the norm, she said. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 65 Shaker-style kitchen cabinets painted Sherwin-Williams Snowbound and a backsplash of soft blue and white porcelain encaustic tile above the range are a nice contrast to the walnut-stained shiplap vent hood. All appliances are stainless steel and floors are Legacy Brown-glazed porcelain planks. “I like the rustic look and the farmhouse feel now,” Withers said. “But the special thing that most would never suspect exists is the secret pantry,” she said. “It looks just like a tall cabinet, but when you open it up, a pantry looms large and is the size of a bedroom with shelves for tons of storage.” With the kitchen’s proximity so close to the remodeled family room, Withers decided to spruce up the entertainment center by painting it eye-catching Van Deusen Blue by Benjamin Moore — a bold move on her part, but it worked. “It totally makes a statement,” she said. “Plus, the new limestone fireplace adds a soft contrast.”66 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 COUNTER CULTURE (Clockwise from top left) Tammie Withers, from left, and Hannah Cole pick out cookie cutters as Ray Cole watches. The oversized kitchen island gives Withers plenty of room for baking with Cole and her sister Hunter Verm; the walnut-stained, shiplap vent hood stands out against a blue and white tile backsplash; Withers created a coffee bar at one end of the kitchen; Withers had a beverage refrigerator installed under the kitchen island along with a microwave oven. (Opposite) The kitchen features floating shelves for an open feeling. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 6768 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 COUNTER CULTURE Now that the remodel is complete, Withers has been cooking and baking up a storm, she said. “I have to give credit to my Aunt Peggy,” Withers said. “I often watched her in the kitchen, and I remember the family dinners. Aunt Peggy’s mom and dad — Aunt Fannie and Uncle Doyle — made everything from scratch. Today, I make a lot of soups, like chicken gnocchi, vegetable beef soup and Olive Garden Italian wedding soup. Soup feeds a crowd of people, and taco soup is my favorite. I also like to make chicken and dumplings as well as stews and gumbos.” The cooking tradition is being handed down to Withers’ son, Jeremy; Withers’ boy- friend, Ray Cole; and his daughters Hannah Cole and Hunter Verm. “They come over for dinner quite often and lend a hand,” Withers said. “On week- ends, Ray likes to cook on the grill. We all like to bake, especially using my mini-Bundt pans when making blueberry lemon Bundt cakes. They are a big hit with everyone.” SMALL BITES • Best gadget: Pampered Chef Quick Slice Vegetable Cutting Tool • Favorite cookbook: “Luby’s Cafeteria: Good Food from Good People” • Best small appliance: Pampered Chef Air Fryer, which makes great rotisserie chicken COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 69 BLUEBERRY LEMON MINI-BUNDT CAKES Yields: 12 10 tablespoons butter (room tempera- ture) 2 cups sugar 4 eggs (room temperature) 1 teaspoon vanilla 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 2¼ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1¼ cups whole milk ½ cup plain, vanilla or Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons lemon zest ¾ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) For the glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice Preheat oven to 350 F. In a standing mixer, combine butter and sugar. Let mix until light and fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix until completely combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In another small bowl, combine milk, yogurt, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add 1 ⁄ 3 of milk mixture to the mixer (with sugar and butter). Let completely combine. Add ½ of dry ingredients to the mixer. Let completely combine. Add half of the remaining milk mixture. Mix completely. Toss berries with flour. Add dusted berries into the batter. Fold berries into the batter, being sure not to over mix. Prepare baking pan with nonstick spray and dust with flour. Pour batter into prepared pan. For mini-Bundt cakes, bake about 18-20 minutes. For full-size Bundt cake, bake about 45-50 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick or knife into the middle of the cake. If small, moist morsels stick to the knife, then it’s done. To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Start with adding just 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and slow- ly add more to get a runnier consistency. Drizzle over the completely cooled cake. (From top) A tall cabinet door in Tammie Withers’ kitchen opens to reveal a hidden, bedroom-sized pantry. With open shelving from floor to nearly the ceiling on four walls, Withers has plenty of room for pantry items, cookware and appli- ances; all of Withers’ kitchen appliances are easily at hand, stored on the countertop in the pantry. (Opposite, clockwise from left) Withers loves to bake blueberry lemon Bundt cakes in her mini-Bundt pans; a rustic-style light fixture hangs over the dining table; one of Withers’ favorite cookbooks is “Luby’s Cafeteria: Good Food from Good People.” She often makes Luby’s spaghetti salad recipe.Next >