Dream Kitchen Renovation

2014 was a big year for us. We got married on January 19; honeymooned in Washington, D.C.; went on our first cruise (also our first trip outside of the U.S.) and on August 28 we bought our first home!

After signing the final paperwork to make us homeowners!

As insane, expensive and stressful as we thought planning a wedding was, buying a home and making it ours was (and is) that much harder! We bought a '50s ranch-style home from my great aunt (Mamaw Vergie) who was moving to be closer to her son. It's so exciting because this place was already home to me. I was running around the yard, flopping on the couch and making cakes here since I was tiny and now we can live here and make our own memories as a family. 

My Mamaw had lived here for over 30 years - first with her husband, Uncle Fred, and then on her own as a widow - and the house was in great condition. But it was so...her. Her favorite decorating color is beige, she had the furniture in the same layout for decades at a time (thus impossible dents in the carpet) and she didn't have needs for tons of outlets like us technology-obsessed kids. So obviously, we had some changes we wanted to make. 

And because I married the best man in the world - who is so patient with my musings and Pinterest'ing, so open to my wild ideas, so accepting of my inability to do anything the easy way and so flexible - we've started working on, and have almost completed my our dream kitchen.

Again, the house has "good bones" and the kitchen layout is great and roomy, with lots of cabinet space and good counter tops. It's a long galley style with what I call a "dining area" - where mamaw kept her small kitchen table and then a traditional kitchen space (sink, stove, counters etc.). 

The "traditional" kitchen area, looking into the laundry and living rooms

In the "kitchen area," we both fell in love with the recessed brick wall behind the stove and didn't change a thing except adding newer LED bulbs to the fixtures. 

The brick back splash and what our nieces call a "spanking pineapple" 

One of the funniest things about this whole renovation is that my mother and father played a big part in the original decor of the house, always helping Mamaw out with projects. So they have a lot of great insights and/or blame for some of the oddities, such as the custom kitchen cabinets that are insanely shaped. There were what I'm generously calling "old school rustic" hinges on the cabinets that were probably hammered nickel or brass with a coppery color. Because the cabinets  are so narrow, we had to continue using the same hinges, but spray painted them silver. And believe it or not, we get SO MANY compliments on them. 

We added new hardware to all of the cabinet drawers, with simple square silver handles ($1.97/handle at Lowes) and the most beautiful drawer pulls ever (around $3/drawer). I am so in love with the drawer pulls; they really elevate the whole look of the kitchen. This was a time-consuming project (painting both sides of the doors, etc.) but with just fresh white paint and new hardware, the kitchen was immediately brightened; high return on a simple investment. If you're on a budget and looking to make some changes, never underestimate the impact these two things can make in a kitchen. 

Pro tip: Higher gloss paint finishes are easier to clean and more durable; so keep that in mind when working with frequently used/touched surfaces like cabinet doors. You can use more matte finishes on walls or furniture that you won't often be sitting cups etc. on top of. 

Here you can see the new drawer pulls and fresh paint, and the original cabinet handles. 

I'd mentioned before that one of my kitchen essentials was my lime green Kitchen Aid mixer. This item was at the top of our wedding registry and I wanted it in brilliant green so badly because I was hopeful that the appliance would be a gateway into getting the green kitchen I'd always dreamed of. And, it worked! 

The "den" and kitchen areas of our home are primarily made of beautiful hardwood paneling that we wanted to showcase. But there was an area in the "dining area" of the kitchen that was just begging to be painted green. It was a bold color choice but it works so well with our collected artwork (concert posters, J's photography and some knick knacks) and with the 1960s school relief map of the United States in the next room. Again, just $20 or so in paint and brushes made a world of difference in this space. 

Pro tip: When picking paint colors, bring the samples home with you to see in your own lighting. Everything looks different in a store and at home; give it a look there before you decide. Also, your life will be much easier if you pick a wall paint color after you have some decor items instead of the other way around. It's much easier to find a "matching" paint to your favorite bedspread than having a wacky color to coordinate your life around. 

The wood needs some touch-up staining due to sunfading and I am on the lookout for an updated lampshade, but otherwise I'm really happy with this space. 

Our final project was another quick overhaul just by using vibrant paint and new knobs.

My parents have had an antique buffet and china cabinet for as long as I can remember. The china cabinet held all kinds of breakables and keepsakes and I was always terrified destroying its contents. The buffet, however, is such a sturdy (read: heavy-ass) piece that is beyond durable. I remember climbing all over it and opening and closing the side cabinet doors just for the satisfying clicking noise. Mom and dad don't use either piece anymore, so I was thrilled they gave us the buffet to make our own coffee bar. 

At our wedding, we received two Keurig machines and three k-cup carousels. We narrowed it down to one of each, but they still take up valuable counter space.  J drinks coffee a lot, and we wanted to make this more of a focal point for any guests who'd like a hot beverage; having a separate caffeine station was the way to go. The buffet is solid wood and originally was dark brown, from some ancient wood stain, I imagine. It had dark brass handles and knobs. It wasn't in bad shape but was kinda plain and dated-looking.

Before - with the drawers removed

As you can tell, we are far from plain, so I chose a jewel toned blue for the piece. We invested in a very durable paint/primer combo that would clean easily and added new knobs.

Pro tip: Home improvement stores have a wide variety of handles, knobs and pulls; but so do some trendy stores. Instead of putting lots of money into new cabinetry you could invest in hand painted knobs, like these from Cost Plus World Market. 

After! On the wall opposite the art-decorated wall (above)

I also added another family heirloom to the top of the buffet: my mother's marble slab. We've used this marble for years to cool candies, fudge and boiled cookies. Its constant temperature and smoothness makes for perfect confection textures. This also added another easy-to-clean surface; coffee cup rings wipe right off! 

Perfect for making cinnamon hard candy

We finished the coffee bar by adding the Keurig and k-cup carousel and also a six-cubby organizer on the wall for our favorite mugs, tea ball, and sugar bowl. For another burst of color and counter-savings, we added our KitchenAid mixer at the opposite end. The piece is pretty out-of-the-way and functional as a coffee bar, but for taking up so little space it is a great storage option. The top drawer has a box of assorted extra k-cups and all of my cloth napkins, napkin rings and placemats. The bottom drawer and side cabinets make great storage for our other less-frequently used small appliances including our large and mini Crock Pots, deep fryer, Food Saver vacuum sealer, fondue pot and griddle. Everything has a home, but only the most essential and frequently used items are visible. 

Pro tip: If you have a Lowes Home Improvement Center near you, sign up for a My Lowes card. It's not a credit card, but rather a way to corral your purchase data. Scanning this at the checkout with lump all your purchases together digitally. So if you forget the name of the paint color you're using or need to make a return but don't have a receipt, they can look it all up. It's been a lifesaver for us these past few months! 

Other than a few touch ups, finding a new dining area shade and my deep desire for a new, chrome French door refrigerator (a girl can dream) our kitchen is pretty much set up! Because of how much we love to cook and the sheer amount of kitchen items we'd packed up, this room was the first to be completed. Now, it's wonderfully functional and beautiful; from the little touches like a wall-mounted bottle opener to the bold paint choices. 

This has been our first chance to cut loose on something truly our own and to make into our home. And despite my daily decries of "I hate moving!" and the fact that we went to Lowes almost daily, this process has been completely do-able, for any skill level and even a minimal budget. Take my advice: don't get too hung up on how you think things should be (because so and so says...) and do them the way you want and are able to. Even quick, cheap, fixes like changing the knobs makes a big difference into turning a house into a home. 

Quick Picnic Hack

Here's a quick and easy way to make your picnics and parties easier!

To corral all your utensils or condiments, use a cardboard drink caddy. Make sure the bottom isn't fully open or add a piece of tape to the edge and fill the compartments with your items of choice. This makes setting a table super easy and keeps your utensils from sitting on the ground or dirty picnic table. It's also easy to carry and transport. Win!

Simple Touches Make A Big Difference

I've mentioned before that while I appreciate slow dishes, stewed to perfection and take a real commitment of time, and usually high quality ingredients, I also love meals that are super fast and inexpensive. I don't always have the time or money required for some of my favorite recipes and we have to use simpler, often pre-packaged items in a pinch - and we're certainly not the only ones.

Food insecurity and food deserts are real issues across the country - and even our own community. With wealth disparities also come deficits of time for cooking and an inability to buy expensive, fresh ingredients. However, I want to plead the case that just because a meal involves simple, "low-brow" or pre-made/pre-packaged components doesn't mean it has to be any less special, delicious or full of love. I would argue that little, homemade, heartfelt choices can jazz up a meal that would otherwise be straight from the box (literally) and I want to share two such recipes - that we use frequently - with you.

When I was little, we were in a different place financially, and living in a rural area my family didn't know a lot about food. We ate a lot of country (and inexpensive) staples like cornbread, biscuits, potatoes and green beans, jellies and meats we canned ourselves. The majority of it was homemade but nothing like the crazy things my dad makes now (like bibimbap?!) and looking back at some of our "treats," I can't help but laugh. And it's absolutely not because I am ashamed or embarrassed, but the nostalgia of my childhood is just too funny to me.

One such treat, one of the first desserts I ever remember "making," was strawberry shortcake. We used to get these little pre-made sponge cakes that were practically flavorless (and only $1 for six!) and we'd top them with whipped cream and strawberries we'd cut up ahead of time and covered up sugar.

The sugar on the strawberries is the most important ingredient. It only takes about 2 T for a whole bowl of sliced strawberries, but left on them for a few hours, they make the most delightful, sweet juice - just perfect for shortcake! And instead of using plain white sugar, we use homemade vanilla sugar.

Feeling nostalgic, we made strawberry shortcake!

Albeit vanilla sugar does take some patience, but it couldn't be simpler to make and is easily refreshed. All you need is vanilla beans (we usually get Madagascar beans from MySpiceSage.com - they're a wonderful spice website that is inexpensive and gives freebies - usually vanilla beans - alot), white sugar and some sort of jar or airtight container.

Slice the beans in half so that you have two short halves, then split them open. Place them in your container and cover with sugar. We usually use half a bean per pint jar. Allow to sit for at least a month - the longer you leave it, the deeper the vanilla flavor. And whenever you've used up all of your sugar, just add more and repeat the process - the beans are very potent and will last through several refills.

After the sugar is ready you can use it in anyway you'd use regular sugar (in sweet dishes -- I wouldn't add this to chili or spaghetti sauce etc.). You could put it in your coffee, on french toast, in any pastry or, as we did, over sliced fruit. The vanilla adds a light sweetness and makes the most subtle, delicate changes in your dishes.

This is a wonderful touch for your dishes at home and adds a foodie feel to even the simplest of dishes, but it also makes a great gift. You can make it ahead in big quantities for holidays, decorate the jars and give out as beautiful and inexpensive gifts! We love our vanilla sugar so much that we actually gave out as favors at our wedding (with an added LEGO craft, of course).

Another quick, but impactful recipe is making your own seasoning for fries or homemade chips. We go to Grocery Outlet and stock up on $1.99 bags of french fries every few months and add them whenever we're short on side dishes. I am a french fry freak and I absolutely have a hierarchy of the best fries around and generally, frozen fries are on the bottom. However, using this Red Robin/Zaxby's knock-off seasoning, we're able to elevate ho hum fries into incredibly flavorful ones. And, the seasoning, which usually lasts us 3-4 months, costs less than $1 to make!

Mix 3 T salt (you could easily get away with 2 T if you're watching your sodium), 1 T instant tomato soup or spaghetti sauce mix, 2 t chili powder, 1/4 t ground cumin and 1/4 t ground black pepper. Store in an airtight container. 

I use this seasoning on practically any potato-product, but be sure to sprinkle this on immediately after cooking the dish - right after the fries come out of the oven/fryer etc. - to be sure it will stick. 

Providing a good meal doesn't have to involve a lot of time or money! I hope you take these two recipes and find your own way to incorporate small, homemade touches into your meals - making your own salad dressings and sauces or finding ways to jazz up boxed meals (check out Semi Homemade by Sandra Lee). 

Today's Kitchen Lifehack

Spring is in the air - or so it seems - and I am ready for warm weather projects to improve our lives and our house. The smallest of the projects slated for this weekend was a quick kitchen lifehack, that was also, a form of recycling.

For those of you who don't know... (per Urban Dictionary)

We use mason jars a lot in our home and I'm always looking for new ways to use them. We have several half gallon jars we use to store rice, pasta and animal crackers (all of my favorite carbs), we obviously use them for canning, oftentimes I carry my lunch in them to work and they were the centerpieces at our wedding. This hack makes their storage of dry goods a little bit easier and adorable! 

All you need is a mason jar - of any volume and mouth size, it's matching ring, an empty round salt container with pour spout and an Xacto knife. Trace the ring onto the salt container (around the spout) and carefully cut out the circle with an Xacto knife. Press the cardboard circle into the ring (spout up), fill your jar with whatever dry goods you'd like and close it. Voila! A new, handy jar with easy-to-close spout. We are using ours for our bulk Splenda that we use when we make tea and are looking to make a few smaller ones, too! It'd be great for dry goods you may not use that often but that come in larger, un-sealable packages - like cornstarch or baking soda.