Kitchen Renovation Part 1

We decided to renovate our kitchen this year.  I had been thinking about making changes for a long time.  I read decorating magazines and watch HGTV, so there is no shortage of ideas flying around in  my head.  

Here are 2 photos of my old kitchen, cute, but flawed.
We served dinners to friends and family regularly.  We made the most of the small space, but I knew we could do better...

Step 1:  I started to collect magazine pictures and ideas in a "Kitchen Folder." Those ideas came in handy when I had to make decisions about the new kitchen, where everything should go, what I wanted to change with the new design.

Step 2: Do your homework. You have to identify what gets you annoyed, really bothered with your current set-up.  For me it was a broken utensil drawer, crumbling trim and moldy grout on my tile counter top, lack of storage for essentials, and lots of unused and underused space.  Here's the evidence:

 I tried to keep the area under the sink organized, but it was always a mess.

All my baking sheets had to go in this one skinny space.

 See the rotting wood trim on the counter?

Notice my broken drawer with a *CAREFUL* disclaimer taped onto it.

All our pots were in this one cupboard.  I had to get on my knees to find the right one.  All the lids fell behind the pots and I had to take out all the pots to find the right one.


Step 3: Figure out what you want and could really use to cook better meals.  For us, it was a bigger refrigerator, a gas cook top, more storage drawers, and 2 ovens.

Step 4: Plan your space and find a builder who will work with your ideas.  It can be hard to find quality craftsmen who are conscientious.  We knew ahead of time who would do our kitchen because we saw his work in our friends' homes, and he has done a lot for us in the past.

Here's a job that our builder did for us 2 years ago.  We had an unused chimney taking up wall space in our small kitchen. I wanted to make that a storage space that could organize all our spices and pantry items.  It's situated right behind our stove, so it's the perfect place for cooking spices and oils!  He had to drill through a brick wall, build a cupboard to fit the space, and make our antique doors fit the new cupboard.  Nice, huh?

Part 2 next week!

Homemade Marshmallows

Marshmallows are one sweet treat that I truly enjoy.  In the summer I build a fire in the evenings just so I can roast 2 marshmallows for myself!  A friend of mine brought a pan of homemade marshmallows to a home group years ago.  I was secretly hoping that no one would eat any so that I could bring home as many as possible afterward.  True confessions.

Homemade marshmallows bring this confection to another level.  They are like sweet, velvety clouds that melt in your mouth.  If you like marshmallows, you'll love this homemade version.  I've tried 2 different recipes and this is the one I like.

Here are all the ingredients you'll need.

Sift 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup corn starch into a small bowl.  Lightly oil 9 x 9 inch glass pan, spread a piece of parchment paper on the bottom and cover with the powdered sugar mixture.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan heat 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2/3 cup corn syrup and 1/2 cup water. Hook a candy thermometer on the side and make sure the tip isn't touching the bottom.  In a large stand mixer bowl sprinkle 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin over 1/2 cup water and let sit.  When the pan mixture starts to boil reduce heat to low and keep cooking until it reaches 240 degrees.  It should take 7 - 10 minutes.

When the sugar mixture is hot enough, start mixing the gelatin and water in the large bowl on low speed.  Gently pour the hot mixture in a slow stream down the side of the bowl. Continue to mix on high speed for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes very thick and has doubled in volume.

Spread the marshmallow into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.  Let it dry for at least 6 hours or overnight. 
 


Turn the marshmallow onto a wax paper surface dusted with the powdered sugar mixture.  Discard the paper.       Using a sugar coated knife cut into small squares.  Roll the cut edges in the powdered sugar mix.  


I made a chocolate ganache with some cream and dark chocolate to spread on the top of some.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.  Next time I will try to roll the cut edges in toasted coconut or drizzle melted chocolate over the top...Oh the possibilities!

Organize Something!

Well, Winter is dragging on, the cold won't go away, the snow keeps coming.  Here's something we can do while we are "stuck" inside.

Pick one spot that you know needs attention: a junk drawer, underneath the kitchen sink, the hall closet, a bathroom shelf...We all have at least one area that could use some tender, loving organization.  Remove everything from that spot, clean the surfaces, get rid of unnecessary items, and only put back what you really must keep.  Group large items together, corral smaller items in baskets or boxes.

Take advantage of height and wall space.  If possible, use hooks or wall-mounted holders to put often-used items within easy reach.  My husband will confirm that I have an unusual attraction to baskets and shelves.  I love looking at them in stores and pondering the possibilities.

It is a very powerful thing to take control of just ONE area in your home.  It inspires you to tackle another area later, then another, and eventually to tame clutter and keep your home organized.

Here's a link to a site that has lots of creative tips for kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and more:

52 Ways To Organize Your Home

Here are a few high-priority, organized spots my home:

     before                                                                          after

Under my kitchen sink used to be a disorganized mess.  So I put most of the cleaning products in the basement, the wraps and bags in a drawer, and installed a pull-out basket and carousel to keep the bottles I need in the kitchen easy to reach.

My baking sheets, lasagna pans, and cooling racks used to be crammed into one small lower cupboard.  I had to get on my knees to actually see what was there.  Now I have a large cupboard above my ovens with metal curved dividers from Ikea.  Every item is visible and easy to reach.

This is a wall of shelves in my furnace room.  They make it possible for all those small items to stay off the floor and easy to find when I need to use them.



In what areas have you had success with organization?

Get Rid of Pilling and Fuzz - Make Knits Like New!

Many knit fabrics wear down over time and leave a surface layer of unattractive fuzz balls.  This "Pilling" can make even an expensive sweater look really bad.  Here's what I do to get rid of it.

During these long winter evenings, I take some time and "de-pill" my nice sweaters, fleece, even knit gloves and scarves. Instead of sitting in front of the TV doing nothing, I grab a sweater or two and work while watching!

My preferred tools are my electric fabric shaver and a simple razor. I have success using these until I get the results I want. I bought this razor at a home goods store. It takes AA batteries and has lasted a long time.

I have tried a "sweater brick" but it left a lot of crumbly pieces on the sweater, and it didn't really take away the fuzz.  

The electric shaver works well if I move it slowly across the area.  It usually needs some pressure underneath.  You can see here the before and after.  My favorite green knit gloves are like new!  A razor works wonders on some knits - just make sure you pull in the direction of the stitches in short successive strokes.

Here are before and after shots of my favorite winter scarves. The photos hardly show how fuzzy and pilled they were before I shaved them, but trust me, they needed it! 

Here's an afghan that our Aunt Rosie knitted decades ago.  Some of the colors were really fuzzy...

Now I'm ready for the rest of this winter.

Bring on the cold!

Toffee Bars

Toffee Bars are one of my favorite cookies.  I really like the combination of salty and sweet.  This recipe hits that nail on the head and reminds me of salted caramel.  It's very easy to make and is a nice gift cookie.  Hope you like this as much as we do!

Start by laying out 1 stack of saltines onto a 15 x 10 inch baking sheet with edges.  Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Then melt 1 cup brown sugar, 1 stick butter, and 2/3 cup butter-flavor Crisco in a heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil and stir for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Pour the mixture over the saltines and spread to cover.  Put in the oven and bake for 7 minutes.

Take the sheet out of the oven and sprinkle a bag of dark chocolate chips over the top.

After 10 minutes, once the chocolate is melted, spread with a spatula to cover the surface.  Put the pan in the freezer (or outside if it's winter!) to cool.  Break in pieces after 30 minutes.  Store at room temperature.

Remembering Dear JJ

We lost a dear friend about this time last year.  He was a funny godly man.  I treasure the memories that I have of JJ. I'd like to share a few with you.  

This is the last Christmas card we got from him.  He wrote on the back that "this doesn't look much like a Christmas card..." which is a classic JJ comment.

This is a narrative he wrote about a young man he met while in France serving during WWII.  He gave me a copy and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  I used to be a French teacher and JJ knew I would appreciate the French that he remembered.

JJ hand-painted lovely impressionist birthday cards for all the members of our church.  Yes, ALL.  We have many of them displayed in our home as a sweet reminder of his thoughtfulness.

This is my favorite painting of his.  I really like thinking about how we are the clay and God is the master potter. I took a photo of a sculptor working on a lump of clay, gave it to JJ, and asked him if he would make it into a painting.  A week later JJ brought me this!  I look at it all the time to remind me that I'm just clay.

I had the opportunity to sit near JJ many times during our church services.  His running commentaries and off-key singing made my heart laugh, and I loved the way he would change words to songs to suit his fancy.  For example, once when we were singing the song "10,000 Reasons" and we came to the line "And on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come..." JJ added loudly "But not yet I hope, Lord!"

I served the residents of St. Andrew's Village with JJ for years during our monthly church services.  I played the piano for the hymn-singing and he would lead the songs with a microphone.  I counted on him because, unlike me, JJ knew every song in that hymn book.  Many times I would notice that JJ would be singing in a completely different key than the one I was playing in, but that didn't seem to bother anyone, and I'm sure it sounded great in heaven where all those praises were headed!

He taught many times at those Sunday night services at St. Andrew's.  I'll never forget his message about the importance of women in the Bible.  And one time he gave us his secret for growing old gracefully.  JJ said "Always keep yourself busy, and never forget that the Lord loves you very, very much!"

JJ left a big impression on the lives of those who knew him. For any of you who want to share, I would love to read more stories about our dear friend!