Tag Archives: kitchen renovation

IN MY (NEW!) KITCHEN: NOVEMBER 2013

Posted in General, In My Kitchen by

Remember our old kitchen?  Well, we barely recognize the place now! Weeks of renovation struggles are over, and we could not be happier with the outcome!  So I join Celia, from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial in her series In My Kitchen revealing our new space…

In our kitchen…

Supernova1supernova2We now have a 6-burner Blue Star range, powered by gas, with a convection oven,
and a gorgeous coral-front panel… We named it Supernova 😉

and you can customize yours with a click here

In our kitchen…

cabinetsA new look for our tired cabinets, with new front doors and a green, antique treatment to the frames.  We love the hardware too. It matches the stainless steel look of the appliances.

In our kitchen (and dining room)….

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A new hardwood floor, light, bright, and comfy on our feet.  It has a light semi-gloss finish.  That alone made our kitchen into a completely different space, joining smoothly with the dining room next to it.

In our kitchen…

fridgeA new fridge that actually makes ice! Isn’t that something? (when this photo was taken, the new granite countertop had not been delivered yet).  But, just a couple of days later…..

countertop1A gorgeous piece of Yukon White granite, born and raised in Brazil,  found its permanent home in the center stage of our favorite place in the house. The cabinet underneath was enlarged to accommodate the bigger stone. We absolutely love this addition, it makes cooking and hanging out in the kitchen so much nicer!

In our kitchen…

IMG_3103A colorful light fixture on top of the sink…   With a window frame painted in antique yellow.
No, we are not afraid of color!  😉

In our kitchen…

dishrackA dish drying rack from Simple Human.  I’ve flirted with this piece for 8 years, decided it was time to get one.   Very functional, very stylish. You can change the orientation around to fit your space, and the dripping spout works like a charm…

In our kitchen…
compositetrashcanA trash can also from Simple Human, perfect size to fit in the space between the fridge and the little hall that leads to the garage.

In our kitchen…
Bosch1A Bosch dishwasher that actually cleans the dishes!  Can you imagine that?  😉

In our kitchen….

knivesA drawer to hold our knives, with cleverly designed inserts sold by Bed Bath and Beyond.  The storage is completely flexible, you can customize to the size of your knives and drawers.
Three inserts did the perfect job for us.

In our kitchen…

IMG_3004A drawer with wooden dividers (also from Bed Bath and Beyond) to make storage a little more organized. Don’t you love the light yellow frame that we chose for the central island cabinet?   Brought even more light to the place!

In our kitchen…

newpotA little ceramic pot that is oven-friendly, and makes me smile every time I look at it. One of those happy little containers… found it at Marshalls.

To wrap up the post, a before and after short series…

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A completely new look, that matches our mood, our style, our personalities.

Now, a final message from a four-legged friend who probably struggled the most with the ordeals of the hellnovation: Chief. He stayed inside with the workers all the time, but sometimes searched for peaceful places to sleep, as far away from the noise as possible.  A laundry basket (with freshly washed garage towels), or an empty luggage seemed perfect to rest his tired body… 😉

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Chief

I hope you enjoyed the tour through the New and Revamped Bewitching Kitchen!

ONE YEAR AGO: The Lab Move and New Beginnings

TWO YEARS AGO: Honey-Oat Pain de Mie

THREE YEARS AGO: Carrot and Leek Soup

FOUR YEARS AGO: Chicken Parmigiana 101

BEWITCHING KITCHEN ON FIRE

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A beautiful, blue, star-shaped fire!  Consider this just a teaser, a full post on our new kitchen will be published next month… for the time being, just a few shots of our new range, a Blue Star with a very sexy coral front panel… We named it SUPERNOVA…

and you can find it here….

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Can you picture me doing a happy dance?

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Coming soon to a food blog near you… full disclosure of the New Bewitching Kitchen!

IN MY KITCHEN: OCTOBER 2013

Posted in In My Kitchen by

Don’t get all excited, folks, this post is not about the renovated kitchen, we are not quite there yet.  But I have a few things to share with you, joining the fun virtual event hosted by Celia, from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

In our kitchen…

composite1Health Warrior Chia Bars!  I first learned about them through Joanne, from Eats Well with Others.  She is a long distance runner, super-fit Md/PhD student who recently reviewed these high-protein, low sugar bars.  They come in plenty of flavors, her favorite was coconut which is the one I tried first.  I had to order  online because our grocery stores in town don’t carry them, but I hope at some point they will.  They are delicious! I have one as my breakfast every day.

In our kitchen…

composite4Hatch Pepper Cheese!  You probably know that Hatch chiles are pretty hot right now (pun intended). Lots of bloggers rave about their wonderful taste.  These peppers are  not that easy to find in some parts of the US, but here in Kansas we are lucky to have them often at the grocery store.  This cheese won my heart!  A mild, soft cheese, with a nice heat of these special peppers in every bite.  Awesome!

in our kitchen…  Gifts from special friends…

temperoFrom our dear friend Gabi, a special spice mix from Brazil, called “Tempero Baiano”, that she uses to season pork cutlets, chicken, beef.  The name refers to the state of origin, Bahia, famous for its cooking with a heavy African influence.   I haven’t used it yet, it’s been waiting for our kitchen to be functional.
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pepperFrom my former husband,  a jar of peppers that, according to him, are THE authentic pepper to use in dishes like Hungarian paprikash, which is a recipe his Mom cooks like no one else.  Fond memories of the many outstanding meals I’ve had at his parents’ home decades ago.

composite3From my friend Cindy,  a cool gadget to hold recipe printouts… sexy red, the way I like it!  The little ball is a strong magnet, so the page stays up over your counter top, easy to read.

In our kitchen…

Gifts I bought for myself….  in anticipation of our new kitchen, I could not resist getting a few things that popped up on sales here and there.

bowlsThis set of bowls were too cute to pass… I love their size, perfect for serving nuts, olives, dips, for dinner parties.  They are happy. They make me smile…
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knivesA set of stainless steel coated knives in all sorts of shapes and colors, a great deal from One Kings Lane.   I find their stuff for the most part terribly expensive, but these knives were quite affordable, so I brought them to our kitchen. They are still in the box, to avoid getting all dusty like everything else in our home.  😉

And speaking of dust,  let me share a few photos of our renovation, in pictures taken in the past couple of weeks.

In our kitchen, chaos before bliss…

Our cabinets are going through a total make-over!  A carpenter built new doors in a more modern style. This double picture shows one such new door, as we study a color composition for the frame, and the crown molding installed a day later.

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The central counter top will be bigger, and the black granite will be gone, replaced by a lighter alternative. A stone from Brazil will take the center spot of our new kitchen…  How cool is that?   This change allowed us to build one extra cabinet for (much-needed) storage.

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Take a look at the cute storage space for baking sheets and cutting boards, love it!

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This wall has the gas line installed, and all the electrical wiring in place, waiting for the new fridge, range (be still my heart, it is going to be awesome!), and the venting hood.  I stare at this empty wall and dream…
fridgewall

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And now, time for a message from our four-legged friends!

Renovations can be very stressful, but some folks don’t seem to mind it that much.  Oscar, for instance, finds that a rug rolled all the way underneath the table is a lot more convenient to rest his long legs while waiting for a treat or two.

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And Chief, looking mighty good for his age, thinks the new floor halfway installed in the kitchen matches his fur very well, and gives a nice bounce to his favorite toy. Two old paws up for the renovation!

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Buck is quite fond of his new spot in the dining room.  “Daddy is so nice!  He is always ready to give me some goodies….”
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“With Mom it’s a different story, I need to endure a lot of hugging to get the treats I deserve…”composite6

Oscar has a different opinion on the subject:

“Hugging?  I should be so lucky!
I have to sing my lungs out to get ANYTHING!  Don’t believe me?
Click here…

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I hope you had fun with the little tour of our kitchen.  We are still on the road, so  I might have a bit of trouble answering to comments and visiting blogs. But, these too shall pass…  😉
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ONE YEAR AGO: Bourbon and Molasses Glazed Pork Tenderloin

TWO YEARS AGO: Crimson and Cream Turkey Chili

THREE YEARS AGO: Taking a break from the nano-kitchen

FOUR YEARS AGO: Chocolate Chip Cookies

A BEWITCHING ANNOUNCEMENT: TIGHTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS!

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This blog has witnessed quite a few “small revolutions” in our lives. In 2010 we moved briefly from Oklahoma to California, and cooked for almost a full year in a nano-kitchen where there was no real stove, no real oven, no real kitchen sink. No dishwasher either, by the way. Last year, as we joined Kansas State University, we went  through a phase of alternating weeks camping in an almost empty home in OK and living in the new place in KS. I am not quite sure how, but I managed to keep the blog going through it all.   It so happens that we are about to face a new revolution: the renovation of our kitchen!   Tomorrow at 8am plastic sheets will enclose the space, cabinets will be removed, floors ripped off. In other words, “all hell will break loose”.

Our main goal is to make the place lighter.  Everything in the kitchen is dark right now. Appliances are black, granite counter tops are black. Cabinets are dark, the floor is dark. But we also want to modernize the appliances. Keep in mind that we nicknamed our range “Poltergeist”.  It gives you an idea of its performance. The fridge makes no ice, but plenty of noises. The dishwasher needs human help to get dishes clean, and whoever designed its racks was a geometry-challenged sadist. So the three appliances are going to be replaced.  Wait until you see the range we ordered!  It will be a gas range, it will be gorgeous, and it will have a real hood on top of it.  Can you imagine the huge smile I have as I type this?  I bet you can… 😉  It won’t arrive for a few weeks still, and because the floor won’t be installed until October, we’ll probably not have the kitchen fully functional until then.

Every weekend I’ve been writing  posts so that the blog can sail as smoothly as possible through the rough waters ahead.  But I thought you should all be aware of the excitement behind the curtains…  Here are a few shots of the “before”.  I can hardly wait to show you the “after”, a couple of months from now.

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stoveareaPoltergeist plus his partners in crime: the black fridge, the black microwave with a pseudo-hood underneath that pays lip service to fumes.

countertopphoto(6)The black granite will stay all around the kitchen, except the center island.  We’ve got a different plan for that area…

floorThe floor is a bit too rustic for our  taste.  It seems always dirty, and it adds to the overall darkness of the kitchen.  Hardwood floor in our future!

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Stay tuned for updates as the weeks move along… and keep your fingers crossed for us!  😉

Photo of our kitchen, 12 hours after publication of this post: they do work pretty fast!

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