Waldorf Chicken Pita Pocket!

This is the final Tyler Florence Fridays and I am sorry to see it close. You see I've never made so many recipes from one chef before and I've come to really respect Tyler....he is absolutely tops in my book. I've posted 27 recipes by Tyler Florence and each of them was excellent. But I've made many more of his recipes that I just did not have time to post or the photos did not turn out or I was just plain too hungry to bother with setting up a photo. I still have a list of Tyler's recipes that I want to try and I will continue to make his recipes when I can.

This week for Tyler Florence Fridays I made Pita Bread which I've never made before. Tyler's recipe was so simple and it basically fell together with no problems at all. However, I did add 1 tsp Organic Barley Malt Syrup to enhance the rise and taste a little bit and I just love it. I will be using the Organic Barley Malt Syrup in many of breads from now on!

I also wanted to try Ellie Krieger's Waldorf Chicken Wraps so decided to make Tyler's Pita and fill them up with the Waldorf Chicken Salad and I must say it was an excellent combination! One of the reasons I wanted to try the Waldorf Chicken Salad is to see if it would also work with Turkey...always trying to find new ways to use up leftover holiday turkey! And I am happy to say, yes, the Waldorf Salad would work wonderfully with turkey as well!

I made the Walfdorf Chicken Wrap exactly as written except of course substituting Pita Bread for the Whole Wheat Wrap. And I also used both Green and Red Grapes basically because I like both red and green grapes and you can't beat the gorgeous color they add!








Pita Bread
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
11/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon olive oil

My additions: 1 tsp Organic Barley Malt Syrup

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir to blend. Let the yeast stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough gathers into a ball; this should take about 4 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Place a large pizza stone on the lower oven rack, preheat the oven (and stone) to 500 degrees.

Punch the dough down, divide it into 8 pieces, and gather each piece into a ball; keeping all of them lightly floured and covered while you work. Allow the balls of dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes so they will be easier to roll out.

Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a circle that is about 8-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Make sure the circle is totally smooth, with no creases or seams in the dough, which can prevent the pitas from puffing up properly. Cover the disks as you roll them out, but do not stack them up. Put 2 pita rounds at a time on the hot pizza stone and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bread puffs up like a balloon and is pale golden. Watch closely; they bake fast. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes; they will naturally deflate, leaving a pocket in the center. Wrap the pitas in a large kitchen towel to keep them soft.



Waldorf Chicken Wraps
Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger

1 c nonfat plain yogurt or 3/4 cups nonfat Greek-style yogurt
2 TBL mayonnaise
1 TBL lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp minced thyme
1 lb cooked, skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 c seedless grapes, sliced in 1/2 (I used red and green grapes)
1/4 c toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts
1 medium apple, cored and diced (about 3/4 cup)
Freshly ground black pepper
5 large leaves Romaine lettuce, rinsed and patted dry
5 whole-wheat wraps, about 8 inches in diameter (I used homemade Pita, recipe above)

If using regular yogurt place the yogurt in a strainer lined with a paper towel. Put the strainer over a bowl and place in the refrigerator to drain and thicken for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the thickened or Greek-style yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and thyme until smooth. Fold in chicken, grapes, walnuts and apples. Season with pepper.

Place 1 lettuce leaf on a wrap. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the chicken filling onto wrap and roll wrap around filling.








Please visit Tyler Florence Fridays and see what the rest of Tyler's groupies are up too this week.






All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Pork Chops with a Mustard Cider Cream Sauce

I do not know what has gotten into me but I can't seem to eat enough apples this year. I've been buying apples every few days and before I know it all the apples are gone! So when I found Nigella's recipe for Mustard Pork Chops and it had Apple Cider as an ingredient, I had to make it for this week's I heart Cooking Clubs! And I certainly was not disappointed, Mustard Pork Chops is an outstanding dish!

Although Nigella suggesting serving it with gnocchi I did not have any gnocchi on hand and I was too tired to make it. So I served the Mustard Pork Chops with roasted potatoes and it was delicious...but next time I'm making gnocchi.

I did infuse the oil with garlic by lightly sautéing whole garlic cloves in EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) until golden brown and then mashing the cloves and returning the mashed garlic to the pan. I also did not have any hard cider but found a wonderful Alcohol Substitution Chart which suggested using apple cider or juice. The Pork Chops and Sauce went together in minutes and I'm including this recipe in my "Call-it-Dinner" category for all my quick and delicious meals.







Mustard Pork Chops
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson

2 pork chops, about 1-pound total weight
2 teaspoons infused oil (I used Garlic Infused EVOO)
1/2 cup hard cider (I subbed Apple Cider)
1 tablespoon grain mustard
1/3 cup heavy cream

Cut the fat or rind off the chops, and then bash them briefly but brutally with a rolling pin between 2 pieces of cling film/plastic wrap to make them thinner.

Heat the oil in a pan, and then cook the chops over a moderately-high heat for about 5 minutes a side. Remove them to a warmed plate.

Pour the cider into the pan, still over the heat, to deglaze the pan. Let it bubble away for a minute or so then add the mustard and stir in the cream.

Let the sauce continue cooking for a few minutes before pouring over each plated pork chop. If you're having gnocchi with, make sure you turn them in the pan to absorb any spare juices before adding them to your plate.








Please visit I heart Cooking Clubs and see what everyone is up too this week. As always our hostesses are Deb of Kahkai Kitchen and Heather of GirliChef.


Foodie Friday is graciously hosted by Michael of Designs by Gollum. Please visit Designs by Gollum and see more wonderful creations!












Recently I received two awards from some wonderful Blogger Buddies.


First from Kate of A Spoonful of Thyme honored me with the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thanks sweetie!







And Danielle of
Cooking for my Piece of Mind gave me the Over the Top award. Thanks so much!






All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Frosting

FINALLY!


Due to the pumpkin shortage I've not been able to bake anything pumpkin yet this year. I was near panic all week but on Saturday one of my local markets finally came through. Their canned pumpkin display consisted of a huge mound of box after box of pumpkin about 100 cases deep and stacked 10 cases high. YES!!!!! And I stocked up and have enough pumpkin for a few years now!

If you have not noticed I'm participating in the GreatHallowTweet, which is organized by my twitter buddy, Renee of Flamingo Musings. We've all decorated up our blogs for Halloween and I must say, we all outdid ourselves this year! Great job guys! If you have a minute please hop over to my sidebar and click on the links in the big orange banner. I promise you will not be disappointed. So fun!

The recipe I used for my cupcakes is all over the internet yet I've never made Pumpkin Cupcakes. I know hard to believe being I've had a pumpkin obsession for years now. But boy is this recipe a keeper, just fantastic!! Of course I had to have a little fun with Halloween and decorate the heck out of them.






Pumpkin Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Leite's Culinaria

1/c c butter, softened
1 c packed dark-brown sugar
1/3 c sugar
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

Makes about 16 regular sized cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the butter and sugars until well blended. Add the eggs, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, pepper and vanilla and mix well. Blend in the buttermilk and pumpkin then gradually add flour and mix until completely incorporated.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full of batter. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean about 12-15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tin and cool on a rack.








Maple Cream Frosting
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 TBL pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 c confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add maple syrup, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar; continue beating until well combined and smooth.

I had to double the frosting recipe to have enough for all the cupcakes. But I tend to pipe a thicker frosting for cupcakes to get a nice top dome and ..well because I love it! But if you're frosting the cupcakes with a spatula, the recipe as is should be fine.






In case you've missed them, pictured below are more of my Halloween Treats. Just click on the title links for the recipe and post.


Halloween Lollipop Cookies





Snow-flecked Brownies






Candy Corn Kiss Cookies








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Metamorphosis Monday - Sprinkles, Jimmies and other Confections

Since we're having such a rainy fall I decided to get a jump on my closet organizing which I usually do in the dead of winter.

When we were remodeling the basement many times we had to build soffits or closets to hide heat ducts and other unsightly necessities. And right at the bottom of our basement stairs we had a heat duct and some electrical cable connections that needed to disappear so I had the closet built with double doors and very deep, wide shelves. The closet was one of the last things built which means I was construction weary, facing surgery and to make things even more hectic I was called for jury duty! So when the shelves were finally installed I just piled stuff in with no organization at all. And what starts out with no organization just gets worse...and worse...and worse.

In half the closet I keep light bulbs, candles, lanterns and flashlights and this side is actually pretty well organized. But the other half of the closet is where I keep all my confections for cookies and cupcakes, infrequently used small appliances, candy making equipment and large tupperware-like containers for storage and it was a horrible mess.

I mean really look at these shelves!







So I totally emptied the confection/baking side of the closet and put it all in the middle of the basement floor.






I know I have a lot of confections but I do bake quite a bit and I love to sprinkle. So I organized all the confections, sanding sugars, nonpareils and jimmies per holiday or season and then by color.

This is about half of my stash of confections. It was nice to organize them because now I know I'm low on 4th of July and St. Patrick's Day sprinkles and almost completely out of orange jimmies!

Sugar Confections will fade if exposed to light. So make sure to store them in a dark closet or in a lidded box.








I'm going to blame my bulk store for feeding my obsession because they have the most wonderful assortment of decorations for every season and holiday imaginable. There's easily 100+ bins of different colored sugars and decorations.







After I organized all the confections, it really did not take me long at all to put the closet in order. And look at all the room I have!






I feel so much better now!


Next on the list is the other large basement closet which now contains all our wine and my hiking gear plus all the dogs hiking gear. Should be interesting..LOL!







Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Mexican Rice ***WOW***

I love blog hopping but I just can't seem to find the time for serious food drool. Since we finished the construction project, it just seems like there's one thing after another that take up my time. And now that no construction crews are here making a mess, I have to clean the house too because there's no one left to blame it on!

But I had a free hour and I sat down to do some cruising. As I was casually going from blog to blog to blog, I happened upon Kim's blog, Stirring the Pot. And all of a sudden a recipe caught my attention! Hmmm....Mexican Rice! And after reading the recipe I knew I had to try it!

And this was a no kidding, hands down, fabulous dish!

Delicious does not come close to how good it was. And to make it even better squeeze a wedge of lime over the top! Gosh I wish I had some right now!!









Mexican Rice
Recipe adapted from RecipeZaar

12 ounces tomatoes, very ripe and cored
1 medium white onion (I used 6 green onions chopped)
3 medium jalapenos (I used 1 medium sized jalapeno)
2 cups long grain white rice
1/3 cup canola oil
4 minced garlic cloves
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste (may omit if using canned tomatoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Garnish: Lime Wedges

1. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350.

2. Process tomato and onion in processor or blender until pureed and thoroughly smooth. Transfer mixture to measuring cup and reserve exactly 2 cups. Discard excess.

3. Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalapenos and discard. Mince flesh and set aside. Mince remaining jalapeno. Set aside.

4. Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear- about 1 1/2 minutes.Shake rice vigorously to remove excess water.This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick. IF YOU OMIT THIS STEP YOUR RICE WILL NOT BE DRY AND FLUFFY.

5. Heat oil in heavy bottomed oven safe 12 inch straight sided saute pan or Dutch oven with tight fitting lid over medium high heat about 2 minutes. (The recipe is very specific about this but I used a 10 inch dutch oven and it worked out fine.) Drop a few rice grains in and if they sizzle then it is ready. Add rice and fry stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.

6. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and 2 minced jalapenos and cook , stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.

7. Stir in broth, pureed mixture,tomato paste, and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.

8. Cover pan and transfer pan to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-35 minutes. Stir well after 15 minutes.

9. Stir in cilantro, minced jalapeno to taste.

10. Serve with a lime wedge







Foodie Friday is graciously hosted by Michael of Designs by Gollum. Please visit Designs by Gollum and see more wonderful creations!







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Announcing HBinFive, a new baking group for the book "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day"

Welcome to HBinFive, a new baking group for "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois!

Some of you may already own the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day", and are familiar with the ideas behind the revolutionary bread baking method that Jeff and Zoe developed. For those of you that are new to the method, it's truly going to change your entire attitude about baking bread!

Jeff and Zoe's technique simplifies bread baking and eliminates much of the guess work making the bread making process very easy. First you mix up a loose, very wet, yeast dough with just four ingredients, flour, water, yeast and salt. Once you thoroughly mix the dough, it is put in the refrigerator and it will keep from five days to two weeks depending on the base recipe. And when you are ready to bake fresh bread just cut off a piece of dough, shape it, wait a short time for the dough to relax and then bake it! That's it, so you see there is no kneading and no planning your day around dough rising. The dough is similar to a sourdough in that the flavor improves with age, so the longer you leave it in the refrigerator, the better the taste. I've collected several videos if you'd like to see Zoe and Jeff in action! And you can visit Jeff and Zoe's website, Artisan Bread In Five, and see some of their latest creations.

What about the Baking Group?

The mission of HBinFive is to bake our way though Jeff and Zoe's new book, "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" which will be available for sale October 27, 2009. "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" is basically the same technique as in their first book but takes the method one step further and incorporates whole grains and healthy ingredients and of course there's all new exciting recipes as well. I know baking every recipe in a book sounds like a daunting task, but as a group, one recipe at a time and the support of other HB5ers, it will be fun! You may even see Jeff or Zoe popping in occasionally!

Being this is a new book, it is important that everyone respect the copyright which means no recipes from the book can be posted any where on the Internet. So if you join the group you must buy the book. Believe me I've seen a galley of the book and with recipes like Cherry Black Pepper Focaccia and Tabbouleh Bread with Parsley, Garlic and Bulgur who wouldn't want to own this book!

Since we are announcing HBinFive right before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and some will be getting "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" as a Christmas gift, we will not be posting our first recipe from the book until Jan 15, 2010. I know that's a long time to wait, but don't worry, we will still be baking. Zoe and Jeff have both graciously offered never-before-published Bread Recipes just for our group! And they will both be guest posting the recipes on my blog, one recipe in November and one recipe in December!

I do not want anyone to feel overwhelmed so we will be baking a new recipe every two weeks. And to add more fun, we will be using a Mr. Linky Gadget which will be available on the 1st and the 15th of every month so that you can link your post and be included in our bi-monthly Bread Braid. Also Mr. Linky will be available for our November and December recipes too.

The HBinFive Badge was designed by the gracious Holly of Phe.MOM.enon. And isn't it wonderful! I can not tell you how grateful I am for the talent and generosity Holly so freely shared! Thanks again Holly!

If you are on a gluten free or sugar free diet, no worries, the recipes can be varied to any special diet or need. And if you'd like to experiment a little bit or substitute that's just fine too!

We also have a Google Group, HBinFive, for members to meet, ask questions and discuss any other important information. When you sign up to participate in HBinFive, you will be sent an invitation to join the Google Group. The Google Group will be our main hub of communication so please consider joining.

What if you don't have a blog? That's ok! You can still follow along, and you'll be listed in the HBinFive Membership List and welcome to participate in the Google Group as well.

And to top things off Jeff and Zoe have donated signed copies of "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" to be awarded to randomly chosen members of HBinFive! So get your membership information in early! Drawing dates are November 1st and 15th, 2009.

If you'd like to join HBinFive or have any questions, please contact me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com. In any communication please include your full name, blog name, blog URL and Email Address. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you!













Links of Interest:


HBinFive Membership List
HBinFive Badge
HBinFive Bonus November Recipe - Pumpkin Pie Brioche
HBinFive Bonus December Recipe - Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest
"Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" Whole Grain Master Recipe
"Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" Book Tour and Events





All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Snow-flecked Brownies

It is so cold outside! We seem to be having bitter cold weather where temperatures are going below 20 degrees and then the next day is a gorgeous, brisk fall day. I know this is typical for the Midwest but geesh already..make up your mind!

Being we're having such wild temperature swings with many record breaking colds, I though Nigella's recipe for Snow-Capped Brownies was in order. And I was ready for an ooey gooey, fattening, chocolate snack! In fact so much in the mood for something fattening that I decided to throw in some Mascarpone Cheese. And they were rich and gooey and delicious!

I did cut this recipe in half and made it in an 8"by8" baking dish. Nigella chose white chocolate dots as her snow and added to the mix before baking. But for my Illinois snow I grated white chocolate and sprinkled it on top and because we're still technically in fall, I added some colored leaves as well.








Snow-flecked Brownies
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson

13 ounces unsalted butter
13 ounces best-quality dark chocolate
6 eggs
12 ounces sugar
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine salt
9 ounces white chocolate chips, or good white chocolate, chopped (I skipped)
Approximately 2 teaspoons powdered sugar, for dusting (I skipped)

My additions:
1/2 c. Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature
Grated White Chocolate
Fall sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the sides and base of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a large heavy based pan over a low heat.

In a bowl or large measuring glass, beat the eggs together with the sugar and vanilla extract. Blend in the softened Mascarpone Cheese.

Allow the chocolate mixture to cool a little, then add the egg and sugar mixture and beat well. Fold in the flour and salt. Then stir in the white chocolate. Beat just to combine and then scrape into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 25 minutes. You can see when the brownies are ready because the top dries to a slightly paler brown speckle, while the middle remains dark, dense and gooey.

To serve, cut into squares while still warm and pile up on a large plate, sprinkling with powdered sugar pushed with a teaspoon through a small sieve and dotting with birthday candles as you go. Set alight and enjoy the festive scene.

I topped with Ganache, recipe below. Then sprinkled with grated white chocolate and leaf sprinkles.



Chocolate Ganache

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

Place the chocolate in a heat proof container, I use my glass Pyrex 4-cup measure. Heat the cream in the microwave until it's just hot. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the vanilla and salt.









Please visit I heart Cooking Clubs and see what everyone is up too this week. As always our hostesses are Deb of Kahkai Kitchen and Heather of GirliChef.



Foodie Friday is graciously hosted by Michael of Designs by Gollum. Please visit Designs by Gollum and see more wonderful creations!









All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Halloween Lollipop Cookies

A year or so ago I set out to test sugar cookie recipes. I probably made six or seven different recipes. Some were good and some were not to be made again! But I found the most wonderful Sugar Cookie Recipe. Shhhhh...don't tell but it has now replaced my Mom's recipe which was my favorite for years. And the Lollipop Cookies seem to be a big favorite from my kitchen!

During our construction, even though my kitchen was completed, I still had crews of men working on my house. And when I would bake I would offer some of the goodies to my guys. Being I have hundreds of sprinkles for every holiday imaginable, I bake the Lollipop Cookies quite often and decorate accordingly. It was so funny looking outside and see all the men walking around eating the Lollipop Cookies. I think they enjoyed eating the cookies on a stick!

Last year my youngest niece, Julia, sent me the Flat Stanley letter and I sent back a box of goodies from IL and Halloween Lollipop Cookies for her class. One little boy wanted another cookie and my niece told him if he wrote me a nice letter, I would send him a box of cookies. Isn't that cute! Actually Julia is correct, I would have sent the cookies to the little boy but it is funny that she so casually volunteered me! LOL!! The innocence of children is just so darn sweet!







Halloween Lollipop Cookies
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Colored sanding sugar or sprinkles (preferably Halloween theme)
24 wooden ice-pop sticks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture; mix just until combined (do not overmix).

Prep all your confections into small prep bowls and line them up within easy reach.





Roll dough into balls, using 1 1/2 tablespoons for each.

Roll in confections, pressing lightly to coat completely. Insert a wooden stick in center of each ball.





Place on baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart, with wooden sticks lying horizontally. Lightly press down on each ball with the bottom of a glass to flatten slightly.

Bake until edges are just golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack to cool completely.










Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Jen of Beauty and Bedlam. And Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays is hosted by Lisa of Blessed with Grace.




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Metamorphosis Monday - Kitchen Details Part 2

Over the past two weeks for Metamorphosis Monday I've posted the construction of my kitchen and last week Kitchen Details Part 1. And this week is my final post on my Kitchen...whew! When I look back at all the work that was done, no wonder I'm still sleeping in every morning!


I know I've had several questions on the material I used for my kitchen ceiling and I'm happy to announce I FOUND IT! After going through all our receipts for 2007 and coming up empty handed I started calling my suppliers and thankfully Greg at Alexander Lumber tracked down the ceiling material!!!! Please click on Moulding and Millwork Catalog and scroll down to Page 43, under Wainscot, M&M# 5834M; 5/8"by3"by16' Ultralite.


Although I have a Recipe Program, Home Cookin, I have many cookbooks and handwritten recipe files. So I needed bookshelves and some kind of cabinet space for all my files. Since I have three large breed dogs that shed, open lower shelves were out to the question. Can you imagine the dust and dog hair problem I'd have with low, open shelves!

So I designed 2 cabinets with bookshelves and to keep the books upright and neat I also had fixed wooden book dividers custom made to support the books. All my handwritten recipes files store neatly in the lower cabinet with doors.

I love to listen to the radio when I'm in the kitchen so I have a narrow, fixed top shelf for my radio which has a remote.








I also had a TV cabinet installed above the double ovens. My husband did not want a TV in the kitchen but actually he uses it more then I do!






The Communication center also have bookshelves and landline phone. Lower storage is for phone books and other odds and ends. I had electrical outlets installed in the lower cabinet so I could charge my cell phone and label maker inside the cabinet and this solves the draped electrical cords. Finally, all my recharging can be done out of sight!





In the drawer you can see my cell phone recharging.








We did need an outlet for the landline cordless phone and my electrician installed an Leviton Out of Sight PowerJack! No more ugly outlet next to the phone! Yea!


The bank of cabinets facing the eating area in the kitchen is narrow but perfect for the liquor cabinet! The end cabinet of drawers is where I keep all my table linens.





Lighting is one of my favorite things to do...LOVE IT! I can never have enough lamps, chandeliers or sconces!

Lighting in a kitchen is extremely important and knowing I was going to be spending hours baking I needed light fixtures that could take, minimum 100w light bulbs. The chandelier over my island has 3-100w bulbs...I love this fixture! And the two pendants over the clean up sink area also take 100w bulbs.









I've always wanted an antler chandelier and since this was probably going to be my last chance at one, I had one installed over my square oak table in the eating area. It is not real antler so the cost was very reasonable and I love it!






Since this was a remodel I did have to contend with existing stairways which was not so much a problem except for the basement stairway. I did not want the entrance to our basement stairs to be in our dining room. So I designed a Butler Pantry which not only gave me much more cabinet space and enclosed the entrance to the basement stairs but allowed me to have a broom closet/pantry too!

The Butler Pantry is where I store all my serving dishes, cake plates, small appliances, dessert dishes and on and on and on. At one end of the Butler Pantry are the basement stairs visible in the first photo. And at the other end is the door to my pantry.
















In the broom closet/pantry I had deep shelves installed for small appliances and my large serving platters. I also have small, narrow shelves for all my home canned goodies. And on two walls I have peg board for all the brooms, dust pans, etc. I also had enough room for the Tub-o-Flour which is on wheels and holds 50 lbs of flour!! Love my flour tub!














When designing my kitchen peninsula with the large, farm sink and the dishwasher I only had room for small cabinets on the ends. I love these small cabinets! One cabinets fits odd shaped baking pans of which I have MANY. And since I have an equal amount of cutting boards, some for serving and some for actual prepping, I can store all the boards together! YEA!

I was not sure just what I was going to use the small cabinet for so did not have dividers installed. But I put small spring rods to divide and support the cutting boards and they are working out very well. I think I saw the spring rod tip on Martha Stewart years ago.





I made some mistakes in my kitchen, most due to my own inexperience and some the fault of my cabinet designer. But what's done is done and there's no changing it now!

Door Spice Rack: First of all it does not save space because in order to accommodate the door spice rack, the cabinet interior shelf is smaller. Plus if the shelf is full of bottles the door is heavy and it does not completely close and we've adjusted it MANY times. I even tried using plastic bottles and the door still does not close properly.





Under Cabinet Lighting: I NEVER use it. I think I've had it on maybe twice in 2 yrs.

Garbage Disposal in Island Prep Sink: Never used.

Canned Ceiling Lighting: I call canned lighting Ceiling Acne! I really don't like canned lighting so chose to get the smaller canned lights which were expensive. Never used.





Pella Windows and Doors: We replaced all our windows with Designer Series Windows, and exterior doors with Pella and we've had nothing but problems. First of all the doors were pre-finished and the finish peeled off within about 2 months and the windows were horribly drafty.

My office in on the east side of our home and in the winter I could feel a steady draft on my back while sitting on at desk. The draft was not coming from the window install but from the actual window. The Pella Representative told me I needed a special mini crowbar to lock the windows because our windows had the old lock design...all 63 new windows had the old lock! An old lock design on new, rather expensive windows??? I could not help it but I just started crying right then and there. Eventually Pella replaced all our window locks with the new lock and I didn't need to use a crowbar to lock the windows any more. But they damaged ever single one of windows during the repairs and I shed more tears.

And to add more problems the screens are not a tight fit leaving a small gab at the bottom. The gap is just big enough for bugs to crawl though and I have wasps flying around my house weekly. We've replaced all the windows and doors in two other homes before this project. We did use Anderson for our other homes and I had no problems what so ever and one of the homes we lived in for 12 more years.

Of course Pella guarantees their products but with window repairs and replacing doors SEVERAL times, it has been a total inconvenience to me. And our heat costs due to the drafty windows were ridiculous. I would never buy anything from Pella again.


Microwave: Advantium
Built-in Oven: GE
Range: Wolf 6-burner, double oven with griddle
Dishwasher: KitchenAid
Faucets: Brand: Perrin & Rowe; Finish: Polished Chrome
Main Sink: Herbeau Luberon
Island Sink: Extra deep copper bought on Ebay
Garbage Disposals: Insinkerator
Refrigerator: Sub-Zero Built-in
Tile: Ceramic 12"
Countertop: Soapstone
Cabinets: Brand: Monarch; Style: Shaker; Stain: Colony; Wood: Hickory


Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.


Links of Interest:
My Kitchen-The Beginning
Kitchen Details Part 1





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