Kitchen Remodel

So in August of 2010, I moved from Jasper to Montgomery, AL.  I live in my great-grandmother's house and the last few years my grandmother lived in the house, it fell into a slight amount of disrepair.  I had turned the dishwasher on to run overnight and when I came out into the kitchen the next morning, the kitchen had some serious flooding.  The dishwasher was just dumping water onto the floor.  Here begins my journey of having the kitchen and back porch remodeled.

Over the past few months, new appliances have been bought (some even installed), new granite countertops and a new kitchen sink were installed, and over the past 2 weeks the new slate floor and back splash were installed.

This week, they've started the prep work for painting (scraping and caulking) and next week, they will hopefully start painting.

Then all that's left is the install of the stainless steel back splash behind the stove, the re-installation of my range hood, new light fixture, and then finally the plumber comes to install my NEW dishwasher, which has been sitting in my dining room since probably November and I get my disposal hooked up again.

I'm hoping for it to be all done by the first week of April, but we'll just have to see how things go.

All of this is the reason I haven't cooked in FOREVER!  My stove has been in the living room for 2 weeks and will probably be there another 2.  I'm hating it!  I may have to bust out the crock pot lasagna recipe I have.

 

Old Fridge

 

New Fridge

 

There was a small office created by this wall on the back porch that my grandfather used, but it was really too small to do anything productive in and since it's not attached at the ceiling, i thought demo'ing it would be pretty easy and would create a lot more natural light (There are two windows behind the wall).  Mom agreed and since she owns the house that was kind of a big part.  So down came the wall!

 

And it's now one of my favorite spaces in the house!

 

Cleared out all the office stuff and got my "new" washer and dryer! 

 

...which, along with the stove, were residing in the living room. 

 

The new slate floor being laid down.  The white specks are the spacers

 

The back porch bathroom waiting for the new toilet to be installed. 

 

Back porch slate, laid, grouted and sealed!

 

The back porch stairs that lead out to the breezeway and garage. 

  

The wood facing has been painted to match the slate. 

The kitchen after the install of the new stove, countertops and cracks in the plaster walls have been spackled.  

 

The hole where my stove used to be.  But you can see the new countertops and how jacked up the old floor was. 

 

The new sink (a single bowl) and back splash.

 

Close up of the back splash

 

Before they could lay the slate on the kitchen floor, they had to put down a leveling agent.

 

Starting to grout the kitchen floor.

The finished floor.

 

Tybee enjoying the new floor!

More photos as the remodel progresses!

Pecan Sandies

I know this is kind of a random thing for me to be doing this time of year.  And granted, I originally made this recipe for the cookie exchange at work before Christmas...but when is there a BAD time for cookies?!

This recipe was in the December 2010 Southern Living, in the cookie exchange article they did.  By the way, if you can get your hands on a copy of that issue, get it!  There are so many great recipes in that issue.

Okie dokie, let me start by saying, this is a weird recipe and I always wonder if I'm doing it right.  The "dough" comes out looking more like cornmeal and I add water, but we'll get to that part shortly.

You can either chop your own pecans or buy the ones already chopped up from the store.  Either way, we are going to be toasting them in the oven.  So go ahead and preheat your oven to 350ºF.  Spread the chopped pecans out in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop that bad boy into the oven for about 7 minutes (you'll start to really notice the fragrance!).

 

While the pecans are toasting, I went ahead and started making the dough.  Cream 2 sticks of softened butter with 1/2 cup of sugar at medium speed using an electric mixer. 

 

 I've done this using my hand mixer before, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use my NEW Kitchen Aid Stand-Up Mixer!!  It's so cool! 

 

Mix the butter and sugar together until fluffy and then gradually add the flour, mixing until just blended.  

After all the flour has been incorporated, add the pecans and vanilla extract.

Now this is the point where I'm staring down into the mixing bowl, saying to myself  "How is this dough?  It's WAY too dry!"  And this is also where I add approx. 3/4 cup of water.  It makes the "dough" more dough-like and easier to roll into the logs from which you cut the cookies.  It's probably cheating or something, but I don't care... it works!


Go ahead and preheat the oven again, but this time to only 325ºF.  Ok, ss I was saying, next you will divide the dough in half, shaping each half into a log about 1 1/4 inches thick and about a foot long.  Wrap the two logs in parchment and put into the fridge for about an hour.

After the logs of dough (that sounds really unappetizing! lol)...anyway, after you take them out of the fridge, slice them into 1/4 inch thick rounds and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Place them in the oven for 20-30 minutes.  The original recipe calls for only baking them 18-20 minutes, but if you cut them a little thicker like I tend to, they will take longer to cook.  Just keep an eye on them until they turn to a satisfactory golden.

If you don't feel like making the cookies now, the dough will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer!  So there we go: quick and dirty pecan sandies!  Enjoy!

**UPDATE:  These cookies are WA-HEY! better the following day.  Last night I ate a few that were still warm and I have to be honest, I thought they were kinda gross and became disappointed.  But this morning while heating up my leftover spaghetti that I was having for brunch (hey, it isn't ALWAYS Commander's Palace over here, as much as I may make it look that way.) ...ok so while waiting on the microwave, I ate a couple this morning and was so very pleasantly surprised to find out that they were indeed...perfect! YAY ME!  So go ahead and make this recipe until you can't stand the thought anymore because they are that awesome.**

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Southern Living's Pecan Sandies

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Parchment paper

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350º.  Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6-8 minutes.  Stir halfway through.

Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Gradually add flour, beating just until blended.  Stir in pecans and vanilla extract.

Divide dough in half, and shape each portion into 2 (1 1/4 inch thick) logs (about 12 inches long).  Wrap in parchment, cover and chill for 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 325º.  Cut logs into 1/4 inch thick rounds and place 1/2 an inch a part on a a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 325º for 20-30 minutes (depending on thickness) or until light golden in color.  Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then move to wire cooling racks and let cookies completely cool.

FoodSaver® - I LOVE YOU!

Ok so I've wanted a real FoodSaver® forEVER and I finally got one thanks to my mom and dad!

Well, due to how busy they are and that I'm about to wet my pants in anticipation, I went ahead and ordered it today. A REAL FoodSaver® on MY counter top in a matter of mere days... it boggles the mind.

So if you don't hear from me once it arrives, its b/c iIve vacuum-packed myself for freshness. I'm going to [pardon the expression] suck the air out of EVERYTHING in my apartment. I may have to make one of those mega-shopping trips and go to COSTCO and buy half a cow just to suck all the air out of it and throw it in the freezer.

OMG! i'm so freakin' excited!

Here's what the ole' girl looks like and all the stuff she comes with:


So i will be saying "So long, rarely used toaster oven!" and "Hello, my stainless steel, long-awaited beauty!" /swoons *THUD!*

PS: I promise I'll actually cook something tomorrow night! This blog's supposedly about cooking, I think...