Showing posts with label kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kitchen. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

These are 10 of my favorite things (Kitchen edition)

 Moving into a new house means I have a new kitchen.  Leaving behind almost everything when we moved cross county, I had to start over from scratch!  Setting up my cabinets and planning my meals, I discovered I had just way too much stuff and I would not miss half the stuff that I thought I could live without. (Hello Ramekins Im looking right at you!)  So I got to take the time and figure out what I TRULY needed, and what was superfluous.   So Here are some of my FAVORITE things for my kitchen, that I cant do without!

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MRS MEYERS: So anyone who knows me , knows that I LOVE Mrs Meyers products.  They are clean, crisp, smell great, rinse clean and the labels look so sleek and classy!  They are a great all natural product and come with refills to help cut down on plastic use.  I LOVE the dish soap (if you can find bluebell or rosemary those are my FAVE!! The basil and lavender is wonderful too..oh and the honeysuckle...actually any flavor is a great flavor!  The multi surface cleaner comes pre-made, or concentrated. I have a spray bottle of multi cleaner in every bathroom and under the kitchen sink.  The room spray is light and airy, not a sickly sweet cloying fake scent you get with a lot of room fresheners. It is so natural and clean smelling (honeysuckle is to die for).  The hand soap leaves hands soft and of course, smells good and comes with refills.

SINK CADDY- I hate clutter. I hate the things that sit in various areas over and around the sink. This tray is awesome. It Sits on the back of your kitchen sink and has a tray with room for dishsoap, and a holder for a sponge.  Just makes everything look neat and put together!

BUTTER CROCK-  Sometimes called a french butter keeper.  So I went to a friends house and she pulled out the butter from a little crock that had water in it.  The butter stays spreadably soft, but sits in water, which protects it.  You just put a stick of butter in the bell of the lid and smoosh it down.  The container part of the crock you add a little water.  when you put the lid onto the container, the butter goes down into the cool clean water and creates a seal.  The butter softens without getting gross. It is much better than your traditional butter holder and doesnt get messy like the traditional butter keeper.  Just replace the water every few days.

SWEDISH DISH CLOTHS-   So whats wrong with American Dishcloths?  Do they have to be Swedish?  Honestly, the Swedish dishcloths are a total dream in the kitchen.  They are made from 70% wood pulp cellulose and 30% cotton, which means they are durable AND seriously reusable.  One cloth  lifespan is equivalent of 15 paper towel rolls. They soften up when wet,   are machine washable and dryable, can be put in the microwave to sanitize, and they are SUPER ABSORBENT!   Bonus: they are 100% biodegradable when you are done with them.  Toss them in the compost when they start breaking down.  Mother Nature thanks you.

CERAMIC GRATING PLATE:  I got one of these in Italy and it is the GREATEST THING!!  It is a ceramic plate that has little sharp nubbies sticking up, and you use that to grate.  It is wonderful for garlic, ginger, and hard cheeses like parmesan. Easier to clean than a box grater and takes up almost no space.  Plus it looks cool.

SALT AND PEPPER GRINDERS:  I love finishing salt, and I love coarse fresh ground pepper.  I especially love pink Himalayan salt, it adds a subtle saltiness to your food after it has been cooked.  And coarse fresh ground pepper is the real deal.  These grinders sit on our kitchen table and are used every day! 

MAGNETIC TOWEL BAR- I hate hanging towels on the dishwasher or the stove handle because when you open the doors, the town either falls to the ground or touches the floor.  I hate having a folder towel on the counter because it looks messy.  I discovered this magnetic towel rack that sticks to the fridge and it is perfect!!  no more cluttered sink area and no more towels touching the floor!

SPICE COLLECTION-  Back in NC I had an entire cabinet FULL of spices,(I had lofty ambitions of cooking all the time)...want to know the truth? I used maybe a handful..So I wanted a spice collection that I would use regularly, that was a no nonsense collection, and one that wouldnt break the bank.  This 12 piece spice collection is a wonderful core set.  It has all your standards and nothing fancy that you will use once and it will sit in your cabinet wasting away.  Set contains all  my favorites: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cumin, Coriander, Ginger, Parsley, Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme and Cayenne Pepper

UTENSIL CADDY- I have this great ceramic crock to hold  my wooden spoons, spatulas, whisks etc.  I keep it next to my stove and can just reach and grab. Clean and sleek, makes everything look neat and organized. 

What are some of your favorite things?

Monday, April 6, 2015

1970's Brick Veneer Backsplash...ADIOS!!

I HATE this stuff.  Pretty sure it was original to the house. This 1972 Brick veneer that they put up with a black concrete mastic type gunk....UGH. This crap is IMPOSSIBLE to get off the walls...no seriously..  You can pry it off and chisel it out, but you are looking at replacing all the drywall etc from the holes and gouges it will leave.

So instead of doing all of that, I decided that I actually like the texture of the "brick", just hate the uneven and jaggedy look and the maroon and orang-y color. After looking online (thanks again pinterest), we found an idea that would save us a lot of work and money, but keep us from having that ugly red brick veneer. Im pretty happy how it turned out. Although this was just going to be a temporary solution (eventually I am going to completely redo the backsplash), I really like how it looks now and am considering keeping it.

We went to Home Depot and purchased a large bucket of compound. It is used for mortaring and brick and patching. It is a do-it-all joint compound.  We covered the entire veneer with it and made the bricks a little more even looking.

We did some nice thick layers and it really evened some things out. Just  by adding the plaster, it totally changed the look of the kitchen.


Look at how much brighter. Just plaster.


We let it dry overnight, then sanded to get any swirls or rough edges off.
I then used Primer to coat twice.
this stuff is the bomb!


After letting the primer dry, I then painted with semi gloss paint - this stuff is the best. Mold and mildew resistant, which is great for the kitchen area.




Just by making this one little change, it has brightened up the kitchen immensely. So although I still have the brick veneer on the walls, it is a little more bearable and looks a LOT better. The 4" gap between counter and brick veneer will eventually be filled in with a backsplash, so I am not leaving that empty. We are waiting for our new countertops to do the backsplash properly.

Oh and we also got a new sink and faucet.


Now onto painting, new countertops, backsplash, new hardware and lighting. Getting closer!!


Day trip from Boise- Hells Canyon and Dam , and Owyhee Reservoir

"Hells Canyon, North America's deepest rover gorge, encompasses a vastly remote region with dramatic changes in elevation, terrain,...