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Renovation Reveal 6 Jul 2022 12:00 PM (2 years ago)

  

photograph courtesy Provisuals Media

 

Well, that took forever.  Our renovation is finally done! When we moved to Arizona, we were lucky to find a house that checked a lot of our boxes. However, the house we fell in love with had a 25 year old kitchen that had to go. The cabinets were original but so bad that they were falling apart in places and the general design of the kitchen wasted a lot of space and was dysfunctional.  We had a large kitchen in Michigan and this new kitchen had very little storage space - there wasn't a single cabinet or drawer in the island! So, although a renovation was going to be a big project, I did get to design the kitchen the way I wanted. And, as long as we were renovating the kitchen, why not tear out the old laundry room and competely redo the Bar area?  😆  The last year has been a parade of workers in our home but it has been worth it.

 

kitchen before:

 

after:

 photograph courtesy Provisuals Media

 

 

KITCHEN:

We were lucky in that the appliances in the home had been recently replaced and I liked them.  I had specific needs for appliances - I wanted a large side-by-side fridge, two ovens and a 6-burner range.  And this house had all of those.   That was lucky because of all the backordered appliances during Covid, so I got to avoid that frustration. 

The original kitchen was built in the 90s and both the island and the range were placed at an angle. This layout didn't use the space well, so we had the island completely ripped out and the angle in the corner straightened out, creating more counter space.  The old island had zero storage and the new island has a ton of storage.  

The microwave/oven combination had been placed so high that I couldn't reach into the microwave to clean it. We significantly lowered it to be more functional.  It also helped lower the oven to a better height.

We raised the soffit way up and brought the cabinets up higher so everything was even.

photograph courtesy Provisuals Media

 

CABINETS: The biggest decision was going to be the cabinets and that was easy because I knew exactly what I wanted - slab cabinets in rift oak.  I wanted a warm, bright modern kitchen but wanted something different than white cabinets, so a light rift oak fit the bill.  I wanted slab fronts because I don't like anything catching dust - I have shaker cabinets in the bathrooms and I had cabinets in Michigan that were raised panel and I was constantly dusting them. Slab fronts don't catch any dust and are easy to wipe down.

Custom Cabinets:  Distinctive Custom Cabinetry 

 

I like the look of open shelving and wanted some for the dishes that we use on a daily basis.  They also break up the upper cabinets a bit.  I love that I have easy access to these dishes and prep bowls. We had recessed lighting put in the shelves and it looks really pretty. 

 

walk in pantry
photograph courtesy Provisuals Media

 

COUNTERTOPS:  We wanted a natural quartzite in white with some veining.  We ended up with some slabs we liked but they were polished and I ended up having them honed, which means they dulled them so they wouldn't be shiny - I'm not a fan of all those reflections you get from lights on polished countertops.  Quartzite, unlike quartz, is a natural stone and you have to have it sealed.  It's very durable. 

 

 

 

 

 

I had debated about whether to get a potfiller behind the stove or do a hang rail.  I decided I really wanted the hang rail so I purchased this Brookside Hang Rail from Rejuvenation. I like being able to hang stuff I'm always grabbing from the rail plus I just really like the look.  

Because I did not opt for a potfiller, I picked out a faucet that had a "potfiller" button.  It has a high pressure option to fill pots quickly.   I wanted a single hole faucet with a pull down spray, a Touchless feature and a very clean modern look with a big gooseneck style. I picked out the Kohler Crue Touchless Pull-Down Kitchen faucet.  The faucet is beautiful. 

 

 

I had very specific ideas about the kitchen sink - it had to be an undermount and I really didn't want a single basin sink.  As popular as these are, they are a food safety problem.  If you handle raw meat or anything that's possibly contaminated in the sink, you will contaminate the whole sink.  We have a large single basin sink at the family cottage and I don't like it.  When people are scraping their dishes into the disposal and you're trying to wash dishes, it makes a mess of the whole sink.  In my old house in Michigan, I had a Blanco double sink with a very unique configuration - one large basin which was big enough to place a whole sheet pan in and one very small basin for the disposal - just enough that you can make a mess in there and not contaminate the main basin. I looked for the kind of sink I had in Michigan and amazingly, I think Blanco is still the only manufacturer that makes this configuration.  So I purchased this exact sink again, only the material now is even nicer and it comes in lots of colors.  It's the Blanco Diamond 1-1/2 Dual Mount Silgranit Sink.   The Silgranit material doesn't scratch, chip or discolor. It's great. 

 The left basin is large enough to hold a regular size sheet pan

 

I wanted modern looking pulls in the kitchen that were easy to clean and you wouldn't get your clothes snagged on them.  I knew I wanted really long pulls on the large drawers.  I opted for these sleek pulls from Top Knobs Princetonian Collection.  I got the 18-7/8" for the wide drawers and the 3-3/4" for the smaller pulls. I also had the smaller pulls hung horizontally instead of vertically, which I thought looked more modern.  I wanted something with a very small profile for the very upper cabinets and these Schwinn round knobs were just the look I wanted.  

 

We had the cabinetry people build slots under the island for storage of devices like iPads, laptops and such. When you have all the kids home and everyone has a couple of devices that takes up a lot of real estate on the island, so this was a great solution to that.  I also had USB-C plugs from Legrand installed on either end for easy charging.

  

slots for laptops and other devices 

 

The pendants over the island had to be BIG because it was such a big space, with 12 foot ceilings.  These brass pendants are from CB2.   

 

 

 

 

 Backsplash Tile:  Portmore White Glazed 4" x 4" Ceramic Tile from TileBar.

 

I placed the outlets horizontally and low.  This is an outlet from 
Legrand with USB C ports built in.  

 

  

 

 We had all the walls painted in Benjamin Moore's White Dove. 

 

COFFEE BAR: 

When we bought the house, there was a big wall with just a mural on it that I thought was a perfect area to extend the kitchen and add a coffee bar.  We had the cabinetry company put in cabinets and drawers with some open shelving.  It has added a ton of storage and function and I'm so glad we did it.  I had appliance rollouts put in the cabinets and it makes it nice to keep your coffee grinder, etc. hidden but easy to roll out and use. 

 Before:

 

After:

photograph courtesy Provisuals Media 

 

 Backsplash tile: Alliante 4x12 Black Picket Tile from TileBar.

 Light Fixture:  Archer by Hinkley

 

LAUNDRY ROOM:

I love my laundry room remodel SO much!  We decided to do the laundry room at the same time because the cabinets in there were in such bad shape and the design didn't work for a short person like me.  The washer and dryer were on risers and I wanted them lowered so I could have a working countertop on the top of them and also so I could reach the uppers over them.  The uppers on the original laundry were so shallow that I couldn't really reach them. 

 Before:

 

After:

 

The original travertine floor from the 90s was still in the laundry room and it was pretty bad - no matter how much you mopped it, it never looked clean.  I replaced that with a black on black Italian Terrazzo tile that is so pretty.  

I looked high and low for a pure white, honed quartz and I finally found one that I love.  It is so pure white and simple.

I also removed the dreaded Plantation shutters and put in a very simple wicker Roman shade.  I splurged a little on the faucet in there and got a bridge faucet that's beautiful. I love the black and white contrast of the laundry room. 

Countertop:  Della Terra White Haku Honed Quartz
Faucet:  Kohler Purist Bridge Faucet
Hardware:  CB2 Bin Pulls
Floor Tile:  Black 24x24 Italian Terrazzo Tile
Blind:  Levolor Natural Shade in Vanilla Bean 
Paint: Benjamin Moore's White Dove.  

 

 

BAR:

The house had a wet bar area that looked out on the back patio, but there were a lot of problems with the design.  The counters were bar height - really tall - and the wall came up so high that it really limited your view outside. You couldn't access the main dining room because it was only open on one side.  And the entire thing was glass shelves and glass walls.  

Before:

 

After:

 

So we removed the sink, lowered the counters to counter height, opened up access to the dining room, replaced the glass with oak shelves and black backsplash tile and lowered the window height a ton. The view opened right up. 

Then we put in a push out gas strut window that enables service to the outside patio dinner table.  We continued the same cabinets as in the kitchen.  I saw a design on Instagram that I really liked for wine racks and our cabinet guys recreated it. We used a leathered granite for the counters, so there wouldn't be light reflecting and continued it outside.  

 

before after

I love my angled wine racks

 

 

before after

 

 

  

BACKSPLASH:  Alliante 4x12 Black Picket Tile from TileBar 

 

COUNTERTOP:  Leathered Black Andros Granite

 

 

An Update! 11 Sep 2020 10:30 AM (4 years ago)

 

 

Hello everyone!  I haven't posted in a very long time but this past year has been SO busy.  I've had some readers ask me if I'm okay and the answer is definitely yes! We moved to Arizona from Michigan and between getting our house ready to list, Covid, quarantine and actually selling, packing and moving I was pretty much preoccupied! But we finally made it out here and hopefully life can start getting back to normal.

There's still lots to do because we bought a new house and still have to move into it. I need to do a total kitchen renovation on this new house and hope to post about the process.  If you want to watch the renovation process, follow me on Instagram - I will be microblogging over there mostly instead of here.  

I am hoping to give cooking classes out here in Arizona like I did in Michigan - so if you are in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area, please shoot me your email to be on the mailing list for classes next year.  I usually give a pizza making class and a pasta making class. 

 

 

I know everyone did a lot of cooking during quarantine and maybe developed some new awesome kitchen skills (did you contribute to the national yeast shortage?) Maybe you are keeping those skills up and that's a great thing.

Hope you are making it through this challenging time and we can come out on the other side with some normalcy!

 

Announcing March 3rd Pizza Making Class 17 Feb 2019 9:40 AM (6 years ago)

 

 

Sunday, March 3rd, 2019
1:00 - 4:00 p.m. 

Come join the fun and learn how to make homemade pizza!

You will learn how to make easy homemade pizza dough,
the best flour to use and the secrets to making terrific
Neapolitan style pizza.   We will also make six different kinds
of pizzas, which we will enjoy that afternoon.  
You will also make your own homemade dough
and get to take it home.  

Space is limited!  Classes fill up fast.  $75

(This class is now sold out)

Okemos, Michigan

3 day cancellation policy

E-mail me for details or click on the "Cooking Classes" tab at the top of this page. 

Grilled Zucchini with Burrata, Cherry Tomato and Toasted Pine Nuts 20 Sep 2018 12:30 PM (6 years ago)

 

There's still a lot of zucchini being picked right now and here's another way to use them.  This dish is super simple and you can whip it together in no time.  Grilling the zucchini is the only real cooking you have to do in this dish and the rest is just assembling the ingredients.  The grilled zucchini is topped with creamy, luscious burrata - mozzarella balls stuffed with cream and shreds of mozzarella.  The dish is topped with marinated cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and fresh basil.  It's a beautiful and delicious dish and you can serve it as a side for dinner or as a meal on its own for lunch. 

 

 

The zucchini slices are scored lightly with the tip of a very sharp knife.
The scoring allows the seasoning and oil to penetrate the zucchini.  

 

  

Grilled Zucchini with Burrata, Tomato & Toasted Pine Nuts

for a printable recipe, click here

serves 4 - 6

4 medium zucchini
4 ounces burrata
about 12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3 Tablespoons pine nuts 
a few leaves of fresh basil, julienned or torn into pieces
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil

 

Trim the zucchini ends.  Stand the zucchini upright. Using a sharp knife, remove a thin slice of the skin on one side, then you can start making the slices you will use.  Slice the zucchini into 1/4" - 3/8" slices.    You will get 3 slices from each zucchini. Lightly score the zucchini slices in a diagonal pattern on both sides. Brush each side of zucchini with a little olive oil.  Season generously both sides with salt and pepper. 

 

 

Place the cherry tomatoes in a small bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts. Shake the pan as you toast them and keep checking until they are golden, about 5 minutes or so.  Be careful - they can go from golden to burnt very quickly.  Set aside in a small bowl to cool. 

 

toast the pine nuts until golden

 

 

Drain the burrata and place in a bowl.  Season with some salt and pepper.  The burrata will be at its best when you add a little salt, so don't skimp on this. 

Heat a stovetop grill or you can cook these outdoors on a grill.  Cook the zucchini slices until there are nice grill marks on each side, about 3 minutes a side over medium high heat. Place the zucchini on a large serving platter, in one layer. 

 

 

Assemble the dish by breaking up the burrata over the zucchini and  scattering the tomatoes and pine nuts. If you wanted to add another layer of richness, you can drizzle a little olive oil over the whole thing. Sprinkle the basil pieces over the whole dish.   Taste the burrata and, if needed, add a little more salt. Serve at room temperature. 

 

 

My New Favorite Pizza - 'Nduja, Sun-Dried Tomato Spread & Goat Cheese 8 May 2018 3:45 AM (6 years ago)

 

This is my new favorite pizza.  And it's amazing.  If you like pepperoni pizza, this is a modern twist on that. Instead of pepperoni slices, I'm using 'nduja, that incredible spicy prosciutto spread that I wrote about in this post. Instead of mozzarella cheese, I'm using tangy goat cheese.  Instead of tomato sauce, I'm using this intense sun-dried tomato spread that is my new favorite thing.  I'm going to talk about the ingredients specifically below, because the ingredients really matter in this one. 

 

 

I've been using sun-dried tomatoes from a company called California Sun-Dry for years. It's my favorite brand of sun dried tomatoes.  I buy the julienned kind and make this no-cook pasta sauce with it.  My local Kroger store actually carries these tomatoes in their produce department so I'm able to buy them easily. They recently started carrying this tomato spread from the same company. I started using it on crackers and crostini and I loved it so much that I thought it might be great on pizza.  If you can buy this particular brand, do it. 

The other important brand is the La Quercia 'nduja.  This spicy spread is absolutely delicious and I stir it into pasta sauces. I've tried other brands of 'nduja and this is by far my favorite.  Whole Foods carries this in their cheese department, so most of you should be able to find it.  If you can't, you can buy it from Amazon or Zingerman's. 

 

 

I made this pizza a little differently than I usually do - I prebaked the crust for a few minutes before adding the toppings.  I spread the dough with a little olive oil and baked it in the oven for 4 minutes and then added the toppings and finished it off for another few minutes.  I really like the texture of the pizza this way. 

Use baking parchment to slide the pizza into the oven.  It's far less messy than using cornmeal or flour and you can actually reuse the baking parchment.  

 

Pizza with 'Nduja, Sun-Dried Tomato Spread & Goat Cheese 

for  a printable recipe, click here

you will need a baking stone and baking parchment paper for this recipe

makes 1 large pizza 

7 ounces pizza dough
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces goat cheese, softened
1/3 cup California Sun-Dried Tomato Spread
2 tablespoons La Quercia 'Nduja
freshly cracked black pepper

 

Pizza dough gets a light layer of olive oil and then is baked

 

The goat cheese is spread on the crust

 and then the sun-dried tomato spread is layered on 
and then dollops of 'nduja are placed.  Then back in the oven. 

 The finished pizza:

 

 

Preheat oven to the highest setting your oven will go and place the baking stone in the lower third of the oven.

Roll out pizza dough very thinly.  Brush with the olive oil.  Place a piece of baking parchment on a pizza peel or just on the back of a baking sheet (anything that will allow the pizza to slide off easily).  Place the pizza dough on the parchment and slide it off onto the baking stone, along with the parchment paper.  Bake for about 4 minutes, until the dough is set and it is starting to turn golden brown a little.

Remove the pizza dough from the oven.  Spread the goat cheese on it, followed by the sun-dried tomato spread. Place dollops of the 'nduja all over the pizza.  Grind black pepper all over the top.  Return to the oven and continue to cook for about 3 - 4 more minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is crispy.  Remove the pizza with a wide spatula (I use this fish spatula for pizzas) and slice and serve. 

 

Pork Osso Buco with Gremolata 16 Apr 2018 4:20 AM (7 years ago)

One of the most satisfying dishes to eat is Osso Buco.  It is traditionally made with veal shanks but this version with pork is equally delicious and as a bonus, pork is inexpensive. The shanks contain a large bone in the middle of the meat, adding lots of flavor to this dish. Even if you are a new cook, this dish is super easy to prepare and I guarantee lots of happy diners. 

Osso buco is a dish that needs to cook for about 2½ hours, so plan accordingly. The prep is very easy - the meat is seared, removed from the pot and then a soffritto, a mixture of vegetables, is cooked.  Then all the other ingredients are added and the meat is returned to the pot, covered and cooked in the oven, low and slow. What results is an incredibly delicious sauce with meat that is just falling off the bone. Traditionally, it is served with Risotto Milanese, a beautiful golden risotto dish flavored with saffron.  You can also serve it with pasta or polenta.

 

The shanks should be pretty thick - I like ones that about two inches thick.  When you buy them, they will very likely come with the skin on over the layer of fat. Many people leave this skin on and you can certainly do that. However, I don't like it and I cut it off before I cook the shanks. It's easy to do with a very sharp knife. If you cut the skin off, you will now need to tie the shanks with twine to keep the meat from falling off the bone.  This step is not necessary, but just nice when serving the shanks because it keeps them from falling apart and makes them nice to serve a whole shank on a plate.

Most recipes call for dredging the pork in flour, but I do not do that.  I feel that the flour tends to burn a little in the searing process and I would rather just have a nice rich fond form on the bottom of the pot from the meat. 

 

There is a version which leaves out the tomato altogether.  It's delicious and pairs very well with the risotto and the gremolata. It's essentially the same recipe, just omitting the tomato. A good reason to cook the dish twice!

The finished dish is sprinkled with gremolata, a zingy mixture of raw parsley, garlic and lemon zest that is delicious.  Serve extra on the side so your diners can add more as they eat their osso buco.

for a printable recipe, click here

you will need kitchen twine for this recipe

serves 4

Pizza Making Class March 4th, 2018 12 Feb 2018 6:27 AM (7 years ago)

 

If you live in the Mid Michign area, I am having a Pizza Making Class on 

 Sunday, March 4th, 2018.  

1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

The class is now SOLD OUT

Come join the fun and learn how to make homemade pizza!

You will learn how to make easy homemade pizza dough,
the best flour to use and the secrets to making terrific
Neapolitan style pizza. We will also make six different kinds
of pizzas, which we will enjoy that afternoon. 

You will also make your own homemade dough
and get to take it home.

Space is limited. 

E-mail me for details on how to reserve your space.

elainemccardel@mac.com

Pasta with 'Nduja, Kale and Toasted Breadcrumbs 15 Jan 2018 12:36 PM (7 years ago)

  

Do you know about 'nduja?  If not, keep reading because this special Italian spread has become very popular and with good reason - it makes so many dishes even better.  'Nduja (pronounced "en-DOO-ya") originates out of Calabria, that region in Italy where all things spicy are loved. It is a sort of spreadable paste made out of pork, Calabrian peppers and various spices. You can spread it on bread or add it to sauces.  It adds not only a spicy kick but a terrific layer of flavor that is absolutely delicious. Once you have it in your fridge, you'll be adding it to all kinds of things. We made homemade pizza recently and I made myself a pizza of thinly sliced zucchini, red onion, grated pecorino and then put little dollops of 'nduja on top. It was terrific. My favorite thing is to add it into this pasta sauce recipe.  We love it.

Jam Pastries 11 Dec 2017 5:10 AM (7 years ago)

 

 

These fruit pastries can be a nice little dessert after a meal or a great partner with coffee in the morning. I've been having fun making and sharing these and decided they might be nice for people to make during the holidays.  They are so pretty, especially with raspberry jam.  I've made blackberry and blueberry, too, and they are just as delicious.  The dough is a snap to make in your food processor - it takes just a couple of minutes.

Homemade Garganelli Pasta 15 Nov 2017 4:30 PM (7 years ago)

 

If you are familiar with my recipe for Pie Dough in 60 Seconds, then you will be happy to know that you can do the same thing with pasta dough.  I make this dough in a food processor and it takes about 60 seconds.  I'm going to give you step by step photos to show you how to make a pasta shape called garganelli and even a little video to make it easy (scroll to bottom of post for video).  All you need are two ingredients - flour and eggs.  You could make it today!