Now onto the details...

The project was conceptualized last October, construction began in mid November. We had semi functional use of it during Christmas but it still had a long way to go. After lots of structural repairs and slight idea changes along the way the project was probably completed with decorating done by late February. The place is considerably more functional and the floor is no longer going to collapse through to the basement. I decided to remove a large pantry which was taking up too much space, as well as remove the dining room closet which was too small to be used for anything. Those you can see in the before pictures. The lovely lady in those pictures is not me btw.

It took me many trips to the stores and many conversations to finally get everything dialed in exactly the way I wanted it. I feel that the style I have is very fitting to the home which is from 1922. Not sure exactly how I would categorize it but if I had to take a stab I'd say, somewhat traditional, somewhat french country, somewhat professional. But the final product came out very warm and inviting. We use the kitchen 10 fold now compared to the old one for entertaining purposes alone.

The old kitchen was a functional disaster and I wish I had some pictures of it before, but I only have pictures of the day of first removal. I have a video though of the kitchen before which I will post here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFlVyHeKd5I

Moving right along then... and since everyone loves to know what every little detail is I guess I'll have to run down the list which as follows:

Countertops: Super-white quartzite, and yes the island is all one single slab
Backsplash: herringbone Carrara marble with matte finish subway tiles
Flooring: Virginia hardwood wide plank hickory
Fridge: Sub-zero 36SXS
Micro: Viking designer series
Wall oven: Bertazzoni 24 inch classic electric
Range: 36 inch Bertazzoni gas
Hood: 40 inch Viking designer series with 650cfm
DW: Fisher and Paykel tall dishdrawer
Sink: Elkay stainless farmhouse
Bar sink: Kohler trough
Main faucet: Rohl country in satin
Bar faucet: Rohl country series, not exactly sure what model
Washer+dryer: Samsung front loaders
Chairs: Restoration hardware french cafe Madeline chairs
Other goodies: full extension soft close drawers, heavy cast knobs and pulls (some outfit in NJ) love the pulls because they actually are screwed directly into the face. The beer setup is a Khrome design tower with Perlick no drop faucets. Entryway color tiles on the stairs are from Pewabic pottery in Detroit, the steps are a shale of some sort.

Enough talk I'm sure you've already passed by all that and moved right down here to where I've stashed what you are all waiting for...

Before:

During:

And completed:

Any other pictures of specific areas I will try and make happen if you'd like. Ask any questions as well, I'll be around to answer them for you. Thanks so much for looking, and thanks for the great ideas and the knowledge I've gained from using this fine website.

Oh well, if I want to keep my kitchen pictures Public, that's one of the prices I have to pay...pirated pictures. I don't have pics of my family in any public albums, so I'm not going to worry about it.

If you use Photobucket and want to see who's looking at your pictures (by site):

1. Click the "down arrow" next to your user name in the upper right corner (to the left of the "Search photos..." box)
2. Select "Account Settings"
3. Click the "Account Status" tab (the last one on the right)
4. Scroll down to the last section titled "Stats this week"
5. Click the "See all stats" link under the graph.

   You can see who/what sites have viewed or linked to each picture in the past 2 weeks, broken down by days.

6. If you want to see a monthly breakdown, click the "view monthly" link on the far right above the graph.

   You can then see the same information for each picture for the past 6 months, broken down by month.

I had been wary of choosing marble because of the possibility of etching. Now, we were confronted with marble that had been unevenly and severely etched all over, and we had to decide how to proceed.

We did recover some funds from the fabricator.

And then DH rehoned the marble himself. He used 5 inch diameter 320 grit Abranet pads on an orbital sander. He followed by going over the surface with pumice. It took about an hour for the first pass and then we went over some of the areas again. The marble became silky smooth and even, while retaining the matte honed appearance. We finished with two coats of sealer.

I'm posting because I was one of many who feared getting marble in the first place because of the etching. There is no doubt that it will etch in future, but I wanted to share that it can be resurfaced.

I love the Danby marble. I feel much less worried going forward seeing how it can be brought back to a perfect smooth honed surface. Just wanted to share this with others who want marble but are concerned about etching.

We did have a problem with mildew in my FL...we live in a warm, humid climate and while AC is great it doesn't pull ALL of the moisture out of the air. Someone on this forum suggested the super hot wash with an old white towel and some Cascade Complete (I used the Walmart version with enzymes) and presto - problem gone. I also stopped using liquid fabric softener. I think that exacerbates the problem, esp if you live in a humid climate.

Running one very hot load/year with some old towels and DW detergent to keep things clean is just not a big deal in my book. People need to understand that FL's are different from TL's. They do have very tight seals, and there's no place for any residual moisture to go if you shut the door completely after removing clothes. And unless you have sunlight shining right into the barrel, it's the perfect environment for mold/mildew to start growing.

So it's a trade-off: Use less water and less energy with a FL and do a little yearly maintenance. Or use alot of water and more energy to dry those clothes and no maintenance.

*****UN-PLUG THE WASHER******

Lay on the floor in front of the washer and look under the lower panel. You will see three silver colored torx head screws, one on the left, right and center. Loosen these up with your socket or torx head wrench. Remove the lower front cover and set it aside.
See all the wires? Did you make sure to UN-PLUG the washer?
Good.
Now look at the center of the bottom of the washer. You will notice a white cylindrical contraption. This is a drain trap where all of the junk from your washer gets hung up so it won't clog up the water pump that discharges the water from your washer. On the front of this drain trap is an access cap. BEFORE you open this place the rags under the trap, along the sides and under the washer. Trust me, you'll thank me later. Now open the drain trap access cap by turning it counter clockwise. Be prepared for some smelly water to come out, probably 1-2 cups worth. Once the water is drained, pull the trap completely out. You'll find the reason your washer stinks in the trap. We had a blob of black goo and a security label from an article of clothing we bought. That was the culprit. The drain trap was "trapping" all of this junk and getting real funky.

Now clean the drain trap out with hot soapy water and a little bleach. Clean out the cylinder where the drain was. Wipe it out with a rag soaked in bleach and soap. Once everything is clean, replace the drain trap and tighten it down. Do not over tighten this or the seal may leak.

Replace the front cover and the three torx head screws.
Plug the washer back in.
Run the washer through the SANITARY CYCLE with bleach.
Your problem is solved

so

and

and

There is a way to specify the size of your picture so that it is a reasonable size. All you have to do is add a height parameter to your html code. The larger the number you specify, the larger your picture will be. And this will work regardless of the original size of the picture.
Hope this helps!!

<img src="http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm288/low-spark/Kitchen/IMG_3181.jpg" height=200>

produces this:

<img src="http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm288/low-spark/Kitchen/IMG_3181.jpg" height=400>

produces this:

<img src="http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm288/low-spark/Kitchen/IMG_3181.jpg" height=600>

produces this:

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket link

What we love: The layout (Many thanks to all the GW-ers that helped us!) , Sharp MW drawer, our granite, cookbook storage, the pantry, cutting board storage, Brookhaven cabinets and drawers

What we might do differently: Our dark floors look nice, but they need to be swept literally twice a day. A lighter color would be a lot easier to maintain.

Typhoon Bordeaux Granite

Cutting Board Storage

Full Extension Drawers (with Rev-a-Shelf spice drawer organizer)

Our (messy) Pantry

Stained Bamboo Floors (In the left corner of this photo, you can see how the kitchen is open to a great room that was way too messy to post.)

Details:

Cabinets- Brookhaven French Vanilla, Edgemont Recessed style ("Face" on small drawers)
Granite- Typhoon Bordeaux
Paint- SW Svelte Sage
Backsplash- Sonoma Star Butter Crackle
Fridge- CD Jenn Air Side by Side (Plenty of room, even though it’s CD)
Oven- GE Monogram (Love the sliding racks!)
Microwave- Sharp MW Drawer
Rangetop- 36" Electrolux Professional
DW- KitchenAid
Hood- Best by Broan
Faucets- Kohler Simplice
Sinks- Kohler
Floor- Engineered 6 inch Handscraped Bamboo with Pecan Stain
Barstools- Overstock.com
Pendants- Sea Gull Serenity

Thanks again for all the helpful information on this forum!

JAaroncaststone

Atalanta Cabinets

AdrienneDesignedkitchen

Google image white kitchens

Stools icecremeandboys

Peacock Design Styles

Hallman

MyNorthwestBlog

Carter Graham

Wood Floors NJ Remodel

Different Stones in the ktichen (google image)

Verana Inspiration Home

You can convert anything you see on your screen to an image file, in this manner.

It turned out to be 1/4 all knobs, 1/4 all handles, 1/4 knobs on drawers and handles on cabinets, and 1/4 handles on drawers with knobs on cabinets. Basically an even split between all four styles. It was nice (although surprising) to know you could do anything you wanted and it was all good. (I had supposed there was a rule, apparently not!)

Based on my (totally random picture) counts, probably about 1/4 of the kitchens on here have all handles! :)

Here's one of my favorite kitchens in white with all handles:

And here's a nice cherry kitchen with all handles:

Have fun choosing!

Oh, I felt for the guy who put in our hardware. Not only almost all handles, but these: mounted on the outside with four screws each. Then you have to line up them up perfectly when on doors side by side. But he did a great job, and I love how it looks.

First pic was taken before everything was finished; top cabinet has handles, too.

And a little nook above the desk area.

#1: the Punch requested by all -- came from a 1974 BH&G. Can't keep the punch bowl full!
Double Berry Punch (Better Homes & Gardens Dec. 1974)

2 quarts of cranberry/raspberry (combined flavors) juice cocktail
2 –12 oz cans of raspberry-flavored carbonated beverage (this has been difficult to find so we now substitute with 2 liter bottles of cranberry flavored Canada Dry ginger ale
1- 10 oz pkg frozen raspberries
1 qt raspberry sherbert

Mix together chilled juice, soda, raspberries, and small scoops of sherbet in punch bowl. It will go quickly! Serves 12

The next sounds crazy, but goes quickly. I get requests at work events for this one.

Chutney Cheese Ball

1 – 8 oz pkg cream cheese
½ c. finely chopped onion
½ c. chopped cocktail peanuts
1 T. sour cream
2 tsp. Curry powder
½ c. golden raisons

1 bottle Major Grey’s Hot Mango Chutney (we get it as Publix) or other chutney

Mix all except chutney together. Form into a ball on foil. Cover, refrigerate until firm (can be frozen). To serve, pour ½ bottle of chutney over cheese ball and serve with crackers, pita bread, or vegetables. (My personal favorite is with toasted Pita chips).

Oh, and you need a brie . . . here it is! Can do ahead except for popping in the oven

Cranberry Glazed Brie

Marmalade
3 c. cranberries
¾ c. firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 c. dried currants
1/3 c. water
1/8 t. dry mustard
1/8 t. each allspice, cardamom, ground cloves and ginger

Bie 1- 2.2 lb. Brie cheese wheel (8 inch diameter)
Crackers, pear and apple slices tossed with lemon juice

Cranberry marmalade: combine all ingredients in saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until most berries pop (~5 minutes ). Cool to room temp. Cover and chill 1-2 hours, can be prepared 3 days ahead.

Directions for brie:

Preheat oven to 300. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Using a sharp knife, cut out circle of rind from top of cheese wheel, leaving ½ inch border around opening, do not cut thru side rind. Place cheese in an 8 inch diameter ceramic baking dish on cookie sheet. Spread cranberry marmalade over cheese. Bake 12 minutes, or until soft.

To serve, cool slightly and set on large platter surrounded with crackers and fruit.

Marmalade can be spread over cut brie 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill, then set cheese out until warmed to room temp before baking

How about a tuna/Salmon dip? Also good w/ Pita chips
Tuna Dip

2- 6 ½-ounce cans water packed tuna
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 t. grated onion
salt and pepper to taste
½ c. mayonnaise
3 T. hot sauce (moderate as desired)
2 T. chopped fresh parsley, or 1 T. dried
dash lemon pepper marinade seasoning

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Blend all ingredients. Chill overnight so that flavors mix

Serve with lemon or lime juice and parmesan cheese

Or a white bean dip???
A new twist on the usual bean dip.

3 garlic cloves
3 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Additional minced fresh cilantro
Fresh vegetables (such as carrot sticks, celery sticks and cauliflower)
Tortilla chips

Finely chop garlic in processor. Add beans and lemon juice and puree. Mix in oil, cumin and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. Add
3 tablespoons cilantro and mix in using on/off turns. Transfer to large bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Sprinkle dip with cilantro. Serve with vegetables and chips.

Serves 12.

Bon Appétit
June 1990

And as Julia would say . . . Bon Appetit!

Thanks to everyone on this forum for all the great advice and for simply listening to my vents at times! I've met such great people through here and hope to keep in touch! My only complaint is that while waiting for my kitchen to finally be done, I've had to endure looking at too many gorgeous finished kitchens and seeing things "I should have done" - haha :)

So...let's see, the process began in Sept 2008 (yep, you read that correctly!) and it's now almost 2010 - yikes, that looks even worse in print! :) The kitchen was part of a 1000 sq. ft. addition that included a master suite / kitchenette on the second level. I could go on and on about what went wrong (might be much easier to say what went right!), but I won't - it's too depressing :) The second floor is *almost* finished but the outside is supposed to have 2 decks and a balcony off the master, none of which have even begun, so who knows when everything will be complete. I'm just VERY thankful that at least the inside is approaching the point where I hopefully will not be dealing with anyone coming in and out and getting things dirty as soon as I clean! Well, other than my husband and dog of course - they do a good job of dirtying up the house all by themselves - haha!

I've tried to list the major details, since I know everyone on GW usually wants to see those, but if I've forgotten something or you have a question, feel free to ask :) So without further ado, here are the photos!

Here's the old kitchen "before":

And here's the old kitchen "after":

Sorry, couldn't resist - that really is the old kitchen, since the current kitchen is an entirely new addition to the house - so here it is:

With island pendants and plinth lights on:

An unstocked pantry :) It's actually a walk-in but hard to tell from photo

Countertops:
- Perimeter: Cambrian Black antique finish
- Island: Persian Pearl antique finish
- Crackle glass shelf on island: Custom by Advanced Glass Designs, Atlanta, GA
Backsplash:
- Tile: Calcatta Gold 3 x 6 subway tile, honed, Buildersdepotdirect.com (less than $7/sq. ft.!!)
- Grout: Silver Grey StarQuartz QuartzLock
Appliances:
- Range: 48" gas American Range, 6 burners with grill
- Vent hood: Vent-a-Hood
- Dishwasher: LG (already had)
- Refrigerator: SubZero 48" (already had - just painted the panels to match the cabinets rather than getting stainless steel))
- Wine fridge: Vinotemp? (not sure, but I think this is the brand - we got it at Costco)
Sinks:
- Main sink: Lansen double bowl stainless steel 15 gauge
- Island sink: Ticor stainless steel 18 gauge
- Faucet, main sink: Industrial polished chrome pull-out faucet (no brand?!) - Ebay
- Faucet, island sink: Delta, polished chrome
Floor:
Red oak, ebony stain (refinished all existing hardwood throughout house to match), satin finish poly
Walls (what little paint can be seen): SW Argos
Bar stools: Overstock.com "Modern Silver Bar Stool"
Lighting:
- Island pendants: Local Atlanta lighting designer - pendants are called "Droplet"
- Sink pendants: Mercury Glass Pendants from www.shadesoflight.com
- Island toekick lighting: Small LED plinth lights (more common in UK)
Cabinets (custom by local Atlanta cabinet maker):
- Perimeter: Shaker style maple wood, SW ??? (supposed to be Snowbound, but isn't - long story, but basically we found out months after that the paint isn't Snowbound, so have no idea what it actually is!)
- Island: Shaker style cherry wood, custom stain
Cabinet Hardware: MyKnobs.com
- European style long bar pulls, stainless steel
- Knobs: Hickory Hardware, stainless steel, Euro Contemporary 1.5 inches

Put pics on site like photobucket.com

Post message or respond to one in this message box on this site

Should have 2 tabs open-photobucket and garden web

Click on pic in photobucket, click where it says HTML code. Go to edit, click copy. Should see yellow copied appear.

Click the tab for garden web, click edit, then paste in your message box. You should see all the letters/numbers.

Click preview message. Should see your pic in the message box with what you typed as a message. Then click submit message!

Good luck!

Have fun planning!

Here is a link that might be useful: Maintaining Marble

I can help with the picture posting - the easiest way I have found is to do the following:

1: go to www.tinypic.com

2: browse for your picture

3: select the size you want - I ususally choose the 'message board' option

4: Click 'UPLOAD NOW'

5: Select the top line of html code

6: paste the code straight into your gardenweb post.

Good luck!

MAKE AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY (makes 2 quarts—freezes beautifully)
Because I cook alone at Thanksgiving, I’m too rushed at the end of cooking to ever make gravy. This recipe is a life saver and the gravy is the best I’ve (and my friends) have ever had. Be prepared to get stares from the butchers and checkout clerks at your grocery store. They can’t imagine why you need that amount of turkey! I also usually add about ½-1 teaspoon poultry seasoning for extra flavor.

6 turkey drumsticks, thighs or wings
10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 carrots, chopped coarse
2 cups dry white wine
1 head of garlic, halved
12 sprigs fresh thyme
2 ribs celery, chopped coarse
½ cup flour
2 onions, chopped coarse Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil spray

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450°. Place turkey parts, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in roasting pan, spray with vegetable oil and toss well. Roast, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 1-1.5 hours. (NOTE: I DON’T TOSS OR STIR—my pan was too full for that and it didn’t impact the result!)

Transfer contents of roasting pan to large Dutch oven. Add broth, wine, and thyme and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1.5 hours. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into large container (discard yukky solids), cover stock with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fat congeals, at least 2 hours. Using large soup spoon, skim fat from stock and reserve. Heat 1/3 cup fat in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until bubbling. Remove pan from heat and whisk in flour. Return to heat and cook, whisking constantly, until honey colored, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock, bring to soil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Gravy can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat gravy in saucepan over medium heat until bubbling.

You brush or roll it on (I think brush is easier and more accurate), it bubbles a little and then looks like glaze. Then take a lint-free rag and "buff" it in. It cures within 3 hours though I let it sit longer. Smell is only when wet and goes away when dry. I did a second application around the sink faucet stems. It also seals tile grout.

Gloves, ventilation and breathing protection are needed during application.

@ OP -- I agree with marthavila's good sense and experience about the choice.

I don't care what marble or sealer you use. Either one of those will etch the hell out of marble.

or clueless DHs messing up my pet remodel projects!

Hey now! :-)

For that, the contractor used Tile Guard's "Sealer Pro" for natural stone. Also, I think Bill V. usually recommends a'Miracle 511 Impregnator." But, hopefully, he'll come back here to speak on this himself.

FWIW, Tile Lab from Home Depot and Tile Guard from Lowes are crap. They're not worth the time used up in manufacturing them, atleast as far as I'm concerned. You're right-- Miracle's 511 Impregnator or Stone Tech's Impregnator Pro-- either one would be a top notch product to use for this purpose. But again, neither of these, nor any other penetrating sealer, will stop any marble from etching as a result of food acids being dropped on them.

As for cleaning stains off Danby, here's a link to a homemade "recipe" for a cleaning poultice: http://www.vermontquarries.com/downloads/treatment_interiors.pdf

A very common fallacy is the "one size fits all" poultice. It all depends on what made the stain as to what you should use for a poultice to remove the stain, and truthfully, this goes a little beyond my area of expertise. If you have a stain that needs pulling out, the person to talk to would be Stone Girl. I swear, that woman could pull India Ink out of a tatoo!!

Okay - now let me concentrate on your questions. First of all, thks for your enthusiasm for our kitchen. I really do pinch myself that it's "ours". Trust me when I say it's worth the wait and the agonising you're going through on these decisions now!

I see that your floors are also tile (stone?). I have travertine and am wondering if the iron stools make a horrible noise against the floor?
It wasn't so much the noise as the potential scratching that I was worried about (we have limestone). I have been using the upholstery cushion covers you can get at Home Depot, etc, and they work fine. Like these:

I just switched them out because the first kind I bought didn't adhere very well, but they are super inexpensive and easy to change/replace.

Also, how do you think the stools will look against my medium stained breakfast bar with soapstone counters? Yours look great against your wood counters and painted cabinets! I love the idea of cushioned seats that can be washed and also changed for other fabrics.
I think they will look great! When you think about it, we have lots of different elements going on in the kitchen - sage green cabs and island, soapstone, wood island top...As I said in my previous post I think these are really classic in design and the fact that you can switch out the covers gives you so much flexibility. I know the photo of the alternate cushion cover didn't turn out very well in my post, but the colours looks great and they're completely different from the pears.

One last question about your stools. Are they c o m f o r t a b l e ??
I know this is a subjective question. Let me just say that I like to sit UPright. And I don't like chairs/stools that have a bow in the back encouraging you to slouch. If you lean against the backrest, do you sit up or does the back have a curve to encourage other posture?
I know I didn't answer this fully (I was posting my response via blackberry on the way to dinner!!) . As you say, it is subjective, but I do sit there a LOT and I do like to be upright. As you lean back in the stool, the back is curved so doesn't force an upright posture (more like a bit of a lean), but I don't tend to sit with my back against the stool. This is a tough one!

I've admired your finished kitchen photos many times. I am especially drawn to your backsplash. I have always thought I would go with a plain subway tile, but am wondering if your more earthy tile would go better with my travertine floors and soapstone counters. Can you share the details?.
The tiles are from Walker Zanger and they are the Antequera Random Mini Brick. We love them!

I did think of another question about your stools in addition to what I posted above.
I'm 5' 3". When in the highest position, do you think I'll still be able to reach the foot rest?
Okay, so I just went and measured the distance from the top of the cushion to the foot rest, when the stool is at its highest level. 20". Does that help??

I have been SO LATE in getting my kitchen to the FKB - I'm actually in the process of uploading the photos to a new album and hope to finish this wknd. But in the meantime, I've linked my post of the finished kitchen below, which has lots of the details.

Pls let me know what you decide to do!! :-)
Eliz

Here is a link that might be useful: Elizpiz finished kitchen post

OK here are 3 ways to use it. Starting with the Buttermilk biscuits. I will say here and now that I use only "real" stuff to cook. I don't like to put one single calorie in my mouth unless it is really yummy. I find that you eat way less when what you eat tastes wonderful and has great " mouth feel". There was a French woman who wrote a book about this a few years back. She was right on , at least I think so.

Buttermilk biscuits ( adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

Place 2 c AP flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

pulse till it is blended...few seconds.

Using a large hole grater , grate 5 Tbsp of frozen salted butter on top of the flour. Alternatively cut the butter into 1/4 inch dice and freeze on a plate. Pulse only till it is mixed...few seconds. Better to have tiny pieces of butter . Now pour this into a chilled bowl and add about 1 c very cold buttermilk. Toss lightly till every bit of flour is good and wet. Don't over mix just toss lightly. It may take even more. More is better than not enough. Gently turn the dough out on a well floured countertop. I use my soapstone . Turn your convection bake to 500. Have a flat shiny cookie sheet ready, and spray with Pam. Lightly pat the dough with floured hands till it is 1/2 to 3/4 " thick. Using a well-floured biscuit cutter press firmly straight down to cut the biscuits. DONOT twist the cutter and they won't rise. Reflour before each cut. Take the scraps and push them lightly up next to the other scraps and cut more. Donot overlap them. Smoosh them together from the sides...this is a scientific term:) Place the biscuits on the cookie sheet so they are just touching. Bake at 500 for 12-15 min in the top 1/3 of the oven till nicely golden brown.

Buttermilk Cornbread (adapted from Vegetarian Epicure)

Preheat convection oven to 375. Have a 9" iron skillet on the low/med heat on the stove and have a 1-2Tbsp of butter ready to put into the skillet.

1 1/4 c unbleached flour
3/4 c whole grain cornmeal ( I use yellow stone ground)
4 Tbsp sugar
5 tsp baking powder ( yes this right)
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 c buttermilk
2 Tbsp melted butter

Combine dry stuff really well. Combine wet stuff ( use lesser amount of buttermilk and add more when folding together if you need to, to make a nice batter, should not be dry more like thick cake batter)

Add wet to dry and gently mix by folding under and over...it will start poofing due to the baking soda. Donot overmix but be sure there are no pockets of dry stuff.

Put the butter into the hot skillet and it should sizzle but not burn or smoke. Immediately add the batter and place in the 375 oven for approx. 30-35 min. Toothpick will be dry when it comes out. Again use the top 1/3 of the oven.

Best buttermilk pie crust and quiche filling ( adapted from Moosewood Cookbook)

Using the same technique for the biscuits , in the food processor combine 1c AP flour and 1/3 c grated or finely chopped butter. Don't over mix. Pulse a few seconds. Pour into cold bowl and add 3-5 Tbsp cold buttermilk till all is moist. Will blend a little more firmly than with the soft biscuit dough. Press into a disk and put in fridge for 1 hr. Make filling:

Beat 4 large eggs, 1 1/2 c cold buttermilk, 3 Tbsp flour, 1/4 tsp salt. That is it. It is the base for whatever you want to do now. Roll out the crust and fit into a 9-10 " pie plate or loose bottom tart pan. If you use the loose bottom pan make sure you have it on a cookie sheet...ask me how I know this LOL.

Cover the bottom of the crust with grated cheese...add toppings....anything you love...mushrooms that are sauteed, fresh chopped spinach, red bell peppers and purple onions...anything at all Pour the above custard over the toppings and then bake at 375 for 45 min till set in the middle and a silver knife comes out clean. It will bake quite a bit faster in a tart pan than in a pie dish as it is more shallow.

OK there you have it my 3 favorite buttermilk recipes and how to use the convection settings for even browning and perfect results. Let me know how it goes and PLEASE post pics...I love pics. Caroline

First is the perimeter: we put cups on slab drawers, handles on doors and the other drawers, and knobs on the real skinny drawers.

We switched it up a little on the island, putting the handles in the stile instead of centering them on the frame, mainly because centering the handle on the trash pullout would have made it too low. Since it was the island, we figured changing it would be fine. (One day we will have a door under the sink, I promise.)

Hope that helps people visualize things; it's kind of a lot, probably too much variety for some, but I'm happy with it so far. Now if the rest of the hardware would arrive.... which of course is even more different. The pine breakfast bar will have a different style and color (ORB knobs and pulls), but of course it's a different color and material of cabinet, too. And we have the same brass handles for the butler's pantry, but glass knobs for the doors.

The plans:

New addition to the right.

Looking into the old part of the kitchen in the next two.

Looking into the new part of the kitchen.

The plasterers are coming Wednesday, painters next Monday. New hardwood floors next week and then the cabinets. They arrive tomorrow, but we won't be ready for them till next week. Will keep you posted!!

XIM UMA (Urethane Modified Acrylic) Bonder Primer/Sealer

It can be topcoated with latex, oil alkyd, urethane, epoxy or lacquer. He gets everything from Sherwin-Williams so that would be a good place to start to find it.

So if you decide to paint the "non-wood" surfaces, that primer might help the paint stick.

Trim makes a world of difference in the way cabinets look. One inexpensive thing I did that made a big difference in the look of the cabinets was to add a "light rail" at the bottom of the boxes. It makes it look much more finished and custom. My carpenter used a small piece of jamb moulding, about 1-1/4" wide and just tacked it to the existing cabinets. When it was all painted it looked like it was always part of it. If you paint, you might also consider a small crown moulding that would ease the transition between the face of the cabinets and the existing soffit. It looks like your soffit is an inch or so forward of the face of your existing cabinets.

I can't see your light fixtures, but something really striking in the middle of the room would make a big difference for little cost as well.

Could you maybe replace just your cabinets around the refrigerator to make it look built in?

You can do a lot with a $10,000 budget and creativity! Maybe try to find a piece of fabric that you love to help with color choices? Good luck!

UPLOADING PICTURES:
You do not necessarily need an online image hosting account to upload pictures to gardenweb.

Here's a way to do it without having to create an account.

1: go to www.tinypic.com

2: browse for your picture

3: select the size you want - I ususally choose the 'message board' option

4: Click 'UPLOAD NOW'

5: Select the top line of html code

6: paste the code straight into your gardenweb post.

Voila! Images on gardenweb with no online picture hosting account.

They worked perfectly. The glides screwed onto my existing shelves so I was able to do the whole project by myself without having to ask DH for help, which is always a big plus.

I had to do a minor modification to the upper shelf because these are meant to attach to fixed shelves (not the kind that sit on pegs), because when you pull the basket out it's heavy (assuming it's loaded with canned goods like mine is), and when screwed to a movable shelf, the whole thing tilted forward (shelf, basket and all) and nearly crashed to the floor. Luckily I was able to shove a screw into the peg hole just above my shelf and put a wedge between the drawer and the screw to stop it from moving, and voila! Perfect pull out drawers.

They are SO MUCH NICER than my non-sliding shelves! My only wish is that rather than 3/4 extension they were full extension like my built in sliders, but other than that they're perfect!

My island will be approx 8ft x4 ft. I was hoping to just have 2 pendants over the island. I worry that 2-8 inch pendants will be too small and 2-13 inch will be too big. I need task lighting, but don't want the lights to be the focal point of the room. I didn't want to have just canned lighting, because I think that would be boring. I think I prefer the smaller lights. Since the kitchen is still just studs, I could add a third if I need to, but don't really want to spend more money. Can I get away with the 2 smaller lights? Will it be enough light?

Thanks!