The "New" Kitchen!!

Well.....I have waited a long time to reveal my new kitchen.  The reason is mostly that with football season and Homecoming activities and planning, I really haven't had too much time to use it! I have to say, that I am LOVING it!  When you take a step back, you realize that there really wasn't too much work done...however, the new space, paint, and connivence of it all makes it a wonderful place to be.

We had a wonderful contractor: Ariel Wannemacher of 10:31 Builders.  If you are in the DownEast area and need something built, fixed, painted, or created, these guys are who to call.  They did wonderful work, cleaned up every night after themselves, they were accommodating, and super friendly.  I also felt they were reasonably priced for the job.  They come highly recommended from me!!  I have to admit, I am probably not the easiest person to work for and living for a week without a kitchen turned out to be a bit of a big deal.  But, the 10:31 Builders put up with me, so they must be good!! It was great that we could get some stuff back into the kitchen even though they guys were still working.  Cooking my first meal on my new stove was heavenly!!

Not done...but getting closer!

So, without further ado...here are some shots of the new digs...

We really didn't have a whole lot of space to work with.  The kitchen counters and appliances were like U shaped...thus making it difficult to make the space for the new oven/stove.  Coach was hoping that everything would be an easy fix - take the old counter top stove out and put the new one in.  Not so much, turns out we had to move the dishwasher and plumbing over to the other side of the sink.  Then, we (and by we I mean the carpenters that knew what they were doing!) had to make the old dishwasher space big enough for new oven/stove! Ariel got rid of some cabinets and even made me a brand new cookie sheet cabinet!!  After the figuring of what goes where came deciding on paint.  I had the paint color picked out in August...truthfully, I've had the paint colors picked out since last August!  The dark woodwork would now be a very soft yellow called: Sugar Bowl...it's more white then yellow, but you can definitely see the yellow.  Gone is the wonderfully tacky red and green apple wall paper complete with trim.  In would come an awesome bright yellow named Cornmeal.  The final touch was to decide on a color for the cabinets.  I wanted something that popped and would literally brighten up my day...I came up with Strawberry.  It is bright and cheery and makes me happy each time I see it!  Both Coach and Ariel were not sure of my color choice...but, I had a vision...and once the paint dried, they both understood!!

My screen door cabinets!

You will notice in the picture to the right - the messy countertops, but also that we did something a little different with the cabinets.  I really think this is something that I dreamed up.  I haven't been to any other kitchens that have done this...but I am sure it is not a truly original design!  When I told Ariel want I wanted, he too thought it was a neat idea and definitely something he hadn't seen before.  The rectangular cut outs are covered with screen.  That's right, good old porch screen door screen.  The guys cut the shape out, stapled in the screen, and painted.  I think they look wonderful!  The upside is that I now have to keep my shelves neat, since everyone can see inside them now!  I love the look of it!

My favorite spot!

This is probably my favorite space in the whole kitchen!  This is where my old counter top stove and ancient wall oven were located.  Out came the countertop and the cabinet beneath it where all my pots and pans were.  In went the new dish washer, and an AWESOME butcher block cutting board.  When the stove came down, Ariel made a shelf.  I had originally thought I was going to put my microwave up there, but then voted against it.  On the upper shelf I am now using to display my Pyrex mixing bowls.  The lower shelf is where i am put my new dish sets, which I purchased at Walmart for $25.00.  I got a red and yellow set...unconsciously, my kitchen's theme is Griffindor House at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Behind that cutting board, are my spice rack (totally awesome old milk glass spice bottles!), knives, flour, sugar, and popcorn kernels (obviously!).  I love working in this space...close to the sink and accessible to the stove!

Speaking of the stove....here it is!!  This beautiful baby is a GE traditional and convectional oven!  It is a flat top with 5 burners.  I've never had a flat top, I am getting used to it.  Since we've lived in our beautiful house, we have not been used to using appliances that actually work as they are supposed to!  The burners get HOT and the oven doesn't burn everything...heavenly!!  I was a bit concerned that I wasn't going to get my tallest pots on the stove without having an issue withe the cabinets to the right of the stove.  However, I tried out all my pots...turns out, everything is just right!

We removed a small table we had in the kitchen and replaced it with a dry sink.  What's a drink sink, you ask?  Well, honestly, I think it looks like a baby changing table.  Traditionally a dry sink was used in the days before indoor plumbing for people to preform simply hygiene duties like shaving or washing your face.  You might have found them in a kitchen, a bedroom, or a washroom.  Today, they are mostly decorative and used to storage.  In the case of our house, it is holding my pots and pans.  It has made morse lots of extra space and it's nice to look at...I must remember to post a photo.  So, that's it!  I wish I had the ability to post a panoramic picture so you can take it all in...maybe one day!  I am still working on the finishing touches here and there...slowly making it my space.

The first meal I cooked in it was burritos you can find that recipe here.  The second meal I cooked was Chicken Parmesan.  This is one of Coach's favorite meals...I think it was one of the first meals I cooked him when we moved in together many moons ago.  This is super easy and so yummy

Chicken Parmesan

What you will need:

Chicken Tenders (I buy the Hannaford brand Inspirations tenders when they are on Manager's Special)
Italian Panko* (you can easily find this in the bread crumb/shake and bake aisle of your Hannafords!)
Gravy (Yes, I said it, GRAVY.  This is what us Italians are referring to when you are talking about Pasta sauce.  In this case, I used some of my home made.  You can certainly use a can/jar of your family's favorite!)
1 egg
Grated Parmesan
Shredded Mozzarella
1 pound penne or any type of pasta your prefer

The breaded tenders

What you do:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
First, take the chicken out of its tray and rinse off.  In a small bowl crack your egg and whisk it.  Get out your deep baking dish....I typically use my small Pyrex one, it is prefect for this type of meal.  Put a little gravy in the bottom of your baking dish.  On a plate, dump your Italian Panko (* If you don't want to buy the "Italian Seasoned Panko" it is easy enough to enhance your plain panko.  Just add basil, oregano, garlic salt, and pepper.) Dip your chicken tender in the egg and coat in Panko.  Place the chicken tender into your greased baking dish.  Continue to dunk and bread your chicken until they are all covered.  Once the chicken is in the baking dish, sprinkle some grated Parmesan over it.  Next, pour some gravy/sauce over and cover the chicken.  The final layer should be your shredded Mozzarella.  Coach likes the Parm cheesy...so I walk the Mozzarella right to it!

Let the Chicken Parmesan cook for about 35-40 minutes.  If you want the cheese to be crispy, then leave it in for the full 40 minutes.  In our house, I really like the crunchy bits, so the more time in the oven the better for me.  While the chicken is cooking, I boil up some water and cook my pasta.  One pound of pasta is a lot of 3 people, but we will use both the left over chicken parm and pasta for lunches throughout the week.  I also like to serve this is a loaf of that super easy, already made, just pop in the oven garlic bread that Hannafords has in the bakery section.  You just put it in the oven for the last 20 minutes that the Chicken Parm is cooking and you will be all set!


I don't have a picture of the final product, but I can assure it that it was DELISH!!  It wonderful to finally use the oven and move around the new kitchen and have fun!  My old kitchen wasn't all that bad...but now, I really like being in a more accessible space that is appealing to me!

Well...thanks for checking in and checking me out....