Doors and Stoops Part 2: Autumn & Halloween

Aaaah, the crisp cool air of Autumn has really been boosting my mood over the past few weeks. As many, this is my favorite time of year.  I love the spirit of this season and all that goes along with it, ie; turning leaves, pumpkin picking, sweet treats, dressing in layers and bold colors.  Seeing how differently people express their joy for this time of year is always fun and brings a smile to my face.  I decided to get out and explore my newish neighborhood since is this will be the first Fall I spend here.  I was so pleasantly surprised at how much thought, effort & creativity people really invest in making their homes festive. I have been taking photos over the past week of several decorative door steps and entry ways. I posted just my fave pics but there are many more where these came from.  I hope you enjoy these photos and let them bring you some decorative inspiration or even just a smile :)

Happy Friday!

 If you look closely you can see that there are eyeballs in this tree and the black pumpkins are spiders.

 This house is shown in the daytime and again when I walked by at night.

 It's questionable but I think we may be under attack by aliens!

Kitchen Makeover: Before and After

BEFORE

AFTER

I have been Super excited to post this Amazing before and after story. I am in total envy of this Kitchen Makeover.  My sister (Kim) and her other half (Rob) recently purchased their first home together.  This new old house is a split level style built in 1957 and contained most of its original fixturing. They made the purchase with the intention of fixing up this wonderful house over time.  They knew this old house had great bones and that over the next few years they could make it their own and turn it into a place they are proud to call their "home."  First up on the fix up list was the KITCHEN! I think most of us can agree that the kitchen is the hub of the household.  I thought it was a smart decision and great place to start so it would be the first area complete. 

I think I was just as excited as they were when it came time for the kitchen renovations to start. Since I am still a renter I have not yet been able to turn any room into my exact dream space.  This was my chance I thought! haha.  They were nice enough to let me help with opinions on color pallets and lay-out options.  Of course I dove right in willing and extremely excited to be involved in anyway possible.  They really took the bull by the horns and finished this project in just 2 months.  I have to say for first time renovators they did a wonderful job collaborating ideas, being decisive about lay-out choices and materials all while staying within their budget.  The end result is beautiful so scroll down and check out the progression of how it all came together.

OLD Kitchen: The original kitchen was complete with rustic wooden cabinets with black wrought iron handles, metal appliances, laminate formica (boomerang) couter-tops, linoleum flooring and lets not forget the wooden paneling around the entire kitchen and breakfast area. - I apologize for the poor picture quality of the before shots.  They are from the Home inspection report since I was unable to be in the area before the kitchen renovations began.

The main objective was to open up the kitchen space.  Ultimately this was achieved by extending into the breakfast nook, adding floor to ceiling french doors, using a light color pallet and adding 2 additional windows along the empty wall.  

And now for the renovations......

Everything original was removed. Dry wall and  French doors were installed to provide more light.

Next the ceramic tile floor placed and grouted.

Cabinets were installed, walls were painted and 2 windows installed along right wall. 

The Refrigerator is in the space where the wall oven used to be.  They opted for a free standing range.

Soon to be filled with several bottles of vino.

The neutral colors in the tile and granite help to tie in the color of the ceramic tile flooring

Towards the end of the renovations Kim and Rob had fun adding additional small details such as these shelves and the wine rack.  

The French doors help in providing beautiful sunshine and natural light for the kitchen.

I LOVE the pop of color from the teal light pendants.  My sister plans to add other teal decor to the room.

Here you can see that there is an additional small counter top & wall unit towards the
 entrance of the kitchen from the living room.

View of the Kitchen from the dining room with cabinet lighting in effect.

NEW Kitchen: The renovated kitchen consists of white wooden Cabinets by American Woodmark (Gettysburg collection), Hardware found at Home Depot, stainless steel Appliances by Kemmore, granite Countertops by StoneMasters, ceramic Tile Backsplash found at Home Depot and ceramic tile Flooring by Marazzi also found at Home Depot.

There are still minor details being added such as new bar stools that match the kitchen a bit more. Also there is a possibility that  that some additional cabinetry may be added along the left empty wall. Kim and Rob thought it would be best to feel out the space of the kitchen before adding anymore components.  Overall they saved money by having a handy friend do all of the labor and by choosing all materials used from different vendors based on personal preference, quality and value.  Oh and doing some of your own Demo work is always a big $$$ saver.  Who wouldn't want the opportunity to take out all of your stress and inner anger on banging out and demolishing your kitchen cabinets and countertops.  Kim and Rob are extremely happy with their remodeled kitchen.  Kim said "It didn't feel like home until we cooked our first meal in the new kitchen."

I would love to hear about any of your Kitchen makeover stories.  Please share :)

Macadamia Shortbread Cookies

Still Reeling from our trip to Maui, I was inspired to make something to keep the spirit of Hawaii alive just a bit longer.  I am obsessed with Macadamia nuts and ate my fair share while on the trip. Of course I brought some home with me as well as Caramacs, which are to die for but that's another story entirely.  Since I had some roasted Macadamias on hand and have been wanting to try making shortbread, I decided to combine the 2 ideas.  Two tasty components can't possibly make a bad combination, I thought.  Well, I am not always right in thinking so believe me. This time thank goodness I was correct.   It was an experiment as many of my recipes are.  I almost never use a recipe as is b/c it's so much fun to tweak minor ingredients and see what you can create.  I am happy to admit - it worked out this time YAY!

I am definitely going to feel in danger with these little triangles lurking around the apartment.  What I didn't mention was that I made two pans of shortbread - YES 2!  I will have to do a Serious give away.  Luckily and excitingly I will be seeing lots of family and friends this weekend. It will be a Birthday Friday and a HS Reunion on Saturday.  Cookies for ALL!  I can't wait to see everyone to celebrate new chapters in life and old memories.  Should be a great fun filled weekend :)  Hope you have a wonderful weekend as well :) HAPPY FRIDAY!

Yield: 12 Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Flour (All Purpose)
1/4 cup RAW Sugar
3 tablespoons Light Brown Sugar (firmly packed)
1 1/4 Cup Sweet Cream Butter – If you use salted butter you can cut out the salt altogether. I still added it.

1/2 cup chopped Roasted Macadamia Nuts – you can buy already roasted nuts.
1/8 tsp Salt 

1/4 cup Cornstarch
1 tsp Pure Vanilla extract
Melted Chocolate for dipping - optional if you enjoy plain shortbread (I used 1/2 bag Ghirardelli semi-sweet choc. chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 300°F or (150°C)

2. In a medium bowl sift  together flour ,corn starch and salt). Once sifted stir in the macadamia nuts.  Set aside.

3.  Using a hand mixer or wooden spoon, combine butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl.  If using a hand mixer beat on medium speed about 3 minutes or until creamy. Mix in Vanilla. 

4.   Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low speed (or mix by hand) until the dough comes together.  If the mixture is well blended but till remaining in small balls from the nuts, use your hands to gently knead the dough into one soft ball.

5. Use an offset spatula (as pictured below) to smooth dough into a 9 ½  inch tart pan with removable bottom.  If you do not have a removable bottom tart pan than you can use a traditional tart pan or round cake pan lined with parchment paper.  (I used the traditional tart pan with parchment paper cut to size.) Be sure to press into the edges if using a tart pan.

6. Using a Sharp knife make shallow cuts in the Shortbread into 12 even triangles.

7. Poke holes with a fork in a circular form several times covering the entire shortbread (as shown below.)

8. Bake for about 55 minutes.  Top should be golden brown.

9. Remove shortbread from the oven.  Re-trace the shallow cuts with a sharp knife and cut all the way through while shortbread is still warm.

10.    Allow the shortbread to cool while still In the pan and placed on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

11. Once cooled remove the bottom of the pan (if using a removable bottom) or remove the shortbread by lifting out the parchment paper. Slide cookies off tray or parchment paper

For chocolate Dipping:

1. Use a small double boiler or a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan with simmering water.  Allow chocolate to melt slowly while stirring constantly.  You can watch this youtube video for help on how to melt chocolate.

2. Dip 1/4 of the each triangle in the melted Chocolate and let cool on wax paper for at least one hour.

3. Share and ENJOY :)

*Store in an airtight container to retain freshness.