A Face Lift was needed

I made some changes in the kitchen. We have lived here for ten years and the kitchen needed a little face lift. I also needed some organization. It all started when I decided to clean out all the cabinets and organize them. I got some pull out so all items could be easily accessible.

I have these 5 inch cabinets that were useless. As I was searching for some cabinet organizing systems, I came across these. They were perfect. It has a peg board in the back so I could hang some items. 

 This one was able to hold all my spices. My spices originally shared a cabinet with my bowl.

These pull outs do not break my back any more.  Now I don't have to dig around in the cabinet trying to find something.  All I have to do is pull out the drawer. 

Once I was done with the cabinets I wanted to add a pretty hood over the stove.  But in order to add the hood I needed to remove the microwave.  Once we removed the microwave, I put it into my butler's pantry.  We completed the crown molding on top of the cabinetry and wooden handles. The Chief put in an oil rubbed bronze pot filler over the stove.  Now that there was a bronze fixture over the stove, I had to get a matching sink faucet. The tumbled marble subway tile back splash completed the look I wanted.

In my last post, Filling In The Blanks, I mentioned our dishwasher had to be replaced and shortly after our refrigerator went out.  As we were shopping for a new one I knew I wanted the refrigerator to have french doors and the Chief wanted the fridge to have two drawers.  One for cheeses and meats and the other is a freezer.  I was reluctant about the drawer for cheese and meat.  But I have to say I love that drawer.  I fill it with all the items I frequently go in the fridge for.  It saves me from opening the whole fridge for just a few things.   

We also replaced the stone island counter top from a 2x6 to a 3x6.  We had a piece of wood there to extend it to 3 feet.  So now it is all stone and gives the island a more unified look.  There was a florescent light over the island and I replaced it to these nice pendant lights.  It gives the kitchen the WOW factor.

The florescent light before.

The new lights over the Island. 

The old light over the kitchen table.  I bought this light in 1982 to put in the very first house I  owned.  Now I am going to pack it away and retire it. 

The new light over the kitchen table.

It's finally finished!!

I feel like I have a new Kitchen.

Who would like a cupcake!

I don't know of anyone who doesn't like cupcakes. I guess that is why the new rage is all sorts of flavored cupcakes. The funniest flavor I have ever heard of was Bacon lettuce and tomato.  I wonder how that would taste?  

I just got done baking some cupcakes and I thought I would try my hand at four different flavors. Triple Chocolate, Exploded Strawberry, Pineapple Coconut, and Lemony Lemon.

Triple Chocolate with Ganache Icing

Exploded Strawberry with Strawberry Cream Cheese filling

Pineapple cupcake with Pineapple Coconut cream filling

Lemony Lemon with lemon filling

Before I get to the cupcake recipes I want to share the best buttercream recipe ever.  I found the recipe for Publix Butercream Icing. If you have never had Publix Butercream Icing before it is worth every minute to make it. The icing is the perfect to use on most any flavor cake.  It is heart stopping but tasts wonderful. 

Publix Buttercream Icing

• 1/2 pounds butter
•  2 cups Crisco Vegetable Shortening
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  1 teaspoon butter flavoring
•  1/2 teaspoon almond extract
•  2 pounds confectioners sugar
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1 tablespoon meringue powder
•  1 tablespoon milk if needed

Yield: Icing for 2 layer 9 inch round cake, or about 20 cupcakes

Mix butter, Crisco, and salt together on low speed for 5 minutes. Add vanilla, butter flavor, and almond extract, beat until well blended. Turn mixer off and add meringue powder and 1/2 confectioners sugar. Turn mixer on the slowest speed the mixer has, add remaining confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time until the sugar is mixed in. Turn mixer up to medium and beat until smooth and creamy, this should take about 5 minutes.

Meringue powder and butter flavoring can be found where cake decorating supplies are sold. The recipe can be made without these two ingredients, but the icing tastes better if you use the butter flavoring, and the icing with hold its shape better with the meringue powder.

With all flavored cupcakes I used Betty Crocker Moist Cake and followed the direction on the box. 

Triple Chocolate cupcake

Betty Crocker Moist Cake mix. Make it according to the box instructions.

The Ganache filling:
9 oz of chocolate
1 cup of heavy whipping cream

 Melt chocolate in the microwave for one minute then heat heavy whipping cream to a boil. Slowly add cream to the melted chocolate and blend. Spread on cupcake.
I added a chocolate wafer, chocolate chips and one square of cookie and cream chocolate for decoration.

Exploded Strawberry with Strawberry Cream Cheese filling

Again follow the direction on the Betty Crocker Strawberry cake mix.
I added 2 tablespoons of Strawberry preserve to 1 cup of Publix buttercream icing.  This covered three cupcakes. 

Strawberry filling:
4 oz. of Cream cheese
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of strawberry extract.
2 tablespoons of strawberry preserve

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. To fill the cupcake, dig a teaspoon into the center and remove the cake.  This will leave a hole to be filled with the filling.

Pineapple cupcake with Pineapple Coconut cream filling

Use Betty Crocker lemon cake mix and make it according to the directions on the box.

The filling:

 4 eggs, lightly beaten                               
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup Pineapple juice
1/2 cup can pineapple chunks
1/2 teaspoon pineapple & coconut extract
1/4 cup whole milk
Assemble the filling by combining the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and pineapple juice in a medium bowl and whisking until smooth. Stir in pineapple juice, milk, pineapple and coconut extract and pinch of salt and mix well. Then add pineapple chunks and cook over medium heat until filling gets thick, about 20 minutes. Constantly stir so it doesn't stick to the pot. Let cool and you can fill your cupcakes.

I use 1-3/4 cups of Publix buttercream icing and add 1/4 cup pineapple coconut cream for the topping. Blend well and pipe on top of the cupcakes. I coated some pineapple chunks in sugar and put them in my dehydrator. Once they were dried, I put them on top of the cupcake with some shredded coconut.

    Lemony lemon cupcake with lemon filling

I used Betty Crocker lemon cake mix and make it according to the directions on the box.  


Lemon  filling:

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten                                      
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
• 1/4 cup whole milk 
• 2 tablespoons limoncello, or other lemon-flavored liqueur, optional

Assemble the filling by combining the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and whisking until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, milk, optional limoncello, and remaining pinch of salt and mix well. Cook over medium heat until filling gets thick, about 20 minutes.   Constantly stir so it doesn't stick to the pot.  Let cool and you can fill your cupcakes..

Lemon butercream icing:

I use 1-3/4 cups of Publix buttercream icing and add 1/4 cup of lemon filling for the topping. Blend well and pipe on top of the cupcakes. I coated some lemon slices in sugar and put them in my dehydrator. Once they were dried, I put them on top of the cupcake for decoration. 

The lemon garnish is a slice of lemon I covered in granulated sugar and put in a dehydrator. 

Filling in the blanks.

I have wanted some built-ins on each side of the Fire Place.  I finally got cracking and designed something that would be functional and works well with the decor. I wanted it to look old world with plenty of storage and of course decorative.

We got cabinetry that was the same style as the kitchen and all I did was add some ornate embellishments and wooden handles. When we put on the top, I also decided to add the arched back. This made it look more like a piece of furniture than cabinetry. We then built the top shelving with crown molding and Corbels.

This cabinetry came in a wood color that didn't match the kitchen perfectly so I decided to paint it the same color as the Kitchen Island.   

This is the completed project.

We have also been working on the kitchen.  We have one more thing to complete and then I will post about it.  So far we replaced the microwave over the stove with a hood.  I put the microwave in my butlers pantry.  We added crown molding on top of the cabinetry and new wooden handles.  We replaced the island counter top with a larger one.  The Chief put in a water pot filler for me over the stove and I completed the tile back splash.  I changed out all the kitchen lighting.  Last but not least, I recovered the Kitchen chairs and added new pillows.  The lighting is the last item we have to finish. 

The Chief did a great job with the plumbing and I have my pot filler. 

I did the tile on the back splash in tumbled marble subway style.

This was my dreary dull seats and pillows.   

The transformation! 

In the middle of all of this we needed to replace the Dishwasher. It was the original dishwasher when we build the house ten years ago. Last night we lost our refrigerator. I had to go and get another one today. We went to Lows and it was going to take 30 days for the one I wanted to be delivered. We then went to HH gregg and they had the one I wanted in stock. Tomorrow we get it delivered.

Church Camps

The Cisco Kid had a blast at this year's church camp.  He went to this same church last year and he had just as much fun.  This year they had a Panda Mania theme.  The last two days of the camp were extra special with an evening hotdog dinner and the children singing songs. 

Here are the two boys with Noodles the Panda Bear.

The group of boys were having some fun before the show. 

The staff put on a little skit.

Boy's young and old acting silly after the show.

The following day was all about the water slide.

It has been a great summer so far.