Chalkboard Art...finished for now

 Here we go...this is how my project ended up
but just to be sure....

I thought I would just sleep on it and see how I felt about it in the morning

It's only chalk right?

I wonder If Dana Tanamachi does that?

Hmmm

Just as a reminder this was my original graphic design

 about 1/2 way through...
I do like the banner
and Dana uses lots of banners in her work

 and this is the final project...the next morning, I removed the little knives I had added, re-worked the area where the banners was

 and enlarged the lettering on 

"petit cafe"

 I put my basket of bread boards underneath it 

but it just needed something a bit higher

 I have a nice little collection of old bottles 

that I use for vinegars and oil for cooking

 This is a great little bamboo shelf...a nice size for a smallish space...so I gave it a try here

just in case you are wondering about the old bottles...I actually sterilize them like you would a canning jar prior to using them and if there is even a question about cleanliness I don't put any thing in them except maybe a flower for the garden

 a few little dishes, some fresh lemons 

and an old baguette basket on the chalk shelf

Here is a little peek of the kitchen with the new chalkboard

this little sign reads:

the daily bread

petit cafe

olives

cheese

champagne

open daily

I hope you give this a try....
it is so much more fun 

than spelling and arithmetic 

Cheers

Kelley

PS

I didn't seal it 

because I have a feeling I will find some new things to draw 

as Spring approaches...
and I agree with Dana
that there is something interesting and simplistic
about just erasing it
and doodling a new idea

New Year Treats For Your Honey

This is a super easy and delicious recipe for fool proof Almond Roca "style" candy

It has just 6 ingredients and takes about 15 minutes to make

The main thing to remember when making candy is it all happens pretty quickly and you need to have all of your ingredients measured and near your stove before you begin

You may want to purchase a candy thermometer if you are nervous about temperature control... or you can live dangerously like I do...and just wing it and hope for the best!

I have made some mistakes with this candy by over cooking it but 

I just dump it out and start over

 So here is what you need:

1 Cup Butter

1 Cup Sugar

2 Tbl Water

1 Tbl Light Corn Syrup

1 Cup Chopped Almonds

4-6 Regular Sized Hershey Bars

 In a large heavy sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat

* a note on butter...use good quality unsalted butter.  Lesser quality butter tends to have more water and it can affect the density of the finished candy 

 When the butter has melted, 

add the sugar and heat to a boil, stirring constantly 

* a note on stirring....use a wooden spoon and stir stir stir...

never let the sugar mixture sit or it will burn

 When the sugar comes to a rolling boil

 it will have large bubbles

 Add the corn syrup and the water...and keep stirring

 You are still working over medium to medium high heat and now you will start to see some color and the sugar mixture will start to thicken...but just keep stirring!

 After 10 to 15 minutes your candy will start to really thicken and will be a rich golden brown color.  If you are using a candy thermometer it will read 290 degrees or "hard crack"

 Working really quickly

 pour you candy mixture into a sheet pan

This mixture is really hot 

so be super careful not to splash any...it really hurts...!

 While my empty sauce pan is still hot

 I set it in the sink and fill with hot water for easy clean up

 You are now ready to add the chocolate and the nuts

After years of making this 

my family really loves the darker more bittersweet chocolate 

but you can use any chocolate that you like

I also like the nuts really roughly chopped...not too fine...I use a food processor 

but a knife will do the trick here too

 Break up the candy bar 

and gently set over the still very hot caramel  mixture

 You can see the chocolate start to melt

 Using an offset spatula 

gently smooth the candy bar chocolate 

over the caramel candy surface

And finally top with the chopped almonds

 Set your candy on a cooling rack or hot pad and allow to cool

When the candy has cooled 

let it get really hard and cold 

by refrigerating for another an hour

 Break the cold Almond Roca into large chunks 

with a chefs knife

I put mine in zip lock bags,  refrigerate some 

and freeze the rest

 Trust me on this one...it wont last long!

 This is a wonderful dessert treat with coffee 

and I confess I have eaten it for breakfast!

And  It is a perfect compliment with a glass of bubbly 

to ring in the New Year

Happy New Year Everyone

Wishing you all good things in 2013

Cheers

Movable Kitchen Islands

Martha's kitchens are usually pretty darn amazing

So I loosely and I mean really loosely tried a few things "Martha" 

in my new kitchen

One must have item for me, was/is a movable kitchen island

I love how these work as both a gathering place, a spot to work on your laptop or an extra area for food prep

Having this island on wheels was a big factor for me because my kitchen is pretty small and I need to be able to push it out of the way when not in use or when I need extra space for more cooks in the kitchen

I looked at a bunch of premade kitchen carts and islands 

but kept coming back to the islands by the John Boos Company

John Boos is a company that specializes superior quality butcher block and hard rock maple products

Most of the islands retail for around $1000 to $1500 depending on size and options....and almost all include the option for casters or wheels

I just kept going back to Martha's grey kitchen and looking at all of the details she Incorporated and figured I might be better off having my cabinet maker make it for me to my specifications....and I wanted it to be grey

the big island to the left in the photo above 

is the movable island she calls her servery

She used lots of drawers in hers and I was able to get 4 in mine

I wanted one for knives

one for spices

one for parchment paper 

and 

one for pot holders and towels

This is another cart in Martha's kitchen which is really great...a big metal utility cart for her cooking utensils 

that she can roll around the room to her various cooking stations  

and of course a few nice

shelves

I love how she painted the wood storage trays 

the same color as the servery

She has some really nice vintage items as well...including this tea station

a vintage porcelain scrubby holder....gotta look for one of those!

and a big huge stash of bar mops...love those too!

So here is my version...quite a bit smaller but I got most of what I wanted 

out of a cart that measures 30 by 60 inches

knife storage

spice storage

pot holders

and parchment paper

we put the island on nice grey rubber wheels

I topped it with Carrera marble

and added a slatted shelf on the bottom

I think I may add another shelf because I can use the extra storage...but I wanted to keep it really simple to begin with and it's much easier to add to a item 

than to start dismantling 

These are some fun vintage silverware drawer pulls I found on Etsy...and some fork hooks for towels

so there you have it...my Martha knock off

do you think she will mind?

; 0 )