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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A Redo and A Recipe

Now that most of the yardwork is done and we are going to have some significant rain for the remainder of this week, we (more like I) decided that it was a great time to redo the kitchen. We have lived in this house for about 2 1/2 years and have done quiet a bit (from taking down wallpaper, painting every room in the house, to completely finishing the basement) I have searched and searched for what to do in the kitchen (colors, organizing, to creating more storage) I knew I wanted a red kitchen and so we painted that as soon as we moved in. But that is all we have done in the kitchen. Then I came across the black table and chair set that I now have in the eating area. With that my ideas started kicking :) That is when I came across this plate...

And with this plate came the inspiration for my redo. I really like the luxurious look of damask. Plus it goes so well with my red walls (and I am not about to paint those things again)

So here are some pictures of how my kitchen looks right now...

Currently this is just a plain ol red wall. My plan is to do a sort of "grid" effect with pictures. I have a ton a pictures of the kids so I am going to try to choose my faves and frame them in black frames.


Again this is just a plain area. My plan is to put window treatments up. I am tossing around ideas here. I really do not know what to do. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I also plan to change the light fixture. I have a fixture that I think will work here, but I am going to wait until I choose the hardware for the cabinets before I make a purchase.



The cabinets...the color of them is not my favorite at all. We have lovingly termed these cabinets "the builder's special" because I think that every house in our neighborhood has them. They are great cabinets, but I just don't care for the color. So we are sanding them down, priming them, and painting them white.


The florescent light...It. Must. Go. and it will...once I decide on the light in the eat in area I will get something complimentary to replace this light.


More cabinets...I did not realize how cluttered my kitchen was until I looked at this picture...ick...I will be changing that (I don't think the fridge could hold one more thing on it) haha! I am also trying to decide how to decorate the top of the cabinets. I have lots a silver peices that I could use here, or I could go with an entirely different style. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated here.

So there are my redo plans...let me know what you think!

With all this yardwork and house work I am so glad that I made the freezer meals! Boy those things have really come in handy. The other night I made the Chicken Tetrazini and it was a hit! Madeline really liked it (but of course that kid will eat anything!) I served it with salad and bread. Next time I think I will add some english peas just to have more green. Here is the recipe (ENJOY!)

Chicken Tetrazini
12 oz medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
4 chicken breasts, boiled, deboned, chopped
8 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cans cream of chicken soup*
1 pint of sour cream*
parmesan cheese

*I use fat free and reduced fat products and that worked great in this recipe
Mix all ingredients, except cheese, together. Pour into 2 casserole dishes. Cover tightly and freeze.
To cook: thaw completely, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, and bake on 350 for 45 minutes or until bubbly.
This dish was so yummy and I still have a whole other one in the freezer.

Enjoy the recipe and leave me some ideas for the redo :)

Jessica

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Are you going to do the pictures in black and white? That would look great! Take a look here at Kelly's dining room wall, I LOVE it...what I thought about when I read your idea...

http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2009/03/life-as-domestic-engineer.html

Love,
Jenifer

Nancy said...

I am into color like you, I love the red. Maybe some silver pieces above your cabinets with some Ivy?
I think the pictures will look great & I LOVE that plate. I'm thinking of doing black & white tuile (I know I didn't spell it right) for window treatments in my kitchen. My walls are Lafonda Olive green!
Aren't projects fun?! You will make it beautiful I know!!!

Juli McFarland said...

I also have a red kitchen with black countertops and white cabinets. Get a really good paint, one that is washable and holds up well because you will be cleaning them alot! I love my color combo but almost wish my cabinets were a black color just so that every piece of dirt didn't show.

Misty said...

Sounds exciting! I LOVE decorating and organizing! My kitchen is green with black countertops, but I have two red rooms in my house. In one room, I have silver curtains and I love how it looks, so I think decorating your countertops with silver pieces would look great...espcially if you use b&w pics of your children on the walls.

Aimee said...

OH, you know I love a re-do...

OK. so my only suggestion is you ditch the white cabinets. But, I only say that because I am lazy and don't like to wash cabinets. Have you seen Susie Smith's kitchen??? She did her cabinets in black and they are distressed. OH< I.LOVE.THEM!!!I think the black might tie in better with your table and decor. But, hey, I am no Vern. :)
I love the photo idea. Everytime I go to janet's house, I want to do black photo frame and pics. Can't wait to see it!!!! call me soon...have you planned our girl time????

The Allen Family said...

i agree with the others ideas of doing black cabinets, the black and white pics in black frames, and you also should take a look at my mom's curtains in her kitchen. they remind me of the plate you liked. they would make great window treatments!!! as for above the fridge- i am no help there, but it seems like you have some good ideas coming in for that!! good luck!! it'll look great!!! don't forget to post pics once you get it all finished!!!

The Terrells said...

good luck with the redo- i don't mind white cabinets but the advice about good paint is great advice and I do love black distressed cabinets too- i love the black and white photos of the kiddos and I love your inspiration plate!! so fun that y'all have been able to enjoy this beautiful weather together!! thanks for the other recipe- i made the enchiladas that same week you posted it and it was a hit!! love and miss ya

Jill said...

LOVE the damask idea....very cute. I was wondering, about the recipe, could the mushrooms be left out? We tried the chicken enchilada thing and it was GREAT! SO, I really want to try this one as well. Let me know!

Kim Wade said...

I like the idea of black cabinets too. Whatever you do it will be beautiful!
Kim

Jami said...

Hey girl! I think a matte white with a black glaze would look awesome on the cabinets. You could use pewter hardware and lighting or go with an oil rubbed bronze which is almost black. I know it will look great when you are finished. Good luck! Miss you!

CrystalJ said...

I love that plate!! And I agree the pictures should be black and white in black frames! I like the idea of white cabinets with a blackish glaze on it. My mom is thinking of doing her cabinets off white with a mocha glaze. She got all of the 'instructions' on layering from someone who just recently did theirs. Same idea just different colors. And that way they wouldn't show dirt as easily, if you (or Aimee!) are worried about it! Sounds like fun!

And the recipe looks so yummy!

Jessica said...

WOW! Thanks so much everyone for the wonderful ideas!

Jenifer~ I love Kelly's blog...I actually was inspired to do this redo after linking to a blog off her links (Southern Hospitality I think)

Nancy ~ Thank you for silver pieces idea...I may just give that a try and see how it turns out. I have an olive green room too!

Juli~ thanks for the heads up about getting a good paint!

Misty ~ I love the idea to do the kids pictures in black and white.

Aimee~ I love black cabinets! I have not seen Susie's yet, but I can imagine how great they look! My only concern is I have all white appliances and I am afraid that it will clash and stick out really bad...and new appliances are not in the budget :) Now will you come decorate the tops of the cabinets :)

Layne ~ your mom sent me the website with the fabric...it is a perfect match! I am going to order it.

Bethany ~ I am glad that you tried out the recipe and enjoyed it!

Jill ~ you can totally leave out the mushrooms. I including them and because it was such a small jar to make 2 casseroles, we could not even taste them. Let me know how it turns out with out the mushrooms :)

Kim ~ thank you!

Jami ~I am loving the idea of white cabinets with a black glaze...giving it that antiqued look. We have not ever done anything like that, do you have any tips?

Crystal ~ I am really liking the layering with glaze idea...can I get the directions?

Amado J. Ortiz said...

I really like the black cabinet idea! Sarah King re-did her kitchen in black cabinets, red paint, white tile (I think?), with some gray accents...I think the amount of kitchen space is similar to yours...? Whether you go with white or black, I am a big fan of distressing. Jami's idea sounded really unique, it would tie it all in together keeping the cleaning down from bright white cabinets for fingerprints. Jen Evans has some really pretty curtains very similar to your plate, she bought them from Target. P.S. Thank you for the recipes, I love stealing the blogs of all you Super Moms out there!

Allison

Anonymous said...

you are too cute! I bet by now your cabinets are finished; I can't wait to see them. Love the light fixture (looks like the one in my den that I will soon put over the dining room table)So the kitchen walls are red and you will do distressed (white) cabinets with black and white fabric?? I'll have to come out to add my two cents worth. Hugs, Nana J
I miss you.