Clean Cook Create

Kitchen Cabinet Makeover!

2012-02-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

Our kitchen cabinets were in terrible shape. They were that 1980's light oak/maple maybe even plywood? Who know. But now they are a beautiful, deep, dark brown.

Here's how we did it:

-Bought white beadboard from Home Depot

-Hubby measured inside of cabinets and cabinetry below kitchen counter

-Hubby measured beadboard and cut to size using a tablesaw (this was very difficult, if you do not have cabinetry tools available to you I highly recommend having the good ol' Home Depot dudes cutting it for you and paying a little extra)

-Scrubbed and sanded the cabinets

-Glued the beadboard to the cabinetry using liquid nails

-Stacked tons of heavy textbooks on the beadboard so the glue would adhere the beadboard and the cabinetry nice and tight.

-We put some tiny headed nails in the beadboard under the counter for extra support

-Applied caulking where needed if there were any spaces to be filled between beadboard and frame of cabinets (you will not likely need to do this if you use the correct tools to cut the beadboard)

-Did NOT sand again after caulking dried! (Big, foolish mistake!) There is unwanted texture on the outer edges f the beadboard because we forgot to sand before painting!

-Applied a bonding primer to cabinetry

-Mixed some Floetrol (Found out Lowe's or Home Depot) into our Valspar paint (Floetrol is a paint conditioner that eliminates brush marks, loved it!)

-Applied 2-3 coats of paint

-Applied 2 coats of Miniwax polycrylic (this kind of seals the deal and protects your paint job from spills, clean up chemicals, etc.)

And.......DONE! This was a BIG job! Especially with a little one around and both of us busy in school. But we did it! The mistakes we made drive me bonkers if I look close up, but if I don't look for them, I love how much better our cabinets look now. Next project....the countertops!

(The first pic is the only pic I could find that shows the cabinets before)

Before

After

Kitchen Table Makeover

2011-10-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

Our kitchen table was nice but I thought it needed a little more personality. I painted it "Starry Night" by Valspar, and gave it a bit of a distressed finish because. I LOVE IT!!!

Zucchini Week!

2011-08-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

We went to a Family Reunion and were gone for 1 week. When we came back, our garden had exploded. Unfortunately we lost our camera while at the reunion so I do not have pictures, but we had 8 large zucchini. My husband weighed them and they totaled 17lbs! So, what do you do with 17 lbs or ripe zucchini? We though about canning it, we found some recipes for jam with zucchini in it to carry the flavor. We also considered making pickled relish with zucchini in it. Maybe we will do those things later this summer. But I really wanted to find some meals that I could use zucchini in. So I am declaring this week, zucchini week! I will share the recipes I found and results as I try them. And if any of you have good recipes that include zucchini in the ingredients, please leave a comment with the recipe or a link to the recipe. Thanks!

This Week's Line-Up

-Stuffed Zucchini from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (Verdict: DELICIOUS! I am not a big fan of vegetables, and this dish is all vegetables, but I loved it! I used garden fresh ingredients, amazing. You can add more veggies to, whatever you have on hand, I included some fresh green beans, chopped small)

-Skillet Nachos from The Sisters Cafe (Verdict: Oh my, LOVED these!)

-Parmesan Zucchini from The Sisters Cafe as a side dish with chicken cordon bleu as the main course

-Creamy Italian Chicken and Orzo Skillet from Kraft (Verdict: I did not really like this dish actually, the cream was much too strong for my taste, but others might really like it, my hubby did!)

-Zucchini Soup from The Sisters Cafe

-Zucchini Sticks from Skinny Taste

-Zucchini Pizza Bites from Skinny Taste

-Power Enchiladas from The Sisters Cafe

-Zucchini Brownies!!!!!!!!!!!
Let me know if you have some good zucchini recipes too, I could always use more! :)

Fastest, Easiest, and Tastiest Pizza Dough

2011-06-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is my go to recipe for pizza dough. No rising time required and it tastes good. Yipee!
I have tried adding wheat flour in place of white flour and it does not taste as good to me, so I just load up the veggies on my pizza for the toppings to make it more healthy.
The recipe is from http://moneysavingmom.com
Pizza Crust:
1 Tb. active dry yeast (I use the brand SAF-Instant)
1 C warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tb vegetable oil
2.5 C flour
-In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Let sit for 5 ish minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
-Dump the dough onto a floured surface.
-Knead for a few minutes until the dough is smooth.
-Roll out dough and press onto pixxa pan or cookie sheet.
-Add toppings (Ideas: marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, Alfredo sauce, pesto sacue, whatever you like. Pepperoni, ham, bacon, cooked, diced chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes, corn, etc. and of course, cheese).

Bake at 450 degrees F. for 12 - 15 minutes. And voila! Homemade pizza that only takes about 30-45 minutes start to finish. :)

Honey Lime Enchiladas

2011-06-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

This recipe is adapted from http://thesisterscafe.com

Sauce:
-1/3 C honey
-1/4 C lime juice
-1 Tb chili powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder (equivalent to 2 cloves )

-2 large chicken breasts cooked and shredded (I usually boil mine for 20 ish min. and then shred them)
-leftover cooked rice (we use brown rice to make it a bit more healthy and filling)
-can of pinto beans, drained (can use any kind of beans you want)
-cheese (I use a colby monterey blend, but you can use whatever kind you like, some yellow and some white both recommended) ex. mozerella, cheddar, colby, monterey jack, etc.

-2 (10 oz) cans of green enchilada sauce (I usually use more like 1.5 cans.)
-flour tortillas

Mix sauce ingredients and add shredded chicken, rice, drained beans, and about 1 cup + of cheese. Let marinade for a couple of hours (You do not have to do this, but sometimes I just make the whole dish and stick it in the fridge early in the day so at dinner time, I just have to stick it in the oven, the filling gets plenty marinating time that way). Pour some green enchildada sauce in bottom of greased, 9x13 inch pan. Fill tortillas with prepared filling and roll. Place tortillas in pan. Pour more green enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with as much cheese as you like. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 min. Then turn on the broiler setting and broil for a couple of minutes so the cheese will crisp a little bit. Enjoy!

Refinished Deck

2011-06-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Before

After

I finally finished the deck! I have spent countless hours powerwashing, sanding and staining this thing. It was in terrible condition and we are still going to need to just tear it down and build a new one in a couple of years. But at least for the next couple of years it will be in much better condition than it was! It is not perfect, but it is much better than before and I am declaring this project done!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Boutique Frame

2011-06-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

I was spray painting a couple of picture frames the other day, and I discovered that distressing picture frames is a lot more fun than trying to get the whole picture frame painted perfectly. I like the distressed look much better also. In the past, crafts used to stress me out because I would often mess them up somehow. But now that the distressed look is in, crafting is a blast. I added a fun big bow and a cool pendant to this frame to give it some character. Here is what I did.

Materials needed:

-spray paint

-picture frame

-sandpaper, I used 100 grit

-thick ribbon

-cool button or pendant

-hot glue gun

First, spray paint your frame and let dry. Once dry, scuff up the frame however you like with sand paper. This part is really fun!
Then, take your ribbon and make a bow.
Use your glue gun to adhere the bow to your frame.
Hot glue the button/pendant to the middle of your bow and voila! I am very happy with me little craft! :)

Menu Board

2011-06-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

I needed to let out some creative juices yesterday so I made a menu board. It is really cute in person, my camera kind of sucks, but the picture gives you a general idea. :)

Materials needed:

-Old picture frame

-Spray paint

-Scrapbook paper

-Scissors

-Mod Podge

-Dry erase marker

First, spray paint your frame and let dry. Then, cut scrapbook paper to fit the frame. I had 12x12 inch pieces so I used 2 pieces and cut them to size, then Mod Podged them together. Place scrapbook paper in your frame as you would a picture. Then use your dry erase marker to write your "Menu" and days of the week. This works really well because the marker comes off easily with a paper towel so you can rewrite your menu each week! I am hoping to get a Silhouette machine someday, and then will probably print vinyl letters for "Menu" and the days of the week to give it a more finished look. :)

Pillows

2011-02-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

I am planning on making the one with the big flower with a really cute pale blue fabric, I got one yard for $1! And some left over felt I have from poodle skirts I made during Halloween. It will probably go in the nursery. And I plan on making the white one as throw pillow for my bed. My bed is a bit drab right now, but I am making some king size pillows to fit the shams I already have, and then adding a throw pillow or two should dress it right up. :)

Big flower pillow tutorial can be found at: Cluck Cluck Sew

White, multi flower pillow can be found at V and Co.

These pictures are from their websites as well, I do not claim them as my own, but I will probably post my own versions of these as well once I have finished these projects.

Little Nursery

2011-02-01T18:35:00.001-08:00

My camera is kind of dinky, so I'm sorry for the lack of photo quality. The lighting is pretty bad on my camera always.

But here is our nursery. It is the most completed room in our house. :) We like it, it fits our little one quite well. :)

Family Assignment Chart

2011-01-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

Image from http://www.howdoesshe.com/

This could be a cool way to make a Family Home Evening Chart or a Family Chore Chart. Instead of "Starter, Banker", etc. You could write "Prayer, Lesson, Song, Treat, Activity", etc. for a FHE board or "Dishes, Sweep, Set the table", etc. for a chore chart. Just an idea.

Amazing!

2011-01-24T20:59:00.000-08:00

I made these muffins tonight. They are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! I love muffins with crumbly tops! I added some whole wheat to try and make them a tiny bit more healthy. Couldn't tell a difference in taste. SO good!

Apple Pie Muffins

adapted from http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients

-2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (I used 1.5 cups all purpose flour and 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, you could probably substitute with even more whole wheat and they would still taste great!)

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 egg

-1 cup buttermilk (If you don't have this on hand just use 1 cup milk and 1 cup vinegar)

-1/2 cup butter, melted

-1 tsp. vanilla extract

-1 1/2 cups brown sugar

-2 cups diced apples (I used my apple/peeler/corer device and then diced)

Topping

-1/2 cup powdered sugar -1/3 cup all purpose flour -1 tsp ground cinnamon -2 T. melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl stir together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda, and salt. In a seperate smaller bowl mix together egg, buttermilk, 1/2 cup melted butter, vanilla and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar until sugar has dissolved. Pour into flour mixture and sprinkle the diced apple into the flour mixture at this point as well. Stir just until everything is blended. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling to the top!

3. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup all purpose flour, and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Drizzle in 2 T. of mter while tossing with a fork until mixture is well blended. Sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins.

4. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven (Mine only needed to bake for 18 minutes). Or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed.

Hazey Jade

2011-01-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

I recently painted my kitchen walls the color "Hazy Jade" Valspar brand. We are know trying to decide what color to do the cabinets and countertops. It will be a while because re-doing a kitchen is expensive, even when it is DIY. Here are two options we are thinking of: white cabinets with charcoal counters like the picture or found here. Or dark cabinets with tan/stone-ish countertops. I vote white but my husband brought up that we have white appliances that white cabinets might look funny next to. Thoughts?....

Dimension

2011-01-24T14:07:00.001-08:00

I love the stenciled ceiling here.