A Little Paint Goes A Long Way...

I'm sitting here, literally waiting for paint to dry.  I am almost (key word 'almost') done with what seems to have been the never-ending Cabinet Make-Over for our new home.  We loved everything about our home before purchasing except for the light golden-colored cabinets that were in both bathrooms, laundry room and kitchen. We contemplated buying all new cabinets - but thought why not put our money towards our other big projects such as new flooring instead; so we opted to paint.  I knew I wanted a deep espresso color for all cabinets to contrast with our very light bluish-gray walls, but didn't know how to actually go about painting them.  After a plethora of varying advice from everyone we know, searching the internet and asking the trusty Home Depot employees; we finally got it down.  I've had so many people ask me what kind of paint to use and how to do it, so  I thought I'd share it with everyone. 


First, take a peek at our Bathroom Cabinets BEFORE:

Excuse the messy countertop

Now, take a look at what a difference a little paint makes:

Excuse the bad photography

Here's what you need to get started:


-Sanding Paper
-Denatured Alcohol 
-Primer (since we were painting such a dark color, we had the paint people at Home Depot tint the primer as dark as it could go) We used Behr Premium Plus Enamel Undercoater Primer and Sealer
-Porch and Floor Paint - Yes, Porch and Floor Paint!  I know it sounds weird, but the people at Home Depot assured us that it was the best choice for cabinets in high traffic areas since it's a heavier duty paint.  I can't find the paint color we chose but I think it was something like "Java Bean" but it was seriously one of the darkest colored brown paints I could find.
-New Hardware (optional)


Here's how to do it:
1.  Sand surface lightly
2.  Rub cabinets with Denatured Alcohol - this cleans the cabinets of all oils, dirt and dust.  I put the alcohol on a clean rag and rubbed it all over both sides of the cabinets
3. Prime surface with one coat of Primer
4. Paint!  Because our paint was so dark, we actually had to paint on 5 coats - but totally worth it to get that rich espresso color.
5. Add new hardware - this of course is optional.  Our old knobs weren't bad, but I wanted to update them just a bit.  We used Liberty's 25mm Satin Nickel Knob (found at Home Depot)


OLD:

NEW:

It really is easy and inexpensive to do.  One Gallon of the paint got us through our Master and Guest Bathrooms as well as the Laundry Room.  We just bought another Gallon for our Kitchen and even though I'm almost completely finished, it looks as though I didn't even put a dent into the additional Gallon.


So literally, a little paint...goes a LONG ways.


Unfortunately, I don't have a before of our Kitchen - but the cabinets looked exactly like the above BEFORE bathroom pic.  (I'm still working on the other side of kitchen)


Here's a pic of our progress so far:

The only thing about my new-found love of our cabinets, is my new-found hatred for our White Appliances that now pop against the surrounding darkness.  That's okay - Stainless Steel Appliances are coming soon:-)

Dining Room Makeover - Part 1

So obviously most of my posts have been about food and makeup but since I have become completely obsessed with decorating the home my boyfriend and I purchased last year - I figured I should probably document my progress.  
I begin with my dining room set that for the past year I was trying to sell.  The boyf and I decided that we didn't need a 'formal' dining room since we already have dining seating in our kitchen.  He had actually convinced me that we should change the Dining Room into  a bar...and I agreed!  I think at that point, I was just desperate.  Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful set to begin with, but not exactly my style anymore.  And for some reason, the seats didn't exactly look like they could be covered, so that thought never really crossed my mind...until...I found this fabulous fabric by Waverly that changed everything...

This fabric, my friends, is what has started my desire to redecorate everything in my house as well as provided the inspiration for color palette and design.  


Check out the dining set BEFORE:

As you can see, the shape of the chairs aren't bad - I actually love the antiqued rubbed finish the black wood has...I just couldn't get past the drab gold/tan fabric; especially since the wall color is a medium slate gray.  


Now, feast your eyes on the AFTER:

Here's a close-up of the one of the chairs BEFORE:

and AFTER:

How did I manage to do this you ask...well, I didn't use a tutorial - I honestly went off pure memory.  My mom taught me how to recover a chair cushion many many years ago.  I remember her telling me that it was just like wrapping a present...and it really is.  Just make sure you have a heavy duty stapler!  For those who want a step-by-step guide on how to do this go here.


Next step to completing my Dining Room Makeover is tackling this beast:

This China Cabinet has been in my family longer than I have so I can't possibly bare to part with it.  But again, same as the dining room set, it is just NOT my style.  I didn't know what to do with this huge piece until I stumbled across this Dining Room Makeover on my fave Decor Blogger, Emily Clark's Blog that will serve as my inspirashe:

I'm thinking of using glossy white paint on the front and instead of the gold background, I'm thinking Jade Green??  
Stay Tuned for Part Two of my Dining Room Makeover...

Drugstore Find Raves and Rants

1.  Revlon's Top Speed Nail Polish in Hazy - Okay so I've mentioned before about how I'm not normally a nail polish person but I still wanted a new color for Spring.  I absolutely under no circumstances wear the usual corals, pinks or reds that usually come out in the hotter months.  I instead have been dreaming about a pastel gray.  Imagine my delight when I found it at the local CVS and imagine my even greater delight when I read that it would dry in 'top speed'.  Revlon's Top Speed Nail Polish in Hazy is truly my new fave.  It's the most perfect pale gray for Spring and Summer and literally dries in 60 seconds just like it promises.


Please Excuse my Giant Man-Hands


2.  L'oreal's Magic Perfecting Base - I actually bought this awhile ago but only used it a couple times and then frankly, forgot all about it.  Well, I busted it back out since the hot Florida sun has a habit of melting my makeup into cakey lines all over my face. I was a little skeptical since most primers I've used end up doing absolutely nothing, or are too heavy and make me break out.  But the second I smoothed this extremely soft, velvety 'mousse' onto my face, I could tell this was a winner.  It evened out my skin tone, smoothed my pores and made a great base for my foundation.  So that day I was actually out and about in the hot sun for work and received several compliments on my 'perfect complexion'.  To make matters better, you can find it at any drugstore for like $8!

3.  Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Replenshing Hair Mask - I've made it clear in a previous blog how troubled my hair is...and that continues to be the case.  I'm still loving my Nexxus Pro-Mend Shampoo and Conditioner but when I know I'm going out and wearing my hair down - I turn to my new BFF, Pantene's Beautiful Lengths Conditioning Mask.  I put this on after I shampoo in place of the Pro-Mend Conditioner and leave it on for a couple minutes.  The second it washes out of my hair, I can feel the silky-smooth difference.  It gives my lifeless hair volume, shine and softness.  Again - this gem can be found at any drugstore in your area for like $8. 

So here come my rants...


4.  L'oreal's Carbon Black Telescopic Liquid Eyeliner - I don't think I would have picked this up if my fave Makeup Blogger, Makeup by Tiffany D hadn't recommended it as one her drugstore faves. I absolutely love Tiffany and her recommendations, so again, I had very high hopes for this product.  Okay, so I know 'hate' is a strong word but I seriously hate this product.  It is not easy to apply; it doesn't last - for example, about thirty minutes after applying, I scratched my eye area and ended smudging the eyeliner half way across my face and I hate the stiff, wierdly shaped applicator - it makes me think of a hard angled calligraphy pen...all in all, it's horrendous and I wish I could find my receipt so I could get my $7.99 back.

5.  Too Faced Candlelight Eye-Insurance - Not sure if Ulta technically counts as a drugstore, but it's close enough.  So I orginally went to Ulta for the Urban Decay Potion Primer in Sin - but as my luck would have it, it was sold out.  The salesgirl directed me to the Too Faced Primer since it was the most comparable to the Urban Decay.  For $18 a pop for a tiny tube, I had high expectations. To begin with, I like the golden shimmer it puts on my lids, but I don't think my eyeshadow lasted more than one hour without creasing.  I even feel like it makes my eyeshadow/eyeliner crease MORE than withOUT primer at all.  So I've actually been using my L'oreal Magic Perfecting Base on my eyelids and been pretty happy with that but I'm still on the hunt for the perfect eye-primer.

Cheap and Easy Dinner - Cajun Baked Tilapia with Yellow Rice and Black Beans

Tilapia With Cajun Seasoned Crumb Topping

Diana Rattray

Cheap and Easy - just the way I like my dinners.  So last week at my weekly dinner with my mom - she, as usual, made a very tasty tilapia using only Cajun Seasoning, Garlic Salt and Olive Oil.  I wanted to recreate it this week but with a different twist.  I found a recipe online for baked Cajun Tilapia and decided to jazz it up a bit with Panko breadcrumbs.  It came out so delicious and super super easy.  If I can make this without a disaster and have it turn out yummy, then it should be a complete cake-walk for anyone else.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 tilapia fillets
• 1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• Pinch dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash black pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a large shallow baking dish. Arrange fish fillets on the prepared baking pan. Brush with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter with the bread crumbs and seasonings. Sprinkle the crumbs over the tilapia fillets. Bake the fish fillets for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Fish will flake easily with a fork when done.
Carefully remove the fillets to plates with a spatula.
Serves 4.

I then bought Yellow Rice on sale at my local grocery store and just added a little hot sauce and  black beans and called it a side.

You can find the recipe here

Recipe Gurl's Review of Giada's Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip

Don’t be scared by the appearance of this dip, it is sooo good, and for anyone trying to lose/maintain weight, get ready for an event, or just getting ready to get into a bikini, this is a great thing to snack on throughout the day, or even to replace a meal with. I make this weekly and eat if for dinner after I go to the gym just so I'm not eating something heavy right after working out. It says to use a food processor, but for the first year I made this dip I didn’t have one so I used a blender, but a food processor is MUCH easier to use with the recipe now that I have one. I love dipping Trader Joes less sodium pita chips in this. If you can't find cannellini beans in the grocery store, sometimes they are called "Great Northern Beans" these are the same thing.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (6-ounce) bags baby spinach

1 (15-ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil, over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 of the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Repeat with the remaining spinach. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.

Place the remaining olive oil, spinach mixture, cannelloni beans, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.

Blend until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Serve with endive spears, crostini or pita chips.

You can also get the recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/spinach-and-cannellini-bean-dip-recipe/index.html

Best Lettuce Wraps Ever!

So if you haven't already figured it out, Recipe Gurl is soooooo NOT me.  It's actually my best friend who is a whiz in the kitchen.  I, on the other hand, struggle tremendously with anything remotely related to baking and cooking.  I can follow the recipe to a tee and still end up with a disgusting, inedible mess.  So when I decided to tackle the most amazing lettuce wraps my mom made awhile back, I had very low hopes.  I'm not sure why, but every single time I make something, I always forgot atleast one ingredient - this time was no exception - I forgot the large onion!  Great, I was about to give up, but something told me to push through it.  Somehow, even with the missing onion and disaster of a kitchen, I ended up with the most delicious lettuce wraps I've ever had.  Yes, these beat out PF Changs and Pei Wei anyday!  Not to mention, MUCH healthier!  I used ground turkey instead of the beef ( I don't eat red meat) and even my boyfriend who hates when I sub turkey for beef, could not get enough of these yummy morsels. 

16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves

1 pound lean ground beef -- I used GROUND TURKEY

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 large onion, chopped 

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)

1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

Directions

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

You can also find this recipe HERE.

What Did Recipe Girl Cook This Weekend?

What did Recipe Gurl cook this weekend??......Her ode to fancy in minutes and Trader Joe's ready made pizza dough...

Saturday Night: Chicken with Wine

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon flour
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced into 8 cutlets and pounded thin
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

1. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Coat the chicken, shaking off any excess.
2. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the chicken and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter and the mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to the plate of chicken. Stir in the shallot and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add the wine and chicken broth and simmer until reduced by one-third, about 5 minutes.
3. Return the chicken and mushrooms to the pan, add the thyme and cook, turning, to heat through; season with salt.

This is Rachel Ray's quick and healthier version of coq au vin. It turned out great, but I did make a few tweaks, the recipe says to use chicken breasts cut into 8 cutlets and pounded thin, to save time I just bought thin sliced chicken breats. Instead of fresh thyme I used 1/2 tsp of dried thyme. Also, I cooked the shallots for longer than a minute, I probably did about 3 minutes to develop the flavor more. When adding the chicken back in, I recommend leaving the chicken and mushrooms simmer in the wine and broth mixture for at least 10 minutes to soak up the flavor. For sides I quartered red baby potatoes, drizzled them with olive oil, kosher salt, and dried dill and cooked them in the oven at 425 for 20 minutes. I also popped asparagus in the oven at the same temp for 15 minutes, i just drizzled them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice. Cook both of these in the oven at the same time along with this easy chicken dish and you have a faked fancy dish in 30, I mean come on, anything that I can used presliced mushrooms with is a winner.

 

Get the recipe here http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/healthy-good-for-you-recipes/Chicken-with-Wine

Sunday night: Sausage, Pepper and Onion Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 pound refrigerated pizza dough
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound hot italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, place an inverted baking sheet on top and preheat to 500°. Using oiled hands, stretch the pizza dough to fit a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and pour out any remaining grease. In the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion and peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and the rosemary.
3. Scatter the sausage, onion and peppers across the pizza dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Dollop with the ricotta and sprinkle the parmesan on top; drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set the baking sheet on the inverted baking sheet in the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and golden-brown, about 20 minutes.

This turned out better than I thought it would. Every time I try to make a pizza I end up with a soggy crust, but thanks to my new buy from Crate and Barrel, the 16' Pizza Crisper http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/pizza-pans/16%22-crisper/s488569 (had to get myself a little something while I was buying about 5 wedding gifts) the crust turned out perfectly, I totally recommend it, well worth the $16 bucks. I think Target also has something similar as well. I tweaked a couple things in this recipe that I think made a big difference. I used Trader Joe's ready made whole wheat pizza dough which I think is the greatest thing ever, you buy it in the refrigerated section and it's all ready for you to roll out. All I did was spray the pizza crisper with non-stick spray and kneaded it out on the pan with my hands. Instead of pouring the olive oil over all of the toppings like the recipe says, I poured the olive oil on the crust before putting any of the toppings on to make sure the crust didn't turn out dry. I didn't use rosemary, instead I put about 1/4 tsp of fennel seed in the pan and let it cook for about a minute before adding the peppers and onions. Lastly, I don't really like the consistency of ricotta cheese, so I used fresh mozzarella instead. I added a salad on the side, drizzled it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a little salt and pepper (to make myself feel healthy and balance out the fact that I was eating bread topped with sausage and cheese).

Get the recipe here http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Sausage--Pepper-and-Onion-Pizza