Sophisticated Ghoul

Selecting black kitchen cabinets because they’d look cool with orange accents on Halloween is the wrong reason for going that design direction.  The right reason is because black cabinets are sophisticated and elegant, and make a fabulous centerpiece in a contemporary setting.  Just like a classic black cocktail dress shines with the right accessories, black cabinets are easily enhanced with a fun backsplash and they really know how to wear stainless steel accents and appliances. 

kabi's black sculpted laminate cabinets made a strong contemporary statement.
Our infinity pull helps continue the clean lines.

And if your taste leans towards the clean, sleek lines of an ebony kitchen (or an all white one) come Halloween you might prefer a more artful approach to your holiday treats. Forget those mainstream candy corn topped cupcakes and go with a tray of these Jackson Pollack Candied Apples.

Jackson Pollack Candied Apples

Ingredients

         6 Granny Smith apples

         3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

         2 1/2 ounces premium white baking chocolate (such as Baker's), coarsely chopped

Preparation

Wash and dry apples; remove stems. Insert a wooden stick into the stem end of each apple.

Place bittersweet chocolate in a glass bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth. Working with 1 apple at a time, hold apple over bowl. Using a spoon, drizzle apple with about 2 teaspoons bittersweet chocolate. Place apple, stick side up, on a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Repeat procedure with remaining apples.

Place white chocolate in a glass bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring every 15 seconds until smooth. Working with 1 apple at a time, hold apple over bowl. Using a spoon, drizzle apple with about 1 1/2 teaspoons white chocolate. Place apple, stick side up, on baking sheet covered with wax paper. Repeat procedure with remaining apples. Chill apples until ready to serve.

Mid-century Modern and Grasshopper Pie

Is American Graffiti one of your favorite movies?  Do you wax nostalgic for June, Ward, Wally and the Beav?  What about Donna Reed vacuuming with her pearls on?  If you answered yes to any of those questions you likely have affection for mid-century architecture as well. 

Popular in the post World War II era mid century modern homes like ranches were inexpensive to build and served the needs of returning service men and their families well.  The split-level versions were called California ranches. To see some primes examples of that architectural period take a drive through Arapahoe Acres (wwwarapahoeacres.org) in Englewood where you’ll get to see Sears Kit homes featured in Better Homes and Gardens in the 1960s and other iconic residences. Current homeowners have made great strides to preserve the architectural integrity of a time gone by.

Classic 1952 ranch by architect Edward Hawkins in Arapahoe Acres

But even if your home’s architecture isn’t true to that era, you can still have a kitchen reminiscent of the 1950s and 60s. Start by channeling your inner June and Ward and embrace the bold colors and unique designs of a time when the American dream was just emerging.

At kabi the sky's the limit when it comes to color combinations for your MOD kitchen design.

Accessories Galore

Decorating a MOD style kitchen is almost as much fun as designing one. The retro clock and spoon stool are both available at www.modlivin.com

Grasshopper Pie

Even if your MOD kitchen is percolating on the back burner for now, you can still introduce your friends and family to a mouth watering taste of nostalgia with this delightfully, delicious green grasshopper pie. And don’t skip the food dye; half the fun is eating something green.

Grasshopper Pie Recipe

INGREDIENTS

     20   Oreo cookies (40 halves), fillings discarded, cookies crushed

5 Tbsp butter, melted

           3/4 cup hot milk

    24 large marshmallows

    1/4 cup creme de menthe liqueur

    2 tablespoons white creme de cacao

    1 cup whipping cream, whipped

    Optional A drop or two of green food dye.

METHOD


1 Preheat oven to 425°F. In a bowl, mix crushed Oreo cookie halves and butter. Pat into bottom and sides of 10-inch pie dish. Bake in oven for 5 to 10 minutes; remove from oven and cool completely. Once cooled, place in freezer to chill.

2 In saucepan, melt marshmallows in milk over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool. Add creme de menthe and creme de cacao, and mix well. Add a drop or two of green food dye if desired. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into chilled pie shell. Freeze for 3 or 4 hours.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Meeting with a Design Pro and Apple Crumble Pie

Last week we discussed the reasons why you should work with a design professional. This week we take a look at how to prepare for a meeting with a designer.

Getting Ready

• Do Your Homework.  Arrive with a general idea of the look, flow and equipment you want. Bring a floor plan of your current kitchen, a wish list for cabinets and appliances, and any magazine photos you’ve gathered that indicate your style preferences.

• Establish a Budget.  If you can afford pro grade appliances and high end finishes your designer needs to know that from the start so they can integrate those ideas into the design.  On the flip side, be honest about your financial constraints. Good designers will have the know-how to stretch your dollars as far as they can go.

• Questions to Think About.  A good designer will want to know lots of things about what we call your personal kitchen style.  Questions will include: Who’s in your family?  Who uses the kitchen? What’s your cooking style?  (solo, just the two of you, lots of helpers). Do you want a computer center? Will kids do homework there?  Are there ergonomic and accessibility issues?

 

This elegant kabi kitchen was the result of homeowners knowing what they wanted and relying on professional advice to make it happen.

• Questions to Ask.  Request photos of actual projects the designer has worked on—not brochures from manufacturers.  Ask if they have done any project similar in size and scope to yours and what it cost. You should also request information regarding payment schedules, contracts, and timelines. Ask for references and be sure to call them before you sign anything.

• Go with Your Gut.  Of course you want to hire someone whose work you like but beyond that the ideal designer-client relationship is based on honesty, trust, communication, respect, and a sense of teamwork.  Remember whoever you chose is going to be in your home and disrupt your lives for as long as it takes to get the job done. Trusting and liking the person you hire will go along way toward making the design or remodel of your kitchen a positive experience.

Apple Crumble Pie

Part pie, part crisp and totally delicious.

1 (9 inch) pie crust, unbaked

FILLING

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

5 cups apples, cored and sliced (about 5 small, Granny Smith apples work well)

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

TOPPING

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup butter

DIRECTIONS

1.   Preheat oven to 425 degrees and set butter out so it will be at room temperature.

2.    Line 9" pie pan with unbaked crust.

3.    Core and slice apples.

4.    Sprinkle the apples with the lemon juice.

5.    Mix in the sugar & cinnamon.

6.    Fill pie shell with apple mixture.

7.    In a small bowl, mix the topping's flour, sugar and cinnamon.

8.    Rub the topping ingredients and butter together with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.

9.    Sprinkle topping over pie.

10.   Bake 10 minutes at 425 degrees then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until crumb topping is browned and apples are soft, approximately 50 minutes.  Serve with vanilla ice cream of desired.