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Collect up your family recipes and keep them in this attractive recipe binder
2009 Calendar
Leave notes to your family or tonights menu on this antique looking chalkboard.
Bicentenial Bean Pot (Replica)
Build this pie safe and stain it to match your decor for a country feel
Wine Lattice And Glass Moldings and Valances
This Island rolls out of the way for versatility and the storage is accessable from both sides.
Grandma's Kitchen Wood Sign
Buy at AllPosters.com
Great for keeping little ones busy while you're preparing meals
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Potpourri Pies
I made a batch of these pies last Christmas and when the kids came home from
school they ran to the kitchen to investigate the wonderful smell. They were very
disappointed to learn they are pretty to look at but are not edible. So if you make
these please warn your family first.
Ingredients
• 4 cups unsifted flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Disposable pie plate (I used the miniature ones from the grocery store)
• Pretty potpourri such as:
• Small pine cones
• Pieces of cinnamon stick broken up
• Allspice
• Whole nutmeg
• Dried apple pieces
• Ginger
• Rose hips
• Juniper berries
• Optional cookie cutter
• Spray varnish
Combine flour, salt and water in a mixing bowl. Turn out on a lightly floured board
and knead until smooth, adding a little more water if it is too stiff to work.
Because the dough tends to dry on your hands, it is helpful to have a dampened
washcloth near your work area.
Roll the flour out from center to edges to 1/8 inch thick on a foil covered area. Place in the bottom
of the pie plate and trim the edges 3/4 inch beyond edge. Fill the pie with the potpourri allowing it to mound slightly.
Roll remaining dough 1/8 inch thick cut strips of dough 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide with a knife or
pastry wheel. Lay strips on filled pie at 3/4 inch intervals. Fold back alternate strips as you weave the
cross strips. Trim lattice even with outer rim of pie plate; fold lower crust over strips. Seal; flute edge by
pressing dough with forefinger against wedge made by finger and thumb of other hand. On my pie I further decorated it
with a miniature cookie cutter gingerbread man.
Bake at 300 until hard. I allowed my pie to cool slightly and removed it from the plate and then
turned it over to bake the bottom a little longer to dry out the dough. Replace any potpourri that may have fallen out.
Under baked projects don't keep as well so make sure to watch the timing. The finished piece is strong and will last indefinitely if sprayed with a protective coating such as a spray varnish.
Wooden Spoons
I keep a crock of assorted wooden spoons on my stove so they are always available. At Christmas time I add painted Santa spoons and at Easter time I add painted Easter Bunny spoons.
At Halloween Pumpkin spoons or ghostly spoons would be a cute addition. The Santa spoons make adorable package tie-ons as well.
Signs
I love signs. They are quick and easy and add such personality
. I paint on wood and add a wire, curl the ends around a knitting needle and embellish
with a torn fabric scrap. Signs should reflect the owner. Are you a gardener? Then
how about, "Moms Garden...Dads Weeds" or "Time Began in a Garden". A big seller for
me has been, "Grandma's Kitchen...Kids Eat Free" with a gingerbread man attached. Or
how about, "Grandma's busy...Take a Cookie" with more decorative gingerbread men
attached onto cup hooks. Do you collect cows? Then how about, "Kitchen closed...Not in
the Mood" or "Udderly Welcome".
These are cute on a crackled background with a checkerboard
border but are equally cute on a plain cream colored background with the edges sanded to give it a
rustic look. Add some raffia to the wire and the result is instant whimsy. How would these look in your kitchen?
* A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen and this kitchen is delirious * No husband has ever been shot
while doing the dishes * A husband is someone who takes out the trash and gives the
impression he just cleaned the whole house * If we are what we eat, then I'm easy & fast * A
balanced diet is a cookie in each hand * Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator * A clean
house is a sign of a misspent life* Help keep the kitchen clean - eat out * Housework done properly can kill you * Countless number of people have eaten in this kitchen and gone
on to lead normal lives * My next house will have no kitchen --- just vending machines *
Click here for
more signs
Rolling Pins
I have painted Rolling pins with strawberries for a country springtime look, and with sunflowers for a fall look. I have also added dried florals and herbs for a year round addition to the kitchen. One of my big sellers at Christmas time is a miniature rolling pin stained with 2 gingerbread men attached. I hang it as an ornament with the saying, "You can't catch me!"
printed on the rolling pin. I have also printed "Seasoned with Love" on a miniature rolling pin and hung it from a shaker hook.
I would like to thank Sheryl for the great kitchen graphics that inspired this page.
Decorating Ideas
• Add Decorative Wire Grills to your cabinets
for a country feel.
• Try some of these tea towel ideas:
cover a kitchen chair seat
make a pillow
use clip on curtain rings to make a quick pair of cafe curtains
or glue a photo on top for a colorful mat
• Paint up a basket of these adorable
Rock Strawberries
• Hang pots and pans from a pot rack and use the freed-up space to store small
appliances to clear the counters.
• Stencil or paint a faux window over the sink.
• Use an old wooden barrel as a trash basket.
• Use an assortment of copper pots and pans or wooden spoons and utensils
hanging down as a valance.
• Take the doors off a few upper cabinets, paint the interior and it becomes a display shelf.
• Paint a favorite saying as a border. For a romantic flair paint it in French or Italian.
• Paint your own Hardwood Candle Cups to match your table decor
• Art for the Kitchen
• Replace a few cabinet panels with Pie Safe Tins to add country charm.
• Or replace the panels with glass fronts to show off your pretty dishes.
• Take a look at some of these Award winning kitchens.
• I have started a book of Party Menus and it is great fun to look back and see what plans I made and who was at our various functions. I only wish I had started it years ago. For a simple
Menu to display and save simply type and print.
Organize Your Kitchen
Who couldn't use a little more help in the kitchen?
More counter space, more shelf space, or more help finding things?
Here are some products and tips to help:
• Use a tray on the counter to gather similar products. (I have one for oil and vinegar but perhaps a tray for wine or spices
would help in your kitchen)
• Use a 'lazy susan' to store canned goods to make finding the ones in the back easier.
• Hang baskets on the wall to gather tools together and off the counter
Links
• Kitchen crafts
•
Kitchen Simple Solutions Hundreds of solutions to your most common kitchen problems
• Solutions for your Kitchen at Organize-Everything.com
• Shop Pfaltzgraff
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