Kitchen Remodel Week 6 - It's Coming Together

 

I waited an hour too long to order my appliances last week, so last week and most of this one was a bust.  They couldn't do anything (so they said) because they needed the appliances in before they did anything.  I'm not really sure why they couldn't do the backsplash and some of the minor details, but it's finally coming together.

They finished up the backsplash yesterday.  Today, the appliances came and the electrician mostly hooked them up.  There is a problem with the hood and garbage disposal install, but they said they should get that done first thing next week. There are some minor details to go (like trim, some backsplash tiles are missing too) but hopefully it will be inspected and released next week.  I'll go into detail on some of the appliances, design thoughts and special touches when it's ready to go.

My Menu:

Some of the stuff I ate this week:

Hummus, not the kind with listeria.

Sandwiches, an old standby.

Black bean enchiladas

I also made some drawer dividers.  You can buy drawers with dividers built in, but that cost a lot.  I had to trim the budget somewhere.  Buying the gourmet range really tipped my budget into the danger category, so I didn't get all the fancy add-ons with the cabinets.  These are pretty easy to make (and I made two different types).  When I get the kitchen together, I'll write up a little tutorial on them.

I am waiting to put the drawers together until they are finished making dust in there.  As you can see, when I designed the dividers, the drawer pulls weren't even on.  They were added today.

Kitchen Remodel Week 5: Countertops and Sink

 At least we're making progress.  This week they added the sink and finally the countertops.   That being said, they didn't come everyday this week.  It was my fault.  They asked me to order my appliance before noon on Tuesday and I didn't get the message until 12:30.

Because I didn't order my appliance, they won't be until May 22.  That's fine.  It will just be a bit longer to finish up.

The countertops are contrasting colors or quartz by Cambria. 

Oh, and the sink actually works.  I can't tell you how much of a difference a sink makes.   I think kitchen designers should actually try to install a working sink as soon into the process as they can.

Kitchen Remodel Week 3 and 4 - My Rival Roaster

I didn't write about my kitchen last week because they didn't do much.  This week they've been moving right along.  Cabinets are installed, flooring is set and I finished painting, except for the trim.  I'm sure next week will be slow because they have to order and get the countertops.

I was going to document what I ate everyday of the remodel, but to  be quite honest, the past few weeks has been mostly sandwiches.  Those are quite boring to photograph.  Plus, the last week was a week when I worked all night, so I was really too tired (they are quite loud) to even care if I ate.

Kitchen remodel = A whole lot of sandwiches

This is actually leftover Chinese rice with some fresh steamed veggies.  Yup, I ate Chinese takeout.  I'm not ashamed.

But, I do need to sing the praises of my Rival Roaster Oven.  I bought this last year on sale at Wal-Mart (for $10) and I've only used it once since I bought it.  I used it to keep stuff warm at Thanksgiving.  I've always thought it was a useless and big, and mostly takes up space (it doesn't even really have a place to live.  It was above my washer and dryer). I decided to try it out during the kitchen remodel and this thing is great.


I already wrote about baking bread in it, which is pretty amazing.  This week I made Hasselbeck potatoes in it.  You can't do that well in a microwave.  They were perfectly crispy on the outside and done on the inside.  It took about an hour, but that's about the same for a regular oven.  The ones I make in the oven seem to separate and fan out more, but they were still delicious.

I also made baked ziti.  This one has Greek yogurt, some frozen mixed vegetables ad spinach baked in.  It got all crispy on top too.  It was great.

 

I had to cook the pasta to almost done in the microwave, but I don't think fully microwaved ziti would taste as great as real baked ziti.  I know I couldn't do the enchiladas I had last week, bread or hasselbeck potatoes in a microwave.  The other option would be the outdoor grill, but it's been rainy and yucky.

If you're having your kitchen redone, I highly recommend  one of these things!

Kitchen Remodel - Week 2: The Timeline

Aren't the new cabinets pretty?

I didn't speak much about the actual timeline of a kitchen demolition last week.  That's something that I really had no idea about.  I watch the DIY network sometimes, and they do kitchens in a few days while sending homeowners on a nice spa vacation.  I knew the reality was much different (and much longer), but I had no idea how much longer.  Before I signed the contract, I asked my contractor, "How long is this going to take?"  I was expecting 4-6 weeks.  He said, "3-4 months."  I gasped and said, "really?"  Now that I'm in the middle of it, I can see why.

None of these different subcontractors do the same thing.  For example, week 1 was demolition week. I took out the cabinets myself that weekend.  Monday, they sent one guy in to remove the walls that were coming down, the bad drywall and the soffits.  That took a few days.  A different subcontractor removed the tiles and thinset.  That took a few days too.  Then yet another came in to break up the concrete slab so they could do plumbing.  So, the first week was more or less demolition.

This week, they actually started to construct the new kitchen.  Plumbers came in to lay down new water lines to go to the new island.  They also set the new gas line.  This took a few days.  They had to wait for an inspection before any further work could be done.  An electrician came in to place new lighting and set all of that in the wall where it needed to be.  He also had to wait for an inspection.  They poured the concrete for the slab and also hung and floated the drywall. That's a lot of work for a week (the drywall crew worked on Saturday).

The project has to be inspected multiple times before any work can go on.  Half of a day was spent by the electrician waiting around for an appointment the inspector was a bit late too, but it had to be inspected and he had to be here.  I knew things had to be inspected, but I never really thought about how much they had to wait around for the inspection.

The cabinets also came in.  We ordered them in February.  They're Brookhaven and custom built.  That takes some time to get in.  They may go in next week.  Currently, they're in my garage waiting.

Meanwhile, this week was more adventurous in my makeshift kitchen.  I put my roaster oven to the test for Easter.  Someone invited me for Easter brunch (because I don't have a kitchen) and I asked, "What can I bring?" They said, "bread!"  I normally make Challah for Easter.  That's hard without an oven.  But, not to despair.  I decided to test out my recipe in a roaster oven!

Easter Challah Rolls

I made my traditional Challah dough, but instead of a big loaf like usual, I made little knotted rolls.  I preheated my roaster oven to 325 degrees and place the rolls on a cookie sheet inside the roaster.  They cooked for about 20 minutes, until they were brown on one side, and I turned them half a turn (I found the roaster oven browns more around the edges than in the middle) and cooked them 5-10 minutes more.  They were actually quite delicious.

I experimented with the roaster during the week too.  I made enchiladas and mac and cheese in it. For these, I just made normal recipe and put them in the roaster.  The food takes about the same time in a roaster oven, but you can't open the top and check on it or it lets the heat escape.

Otherwise, the week was pretty boring menu wise.  I had leftover pizza Monday and I ate out on Friday, because it was a busy day and I didn't feel like cooking.  Otherwise, I had a grilled cheese and pressed potatoes on my panini press.  For the potatoes, I microwaved them until they were soft and then split them and put them on a hot panini press until they were brown.

I also made some chocolate chip waffles.  I know, I said eating in is healthier, but I would have been better off eating out the way I ate this week.

Hopefully, the cabinets and flooring will go in next week.

Kitchen Demolition - Week 1

A friend of mine suggested that I keep a journal of my kitchen demolition.  I really keep saying, "I need to blog more" so I thought I would do it here.

Last week I started a remodel on my kitchen which involved a complete tear out to change the layout of the kitchen.  Most of the work is being done by real professionals, with myself doing some of the demo (not the serious stuff, I took the cabinets, counters and some of the floor up to donate to Habitat for Humanity).  I'll probably paint too.  Anyway, above is my kitchen before.  Below is it as of today (Thursday).

The real challenge is going to be eating without a kitchen.  I have a crockpot, a vegetable steamer, a microwave and panini press.  I also have an outdoor grill if it gets warm.  It is unseasonally cold here.  I planned this time of year because it's normally perfect weather. 

I really don't like to eat out.  I try to only eat out socially or at new restaurants (it's at part of my job) and only a few times a month.  Without a kitchen, this is a real challenge!  This week, I ate Chinese food once, but the rest of the time I managed to make somewhat healthy meals (I did use a lot of tortillas this week).  I am hoping to keep eating out down to once a week, at least.   A bunch of friends are going for pizza on Saturday, so that makes twice this week.  So far, not off to a good start.

My Weekly Meals:
To be honest, I really normally only eat a big meal for dinner.  I normally grab some fruit for breakfast and leftovers for lunch.  Lunch is a problem, because I am trying not to have too many leftovers, because those make dishes I have to clean in the bathroom sink.  Yuck! 

I seem to have been in a Mexican mood this week.

This is the first day of my kitchen demolition (Monday). I grilled some chicken on my panini press and made tacos. This meal actually dirtied no dishes, aside from the cutting board and knife, because I covered the press with foil before grilling. 

This is pasta diablo with some fresh steamed veggies and I actually made homemade garlic rolls with my panini press.  They were a little flat, but they tasted pretty good.  The pasta and veggies were kind of messy.  I made the veggies in my electric vegetable steamer (which is hard to clean in a bathroom sink, but worth it) and I boiled the pasta in the microwave and covered it in some sauce I had stored in the freezer. The pasta wasn't cooked quite like I like, but it works in a pinch!  It was a little soft for my tastes.

Thursday night I had quesadillas and a big green salad.  The quesadillas were made in the panini press.  No dishes were dirtiedd in this one either.

The cabinets are supposed to be in next week!  Let's hope I get to show off my new stove with some new culinary adventures soon.  I didn't think about it when I scheduled this, but the remodel will cut into my Farmer's Market time! I really like writing about unique farmer's market finds.