12 ways to give your kitchen a style boost
23.09.11
These days, most of us don't have the $20,000 to $40,000 needed
for a complete kitchen remodel. But it doesn't take that much to
get a new look. You can make small changes that can make a big
style difference in what for many is the most-used room in the
house.
"Even if they have money set aside for a large project, people
are holding on to that money until they see what is happening with
the economy," said designer Patrice Munden of Patrice Munden
Interiors of Ellisville. "But they still want to make changes."
Munden says clients are coming to her with a number of requests:
Help me add lighting to my kitchen; help me update my dark
cabinets; help me add new color; give my kitchen some
personality.
"People are spending more time in their kitchens," she said.
"They are not just a place for cooking, preparing food and eating,
people are using them for gathering, studying and socializing, so
we really want to design them so they are functional but have the
family's personality."
Source: STLtoday.com
Sweeten your day with two regional dessert cookbooks
28.09.11
Apologies for ringing this bell, but a sure sign the holiday season is upon us is the newly released cookbooks littering my desk.
In the last week I've received more than seven freshly printed books, and I expect the number to grow as November nears.
Many will be featured in a holiday roundup of cookbook reviews later, but I wanted to get a jump on two regional books — "Cake Ladies and "Desserts From the Famous Loveless Cafe," . Release date for both is early October.
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Jodi Rhoden, owner of Short Street Cakes, Asheville, N.C., is the author of "Cake Ladies" (Lark Crafts, $19.95).
Her travels across the South interviewing bakery owners and community bakers has resulted in a cookbook that features 21 signature recipes complete with baking tips, wit and wisdom.
Once the book is open it becomes apparent that the essence is found in the stories shared within. The recipes — including Knoxville native Peggy Hambright's German chocolate cake; Gullah dirty cake from Dye Scott-Rhodan of Hilton Head Island, S.C.; applesauce spice cake from Lois Mims of Pine Apple, Ala.; and Asheville's Olga Perez's Pastel de Tres Leches recipe — are simply a sweet bonus.
Source: Knoxville News Sentinel