Kitchen Trends Under Scrutiny

By Steven V. Philips - Some of today’s “brilliant” kitchen details are not. Recently I lightly brushed one of those very elegant wine stems sitting on the granite counter at Yalc’s deb party. it fell over. And shattered. Into 37,000 shards of costly crystal. The kitchen was roped off. The $500 dollar vacuum was summoned into service. Haz-mat was alerted. That reinforced it for me about (any) stone counters....

Kitchen Design – It’s the Little Things

By Steven V. Philips - Plates. Think about decorated china dinnerware patterns. The ones that look as though the food is already on the plate? Low calorie diet all right. But way too fussy for me. Bone china, the finest plateware to serve on and eat from, isn’t just a random term. It actually refers to the bone(s) in its composition. Bone china evolved in Europe in the 1750s in a porcelain factory, close to...

Top 5 Kitchen Tools for 2012

By Chef Judi Gallagher - Every cook looks for innovations in meal preparation convenience and time-saving kitchen equipment. Here are five on my must-buy list for 2012. It’s time for the cook to go shopping. 1.  KitchenArt Pro’s Adjust-a-Cup. It allows cooks to measure out sticky ingredients and then push them out of the device into a bowl or baking pan. An article at MainStreet.com, praises the ease with which it helps...

Kitchen Resolutions 2012

By Marsha Fottler - Do these things within the month of January and enjoy the results all year long. A clean, efficient and de-cluttered kitchen in a genuine luxury. * Wash down inside of cabinets, replace shelf paper (with something fun) or paint the inside of your cabinets. Use high gloss paint for easy clean up ever after. * Throw away most of your spices and start fresh. Resolve to buy spices in smaller quantities. Most...

Holiday Decorating – Strategies That Work

By Marsha Fottler - You know you have to do it. Here’s how. Decide on a Theme and Color Scheme: It will make your life easier. Too many choices result in chaos. Possible themes: Reindeer, elves, Santa figures, angels, Old Fashioned Christmas, Tropical Christmas, trains, sleighs, and wagons, dolls. Then decide on colors. Pick two main colors and a third one for accent. Then you need a metallic such as gold, silver, copper,...

Dinosaur Dining Room

By Steven V. Philips - As houses shrink in square footage, formal dining rooms (FDR) are endangered and maybe headed toward extinction. None other than the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) forecasts this. Good! Fine by me as I am so ready for the FDR’s extinction. But if you’re stuck with a formal dining room, I have a few ideas. With happy anticipation, I hopefully forge upwards towards the joy of...