Countertop Conundrum

Confession Time: I have a new obsession. Along with coffee and shows created by Amy Sherman Palladino, I can’t tear myself away from my Houzz app. This new fixation springs from my thirst to update my kitchen.

We’ve already repainted the walls, trim and cabinets and I’m in the process of picking fabric for curtains. See?

Before: The Red Era

New Green walls, creamy white counters and kitchen curtain fabric. Can’t decide if I need a coordinating fabric yet. Decisions, decisions.

Now for the major decisions — countertops and floors.

I’m thinking some sort of light neutral tile for the floor. Something that doesn’t show dirt but also keeps the room bright and happy. We could also take the wood floors into the kitchen.

At the countertop decision, I come to a complete stop. I want to upgrade my laminate, but I think granite might be too cold for the look I’m going for.

So my 2 major considerations are white marble and butcher block.

I’m not sure if I have a white marble-worthy space. It is pretty, but not like grand. And I don’t really want it to be. My palette tends to be more casual with green, yellow, coral and teal.

Photo by Dijeau Poage Construction. See more traditional kitchen designs

I’m actually leaning toward butcher block. It is light, warm and goes with my palette. For the backsplash I’d like to price white subway tile or beadboard.

Photo by Crisp Architects. See more traditional kitchen designs

Photo by Hart Associates Architects, Inc.. See more traditional kitchen designs

This is where the questions start.

Will buyers hate it?

Should I really care about buyers when I haven’t even lived in my house for a month?

Does it require too much maintenance?

Can it handle my blow-up-the-kitchen cooking style?

So what do you think? Any suggestions will be much appreciated. I need some sleep!

Oreo Ball-in’

Strangely enough, the two most popular subjects on my blog are dessert recipes and Jillian Micheals workout reviews. I’m not sure if I have two kinds of readers or just the same guilty ones who make delicious sugar cookies or no bakes and then work out vigorously the next day.

A question for the ages…

Anyway, if you love rich chocolately desserts AND you want an easy (but impressive) recipe to impress friends with, then you, my friend, are in the right place. Just follow these steps and you’ll be oreo ballin’ in no time.

And stay tuned, if you love to work out: I plan to review Phase I of Jillian Micheals’ 90 Day Revolution soon!

First I’d like to thank Nicole Mount (my friend and fellow Coasts wife) for sharing this tasty concoction with me. It has come in handy for Christmas times, and most recently, my oreo-craving expecting friend’s shower.

1. First assemble the delicious ingredients.

• 1 package of Oreo (or slightly cheaper, Oreo-inspired) cookies
• 1 8-0z. package cream cheese. I use the 33% less fat version to make myself feel better. (who am I kidding??)
• Dipping chocolate of your choice. I went with white this time, but I will say one package was not enough. My baking assistant had to run out for a bag of chips, which went a lot farther and actually worked perfectly.
• Crisco, as needed for thinning
• Special equipment: food processor or blender

2. Put as many Oreos in your handy-dandy food processor and process those cookies into a fine black powder. Try to eliminate all signs of the cream. Repeat until you have annihilated the entire pack. (whoa, that got surprisingly violent).

3. Next, add the cream cheese. As Nicole so aptly put it, “this makes a delicious Oreo paste.”

4. Now form this decadent edible paste into bite-size morsels. Going small is a good idea, because they are intense. I just place them on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet.

5. This next step calls for patience. Stick your newly formed balls (be mature) into the freezer for about 30 minutes. If not, they’ll get all crumbly and give you a headache.

6. After 30 minutes or so, it’s time to melt the chocolate. Any member of the chocolate family will do. Just melt according to the instructions. I use the microwave – 30 second intervals and lots of stirring usually does the trick. To get the best coverage, I use a fork to submerge each ball. If your chocolate gets too thick, add a dab of Crisco.

7. When you’re all done, stand back and admire your work. If you’re anything like me, they’ll probably look sad and misshapen. Just use any extra chocolate for drizzling and all the sudden the imperfections look intentional. Amazing! Plus, they’ll taste so good, no one will look at them for long.

Sorry for missing last week. I was busy with stuff like, I don’t know, moving into my house!!! Get ready for picture updates soon, but not until I get that second coat of paint done in the kitchen!