New Kitchen for New Year

So maybe the first resolution on your list won't have anything to do with your kitchen, but refurbishing your kitchen does not have to be an old lady chore that calls out impossible.

With a few handy additions here and there, you'll have that touch of glamour in no time, imprinting your own unique creativity in one of the most important areas of any household. Guaranteed the sight will have you venturing into your kitchen more often.

Here are a few tips on the go: First, bear in mind the different purposes your kitchen is used for — be it cooking, eating, entertaining or relaxing — and this will help you create the certain mood you want.

For the Counter: Don't have one? Get one! Counter-tops come in stone, granite and marble-and in different colours that you can choose to be infused into your overall kitchen design. Then place a few decorative baskets, candles and lacy materials to make it more inviting. Hanging up copper pots and pans as well as attractive flute glasses will make things look las if they are straight out of a movie.

For the Table: Display fruit and vegetables in over-sized glass bowls, or if you prefer, fresh flowers that'll have your kitchen smelling fresh and floral. You can also add attractive coasters, mats and your own colourful, moulded gypsum artwork if you want to go all out.

For the Cupboards and Cabinets: For a fresh shot at fashion, go for a simple repaint of your kitchen cabinets. You can go for various painting techniques such as faux painting, stippling, crackling and glazing.

To fill those cupboards up from the inside, go shopping in furniture stores as well as vintage, flea markets (or the type, whether here or overseas) and purchase unusual looking antique cutlery and crockery, as well as glasses, napkin rings, salt and pepper shakers and so on.

We recommend: Turkey sauces

1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 cup (255 mL) water
4 cups (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries optional pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.
Pan drippings (from cooked turkey/ sausage/ chicken)
Flour
Water
Salt and pepper

Cranberry
Step 1: Wash and pick cranberries, while in a saucepan bringing to a boil water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Step 2: Add cranberries and return to a boil.
Step 3: Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes (or until cranberries burst).
Step 4: You can now add any number of optional ingredients. (We like adding a cup of currants or mixing in half a cup of chopped pecans with a few strips of orange peel).
Step 5: Remove from heat and then cool before setting in fridge until sauce thickens.

Gravy
Step 1: Pour pan drippings into a measuring cup and skim the fat off.
Step 2: Put about 1/4 of the fat into a saucepan and stir in 1/4 cup of all purpose flour.
Step 3: Add in water to the drippings (after removing any remaining fat) until it makes two cups of liquid in total.
Step 4: Pour the two cups of liquid in the first fat mixture.
Step 5: Cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbling.
Step 6: Cook for another minute and then add salt and pepper to taste.

The writer is an International Student Correspondent for Notes, studying at the University of Sydney, Australia