Oster Blender with food processor attachment

This here is a holiday must, according to our head designer Patty Hayos. “It’s just one of those things that is out every holiday season.” It replaces many other appliances with its’ small attachments. And why would you want to clutter up your cabinets with 5-6 other appliances when you can have one that does it all. With Patty’s favorite attachment a separate food processor is obsolete.  

Slow cooker

I wonder what is cooking ?

A slow cooker is a timeless kitchen appliance that has been helping families for years. The simple art of combining all the ingredients at once to cook during the day while other chores and jobs are being taken care of made them a staple in the American household. Slow cookers are neither expensive nor complicated and I can say from first hand experience have been a life saver in college. So dust off the old wedding gift or go out and buy yourself a slow cooker. For some really great recipes, try http://www.myrecipes.com/cooking-method/slow-cooker-recipes/summer-slow-cooker-recipes-00420000011460/ 

Keurig coffee maker

For more than just coffee

They come in many different models from a single person maker which they call travel size or Platinum plus brewing system. They can work with regular ground coffee you can buy at the store if you get a reusable “K-cup” or the single uses ones that can be bought online or at selected grocery stores. You can pack your favorite ground coffee into the reusable k-cup and have a cup of your favorite coffee in a heartbeat. The ones I have is a single cup Keurig, but they have some that have a water reservoir so you can make up to 6 cups without constantly adding water. My single cup maker is perfect for me and couple friends. And with K-cups becoming more and more popular they have branched out into different hot and cool beverages from tea to hot cocoa and ice coffee. This coffee maker can save you time and money by skipping the coffee house run.

Kitchen aid mixer

Fiery Red

A Kitchen Aid mixer is more that just a stand alone mixing device. It is the base to have with everything you need to make good home cooked meals from scratch.  The basic mixer is what I see in most households as well as our own. Having an appliance that can do half the job by itself is one of the most helpful things when we are cooking. Getting tangled up in a hand beater cord is a thing of the past, no more cake batter splattered on the ceiling nor dripping to the floor because I had to put it down to grab the vanilla extract. With their 50 plus attachments I am sure you will find a couple that will help you out in your kitchen.

Check out our board on Pinterest on this same topic http://pinterest.com/pin/139048707215807085/

Come to our site at www.sigkb.com and enter your email to subscribe to our blog and latest design trends. And for yummy recipes and more add us on Facebook. Follow us on twitter for updates on current projects. For any questions and help with your kitchen remodel, visit our site www.sigkb.com or call  us at (408)252-8011 or email info@sigkb.com

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Patty and some of the cakes from Saturdays Event

Patty Hayos and the family at Signature Kitchen & Bath Design have been sponsoring Cake4Kids this past summer and it has been a blast. Most recently Cake4Kids held a Cook-off on the 17th of September. They were able to raise $4,000 to help their cause, while our own Patty and Stephanie Hayos were judges.

If you have never heard of Cake4Kids here is a bit about them straight from their website

“Cake4Kids was founded in September, 2010 to help foster kids and at-risk youth feel special at least one day a year, to raise their self-esteem, and to increase their chance of success in school and life knowing that people care for them. The primary method of mission delivery is by providing free birthday cakes to foster care and at-risk youth who wouldn’t otherwise have a birthday celebration. ”

Honestly we think it is a fantastic idea to help foster kids which have no control over their situation to make sure they feel special on their birthday. Here is a link to their gallery of all the different cakes they have made for everyone’s special day http://cake4kids.org/Gallery/Pages/Our_Cakes_-_2011.html
Patty got in connection with Cake4Kids through her Womans Networking Group (SassyNetworking)

“Many of us over look the importance of a birthday cake, and this is a great community of people that dedicate thier time to ensure that every child can get a cake made with care on thier day. ”- Patty Hayos

Cake4Kids puts together many different events on to involve the community and promote self-esteem with foster children. Like a meet and greet with the San Jose Saber Cats Mervin Brookins (Defensive Back), Courtney Smith (Wide Receiver/Defensive Back) and Melvin Stephenson (Defensive Back) and collecting Kitchen Packs for children who age out of foster care. Kitchen Packs are full with Toaster ovens, silverware, plates and Baking pans to help these youth into the world of being an adult.

We are lucky enough to hold two of the Cake4Kids events in our showroom this October 14 and the 21st. A fondant Class for all the young bakers big and small.

If you are interested in getting involved or contributing to the group you can learn all you need to know at http://cake4kids.org/How_To_Help.html They are not just asking for money, if you have anything that would contribute in helping them make a Foster Childs’ birthday a little bit brighter such as frosting, cake pans, specialty shaped pans or even postage stamps send it to

The Domain Hotel
1085 E. El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087

and if you are interested in donating your time you can email them at info@cake4kids.org to get information on how you can help.

_

Visit our Showroom or Come to our site at www.sigkb.com and enter your email to subscribe to our blog and latest design trends. And for yummy recipes and more add us on Facebook. Follow us on twitter for updates on current projects. For any questions and help with your kitchen remodel, call or email us at (408)252-8011 or email info@sigkb.com.

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Helpful tips for personalizing your kitchen to fit your every need.

1)      Who cooks in the kitchen?

Before remodeling your kitchen ask yourself, “Who cooks in the kitchen?” This may sound like a simple question, but oddly enough, the answers do not always pop to your head. Is there one main person who cooks for the family or is cooking a family affair? If it is not a family affair, but you would like your family to be apart of the cooking experience, what is deterring them, the couch or is your kitchen cramped? Is the layout unfriendly for multiple people doing different things?

2)      Do you entertain? If so, how often?

Is your house the go-to for Thanksgiving and Christmas, or the center of ever NFL game? Taking time to think about how much you already entertain can help guild you to ideas of how to best utilize your space. Do you need more cabinet storage for those difficult to store party platters? A bigger refrigerator for Thanksgiving leftovers?

3)      Do you buy in bulk? If so what do you buy?

Since we are talking about storage, let’s think about what is purchased at the grocery store, and the all important Club Store. Do you use bulk shopping for paper goods and discounted devices (e.g. cameras, television) or do you purchase large quantities of dry goods, meats, and vegetables? These and other questions can help you visualize where you need the most storage space in your new kitchen.

Temnovka By Anton Novoselov

4)    What type of cooking do you do?

This may be a simpler question to answer than others. What type of cooking you will be doing in your dream kitchen? Do you use every burner on the range, plus the microwave, in preparing a meal? Or do you need more counterpace for chopping and grating to create your masterpiece casserole? The type of cooking you do will ultimately determine what kind of kitchen you need.

5)      Are you an appliance person or a gadget person?

Do you stick to the basic 5 appliances for your cooking or do you like to have every gadget under the sun to peel, press, and mix? Knowing how many appliances and gadgets you have now, will guide you to plan adequate storage space for all your gadgets, plus extra room for those to come.

6)      Family versus Formal

Previously, we mentioned how often you entertain is an important concern when you start the process of remodeling your kitchen. But, another question that gets overlooked is, whom do you entertain for? Is it primarily family events, where there are 4 cooks in your kitchen and everyone is helping out, or is it a more formal setting where people let you work all the magic and marvel at the finished product? Just something to consider when you are customizing your kitchen for your needs.

7)      Who are you remodeling for?

And last but certainly not least, the all important question “Who are you remodeling for?” by now you have an idea of who the main cook is. However, make sure this is a joint effort with you and your partner or you and the family. Sit down and write a list of your top three wants in you new kitchen and what are your partner’s top three wants for their new kitchen. Are they similar, different or extreme opposites? Taking all of these things into consideration will help the process go as smooth as possible.

Come to our site at www.sigkb.com and enter your email to subscribe to our blog and latest design trends. And for yummy recipes and more add us on Facebook. Follow us on twitter for updates on current projects. For any questions and help with your kitchen remodel, visit our site www.sigkb.com or call or email us at (408)252-8011 or email info@sigkb.com.

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We’d like to thank Heather Goode of Santa Cruz Kitchen & Bath. Heather, the previous owner of our company and Patty’s old boss, was instrumental in getting Patty the opportunity to own her own business.  Heather has designed a number of showrooms and was the very first person we called to help us realize our vision. We decided on building a showroom that reflects our personality and style…”working class” people who believe that it has to be beautiful and functional to be a successful design.  Our new showroom is a place where work gets done, everyone with sleeves rolled up- clients, contractors & designers working together to make successful remodel projects happen. 

Noreen Maresca is the interior designer who worked with Patty to pull everything together. Noreen’s flair for color and texture shows why she’s a much sought after interior designer. Doing a showroom is very different then doing a house. In a house you will generally see a somewhat consistent theme whether color, texture, or design. In a showroom not only do you need to do that but each theme needs to somewhat co-exist with the others making the challenge far more difficult. Noreen spent countless hours with Patty working and massaging each area first for “look” then sometimes for budget which required doing each area a number of times as different resources became available to us. Noreen also brought a number of her vendors to the table to help us keep our costs contained and providing them a place to showcase their products.

Sean and Tony of Prudhon Builders - No matter the need, Sean & Tony have always been there for us no matter what was needed. Sean & Tony were in the showroom EVERY spare hour they could find building, installing, and just generally making it happen. This resulted in them putting in 60-70 hours weeks along side us for a couple of months.

Jeff Mercer of South County Construction came in to help us when we were about out of gas putting in displays and bringing his special touch for all the small details. Jeff is an artist and a craftsman, his work is the type of quality we are very proud to be associated with.

Leandro from Quintals Marble and Granite, Brian & Penny from Marble and Stone Solutions, & Sarah from Stone Etc were the magicians who organized, fabricated, and installed all the countertops under some really ridiculous time frames that we got ourselves into.

Bob Stuhr - Bob is the guy that pushes me to get off the couch and get moving no matter what the job is. When the house needed remodeling, he grabbed a hammer. When the race car needs fixing, he grabs a welder. When the water heater needs changing he grabs a torch. All in all the kind of person everyone needs to goad them into making things happen. We are both cut from the cloth that you CAN do it, if you don’t know how, then figure it out…

My daughter Stephanie…For anyone who doesn’t know Stephanie, you wouldn’t think you could get a huge pile of work out of a skinny little 100# girl She’s a whirlwind of energy and had no problem with any aspect of the construction. She did it all; leveling floors, grinding posts, swinging a hammer, running the saw, carried a bunch of 60# bags of concrete, & boxes of tile. She’s in the kind of shape only the young can be and had no problem working next to me most nights until I couldn’t move anymore.

As the clock was winding down and the project went into frantic mode , we received a bunch of help from Dale, Todd, Henry from Medallion Cabinetry, Dane, Scotty, & Andy who all came in and did whatever we needed them to help with. More than anything they brought a burst of energy that some of were sorely needing to keep moving.

So how is the new place? Amazing! I was just going through Patty’s job drawer and as far as I can estimate, we’ve designed over 160 ktchens in just the last 6 months!  As we come up on our first anniversary in the new place, we’d like to send out a special thank you to all the vendors, contractors, and mostly all the customers for the smashing success we’ve enjoyed this past year.

The post Signature Kitchen & Bath Design – The New Location – A Year Later appeared first on Signature Kitchen & Bath Design.

Create a temporary kitchen

Move your most-needed items from your kitchen to another area of your home, perhaps the laundry, garage, or spare bedroom where you can set up a camp kitchen that will suffice for your basic needs until your new kitchen is completed. You’ll want to include:

- Microwave
- Coffee pot
- Toaster
- Refrigerator
- Electric skillet
- Slow cooker
- Toaster oven

plus any cookware you will need to prepare your meals. It’s also a good idea to move dry food, like cereals and bread, to your “camp” kitchen. If possible, place your temporary kitchen in an area that is accessible without needing to walk through the construction zone, preventing dust and debris from being tracked throughout the entire home.

Plan meals that can be grilled or warmed in a microwave

By making and freezing meals ahead of time, you can have a home-cooked meal that can go from freezer to microwave with little effort or time.

A kitchen remodel is also an excellent time to take advantage of your outdoor barbeque grill. Not only is it removed from the area under construction, but it’s an excellent way to cook with little to no cleanup. Most of today’s grills have side burners and can be used for grilling, roasting, simmering, sautéing, and warming.

 Reduce kitchen traffic

Move your kitchen a few days ahead of schedule before construction begins to assist you in streamlining your camp kitchen needs. This can also help small children get out of the habit of walking in and out of the kitchen for their safety. Don’t forget to find an alternate home for items like telephones, mail, and calendars.

Minimize necessary cleanup

It’s likely that your sink and/or dishwasher will be out of commission, so consider using disposable plates, cups, and eating utensils. Putting a utility sink in the garage or using the bathtub are excellent options for dishwashing duty and a laundry basket can be converted for transport.

These are just a few suggestions that will make living in your home less challenging while your kitchen is undergoing a remodel from Signature Kitchen and Bath Design. While there will certainly be times that you miss the convenience and amenities a full kitchen offers, the transition can make you appreciate your newly remodeled kitchen even more. As experienced kitchen professionals, we strive to make that transition as smooth as possible.

Come to our site at www.sigkb.com and enter your email to subscribe to our blog and latest design trends. And for yummy recipes and more add us on Facebook. Follow us on twitter for updates on current projects. For any questions and help with your kitchen remodel, visit our site www.sigkb.com or call or email us at (408)252-8011 or email info@sigkb.com.

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Kitchens we’ve designed have ranged from $5000 to over $100,000 from a small kitchen to a huge “mcmansion” with cabinetry everywhere. With a range that large, it’s about impossible to give you  a useful answer to the “ballpark price” question without some reasonable details. Things like size, finish, & door style detail all have significant impacts to pricing.

The simple fact is, it’s an aggressive economy, we’ve thrived in this economy by bringing not only extra value to the table but by pricing our products very competitively against anyone. We do proper detailed bids, with everything you need to complete your project, every day and yes, for free…

To schedule a comprehensive free quote, email us at info@sigkb.com with your preferred contact information.

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Lets say you ask someone how much for a car? They answer $10,000. Now that’s either a great price or a lousy price. If it’s for a brand new luxury car it’s great, if it’s for an old jalopy, it’s not. The REASON it’s a poor answer as well as a poor question is it’s not asked in the proper context. The real question you should be asking is am I getting an excellent value for my money…

Kitchen cabinets are an interesting animal…There are a huge number of options, a large variance in quality, being sold by designers with varying levels of experience and expertise. From the outside, they all look similar so it’s fairly easy to be “taken in” by a nice new shiny appearance at some too good to be true price to get you interested. You’ve probably heard “Huge Kitchen Sale - $9999 installed!” Then once you’re on the hook, you find out it’s only for a tiny kitchen, only has uppers on one side, uses import cabinetry, or has other limitations that you can solve but of course for “a slight bit more”.

At Signature Kitchen & Bath Design, we only do real quotes for real kitchens. Our core company value is to provide excellent value which is - Exceptional quality at an excellent price.

• Our design staff has a minimum of 20 years experience
• All 4 of our kitchen cabinet lines have a limited lifetime warranty
• We measure for free to give you a real and accurate quote
• Our quotes include everything needed to complete your project
• Our initial design time is free

To schedule a comprehensive free quote, email us at info@sigkb.com with your preferred contact information.

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Stephanie baked double fudge chocolate and delicious fresh strawberry cupcakes to practice on. Sounds kind of strange but fondant can be stored up to one year…. Chris is a professional baker and makes beautiful wedding cakes by day and really cool birthday cakes for so many foster kids in her spare time.

As you see… We had “Hello Kitty” and Spiderman in the house today. Chris taught us how to make daisies, leaves and ribbons. There are so many things you can do with just a few tools, however, the process sure can be time consuming. As you make each layer you have to let each one dry then assemble it as you put it on the cake… Little things like storing flowers in an egg carton or a cupped bowl helps authenticate the flowers shape. Make sure you attach your stem to the flower first! If you try after it drys you could have a crumbling mess. Oh… And another thing, make extra! It never fails something may go wrong and you’ll need a few replacements to fill in.

You can see more about Cake 4 Kids at their web site or their facebook page here.

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A few weeks ago Patty was moving the toaster, which we store on top of the refer, when it did a header to the floor. My beloved $30 west bend 4 slice toaster was just sitting there in shambles on the floor with a twisted chassis and the panels all popped out. After a couple of weeks of no toaster, I finally decided to go see what was at the local supersize store and was greeted by a shock. They only had 2 toasters, one for $50 and one for $100. What!, toasters are cheap, there was no way I was going to shell out $100 just to lightly burn bread. Moving on to a different store, I was greeted by a plethora of toasters. Stainless, white, 2 slice, 4 slice by about 10 different brands, this was more like it. My daughter and I pulled levers & looked at the specs. Most of them had sloppy levers, a number of the cheapest ones had fewer wires to cook, and just looked like they were assembled by someone who had an all nighter at the local pub. I finally came to the conclusion that this wasn’t going to be a $30 toaster, so it was time to evaluate just how much it was worth to me to replace the 2nd most used appliance in our kitchen. When we came upon the Kitchenaid products, a little light didn’t go off in my head, no chorus of heavenly angels sang, nor was I struck blind by a shining light from the heavens. It was the same toaster that I’d walked away from at the “toilet paper sold by the pallet store” earlier…The Kitchenaid KMT223cu is a digitally controlled toaster. Since it’s digitally controlled, the cooking time is reliable and repeatable, something I was NEVER able to get out my old toaster. The quality of this unit is excellent, the cooking wires are nicely spaced at about a 3/8″ apart and aligned nice and straight, the fit and finish is good, and it’s almost all metal! It has a dial knob for cooking levels and 3 buttons for different cooking methods-Bagel, Defrost, & Reheat plus one to cancel. I grabbed a bagel and popped it into the slot, hit bagel and a wonderful thing happened, it cooked! I’ve never had a bagel button before, never thought I needed one, but it was a smart button that only applies heat to the inside cooking elements and toasted  the faces leaving the backside unburnt and soft! The topper? It made a perfect golden brown bagel the first time. I never stopped to think about it before, my old toaster really was a piece of junk. You couldn’t just push it down and let it go, you had to cook halfway then rotate the pieces and cook everything again. Funny how you just do things without thinking about it, putting up with poor craftsmanship and operation since you’ve never been exposed to anything any better…I shouldn’t be surprised, we use a stand mixer from KA the last 20 years and it just works. Many of our clients have opted for Kitchenaid refers as alternatives to the Subzero’s of the world and have been very satisfied. And I now own the perfect toaster

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 Check out the current Medallion Cabinetry Specials – Good until 06/24/12!

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