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As the Editorial Assistant for The Kitchn, I cover groceries, news, trends, people, and culture. I have 5 years of experience in communications and an MA in Food Studies from NYU. I previously worked at Food Network, and for nonprofits advocating for food justice.
When Lauren Whitfield, a content creator with an interior design degree, wanted to renovate her home’s kitchen, she turned to her husband, who used to work in the trades, as her co-captain. “Our kitchen before was very cramped and dark,” she says. “We wanted to create a space that felt inviting and cozy, while also being opened up to the living and dining rooms.”
The couple’s kitchen didn’t have the largest footprint, so the goal was to pack lots of character and charm into a small room. Lauren’s vision was to create a mix of cottagecore, farmhouse, and English country design. The bottom line: She wanted it to look “lived-in.”
At first, the couple wanted to replace the cabinetry, install some new appliances, and add some paint. But upon further inspection, they realized that the drywall and flooring were “extremely damaged,” forcing them to “go all the way down to the studs.” The couple essentially demolished everything, including a wall between the living room and kitchen. This created space while providing them with added storage.
“Once we demoed everything, we were able to start with a clean slate, which essentially gave us free rein to do anything we wanted,” Lauren explains. “Our goal was to create a practical space that was cozy and cost-effective.”
To keep costs down, the couple chose standard Lowe’s cabinetry and vinyl flooring. They did splurge on the quartz countertops because Lauren loves the “look and practicality” of them.
In addition to the open shelving, the couple purchased an IKEA island that has built-in shelves for even more storage space. To complete the project and help the space flow with the rest of the home, they added shiplap and painted it a creamy white (Sherwin-Williams’ Maison Blanche).
“My favorite part has to be the open shelving and shiplap wall,” Lauren says. “I think it gives the overall space a really cozy, lived-in feel, and I love how we used practical items, such as the food canisters and cookbooks, as decor. In a small space, this is not only practical but also feels like it is a part of the overall design.”
It took the couple four months to complete the kitchen renovation by themselves, and the reno cost around $7,000. There were plenty of lessons and even some happy accidents along the way, like a cutting board storage space that was caused by a slight miscalculation.
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: How a Homeowner Couple Transformed a “Cramped” Oak Kitchen Into Their Cozy Happy Place for Only $7,000
Up ahead: Family schlep harmony!
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Before I decided to be a writer, I wanted to be a chef. My love of food started with watching Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, and Alton Brown on the Food Network when I would get home from middle school. Naturally, I made my way into the kitchen to try out the recipes I saw on…read more
Nine times out of 10, there’s a frozen pizza in my freezer. If not, I’m at my local grocery store picking one up. It was a staple throughout my childhood, and the options in the freezer aisle have come a long way since then. You might even say we’re in the golden age of frozen pizza.
I’ve tried lots of different frozen pizza brands, and I’m always interested in trying new ones — especially when they’re created by one of the most legendary pizza shops in New York. The speed with which I secured samples of Di Fara’s Vodka Sauce Pizza is almost as impressive as the pizza itself. Let me explain why.
In a city where you can easily walk past a dozen pizza shops without even trying, Di Fara still stands out. In fact, it’s been awarded the go-to spot by many critics, including the late Anthony Bourdain who called it “the best of the best.”
Di Fara was established in Midwood, Brooklyn, in 1965 by Domenico DeMarco, an Italian immigrant, who perfected his pizza recipe over decades. He emphasized using high-quality ingredients like double zero flour, bufala mozzarella, and slow-cooked Sunday sauce. He shaped the dough, hand-sliced the pepperoni, and finished each pie with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil. Unsurprisingly, long lines formed around the shop, and the rest is history.
Pizza fans who live outside of New York can now get a taste of his famous pizza at your local grocery store. Known for its signature crisp-outside yet chewy-inside crust, the frozen version contains wheat flour, deactivated durum wheat sourdough, yeast, and water. It’s topped with a creamy vodka sauce (made with vine-ripened tomatoes, sea salt, heavy cream, onions, tomato paste, extra virgin olive oil, corn starch, water, spices, vodka, and sea salt) and a layer of mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano, plus handpicked basil.
Di Fara’s Vodka Sauce Pizza launched this past June and is currently available at select grocery retailers in the Mid-Atlantic region. It’s $9.99 in store and a few dollars more online at Instacart. The brand also expects to roll out to Kroger locations in 15 states across the U.S. in September. In addition to vodka sauce, Di Fara’s line includes three meat, classic, and pepperoni frozen pizzas.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never trekked to Midwood to try the OG, but if this slice is any indication, I need to. I heated the frozen pizza directly on the middle oven rack as per the instructions at 450°F for about 12 minutes. As it cooked, whiffs of garlic and tomato wafted from my oven. My apartment instantly smelled like a pizzeria I’d grab a slice from after a late night out.
Once out of the oven, I waited a few minutes for it to cool before slicing it up and digging in — and WOW. If I didn’t unbox it myself, I’d never know it was ever frozen. The crust was SUPER crispy, nearly cracker-thin, with an audible crunch and snap. And yet! It still had a good chew the further into the center I got.
