Musing on Making Moves to Cook in a New Kitchen

My new GE Adora Stove which of course I umm Adora!

Already it’s half way through this month – where does this time fly? As I walked Theo for a bit this morning, the sun was peering over the top of the mountains I can see out my back yard. I thought of how most of my previous moves always happened during the later months of the year when mother nature winds down her wings to go into a semi-sleep with blanketing the yards and streets with fresh snow.

And yes although it still looks pretty, I will be very glad to feel the intended warmth suggested by the weatherman for it reaching over 50 degrees today! Yes! And maybe, just maybe the remaining snow on my roof will melt off today.

 

When a move is complete, people attack their boxes in various ways. Some work in one area at a time, others’ may work all over the place.

Packed boxes ready for unpacking - but where to?

When you move as most of us have done at least once in our lives – I ask you, my readers one question…

What is your very first meal that you have prepared in your ‘new’ kitchen? For me it was using (don’t gasp) pre-made stuffed manicotti in a (again don’t gasp) pre-made tomato sauce baked in an oven. I have had to eat take out for several weeks since dismantling my old place and not completely unpacking from my move which only happened weeks ago. My body would remind me daily, it did not like this new routine of processed food!

The movers were amazing – it took them two days to load their trucks of boxes and furniture from my old place and only 5 hours to completely unload the items into my new home. Not one thing broke – and that’s with three sets of dishes, glasses – you name it! The only thing so far found slightly damaged was the creamed honey I purchased at a local farmer’s market whose top was not completely closed yet fortunately the bottle was wrapped in a cloth napkin and hence did not get over everything else in that box. Whew! And most of that creamed honey was saved. What’s creamed honey you asked? It’s a wonderful spread to bump up your morning toast with. I was told how creamed honey is made once – but I will get to that later in another post.

With my approach to unpacking, I concentrated on the kitchen first (naturally). I have since have had a hutch/buffet be put together to house some of the appliances not used every day and to house extra glasses. My kitchen is short on cabinet space, so I have had to be creative with my storage solutions. I put in a butcher block counter along with a dishwasher. I relocated one of the double base cabinets and finally have been able to get cooking in my new kitchen and on my new GE Adora stove – the kind that has a stove top griddle – it’s amazing as were the grilled asparagus and lampchops I made on it the other week. It’s been several weeks since cooking anything pre-made as I am not one for processed food if I can avoid it. My one downfall is crackers, but heck, this Chef Maven has got to break somewhere….

Wishing:…that with each day I do my very best to go through and unpack three boxes, but with work and life, (think in actual reality) –  it’s more like 1 or maybe 2 boxes a day. (OK we’re lucky if it’s even 1 box a day!)

Flowers on the kitchen counter

Chow Ciao For Now,

The Chef Maven