Vegan MoFo Day 18: Where the Magic Happens

This is going to be a cupcake-intensive weekend, as I'm baking for my BFF's birthday/Halloween party; I'll try and get some decent pics of the little critters to post on Monday.

Meanwhile:  I'm fascinated by people's kitchens (almost as much as by the stuff under their cabinets), so I thought I'd post some images of my own, to encourage others to do the same.  I love seeing where aspiring cooks work their magic--how they manage within their limitations, what they've done to personalize their spaces.  Nobody's kitchen can ever be big enough or have enough counterspace, but somehow we get by, and some of us even produce spectacular results from tiny and ill-equipped spaces. 

Mine, for example, is pretty wee, although not bad for an 800 square foot apartment:

It has the advantage of being open to the rest of the house via the bar and two entrances, so it feels larger than it is.  My last kitchen was hemmed in by walls and cabinets and always felt cramped even though it was about the same size as this one.

(click on any pic to see a larger version)

Note the insane amount of fridge magnets.  I love magnets.  And the liquor bottles on top of the fridge are mostly empty...mostly. 

Don't look too close at the stove--my burner pans are a disgrace.  My mother would shit twice and die if she saw them; sometimes I'm tempted to, too.  I've replaced them once already since I've lived here but I think it's time for a new set.

Ikea has figured prominently in the organization and decor of my wee kitchen--the knife strip on the left and the rails above the stove both came from there, and if you totaled up the whole system it probably cost less than $30.  I also adore the little print of the meditating plant woman hanging on the wall; I won it at a raffle at the Spring Goddessfest a couple of years ago and recently reframed and matted it so it looked a little bit more together.

There's also my mother's salt and pepper grinders, which she got as a wedding gift, and the sugar/creamer set for my dishes (the pattern is by Sango, called "Nova Blue").  And a big jar of bay leaves for no real reason. 

What spices do I keep right near the stove, you ask?  Hardy stuff that won't suffer much from the heat, like salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, and garlic salt, as well as my favorite taco seasoning that I put in just about everything.  That weird blue thing on the microwave is a salt cellar and yes, it's shaped like a pig.  I love pigs.  And salt. 

Meanwhile on the other end of the kitchen is, well, the bathroom, but the short stretch of wall next to the door is where I installed that nifty pot rack I mentioned several posts ago.  I can't resist showing it off--I felt rather brilliant when I came up with the idea.  The curtain rod and the s-hooks both came from Lowe's.

Behold, my three Cook's Essentials pans (all gifts from my mother) and my Tramontina stir-fry pan (also from Mom...come to think of it she's given me about 80% of my cookware).  The two middle pans are 10" and the one on the end is a 6", though in this perspective they all look kind of the same size.  I'm just glad they're all clean at once.  That's rare. 

Traveling clockwise round the room (I say that like there's all this room to travel in) we reach the sink corner, where my kitchen altar is located. 

Yes, my cabinets are stained pink.  I didn't do that.  My apartment complex had this idea that they'd go for a ranch theme, so the countertops are fake Texas pink granite and they stained all the "woodwork" to match.  Nothing else about the apartments--or the complex, for that matter--is ranchy, except for the giant dead cow skin hanging in the office that gives me the wiggins every time I go in there.  The whole idea kind of hideous, but I've gotten used to it after five years. 

Yes, I like blue. 

And yes, that jar says "Eye of Newt."  There are usually jelly beans in it, but I haven't refilled it in a while. 

That little white thing on the wall is a ginger grater that I just had to have but have never used, because I buy pre-grated ginger in a jar (best invention EVER, next to pre-minced garlic in a jar).  On the lower left you see the gorgeous teacup my dear friend Laurie brought me from Europe one Christmas.  The wood trivet hanging on the right was my grandmother's.

In the foreground you can see the just-baked glory of my Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon, on one of my poor worked-to-death Airbake baking sheets.  (And yes, the recipe lives up to the hype, see below)

Here's a closeup of my kitchen altar, which I recently decluttered.  Normally it has little natural objects on it like acorns, leaves, and a bowl of some form of grain as an offering.  I'm in the process of deciding what to add to it.  The little chef Witch on the left was the first thing I ever made out of polymer clay--isn't her teeny hat the cutest thing ever?  On the right is a ceramic cow, where I write down my intentions as an aspiring vegan and try to affirm them when I cook.  (It, too, needs updating.)

In front we have my Mario Batali tasting spoon--isn't it awesome?  I don't really use it much for cooking, but I love the feel of it and the odd size.  I love tiny things--tiny bowls, tiny spoons. 

Then of course there's my kitchen Goddess; I made her last Midsummer out of polymer clay, and I'm prouder of her than just about anything I've ever made.  She was also a lot of fun--rolling all those little grapes takes forever, but it's so worth it for the end result. 

Last of all we have a quick pic of last night's dinner--the aforementioned cutlets, which were easy and enjoyable to make; it was my first time cooking with vital wheat gluten, and the strings of gluten were messy and squishy.  The cutlets smelled fantastic in the oven, and while they turned out a little tough, they tasted pretty darn good, especially with ketchup!  I'm already planning my next attempt in my head, but this time using a different kind of bean, and some different seasonings.  I'm not all that fond of chickpeas--in fact I hate them in their whole state, but love hummus and falafel--so I was thinking of using my favorite bean, pintos, and adjusting the amount of gluten and bread crumbs to adjust for the softness of the legumes.  We'll see!  I'll find out today at lunch if the leftovers are as good as the original.

 

Comments

[RevAllyson]

OMG I *love* your chef Witch! She is so adorable! Your kitchen is glorious... it reminds me of the kitchen Davydd and I had, years and years ago when we were HP and HPS rather than close friends living 1000 miles apart. :)

I am in the process of putting together our farm kitchen this week. We just moved into our new house (3000 sq. ft. of lovliness) last week, and I've been learning the joys and difficulties of cooking on a wood stove. I'm Hellenic Polytheistic, so my kitchen altar will be by the stove, and dedicated to Hestia, but likely will be similar to yours. I haven't yet decided where to put it. I've thought about putting it UNDER the wood stove, but I'm not sure that's a good idea, even though it doesn't get that hot there. I like the idea of a little shelf like that, and I might steal your idea. ;)

[Quizeen]

You goddess plaque is excellent. All of the little fruits and vegetables are expertly done!

[Quizeen]

I forgot to mention, the chickpea cutlets are really good if you treat them like they're chick-n parmigiana. Toast up a a bread roll or a healthy piece of French bread, add your favorite marinara sauce and a cutlet topped with veg mozzarella (if you dig it). It's really tasty.

[Nina]

I love your kitchen. It reminds me a bit of mine. As soon as I get it looking presentable, I'll upload some photos.

I also love the kitchen witch. You really should open an Etsy store. I'd love one for my kitchen shrine!

[Rose]

Your kitchen is exactly like mine except you have two entrances. Could you post a few pictures of how you use your bar space? I know you took more pics of your kitchen about a year or so ago and posted them in your personal blog; I just have no idea how to find that post. Anyways, I would so like to see how you work with such a small space. I tend to give up on it and let it go because I wind up not liking to be in such a squished space. Help? Rose