As most of you know, I can hold my own in the kitchen. I have had the good fortune to be exposed to the art and craft of a number of very talented and gifted chefs (JM et al.), to a Parisian Cordon Bleu education by proxy (nod to GB) and to share many satisfying meals with great friends along the way (more duck fat potatoes, Carrie?). I have learned that a cook’s arsenal MUST include a good knife and with that one can create almost anything. To that I add the following: not only is a good knife imperative but a few basic pieces are a must. None of which, sadly, can be found in my current kitchen.
I am grateful that there was a “pack up kit” left for us upon our arrival -even unpacked for us, if you can imagine! It served to welcome us to this new city of ours and to soften the blow of not having our own possessions travel and arrive with us. We were allocated 6 place settings of everything (dishes, glassware, cutlery), 2 non-stick frying pans, a couple of non-stick pots (large and small) a non-stick cookie sheet and an aluminum cookie sheet that only fits in the oven with the length facing the sides rather than the traditional way and even then, the edge touches the oven door. The kit also includes among its arsenal of plastic implements 2 long serrated knives (apparently one is a slicer?) and one serrated paring knife. Most of these items come from IKEA which, I have been repeatedly told by advertisers, is Swedish for common sense. Ummmmmm OK. Apparently common sense isn’t so common.
I’m not here to play the “kitchen snob” as I am so often mockingly (yet lovingly) called by Mr. Unmentionable but merely to share my oh-so-heavy burden with you in the hopes that a bit of mirth will serve to alleviate some of the frustration that has been building these past 3 weeks. If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?
Equipped only with my sub-standard arsenal in hand, I valiantly set forth on a daily basis to create culinary delicacies of a nature that would bring tears to the eyes of Zeus, Himself. I usually hope and pray that it will turn out to be edible with the thought in the back of my mind that I do not have the option to order pizza if it all goes south. I am convinced that Zeus would rather go blind than eat some of the meals I have lovingly and miserably prepared.
Some of my more successful endeavours have been:
garlic and rosemary encrusted rack of lamb with roasted garlic potatoes
spaghetti bolognese with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella di buffalo
herbed chicken breast with salami-wrapped, blanched, baby asparagus
Some of my less successful meals have been:
rosemary chicken and potato casserole (casserole?!! what was I thinking?)
mushroom and shallot meatloaf on a baking sheet (note the state of said baking sheet)
There are no photos of these meals for very good reasons. They did not deserve to be recorded for posterity nor will they ever grace this Earth with their presence ever again. Mr. Unmentionable has been kind, encouraging and very supportive of my efforts, even heartily asking for second helpings of the meatloaf in order to spare me the pain of having to eat it as leftovers the following day. We have pasta with meat sauce and chicken breast quite frequently.
I am anticipating that the quality of our meals will improve dramatically with the arrival of my beloved knives and my All-Clad pots in every shape and size and my bakeware -oh, my bakeware. The KitchenAid will have pride of place on the island and the entire cupboard below will house cookie sheets, pans, molds and tins in every shape and size imaginable. It will be like my very own gourmet kitchen store. It took me years to build the collection and now that I am without it I know that I will appreciate each and every piece all the more.
Just think....Sauces for meat, potatoes roasting in a proper pan, home-made blintzes, borscht steaming hot and ready to eat, scones both savory and sweet, the smell of warm, freshly-baked bread wafting through the air, chocolate chip or maybe peanut butter cookies fresh out of the oven...my mouth is watering just thinking about it all.
Now, back to the problem of slicing the bacon and chopping the garlic for tonight’s simple pasta with olive oil, cracked pepper, garlic and lardons...my queendom for a sharp knife!
I am grateful that there was a “pack up kit” left for us upon our arrival -even unpacked for us, if you can imagine! It served to welcome us to this new city of ours and to soften the blow of not having our own possessions travel and arrive with us. We were allocated 6 place settings of everything (dishes, glassware, cutlery), 2 non-stick frying pans, a couple of non-stick pots (large and small) a non-stick cookie sheet and an aluminum cookie sheet that only fits in the oven with the length facing the sides rather than the traditional way and even then, the edge touches the oven door. The kit also includes among its arsenal of plastic implements 2 long serrated knives (apparently one is a slicer?) and one serrated paring knife. Most of these items come from IKEA which, I have been repeatedly told by advertisers, is Swedish for common sense. Ummmmmm OK. Apparently common sense isn’t so common.
I’m not here to play the “kitchen snob” as I am so often mockingly (yet lovingly) called by Mr. Unmentionable but merely to share my oh-so-heavy burden with you in the hopes that a bit of mirth will serve to alleviate some of the frustration that has been building these past 3 weeks. If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?
Equipped only with my sub-standard arsenal in hand, I valiantly set forth on a daily basis to create culinary delicacies of a nature that would bring tears to the eyes of Zeus, Himself. I usually hope and pray that it will turn out to be edible with the thought in the back of my mind that I do not have the option to order pizza if it all goes south. I am convinced that Zeus would rather go blind than eat some of the meals I have lovingly and miserably prepared.
Some of my more successful endeavours have been:
garlic and rosemary encrusted rack of lamb with roasted garlic potatoes
spaghetti bolognese with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella di buffalo
herbed chicken breast with salami-wrapped, blanched, baby asparagus
Some of my less successful meals have been:
rosemary chicken and potato casserole (casserole?!! what was I thinking?)
mushroom and shallot meatloaf on a baking sheet (note the state of said baking sheet)
There are no photos of these meals for very good reasons. They did not deserve to be recorded for posterity nor will they ever grace this Earth with their presence ever again. Mr. Unmentionable has been kind, encouraging and very supportive of my efforts, even heartily asking for second helpings of the meatloaf in order to spare me the pain of having to eat it as leftovers the following day. We have pasta with meat sauce and chicken breast quite frequently.
I am anticipating that the quality of our meals will improve dramatically with the arrival of my beloved knives and my All-Clad pots in every shape and size and my bakeware -oh, my bakeware. The KitchenAid will have pride of place on the island and the entire cupboard below will house cookie sheets, pans, molds and tins in every shape and size imaginable. It will be like my very own gourmet kitchen store. It took me years to build the collection and now that I am without it I know that I will appreciate each and every piece all the more.
Just think....Sauces for meat, potatoes roasting in a proper pan, home-made blintzes, borscht steaming hot and ready to eat, scones both savory and sweet, the smell of warm, freshly-baked bread wafting through the air, chocolate chip or maybe peanut butter cookies fresh out of the oven...my mouth is watering just thinking about it all.
Now, back to the problem of slicing the bacon and chopping the garlic for tonight’s simple pasta with olive oil, cracked pepper, garlic and lardons...my queendom for a sharp knife!
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