In My Kitchen

I think for a lot of people, a tiny kitchen would be a great excuse to not cook. I can hear the griping now, "there's no counter space," "I have no room for fancy kitchen tools," "I don't have a House Hunters-esque, ice-rink-sized slab of granite on which to entertain." I'm here to say, size doesn't really matter. 

My Chicago kitchen on the right and St. Louis kitchen on the left. 

Apparently I love chambray. 

When I started Carey On Lovely, I did it in a 25 square foot kitchen in Chicago. No dishwasher, only 2 drawers, no countertop spans wider than 2ft, no panini maker and the draftiest back door known to man. And in that tiny corner, I made everything from romantic newlywed meals to backyard BBQ fixings for 40. 

These days I've got more breathing room in my St. Louis loft. It's still not huge, but it's nice that the Husband can actually cook with me. There is nothing that I've done in my St. Louis kitchen that I couldn't have accomplished in my tight Chicago space. The reality is, you make do with what you have, no matter where you live. 

Still no panini maker. I'm out on "uni-taskers"in the kitchen. Unless it can do multiple jobs, it ain't coming home. And really, do you make that many toasted sandwiches?