My old kitchen was what we affectionately termed a Barbie kitchen. Literally the size of a dollhouse kitchen, it came complete with a mini, under-the-counter size fridge and an Easy-Bake Oven. I have no idea how I ever cooked things there — I had one square foot of counter space. Let me repeat that. ONE SQUARE FOOT. It was a galley kitchen you had to turn sideways to walk in. But I was single, so it was perfect for me. I had the unicorn of NYC real estate –a backyard — and I threw summer dinner parties and bbqs. But it came with lots of cooking complications. Like my freezer not working. And the fact that I could fit absolutely nothing in my fridge. And ONE SQUARE FOOT OF COUNTER SPACE. Can you imagine rolling out a pie crust in one square foot of counter space? Or making lasagna? Or chopping, well, anything?!? My stove was no better. I couldn’t fit a standard size roasting pan in there. I had to get itty bitty cookie sheets. The one blessing of that kitchen — it forced me to cook nearly every day. I couldn’t fit leftovers in my fridge!
Truth be told, I learned a lot about myself living and cooking on my own. I learned that I could never ever date someone who didn’t love food and who didn’t love my cooking. My husband-to-be, who I met while in that apartment, became my ultimate taste-tester and sometimes regretful guinea pig. I would venture to say he might have fallen in love with my lasagna and my cheesecakes before he fell in love with me, but he disagrees. It’s with him that I’ve finally graduated to a Big Girl Kitchen, complete with ten times the counter space of the Barbie Kitchen and a real, life-sized refrigerator and oven. I can cook whole meals in there! So here’s me, cooking my way through life, love and everything in between.
Big Girl Kitchen 