Kitchen Contemplation Post

I started this post on 11/8/11 and then promptly forgot about it. The reason? I wanted to take photos of the galley kitchen. Since I didn't get around to that, the post just sat there, abandoned. Now that today is cloudy, I really did enjoy two days of sparkling fall sunshine! So here's what I wrote then and the rest of today will continue below:

It's a gloriously sunny fall day today (11/8/11). Kind of hard to get in the mood for a weekend of rain (supposedly) and cooking. That's my plan at least. I've spent the last couple of days rearranging the pantry, kichen cupboards and clearing the counters so I have room to work.


In a narrow galley type kitchen, there's not a lot of counter space. So every appliance left out for convenience cuts into that square footage. Problem is, the cabinetry they selected for the remodel after the last destructive tenants moved out doesn't accommodate appliances like food processor or Kitchen Aid mixer.


Add to that the microwave, toaster, jar of spaghetti (too tall for any cabinet) and crock of wooden spoons, tongs and whisk, the space becomes even more limited. This is compounded by the lowness of the upper cabinets which makes working on the counter below them quite difficult.


I'm going to Costco and Staters today. Costco so that I don't have to set foot in there around the holidays...pure torture. Staters had some excellent sale prices as well as ham shanks (only $1.99/pound). I'm also picking up one or two rotisserie chickens while at Costco. They only cost $4.99 and are quite good-sized birds, three pounds. The same birds are less than two pounds at regular grocery stores for $1-3 more.

While there I was pleasantly surprised to find a delicious marinara sauce; one of the samples they were handing out. It wasn't nearly as sweet as Prego so even if it was a rather large jar, I figure I'll divide it among a few containers and freeze it! Really tasted homemade!

Is this for me?

I'll just get a "little" closer to keep an eye on it. Marinara thieves  and all.

So here I am, about to run out and grab a few last things before the alleged rain arrives.


Tick, tick, tick...that's time passing while I was out, just in case you're wondering.


Oh sure, just got home, put groceries away and checked my email (was expecting a reply on something)  only to discover that our "storm" had been downgraded from 60% chance of rain tomorrow to 40% at night and Saturday down to 20%. I knew this would happen. Darn!


Oh well, it's still going to be cloudy with temperatures in the mid-60's F (18C) so I'll just pretend it's raining and go on with what I planned. Stews and baking loom large in my near future :)  Have some fresh Granny Smith apples to make a tart from plus chicken and smoked ham shank in the wings. I picked the yarn I want to use for my new pair of fingerless gloves so now I can finalize my design. More later, but for now, it's all good!