It is satisfying to prepare tasty (and preferably healthy) food for my family and me, but it often comes down to whether I have the time, the energy and all the ingredients…and whether I have them all on the same day.
One of the incentives for me to move to “part-time” at work was the prospect of having more time and energy for cooking healthy meals for the family.
I have been trying out some new recipes.
I have also been going through the cabinets and drawers, trying to bring some order to the accumulated chaos of our kitchen.
Even when I have had time – and energy – and the ingredients, I have found the kitchen clutter to be annoying.
Today I cleaned out the drawer in the kitchen that has all the “tools” and doo-dads.
You know the one – just to the right of the stove…the one you have to dig through multiple times a day to find that specific tool you seek.
Not surprisingly, the things we use the most were more or less near the front of the drawer.
Can opener, spatula, ice cream scoop, whisk, and potato peeler.
But towards the back of the drawer and buried beneath tangled knots of gadgets, I found lots of things that we could use if we remembered we had them, as well as many tools we rarely – or never – use.
I found some of those little corn-on-the-cob-shaped skewers. We have enough of them for eight to ten people to eat corn on the cob, all at the same time. Never mind that we (family of three) probably eat corn on the cob maybe two to three times a year. Never mind that you could easily eat corn on the cob without them.
I found four sets of measuring spoons. One set had come off of its ring, so the various sized spoons were scattered throughout the drawer – mostly buried out of sight. I assume we bought at least one of the other three sets, because we couldn’t find the original ones.
I found a potato masher. I think I have used it once or twice to make mashed potatoes. But honestly, our son prefers the Hungry Jack kind, because they don’t have lumps.
I found lots of equipment for grilling out, even though our grill has been out of commission for a year or so.
There was a nutcracker, a set of chop sticks, a baggie of little plastic cake decorating tips, and special scrapers for a Pampered Chef baking dish I got rid of long ago.
Perhaps my favorite find of the day was a plastic straw with a big pair of red lips at the top. Very groovy, but I have NO idea how that came to be in our doo-dad drawer.
So, while I hope to have the time, the energy – and the ingredients – to make great meals for my family, I am not going to stress too much about having the “right” tools.
I have a hunch that most of them end up in the back of the drawer for a reason.
You can hold corn on the cob with your own fingers, and the only lips you need on your straw – are your own.
Home Among the Hills 