avena sativa
• Tags: GF, kitchen
The kitchen is progressing nicely, a motzei shabbos run to Ikea, Target, and Lowes is assisting in that. We’re making inroads to clearing everything from the Main Room and setting up sensible and organized solutions. We didn’t expect to need a new coffee table, but since Nibi’s cage is no longer there… :( (*snif* but I did potentially gain yarn storage)
It’s a pleasure to cook again and use tools I had set aside because I didn’t care to cook in the old kitchen. My real knives are emerging along with the baking paraphernalia. If my cake decorating things come out to play(*) then you know I’ve settled into this kitchen.
Some of the habits E and I developed during the exile of the appliances are amusing. I keep returning to the spot behind his desk to retrieve a refrigerated item and blink perplexed when my hand can’t find the door. Then a smile emerges and I turn into the kitchen to find what I need. When the water source returns to the kitchen it will be interesting to see if we continue to walk mugs to the bathroom.
I haven’t cooked much in the new kitchen.
On Monday I gave the temporary workspace it’s last hurrah by cooking Rosemary-Orange Glazed Chicken Tofu from the cookbook The Taste of the Season. My temporary prep space was wonderful. If I kneel and put a cutting board on the toilet it’s the perfect height for chopping. I halved the recipe and was a bit zealous about the amount of yams we could eat. I ended up tossing half of one unused which pains me still. Unfortunately I did not have fresh rosemary, but the dish was still quite yummy with dried.
Thursday I made a simple corn soup with the boxed Creamy Sweet Corn Soup from Imagine. I added some canned corn and shredded cheddar to the mix. It was good but lacked a depth of flavour. I think it would be wonderful over toasted cornbread.
For Shabbat I cooked a second dish, Chicken Tofu Agrodolce from The Taste of the Season. It started off well, but with the temporary counter top (extra floor tiles) I ended up forgetting to add the pine nuts (after toasting them) and discovered that E ate all the raisins. It was a marvellous dish which I served with steamed brown rice. E enjoyed it as well as he returned to the kitchen for a second helping, and a third. I call that a success any night.
The joy of my week occurred Friday morning. On Shauna’s blog
Which brings me to another two points. We’re purging stuff we don’t really need any more. I’m also upgrading some of the tools since I use them and deserve something better than a 99¢ vegetable peeler.
1) What is the kitchen tool you cannot live without?
For me I would have to say this is my 5" chef’s knife. A few years ago I’d say it was my non-serrated paring knife, but I find the chef’s knife superior for my daily needs.
2) What tool would you splurge on if given the choice?
I’m having a hard time answering the question. I’d love quite a few things that I don’t necessarily need right now or have space for including a bread machine that does gf breads, a cuisinart… So I’ll revise this.
2a) What tool which you find yourself using every day would you splurge on?
I’m looking for a good vegetable peeler. I think I want a Y, or harp-shaped one as I tend to peel root vegetables and it appears to be best suited for that. Splurging on this item means not purchasing it from the 99¢ store.
* I highly doubt they’ll come out. Between the gluten and the sugar, I just don’t have the space to do that sort of baking.
** Rolled oats are what I was familiar with from instant oatmeal days. The groats are pre-processed and flaked to allow for easier cooking. Steel cut oats are just chopped oat groats.
*** I had a dairy allergy and this was in the days before easy access to rice or soy milk. I essentially drank baby formula until I was 6. We also didn’t have much money so maybe rice milk was available; it just wasn’t easily to find where we lived. I didn’t like the mixing of the flavors with formula and cereal, plus I didn’t like the crunch leaving my cheerios. So I ate my cereal plain.
**** What’s the difference between a real silpat and the silicone baking sheets beyond cost and that you can ? I have one of the latter [haven't used it yet] and just want to have things not stick on my baking sheets and not have to use tons of foil or spray.
Wow. You made it this far? I think I’ll have a pattern up soon of a recipe for my gift to the new kitchen. It’s a small item and I’m curious what happens when I felt it tomorrow. I like it and it’s quite useful for me. I thought I was clever in the construction of it. ;)
You should be easily able to get a good Y peeler (possibly Oxo?) from Target. I prefer the traditional ones, but a *good* one is crucial, for sure.
I loooove my 8″ chef’s knife…have not had occasion lately to use it nearly often enough. I think my favorite tool - a big one - is my stand mixer. Actually, my old one (a gift) is showing some wear, and I haven’t yet pulled out the new-to-me one (a hand-me-down but newer).
I may be baking today myself…in much the same way that my wool-loving pals cannot fathom an allergy to four-legged fibers, I weep for you that you must be GF…
Also, the kitchen looks gorgeous!
Mike has both real silpat and fake and they both seem to work fine but the real one is heavier and seems sturdier. He also favors Oxo for most of his basic prep gadgets. Their salad spinner is also handy for washing fleece. ;-)
His answer to your question, however, is his 5 quart Kitchen Aide stand mixer. It has been with us longer then our kids! Pricey but totally worth it.