Kitchen Reveal

When the Kitchen Gnome and I first got married we had a very small kitchen. There was no counter space, few cabinets, no dishwasher and a very old, old gas range. The house that I was raised in didn't have counter space either...I thought that was the way things were...so naive.



Why wasn't I thinking? June Cleaver had a pristine kitchen where she prepared elaborate meals everyday and there were always cookies or cake, milk and fruit when the Beaver came home from school. She must have had space to do all of that food preparation!







Why, Margaret Anderson had coffee and sweet rolls ready every morning for her "family." She always has on two or three strands of pearls... her hair is never out of place..even at breakfast! How did she do it?






And, Donna Stone was never without an apron and oven mitt preparing meals for her husband, Alex, and children, Jeff and Mary. They must have had counter space to do all of that cooking!



My next house had cupboard space! Hurray. I had a place to put everything...or so I thought. The counter space for prepping food was more than the first house but still not a lot of space to spread out! I never knew where to set the cookie sheets when I tried to bake. Our gourmet group had just started and food prep space was quite limited when there were up to four cooks in the kitchen at one time! Still, I was able to prepare holiday meals for 30 people so it wasn't too bad...I must be having a memory lapse.....it required my commandeering ovens throughout the neighborhood!

So why am I telling you all of this....because, Penny at Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen is hosting a "Kitchen Reveal" day. Wonderful cooks do unbelievable things in their kitchens. What do those kitchens look like? How has one's kitchen changed over the years? What do you recall of a past kitchen that you had to "let go" in the kitchen you now have? What fond memories do you have a past kitchen? Penny thought it would be fun to share. She has a wonderful blog that is packed with delicious recipes. I hope you will stop by and cruise through her blog. (Take a look at the kitchens.) I know that you will find it fun.

To continue the story, when we had the opportunity to build our next house, I knew that attention was going to be given to the kitchen. We selected the house we wanted to build but the kitchen was basically non-existent. It had few cupboards and you guessed it, no prep space. How could that be, in a new home? The builder told me that the kitchen was for somebody who didn't cook...well, that made me take pause. Who doesn't cook? After much discussion, the kitchen was re-worked to have the space that I wanted.

What I want to share with you today is my kitchen island. The island was my answer to prep space! It is 9 1/2 feet long. The step in the bar comes in so handy. It shields from view the preparation that is occurring. It provides a place to put cookie sheets or other large items that need to be ready and within reach, but not in the way. Counting the island there can now be five prep stations in the kitchen.

The microwave is set in the island along with numerous cupboards and there is a wine cooler at the end of the island. There are two bar stools opposite the prep area. Flanking each end of the bar is a bookshelf that is home to numerous cookbooks and teapots. (Somewhere along the way I accumulated quite a few teapots! I think it is now called a collection!)

Gatherings of family and friends always center in the kitchen. It has been so much fun cooking in this kitchen...I find that I cook much more often!