what lies beneath

kitchen makeover!
okay, not really. in fact, i’m kind of dismayed that despite the fact that i just spent more than 3 hours* scouring and weeding through our entire kitchen (SAYONARA, expired soy sauce! BUH-BYE, BPA-ridden plastic!), i have no fantastic before and after photos to present.

there, doesn’t that workspace look inviting?
that is because in our kitchen, the mess wasn’t so obvious. instead, it was lurking beneath an innocuous-appearing exterior. the surface may have looked clear, but the underbelly was dark and ugly. utensils jumbled in overstuffed drawers, freezer stuffed to the gills with UFOs (unidentified food objects, of course), dented cans and rancid oils just waiting to cause a case of botulism on an unsuspecting chef — really, our kitchen was a little out of control.

and while i don’t think i really appreciated it, this mess and disorder was totally blocking my culinary chi. after all, is it really fun to sift through several questionable-looking bottles of vinegar before selecting one for a homemade dressing? an enjoyable challenge to find an ingredient as basic as flour among many piled and questionably-labelled plastic bags? is it exciting to really have to worry about an avalanche every time i open several of the overflowing cabinets?

no, my friends — it is not. maybe some of you get your jollies playing cupboard roulette, but it just isn’t for me. so: despite the fact that the visuals are unimpressive, i am immensely pleased with my new (old) kitchen!

here’s what i mean: here’s a before and after shot of our major nonperishable ingredients/snack cabinet, shown side by side.

the difference is barely appreciable to the naked eye! but believe me — there is one.

hey, look what i found! i never use this. we registered for it for our wedding just because it seemed like everyone else did, but nearly 4 years later, i have yet to put it to use. um.

container cabinet, debrided of a lot of questionable plastic. also note: alphabetized spices!

a fridge devoid of expired items!? what a concept.

though my spring cleaning project has not exactly taken shape the way i planned, i’m still happy wiht the progress i have made so far! i actually feel like it’s probably better NOT to rush this and instead to do a good job . . .

(and that probably applies to almost anything)

any areas of your living quarters that make you feel ‘stuck’? and any plans to fix that? trust me, it does feel good!

* yes, i’m off for a half-day this AM! but don’t be jealous, i’m working all weekend.

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4.15.10

workout: none! i actually skipped both wednesday and thursday. i’m just going to call this a cutback week — i think i needed one, for a number of reasons.

out of our (pre-makeover) kitchen: i love that when i google this recipe, jess‘s post comes up first! here’s the book version, and jess’s link contains her adaptation of the recipe (though i am not sure how it’s possible, she doesn’t like coconut!).

i made the recipe version except that i too subbed soy sauce (tamari) for shoyu sauce, and i used a combo of thai chili paste and curry powder to sub for the curry paste. had i cleaned a day earlier, i would have seen that in fact we do have a (nonexpired, even!) jar of red curry paste in the fridge. oh well. it was still good!
served with steamed broccoli for a bright color contrast and nutritional boost.

reading: FINISHED the required 2009 prep questions! holla.