Doubled, then.

A frozen-food person. To that end, I made two sour cream apple pies and two butternut squash lasagnas, one (of each) to eat, and one to freeze. I wish I had had the wherewithal to take photos of the lasagnas but I was In Crisis most of the time because the kitchen is so small and there was literally not enough room to put all of the bowls and pots and pans and sheet pans and baking dishes I needed to make two lasagnas on the counter. After the one went into the oven, and the other one went into the downstairs freezer, and the kitchen got cleaned by Andy, and then the one came out of the oven, I was too lazy/busy being In Recovery in the living room to actually get off the chaise lounge thing and take a picture of it. "It was delicious!" is all I have to offer you for that one. Being a frozen-food person is a lot of work. Maybe not twice as much, exactly, but I don't know. The kitchen I have, I now realize, is not built for the double batch. It was built for teeny-tiny little 1920s flapper people. I like a challenge, though. I'll keep trying. At least there's pie.

Comments

[Sylvia]

Planning ahead is always a mental challenge in my book. I am such a spur of the moment type. What I do like is shopping the sales and planning my meals accordingly. I also love using my crockpot. I always feel like I have staff if I use it. Especially when coupled with my bread machine set on timer! Coming in late in the day and smelling a pot roast AND fresh baked bread is the best end of a busy day I know. In my freezer I keep bags of frozen veggies and fruit and berries. I always somehow feel prepared if I have those things on hand. You go girl with the freezer thing. Lazy days are ahead.

[Patty]

Oh my goodness the pie looks delicious and the lasagna sounds delicious! Do you plan to share the recipes? Or did I miss them somewhere?!

[Melissa L.]

I hear you on the "flapper kitchen": suitable mostly for producing hors d'oeurves and scrambled eggs and coffee. Not all at the same meal though.

I'm making your blueberry cake again today :-)

[Patty]

Oh my goodness...I found the recipes!

[Sue]

They both look delicious; just printed them out...Thanks!

[Ana Conceicao]

Hello,
I wanted to let you know I was recently in Portland and took your advice on fabric stores to visit, from one of your previous posts. I loved the stores out there and what they had to offer. The whole city was beautiful, and if we did not have our whole lives on the East Coast, Portland it would be! Thank you for your lovely blog posts and the advice on where to go while there! -Ana

[Sara]

"...teeny-tiny little 1920s flapper people," LOL I love it!

[Julia]

Oh, that pie looks so yummy and the lasagna sounds delicious! I adore your little kitchen...it's perfect! Happy weekend!!

[Jannette]

I love your photos, I am always excited when I see a new post that is full of pictures. Your lighting is always beautiful. My husband is the photographer in our family. I have good ideas but my execution is not so good.

[Rachel]

This post really made me giggle. I love your stream of consciousness writing style. Brill xxx Love from the UK xx

[Wendy Ward]

I gather it's all in the planning and of course if you are a frozen food person then I think the planning comes easily- I am not and I am still getting my head around living on a farm 1/2 drive away from grocery shops and using my freezer to its best ahh well . loved the photo of the apple peeler we used to use one in the preschool I worked at to get the kids interested in eating their apples great fun watching them turn the handle :)

[Tracy]

I have the same amount of counter space you have, and the same problem with not having the room to cook. Ah, old houses. I love my house, but oh, how I envy my friends who have huge kitchen islands.

[Becky Hicks (messyhead)]

Oh, my! Your flapper's 20's kitchen reminds me of one of my favorite cookbooks. It's 'A Thousand ways to Please a Husband' Written in 1917 by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles Le Cron, it is a hilarious and dear cookbook/first year of marriage diary. The know-it-all new bride is Bettina. She takes perfect care of her guy, Bob, and perfect care of her little home, all her friends, relations and her emergency shelf. Sound awful? It's not. It's absolutely delightful. So many things to set right in her world! So many meals! So many exclamation marks! Dare you not to read little snippets of it out loud to Andy in your best Bettina imitation.

[Cathy]

Like Zarah above, I think that making a pie and lasagna at the same time would tax even a large kitchen. If you just make more of whatever you are making for dinner that night and freeze it you will be able to pace yourself and it won't seem like so much work. You could also try freezing just the components. Several pie crusts for example or the lasagna components. As a volunteer for a nutrition program with cooking classes, we mixed up the dry ingredients for muffins to keep in the freezer. It was very easy and quick to scoop out a batch worth at a time. You are doing something most people struggle with, making a change in your kitchen routine. You will learn how to be more efficient with practice. You do everything else so well that I am sure you will be successful.

[Gaile]

The pie looks delicious! I try to double batch things in the fall only because the food is a littler heartier overall, and I love the way the house smells when there is soup simmering or bread baking. It's work, but you'll appreciate it so much more when that frozen lasagne is heating in the oven some rainy day and you are firmly ensconced on the couch, under a quilt, knitting or stitching away.

[amy rene]

my apple peeler corer slicer (i just love saying that) is one of my favorite tools. thank you for another reason to put it to good use! and the lasagna sounds perfect for early fall- even without a photo. :)

[dawn]

yum, yum and YUM... i see you have been a busy bee, not just in the kitchen but on here too...new banner and updated side bars...no wonder you preferred to not get up from the chaise...wishing you a restful and happy week-end!

[Magickwyrds]

That has GOT to be the cleanest, tidiest, most beautifullest In Crises kitchen I have ever seen- the lighting is just perfect! Thanks for sharing :)

[Robin]

Looks so good. Lay on that chaise and have a slice. You earned it! :o)

[Leisl]

Ahh - your kitchen reminds me so much of mine, space-wise. You don't wanna know how many times I've screamed at the family (whilst juggling all those pots, pans etc) "Clear the table! I need it now, like, STAT!"

[jenny holiday]

Ohhh it's THE Posie Sour Cream Apple Pie!! :) Fall has officially arrived! This recipe has been one of our all time faves since first learning of it (from you) back in 07! :)

Wishing you guys a fabulous Fall!!

Love from the NJ Shore!
xo Jenny...and Aaron

[JoEllen]

I'm shaking my head -- oh how I do understand about your smaller kitchen! My is so much the same way -- but I think even smaller because whenever I make a dinner it looks like a disaster hit! I only have 1 counter and my treasured farm house sink -- never will I part with that even though I would have more space. Mine looks just like yours and I know you must feel the same way about it. But, the finished pie and lasagna(imagine) looks delicious and worth the extra work. I freeze not only a dinner but every little bit of stuff leftover in case it is needed later (that sounds a lot like my reasoning for hoarding material!) Have a good rest -- you deserve it -- and bless you Andy for cleaning up!

[Tanya]

YUMMY! Feel free to bring some over to my house

xoxo,
T
A Taste of T

[Lynn]

I am a freezer person but sometimes the prep is too much. One thing I do that is super easy and not very messy is to:

Cut up tons of celery, onions and carrots for mirepoix and saute,
Add chopped garlic near the end of the saute,
Have a separate frying pan going with just onions,
Add kosher salt and pepper,
Cool the mixtures and divide into freezer safe containers.

I end up with the starters for soups, stews, quiche, etc and dinner is a snap.

[mary]

maybe you have one or maybe this has been addressed, don't have time to read all through the comments. Do you have room for a rolling kitchen island thingy? I know IKEA sells some and there are some cute ones out there I have seen on the internet because my kitchen so teeny weeny I would benefit from one I can push out of the way until needed so have been looking. Yet we make do, don't we?! Even my kitchen can barely fit two people at one time I have made an entire - and delicious - thanksgiving dinner in it without having to sacrifice a single favorite dish!