Kim's Tiny Kitchen

Oven-Free

Well, everybody, G and I sold our condo and are currently at an extended stay hotel. Take a look at my tiny kitchen!

Thank you to our fab realtor, Margaret, for the beautiful orchid.

We’ve been here for six weeks now. The walls are closing in, we miss our stuff, and our patience is wearing thin. But it’s ok! We’re ok. The big prize of a new house is days away. (More on that in a future post.)

We were entertained by the French Open the last two weeks (I love any sightings of France I can get.) We just finished watching the TV series, The Americans. If anyone watched that and wants to talk about it, please comment below!

I’ve been working on my final assignments for grad school. G and I celebrated our twentieth anniversary!

Iced coffee stop, the happy couple, Edison Ford Estates, paella.

Meanwhile, I’ve tried to make delicious and creative dishes in this tiny kitchen. I have a microwave and two burners. Oh, and I packed my Instant Pot for an additional cooking source.

Rotisserie chickens are a big help. I can make Caesar salads and G’s fave chicken salad sandwiches. I make batches of rice and use leftovers for kimchi fried rice for breakfast or dinner.

With no oven, I have to adjust my vegetable cooking since roasting is my favorite way to prepare them. I have bags of broccoli, green beans, peas, and carrots in the freezer that I can steam or blanch and sauté.

The Instant Pot has been a lifesaver, letting us pretend we’re eating slow-cooked hearty meals that last for days. Batches of red beans and rice with andouille sausage and good old-fashioned sloppy Joes.

With little counter space and one knife, I did what I advise others to do. I asked the butcher to cut four pounds of pork shoulder into 2-inch cubes so I could just throw the pork into the Instant Pot with aromatics and citrus and spices. We had juicy pulled pork for nachos, burritos, and stuffed baked potatoes.

Last weekend, I made a pot of rotini pasta with Italian sausage, cremini mushrooms and yellow peppers. I used a vegetable peeler to shave some Romano cheese on top (the microplane is packed.)

Leftover green beans added for more veg!

I’m trying to remain focused and work on my writing, cook decent meals, and not eat takeout. I’m also trying to not lose my marbles. Some days I succeed, some days I do not. But really, isn’t that always the case?

Thanks for reading! I care about you. Please don’t forget to eat your greens.