"And what have we got on this thing-- a Cuisinart?!" is one of my favorite quotes by Dark Helmet (played by Rick Moranis) in Mel Brook's comedic master spoof, Spaceballs. Do answer your question this time around, Lord Helmet: Yes, we do have a Cuisinart. While shopping with Mom at Costco last week, I invested in a SmartPower Duet Blender/Food Processor with chrome finish. I have elected to cook at home in lieu of foraging at the school cafeteria, as I can control what I eat (and more importantly how much). More and more of the recipes I am finding, especially soups or casseroles, call for either a food processor or a blender. I was thrilled to find an appliance that uses the same base for both! An added bonus? SMOOTHIES!
Before coming home, I stopped by the ever-so-awesome Big Apple Smoothies in White Plains. I have my high school gal pals to thank for my obsession with smoothies. My high school jalopy was a 1985 Chevy Station Wagon with no air conditioning, so stopping by Power Smoothie quickly became one of the best ways to chill out with my friends and to beat the South Florida heat. The one thing I often forget when I go to pay homage to the Smoothie Goddess is how pricey it can be for some ice, yogurt, and fruit. Summer may be much shorter in New York than it is in sunny So Flo, but battling humidity and heat waves without air conditioning can be torture. I have a hankering for a smoothie just thinking about it!
I often joke that the culinary genes skipped me-- along with the rest of the domestic goddess skill set (sewing, decorating, and fashion sense), but if you are of unfortunate few to actually try my cooking, I am sure that you may agree. While my kitchenette has the essentials, a small oven/stove, a medium sized refrigerator, and a sink. They are wedged into a 6-foot long closet side by side. I have metal cabinets above and below, but minimal workspace. My small, 4 cup coffee maker and my tea maker (an inherited percolator coffee pot sans the inner basket) take up a corner of my limited workspace, and my microwave stands on a kitchen cart (black not chrome) outside of the kitchenette proper. My storage concern escalates when I think of all the other appliances, cookware, and service items I have stored at my parents' house (that I want to schlep back to the Empire State).
I have mentioned the addition of a banquette seating arrangement for my dining room which will help with the storage of service ware (and possibly my ever growing tea stash). Appliances are trickier, but I think the under the counter cabinets may be the best if organized properly. I would prefer not having all my cooking assistants on display, especially when I entertain. I want my guests to feel relaxed, not like they are sitting in a closet. Would making a curtain to hide the metal shelving be a smart idea? I could also put a drop cloth on it to hide the microwave as well, at least when guests stop by. Often I use the top of my microwave to display my coffee mugs, but that is primarily for easy access (more so when it is hot beverage weather).
Some may think that I have seen far too many episodes of Top Chef or The Next Food Network Star, and may find this addition to my cooking arsenal premature. Back in May, a colleague and I went to the Top Chef on Tour stop in White Plains, so after eating-meeting-and-greeting with two lovely chefs, Chef Ariane Duarte (TC 5: NYC) & Chef Ashley Merriman (TC 6: Las Vegas), inspiration started planning out my personal cooking boot camp. Storage space and counter top are elusive in my apartment, so I may need to get creative in that department. I am certain that the closest my favorite celebrity judges (Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Bobby Flay, and Giada De Laurentiis) will ever get to my dining table and kitchen (read: disaster lab) will be via my TV or PC, but I wouldn't mind them dropping by to teach me a thing or two.
The Holy Grail of Kitchen Appliances-- KitchenAid's Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer (in Tangerine or Blue Willow)-- may be a while off, but a girl can dream, can't she? I blame the Top Chef Tour! They had the white one and it was so shiny!
"Ludicrous Speed! GOOOOOO!!"
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