Coping without a kitchen

Sarah says that since her name is on the blog, this isn't a guest post.  However, considering the fact that I have written all the rest of the entries, I'm calling it a guest post. :)

- Josh

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While Josh has excelled at being a Kitchen Remodel Rock Star of Epic Proportions (KRRSEP for all you acronym lovers) I’ve been doing a lot of behind the scenes improvising as far as our food preparations go. I’m someone who needs to have everything in its place. I don’t need professional help or anything – I’m just your garden variety neurotic who needs some semblance of order. During our first weekend sans functional kitchen I had a mild mental breakdown after a day or so of losing spatulas and having to wash pans in the bathroom sink. Since that weekend, though, things have been much better. That Sarah that is bothered by upheaval is now locked in a closet in the back of my head and she’s not allowed to come out until this kitchen is done. I’ve left a window cracked in there, she’ll be fine.

Since then I’ve adapted. My “kitchen” consists of a buffet table with a microwave, toaster oven and a one-burner hot plate. On the shelf below that I have various kitchen basics. I stored everything I don’t need to keep things simple (neurotic, remember?) I’m in the habit of regularly planning our weekly meals in advance and this habit has most definitely made things easier now that I don’t have a full kitchen. I’ve had to forgo multiple pot/pan recipes and stick to simpler things like chicken on the grill with some rice or a salad. Easy stuff. Eating out is tempting but it just adds more dollar signs to the project as a whole.

If you’re planning a kitchen remodel and want to avoid frequently eating out, I suggest cooking and freezing simple meals ahead of time. I made things like soups and stews that I could defrost quickly and heat up in one pot. One tip regarding cooking ahead of time: Don’t accidentally leave unplugged the chest freezer in your basement that you’ve stored all this lovely pre-made food in. This oversight significantly eats into your food stores, quickly fills your garbage can, and turns you eleven shades of cranky in the process. True story.

I’ve moved my dish washing to our basement sink. I keep a large dishwashing tub upstairs that we put dirty dishes in and another tub downstairs that I transfer the clean ones into. In the interest of cultivating my ever present laziness, I began taking the dirty dishes to the basement with me when I go down to walk on our treadmill, thus saving me a trip up and down stairs. When I use the treadmill I have to unplug our chest freezer or I’ll trip the breaker. An unpleasant side effect to doing the dishes right after you walk is forgetting to plug your chest freezer back in. That may answer some questions that the previous paragraph might have posed. You’re welcome.

This is all small compared to all the work that Josh has done but keeping us fed is pretty high on the priority list. I help where I can (demolition for example) but until we start the drywall there’s not much I can do. I’ve currently been assisting by exercising our Netflix streaming account. Those episodes of Doctor Who and Sherlock aren’t going to watch themselves.