When I first arrived in New York I lived in a tiny studio apartment which I shared with my best friend. It was horrible, by any standards but it was my first apartment and I didn't know any better. One wall was entirely mirrored and there was one bed and one couch so we took turns sleeping on the bed. I loved it.
The "kitchen" was a tiny alcove off of the studio that had zero counter space, a refrigerator that wouldn't open all the way because it hit the cabinets and a sink that was perpetually clogged. Surprisingly it had a dishwasher. A DISHWASHER. What is ironic about that is that the kitchen was so small and non-functional that it was virtually impossible to create enough dirty dishes to warrant the use of a dishwasher. I came from the Midwest where not having a dishwasher is one step up from living in a cave, so again, I didn't know to realize this isn't the norm in NYC.
Needless to say we did little to no entertaining in this apartment.
In the 8 years that followed I moved 5 times and have lived in 3 of the 5 boroughs. The living arrangements ranged from a strange, railroad set up on the Upper East Side to the top floor of a house in suburban Queens to a large, brand spanking new beautiful apartment of my very own....in the grittiest neighborhood in Harlem. I've since landed back on the UES in an old but big one bedroom. The kind of old where you can clean and scrub until your fingers bleed but the bathroom still looks dirty and there is a 25 year old tomato sauce stain on your kitchen wall that won't come off.
It was about 2 years ago that I started cooking. Seriously cooking. I made a trip home to Chicago where my mom presented me with a binder full of family favorite recipes she had typed out and arranged by type for me. Eating out (or ordering in) 7 days a week can take the toll on both the wallet and the body and in January of 2008 I resolved to take my life back through cooking. 30lbs lighter and with a nice nest egg in the bank I feel like it IS actually possible to cook, 6 days a week, all 3 meals with an occasional dinner party for 6 thrown in, all in a tiny NYC kitchen. Stick with me and I'll tell you how.
