I grew up cooking with mum in a spacious kitchen; I should also mention the rule in our household was "if you cook, you don't clean up." The result was not bumping elbows and definitely not cleaning as you went. I am not a tidy chef; I have been known to dirty every pot, pan, and counter surface available to me while cooking a meal. So what happens when you take an explosive chef and move her into a cramped Upper West Side kitchen? A lot of complaining that the sink was too small, that the counters were too tiny, that the kittens get under foot! I can definitely say that I used the hot summer weather as an excuse to make a lot of sandwiches. New York's weather is getting a little more autumnal and I've been craving heartier dishes. Tonight I made chicken stew with biscuits and I cleaned as I cooked! I have to admit, it's nice to sit down to eat and know that I don't have to get up to clean.
