The good news is you probably won’t get the munchies when you peek into our cupboards.  The bad news is that I’m going to have to figure out what to do about lunch here pretty soon.

It’s not all bad, though.  I’ve learned to love being the chief chef in our house.  (Write that ten times!)

That’s our kitchen here in the ol’ recycled tire house.  Behind all those plastered walls are tires.  The ceiling beams are lumber killed by pine beetle.  Martin and I don’t use most of this kitchen.  Coming from a 36-square-foot space in Berlin, we just haven’t quite figured out a need for a big kitchen.

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Would your family eat the food item buried the absolute furthest and deepest in your pantry?

I think today is the day to find out!  Today’s the day for decluttering your pantry.  Three cheers if the item in the back of your pantry is chocolate!  But if it’s not chocolate, well it’s time to roll up your sleeves.  I’m taking The Decluttering Project into the pantry.

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What does your kitchen look like behind all of those cabinet doors?

Today in The Decluttering Project is all about seeing how we can spruce up the kitchen.  I’m always excited to start decluttering in the kitchen because I’m never quite sure what I will find.  Obviously I know the things that I use on a regular basis quite well.  But what about the stuff tucked behind and underneath all of that?

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Back when our kitchen was looking about like this:

Martin and I started looking for a lot of convenience foods.

We needed something that was quick to make.  It couldn’t create a lot of dishes (I was using the bathroom sink), and it couldn’t require a lot of preparation area (I only had the top of our half-sized washing machine to work on).  We ripped out the old stovetop, and then we needed to find foods that also didn’t require cooking.

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No one likes soggy lettuce, and you certainly can’t skip washing your lettuce.  Some people solve this problem with a salad spinner.  I have to admit pumping a little handle up and down can be rather fun.  We just don’t have room for a salad spinner in our kitchen no matter how often we like a little lettuce with our lunch.

Luckily I was helping a German friend in her small kitchen a couple of years ago, and she was making salad.  She pulled out a fresh dish towel and laid her freshly washed lettuce right on top.  She brought the corners into her hand like a hobo sack.

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We are so in love with you.  We feel like you are our little baby, and in many ways you are.  Never you mind that Martha Stewart’s kitchen is twice as big as our entire house.  We like you just how you are – all 36 square feet of bubbly, delicious bliss bundled all together in the tiny corner of our living room.

Remember what you looked like when we first met?  I was already trying to give you a sunny disposition with my yellow paint the moment I got the okay… and I figured out where to buy paint in Germany.

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