Cocina Chiquita/Tiny Kitchen

I live in a small house with my husband and my daughter.  The kitchen is cozy but I like it.  I often use my daughter's nap time to make an instructable.  I like using the daylight from my kitchen window to light up the pictures I take of the food I make.  There's something about the natural light that makes the food appear homey to me.  All of our family is in Arizona and I often long for that homey feeling.  

My Table
Below is a picture of the table we bought when we moved out here, along with my favorite things (which I will describe later on).  It's an old wooden thing that I bought from my neighbor for twenty bucks.  It's not leveled but a piece of folded up cardboard took care of that problem.  There are scratches and crevices but I like it.  It looks rustic and when I make instructables about Mexican food, I make sure to include a part of the table in my finished product pictures because I think it gives the food a more authentic look without having to lay out a sarape.  

My Gramma
This next shot is a picture of my Gramma from the mid-60's I think. It's her favorite picture of herself.  She's mean and tough but I'm sure living through the Great Depression made her that way.  She will be 81 this year and still works and drives.  She is in great health.  My Gramma is my inspiration for cooking.  She's my inspiration to work hard and not complain.  When I was eight years old, she decided it was time for me to do the dishes by myself.  She said by the time she was my age, she was taking care of her family's home and making dinner while her family worked in the fields of Southern California.  She turned on the hot water and stuck my hands underneath the faucet.  She said that with time I'd get used to it and it wouldn't burn anymore. Sounds harsh, I know but I'm glad she did it.  Growing up I thought my Gramma was mean, just plain old mean.  But she was mean to us and expected a lot because of the potential she saw in us, it was for our own good and I thank her til this day for her tough love.

My Metal Bowl
I love this bowl.  I use it for salsas most of the time.  I kind of "borrowed" this bowl from my Mom about 6 years ago.  I love how the edges are all scratched up and the pretty flower design painted on the inside.  I don't know where she got it but I think I've used it more times than she has (sorry Momma!).  It just looks happy and like it's asking for food.

Garlic
It's cheap, versatile and healthy.  I think I use garlic in all of my savory foods.  I didn't start cooking til later in my life, so when we lived in Northern California and the Gilroy Garlic Festival was going on I showed no interest.  I wish I would have given it a chance.  Hooray for garlic.

New Tools that I Love

My Voodoo Knife Block - My husband got me these knives for my birthday last year.  They are very sharp and makes me laugh every time I look at them.  It has a paring knife, a serrated knife, a chef knife, a slicer and a utility knife.  

Mayan Calander Apron/Dia De Los Muertos Oven Mitts - My sister in law made this apron for me for Christmas.  She said she found the Mayan Calendar on a blanket or something at a thrift store.  It also shows that the world will not end in 2012, they just ran out of space.  The oven mitts are so cute!  She made these for me as well.  They make my cooking adventures fun!


Well, that's about it.  This was fun to put together and really ponder about what it is that makes me do what I like.  Happy cooking or "i'ble-ing" everybody!