New Loves and Old Flames

New love, spontaneous and exciting, seems to me to create an appetite for adventure and experimentation. While an old flame, tried and true, seems to me to be more steady and performance proven. Both on their own can best the other using pros and cons based on your personality and season of life, but when you're able to put them both together, that's when the real magic happens.

Many of you know I'm currently separated....from my oven. In my quest for the perfect house with the perfect kitchen, I had to leave my oven/stove behind. I am now living in a future perfect kitchen with only one large major appliance installed, the refrigerator. In this time of separation and struggle, I've found two new loves and rekindled my relationship with two old flames. And, hopefully, when I'm able to once again be reunited with my estranged oven and stove (which will then have been converted to a double wall oven and 6 burner gas cook top), I will be able to combine my new loves and old flames to make edible magic.

Please let me introduce you to my newest love, a DeLonghi 3lb capacity fryer.

This baby made short work of my weekly nugget fry. I was able to cook 2 lbs of chicken nuggets in one batch. This means I can now cook these in a monthly supply for my freezer, and it won't take me all night. I was giggling and squealing like a school girl putting this lovely appliance to the test.

I would also like to introduce you to another new love, a KitchenAid toaster oven.

I have to say that I've never really used a toaster oven before. I know, crazy, right? It's true, though. I had no idea what was possible, and have been very pleasantly surprised. So far, I've made cookies, cupcakes, toasted sandwiches, homemade pizzas and more in this handsome little addition to my home.

However, there is an old flame that had been all but forgotten in my old kitchen. Bringing him out only for pancakes once in a blue moon, I had begun to think I might need to send him on to a new home. My electric skillet, seen here cooking a new favorite stir fry recipe (which I will be posting later).

I received this as a gift for my wedding more than 9 years ago. I used it quite often then, but somehow I had forgotten over the years just how useful and dependable this little appliance could be. I've used it for almost every meal in our new house, and I have really enjoyed having more temperature control than on a gas range eye.

Another old flame that has been revived during my separation period is my crock pot (well, I have three actually, one is lost in the pyramid of boxes still in my garage). Now, I've used my crock pot much more often over the years than my electric skillet, and I would never have considered giving it away. However, it was not my go to appliance just because it takes planning to use it. No fly by the seat of your pants cooking in a crock pot. It might be more boring and predictable, but it is all the more dependable and useful when you need it. So, this post wouldn't be complete without mentioning the slow cooking dear.

I've often thought that the recipes that I try and create might come out better if I had better equipment or a bigger kitchen to work in. The truth is, you can create good food in any size kitchen with pretty much any equipment. Combine the desire to cook, a little love and creativity along with some good old fashioned hard work and perseverance, and you can make edible magic.