LOL! I have found a "soul sister"!!!
Hey, there, AntiJen. (I am awake for some unknown reason and have enjoyed reading an ENTIRE USO CANTEEN thread - a rare luxury for moi lately!!!!)
Have much to say re: the topics on this Sunday ed. of USO Canteen but your words made me laugh.
I must make the biggest messes when I cook!
It's like just to fix the simplest dishes, my kitchen looks like tornado alley with every possible dish, pot, utensil, spice bottles, refrigerated items, non refrigerated ingredients, scattered over and across every inch of "open" kitchen counter, oventop, tabletop, and kitchen space!
(maybe one of our graphics wizards could do a pic??)
If the USO Canteen put me in charge of the kitchen, our military beloveds who come to visit would have to wait for the fixings so long, they'd probably get up and leave!!!
And, then, the cleanup from what paltry mess of food was produced from "my kitchen" would last well into the prep time for the next meal ..... to where everybody in the kitchen would just give up and order Kentucky Fried Chicken instead!!!!
(which reminds me - the best thing to make for dinner at our house is - usually - RESERVATIONS!)
:-) But, not to worry, gratefully the USO Canteen is amply supplied with fantastic cooks who seem to have a way to fix good food without making a shambles of the kitchen in the process!
It was always such a hassle to crank out gourmet dishes when earlier I had a family with three children and 5 schedules to maintain, working full time.
Those last 15 work years, I rose at 0415 every work day (0500-0600 on days off) and stayed up until after the 11 o'clock news.
Driving 20 miles to work each way and stopping to shop for food cut into time to relax, and get ready for the next day.
I preferred to have deck time in my lovely woods in the evening to slaving over a hot stove..:)))
When I had to retire, I threw out any semblance of s-c-h-e-d-u-l-e!!
Now I flow like a slow, steady river through the years..:)))
YOU BET! hahahahaha Yes, FWI, I think we definitely are soul sisters! Welcome to the Canteen! Stick around. Do you like to dance? There are lots of really cute lurkers who love to dance with the Canteen Gurlz. I usually make my contributions to the operation of the Canteen on the dance floor or in the DJ booth - instead of the KITCHEN!
But, I'm enjoying my new adventure with my Bake Shop. It gives me an opportunity to make good use of Skwerl meat, which I have in abundance, but that's another story... ;-)
{{{NHH}}} Jen
NHH = non-homo hug