Give me a break…
My small but functional California kitchen as I left it; natural light, gleaming stainless steel counters, simple white subway tile, and room for all sorts of possibilities.
Flashback to November 2009: It's was over two weeks since I had cooked anything. I had dinner out every single night for over 14 days in a row. At first it was really fun and I felt a complete sense freedom coming home every night; instead of cranking up the old 1940 Wedgwood range, chopping, dicing, scrapping, sautéing and cleaning, I was consulting with my daughters as to where we would all be going for dinner. We traveled the Globe in our culinary nights out and I had a good break but when that week is over I would be cooking on my new range with great expectations. The new range would cozy up beneath the first hood my well worn 1920’s kitchen had ever had, and the new refrigerator, and I couldn’t wait. It's a really long story but in a nutshell, what started as a hunt for a refrigerator turned into a mini makeover for my vintage kitchen in my nearly centenarian home. Very soon into the search, the stove, not the refrigerator, became the focus of my quest. I searched and researched, shopped and pondered all of my options while driving back and forth from one place to another looking for the best deal in town.
Finally, I made my selection. I decided on the Queen of Ranges, the object of my kitchen dreams and my appliance envy, the mother of all stoves -- The Viking Range. I convinced myself and my husband that I deserved it, and I did. I know a lot of people that have fabulous stoves and they don't cook everyday like I do. I cook and I enjoy it, really. I would put the pricey, gleaming stainless steel powerhouse to the cooking test. I would be worthy of this range and live my cooking fantasy under the spell of 60,000 BTUs of combined burner power. Flash forward…
Present Day June 2021: Since writing that post, I moved to the DC area in Alexandria, Virginia. I lost the use of my beloved range and hood, and had to learn how to cook on an electric stove. What a tough transition that was. My Virginia home is even older, from 1812, and the kitchen is in the basement, which has the benefit of staying relatively cool in the warm months. In the winter, I have been spotted cooking with a down coat on. That is not a complaint, winter inspires all sorts of cooking and baking! During my time in Virginia, we all lived through the Covid-19 pandemic, which turned even the skeptical cooks, into bread-makers, Dalgona drinkers and daily cooks. Now, after a three and a half year break from my Viking range, I’m back in my California kitchen. I miss Virginia more than I can say. If I had another daughter, I would name her Virginia so that I would be reminded daily of my wonderful time there and all the amazing friends I left behind. But, it’s good to be home and I can’t wait to get back to cooking after a few weeks off during the move back West.
Stay tuned!
