ON VACATION..sort of

My poor, starving chickens...I know it's a hard egg to crack..it's a tough steak to cut...it's a slimy piece of baloney...it's a hard black crust on a loaf of 3-week old baguette.  Life without a new fabulous recipe here is not my idea of stuffed French toast with real maple syrup.... BUT, people, there is a reason for this.  And it begins with K and ends with n.n..n..nasty business. 

this used to be my kitchen 

                                         After the unfortunate divorce, and the fact I had to live somewhere else, my
                                                    current  "kitchen" SUCKS the big sour salami.   pa-tooey.  

this is my work space (not pictured: bowls, spices, 3 dogs, 4" of raw sewage and live chickens on the floor)

HERE ARE MY EXCUSES FOR NOT FEEDING YOU LATELY:
1)  a 5" counter "space" where there really isn't any room for a stick of butta never-mind a large goblet of whisky...well there is some room for that;  2)  a large appliance which pretends to be an electric stove-- it is so pissy and stubborn. It refuses to clean itself up and there is definitely some questionable DNA on the edges.  This repugnant gizmo often decides not to heat up for 36 minutes (minute-35, it stops pouting and starts buzzing and smoking);  3)  a good pan which I have never used since I have one (count ONE) dark, mouse-inhabited cabinet that houses an angry gang of peeling, rusty cooking vessels who bully this poor pan so it's always hiding wayyyy in the darkest, creepiest part of the cabinet - I ain't goin there; 4) a fridge which is usually filled with such old expiration dates, we're still waiting for the fridge fairy to take it all away. Oh, and there're several containers of old Thai? Indian? food and packets of leaking, colorful sauces. It's too hard to figure out what's edible, so we usually eat cold spaghetti that's on the stove still waiting to be heated up.  

You can understand why this dipped and battered has-been chef is taking a breather - but folks, I'm going to continue to power through, despite the aforementioned drawbacks  - remember there are no mistakes in cooking; it's either tasty or not.  If it's not tasty use the muck to fill in those aggravating holes in the driveway and try again!! CIAO until then!