And you thought I was going to say "...in your marriage" didn't you??
Even the most perfectly designed, fully functional kitchen can feel just a bit tired at times. That's my theory. Doesn't matter how beautiful, how state-of-the-art it is, that feeling can sneak into anyone's thoughts in any kitchen, anywhere at anytime. BOREDOM!
How can we fight boredom so that our kitchens give us back new experiences, new joy? Here are some ideas on reigniting the flame of desire for our kitchens every once in awhile. A kitchen recharge may be just what the therapist ordered if you:
are cheating on your kitchen and order take-out a bit too frequently
allow disarray and disorganization to build up over time
use certain tools/small appliances until they are at death's door and barely functioning
do not use 50% of the equipment you have stored in your cabinetry
have other dysfunctional behavior not noted herein:
I strongly recommend a renewed perspective. After all, it's spring! So, here are some tips to getting things cooking in the kitchen again, literally speaking! I will say that this post was totally inspired by two Mothers' Day gifts I received: a blender and a Le Crueset oven.
1. Buy a new piece or type of cookware. As I just mentioned, I was given a gift of a Le Crueset oven for Mother's Day. After the festivities ended, I began my online research, never having had a piece and feeling like a total Le Crueset virgin, wanting to find out what is so great about it.
After my incredible, restaurant quality bistro chicken with fresh herbs and many garlic cloves last night (which ended up spread on french bread), two cookbooks were ordered and I'm ALL OVER the Le Creuset recipes. I'm SO excited about cooking in an entirely new way! If it works for me, I believe it will work for you. Buy a piece of cookware you are unfamiliar with but curious about. Very simply, your cooking experience in your kitchen will be transformed, I promise.
2. Change a meal "habit." And this one is also about my own experience. I also received a blender (a classic Mother's Day gift no doubt). For decades, my breakfast of choice has been cereal, perhaps with fruit. My life has changed as of Monday morning when I made myself a smoothie! I'm ecstatic over breakfast now! It's a change, and in my world, change is usually good. Change a habit in the kitchen surrounding a meal, and the fun begins!
3. Clean the clutter! This happens to all of us. Take a few hours and do not even attempt to restore order to the whole kitchen. Take it in pieces. Choose one or two cabinets at a time and clean them out...as if you were moving to a new home. Remove the items, clean the cabinet, consider alternative storage places for less used items and then put back the items, perhaps adding other items from another cabinet if the use is related, and arrange the items for easy access and in locations near appropriate appliances or work stations, which may snowball into moving items out of another cabinet. But, start slow, with one cabinet or one section. You will be surprised at how great it feels to have functional storage and easy access. Feels nice.
4. More about cooking - buy a new cookbook or 3! Experiment with another type of cooking or just catch up on the latest cooking trends. Read it as a novel and use it. I know it is hard to find the time, but, if one recipe is worked into the week, you know what? Dinner can become an event, and that's enjoyable.
5. Change your collections/artwork/decorative items/curtains! I've said it before and I'll say it again. I believe in change! Change is good. Change breeds creativity, excitement, fun, and more. Change something decorative. Anything. Several things. Whatever you've looked at for way too long. Move it, store it, get rid of it, but make a creative and decorative change. Bring something in from the living room that "shouldn't" be in the kitchen. Mix it up, change it up, creative something new. If you feel uncomfortable about it or are second guessing yourself, you're probably on the right track.
These are five ways, and as time goes on, I'll add more, as there are many more ways to get that old flame reignited in your kitchen! How about you? What do you do to mix things up a little?