Welcome to My Cramped Kitchen

The Foodie Fashionista, The Chatty Chef and the Gadget Guru are joining forces to bring you menu ideas, product reviews and general tips on getting the most out of your tiny kitchen.

Meet Dana, Chase and Alax as they take your micro kitchen and give you maximum cuisine.

My Cramped Kitchen

Fall Cleaning

We always talk about Spring Cleaning but Fall Cleaning is just as important, especially in our tiny kitchens. The cooler weather brings out the soup pans, the roaster, more cookie baking, the darker table linens and the heftier coffee mugs.

The delicate pink lemonade glasses, the white linen table clothes, the gigantic salad bowl and the blender (for smooties and dacquaries) all fade slowly away as the chill fills the air.

Take a little time and look at what pieces and utensils you are using less as the weather changes and what things you find yourself shuffling through the back of the closets to pull out. Space is limited but move things around so that the items you need most are easiest to get to.

Yes, you may need the margarita glasses sometimes in the next few months but you will definitely need the heavy earthen soup tureen frequently. An hour in the kitchen assessing and reorganizing will save you hours of time in the coming months, hunting, searching and reaching.

Happy cleaning!

And...let us know what your favorite autumn soup is....

Back To School

Fall is in the air! Well, the thought of Fall is in the air. Time to pack lunches, have easy to make meals and tailgating.

Here is a recipe that Dana raves about and makes a great snack, appetizer or packs in a lunch box with celery sticks and carrots.

teriyaki chicken wings with sesame and cilantro

Teriyaki Sauce:
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Red pepper flake, to taste
5 garlic cloves, halved
2-inch piece fresh ginger, whacked open with the flat side of a knife

Chicken Wings:
2 dozen chicken wings, about 31/4 pounds, rinsed and patted dry
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Prepare the teriyaki sauce by combining the soy sauce, grapefruit
juice, hoisin sauce, ketchup, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, chiles,
garlic, and ginger in a pot. Bring to a slow boil and cook, stirring,
until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the chicken wings generously with salt and pepper. Lay the
chicken wings in a single layer on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes or
until the skin gets crispy. With tongs, dip the wings in the teriyaki
sauce and return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to glaze. An
impressive presentation is to serve these chicken wings family style;
arrange them on a large platter, pour the remaining sauce over them
and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro. Don't forget the wet
naps!

Dana Delish's Delightful Dips

From Dana's moderately cramped kitchen...

WOWZER....WHITE BEAN DIP

2 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
5 cloves garlic
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons (or Olive Oil Pam Spray)
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cracked red pepper flakes
12 pitas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley
in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is
coarsely chopped. Season with salt and cracked red pepper flakes, to
taste. Transfer the bean puree to a medium bowl.

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges
on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss
and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the coarse salt, and
pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in
color. Pam spray with olive oil works the best.

Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

HOORAY for HUMMUS

4 garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the
garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. I have a
microplane, and I actually think that works better to get the garlic
tiny. If you don't have one, GET ONE! It's the best kitchen tool. Add
the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until
the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled
or at room temperature.

I make the baked pita chips to serve with this too. MMM mmm goood.

International Potluck Fare

Over the past few weeks as I have discussed both the upcoming Cramped Kitchen television show and the currently running Cramped Kitchen blog one theme recurs over and over again. The simplest solution to the constraints of a mini-kitchen is eat out, order in or eat at friends' houses. (Actually those are the easiest solutions to any dilemmas relating to spending time in one's kitchen no matter the size.)

I recently spent several months nestled away in a small resort town in the Southern California Mountains. I belonged to a writers group up there and we had monthly potlucks. Some people brought a bag of chips as their "dish," others a bakery-made cake or two two-liter bottles of soda. A few people though consistently brought their "signature dish" and other party goers complained if those dishes didn't show up.

While our goal is to actually demonstrate that it is not necessary to give up on great meals made and enjoyed at home, the reality is we don't all eat at home every day so, my question is to you, "What is your favorite potluck dish to bring?"

And to keep it interesting...how about those dishes with at least a moderately international flare? And next week we'll bring the dishes back home.

Happy Cooking!

~Chase