Monday, August 7, 2017

AROUND THE KITCHEN TABLE: CHAOS IN THE KITCHEN #GIVEAWAY


Welcome to Around the Kitchen Table, our monthly chinwag!  We look forward to the conversation with you today (and always).  Be sure to leave a comment today and you may win this terrific Mystery Lovers Kitchen tote bag.  Be lucky and have fun!

VICTORIA ABBOTT aka Mary Jane Maffini: My husband mentioned recently (in the kindest possible way) that when I cook, it's as though there's been an explosion in the kitchen. I would have taken great offense if a) it wasn't true some of the time and b) he didn't always volunteer to do the clean up.  He added, "It's mostly when you bake."




The evidence was clear.

I do my best to be neat, line up the ingredients in the order of use and put each one away when it's been added.  But all it takes it a few extra visiting dogs or hot and cold running relatives or (shudder) CNN blaring in the background and all is lost.  Until the clean-up crew, that is.  Except for the time there was tea on the ceiling.

For some reason, my hubby and my brother are both creative but neat cooks.  Me, not so much.

Of course, we're almost always happy with the results and the kitchen does recover whether I do it or he does.  Still, I dream of a neater future.

So what about you? Or you precise and disciplined? Or more like these exploding stars? Do you pick some dishes because they don't make a mess?  Pull up a chair and share your tips and your foibles. That's what we do around the kitchen table.

Leave  a comment and you may be the winner of TOO HOT TO HANDLE: a Fiona Silk mystery in which there's lots of chaos in the kitchen.  Be very afraid! 



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From DarylMy kitchen is often a mess when I cook.  I do my best to keep it tidy but I simply can't. I stack things
The BEFORE picture!  HA!
up. I set them in the right order. And still I feel crowded. I've got the cutting board here, the mixing bowl there. I recall a lovely disaster at Thanksgiving--our first year in our new house in Los Angeles--and I wasn't comfortable with the oven and stove and the layout. It takes time to do the dance, you know?  Anyway, my stepdaughter wanted to learn to make mashed potatoes. With all 14 of the family hovering in the kitchen!!!  I got distracted. The pot of boiling milk and potatoes boiled over. What a mess! Plus I dropped a tray of stuffing on the floor. My nephew laughed his head off!  Rarely do they see me flustered, but that night - oy!



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Linda here:
 I like to think of myself as being neat, tidy and well-organized. Okay, I like to think a lot of things about myself but a lot of it isn't true--sexy, svelte, super smart...you get the picture. So, this question that Victoria poses is very disturbing. I have to 'fess up and come clean, because it's a sure thing my kitchen counters won't be after a cooking session. And don't get me started on baking because that's when the flour settles like that fine coating of dust when drywall is being erected. I actually start out on the right track. I try to pre-measure or slice and dice everything possible so those dishes can be stacked out of sight in the sink or maybe even washed and dried. It's when the nitty-gritty starts and the clock is ticking that my cleaning karma disappears. I like to believe that my problem is not enough counter space but that's not going to change, so I better change me. Start with all un-essentials cleared away; stick to the allotted space; do only one thing at a time (a biggy for me to change); and, then proceed in an orderly progression through the directions. Easy, right? So what goes wrong?




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From SheilaI'm just back from Ireland, where my kitchen is about the same size as the one I had in my first apartment a very long time ago. A stove (or cooker) and a shiny new stainless steel sink eat up about half the counter space, and a microwave claimed the corner. So I have to think very strategically about what needs to be chopped and ready to go into a dish, and I definitely have to clean up as I work, and put things away (in the teeny-tiny refrigerator). The stovetop has flat electric burners, so I have to be careful about putting anything down on them because you can't tell if they're still hot. And I still haven't figured out how recycling works over there. Yes, there is recycling--that's the good news--but in which categories? And I swear my handyman said something about tossing the biological (food) by-products out into the back yard for the local animals. I'm not sure whether he was kidding. I did make an effort to hang up as many cooking items as possible, but it's still a challenge.



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the compost pile last night after soup-making

LUCY BURDETTE: Hmmm, I bet my hub would disagree on this, as he's usually the clean-up batter--but I try to be neat! But cooking can be a lot of work, right? Especially if you're using a food processor and a chopping board and more than one pan at a time, which is usually the case. And tasting and photographing...good heavens, that's what sous-chefs are for, isn't it MJ?



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PEG COCHRAN:  I find that my mess tends to expand depending on the space available to me. In my first house, the kitchen was small and the counter space limited. But then we moved and I had a much bigger kitchen and more counter space and my mess expanded like my stomach after Thanksgiving dinner. Speaking of Thanksgiving dinner...that one meal creates more mess than anything else I cook all year. Pots, pots, pots absolutely everywhere. Every single serving dish soaking in the sink, every kitchen utensil spread around the counter. It makes me shudder just to think about it!



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LESLIE BUDEWITZ: I'm definitely a clean-as-you-go cook. Fortunately, so is Mr. Right, since we often cook together in a small kitchen with one sink. No doubt my tendency toward kitchen tidiness came from my mother, a woman with a strong innate desire for order! Since I've been part of MLK, photographing recipes as I cook, I've returned to her habit of getting out all the ingredients before any chopping or mixing. And with the exception of the lovely farmhouse I lived in for 8 years, remodeling as I went along, I've always had a small kitchen. 

But I will admit one foible that leads to extra dishes: When a salad, a vegetable dish, or a casserole involves a lot of ingredients to be mixed together, I consistently fail to properly estimate the size of bowl needed. I might switch bowls, or pots, twice to get the right one. Happily, we share the dishwashing, too!




CLEO COYLE: We have a New York City kitchen (yep, tiny!) but we love to cook, so Marc and I learned the hard way to clean as we go. Not that a mountain of mess isn't possible on a busy day, it just leaves us with zero counter space and pots and pans piled high as the Empire State building. 


Coffeehouse Mystery #1
Click here to learn more.
Truth is, our situation inspired us to write a similar one for our characters in our first Coffeehouse Mystery, On What Grounds. Our amateur sleuth, Clare, also has a compact New York kitchen. When she attempts to fix a special dinner for her young adult daughter and the girl's new boyfriend, her ex-husband insists on "helping." The result is a little crazy and a little comical. But you have to have a sense of humor when you measure counter space by inches instead of feet. Happy cooking, everyone. May your servings be big and your mess be small! Love, Cleo




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KRISTA DAVIS: I'm so glad that I'm not the only one. But Mary Jane, I truly can't recall anything landing on the ceiling! I have a bad habit of forgetting about rice, which means it boils over. It's not so much that I forget, but I walk away to write and my mind is elsewhere. I now keep a timer on my desk to remind me that I need to check on it.

You never know who might be in the kitchen sink!
I try to be organized but somehow everything spreads. And countless other items land on my kitchen island adding to the clutter. All the vitamins and jars of dog cookies, for instance. Right now there are seven giant yellow squashes taking up a lot of real estate on the counter.

Unless it's something that needs to be rolled out (let's not even mention huge quantities of Christmas cookies—oy!), I'm least messy when baking. I learned a long time ago to put out an old dinner plate, a large spoon and a knife. That gives me a place for the paper that wraps the butter, eggshells, and all kinds of utensils that need to be washed, and keeps me from running around the kitchen for every little thing.

One of my very favorite cakes is Dobostorte. It's seven layers and a labor of love, so I don't bake it often. But those seven layers require a lot of room!


Don't forget to leave  a comment! You may be the winner of TOO HOT TO HANDLE: a Fiona Silk mystery in which there's lots of chaos in the kitchen.  Be very afraid!  
(PS remember to leave your email address so we can contact you if you win.)

95 comments:

  1. I'd definitely love to win Too Hot To Handle. Thank you for this fun conversation post and for hosting the giveaway! EMS591@aol.com

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  2. Thank you for the chance, the book sounds so good :)
    jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

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  3. I am just like Leslie Budewitz on cooking. It drives my husband crazy that I clean while I cook because he's the opposite! I think his goal is to use every utensil, pot, and pan we own! ericaplee@yahoo.com

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    1. Oh, too funny, Erica! I think a lot of women would say the same about their husbands!

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  4. I try to be neat but it's impossible with my mixer. It likes to spew flour.

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    1. Mine, too. I need one with a bigger bowl. Or I need to be more careful about speeds and what goes in when...

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    2. My food processor likes to spread flour all around it when I turn it on. You'd think I would have learned to lean on it by now before I turn it on.

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    3. They learn it in mixer and food processor school!

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  5. I try to clean as I cook but when I bake I tend to be messy. I usually end up wearing some of the flour. The end result is good eating so it's all good.
    My husband on the other hand is a messy cook lol. Thanks for the giveaway and fun discussion. lhxp73@yahoo.com

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  6. I'm a clean up as I go person, mostly because I tend to need to reuse implements. My DSU tends to be the dishwasher once I'm done (truly a blessing) but not while I'm in the midst of things. Also, if one makes rice in a double boiler, it can't boil over.
    Just saying . . .


    pjcoldren@tm.net

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    1. I started making rice in my microwave years ago. Yes, it usually overflows (I put a paper towel under it now), but I've never had it burn.

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  7. It was fun reading all your cooking adventures, lol. I personally didn't like cooking till daughter and I started using our silicone/glass bakeware (aka bon COOK) Makes it a game now to use interesting shapes or molds etc. I usually just pile all the prep stuff in the dishwasher and let it work then bon COOK is easy to wash by hand if needed, LOL! I would love to win anything, the bag or book whichever! barbie17(at)gmail(dot)com

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  8. I would love to win! I try to have all my ingredients set out, particularly if I am baking. Then when I pop my dish in the oven, I immediately put everything back up. That helps. For Thanksgiving, I try to do as many things as possible a day or so ahead, so all I have are serving dishes.

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  9. I constantly moan about the fact that my kitchen is too small. I think a bigger kitchen would help me to be more organized but I am probably kidding myself. I TRY to clean as I go, but it just doesn't happen! Email: field.amy@gmail.com

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  10. My kitchen is a mess when I cook. Part of the problem is the recipe always seems to be on another counter and the bowl and ingredients in two other places.I have a large kitchen, but the more space I have the more space I need.

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    1. I believe that things move around during cooking adventures. Especially recipes.

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  11. Leslie, my grandmother wasn't much of a cook (her last kitchen had literally been a closet before she remodeled--it had a two burner stove and a sink that was about a foot square. But if she was in my mother's or my kitchen, she'd almost snatch used cookware or plates from our hands to wash them immediately. I did not inherit that gene.

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    1. Me, neither! One year at Thanksgiving, my SIL had the "extra" mashed potatoes packed up and ready for those who wanted leftovers before I'd dished up any "firsts"! I always think a meal should take as long to eat as it does to cook, unless a turkey is involved!

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  12. I tend to be a bit messy in the kitchen most times, but lately I've been trying to clean up as I work. Thanks for the chance to win! mcastor07(at)gmail(dot)com.

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  13. I don't have a lot of counter space so I have to be organized when I cook. I usually do all the prep like chopping first. That way I can clean up from that before I cook the actual dish.

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    1. A great trick. Mr. Right and I tend to be the sous chef for each other. If it's his dish, I fetch, chop, and clean, and vice versa. Of course, some dishes require two choppers!

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    2. My husband and I can't work in a kitchen together--he gets too distracted. Me, I've found a kind of zen pleasure in chopping things. Anyway, he's messier than I am.

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  14. Forgot my email address
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

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  15. definitely a clean as you go person - due to lack of space
    jane
    jcook22@yahoo.com

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  16. I have to keep things organized or I forget what I'm doing. jazzystar@cox.net

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  17. I keep things organized and neat. Thanks for this lovely giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  18. Loved this! I learned from my Gram early on. You set out what you need. Put away as you go. I appreciate the chance to get "Too Hot to Handle". Della at deepotter (at) peoplepc (dot) com

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  19. My father's theory was, "If you got it dirty, wash it."
    Nice idea except when it doesn't work.

    My husband likes to tell the story of his mother's kitchen disaster with the pressure cooker. She was making spinach (why you'd need a pressure cooker for frozen spinach I do not know) and the pot exploded. There were remains of the green spinach on the ceiling for years!
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    1. Libby - That spinach story is hilarious. I recall a tomato sauce stain on our ceiling of a similar length of time!

      ~ Cleo

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    2. I love this story, Libby! At last someone else got something on the ceiling. Pressure washers should be in fiction more often.

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  20. I'm totally a clean-as-I-go. My mom trained that into me. My one big exception is the stew or chili pot -- that sucker can just sit and soak and contemplate its burnt on bits.
    Thanks for the chuckle and the opportunity rbehling1916(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  21. I try to clean up as I cook and bake since I prefer it neat. Thanks for this great post. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  22. I think that I am a little of both -- once I know I am through with a measuring cup, spoon or bowl, that will go in the sink, waiting to be washed. I keep a paper towel on the counter for measuring spoons and cups I will use again (butter too). But I guess this mostly applies to baking.

    As for food on the ceiling, once my mother-in-law dropped an open can of tomato sauce on the floor, and it landed upright and send the sauce flying everywhere -- including the ceiling and into her very elaborate hair up-do. I don't remember how they got the sauce off of the ceiling, but it was a popcorn ceiling, so it must not have been easy!

    Thanks so much for all of your stories and the giveaway! bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net

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    1. OMG! I love that story! Especially the up-do. I can just see it!

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    2. Ohmygosh, I can see each of us putting some variation of this story in a future book -- love it, Celia!

      My mother loved Pillsbury rolls in the can. When I was a teenager, we were unloading the groceries and one of us dropped the can. The rolls flew all over and started to rise, so as soon as we stopped laughing -- or maybe before, we laughed so long -- we had to bake them. The memory still makes us laugh!

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  23. Hubby does most of the cooking -- well, really, all of the cooking -- but not the baking. He does NOT clean as he goes; he doesn't even 'put away when he cooks. 2 hours after breakfast, the carton of eggs, and the bacon package or whatever, is still sitting on the counter. And there is never any counter space, because if it is not pans, utincils, spices, or even sliced cheese wrappers, it is his bottles of Rx pills.
    I also do not clean/wash as I go, but I do put things back in frig, or in pantry.

    donna (dot) durnell (at) sbcglobal (dot) net

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    1. Sounds like mine. I always want to ask, "hey, you think your mother is going to come along and clean up after you?" His mother was what you'd expect from a 1950s stay-at-home mom, and apparently made housework invisible to her son.

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  24. I gather all ingredients and then put away the containers as I use them. Can you tell I have forgotten things in the past? Bobbipad at gmail dot com

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  25. Oh, Krista! I learned long ago not to write while I'm cooking, unless I set both the oven timer and the portable timer I often keep on my desk. Great tip to put out a plate, spoon, and knife to catch all the stray spatulas and messy measuring cups that multiply during a big bake!

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    1. For a while I had a (non-electronic) timer that came with a cord so you could wear it around the house.

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    2. That might be just what I need, Sheila!

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  26. For cooking i tend to stay organized and clean as I go. For baking disassemble everything I need and move items from left to right when they've been added to avoid errors. The challenge is mixing, rolling dough, etc when it isn't unusual to have flour spray of dust on the counter, table or floor (especially if our Granddaughter is assisting). If I can keep her clothing clean it is a success!! servedogmomAT yahooDOTcom

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  27. I loved reading your cooking, cleaning or chaos in the kitchen. I have good space, but way too many crocks full of cooking utensils and pots and pans. Would love the book. lkrussell127@gmail.com

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  28. I'm the cleaner upper. My hubby is the chef in our family. I get to clean up the mess. He uses every pot and pan he can find.
    jhdwayne(at)peoplepc(dot)com

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  29. Before we remodeled our house and added on to the kitchen, I had 24" of usable counter space. I was forced to clean as I cooked, or there would be no room for the dishes or anything else.

    So I got into that habit, and still do it, even 18 years later. It's an especially good way to keep the kitchen tidier when company is coming for dinner, because everyone always wants to hang out in the kitchen, right? Since that's one of the reasons I designed it that way, I can cook and clean while still being part of the conversation.

    k maslowski at fuse dot net And thanks!

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    1. Karen - Such a great truth. The kitchen is where the action is! (At least in my experience!)

      ~ Cleo

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  30. I am a person that when I cook I used to be messy then clean up but when I had to clean up after my daughter I decided to go slow and clean up as I go. I am disabled so I don't get to cook that much usually my husband does it but I try to get there first as I want to do it when he cooks it is like pig pen came thru as it is just a mess but the final product is usually good. His only problem is he stresses if he has too many things to do in the kitchen that is when i get to go in and bail him out. ptclayton2@aol.com

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    1. PT - You're a sweetheart to bail him out! xoxo - Cleo

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  31. I'm glad I'm not the only one who tends to create a mess when cooking. I am also cursed with limited counter space so I use that as my excuse. Thanks for the chance to win the book! cking78503(at)aol(dot)com

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  32. I clean as I go. my husband waits to the end- drives me crazy.

    Kckendler at gmail dot com

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  33. The world is so lucky I didn't go into brain surgery or interior decorating. Like Leslie, I don't have that 3D eye to tell me what size bowl I am going to need. It looks as if I have invited the 3 bears to lunch.

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    1. Ellicia, I'm going to use that line about the 3 bears -- thanks!

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  34. Remember the white tornado that would swirl through your house and clean the mess? It has never made an appearance in my house. I am a messy cook and unfortunately I have to clean up after myself. Somewhere I got the klutz gene. I was cooking onion and zucchini a couple of nights ago for a pie. All I needed to do was add herbs and seasonings. How can the unused hanging measuring spoons catch on something so half the oregano lands in the pot and the other half hits the stove? To join some of the chopped onion in the burner, I might add. And then I did it again with garlic powder.
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

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    1. LOL! Sounds like something I would do. I always think of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie. Oh, to be able to twitch my nose and watch everything fly into place!

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  35. I am a relatively tidy cook. Had learned to cook in something the size of a galley kitchen. I cut the vegetables or fruit first, going from the least smelly and least juicy to the most. The cut, diced/chopped produce, go into a large rectangular tupperware (or smaller ones if they cannot be mixed or need to remain separate for some reason) and the relevant item is added to the pot/mixing bowl, when needed. Cooking board is rinsed or washed and then I work on the meat. Latter is then placed directly in a heated pan if needs searing or placed in another tupperware to await correct timing of cooking it. Cuttingboard is then washed and placed in the draining rack. Spices and herbs are measured out over a small plate and deposited on said plate to add during relevant time. The great thing about this is that the tupperware can be covered by the lids and stacked, so that and the plate with herbs/spices does not take much footprint on my counter. However, I am currently stymied by cooking for three generations in the household and am having trouble controlling number of pots used. MIL prefers heavily salted food and says that if it is not added during cook time it is not tasty enough, husband is not on high blood pressure meds but may need to be if we are not able to control the situation with diet (decreasing salt intake), my son has been a vegan for a few years and is staying with us this summer. I wash pots and mixing bowls as I go. Love them all but am getting a bad case of dishpan hands even with their clean-up assistance.
    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

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    1. wow that's a disparate house full Lil! good luck getting salt down:)

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  36. I try to be neat and efficient in the kitchen, but the clean up afterwards sometimes takes awhile. I love the finished product and love when the kitchen smells good - but washing the dishes doesn't always happen in a timely manner!

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    1. Lori - On the washing of the dishes, I can relate. Marc and I take turns; and, every so often, when we cook and eat late (shhh), we put dirty dishes in the cold oven and clean them in the morning!

      ~ Cleo

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  37. I have a tiny little kitchen, and it never fails that my husband tries to put dishes away while I'm cooking! I'm not knocking his help, but I'm talking small! We've actually learned a little dance of sorts to accommodate the two of us in there! And i do try to be tidy, but it's a stretch!

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    1. Florence - That "little dance" sounds adorable. (Marc and I have worked out the you-go-that-way, I go this way, too, and, yes, music helps!)

      ~ Cleo

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  38. I try to clean things up , if not as I go, then when I'm done. At least get them in the dishwasher. lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  39. I'm definitely a clean-as-you-go cook.

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  40. My room mate used to tell me that I was the only person she knew that could mess up everything is the kitchen just boiling water.

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  41. I'm pretty neat, and like to pile up the dirty dishes etc as I go. I do fly by the seat of my pants on recipes, often looking at two or three to cobble together the desired meal! Thanks so much!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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  42. Since I read all of your books, it's very interesting to hear about your cooking habits. Some of them I never would have guessed. I prefer to clean as I go but sometimes the phone rings, the cats want to eat, my husband decides to make a sandwich to tide him over, I think you get the drift. Would really love to win.
    bobntoni@aol.com

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  43. I'm not necessarily a neat cook, but it hasn't mattered for the past year. My house flooded in the Baton Rouge flood of August 2016. While my neighbors had from 6 feet to 18 inches in there home, we only got inches. Those inches were enough to cause me to lose my kitchen!!! I built a stand yo hold my kitchen sink and attached the plumbing to a mop sink drain. I figured out how to turn the gas back on my stove. I dragged the refrigerator (after a cleaning) back into the house. I've use tables to hold the few things we didn't pack away. Last week I finally got cabinets!!! Tomorrow the plumbers and electrician will come to continue putting my kitchen and bathrooms together. So, the amount of mess I make really doesn't matter.

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    1. Oh my! Now that is a mess story that tops them all! Hope you are happy with your new kitchen and baths. Hugs.

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    2. Wow! That's a real tribute to your persistence and adaptability. Do you get to make a few improvements with the replacements?

      Reminds me of the time we moved into our last house and found the kitchen had to be gutted, down to the crawl space. We had a grill outside, and the fridge sat in the living room. I think we used a lot of disposable plates and cups. Nothing like your problems, though!

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  44. I lay out the ingredients and clean as I go. I know I'll be way too tired afterward to clean up the mess. My almost-husband dirties EVERYTHING and manages to get food on every surface, I don't know how he does it. It just about kills me when I open a cabinet and there's "stuff" on the handle or on the light switch... ugh. Thank you for the fun giveaway and the anxiety provoking thoughts of him cooking. =) Lol.
    konecny7(at)gmail(dot)com

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  45. Mary ladylotion@msn.comAugust 7, 2017 at 8:07 PM

    I am definitely not a neat cook but I alot like Peg Cochran because when I cook my Thanksgiving Dinner or any holiday dinner the Kitchen does end up being messy. No matter how I try to keep it nice & clean.

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  46. I'm pretty good at cleaning as I go because the clutter drives me nuts..... now the hubs.... his one serious attempt at 'cooking' is making spaghetti (we're talking Ragu here), but when he's finished.... Oh my... it looks like a crime scene! LOL

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  47. I'm not a neat cook. Much as I try to have all ingredients organized and measured before starting to cook I still wind up with a mess. Interesting to read how different you are in your cooking.

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  48. Mi zã plas (everything in its place) is my motto. I wash dishes as I go along. I line up my ingredients, utensils, and bowls before I start a recipe. It just makes things easier for me!

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  49. I have to thank my mom: When I was in my 20s, she told a live radio audience once that I was the messiest cook alive! Once I forgave her, I very stubbornly learned to clean as I go. But there's the kitchen table. It's a big kitchen, with a big table in the middle of it--a beautiful Amish-made maple table, and I seldom see the gleaming, beautiful surface of it, because of the untidy evidence of life!

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  50. I had a favorite pin once that said "I'm not messy I'm creative." I usually have a sink full of dishes after I cook for my family.

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  51. Would love to win book and/or bag! Love all the cooking stories. In a messy cook myself but the food is good afterwards!terigriffis@ymail.com

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  52. I really enjoyed reading about your different ways in the kitchen. I try to be a clean as I go cook, but it doesn't always end up that way. Would love to read "Too Hot to Handle".
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  53. Loved reading this, brought a little laughter to what's been a rather long day! Some days I can put together a 12 course meal fit for kings and other days I can't even get the cereal box open!! Would love to win the mystery gift. Thanks!!

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  54. I do try to clean as I go . Love the funny stories .

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  55. Forgot to put my email . Nancyhallenbeck@gmail.com

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  56. Yes, I confess to forgetting to turn the pasta sauce down to simmer & having it bubble & spit sauce all the way up the stove, walls & CEILING! Sponge mops are wonderful for that cleanup. LOL Usually I clean & wash up as I go because of only having a 1' by 2'counter space to use. Kinda like Sheila's in Ireland. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  57. I loved reading all of your kitchen stories! I try to clean as I go, especially when I bake. ioncookbooks(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  58. I have a very tiny kitchen so I try to clean as I go. I get all my ingredients on the counter. A lesson learned when I was most of the way through a recipe only to find that I didn't have a vital ingredient. Dry ingredients are measured first. Shortening and sugars etc next. All good so far. Wash as I go but then the drainer is full (no dishwasher) and my carefully laid out plan falls apart. Also I would like to know the name of the sprite that moves things around under the counter so I can't fit back in what I just took out of a cupboard mere moments ago.

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  59. I am a clean as I go cook (and baker). I didn't have enough counter space to let the mess pile up as I cook. Very shortly I will have NO counter space as the kitchen is about to be gutted and redone. While I'm hopeful that by Thanksgiving all will be right again, in the meantime not only is there no kitchen, but everything from the kitchen is scattered around the house. Plus the flooring and kitchen cabinets are soon to be delivered. I'm beginning to feel a bit crowded. And no, this is not a long awaited upgrade-this all started with us not realizing a dishwasher was leaking, ruing the subfloor under it. To replace the floor meant removing the cabinets (which are nearly 35 years old)...so you see where this is going. Meanwhile I will just read about cooking. stclairck@gmail.com

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  60. Oh, what lovely laughs this morning!!

    I have an extremely small kitchen and try to clean as I go. Hubby is a great cook but it looks like a store exploded in the kitchen when he's done.

    Thinking of things on the ceiling, I once put eggs in a pot to hard boil and sat down to put my feet up for a minute. An hour and a half later I woke up to the smoke alarm going off and egg particles everywhere from floor to ceiling.

    harbingerdc(at)gmail(dot)com

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  61. As my apartment is small so is my kitchen. I do try to clean up as I go along and if necessary leave something in the sink to be easier to clean later. I learned lots of shortcuts from my mother so cooking and baking is easier most times. I love cooking but mostly love baking which I do not do as often since I am one person only but try to share my delicacies with my sister. Ava-paracsi7@yahoo.com

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  62. I TRY to be neat and clean as I go, but I do make a mess. I admit it. And now, I need a chair because I can't stand for long periods. So, it does get a mite cluttered. Thanks for the opportunity!

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  63. Forgot to add my email. Mberbeza@aol.com

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  64. I try to clean as I go except for the dishes which my husband does if I will cook. Now that I am retired I do most of the cooking which suits both of us. I am a little clumsy and things do spill and/or break occasionally but I just clean it up and go from there. Lounkaren70@gmail.com

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  65. I try to be neat and wash things and put things away as I go along, but that isn't always the case. Thank for the chance to win this book.
    Cathi_7@yahoo.com

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