rediscovering the kitchen

for the past several weeks (more like months) erk and i have been working on our kitchen (ok, him more than me, but i contributed). above is a picture of what it looked like halfway through the remodeling process. cabinets are in place, but no counter-tops (just our make-shift plywood ones) and old, sort of gross, appliances/sink.  despite looking hectic (it looks way cleaner in the picture than it was in real life), it is a VAST improvement from what our kitchen was only a few weeks before this picture was taken.
exhibit a:

i was actually cooking on that stove as it sat in the middle of the room like that. sometimes with, and sometimes without, the use of a sink; which sat inside the broken cabinet you see in front of the stove.

despite needing several more things our kitchen is now basically done. all the major super important things are in, whats missing is all bedazzle (back-splash, shelves, lights). until having the kitchen at this stage (almost-done-stage) i had forgotten what a pleasure it is to cook. even if i cry at the start of every session (onions). the preparation of laying out all the ingredients, mixing things together with no regard for measurements or recipes, and TASTING everything as i go, is something i hadn't done consistently since working as a cook at bt; a job i loved and miss.

the process of making food is a relaxing, and creative one for me. i seldom did it on my own. alone it lacked one of my favorite parts - the sharing. like any other artist, the cook needs an audience. it's nice to be back in the kitchen.