Queen of Something

Not the musical group.  Not Elizabeth.  I’m not royal, but I could call myself queen of something.  I’m the queen of one-dish meals.

I grew up where we had one of those large country kitchens, no dining room.  My mother basically cooked from morning until five.  There was no dishwasher, well other than me.  But I didn’t mind washing dishes.  Every pot, pan and plate was usually used.  The different dishes always filled the table and sometimes overlapped onto the snack bar.

Funny how things change when you have a home of your own.  My kitchen is small and compact.  There is a dishwasher.  My mother told me I’d never have enough water to run an actual automatic dishwasher.  We have cistern water.  But we have always managed.  There is a dining room.  The kitchen isn’t big enough for even the smallest table.  So, the dining room is the main eating room, except for warmer weather when we eat as many meals as possible out on the deck.

When I had my first job I bought my mother an automatic dishwasher for Mother’s Day.  Maybe I was trying to make her Queen of the Day.  Remember that show?  A housewife was given the honor of being made Queen for a Day, and would receive all kinds of appliances as gifts. She really didn’t use it that much though.

Perhaps the reason there is usually one serving dish on the table, is because of the compactness of the kitchen with limited counter space and that I grew up washing dishes.  Even if I use every burner on the stove plus possibly the oven, it all seems to go in one dish.  There are exceptions on same days.  Maybe also vegetarianism lends itself more to one-dish meals. Even with two items I still tend to shove (I mean present) everything into one dish as you will see in some of the pictures.

I’m thankful my husband doesn’t mind one-dish meals.  We’re having black bean chili tonight.

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