Sunday, October 17, 2010

Food of Immaculate Conception

My husband likes to cook and he's actually really good at it. I really appreciate his flair for flavor and his helping hand on the kitchen front.
BUT...
I have this pet peeve...he's messy when he cooks. I know it's all part of his creative process and he's totally the artist in and out of the kitchen and I get that...it just drives me nuts.
I mean, everything gets left out. The spices, the utensils used to stir--and there are several for some reason. Plus an assortment of random bowls and dishes used to mix things, knives and several chopping boards. Somehow there are spills and splatters and used paper towels and scraps all over the place. What in the world?

I have this thing...well, ok it sounds kinda OCD, but when I cook or do anything in the kitchen I put away stuff and clean as I go. In fact, I love it when the food is ready and the kitchen looks as if it wasn't used. Like the food just materialized in all of its yummy glory, without a chef. Immaculate conception.
It is such a satisfying feeling. Then I can relax and enjoy the food, facing only minimal cleanup after the meal. Is that weird?

Today I made and canned apple butter and raspberry jam, a messy and involved process. But when I pulled the last batch of jars out of the boiling water the kitchen was shining and nothing was out on the counter except some gleaming jars neatly lined up, filled with fruity goodness...yay me. (=

Sigh.

So I want to hear what some of your peeves or quirks are. What drives you nuts or makes you say "Yay me"?

Spill. I know I'm not the only weird one. (=

14 comments:

Melanie said...

Yes, Yay YOU :-). You are a domestic Goddess and I stand in awe. I am having a blissful moment, so can't think of any pet peeves. Trust me, they will start cropping up all to soon. Oh, here's one, friends not having me over to help them make jam and apple butter ;-).
Oh, I have a real one. People asking me "where did you get him? And how much did he cost?" In front of my SON, like he is some item you go and pick up at WalMart.

Becky said...

Jo, I am exactly the same way when I cook or bake! I thought I was weird, too, but it's sure helpful when you're done to not have a big pile to clean up. :)
My pet peeve is when drivers don't use their turn signals. Small thing, I know, but it just bugs me. :)

Hart Johnson said...

HA! You sound like my husband... thankfully, he's our cook, and he DOES clean up as he goes... and he gets crabby whenever I'm in the kitchen because... well I'm sloppier... I do put away ingredients when i'm done, but I also end up with a sink full of dishes and stuff on the surfaces... drives him NUTS. (so I let him cook... just works better all around.)

Candyland said...

I do the same thing. I hate to see a mess when I'm all done. Quirks? My husband has MANY.

Write Chick said...

I am the exact same way. Before I even start to cook, the kitchen has to be clean. I love for it to seem like the food just materialized too.
My pet peeve shouldn't really be one. But here it is. My husband does the laundry, almost all the time. And I appreciate it. HOWEVER, he never puts my clothes away. He puts everyone else's clothes away, but not mine. Same thing with the dishwasher. He'll empty it, but always leave the big bowls and pans sitting out on the counter. I know he knows where they all go. Why then? Why does he do that?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That scenario sounds familiar! Yes, I'm messy when I cook. I clean up after dinner. My wife cleans up before we are allowed to eat!

Susan Fields said...

I like to clean the kitchen as I go, too - it is a great feeling to have a freshly prepared meal AND a clean kitchen! I do more of that now that my children are responsible to do dishes after dinner - I guess I want to make sure it gets done right and I don't want to listen to any more complaints than necessary.

My pet peeves? When my family leaves their dishes on the countertop above the dishwasher but not IN the dishwasher. They claim they don't know if the dishes are clean or not, but, really, how hard is it to open it up and look?

Thanks for the opportunity to vent. :)

Patricia Stoltey said...

My pet peeve is finding smears of olive oil on the cupboard door each time my husband makes popcorn. He seems incapable of wiping off the bottle and his fingers before he puts it away.

DEZMOND said...

ah, Joe, all men are messy in the kitchen. Well, maybe not me, but then again I'm not a man I'm just this animated avatar :)

I'm with you about the kitchen, I also like it clean as a surgery.

Lola Sharp said...

Dude, I could have written this post! My husband is an excellent cook...but the mess. (and even if he 'cleans' afterwards, it isn't clean. The stove still has to be fully wiped down, etc. And I clean as I go too.

I'm telling you, I could've written this exact post.

And my list of peeves and quirks are long. (one quirk: I HATE socks. *shudder*)

Mark and Kiss said...

I really didn't know I was supposed to wash the dishes while I cooked....Oh man! Actually, I've tried, seriously....it never happens. It must be that certain gene, you got one and I got the other.

Tammigirl said...

Oh my gosh! I feel your pain so very much. I could have written this very post myself.

Congratulations on being as wonderful as me! hehe :)

Margo Kelly said...

I thought you were writing about me and my husband for a minute... same scenario in our household. HA. Drives me nutso! But... still love him.

One (only one?) of my pet peeves: when someone uses the handtowel in the kitchen to wipe up something icky and then leaves the towel. Blech. I went to dry my hands yesterday, and discovered blackberry jam (homemade, thank you very much) smeared all over the towel.

Great. Just Great!

Jo Schaffer said...

I love that I am not alone in this... makes me feel less nutty.