not michele's little kitchen

I was noodling around in the archives and found this. My very first post from November 2, 2010. It had been sitting in draft suspension.

I had to photograph this great stove (oh! and my mise). This is soooo NOT my kitchen. I'm house sitting, cooking smitten kitchen's mushroom bourguignon on a big fancy stove-top grill. This grill IS the inspiration and launching pad for Michele's Little Kitchen. Well, there are a couple of things that inspired and launched this blog. Many firsts occurred this week and the culmination was just overwhelming enough to spew forth the need to write it all down.

It started with a Weight Watchers vegetable challenge. Never been a big fan I have to say, of vegetables that is, not WW- but it sparked my OCD and in an attempt to channel it to the greater good, I decided to embrace the veg.  

I start with my old copy of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (a cookbook club acquisition I'd barely cracked) and got to tagging. A list is made and I'm off the local produce markets. I suddenly had visions of veggie kabobs dancing on this grill. Squash, Zucchini and eggplant-vegetables I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole a few short years ago, now, planning a trip to the produce market is enough to make me giddy with anticipation. 

First lesson learned? a little olive oil, salt and pepper can make an old shoe taste good.

It was Smitten Kitchen's  Mushroom Bourguignon that was the real game-changer though.  I had no idea how rich, meaty and lush mushrooms could be.