Kitchen Envy

I cooked with my friend Deb the other day in her newly renovated, gorgeous kitchen. It was quite a treat! I felt like I was in a vacation home and as a result, fought the urge to start my “I need a new kitchen” campaign with my husband. That irrepressible, hate-when-it-happens feeling of envy began to seep into my psyche until it dawned on me that my friends’ kitchens are actually partly mine.

The truth is, no matter how badly I want my own awesome kitchen, I do have quite a few great kitchens in my life. I regularly cook in kitchens with 7-burner Viking stoves, center islands with multiple sink stations, warming drawers and double ovens. I have the pleasure of laying my cutting boards on turquoise marble, honed granite and soap stone; I stand on wide plank oak floors and rest my tired self on center island bar stools.

Most of my friends’ kitchens have something I would love to have in my own. Jackie’s has this nifty little organizer on wheels that tucks in between her cabinets. Debbie’s has a large window that allows the breezes to waft in on nice days and carry the aromas of our cooking outside. Elisabeth and Kathe each have a spacious country “dining-in” element that makes family meals that much more enjoyable.

Do you know what, though? I’m lucky to have so many kitchens to cook in and so many wonderful friends to cook with. Someday I may get my dream kitchen, but It would probably never beat all of my friends’ kitchens put together. So, for now, I’ll be content cooking in all of the kitchens in my life and be thankful for what I already have. (Ok, so maybe I’ll get a little teeny pang of jealousy now and then!)