Well, after almost a month I would consider ourselves mostly moved into our new apartment. So long as you ignore the storage errr, guest room, it actually looks quite good. And I’m happy to say that we LOVE the new place. It’s so bright and airy and the balcony really is a dream. So far we have a total of 2 plants out there, one oleander and one tomato, both well-intentioned house-warming gifts. Let’s just say that the odds are stacked against these poor plants because they are being raised on an east facing balcony in a climate not known for its warm summers by two total novice gardeners. I do not exaggerate here, we have not til now owned a single house plant! It will be nothing short of a miracle if they survive the month.
We do have one complication, however, and that is our kitchen. It is apparent that when we were looking at the place originally I was blinded by the balcony and didn’t pay close enough attention to the kitchen. In short, it was clearly designed by someone who never actually cooks. There is a massive sink which blocks off all but 2 square feet of counter space. The only outlets are directly behind the sink and stove respectively. The silverware drawer is buried within another drawer, so that I have to open two sets of drawers each time I want to grab a spoon. And the stove makes odd short circuiting sounds if you turn one of the burners above medium heat. Oh, and despite the fact that the kitchen is physically larger than our old one, there is significantly less storage space and I still have two unpacked moving boxes full of things with no place to go. We have already placed an emergency call to someone who can hopefully help.
Luckily, this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Salmon Rillettes, did not require any fancy kitchen equipment. I have yet to meet a rillette I didn’t like and Dorie’s salmon rillettes were no exception. Pork rillettes are traditional and delicious. In our deli we can buy wonderful goose rillettes. And now with Dorie we’ve made three different versions of fish rillettes: first sardines, then recently tuna, and now salmon. Of the three the salmon took the most time, since it required a minor bit of cooking, but was still quite quick and easy. I decided to serve it as part of a larger “stuff on toast” breakfast menu. Good stuff, we’ll do it again.
one expat's life 
Glad you liked this. I am amazed that there are so many varieties of rillettes – I had never heard of it until I started this group. I like your plants, but I like you am not very good at tending them. You never know – you may discover a green thumb you never knew you had!
Yay for houseplants 🙂 I am not a green thumb at all but I *do* do herbs and potted peppers etc… Glad you’re settling in!
Goose rillettes sound really good too. I enjoyed this version too. Good luck working out the quirks of your new kitchen, and on those houseplants!
I’m still picturing those outlets behind the sink…yikes! That doesn’t sound safe!
Actually the salmon rillettes were my favorite of the three!
Good luck with your house plants…your patio looks great! Enjoy your trip to the states!
Okay, I can help you with this. The small kitchen thing…a nuisance, to be sure. Probably a good idea to get the oven checked and outlet problem solved. (Extension cords tacked to keep them in place???) Create/Make a Board (Cutting???) to cover 1/2 the sink when you’re working in the kitchen. Bag the silverware drawer and use it for something else and put the utensils elsewhere. Think Ikea. They make all sorts of storage items. I love the Ikea roll-around cart which holds all my spices and is stored in my ski closet!!! I’m hoping that your hubby is still all over his grill – rely on that. When you really get discouraged, remember that the Deb of Smitten Kitchen and Joy the Baker have been phenomenally successful in small kitchens. About the plants – can’t help you there. I loved the rillettes also…salmon is my favorite.
Bizzarre kitchen. I’ve never had a large kitchen, small ones can be designed efficiently. What a bummer. The only redue we did in our house was the kitchen, but with an apartment I guess you’re stuck… good luck and enjoy that lovely balcony.
getting set up in a new kitchen is hard, and i’m sorry yours isn’t as big as you were expecting. sounds like you’re up to the challenge of figuring it out though, and the gorgeous balcony sounds like an excellent trade-off. i’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
also, i would love to cook through David Lebovitz’s latest book after FFWD. i really want to buy it (i love his blog and his other books), but need an excuse that my husband will go for 🙂
New spaces are a challenge (especially when you realize everything doesn’t fit). I hope your conundrums get straightened out soon so that you can focus on enjoying that balcony 🙂
I love living in the city, but wish I could fit one of those ridiculously large suburban kitchens into our space, magically. Our kitchen has some quirks, too, but we have a large closet (almost as big as one of the bedrooms) that we use as a pantry and makes up for the lack of storage. I hope you get yours sorted soon.
I loved all the rillettes we’ve done, even more than traditional ones, actually. Serving them for breakfast was a great idea.