Thursday, October 9, 2008

VeganMoFo and Cookbooks, Spices and Small Spaces



Y'all know we moved out to the boondocks a few months ago. When we did that, we downsized pretty much to one fourth of the space we had before. Yep, Dan, Me, Maxine, Lily, Annie and Michael are all residing in a cozy 495 square foot cabin in the country. The one thing I did make sure of, though, was that there be ample room for my spices and cookbooks. I was more than willing to pack my shoes, clothes and most of my furniture into storage tubs and keep them outside in the barn...but my cookbooks? My spices? They needed to be near to me at all times.

So, my office that used to be in one of the spare bedrooms of our old house, has been condensed into one bookshelf, which sits in the corner of the dining/kitchen/living room of the new house. This has it's perks. The computer is now only 3 steps from the stove, so I don't have to print out recipes off the internet anymore, I can literally see them from the counter! But even with such limited office space, I dedicated the top shelf to cookbooks, and they are creeping onto the second shelf now too!



Not all of them are vegan, but one can really gain some great cooking knowledge from traditional cookbooks, you know? Especially that red & white checkered fella.

And the spices got their space on the wall AND there own drawer!




It's all been worth it, 'cause when we walk out our back gate, we see this...

and this...


I am still trying to figure out if those are edible cactus leaves...hmmm.

11 comments:

Megan said...

I also hung on to my red & white checkered fella. It's one of very few omni books on my shelf.

I LOVE the spice racks. Where did you get them? I love your jars, too.

Liz said...

I'll second the spice rack compliments! They look great.

K.C. said...

Oh my.. What a beautiful view.. And so many spices! I'm just curious which of those cookbooks you use the most.. When I even think of reducing my cookbook collection, it makes me physically uncomfortable :)

Joni Marie Newman said...

i believe those racks came from cost plus, now known as world market, many years ago, when i worked there, when i was going to college. it's actually a set of 4 racks, stacked. dare i say i think i may have stole them and rode home on my bike with them after work, then crashed horribly and got all bloody and when i finally made it home the security guard at my building was like...are you okay? do you need me to call somebody or something? and i didn't really know how bad i looked until i got up to my apartment and saw myself in the mirror. i was like...holy f*#! i should probably go to the hospital or something, but instead i just went to bed.

but i think you can still get the jars for $1 or $2 at world market. i bought the labels seperately.

Joni Marie Newman said...

kacie,
right now, i probably am using yellow rose recipes most often, but i really do use vegan with a vengeance the most overall. i have never tried anything out of that book that wasn't fantastic. i also reference that native foods cookbook on a regular basis. i can't wait to bake a few pies out of julie hasson's newest release and with thanksgiving coming up, i am sure i will make at least 2 or three.

Amey said...

oooooooh, I LOVE your backyard. Oh, so beautiful. I would love love love to live somewhere like that. Sadly, my boyfriend hates the desert. I'll just keep dreaming!

Amy said...

I'm so in love with your place!!! And spices always need their own drawer (I'm in the process of organizing mine once again right now, they're getting out of control!)

Jen Treehugger said...

I veganise a lot of recipes I get from unvegan cook books so I'm firmly hanging onto all mine too. Gotta love that view!

Kristin said...

From the pic, it looks like you might live near me (or maybe a little south of me).

My view is remarkably similar.

kristin in park city, ut

Joni Marie Newman said...

kristin...a lot south of you :) we're in orange county california (just barely)

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

Gorgeous pics. And this once again confirms that I need to organize my spices.

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All recipes written by me, Joni Marie Newman, unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to refer to or link back to any of my recipes, but please ask for permission, and remember to give credit when reprinting recipes in their entirety. I do provide links to affiliate programs (such as Amazon) in which I receive a small commission for items purchased. I do not provide paid reviews. All reviews done on products or books are of my own unsolicited opinion. On occasion I may receive a book or product to review. I will note when this is the case, but rest assured, it will not affect the authenticity of my review. Thanks!--Joni