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Welcome to (the New) Teeny Tiny Kitchen

(Photo credit: Amy Begun Saab)

“Teeny” (as we affectionately call it) is our blog about cooking in a small kitchen in our northern Vermont apartment. When we first moved into the space we fell in love with the kitchen. It was very small, but – out of necessity – really well organized. In our 6 x 11 ½ foot kitchen (69 square feet), 46 square feet was taken up by the sink, the fridge and pantry shelves, it was as trim as a ship’s galley with a healthy amount of storage. But, we only had a combined prep area/flat space of 1 ½ x 3 ½ feet. And for the first couple of years we lived here, when we would invite friends or family over for dinner, the resounding refrain was, “You made (insert meal) in that small kitchen?”

It became a reoccurring joke. Paninis made on our small Foreman grill one New Year’s Eve were instantly christened by our group of friends as “Teeny Tiny Paninis.” The nickname stuck and we decided to use it to name our blog – but we dropped the “Paninis” and replaced it with “Kitchen.”

Old Teeny Tiny Kitchen.
New Teeny Tiny Kitchen.

But now, there are three of us.

Jedd, Me, and Mom

What started as a blog about two people and two cats cooking in a small apartment has turned into something different. My father passed away two years ago, and then we bought a house with my mother with a big back yard to be together during our sadness and readjustment.

And then things got happier.

My mother and Jedd are obsessed gardeners, and I’m an obsessive cook.

We share a duplex with a massive lawn where Mom and Jedd grow tomatoes, jalapenos, habaneros, flowers, cilantro, parsley, thyme, and now, I’m photographing their adventures.

So many jalapenos!

And as for me? I just cook with what they grow.

The cats jump on furniture in our – still – teeny tiny kitchen to watch Mom and Jedd harvest their bounty out of the kitchen window.

Rosie looking at Jedd and Mom harvest the garden.

So, now because our world has changed, our blog has changed. But, some things have remained the same.

We’re not just two people who like to cook in a small apartment kitchen anymore, now we’re learning, experimenting, and are currently growing herbs in the hallway over the winter and spring, while my mother keeps a bottle of wine in her dining room for all of us, to toast the thyme, and stand loud and tall over the winter basil. And she’s teaching us things that only a farmgirl could know from parents who grew up in the Great Depression.

It’s a new day.

And so far, it’s been pretty good.

Cheers,

Launie, Jedd, and Ginny

Me and Mom.
Jedd hanging out by the firepit.

Why Start a Blog?

At this point there are literally thousands of food blogs, but we enjoy chronicling cooking in a very limited space. We also don’t cook with any processed food. There are no cans of Campbell’s soup on our shelves and no packages of Lipton’s onion soup either.

But we’re not particularly virtuous. We like wine and cheese and heavy cream. We don’t define “healthy” by number of calories, and we don’t prescribe any particular diet. We just believe cooking your own food from scratch is not only the most important health choice you can make, it’s also fun. The pleasures of delicious homemade food aren’t just on your plate and in your body, they’re also in your kitchen – whatever size it is.

And that’s why we started Teeny, to show that size doesn’t have to matter when it comes to good food.

Recipes and photos

Max and a Sunflower

We believe in etiquette. If we borrow a recipe from someone or are inspired by someone else, we put a link to their post in ours. If we use something from a book, we link to where you can buy the book. If you want to use one of our recipes on your own site please feel free to do so, but we appreciate the same courtesy that we extend to others – just make sure that you provide attribution and a link to Teeny Tiny Kitchen.

We take all of the photos you see on this site. If you’d like to use one, please email us and ask permission first.

Launie’s food writing has also been featured  in Hannaford’s Fresh MagazineFood Revolution Day, Salon, Let My People Grow, Crasstalk, and BlogHer – which we think is pretty neat. She also had an article she wrote for Crasstalk linked by CNN, and the L.A. Times and Culture Cheese Magazine both really liked her recipe for Homemade Tater Tots with Cheddar Habanero Sauce. And we were thrilled to be chosen as one of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution’s Blogs of the Month.

Also, Launie and her friend Brooke wrote a book in the “Everything” series.  The Everything Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook . If you’re a cookbook fan, you might want to check that out.

To sum up: Teeny is our written and visual documentation of our culinary adventures. And misadventures. We’re not shy about talking about recipes that fail, or recipes that challenge our kitchen to the point of insanity. Making bagels in 2 feet of space? No problem, if you employ patience and planning. But making pierogi? Hoo boy.

Anyway, we hope you enjoy reading about our new exploits with three cooks, two cats, and one Teeny Tiny Kitchen.

Little Black Kitten, and his new sister, Rosie Kitten.

1 thought on “Welcome to (the New) Teeny Tiny Kitchen

  1. Hi:

    I came across your website and love it. I’m currently casting a new show for the Food Network!

    I know you know people that might be interested and would love if you can help us spread the word (or perhaps you would be interested in applying!)

    Please reach out if you are interested or have any questions. Happy to answer them!

    Here are some more details:

    NOW CASTING: The next big food roadshow!

    WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

    -Home Cooks, Food Bloggers, Professional Chefs, Restaurant Owners, For Network Fanatics, people who LOVE food and eating.

    WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 
    -We are looking to make someone’s DREAM SHOW into a reality. If you are an ENERGETIC personality with a passion for exploring and are ready to TRAVEL while sharing the while world of food with an audience, APPLY!

    APPLY AT:  FOODROADSHOWCASTING.COM

    Best,
    Joshua Sustache
    Casting Associate
    [email protected]
    (424) 702-3830

    Josh Sustache says:

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