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Dear Diary, Happy 2011. Another year over, another year of resolutions: some fulfilled, some abandoned, others achieved with varying degrees of success. Luckily I no longer make pointless resolutions such as “lose that extra five pounds” because that surely would have prevented me from enjoying the Beehive Creamery Barely Buzzed Cheddar I discovered this year. Lessons learned from past years such as the low success rate of completely abandoning certain food groups, like coffee, have benefitted from leniency. Thus the occasional whole milk perfectly executed cappuccino has reentered my diet without guilt.
But as much as I would like to think my efforts at self improvement over the years have resulted in a Mary Poppins-like state of "practically perfect in every way," I concede that there may still be a little wiggle room for bettering. As my grandmother would always remind us grandchildren at the peak of gloating from some great achievement, "Remember: one can always do better."
It is in this spirit that I fully admit a failing that came glaringly to light in the last two weeks: I have too much stuff. It is the sort of realization that one can really only have in the fullest degree when trying to move that stuff from one place to the next. This very realization has been beating me over the head for the past month as I have been sorting, throwing out, giving away, and packing up for a big move from the great sunny Southern part of California to the foggy, damp hamlet of San Francisco (It is true: love makes you do crazy things).
When it all comes down to it, Diary, I realized the objects that are most important to me are either a) things I actually need such as clothes (though admittedly I don’t need as many as I have) or b) things I truly love and that bring joy to my everyday life. My “b” category consists almost exclusively of books and kitchen gear. But even those categories needed some editing.
For example, when was the last time I referenced the generic cookbook on lemons that I received years ago from someone I have long since lost touch with? If the answer was upwards of a year it was time to have a Toy Story 3 moment and admit that this humble cookbook might find more love with another cook, perhaps one with a lemon tree. And how many ladles does a woman really need? One? Five? Whatever the right answer is it was definitely less than the number I realized I owned. A small and large ladle made the cut into the big boxes marked "Kitchen Stuff."
As much of my kitchen stock ended up in the Salvation Army donation pile, there were as many items that would have to be torn from my cold dead hands before I’d part with them. My first Le Creuset Dutch oven in Royal Blue is one such treasured piece; we have seen many a roast, cassoulet, and beef bourginon together. And as any good cook can attest, the knives are as much a part of me as if they were an extra sharp extension of my own arm. There is a meat grinder I have used only once (and with great effort), but every time I look at it perched high above my cook top I am reminded that of the meat that passed through those holes by my grandmother and her mother before that.
I cleaned out the cupboards, drawers, and refrigerator, dividing food to either throw or give away to friends I was leaving behind. Going through jar upon jar of olives, hot sauce, and mustard and bag upon bag of rice ranging from short and white to long and black, I was struck by the sheer volume of food I had on hand and how little I sorted through the cupboard to make use of these gems. It was like I used it once, and then the food went into pantry purgatory. Truly a waste and I have no one to blame but myself.
Which leads me to this year’s resolution: to make do with less food and thus make simpler (but still delicious) recipes, and make a habit of playing Iron Chef every now and then with what I have on hand. It is certainly not the quantity of ingredients that makes a good recipe but how you use the ingredients you have. And though it may not be stuff I own that makes me happy, if I die clutching my favorite wooden spoon and Le Creuset pan I will be dying happy, because that means I will die cooking something for someone I love, and one can’t do much better than that.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
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Resolution: Simplify
Dear Diary, Happy 2011. Another year over, another year of resolutions: some fulfilled, some abandoned, others achieved with varying degrees of success. Luckily I no longer make pointless resolutions such as “lose that extra five pounds” because that surely would have prevented me from enjoying the Beehive Creamery Barely Buzzed Cheddar I discovered this year. Lessons learned from past years such as the low success rate of completely abandoning certain food groups, like coffee, have benefitted from leniency. Thus the occasional whole milk perfectly executed cappuccino has reentered my diet without guilt.
But as much as I would like to think my efforts at self improvement over the years have resulted in a Mary Poppins-like state of "practically perfect in every way," I concede that there may still be a little wiggle room for bettering. As my grandmother would always remind us grandchildren at the peak of gloating from some great achievement, "Remember: one can always do better."
It is in this spirit that I fully admit a failing that came glaringly to light in the last two weeks: I have too much stuff. It is the sort of realization that one can really only have in the fullest degree when trying to move that stuff from one place to the next. This very realization has been beating me over the head for the past month as I have been sorting, throwing out, giving away, and packing up for a big move from the great sunny Southern part of California to the foggy, damp hamlet of San Francisco (It is true: love makes you do crazy things).
When it all comes down to it, Diary, I realized the objects that are most important to me are either a) things I actually need such as clothes (though admittedly I don’t need as many as I have) or b) things I truly love and that bring joy to my everyday life. My “b” category consists almost exclusively of books and kitchen gear. But even those categories needed some editing.
For example, when was the last time I referenced the generic cookbook on lemons that I received years ago from someone I have long since lost touch with? If the answer was upwards of a year it was time to have a Toy Story 3 moment and admit that this humble cookbook might find more love with another cook, perhaps one with a lemon tree. And how many ladles does a woman really need? One? Five? Whatever the right answer is it was definitely less than the number I realized I owned. A small and large ladle made the cut into the big boxes marked "Kitchen Stuff."
As much of my kitchen stock ended up in the Salvation Army donation pile, there were as many items that would have to be torn from my cold dead hands before I’d part with them. My first Le Creuset Dutch oven in Royal Blue is one such treasured piece; we have seen many a roast, cassoulet, and beef bourginon together. And as any good cook can attest, the knives are as much a part of me as if they were an extra sharp extension of my own arm. There is a meat grinder I have used only once (and with great effort), but every time I look at it perched high above my cook top I am reminded that of the meat that passed through those holes by my grandmother and her mother before that.
I cleaned out the cupboards, drawers, and refrigerator, dividing food to either throw or give away to friends I was leaving behind. Going through jar upon jar of olives, hot sauce, and mustard and bag upon bag of rice ranging from short and white to long and black, I was struck by the sheer volume of food I had on hand and how little I sorted through the cupboard to make use of these gems. It was like I used it once, and then the food went into pantry purgatory. Truly a waste and I have no one to blame but myself.
Which leads me to this year’s resolution: to make do with less food and thus make simpler (but still delicious) recipes, and make a habit of playing Iron Chef every now and then with what I have on hand. It is certainly not the quantity of ingredients that makes a good recipe but how you use the ingredients you have. And though it may not be stuff I own that makes me happy, if I die clutching my favorite wooden spoon and Le Creuset pan I will be dying happy, because that means I will die cooking something for someone I love, and one can’t do much better than that.
Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Made with balsamic vinegar, garlic, bacon, Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper
Made with balsamic vinegar, garlic, bacon, Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper
Serves/Makes: 4
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise, stem removed
- salt and pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat an ovenproof saute pan over a medium heat. Cut bacon into strips one inch wide. Add to saute pan and cook for 6-8 minutes until bacon is crispy and fat is rendered. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
Add Brussels sprouts to bacon fat in the saute pan. Toss with a bit of salt and pepper to combine. Place pan in oven and roast for about 20 minutes until tender, tossing once or twice during cooking for even browning.
While Brussels sprouts roast, mince garlic. For the last two minutes of roasting, add garlic to pan and toss with Brussels sprouts to combine.
When Brussels sprouts are tender, remove from oven. Add balsamic vinegar to the still hot pan and toss to coat the vegetable. Top Brussels sprouts with reserved bacon and serve while still warm.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1119-less-pantry-clutter/