This was originally a blog about cooking in my teeny tiny Lower East Side apartment where I feared to cook a number of things: roast chicken, sausages, smoked pork, standing rib roast, pot pies.
Rather than letting the 3 square feet of counter space get me down, I got experimental. That’s one of the beautiful things about living in New York City. There’s a million shops and a million restaurants that can help you achieve your culinary dreams, even if sometimes it does feel a little bit like cheating.
Then we moved to Brooklyn where everything’s bigger, I experimented more freely. I conquered roast chicken, and bread, but the spirit of innovation that inspired this blog never left.
For more information, please check out this post.
Then we bought a house Upstate and suddenly I had even more space for cooking, including a couple of patios and a big garden.
And now, we’re back in Manhattan, complete with a teeny tiny kitchen. Experimentation is back!
If you need to contact me off the blog, email me at: chickeninacart AT gmail DOT com.
A few words on policies.
1. I reserve the right to delete any comment I find disturbing, insulting or too obviously a ploy to drive traffic to your advertising heavy site.
2. If you want to send me free stuff, that’s your prerogative. If I want to write about it, that’s mine. Generally I prefer to pay for the stuff I write about though, so you’re probably better off saving your shipping money if you’re looking for a shill.
3. If you want to use something from this site, be it words or photos or recipes, you must get permission from me first and then you must attribute the source when you publish your work. This should be considered set in stone with no wiggle room.
4. There are no ads on this blog. I like it that way.
5. Links. I like links. I like blogs. If you want me to link to your blog, send me an email. If I like your blog, I’ll link to it. If I don’t, I won’t.
I hope that clears things up a bit. Thanks for reading!
Oh I’m so glad I found your blog! I so like what you’ve got going on here. What you say about your kitchen reminds me of MFK Fisher’s description of her first kitchen in France which, despite its drawbacks, still saw such fabulous meals. Best, BL
I love this description. The only way I am every able to make roasts is that we live on the top floor and the roof door is always unlocked. (I fear the day they bolt it, and we’ll no longer be able to release the shameful scents of my smoky messes and smoking friends.)
I think for now on I am going to file my food blog feeds by the number of feet of counter space they have. ;)
CiaCart,
I stumbled upon your blog only today. Your passion and enthusiasm are contagious, and I hear you on the kitchen space shortage, as I too live in the city, opposite you and very close to your jaunt to our environs of “upstate Manhattan.” I was so pleased to see you write about your excursion. Next time, you must pop by Frank’s Gourmet Market on 187th for a view of their quinoa section and some choice Belgian beer (get paper bag @ checkout) for a sip in any number of Fort Tryon’s hidden overlooks. Better yet, journey just one stop more, (200th) or walk through FT over to Inwood Hill Park, the last remaining forest in Manhattan. The fall is an exceptional time for a picnic of some of your lovely creations. Look me up should you be back in the ‘hood.
Best,
Melissa Sutherland Amado
Just got blogged – I’m new to this & randomly came upon yours. I hear you on the kitchen space. My 80 year old apartment kitchen is a far cry from the restaurant kitchens I’ve worked in, so it has become my personal mission to overcome this obstacle and whip up many a feast in my humble abode. Now if I could only find somewhere to put my wine glass.
I love the blog, will add your link to my four blogs…
can’t wait to see your new post
thanks
Hi, I am a longtime fan and would like to suggest a link. The website is called The City Cook (www.thecitycook.com) and it is a resource for space and time compromised New Yorkers who want to cook at home. I have actually met the editor of The City Cook and I know that she also loves your blog. I was glad to discover that, as you are both championing the same cause – working around the limitations that cooking at home in New York will entail, and taking advantage of the possibilities for cooking that New York can offer.
Naomi, aka The Little Red Hen, sent me over here. Great blog. I’ve bookmarked you, and I’ll be checking in often.
Love the stories about the places you travel to. The pictures add a nice touch to the blog.
Hi,
I was googling antique wooden fire poker, asian and somehow ended up on this blog. I plan to come back to read it as the food pics seem comforting.
Cheers,
mkygirl