Cooking Quandaries

Making meals in this tiny kitchen:

is quite a bit different from food preparation in my spacious culinary dream at home in Alabama:

There is no dishwasher, the sink has one small, shallow bowl and one small built-in drainboard, the refrigerator is an under-the-counter mini variety, and the tiny stove is all electric! As far as Berlin apartment kitchens go, I think mine is fairly well-sized, so I certainly can't complain.

I have to be very efficient and streamlined here. I shop at the market every other day generally, since I have limited cabinet and fridge storage. It takes longer to prepare meals overall because I can't really multitask; there isn't enough counter space, burner space, sink space... I'm making simpler meals and using a few "convenience" items I wouldn't usually turn to. But it's a fun experience to get the full taste of living in Berlin, and that means shopping, cooking, and making do like a real metro Deutschlander.

Two skillets take up all the room on the small stove, so I have to plan dishes carefully (but the kitchen is well stocked; you probably can't tell, but the front red skillet is a Le Creuset, something I would love to have at home!)

Wednesday night dinner; Chicken and mushrooms in a cream sauce, rosemary garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed zucchini with Italian herbs, and breadsticks on the side.