Thrift Shop Goodies and The Busiest Place in My Kitchen

The makings of our supper, chicken and rice

I didn't write a post Monday because my sister came to visit me. I begged her to come visit my favorite thrifting places with me and I was so happy when she obliged. She found some great items, which I did not get photos of! It's too bad because she found the large canister in this'70s orange mushroom ceramic that she is collecting. She has a clock that was our grandmother's and that started her collecting. This was a great find, and it was only $4.99! And since it was customer appreciation day, she got an extra 30% off. I can't wait to see this in her kitchen. She passed up another crock because it was missing the lid. I am so tempted to go back and buy it for her anyway. She'd find some use for it. I know I would!

I scored a couple of nice things, made doubly nice by the extra 30% off. For $7.70 I brought home: a plate, a small rolling pin (for Jack), some small bowls (trying to phase out the plastics that I have), a huge cutting board, a glass dome lid (trying to phase out plastic wrap too!) and a[nother] Pyrex casserole dish (not pictured). I officially proclaim by casserole collection complete. I have 3 bigs, 3 mediums and 2 smalls. Basically, I have a serious Pyrex addiction, which is especially unhealthy in a small apartment.

And see the red dishes? Those are, you guessed it, Pyrex. They are refrigerator dishes from the 1940s/50s. I plan to put them to use for their original purpose. Husband and I are both committed to limiting and eliminating our use of plastics, especially in the kitchen. Two of the dishes were pretty badly abused, if I had to guess, I would say that they were washed in a dishwasher. I was able to remove the grungy white layer on the outside with a Magic Eraser. Those things are great.

I have been wanting a large cutting board that would span my kitchen sink. I finally found one. I love it. It DOUBLES my kitchen work space. I am so pleased.

This is my favorite place in my kitchen. On this small bit of counter there is so much going on. The crock pot is making broth, the brown bowl was my great-grandmother's bread bowl. I love that I am using this bowl the same way that she did, to make sourdough. This evening it is full of English muffin dough. The yellow bowl (Pyrex, lol) is the sourdough sponge for my bread. The array of jars in the background are ferments. Right now I have my dear loyal friend Harvey, fries, pineapple vinegar (the mother is forming!), Beverly the water kefir, and a couple bottles of kefir doing a secondary ferment with juice (grape and mango).

English muffin dough in my great-grandmother's bread bowl

What is your favorite place in your kitchen? Do you have anything interesting in the works this week?