Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

Recipe Search

Saturday in Bev's kitchen


This is how Saturday used to look in my kitchen.


This is how it looks now.

After 37 years of working in this kitchen, we have taken the plunge into demolition and renovations.
I can hear the groans and feel the shudders of those of you who have been this route and lived to tell about it.
Tales of microwaves in the laundry room, TV dinners and barbequing in the rain. 
Of missing (and needed!) kitchen tools buried in bins who knows where, 
washing dishes in pails, and dust over everything.
Yes, it's all true, but a beautiful new kitchen will emerge from the dust and chaos and I'm holding on to that.

So where am I cooking this Saturday morning?
Here - in our cozy camper parked beside the house.


We cooked and ate our meals in this camper for 7 weeks a few years ago as we traveled across Canada from West to East and back again and we figure we can do it again over the next 2 or 3 months.
I have everything I need, with the bonus of electricity and more fridge space 
(we've moved my refrigerator to the garage til the work is done)
Thankfully we are having a warm winter here so I don't have to bundle up to run the short distance 
between the house and the camper. 
If we lived near Betty and Charlotte this winter, we'd be microwaving in the laundry room for sure! 

Of course, cooking has become simpler - 
I just don't have access to all my pans and gadgets.  
But I have already baked Cherry Platz  and made a hearty soup, proving that you don't need a large, perfectly equipped kitchen to put good food on the table.
Small and simple is just fine - fewer dishes to clean up for one thing!
That's all for now but I promise to come back in a few months with a picture of 
Saturday in Bev's NEW kitchen.

28 comments:

  1. Kitchen remodeling, ah, how well I DO remember it. Washing dishes in the laundry room, positioning the dish drainer just right so it would drain into the washing machine, and then when it is all done, you forget all about the chaos when your new kitchen is done and everything is in it's place. How very exciting for you!! Enjoy the journey!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh dear. Scares the daylights out of me, but still very exciting. What a good solution to have the camper handy for cooking and dining. Wishing you all the best and no hitches in the remodeling process. This is going to be good. I can just tell.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh Bev, I feel your pain but it's all worth it for sure! We did ours in summer so it was easy - just moved the microwave, hoosier cabinet and toaster oven to the back porch, did a lot of BBQing and washed dishes in the laundry sink. When the kitchen was done I was stunned to realize that I ever needed more than a handful of utensils and a few plates ;). It is amazing what we don't actually NEED to cook good meals! Can't wait to see your new space - you will LOVE it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. how perfect that you can use the camper kitchen

    ReplyDelete
  5. A new kitchen will definitely be exciting! All the best. : )

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, all the hassle will be worth it! Can't wait to see the end result!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. We are renovating our kitchen this summer as we live in Northern Ontario and it's too cold to even attempt BBQing let alone using the camper. We definitely plan on asking our friend to park his trailer in our yard so I can at least do dishes and cook in there on rainy days. What a wonderful idea you gave me. Enjoy your new kitchen when it's done.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sounds great but not chance doing this in winter on the praires unless it's parked in a heated garage

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, good luck!! When we bought my husband's family home nine years ago, it was on the condition that I could put on a kitchen addition. I'm so glad we did it, but the three months of no kitchen were long, long months!

    I can't wait to see your results!

    Holly...a new reader!

    ReplyDelete
  10. My jaw actually dropped when I scrolled to the second photo LOL!

    Congratulations - you will be so happy with your renovation :)

    And thank you for bringing back memories of the months I spent living in my little camper van, decades ago. Something to dream about for my next adventure, whenever that may be...

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm so glad you have the camper! That will help you stay somewhat sane.

    Having lived through a kitchen renovation, I can say that its worth it. Have patience and keep that finished kitchen in your mind. You will get there. And you will adore the outcome!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am glad that you have somewhere to cook in the meantime! I can't wait to see how your kitchen looks when you are done.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am so excited for you, A new kitchen is forsure nice to have,makes cooking and baking seem so much more fun. And cooking in a camper would be fun also, at least for me it would be.
    Good luck and Congratulations

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good luck with the renovations! We are giving our kitchen a little facelift (new flooring, new countertops, demolition of a pass-through wall) and it is a lot of work! A little bit gets done each weekend, then it is clean up time and try to live as best as we can for the rest of the week with what we have. Sure wish our camper was here! (we are in NJ but the camper is in PA) That is a brilliant idea!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What fun to read about this exciting adventure. You don't need a 5 star kitchen to produce 5 star meals while you live through the reno - keep the vision & remember "Mennonite Girls CAN Cook". Great reading.....thanks! from another mennonite girl.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is a great post...watching how others handle renovations...You will love it when the project is complete and will feel so much more motivated and inspired. I remember those days just a few years back. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Your kitchen looked lovely as it was and it's amazing how a coat of fresh paint can change the look if you're tired of the dark cupboards. Maybe I'm just jealous, lol...

    JB

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yes, kitchen renovations make for good memories! But I still think that cheese graters, garlic presses and wisks were never meant to be washed in anything other than a dishwasher - what a pain!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I refused to go through this, my husband could never understand. When we moved to a new house, I got my new kitchen--something that has been more pleasing and satisfying than I would have ever guessed. Good luck on your poject!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Bev, I am so glad you posted this. When we did our major reno I washed dishes in the hallway in plastic pans until Dave gave me a laundry sink. Our new fridge was in the hallway first, then the living area (to be) and finally the kitchen... and it does take months to finish if you do it all yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Now that brings back memories! We lived in a travel trailer one summer (1988) while we reno'd our farmhouse. It's always worth the inconvenience in the end!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'll look forward to seeing your kitchen once it's all done.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Good luck with the work. It is so nice that you can cook in the camper, what a great idea !!!
    I would love to see pictures when it is finished.
    Have a wonderful Sunday.

    ReplyDelete
  25. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Looking forward to camping recipes!

    ReplyDelete
  27. We renovated our entire first floor 5 yrs ago, kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, living/dining room, family room, front and back door areas. Our kids were 3,5,7. It made for some interesting cooking/cleaning up situations, but I'm so glad we jumped in and did it. Mess for short term; Fabulous for the long term!! :D
    Look forward to seeing end result!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.