It All Started With the Knives
He Didn’t Know Where the Knives Were...
It all started with the knives.
We were living in our very first place together—what the newspaper proudly called a
“townhouse” in a little spot called Twiggs Corner, right in the heart of Peachtree City,
Georgia.
Now, just so we’re clear, townhouse is one of those words that sounds fancier than it
is. What it actually meant was: we had a tiny garage on the bottom level with a washer
and dryer squished in, and a steep flight of stairs up to a small two-bedroom
apartment with a kitchen the size of a generous closet, a pantry that barely fit a cereal
box, and a dining/living combo that could seat four... tightly.
But it was ours. And we were in love. The kind of love that makes Hamburger Helper
It makes you feel gourmet and think an old Afghan is “decor.”
One evening, I wasn’t feeling too hot (early pregnancy with Chelsey will do that to a
girl), and John, bless him, offered to make dinner.
From the kitchen, I hear: “Hey, babe... where do we keep the knives?”
I blinked. The knives?? Not the melon baller. Not the egg slicer. The knives.
I got up off the couch, gave him the ol’ pregnant woman crazy eyes, and said: “THE
knives?! You live here!”
He smiled, as only a man who didn’t realize what he’d just stepped into could smile,
and said gently, “I got it.”
And over time... he really did. He doesn’t just know where the knives are now. He
knows where the good knives are.
The Right Tools Make Everything Easier
(And You Don’t Need a Fancy Kitchen)
That little “where do we keep the knives?” moment has stuck with me for decades,
Mainly because it’s the perfect picture of how you grow into your kitchen.
We didn’t start out knowing what we were doing. But we learned.
And after 40 years of cooking together—side by side, bumping hips, passing hot pads,
and singing over simmering sauces—we’ve figured out what really matters in a
kitchen.
■ The Hippie Gourmet Starter Kitchen Essentials:
• A good sauté pan
• A medium saucepan
• A 10-inch frying pan
• A large roasting pan
• A decent stock pot
• A cheese grater
• A colander
• A potato masher
• Tongs
• A couple of cutting boards
• A wooden spoon
• A heat-resistant silicone spatula
• Two good knives: chef’s + paring
■ Pantry & Spice Basics We Swear By:
• Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• Frank’s RedHot
• Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• Paprika (especially chipotle)
• Roasted garlic slices
• Onions
• Good olive oil + traditional balsamic
• Salt and pepper
• Whipped butter or quality oils
■ Kitchen Hack of the Year: PARCHMENT PAPER
This is the unsung hero of your kitchen. Use it to line your baking sheets, roasting
pans, or casserole dishes, and you’ll save yourself from a world of crusty messes. No
sticking. No weird foil taste. No soaking pans until tomorrow. Just lift, toss, and you’re
done. Parchment paper = peace of mind.
These tools and staples didn’t all show up at once. We gathered them over time, one
little upgrade at a time, as we grew into the kind of people who throw together a killer
sheet pan dinner while dancing barefoot in the kitchen.
And it all started in that tiny townhouse.
With love.
And one very confused man...
Looking for the knives.
■ Pass It On
Know someone who just moved into their first place?
Or a newlywed couple trying to figure out how to make something besides toast?
Send them this guide. Let them know they don’t need a fancy kitchen or a giant
budget. Just a few good tools, a little heart, and the kind of love that’s okay with
takeout failures and knife confusion.
Because great food starts with good vibes.
And around here?
We’ve got plenty of both.
