Cooking with a Wood Stove...

Isn't really as difficult as it seems. It's like doing Dutch Oven all the time. 99% of the time we cook with Cast Iron (saves on dish soap), and the other 1% of the time I'm trying to figure out how to keep the food from sticking to the bottom of the non-cast pan. It's a delicate balance of lots of shortening and getting the pan really hot. I haven't remembered which yet.

So when my parents came to visit, we did something really fun. We went to some Antique stores in Aurora, OR - the Antique Capital of Oregon (for those of you who really care...). It was a BLAST! In fact, it was so much fun, that Andrew and I went back... and then we went back again. And what do we have to show for our return visits???

A wire chicken. It comes in "eggstremely" handy as the egg basket. (Sorry. The pun just slipped out like a bad yolk...)

A popcorn popper. It's really cool. You put the oil in, put some popcorn in, sit it on top of the wood stove, and wait for the kernels to start poppin'! Then, you turn the fun little handle on the top until the top pops off, and you've got yourselves a nice, healthy snack. At least it's healthy until you add the butter and the caramel and the other toppings. We never do this... RIIIIIIGHT.

And then... the piece that we're MOST excited for... (and I would be lying if I didn't admit that it has a few people wondering if we've lost our collective minds...)

THIS:

I will be the first person to say that there is going to be a learning curve when it comes to baking in the oven. That's not something that I've ever done, and I'm certain that the bread isn't going to come out quite the way I want it to the first time or two. However, I am thoroughly looking forward to "slaving over a hot stove" literally.

Yes, we know this is a step back for most people. Frankly, we don't care. We are planning on putting this new stove in the kitchen where the old stove (the electric one that gathers dust and is only used on Sundays - and then only maybe...) currently sits. We're also moving the refrigerator (no, we're not getting rid of it) into the pantry so that we can have a nice work area next to the stove. The next step is to take all the tile out of the kitchen so that we can actually use the wood floors that are underneath it... (We've already taken the pergo out of the dining room to some VERY pleasant surprises...), and then... the hearth. And after that, we'll install the stove, and then... as I've heard, We're prepared for some of the best meals we've ever tasted.

It's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

P.S. Look closely, and you'll see the chicken and the popper on top of the stove...