the Kitchen NOTEBOOK

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Last year, I was given a lovely coil calendar notebook I didn’t really need (I’d just bought one in my usual favorite style) that turned out to be EXACTLY what I didn’t know I needed! Don’t you L O V E when that happens?! LOL

It’s no secret that I love a good dinner party, for which I tend to write notes and menus and guest lists etc on random bits of paper, many of which I’ve kept over the years. This year, all those notes have gone (or been taped) into what quickly became affectionately known as The Kitchen Book.

alison kent HOME KITCHEN design gather elevate compose home cook designer dinner entertain kitchen notebook book

In early February, since all my plants tend to be edible, TKB became the perfect place to jot down all my gardening notes in the blank spots between dinner party notes. I based my plant choices on foods I love to snack on, pretty additions to salads, useful items for stocks, etc, sketched a little layout, plotted transplant dates…

alison kent HOME KITCHEN design gather elevate compose home cook designer dinner entertain kitchen notebook book

Since purchasing Masterclass late last year, I’ve been watching a variety of cooking classes online. Now watching loads of them, and other classes such as the Cordon Bleu Facebook Live and French countryside cooking through La Peetch, I’ve taken to jotting all my notes down in this handy book for things I’d love to make in the coming weeks.

alison kent HOME KITCHEN design gather elevate compose home cook designer dinner entertain kitchen notebook book

During COVID-19 quarantine I’ve embraced doing a weekly stock take of everything in the freezer(s) and pantry that needs to get used up, and planning the weeks meals through that, all noted in TKB!

alison kent HOME KITCHEN design gather elevate compose home cook designer dinner entertain kitchen notebook book

Since TKB is always sitting at my right hand in the Kitchen, it’s easy to keep track of ingredients to grab on my next grocery run, inspiring thoughts for new recipes, and notes on recipes I’m making up as I go along at dinner one night, only to realize it’s DELICIOUS and THANK GOODNESS I wrote some notes down!

The Kitchen Book has become so incredibly useful for absolutely E V E R Y T H I N G , I’m looking into publishing a version so EVERYONE CAN HAVE ONE! So – what would you like to see in a book such as this? What notes do you typically make when hosting, preparing meals, taking stock of the pantry, etc? Let me know through Instagram DM’s or here in the comments!

In the meantime, happy meal planning!

alison kent HOME KITCHEN design gather elevate compose home cook
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