I was looking around the house for my wife's lost cell phone and it dawned on me that perhaps Audrey had stashed it in her play kitchen. Hidden objects abound when it comes to the nooks and crannies of her red, wooden, all-in-one kitchenette, complete with a fridge, freezer, oven, microwave, sink and stove. All these accessories mean lots of doors and compartments to stash things.
The menu this evening?
In the oven was a lovely doll's scarf, shimmering with pink and other pastel colors, all served in a shiny, miniature silver pot. Atop the pot was a small lid to keep the scarf warm, no less, should the oven happen to get chilly. Side dishes included a lovely piece of wooden carrot, complete with Velcro on both ends should we ever find the other parts of the carrot to which it sticks, as well as a scrumptious yellow apple slice, both sauteed separately in their own silver pans. (I hear the oven is the new and hottest thing for doing sautes, no pun intended.)
In the microwave I found two wooden slices of golden-brown bread - surely intended to become part of a delicious morning breakfast. Audrey's signature French toast is slow cooked in the microwave for several days so that it can obtain a flavor unlike anything you've ever tasted.
For dessert? I don't know where to begin. Upon opening the freezer I found an array of culinary wonders, no doubt meant to become a multi-layer bunt/fruit/mystery cake full of tantalizing flavors. The lower layer consisted of selected wooden fruits and vegetables - squash, tomatoes, cucumber, lime, lemon, red apple and watermelon, to name some. Next was a lovely pair of pink slippers, no doubt seasoned to taste as fresh as the freshest piece of sidewalk bubblegum. A metal scoop came next - perhaps left intentionally by the chef so that patrons could serve themselves immediately without unnecessarily waiting for their server to deliver the proper utensils. And two small rubber balls - one purple and one green - adorned the pinnacle of this culinary masterpiece, surely intended to create a burst of flavor and a barrage of flare when served.
Yes, this is the delight one experiences at Audrey's Kitchen. But no phone. Perhaps it was eaten at the last meal?
