I’m not afraid to be real here at RE, mistakes, messes and all – so I decided to show you what my kitchen looked like after we cooked our Zucchini Noodles Pasta dish the other night.
A mess indeed.
My daughter and I got in and cleaned it up after dinner.
Washed up the larger pans.
Ahh … much better. But still not perfect.
And then beautiful garden tomatoes on the counter. So lovely.
I think food bloggers show beautiful photos of cooking, but they rarely show the mess. Or talk about who ate the food. Or what the atmosphere was like while the food was being devoured. Or rarely do they share about hungry kids screaming in the background while they were taking these beautiful photos …
So today I’m not afraid to show you my mess.
Do you clean as you cook, or do you wait until after the meal and clean up the entire mess then?
Hi, I'm Sandy. Five years ago I stocked up on beautiful glasses from the Dollar Store. As I started writing about dinner parties, I realized that this “icon” portrays a great message. It says that dinner parties are attainable, they are affordable, and that they can be beautiful even when on a budget. 
I love seeing other people’s messes. I try to clean as I cook, but it’s still usually a disaster at the end because of the dishes.
Your messes are beautiful.
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Relief! You are so right, and it is so nice to see that I’m not the only one with a royal mess in her kitchen after a good meal!!
Lynn from For Love or Funny´s last [type] ..My kitchen makeunder
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I like to clean as I go if I can…which is completely dependent on the needs of 3 little people during preparation time!
Tara G.´s last [type] ..Todays Amazing
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Hey Sandy! It is a good thing that I went and bought my zucchini to make this dish yesterday before I read this post!
Anyways, still looking forward to trying it out.
Annie @ astonesthrowfrominsanity´s last [type] ..The Writing is on the Wall or How I Stopped Yelling to Get the Kids to Cooperate
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Thanks for showing your mess and keeping it real. Makes me feel much better as my kitchen as looked like that more days than not lately! And thanks for the recipe! I actually think hubby would like zucchini that way
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Love it! Last time my kitchen looked that “bad” was Thanksgiving. But I’ve come close trying the same thing with zucchini. Which is an odd coincidence, because last night we made zucchini cornbread to go with our chili. Cheers!
HPD´s last [type] ..Little Girl
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I wait until after…….sometimes the huge mess bothers me (I have a small kitchen)…but I prefer to clean up when I’m all finished.
Thanks for sharing your mess Sandy!♥
TidyMom´s last [type] ..Bakerella’s Cake Pops Book!
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Very timely since a friend just gifted us with two very large zuccini, was trying to figure out what to make besides bread… I try to clean as I go along, but it depends on how rushed I am.
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I sometimes clean as I cook, sometimes wait till afterwards. It just depends on what I’m making or what I just feel like doing. I appreciate seeing “messes”, “mistakes”, etc..as much as the sparkling, shining, and yummy looking pics.
The other day (sunday) we had about 3 people just drop in and they were ones who had never seen the inside of our house and wanted a tour. Unfortunately Sundays can be crazy and I usually leave the house without making our bed (or the girls theirs), things were just kinda out and about and i had went grocery shopping. Oh, well! That’s life, that’s how our house is sometimes, and that just has to be okay!!
Kirstin´s last [type] ..Facebook Dinner Inspiration
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I used to be a clean the mess up after, but I’ve converted! I’m learning to clean as I go & teach my daughters to do the same. I did what my mom & my grandma did, but learned to do it differently & now I’m teaching my girls!
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THANKS for sharing the mess. Now I know I am not alone in the messes I can create in MY kitchen
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LOVE that you shared the behind the scenes aftermath.
And I totally can’t wait to try the noodles!
the BLAH BLAH BLAHger´s last [type] ..I’M SO TIRED THAT…
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I just love that you aren’t afraid to be REAL, Sandy. Thank you. Thank you for showing us that there’s a cost to cooking the noodles!
I personally wait until the very end to clean up. My husband (who loves to cook and help out whenever we have guests) loves to clean up along the way. So, when he cooks, the kitchen is clean when we sit down to eat. When I cook, we sit in a bombed-out kitchen. LOL!
Julie Gillies´s last [type] ..A New Book & A Give Away!
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I am a clean up while I am cooking kind of gal. Frankly, I do not mind the mess, because I know that the more mess, the more work I put into making a delicious meal. (Or sometimes in my case, the more I burned something, have to soak a pan, and start over from scratch…) I think the only thing that frustrates me is that sometimes it takes more time to clean up than it did for my family to eat!
By the way, the recipe sounds incredible–I love zucchini and am always looking for new ways to serve it!
Jules from A Little Bite of Life´s last [type] ..Super Fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
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I’m a very messy cook! Your “messy” kitchen looks GOOD to me
Lisa´s last [type] ..Fresh- Sudsy- Gorgeous- Homemade Soap GIVEAWAY!
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My Hubby cleans while I cook! We decided this a while ago because mess doesn’t bother me, but sometimes, it bothers him so bad that he put things away before I am finished with them!
We will see how this keeps up after we have kids!
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Thank you very much for sharing your mess! Sometimes I’m driven almost to despair because of the state of my kitchen. I’m amazed that these people here want to eat EVERY SINGLE DAY. Sheesh.
Every now and then I’ll cook a real, old-fashioned Southern meal–like when Will came home from California a few weeks ago. I figured he hadn’t gotten much Southern cuisine in Santa Cruz, so I made him chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade creamed corn, biscuits, the whole nine yards. I should have taken a photo of that! It tasted good but boy, were there a lot of dirty dishes!
Richella´s last [type] ..Mod Podge challenge
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Hi Sandy, great post and it was so refreshing that you showed us how cooking can really be! I try to have a sink full of hot sudsy water as I am cooking. It helps with the clean up but also it helps me to keep my hands fresh and clean as I go from one thing to the next.
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I clean up afterwards, my husband likes to clean as he goes. So I pretty much drive him crazy, he doesn’t understand why I don’t want to be like him. Hmmmpf. I love that you shared your messy kitchen, thank you.
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THANK YOU for showing the reality! I love it! I am a clean as you go cook… except when I’m not.
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I like to clean as I go. But, sometimes if I am making multipe dishes at once it’s more of a challenge! God Bless the Mess!
Robin´s last [type] ..September
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Isn’t it heartwarming to know everyones kitchen winds up looking a mess after making the meal! Love your photo of the clean larger pieces next to the sink – it’s the same in everyone kitchen!
To answer your question – I wait until after the meal to clean up!
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This is where I love the synergy we have at my house – he is by far the expert in the kitchen, so when we are going to town on a big meal, he’s doing the heavy lifting and I tag along behind cleaning up. That way there’s nothing to intrude upon that blissful relaxation after the meal!
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I clean up as I go also…but usually still have plenty left to deal with when the meal is over
Patti Smith´s last [type] ..I hate credit cards
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Love it, came over via Julie Gillies blog! I am definitely a reluctant entertainer, thinking my house is not clean enough or straightened out enough (boys clothes/toys put away).
Thanks Blessings
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I clean as I cook. Nothing ruins a good meal more than a disaster to deal with when the meal is over.
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It is reality and I appreciate you showing it like it is at may house at least : )
Debbie Smith´s last [type] ..Thank you!
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I try to clean as I cook. The sink is filled with hot soapy water with the pots soaking while we eat. Afterwards I scrap plates and load the dishwasher, then I tackle the pots and pans and give anything that needs a final wipe down the once over. I like to know I can relax with the family too. I’m usually done within minutes of finishing dinner and the kitchen looks good too.
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I’m most definitely a messy cook. Messy, messsy, messy.
Tara´s last [type] ..Cayleyism With A Bonus Elishaism
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Can the answer be YES to both! I do both though clean as you go it better for the evening and family. On busy nights of piano lessons and church or other activities, I definitely need to clean as I go. I HATE going out and returning to a messy kitchen. Thanks for letting us see we are not the only messy cooks out there.
Linda´s last [type] ..Where I am blogging these days…
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I love the idea of cleaning up as I go, but honestly it never happens like that! Recently I’ve tried filling a basin of soapy water to try and wash up a few things as I go and that helps but usually after a dinner with friends we wake up to a bomb site the next day!
We recently had a BBQ for my boyfriend’s 30th and my family and friends helped wash up as the day progressed. I was so thankful!
Jade
Jade @ No Longer 25´s last [type] ..Inspiring September
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Thanks for keeping it real!! You are so brave and it’s such an encouragement. Just read your book and I loved it!!! I believe this recipe was included. Can’t wait to try it.
Michelle´s last [type] ..September Classic Book -Corduroy
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your kitchen is so pretty, even when it’s messy!
to answer your question, i don’t have nearly as much counter space as i’d like, so i have to clean as i go. that, or fill the sink to capacity!
i like to console myself with the fact that julia child didn’t have a large kitchen. but then again, i’m not delusional enough (most days) to think that my cooking compares to hers. or yours, as seen in this post! such a great idea. i’ve enjoyed reading through your past posts, and learning more about your attitude and sense of humour
thanks for sharing!
ana
ana @ i made it so´s last [type] ..did you make that
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lol…I love this…my answer is …sometimes two days later!!!! I find that the meal and all the cleaning and prep that goes into entertaining to be exhausting. I’d rather save my energy to sit around and just visit with my guests and clean up the next day…or maybe the next!
christine´s last [type] ..Blueberry Bliss
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