Carter’s Kitchen No. 11

Reese Blutstein, Atlanta, Georgia

Like me, Reese is a twin and I think twins are truly special. Growing in your mother’s womb at the same time creates an unexplainable bond and a lifelong best friend. I admire Reese’s (and her sister’s) style and wish I had her wardrobe.

Where is your kitchen, and what does it look out onto?

My kitchen is located in Atlanta Georgia. It faces a big oak tree and my neighbors sweet old home. I also look out on to our backyard and check on our chickens or watch my fiancé and my son playing in the yard.

What’s the first thing you do when you walk into it?

Probably open the cabinet to get my coffee grinder out to make a coffee. Or I’m wiping the table down because I have a sticky toddler.

What’s usually left out on the bench or within reach?

Eggs from our chickens or a plate full of food scraps for our chickens

What do you have when you don’t feel like cooking at all?

A bowl of yogurt with lots of fruit, granola, and peanut butter. It hits the spot every time. Or I honestly love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich but rarely have them.

What do you eat or drink almost every day?

A cappuccino every morning and pretty much every day I eat a Japanese sweet potato. I just love them so much and I eat them with so many different dishes.

What’s the last thing you made, even if it was simple?

Chicken and rice with a honey soy sauce and you maybe could have guessed it..Japanese sweet potato. Simple and delicious.

Is there something you make on repeat without thinking?

I am going to sound like a broken record but I make some sort of protein and rice with sweet potato. I really love a roasted sweet potato topped with yogurt and pickled jalapeños. That’s truly a go to for me.

What do you have late at night or early in the morning?

Early in the morning I have Japanese sweet potato.. no I’m kidding. I have these delicious cacao date balls that my mother in law has been making for us since I gave birth to my son 2 years ago. Theyre just like oats, cacao, flax, peanut butter, coconut oil. They’re filling and so delicious and my son is obsessed with them so we eat one every single morning.

Is there a drink you make all the time?

My son really likes smoothies so we have been on a daily smoothie kick. We love a spinach, apple, mango, orange smoothie. It is so refreshing and great for the hot summer months. If I’m not making that I’m having a cappuccino.

Is there something you always order when you’re out?

I mean I probably order the same thing from the places I go often. That said I do like to try new things so I don’t necessarily have a go to. Say I’m going to my favorite coffee shop, I always order an egg and bacon English muffin.

Is there a place you go back to for the same meal?

Yes, we go to this Mexican spot in our neighborhood weekly. We can bike to it so my son really loves to do that. I love to get a steak burrito bowl or I’ll have a fish taco.

What’s something you’ve eaten recently that stayed with you?

Probably the raspberries from our front yard. We pick them every morning and they are truly unreal. So sweet and juicy. This is our first year of having our plants really fruit and it is so special to grow your own food.

Where do you eat your meals most of the time?

At the table in our kitchen or during the summer we eat on our screened in porch. We can look at our garden and watch our neighbors walk by without being eaten by mosquitoes. It is so relaxing.

What do you like listening to in your kitchen?

I love a good podcast. If I am really cooking up a storm I like the listen to Trevor Noahs podcast. If I’m just hanging out in the kitchen with my family I love some old soul music. I love Nina Simone, the marvelettes, Etta James, Sam cooke..I’ll stop there but that’s what I’m listening to.

What’s something slightly imperfect in your kitchen that you still use?

I definitely still use mugs even if they have little chunks of ceramic missing or even a crack. If I love the mug Im going to make it work.

Follow Reese on instagram here or on Substack, here.

My kids love to drink smoothies too, and we often have them for breakfast. This morning we made one and they had a bowl of this cereal too.

I like to put some protein in there too but prefer to use whole foods rather than a powder so I use..