It’s that time of year, the time of turkey and thanks. As a rule, it is common to give thanks for loved ones—family and friends—and I am thankful for them, especially after being diagnosed with breast cancer, which has a way of paring life down to its essentials. It is not something you want to face alone, and I am very grateful for all the support I’ve received.

But I would also like to give thanks to something that often gets overlooked, especially in households with, shall we say, a modest budget. That something, of course, is the kitchen.

On the face it, my kitchen is nothing to brag about. My husband, Clif, and I live in a ranch-style house built in 1969. Originally, it started out as a “cracker box,” with a long, narrow kitchen and living room and three small bedrooms. Then, the previous owners added a large, bright dining room at one end and two good-sized bedrooms on the other. (For these additions I am very, very thankful. Without them, we probably wouldn’t have bought the house.) Thus the cracker box became one long, narrow house. A freight train, if you will.

But back to the kitchen. It is dark with too few cupboards and not enough counter space. Because of its narrowness, only one person at a time can work comfortably in it—two is a squeeze but doable. Three? Forget about it. My kitchen has a tiled floor, probably its best feature only slightly marred by my foolish choice of color—white. (It seemed like a good idea at the time for a dark kitchen, and the white tiles did indeed brighten it up. But every footprint and paw print show up in bold relief on this white floor.) The cupboards were the classic dark pseudo-wood cabinets so common in the 1960s. We have gotten around this by painting them red.

My pots and pans? Nothing special. They are Revere Ware—a cut above average but again nothing to brag about. The same could be said about my mixer, my food processor, my toaster. Really, there is nothing about my kitchen or its equipment to strike envy in the hearts of fellow foodies.

But over the years, this kitchen has literally fed hundreds of people—young, old, and in-between. We’ve packed them into this freight-train house with its imperfect kitchen and its Revere Ware. We’ve made bread, chili, pies, crackers, soup, fish, chicken, beef stew, biscuits, pizza, and many, many other dishes. We have had appetizer nights, standing-room only parties, barbecues, and sit-down dinners. In short, this kitchen has helped nourish friends and family.

So I give thanks to my kitchen, and I hope readers will do the same with their kitchens, too. If you have a big beautiful kitchen with granite counters and expensive pots and pans, give double thanks. If all you have is a crockpot, a hot plate, and a toaster over, still give thanks. Whatever you have, you can cook for and nourish the ones you love. Need I add this applies to both men and women? Sons as well as daughters? I hope not.

This piece has included pictures of my kitchen. After the New Year, I am hoping nearby friends and readers will allow my husband and I to come into their kitchens and photograph them. And perhaps share a recipe or two. Please do let me know if you are interested.

And finally, happy Thanksgiving to all!