apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It's one week away, in case you had forgotten. I want to step back a bit and give you a chance to take a deep breath.

I assume that many of you are cooking some part of the Thanksgiving meal: you're cooks and you love food, that's why you subscribe to our emails. If you're like me, you can get a little wound up with all the preparations, and then the day hits and oops, maybe you forget just a little bit what this day, in theory, is all about.

Recently I got to thinking about the kind of odd notion of a mail-order turkey and decided to walk myself through the process from beginning to end.

I chose a new offering of young turkeys — yes, it feels a bit like sending away for a mail order bride — from Martha Stewart, who sources them from a farm in Pennsylvania known for their "humanely raised" birds.

"I think I am done...a great cure!" (deliajude in the San Francisco Bay Area)

Well, Cure-takers, if you're not there yet, you're pretty close. You put four weeks of hard work in and, if all went according to plan, your kitchen is clean, healthy and organized. And that means you're ready to take on the holiday cooking blitz with your arsenal in tip-top shape.

There were over 2,400 of you on this journey together and you did amazing work.

While I'm aware of the fact that many of our readers follow our website and subscribe to the weekly email for original recipes, unusual tips, and a specifically spirited perspective on cooking, I hope you also appreciate our approach to simplicity.

I thought about simplicity last night as I slid these heads of cauliflower into the oven for a simple olive-oil-topped roast.

A recurring theme during the Cure has been chaos in the spice drawer (or shelf or rack). Which photo above (all from Cure-takers) looks most like your spice collection? First, let's see how many of you are suffering. Then I'll show you a great solution invented by one of our readers.

Hands down, one of the best small-space solutions for kitchens is the addition of a butcher-block island. We have one in our kitchen, and with it, we have a giant space for chopping, rolling out dough, plating big meals, and eating (it's become our primary dining space) plus storage for appliances, large pots, and hanging space for our dishtowels. It's kind of like a miracle.

People participating in our Fall Kitchen Cure are closing in on the final days of the process. If there's one question we've seen again and again it's how to deal with those pesky plastic containers. Stacey Platt, a professional organizer here in NYC, gave me some tips to share with you.

• This Week's Assignment: Restocking Ingredients and Tools
• Cure Clock: This is it! Finish these assignments and meet back here next Friday for the party.
• Cure Takers: Over 2,400

This week is the final week of work. Phew! We will assume you have sorted through your refrigerator, freezer, cupboards and drawers. You have gotten rid of rancid oils, spoiled condiments, and tasteless spices. All the surfaces are clean. Now you're ready to stock your kitchen so that you can actually use it. This week we will focus on the ingredients you need to cook the kinds of food you like to eat. You will also think about any new tools you need and can afford. You'll also have fresh flowers in the kitchen.

When books come home with me for review consideration, our daughter often is the first to crack the spine and peruse the photos for something that appeals. Recently when I brought home Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day, it didn't take long for her to find the pictures of plump raisin bagels being lowered into their vat of simmering liquid, and so we dove straight in.

A small but important part of this week's Cure assignment is to add something to your kitchen that makes it more beautiful. This is not the moment for stripping off the 1970s wallpaper, rather, a little touch of color or life that makes being in your kitchen more enjoyable.

This Cure-taker in Jersey City says she works on the pantry monthly but it gets disorganized again right away. The first thing I suggested was separate the cleaning supplies from the food.

Part of this week's Kitchen Cure assignment is to do a deep cleaning of the kitchen. This got me thinking about the kinds of cleansers people use and where they keep them. As I read through the hundreds of submissions from Cure-takers, I saw a range of solutions, and lack thereof.

I love looking at the part of the pantry that has been cured. (Amelia, Santa Monica, CA)

• This Week's Assignment: Deep Cleaning, Special Projects and Beautifying
• Cure Clock: Closing in on the finish line! Two weeks of hard work left.
• Cure Takers: 2,382 (Sign up closes next Friday, November 6)

It's the third week. How are you doing? I'm so impressed with the emails I'm getting from Cure-takers. You guys are going deep, and I know it's not easy. This week you'll do a deep cleaning, start that special project and add one beautiful thing to your kitchen.

This week, to be quite honest, has been more about making a Flower Princess costume for our three year old than about cooking. We have ordered takeout both nights, my fingers have multiple stab wounds from the sewing needles, and there are wisps of pink and yellow tulle netting all over the place.

Even in the face of such adversity, one night we managed to make dessert.

I have a KitchenAid, 2 food processors (2 more in the basement), a hand blender, a blender, 2 steamers (shall I go on??) (Darci in Traverse City, MI)

• This Week's Assignment: De-Clutter and Give Away Kitchen Equipment Plus Special Projects
• Cure Clock: Getting the hang of it! 3 weeks more!
• Cure Takers: 2,300 and counting...

Week Two is here. Now that you tackled your ingredients in the fridge and pantry, it's time to pay a little attention to the equipment piled up in your kitchen. Take a long honest look at the stuff you keep in your cupboards and on your counters. From little stuff like flatware to big appliances. Do you really use that George Foreman grill? Do you truly need three strainers? We'll also be talking about picking a special project to complete during the Cure.

Haven't joined yet? Join here. It's easy and free.

Read on for this week's assignments.