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I Love My Kitchen Because: Alicia Witt

The multitalented Friday Night Lights actress Alicia Witt has a lot on her plate these days: she just wrapped two films, with four — including the recent Cowboys ‘n Angels — scheduled for release this year. She’s also tending to a burgeoning musical career, with a current tour in support of her album [Live At Rockwood](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008A38SQW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=39095

My kitchen is one of my favorite places in the house. Like most, it seems to be where everyone congregates whenever I have a party or even just a few people over. But as much as I love having family and friends around, my favorite times are when I'm preparing for guests to come over and just doing all the work by myself, listening to music.

I love the view of my front yard from the window over the sink. It's full of beautiful succulents and at this time of year, jasmine, which makes me very happy.

One of my favorite things about my kitchen — a simple but awesome detail — is that it came with a full strip of power plugs underneath every cabinet. Every one! So no matter which counter I'm using, there is always a place to plug in whatever I need.

I was really lucky when I bought my house eleven years ago: the kitchen was pretty much the same as it is now. It came with a six-burner stove and a double oven, which comes in handy when entertaining. One change I made though was adding wrought iron fixtures to all of the cabinets and doors, and I did it all myself with a power drill, so it felt like I was really making the space my own.

Every month I prepare a batch of dog food for my two large rescue dogs, Jake and Maggie. I started making it about a year ago (organic chicken breast, brown rice, broccoli and carrots) and as much work as it is cooking, grinding, mixing and storing the batches in my freezer for the month, I really enjoy the time and process of making their food.

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Interview conducted and condensed by Vanita Salisbury