. I fold my husband's shirts on occasion, plan and cook almost all of our meals, and clean our apartment. He does plenty around the house, too, but it tends to fall more into the taking-out-the-garbage and fixing-the-car variety. Even my feminist family is impressed and understands that my kitchen adventures in no way undermine my professional ambitions. Over Christmas, my dad showed his support by giving me Crate & Barrel kitchen gadgets.

I’m still no Martha Stewart. I prefer efficiency over extra work and focus on meals that are easily assembled with no special ingredients required. And some weeks are so busy with work that by Friday, our apartment is covered in discarded socks and junk mail. But come Saturday, I dedicate at least a few hours to cleaning and meal planning, which relaxes me as much, or more, than a trip to the spa. My foray into housekeeping made me realize that I don't need to choose between my domestic and independent, empowered sides. I can have both; we can all have both. And I like that the kitchen is my domain, especially when the floor is shiny clean and the sink smells like lemon (juice).

Kimberly Palmer is a writer in Washington, D.C. and writes Creating Ms. Perfect (www.creatingmsperfect.blogspot.com), a blog for women.