Aww she’s a cutie.
Regarding the crate, usual practice is that they wouldn’t have food/water in there. They’re supposed to go in there and sleep. Granted, you shouldn’t leave her in there all day while you’re at work without food and water and a litter box, but a few hours in the evenings is fine.
If you do want a larger crate, there are some dog crates that double as furniture. I’ve seen a few that are coffee tables / dog crates. For our kitten, we just had her in her carrier in a corner when she (or we) needed a few hours of timeout. We’d put a lightweight breathable blanket over the top to make it dark and cozy in there.
In any case, I applaud your commitment to making sure she ends up in a good home, whether it’s yours or another.
IT guy here. The number of tickets I could close with this as the root cause.